Vaughn Roycroft
@vaughnroycroft.bsky.social
I married my soulmate, built our perfect house near our favorite beach, and worked to achieve my dream life as a writer. Author of The Sundered Nation Trilogy. vaughnroycroft.com.
Wow! So proud to be a part of our fantastic team of contributors and our community.
@writerunboxed.bsky.social · 2mo ago20 YEARS! 🎉 From Editorial Director Therese Walsh: “A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to Writer Unboxed—writers, assistants, and community members—for the last 20+ years, and to the editors at Writer’s Digest for their longterm support for our site. Write on.”
Ever ask yourself why you are pursuing a goal? Author Yuvi Zalkow takes along on his journey to answering his “why,” today at WU.
The Why Test (for Creative Projects)
Over the past six months, I’ve been working on yet-another-final-draft of a novel. As I got to the end of this draft, I thought I wanted to tell you the story of how I got through it, how I g…
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3 of the best Indie authors at writing UNLIKABLE CHARACTERS in fantasy join me for a talk about the topic! @siennaf.bsky.social @vaughnroycroft.bsky.social @triempery.bsky.social **9 AM EST SUN 28 JUN/26!*LIVE!!!*JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL SIX ELEMENTALS CHAT!!* www.youtube.com/live/noJUb7u...
SIX ELEMENTALS INTERVIEW #69 - SPECIAL EVENT - UNLIKABLE CHARACTERS
YouTube video by The Drowned Kingdom Saga
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Is magic essential to your fantasy reading? Had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Fantasy himself. Check it out on YT. 🔗👇
Just how bleak is the future for writers in an AI world? Author Kristin Hacken South delivers the lowdown, today at WU.
The AI Smackdown, Part Two: Further Evidence Is In
I frequently joke that I’ve become the third wheel in my marriage: my husband is having an affair with some bloke named Claude. I mean, if he’s up late with Claude, night after night, t…
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Seriously, what’s up with the “Rah, rah! Keep going in spite of these ridiculous odds!” If we’re doing this right, we’re already winning.
@writerunboxed.bsky.social · 4mo agoEver feel annoyed by being implored to chase your dreams at any cost? Ever consider that you might already be a success? Author Vaughn Roycroft recommends reflection, today at WU.
In the face of AI storytelling, what is it that makes our stories human? Agent and author Don Maass weighs in, today at WU.
What Makes Human Storytelling Human
Much on our minds nowadays is the issue of human-written versus machine-written fiction. There’s a lot to say about that, but for me it leads to a question: What actually makes human-written fictio…
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Are you conflict-averse? Do you tend to shield your characters? Author Jeanne Kisacky shows us how to ramp up the conflict, today at WU.
Keeping Conflict on the Page
Writing stories is like having a whole host of people in your head, each with their own mind, will, history, flaws, and needs. On the best of days as a writer, I feel like I am simply channeling my…
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Are writing rituals important to you? Author Kristin Hacken South weighs in, today at WU.
Writing Rituals
There is, reportedly, a clinically diagnosable condition known as hypergraphia. It is characterized by an intense urge to write or draw. People speculate that Brandon Sanderson, that prodigious pro…
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How are your writerly fears? Dealing with them with Main Character Energy? Author Natalie Hart provides us with MCE, today at WU.
You’ve Got Main Character Energy
Do kids these days still talk about main character energy? It was used for awhile as both a compliment and insult–compliment when noticing that someone was confident and taking charge of thei…
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Author Grace Wynter interviews author (and actor) Eriq La Salle, today at WU.
Author Up Close: Eriq La Salle—Keep Writing. Keep Going. Keep Creating.
Welcome back to another installment of Author Up Close, my exclusive series for Writer Unboxed where I interview authors at various stages of the publishing process. Today, I’m delighted to s…
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There are numerous tools we can use in our storytelling. Agent and teacher Don Maass provides a list of those we tend to overlook, today at WU.
Overlooked Tools
I moved recently. My new place is great. It’s all set up, but that took some doing. Unpacking. Arranging. Assembling some flat-pack furniture. Hanging pictures and art. Naturally, I needed tools. W…
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Lovely essay from a writing friend I’ve known for almost two decades. It’s about time, and you should spend some reading it.
@writerunboxed.bsky.social · 7mo ago“Sometimes it feels like I have nothing to show for [3 decades of writing], like each day is just another opportunity slipping through my fingers.” Author Kristan Hoffman offers us the gift of time, today at WU.
Writers: “How can I face my fears and get back to writing?” @kimbullock.bsky.social: “Geronimo!”
