Writer Unboxed - The "Connect Kitty" Approves
AAC can't help but deliver the best bloggish content that will inspire writers to new leaps of imagination. This one is mostly new releases, bestsellers, literary fiction historical fiction, mysteries, popular non-fiction, memoirs and biographies.
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“One writes out of one thing only—one’s own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from this experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give. This is the only real concern of the artist, to recreate out of the disorder of life that order which is art.” James Baldwin – Notes of a Native Son Over the ages, any revolutionary movement has an element of art tied to it, whether it be paintings, sculptures, writings or music. These mediums are weapons in the fight that shed no blood and take no prisoners, yet they inspire, enrage, motivate, and encourage. Art is resistance to the status quo. It is a gift that enables the user to figh…
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Welcome to our fourth edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops about: Research as Remedy for Clichéd Writing The Power of Opposites Delaying Your Inciting Incident Email subscribers, please click through to view. Look for more of Desmond’s Drops in June. Have your own bit of wisdom to share? Drop it in comments. About Desmond HallDesmond Hall, author of YOUR CORNER DARK, was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and them moved to Jamaica, Queens. He’s worked as both a high school biology teacher and English teacher, counseled at-risk teens, and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at SpikeDDB. He’s also written and directed the HBO movie, A …
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Over the past decade (whoa – has it really been that long?!?) at Writer Unboxed, I’ve endeavored to share a diverse range of insights: from Shakespeare to South Park; from Gatsby to Gilligan. What can I say? It’s all part of the service you’ve come to expect from the cavernous artistic depths of a guy like me. So today I thought it was time to explore what some might consider an unlikely source of literary inspiration: Mike Tyson. No, this will not be a treatise on the aesthetics of facial tattooing, nor a tutorial on hitting things with approximately the same force as a disgruntled rhinoceros. Instead, I want to focus on an oft quoted piece of wisdom from Mr. Tyson, var…
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For the most part, what happens in novels doesn’t happen to real people. Yes, there are stories that spring from news articles, family anecdotes, or personal experience. There are many more stories that do not. Vampires are part of no one’s family history. No one I know who is not a police detective has ever solved a murder case. My friends have married wonderful people, but no dukes or titled ladies. Magic does not work, especially not in my garden, believe me. Fantastic stories nevertheless catch us up. We buy in. What makes them plausible? It is not because we truly believe what is impossible—Aristotle’s “suspension of disbelief” affirms that—but because the …
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For many authors, generating social media content ideas is a necessary evil: we all know the importance of keeping up a platform so we can engage with readers and the book community, but maintaining social platforms is yet another to-do item on an already long list. I’m here for you, friends. Below are 100 social media content ideas for every stage of your writing career. There are 25 items listed for each of the four stages. Whether you’re an aspiring author, have an impending book launch, just launched a book, or your career is in-swing, I hope you’ll find the below ideas useful. The content suggestions listed are best-suited to three platforms in particular: Instag…
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For years, when people asked why I wrote historical fiction, I said, “Well, it just seems like all the ideas I get these days are historical fiction ideas!” And then you can guess what eventually happened. I got an idea that wasn’t. Fast-forward through a pretty intense period of soul-searching, drafting, rewrite after rewrite, adding a new agent to my team, spending a month on submission absolutely terrified no one would buy the book, wailing and gnashing of teeth, etc., the usual writer stuff. And just days ago, I sent my editor the second pass (post-copyedit) version of my first work of epic fantasy, set in a world called the Five Queendoms. The book kicks off a seri…
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Warning: Hacks for Hacks tips may have harmful side effects on your writing career, and should not be used by minors, adults, writers, poets, scribes, scriveners, journalists, or anybody. So you want to be a writer? Maybe you can string together a few good sentences, but good prose can take you only so far. Your daily routine can can affect your writing career just as much (or more!) as the words you type. Set yourself up for literary success by developing these writing habits. Write every day. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Go to a prestigious creative writing program. These programs are competitive and costly, but you’ll get to hone your craft and make co…
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Once upon a time, I was workshopping a new novel. It was my usual sort of thing—transgender historical fiction—only this time I’d gone heavy in the slang department. I’d spent months researching the language of the era and had painstakingly placed the introduction of each unfamiliar word with context clues. I didn’t pause the story to directly explain any of the slang or trans-specific references, worried it would ruin what I hoped was a runaway-train effect to the plot. I also wanted to approach the story the same way as my protagonist: putting our community first and automatically approaching the reader as one of our own. I wanted to preserve a piece of history and make…
