Unearthing a Gem from the TBR Pile Guilty Admission #1: I’ve owned the book I’m posting about today – Dreyer’s English, by Benjamin Dreyer – for several years, but never got around to reading it until last week. I think I might have…

Have you discovered the gift to writers that is Dreyer’s English? Author and new fan Keith Cronin makes the case for seeking it out, today at WU.

Desmond’s Drops: Business of Writing Welcome to a new edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops focused on the business of writing: Querying Loglines Writing Community Email subscribers, please click directly to …

Once again, Desmond Hall drops some wisdom on us, this time covering the business side of writing. Today at WU.

Inspiration / Recognition After a whirlwind trip to the UK from my home base in Western Australia, I am still processing the experience of attending this year’s World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, where I met…

In the wake of receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent World Fantasy Convention(!), Juliet Marillier looks back—and forward—on the writing life, reflecting on the abundance of stories that surround and define us. Today at WU.

Are We Becoming the Ghosts in the Machine? It’s become nearly impossible to keep up with the daily barrage of stories about Artificial Intelligence—its effect on students, its effect on the environment, its effect on creativity, its m…

A sobering look at the state of the public’s acceptance of AI, by author David Corbett. What will it mean for us as writers? As humans? Today at WU.

Mining Off-Stage Movement Story movement begins when a writer dips into the vast pool of energy in their imagination and infuses it into a protagonist’s dilemma. Writing that keeps that energy alive will then transfer…

In most cases, your entire cast can’t be onstage at once. How can you raise the off-stage energy of your story? Author and coach Kathryn Craft shines a spotlight backstage, today at WU.

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Imposter Syndrome Crisis As a runner who dabbles in long distances of the double digit kind, my resting heart rate sits at about 45-50 beats per minute on any given day. For the last two hours, it had been stuck at 85—almo…

Imposter syndrome can be crippling, and it’s far from easy to dismiss. Author Rachel Toalson bravely shares a run-in that nearly stopped her in her tracks, and provides the recipe for taking the next scary step, today at WU.

How I Learned to Stop Labeling My Process and Start Trusting My Story Writers love a good label. We categorize everything: genres, tropes, voice, character arcs—and most of all, how we write. For the first couple of years since I’ve been a published writer, I t…

Do you bristle at being asked to choose between identifying as a plotter or a pantser? Author Yasmin Angoe did, and defined her own process down through the divide. She shows us the way, today at WU.

Up Close: Hope and Hustle in the Age of Storytelling Greetings, WU fam! This time a week ago, I was four days into a dream state where nothing mattered but story. I had the distinct privilege of attending this year’s UnCon in Santa Fe. The vibe…

Looking for some good news in regard to publishing? Fresh off of the WU UnConference, author Grace Wynter provides it, today at WU.

Solving for X: A Mathy Path to Writerly Success I teach 8th grade English Language Arts at a weirdly-mathy middle school where, I suspect, at least 75% of my students believe English class should “just be an elective.” I know this because last y…

Can a mathematical equation solve for writing success? Author and middle school teacher Sarah Callender instructs us and cheers us on, today at WU.

The Staircase & The Story Sadly, the 2025 Un-Conference is over. Santa Fe was a marvelous setting, art-filled and restaurant-saturated. The program was substantial and interwoven, with presentations by (besides myself), Lis…

What creates the invisible support that props up all successful stories? Author and teacher Don Maass delves the hidden structure of storytelling, today at WU.

The Art of Propulsive Fiction I’ve been published for over twenty-five years, and coached hundreds of authors in a number of genres for over fifteen. There is a statement that has cropped up from time to time in those years. “I…

What is “propulsive fiction”? Do you seek to write character-driven or plot-driven stories? Can either be propulsive? Author and writing coach Cathy Yardley has answers, today at WU.

Good News About Bad Reviews Reviews are for readers, not authors. There’s a reason other authors will tell you not to read your Goodreads or Amazon reviews; the vast majority of those reviews aren’t thoughtful, carefully cons…

Can a bad review be a good thing? Author Greer Macallister thinks so, and shares her reasoning, today at WU.

Lies, Slogans, and Blasphemous Grift I recognize my handwriting on the flyleaf of Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. At the top, I had written “Summer 2017” and below a long note on Goya and Napole…

An impactful essay on the power of reading and speaking out, and of witnessing, during the rise of fascism, by author Elizabeth Huergo, today at WU.

Anyway…Here’s Wonderwall: How Oasis Reminded Me of the Collective Joy—and Value—of Art In three days, my sixth novel, GRACE & HENRY’S HOLIDAY MOVIE MARATHON, will be published by Dell. “G&H”—as I’ve taken to calling it because of the long title—is the culmination of two years…

Need a reminder that art delivers joy, and that you are a member in good standing of the artistic community? Author Matthew Norman did, too. He shares how his reminder came exactly when it was needed, today at WU.

Stories That Cast a Spell I have always believed in magic. Age 4, dressed for Halloween as a ballet-fairy with gauzy wings. I leapt off my parents’ coffee table and flapped my arms with utter confidence. Age 11, sitti…

Do you believe in magic? Have you ever felt spellbound by story? Author Kristan Hoffman shares her most recent encounter with magic on the page, today at WU.

