Writer Unboxed craft tips: February 11, 2025

It can be hard to keep on top of all the blogs and news sources that aim to help writers.

So here’s a roundup of posts from Writer Unboxed that authors might find valuable — but also might've missed earlier, especially if their RSS feeder took a few days off — all in one place.

• Charting a course in the dark: Therese Anne Fowler shares an acronym she generated while working on her latest manuscript to distill the key points in a hero's journey, regardless of genre.

• Nailing purpose and effect: Donald Maass sets out an exercise for writers to dig deep and identify a specific intent for their story, which in turn clarifies the effect the story is meant to have on readers.

• Discovering I'm a "discovery" writer: Densie Webb has come to terms with the fact that she never has been, nor will she ever be, a plotter or even a pantser. 

• The benefits of publishing older: Milo Todd describes the internal and external factors that can actually smooth an older writer's path to publication, while also saving space to commiserate with the struggles that younger debut writers face. 

• Tips to focus when the world is on fire: Diana Giovinazzo had just begun working on her second novel when the COVID pandemic hit the US in full force; here's how she managed then (and still manages now) to keep her mind on her work in progress.

• Beware of burnout: Burnout doesn't always (or ever) look like what we envision it looking like; Cathy Yardley teaches you both how to recognize it and how to prevent it.