Why I Love "Writer Unboxed"

If you're a writer, I certainly hope you're a faithful reader of Writer Unboxed. 

Used with Writer Unboxed permission

So many times I don't remember how I discovered a particular website or blog, but I actually do recall where and when I first heard about this one. In May of last year, I attended a one day seminar presented by MORWA (Missouri Romance Writers of America). Literary agent and monthly contributor to Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass, was the speaker. He referred to Writer Unboxed that day and I immediately began to follow it.

(Yes, I attended a romance writers workshop, and although I only write personal essays and memoir, I learned an incredible amount of information. I took 13 pages of handwritten notes....er, chicken scratchings. After I went through all of it, I typed up what turned out to be 4 pages of information, which I shared with friends in our Coffee & Critique group.)

One of my favorite contributors to Writer Unboxed is Chuck Sambuchino. He's an editor for Writer's Digest Books, a writer, and a playwright. See his website for more credentials.

So, just why do I love Writer Unboxed? It always has fantastic articles written by an array of contributors, plus author interviews, and Give-Aways! Shortly after attending the MORWA seminar, I left a comment on one of Chuck's posts where he had a give-away, which added my name to a list of 173.....and I won! My fantastic prize: Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Edition by Chuck Sambuchino.

Along with reading it and another How To book I discovered on Writer Unboxed, How to Write a Book Proposal, 4th Edition, by Michael Larsen, I'm getting a handle on the correct way to submit requested info to literary agents.  

Stop by there today to read the newest articles, and also leave a comment at Chuck's newest give-away!

*Note 2:00pm: Chuck just informed me he'll be the Saturday night keynote speaker at next year's Missouri Writers Guild Conference in St. Louis! It's being held April 11 - 13, 2014. Hope to see many writer friends there. 

♫♪ ......Meet me in St. Louie, Louie....♫♪

(Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!)

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." -- Goethe

* Writerly Thoughts *

I'm feeling very writerly today. It began when I stopped at Carol Kilgore's blog, Under the Tiki Hut. Carol wrote about her excitement and then disappointment over a new book written by one of her favorite authors. She posed the question, "As a reader: What do you do when this happens with you?" She also asked how you, the writer, can prevent readers from feeling let down when they read your work. I didn't respond to that one because everyone felt pretty much the same: Hoping that wouldn't happen to them!

Then I hopped over to check out Tiny Lights, A Journal of Personal Narrative. I write a monthly essay for the Searchlights & Signal Flares section, where writerly questions are posed. Anyone is welcome to submit answers, as long as they stick to the guidelines posted. The question for March was: How do you deal with writer’s envy? I just LOVE being put to the test on these. Most times I stare at my blank screen for awhile and think, How am I going to write about this? And then, all of a sudden, the words start flowing and I complete it fairly quickly. I usually wait until the deadline, which is the 15th of every month, and for some reason that seems to work for me. Also, there is no word count, so it can be short and sweet or long and eloquent. After I submit my essay, I don't go back and read it for weeks. And almost every time, when I finally do read it again, it catches me by surprise, as if I didn't even write it.....and I think, Hmm, maybe I'm not too shabby of a writer afterall...at least, sometimes!

I just remembered something.....Missouri Governor Jay Nixon proclaimed April 3 through 9 Missouri Writers Week. The week culminates with the Show-Me Spotlight banquet and awards to the winners of the annual MWG contests on April 9 at the Just Write! Conference in St. Louis.


No wonder I feel writerly today. I'm attending the conference and banquet this weekend! More on that later this week.

Be sure and check out Under the Tiki Hut and Tiny Lights. I haven't known Carol very long, but I love her blog. And I can't say enough about Susan Bono, the Editor-in-Chief, of Tiny Lights!

Hello and Welcome to my newest follower: Nucleo Espirita Verbo de Luz. Thanks so much and I hope you always enjoy your visits!

"Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere . . .You don't have to dress up, for instance, and you can't hear them boo you right away.” -- Anne Lamott