Of Pens and Swords

In January 2011, a series of pro-democracy protests and demonstrations across North Africa and the Middle East succeeded in deposing multiple rulers. This constellation of events became known as the Arab Spring, and it ushered in, at least briefly, hope for a new era of change.
When I returned to Egypt afterward, the physical landscape of Cairo had changed. At Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolution, the gutted-out shell of a hotel testified to the violence that marked the revolution. Giant new walls surrounded the national museum. Narrow avenues of entry and guard posts slowed access to tourist sites. During my daily drives through Cairo I also saw something that never existed during the Mubarak era: graffiti.
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/26/of-pens-and-swords/

#Inspirations #REALWORLD #Writinglife #powerofwords #thepenandthesword

Finding The Heart of the Story

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https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/20/finding-the-heart-of-the-story/

#CRAFT #Inspirations #Writinglife

Finding The Heart of the Story

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https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/20/finding-the-heart-of-the-story/

#CRAFT #Inspirations #Writinglife

Finish First: Sometimes the Best Advice Is the Simplest

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a great new podcast, Little Pod , by Olivia Muenter (of Bad on Paper fame). The show follows the emotional rollercoaster of Olivia’s most recent book launch—something many authors can relate to.
During the third episode, “What’s Success, Anyway?” Olivia asks New York Times bestselling author Catherine Newman if there are any habits or mindsets that have contributed to her success.
Catherine laughs before answering. She says she works really hard and has written a lot. Then she recalls a scientific study she once read about musicians. Researchers had studied people who were writing music, and the conclusion was surprisingly simple:
The longer people spent writing music, the more music they wrote.
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/18/finish-first-sometimes-the-best-advice-is-the-simplest/

#CRAFT #Inspirations #REALWORLD

7 Reasons We Writers Need Human Interaction

Like me, two of my sisters are also writers and editors. When we check in with each other in the morning, we’ll sometimes say, “Today I must be alone in my garret all day because I’m on deadline.” We writers often romanticize the idea of being huddled in a garret, translating our thoughts into words on the page with no one to bother us. The metaphor of “an unfinished part of a house just under the roof” suits us, even if it is cramped and drafty. Here, we can suffer for our art.
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/12/7-reasons-we-writers-need-human-interaction/

#Business #Inspirations #Writinglife #Authorcareers #authorplatform

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 doubts. The Galapagos Islands are far away, vacationing there is insanely expensive, and I personally have a long, sorted history of getting violently ill at sea. My wife, though, really wanted to go, so, well…off we went. I can’t tell you how happy I am that we did. For two reasons.
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/10/realitybut-better-never-let-facts-get-in-the-way-of-fiction/

#Inspirations #REALWORLD #inspiration #MatthewNorman #writinglife

This Post is Not About Grief

It’s really not. This post is about driving south on I-5, from Bellingham, WA, toward my home in Seattle. It’s raining, and I’m crying. 
But I’m not crying because my dad died in December, December 16th to be exact, after a 26-month dogfight with a particularly nasty cancer. 
I’m crying because for five nights, I have been staying in an itty-bitty Airbnb. By myself. Writing. And now I must go home.
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/03/03/this-post-is-not-about-grief/

#Health #Inspirations #Lamentations #Writinglife #Grief

Quelques animaux qui ne manquent pas de chien | https://vincent-vk.blogspot.com/2026/01/quelques-animaux-qui-ne-manquent-pas-de.html

#dessins #inspirations