@writerunboxed.bsky.social · 7mo agoCould jumping out of a plane jumpstart your writing routine? Author Kim Bullock confirms it, and implores us to face our fears and to take the leap towards progress, today at WU.
Is our ability to think what defines us as human? If so, and if we’re willing to concede its preeminence to AI, must we redefine what it is that makes us human? Author David Corbett implores us to think, today at WU.
From Bodysnatchers to the Borg and Beyond
Given the association of misfortune with this day, Friday the 13th, I guess you could attribute it to the (bad) luck of the draw that, for the second month in a row, it’s my day up. And this time I…
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Sometimes what feels like the perfect story idea, taken from real life, is too prosaic for the page. Author Matthew Norman takes us from (too) smooth sailing to dramatic stormy seas, today at WU.
Reality…But Better: Never Let Facts Get in the Way of Fiction
The holidays before these last holidays, my wife and I, our kids, and my in-laws went to Ecuador to cruise around the Galapagos Islands. As wonderful as that sounds, full disclosure, I had some dou…
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“We have to figure out what a novel does better than a screenplay. It’s a difficult question, especially now, after generations have had the page supplanted by the screen…” Author Elizabeth Huergo explores the central question for writers of our time, today at WU.
Readings for Writers: Miguel Delibes and George Saunders
The conceit of a story set at a wake or vigil certainly isn’t new. Five Hours with Mario (Cinco horas con Mario) by Spanish writer Miguel Delibes, tells the story of Carmen Sotillo’s hours sitting …
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Curious about what a literary agent is looking for in a reading experience? Agent, author, and teacher Don Maass shares his reading mindset, today at WU.
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 analys…
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Can’t wait for this one! Grab your coffee and join us. ☕️
P.L. Stuart - Author of The DROWNED KINGDOM SAGA@plstuart-author.bsky.social · 8mo ago*LIVE* TOMORROW Sat 28 FEB 2026 at 9AM EST! SUNDERED AND DROWNED!!! The incredible David/FOUR CORNERS OF THE PAGE hosts as the fabulous @vaughnroycroft.bsky.social & I are interviewed about our work Vaughn's SUNDERED NATION & my DROWNED KINGDOM! Join us! Link below! www.youtube.com/watch?v=1inT...
Identity, both as perceived by oneself or by society, strongly affects characterization. Kristin Hacken South delves the depths of character, using herself, living in Egypt, as an example. A fascinating post, today at WU.
Who Are You? Part Two
Do you remember the scene in that classic film What about Bob? in which Bob arranges to have himself tied to the mast of a sailboat? He wants to be included in his friends’ activities despit…
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'Reading fiction builds empathy, strengthens our patience ...broadens our understanding of the world beyond our horizons.' But are we seeing 'the sunset of literacy'? Powerful warning from @vaughnroycroft.bsky.social writerunboxed.com/2026/02/25/t... #writingcommunity #books
The Twilight of Literacy…?
I swear, I know what the word doomscrolling means. After all, it’s been around since the twenty-teens, and was added to dictionaries several years ago now. I’ve regularly used the term, even in ess…
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Trying to turn my fear into hope, one reading session at a time. Care to join me?
@writerunboxed.bsky.social · 8mo agoDid we happen to catch you in a doomscrolling session? May we redirect you to a post about literacy? Author Vaughn Roycroft seeks to dispel the growing gloom, today at WU.
This is a fascinating article from @vaughnroycroft.bsky.social over at @writerunboxed.bsky.social on the use of magic and spirituality in stories.
On Magic and Spirituality in Story
It might be a surprise to some of you that, when it comes to magic in story, WU’s resident fantasy geek (yours truly) is not the most ardent proponent. This is the case in regard to both my reading…
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What do you have to be “radically grateful” for? Author Therese Anne Fowler celebrates finding her way home, today at WU.
Practicing Radical Gratitude
Though today’s post is not an insightful rumination on fiction craft or the publishing business, and isn’t as polished as I might wish it to be, I hope you’ll stick with me. This is a post about gr…
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🖐️🐉Review alert!🐉🖐️ To Touch a Silent Fury by @rasandpiper.bsky.social This book was phenomenal with some of the best 1st POV prose I've ever read. Highly recommend this one! Full review at FanFiAddict, link below #booksky
Mini book rec Monday! #booksky 📚 The Oathsworn Legacy by KR Gangi - Witcher-esque monster slaying 🧌⚔️ - Brotherly banter 🗣️ - Conspiracies & mercenaries 🗡️🛡️ - Lots of action 🧨 www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLG...
The Oathsworn Legacy by K.R. Gangi
YouTube video by Willow Wraith Press
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