Writer Unboxed

So I went to Madison to speak at the University of Wisconsin’s Writer’s Institute and to launch my latest novel, Lucy in the Sky, which is set in hippie times of Madison and Milwaukee in 1969, and thus seemed like the right place to officially introduce the book to the world. I was in for [...]

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So it should start becoming more and more obvious that I’m going through a writer-identity crisis as things get closer to the release of my book. And lucky you — you get to be a witness to my crisis. In this episode of my crisis, we walk through my attempt at networking even though I’m [...]

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Today’s post is intended for any writers who occasionally encounter… well, let’s call them obstacles. I’m talking about the sort of thing that grinds your writing to a halt. Whether it writer’s block, the conspicuous absence of the muse, or just the feeling that every single word you write stinks worse than Satan’s dirty gym [...]

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The comic above was inspired by a recent discussion in Writer Unboxed as well as Juliet Marillier’s recent post. Last time, I posted a cartoon caption challenge for an image featuring an editor at a desk and an Easter bunny. Lots of great responses! John Monahan‘s caption suggestion got the most thumbs up: “We’ve had [...]

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This is a big month for me in my effort to make the most of the brave new realm of indy publishing. Beginning with a launch party at the Wisconsin Writers Institute, I will introduce to the world (or will have introduced, depending on when you read this), my new novel, Lucy in the Sky, [...]

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Therese here. If it’s a terrible thing to love the terrible mind of Chuck Wendig (of the blog Terrible Minds, for those of you who don’t know him) then Kath and I are terrible. Chuck’s blog is full of great advice, delivered with shrewd wit and an edge Chuck himself calls “unmercifully profane. It is [...]

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So I originally intended this video to be about the way I once organized my whole submission plan for literary magazines. I had this fancy pants spreadsheet characterizing my every submission move. The spreadsheet was color-coded. It had formulas. There were calculations. It was brilliant. Or so I used to think. But a few minutes [...]

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Dear Fellow Sandwich Generationer: When you found out you’d become an official caregiver for two generations of people (one older, one younger), and hence a member of the “sandwich” generation, did the news come via a phone call? Mine did, as I sat writing in the deceptively soft, grey light of a winter morning. It [...]

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No matter what you write – whether it’s romance, literary fiction, fantasy, or the increasingly popular genre of historical vampire chick-lit zombie western mystery – at some point each of you will be called upon to write about the same thing: yourself. There’s no avoiding it. If you’re writing with the goal of publication, it’s [...]

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Any suggestions for a caption? Post your suggestion below. Only one at at time, please — if you have more than one, please wait until someone else posts before you post again. And do come back later to “Like” the captions you like the most! Have a great weekend, all.

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I’m a total coward. When I’m faced with a big project – something time consuming, something that will require sacrifices to be made – my instinct is to run away. Fast. No looking back. For that reason, it took me a long time to come around to the point where I (somewhat) enjoy the challenge [...]

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I’ll admit, between the title of this post and the accompanying image I’ve chosen, I may be guilty of making today’s post seem a bit more… titillating than it really is. After all, most people won’t consider my topic even remotely sexy. I mean, I guess it is something you could do in bed. But [...]

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