Writer Unboxed

If you missed part one of my interview with screenwriting expert Blake Snyder, click HERE, then come back. Blake is an analytical genius when it comes to dissecting films to ID what makes them work–or fail. His book, Save the Cat!, and its follow-up, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies provide aspiring screenwriters with […]

Fair warning and disclaimer: my state of mind is extremely fragmented at the moment.  New state, new apartment, new car, new life.  All of which means that this month’s ramblings may be less coherent than usual.  If such a thing is possible.
I’m still getting settled in. I’ve had more days at the computer in my […]

Today’s guest blogger is Gavin Cramblet (aka Chro) from a blogsite we like called Journey of the Scribe. When he recently talked up a service called YouWriteOn, we thought, “Hmm, wonder if he’d be willing to jump in our sandbox for a while and tell us more about it?” Happily for us, he agreed, though […]

Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing is being released in paperback form today in the United States. Though Wildwood Dancing was written as a fantasy tale for the younger sect (8th grade and up), the lyrical prose is still true to Juliet’s voice and promises a satisfying read for teens and adults alike. We’re happy she took […]

John Hewitt over at Writer’s Resource Center posted one of the most hilarious and truthful rants about writing critique groups that I’ve yet read: 10 Ways to Annoy the Hell out of your Writers Group.
Honestly now. Raise your hand if you’ve ever come to a critique meeting eager to hear useful feedback about your […]

Blake Snyder is a true authority on both the craft of storytelling and the business savvy required to sell a screenplay in Hollywood. He’s personally written and sold dozens of scripts, including some million-dollar sales (Blank Check to Disney and Nuclear Family to Steven Spielberg). His avid love of movies created a strong drive in […]

The following is adapted from the first chapter of the book I plan to publish based on my blog, Flogging the Quill. Jump-start Your Novel with Kitty-cats in Action will have new and expanded material that adds up to a bookful of coaching on the craft of creating compelling fiction.
For what it’s worth…
Writing for effect […]

Some writers pride themselves on saying they never read other people’s books, at least not people working in the same genre as they are, saying they don’t want to be influenced by someone else’s work. I find this a truly bizarre and barbaric notion. How can a writer not be a reader too? How can […]

A really interesting set of studies came out of Johns Hopkins recently, showing what happened to jazz performers when improvising music. Are there lessons here for writers, too?
This, from Science Daily:
A pair of Johns Hopkins and government scientists have discovered that when jazz musicians improvise, their brains turn off areas linked to self-censoring and […]

Sweat coated Athena’s upper lip.  She licked it, shuddered at the sensation, and knew the night would be a memorable one.  The blue Missoni dress clung to her body, the fabric matted on her curves like tissue paper.  The dress had been air-mailed by Ottavio Missoni himself, specifically for Athena to wear tonight…..
Athena stepped onto […]

WU contributor Sophie Masson’s latest release, the delightful Thomas Trew fantasy series for early readers, hits the bookstores March 13.   We asked Sophie to do a Take 5 interview to tell us about this latest project, and she agreed.  Enjoy!
Q:  What is the premise of your new book?
The books which are being released, simultaneously, are the last […]

I wish Donald Maass had revealed his exercise for making a bad guy spine-tinglingly good in our interview with him. Here’s what I do know: Bad guys with depth, who display relatable tendencies and characteristics, are more likely to affect us than will black-hatted, gun-toting baddies.
Why?
It’s a little like this picture. We recognize […]