Storytellersunplugged

Pinch hitting for Frank Wydra is like stepping in for Babe Ruth.  And I wish I could tell you that it’s just an April Fool’s switch and that Frank will be back next month, but it isn’t and for the time being he won’t.  Since before Christmas Frank has been soldiering on with a great deal of pain and exhaustion.  He had some surgeries and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer, which – in his words – is nasty stuff.  He wanted to ... Read More

(WHEN IT ABSOLUTELY CANNOT FUCKING WAIT ONE MOMENT LONGER) By John Skipp Dear class – Not to put too fine a point on it: I can’t play with you guys this month. My ace collaborator and fellow SU instructor Cody Goodfellow and I have a new book to hand in, one month from now, and it’s still got a whoooooooole lot of work left to do. So here’s your assignment for today, should you choose to accept it: 1) Take out your most pressing project: the one ... Read More

My mother liked to get things done and hated to impose on anyone. This may be why she never made it to the maternity ward and birthed me in the lobby of a hospital. It was the first of many surprise entrances through the wrong door at the wrong time of life that have dogged me ever since. Now you might think that bad timing would be fatal to a writer or to anyone reaching for high stakes against long odds, and ... Read More

Lord Byron wrote: But I hate things all fiction...there should always be some foundation of fact for the most airy fabric - and pure invention is but the talent of a liar. Most persons would agree that adding facts to a fictional novel, especially one that includes technical matters, can improve it on several levels. Obviously, facts can make stories more realistic. To readers who enjoy learning things, facts are manna. Readers who especially cherish them are those who can directly relate to ... Read More

Stop me before I kill again. I’m going to do it, yes, I am, I’m really going to do it. Going to write about another obscure topic so ephemeral that I don’t know if I can pull it off. You may have noticed that I shy away from the easy stuff – practical stuff with practical answers. Not that those things aren’t invaluable – they are – but all the sane and successful writers in this blog do an admirable ... Read More

Face it. The first five pages (sometimes the first five sentences) are going to make or break your book. They will be the first pages that a prospective agent or editor will read. Later, once the book gets picked up, they will be the first pages that a prospective book buyer will read. So how do you make those five pages, and the rest of the beginning of the book, so good that the editor, agent, or prospective reader wants ... Read More

Recently a writer on one of my loops asked when he should kill a story or novel. His novel, after all, had been relentlessly rejected, often by agents with varying criticisms. The verdict was in and it was unanimous: the thing was a turkey that could not be sold. Shouldn’t it therefore be put to rest? His question struck a nerve with me. Similar to many writers, I’ve written some real stinkers, wretched, amateurish deformities that beg to be ... Read More

When Inspiration Strikes It's Best to be Prepared by David Niall Wilson Sometimes you get images that stick. It's a good idea to write them down, even if you can't currently pry yourself from life or leisure long enough to put them to proper use, or to complete them. I've been toying with the sadness of Greyhound stations, the way they seem to suck in people with no real place to go, the ... Read More

This is an exta post-between-posts to honor a courageous lady and her book. A lot of folks are involved in this effort...all on this particular day...and we at Storytellers Unplugged would be remiss if we didn't do what we could to join in... so, below is a short snippet and a link. I urge you to follow it, and to show your support in whatever way you can. If you feel the urge to read a book...maybe this ... Read More

My first word was “Boo!” and I’ve loved surprises ever since.  I want to discover things.  Refine that, I want to discover hidden things, things that have meaning.  I want there to be more than five senses can take in.  Five senses are standard issue.  Most critters with fin, skin, fur or feathers have them, often with a superior specialty.  Jack rabbits out-hear me.  Eagles out-see me.  I’m tied with the koala bear.  But word has it that heart, mind and soul ... Read More