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*Apologies to REM and to all of you for the earworm. Sometime last winter, early in the days of the pandemic, I had a conversation with one of my oldest and dearest friends about how I was no longer ambitious about anything. It was a strange concept to be exploring and I couldn’t articulate all that I was feeling, but this I knew: I was exhausted. Something had to change. I was done with endless striving. Everything in my life had been pressure-driven, from excelling in college and graduate school, to succeeding in my profession as a physical therapist, to working to create and sustain a family, to fulfilling my dream of being a published author. Imagine a road lined wi…
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Last December, I got some welcome pre-holiday news: I’d been awarded a small project grant by Create NSW, the state arts funding body for New South Wales, to develop an unusual sort of novel. Called A Turn off the Path, it would be for adults this time, rather than for my usual audience of children and young adults, but that’s not what was unusual about it. What was unusual is that I would be writing the novel for the audio format primarily, not print. That was inspired by the Audible Original range of audio books that are written for audio first and may or may not be published in print later. I’d been listening to a few of them, as well as to more traditional audio books…
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Kathleen Alcalá’s work often reads like poetry, the sort that draws our attention to the distance between what we think we have seen and what is actually there. Alcalá’s first novel, Spirits of the Ordinary: A Tale of Casas Grandes, originally published in 1996, is being reissued and will be available in May 2021. As a Latina and a writer, I find both solace and inspiration in Alcalá’s work. At every point, she challenges the amnesia that drives the homogenized, often jingoistic narrative about what used to be northern Mexico before President Polk annexed Texas in 1845; and before the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 conceded California, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts …
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Flickr Creative Commons: Michela Mongardi Growing up, I scoffed at anything playing on 92 Moose FM in favor of music by Depeche Mode, Erasure, O.M.D. and The Cure. Yes, that was a real radio station and, no, I did not fit in with my Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Mötley Crue, and Metallica loving peers in the backwoods of Maine. My appreciation for Def Leppard came at 16, perhaps because the grass was even less green in the backwoods of Finland, where my family had moved for my father’s job. The “Hysteria” album allowed me to mentally return to a time when my evening’s entertainment did not consist of a Russian documentary about women giving birth underwater, helpfully subtitled i…
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In every story, there’s a messy middle between “Once Upon A Time” and “They all lived happily ever after”. Even if you’re writing regularly, the story of your writing life as a whole, might feel a little messy. It’s gap the between “I want to be a writer” and “I’m living a writer’s life”, that’s the problem. How do you bridge that gap? I’ve built the StoryADay WRITER Code Masterclass to unlock a process that helps you navigate the messy middle between your dreams and the everyday practice of being a writer. It’s a process you’ll use over and over again, at every stage of your writing journey, whether you’re writing your first short story since high school, submitting y…
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Stephen King's War on Plot
An Algonkian Success Story
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New York Pre-Event Assignments - June 2021
FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Story Statement. In the late iron-age, Norse settler Erik Fenris and his son Einar must overcome trials of love, loss, war and their Viking destiny, to locate and reunite three hidden shards of an ancient, magical talisman, to break the curse of a power-hungry witch, and free their enslaved kinsmen from her burgeoning wolf-skin warrior army. SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Skara, the Volva (witch): Skara is the physical counterpart, “dark sister” to the elemental, spiritual manifes -
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Contemporary Romance Series Starters!
I’m gathering up the Books on Sale this week, so if you’ve spotted some good discounts, let us know in the comments! The Best Man Plan The Best Man Plan by Jaci Burton is $1.99! This is book one of the Boots & Bouquets series, and is a one night stand/friends to lovers contemporary romance (sniff, sniff…is that catnip?). Book two, The Engagement Arrangement, comes out on June 29, so if you like this one, the next one wi -
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TEN LOW by Stark Holborn
The eponymous protagonist of Stark Holborn’s far future set sci-fi novel is an ex-convict with a past she is trying to make amends for, but chance has dealt her a harsh hand and continues to torment her with half glimpsed possibilities along a path to redemption. The world, or rather universe, of Holborn’s imagination sprawls across several systems, planets and moons, with a civilisation recovering from a civil war with the rebel “Free Limits” brutally supressed by the governing “Accord.” However, the novel’s action focuses on the desolate moon Factus. For all the emphatic nature of their vict -
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Incorporating Social Issues Into Your Manuscript
“One writes out of one thing only—one’s own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from this experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give. This is the only real concern of the artist, to recreate out of the disorder of life that order which is art.” James Baldwin – Notes of a Native Son Over the ages, any revolutionary movement has an element of art tied to it, whether it be paintings, sculptures, writings or music. These mediums are weapons in the fight that shed no blood and take no prisoners, yet they inspire, enrage, motivate, and encourage. A -
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A Field Guide to the Long History of Skyjackings
