Writer Unboxed

Creating Intriguing Heroes and Villains

Guest on Oct 31 2010 | Filed under: Book Talk, CRAFT, RESEARCH

Therese here–and Happy Halloween to everyone. Today’s guests are Janice Gable Bashman and Jonathan Maberry, authors of WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil, which seemed apropos today. From their bios: Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestseller, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winner and a writer for Marvel Comics. He has [...]

Taming the Beast

Tracy Hahn-Burkett on Oct 30 2010 | Filed under: CRAFT, Inspirations

Halloween comes tomorrow, but I’m not scared. I met my big fright for the year this summer, when I confronted The Beast. The Beast was—is—the first draft of my literary/mainstream WIP. Working without an outline, I researched and wrote the manuscript over a period of three years, my passionate belief in my story and characters [...]

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker

Lydia Sharp on Oct 29 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized

Rub-a-dub dub Three scribes in a tub And who do you think they’d be? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker Which type of writer are thee? As writers, we love to categorize ourselves (don’t deny it). Personally, I’m a candlestick maker with butcher-like tendencies. What in the name of peanut butter fudge does that [...]

Become A Better (And Future-Friendly) Storyteller: Embrace Other Media

JC Hutchins on Oct 28 2010 | Filed under: Business, REAL WORLD

I submit this for your consideration: Expand and improve your media vocabulary. It might positively impact your career now, and certainly will in the future. I define “media vocabulary” as the various media one uses to tell resonant stories. Since most readers of this blog are authors, I reckon we’re fluent in the vocabulary of [...]

Practical Magic for Writers

Barbara O'Neal on Oct 27 2010 | Filed under: Inspirations

I am all for writers educating themselves on every aspect of the publishing business. Ditto (and double) that for the study of craft, learning how to put words, plots, characters, ideas together on the page. Together, business and craft can carry you a long way. But you also need a little magic, some spiritual voodoo, [...]

The Power of a Name

Guest on Oct 26 2010 | Filed under: Business

Therese here. Today’s guest is Kristen Lamb, author of the top-selling book We Are Not Alone—The Writer’s Guide to Social Media. From her bio: Kristen worked in international sales before transitioning into a career as an author, freelance editor and speaker. She takes her years of experience in sales & promotion and merges it with [...]

Do You Have a Strange Attractor?

Guest on Oct 25 2010 | Filed under: CRAFT

Kath here. Today’s guest is bestselling novelist Amanda Stevens. Author of acclaimed paranormal thrillers, Amanda has been writing and publishing since 1989, so she knows a thing or two about the craft of fiction. Her new series, THE GRAVEYARD QUEEN, kicks off in May 2011 with the debut title THE RESTORER. Set in the gracious [...]

What color is your balloon?

Guest on Oct 24 2010 | Filed under: Inspirations

Therese here. Please welcome Amy Nathan to Writer Unboxed. Amy was a quarter-finalist in our search for an unpublished contributor. In her application, Amy wrote: I have published first person essays and columns in The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times Online, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune Online, The Washington Post Online, Chicago Parent, A [...]

Take Ten with Lorna Suzuki

Therese Walsh on Oct 23 2010 | Filed under: Interviews

Today I’m happy to bring you a “take ten” interview with author, martial artist, and long-time Writer Unboxed supporter and friend Lorna Suzuki. Lorna celebrates two book releases today, including the publication of the final novel in her nine-part Imago series, The Broken Covenant, and the first book in a new series entitled The Dream [...]

The No. 1 Component of an Effective Online Marketing and Promotion Strategy

Jane Friedman on Oct 22 2010 | Filed under: Business

I’ve noticed a lot of authors and publishing professionals who are discounting the impact of online marketing and promotion. It usually goes something like this: People don’t buy books because of Facebook / Twitter / [insert online community here]. Or: Blogging/social networking takes a lot of energy, has little impact, and robs you of time [...]

Prologues: Yes or No

Ray Rhamey on Oct 21 2010 | Filed under: CRAFT

As an editor, I have never liked prologues. As a writer, I’ve never written one. As a reader, I skip them. Yet they keep appearing on my Flogging the Quill blog for criticism. I post the opening lines of the prologue plus the opening lines of the first chapter. Just about all the time, the [...]

Mary Stewart—An Appreciation

Sophie Masson on Oct 20 2010 | Filed under: Inspirations

Today I want to present something a bit different–an appreciation of Mary Stewart, one of the authors who really fired my teenage imagination and helped to turn me into a writer. I well remember the first time I picked up a Mary Stewart book. It was a grey, rainy lunchtime in the school library and [...]