Writer Unboxed

Sherri — a regular reader at my weblog — asked me recently what books I’d recommend to somebody who has just started writing fiction. It’s a reasonable question, as there are about a bazillion how-to-write-a best-selling-novel-and-get-published books out there. There are several distinct subcategories of the writing-related how-to books — craft, theory, inspiration, marketing/sales, reference, [...]

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When I started writing historical fiction seriously (approximately 1995) I was still on the faculty at the University of Michigan. This meant that I had a fantastic library at my disposal. Faculty could (and probably still can) send an email or call and say, here’s a list of books and articles I need. Later that [...]

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February is Plot Month at WU. Back in 2006, I road-tested THE WRITER’S JOURNEY by Christopher Vogler to see if it was an efficient (notice I didn’t say easy) method of plotting a book. Two manuscripts later, I’m still using Vogler as the foundation for my stories. It’s been the best method for me to [...]

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Kath here. Today’s post is the first from WU’s newest contributor, Rosina Lippi. Enjoy! For the historical novelist – for anyone interested in history – the internet has brought about a revolution. We are floating in a sea of information that deepens and spreads minute by minute. It’s incredibly empowering, but it also has its dangers. [...]

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Kath here. As part of my ongoing effort to find the perfect way to organize a mess when it comes to notes and research, I asked blogger Lisa Janice Cohen if she would share her organizing tool, TiddlyWikiWrite, and I was thrilled when she agreed. Lisa (left) created TiddlyWikiWrite out of an existing wiki platform (ingenious) into [...]

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I’m currently in NYC! Today I meet my agent, Elisabeth Weed, and yesterday I met my new editor, Sarah Knight. I’ll tell you more about these meetings when I get back home. For now, I wanted to share an idea I had with you, something that occurred to me while straightening my desk the other [...]

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Some of you may already know about this approach, but this can be a valuable tip for those who don’t, so I’ll risk boring the savvy ones with this info. First, keep your entire book manuscript in one electronic file—it’s a huge time-saver. I know writers who use a separate file on their computer for [...]

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First off, I want to thank you all for your congrats. This has been a wild few weeks, for sure. And, since Therese Fowler removed her supergirl mask in comments, I’d like to say a public thanks to her, too–my willing pre-publication blurber. Thanks, Therese! You’re the best of the best! Okay, on to today’s [...]

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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 [...]

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a proper Click Here, and since I have several links relating to words, that’s what you’re getting this time around. Here goes: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, includes 100 new words or expressions, including these favorites: 1. Bollywood 2. chaebol 3. crunk 4. flex-cuff 5. ginormous 6. gray [...]

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I haven’t posted a Click Here in a while, so here you go. Continuing with our screenwriting trend, these research links that should appeal to the Hollywood-intrigued among us. Does your story have a clear protagonist and antagonist? It it emotionally, rather than intellectually, driven? Is there clear conflict? Does it possess an interesting “air?” [...]

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Now that I have the June issue of Writer’s Digest in my steamy little hands, I can tell you the rumor is true: Writer Unboxed was named one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers! There are a load of fantastic sites referenced in WD–a hundred others–and while I’m sure they’ll soon have them all [...]

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