For those of us obsessed with them, stories about skyjackings offer retro fascination, criminal ingenuity and daring, and, in some cases, wackiness. Skyjackings have been around as long as aviation itself, and continue to this day. But they are most associated with their peak in the 60s-70s, when air travel evoked a sense of glamour (well-coiffed stewardess and Dungeness crab served on china). In this so-called “Golden Age” of skyjackings, global political turmoil produced many cults, revolutionary groups, and malcontents. These are colorful characters, who saw skyjackings as financial or poli -
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New Books Coming Out This Week
Another week, another batch of books for your TBR pile. Happy reading, folks. * Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps (Doubleday) “While Justice Sleeps is a mesmerizing legal thriller that does the rare thing: It uses the novel to get at the truth. Stacey Abrams is a powerful new voice in fiction.” –Michael Connelly Lara Bazelon, A Good Mother (Hanover Square) “A Good Mother is a high-stakes legal thriller packed with intense courtroom drama, but it’s also a story about the complicated sacrifices and compromises that mothers face. In this impressive debut, Lara Bazelon’s talent for -
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In Psychological Thrillers, It’s All About the ‘Wife’
Ah, the thrilling wives. Sometimes they’re the first, sometimes next, and sometimes they’re last. Often, they know too much. They are charming, hunting, haunted and lovely. Sometimes, they’re found in the twilight, or upstairs. These are the wives of domestic suspense, and no matter who their spouses are, these captivating women are the stars of the show. If you’re looking for your next thrilling read, look no further than The Real Wives of Domestic Suspense. Consider these popular episodes: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing Samantha Downing knocked it out of the park with this particular -
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On Finding The Perfect Audiobook Narrator (Second Time’s The Charm)
Some years ago I was invited to a fancy literary dinner where I was seated between Erica Jong and a senior editor of a mega publishing company. Having just exhausted with Erica the infamous topic of the “zipless f—k,” I turned to the editor and asked, “What do you look for in a manuscript that crosses your desk?” Frankly, I thought he’d give me a yawn and turn back to whomever he had been talking to. But he replied seriously, “I want to be intrigued by the first sentence and gripped by the time I reach the third paragraph. Thereafter, I want it to sing.” No doubt I’d overly participated in t -
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Zinger in The Woods Blog Tour and Giveaway
Olive is searching for her missing dog Ginger, but the dog has fallen into a hole and is trapped. Along comes Zen, a homeless dog who helps free Ginger. Together, they make their way back to Olive. This book is perfect for teaching young readers how to trust, make new friends, get out in nature, explore and investigate the world around them and learn about the best doctors, sunshine, diet, fresh air, fresh water, a goodnight's rest, and exercise. Print Length: 24 Pages Genre: Children's ISBN-13: 979-8616441805 Publisher: Independent Zinger in The Woods is available to purchase at Amazon.co -
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From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
B+ From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn May 11, 2021 · Viking Books for Young Readers RomanceYoung Adult From Little Tokyo, With Love is a modern day, urban, feminist Cinderella meets nure-onna. It is a YA featuring a biracial girl with a ‘kaiju temper’ who prefers monsters to princesses and I am totally here for it. Riki is the daughter of a Japanese-American woman who died in childbirth. Her father, who abandoned Riki’s mother w -
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Cover Snark: Hair Speedos
You all look like you need some Cover Snark! http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image-51.png From Peggy. Thanks, Peggy! Sarah: I keep reading the title as “Walk Away.” Yes. Walk away. Slowly. Get outta there. Tara: via GIPHY Amanda: No thank you. Carrie: Aww finally Cousin Itt gets his own story! Shana: That’s gonna give me nightmares Carrie: A Man and his Merkin: A Un-hygenic Love Story. Sneezy: Huh. Been a while since that cut of bikini bottoms were in. This one looks itchy. Unless all of that’s his pubic hair. Catherine: That was my first thought -
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New York Pre-Event Assignments - June 2021
Story Statement Rescue his parents from Earthlings and stop them from destroying his home planet. Antagonist Commander Natalie Jordan is the leader of the Earthling army on the planet Toren. She bears a scar under her right eye and wears a metal mask over her mouth and nose, which creates the most awful, raspy sound when she breathes. She likes the way people cringe and shy away from her when she draws near. Her goal: do whatever necessary to save Earth from certain destruction, and make her brother—the emperor of Earth—proud. He’s the one who gave her that scar when -
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New York Pre-Event Assignments - June 2021
1. Story Statement A young drug addict in Kansas fights his addiction, only to move to Texas and struggle with mental illness and sobriety. 2. Antagonist Heroin. Cocaine. Methamphetamine. Benzodiazepines. Addiction. Sobriety. All threaten to take the life of the protagonist, who is the biggest threat of all to himself. 3. Title Drug Seeking Behavior: One Addict’s Broken Memories of the Opioid Crisis in the Midwest Fiend Altered Mental Status: Drug Dealers, Madness, and The Endless Plains of Kansas 4. Genre/Comparable Titles Genre: Memoir The Recove -
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Four Historicals on Sale!
My Kind of Earl My Kind of Earl by Vivienne Lorret is $1.99! This is book two in The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. Elyse mentioned this in a previous Hide Your Wallet because she was very intrigued by the idea of the heroine starting a fight in a brothel. USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues her charming new trilogy with a bluestocking whose search for information on the mating habits of scoundrels has her stumbling upon the missing heir to an earldom… in the London
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