#adviceforwriters

Reading as an Agent Two very recent WU posts ( HERE and HERE ) got me thinking about how I read. In one mode, I read manuscripts with an agent’s eyes. In another mode, I read novels (published or pre-) as a craft analyst and teacher. In still a different mode, I read as a fiction writer. Once in a while, I read for enjoyment. It’s difficult to do. The other modes don’t like to shut up. And not all novels are so absorbing that my inner analyst forgets to analyze. As agent, you might imagine that I am looking for work that matches the market’s needs. As craft analyst and teacher, you might think that I am looking for illustrative examples. As fiction writer, you might expect that that I read in awe, envy, or judgment. In those presumptions, you would be wrong. https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/04/reading-as-an-agent/ #CRAFT #adviceforwriters #characters #DonaldMaass #inspiration

In the Beginning It’s February, we’re on day 5,392 of snow/bitter cold/ice/biting wind (let’s not even get into politics), and all I want to do is lose myself in reading a great book. And yet I have picked up and put down three different books without getting sucked into any of them. Is it my current frame of mind, or is it the books? https://writerunboxed.com/2026/02/11/in-the-beginning-3/ #CRAFT #REALWORLD #adviceforwriters #KathleenMcCleary #novelopenings