The Art of Finishing We spend endless hours talking about how to start a book—how to find the spark, make schedules, and sustain momentum. But almost no one talks about how to finish one. How to let go. My problem this…

Letting go of a finished project can be challenging. Author Barbara O’Neal takes us through her rituals for letting go, today at WU.

Confessions of a Neurodiverse Writer: Encouragement and a Spoonful of Hope This post may appear to have little to do with the craft or business of writing, but the lived experience of what I suspect to be a great many of us creative types deserves attention, too. Kelsey A…

Are you a neurodiverse writer, or suspect that you are? Author Kim Bullock bravely shares her recent (but overdue) diagnosis, and offers hope to others, today at WU.

Have You Heard of This Lawsuit? You May Benefit One of the most urgent issues confronting writers and other creators right now is the use of copyrighted material for generative AI training. The large language models that power chatbots like Open…

Has your work been compromised in the name of AI training? Victoria Strauss, of Writer Beware, summarizes the scenario, today at WU.

Ghosts v. Zombies: The AI Smackdown With Halloween around the corner, I have been musing on what terrifies writers. Last month I explored ghostwriting and came to the conclusion that ghosts are people too. This month, let’s look at t…

Is using AI rather than a human ghostwriter that much different? Author Kristin Hacken South braves the spooky frontier of AI ghostwriting, today at WU.

Unprecedented Times: Why We Need to Write Fiction Now I was a history major in college. In addition to textbooks and primary sources, novels were assigned reading in most of my classes. I’ve read The Iliad more times than anyone else I know and can st…

These are, indeed, unprecedented times. Author Emilie-Noelle Provost has challenged herself to document the times through her fiction, today at WU.

For the Love of Story I think I’ve mentioned before that in addition to being an editor, I’m also the organist at a local church – St. Paul’s Lutheran in Greenfield, MA, if you’re ever in the neighborhood on a Sunday an…

Stories matter. Have you been recently reminded of how much? Author and editor Dave King shares what reminded him, today at WU.

Forthcoming, Now and Then On an early autumn day when a lingering marine layer muted the afternoon sun—perfect conditions for outdoor portrait photography—I had new author photos taken. Because I so rarely wear makeup beyon…

In our lives as writers, our hopes and triumphs, and even our defeats and resignations, define our journeys. Julie Christine Johnson reflects on ten years as a published author, today at WU.

You Keep Using That Word, Vol.10: Profanity Edition I have been a lifelong lover of curse words since I first discovered their versatility and delicious irreverent punch, really coming into my own with my usage when I started working in restaurants …

Does cursing in our writing and speech matter, or does the context matter more? Author and editor Tiffany Yates Martin speaks out—uncensored—today at WU.

Flog a Pro: Would You Turn the First Page of this Bestseller? Email readers, heads up! For the full effect, pause after the excerpt and decide: Would you turn the page? Vote and then scroll for the reveal! Trained by reading hundreds of submissions, editors a…

Ray Rhamey is back with another edition of Flog a Pro, today at WU.

How the Buddhist Principles for Right Speech Can Help Our Writing Writing is both like and unlike speech. It is like speech in that its components are words, arranged in various ways, with additional elements to convey shades of meaning, emotion, and intent. For …

Do you know the Buddhist five guidelines for well-spoken speech? Or how they can benefit your writing? Author Barbara Linn Probst illuminates us, today at WU.

The Glee of a Life Under Deadline To be a novelist is to live in a world of external and self-imposed deadlines, whether you’re under the gun with a seven-figure contract like Taylor Jenkins Reid or stabbing out your first attempt …

Deadlines can be terrifying, even debilitating. Author Boo Walker shares how his most overwhelming deadline ultimately taught him to see them anew, today at WU.

The Elusive “I” in Identity For whatever reason, I’ve come across a number of articles lately addressing the issue of personal identity from a variety of perspectives. Since one of fiction’s chief purposes is to explore who w…

What does it mean to seek our identity, and what does that quest have to do with writing fiction? Author David Corbett delves the subject of personal identity, today at WU.

Decide How You’ll Write About Your Life We here at WU believe in fiction’s power, and work every day to improve how we wield it. But many of life’s real events can be spun into equally engrossing stories. This raises a quandary for…

How will you write about your life, memoir or fiction? Author Kathryn Craft examines the possibilities, today at WU.

When Good Guys are Bad Guys and Vice Versa: Contradictions We humans are supposed to be somewhat consistent creatures, people who make choices, good and bad, based on our own unique life experiences and our hard wiring. In other words, the reasons behind w…

“You can despise the choices or actions a character takes, even while you love the character and find them infinitely relatable.” Author Kathleen McCleary explores contradictory characters, today at WU.

The Uses, and Abuses, of Ambition Though I’ve largely stopped using social media, when I do go on Facebook or Instagram these days, my feeds are liberally seasoned with posts that advertise writing-advice books, writing workshops, …

What sort of ambition serves a fiction writer? Is it always a good thing? Author Therese Anne Fowler explores writerly ambition, today at WU.