Started in November of 2006 (in honor of National Novel Writing Month and the NaNoWriMo Challenge) this is a US-only bookbox full of books which will hopefully be useful to writers of all types. Books can include: how-to's, writing exercises, reference volumes, books about writers, books about the craft, etc.

ROUND 1 Participants (US only):
KateKintail, Virginia
bartonz, Washington
NewEnglandHiker, California
rebeccaljames, Ohio
mrsjones, Ohio
hotflash, Arizona
Bluestocking88, Washington
melydia, Virginia
genevalove, Thailand (US address)
NMReader, New Mexico
WritinReader, Kentucky
reulte, Tunisia (US address)
mssaver, Illinois
KaiJinsbigsis, Arkansas skipped
fairydustwings, Ohio did not respond to multiple PMs
KateKintail, Virginia <-BOX RETURNED HOME!

ROUND 2 Participants (US only):
KateKintail, Virginia
hotflash, Arizona
NMReader, New Mexico
NewEnglandHiker, Massachusetts
melydia, Virginia
KateKintail, Virginia



Rules:
1. When you receive the box, make a journal entry for THIS BCID to let us know it's safe & sound with you.
2. If you like, in your journal entry here, mention what you like to write and if you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year. Feel free to provide links to anything you've written and would like to share with us.
3. Take a few books out of the box, and put the same number of (or more) books back in. NO magazines, please (they're not books and can't be sent using media mail).
4. Books must be related to writing somehow & something you think will be useful for writers.
5. PM the next person in the list above for his/her address.
6. Right before sending it out, please make another journal entry here stating what you took out and what you put in, so we can keep track of the box's contents.
7. Send the box along (Media Mail is fine, though you can send it faster if you want, and I'd recommend getting Delivery Confirmation since it's less than a dollar in cost and will help you keep track of it if it gets lost, but I'm going to make that optional).
8. If you need to be skipped for whatever reason (too much inspiration, not enough time to write?) let the person who PMed you know. I can add you back at the end of the list if you'd like.
9. Be kind and respectful- keep the box moving (don't sit and read all the books- that's not how a bookbox works).
10. PM KateKintail if you have any questions!


In addition, I wanted to share these links which you might find useful. They're my sites (where I work):
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs- http://www.awpwriter.org
Writers' Conferences & Centers- http://writersconf.org

NaNoWriMo username: KateKintail

As far as writing goes... I write a lot of [trashy & fun] fanfiction. And lately (as well as for NaNoWriMo) I'm writing a series of short stories following a shared group of characters. They're mostly "bad writing" and for fun, though there are some better than others. My other writings, including the historical fiction novels I hope one day to finish, can be found on my writing website.

What I'm taking out:
nothing- I'm starting the box!

What I'm putting in:
Becoming a Writer by Dorotea Brande
How to Write Your Autobiography by Patricia Ann Case
You Can... You Should... Write Poetry by Don Aslett
Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers
A Treasury of Baby Names: New Enlarged Edition by Alan Benjamin
Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
On Writing by Stephen King


I'm sending this off to bartonz in the morning!

Writing Book Box

It got here today and I’ve gotten the address from NewEnglandHiker to send it on its way.

The books I removed were:

- Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
- On Writing


The books I added are:

- Facts in a Flash
- How to Write and Sell Children's Picture Books
- Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
- The Writer's Idea Book



Have fun reading them and writing. I am attempting NaNoWriMo for the 3rd time and am falling woefully behind because I keep reading BOOKS! 

Received the book box and I'm now ready to repack it and send it on its way. I am removing "The Writer's Idea Book" and "Becoming a Writer" and adding a classic copy of Roget's Thesaurus and the book "Modern American Usage" by Wilson Follett and edited by Jacques Barzun and others.
Inspired by the book box and intrigued at the concept, I am participating in National Novel Writing Month; it looks like I will make it to the finish with my first fictional work.

Ready to go on its way to Ohio.

I received the box a couple of days ago. Sorry I didn't post earlier. I have decided not to take any books at this time so I am going to pass this along to mrsjones as soon as I receive an address.

I mailed this out to mrsjones today.

I received the box in the mail today. What timing! I have been bitten by the writing bug lately and decided that one of my New Year's resolutions would be to send out stories or queries to at least one magazine a month. I was just perusing my new 2007 Writer's Market before the mail came.

I've been published in dozens of magazines, crossing many genres, but what I like to write best is non-fiction. I have had one travel article published and would like to do more of that, but I gravitate more toward children's non-fiction and essays.

I also write life features, stage reviews and restaurant reviews for several local newspapers. It's easy work and easy money, and if nothing else, it keeps me writing every week.

For anyone who completed a novel in the NaNoWriMo project, I commend you. I tried it last year and lasted about 6 days. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

Unless I'm going to let this journal entry count as my writing for the day, I'd better close and get back to the query I was working on.

On its way to hotflash. Enjoy!

Forgot to add the book entries.
I took out:
The Dictionary of Cliches
and added:
How to Write Poetry

picture of Diana Gabaldon signing a book for me

I found the bookbox on my doorstep this afternoon. What fun. This is the first time I have participated in a bookbox. I have two, possibly three, books ready to add to the box. I think I'll be taking out the two relating to poetry writing.
This is one of the books I plan to send on its way with the bookbox (as soon as I get a response to my PM for the next person's address).

I'm adding this one for sure:
Escaping Into The Open by Elizabeth Berg (the art of writing true)

I have taken this one out:
You Can, You Should, Write Poetry (journal entry includes a poem)

I have also taken "The Elements of Style" and added "The Elements of Grammar"

Will also add "Word Menu", a word reference book by Random House (paperback).
Taking out How to Write Poetry (journal entry includes a poem)

Before I tape up the box, I'm going to add another book just to shift the balance a bit from reference material to more reading material about authors. I'm adding A Girl From Yamhill, Beverly Cleary's memoir
Here's a blurb on Ms. Cleary from one of the sites I found on the "The Net":
Mrs. Cleary's books appear in over twenty countries in fourteen languages and her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Beezus and Ramona Quimby, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations.
Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the 1984 John Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw, for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children in 1983. Her Ramona and Her Father, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, were named 1978 and 1982 Newbery Honor Books, respectively.

This is a good site for info on Beverly Cleary

BookBox was mailed on Wednesday, January 17, parcel post. On the way to BlueStocking88

A great book box! Truthfully it arrived a couple days ago, I pulled Elizabeth Berg's 'Escaping in the Open' out the box and began reading. I'll be winging it along to melydia as soon as I hear back from her.

I'm going to keep 'Escaping in the Open' and send Josip Novakovich's 'Fiction Writer's Workshop.'

Thanks so much for putting this together!

Bluestocking88

I sent the box on to Melydia today. It went USPS book rate, and the delivery confirmation # is 0306 1070 0004 4435 4063. Thanks again for a neat box.

Bluestocking88

Woo hoo! This arrived today! :)

I took out:
A Treasury of Baby Names
Fiction Writer's Workshop
Facts in a Flash

I put in:
The Observation Deck
No Plot? No Problem!
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (not the same book as the one already in the box)

Thank you for organizing this bookbox. I love books about writing. I find them very inspiring. I haven't published anything more than a couple short stories in literary magazines, but writing is by far my most consuming pastime.

I have PM'ed genevalove for her address. I can only get to the post office on Fridays and Saturdays, but hopefully that won't delay things too long.

Mailed this off today. Sent it media mail so it'll probably take a while. Delivery confirmation: 0306 3030 0003 3182 2671

Just got here today! It looks like it needs a new box (the trip to Thailand must have been pretty rough), so I'll repack it before sending it out. I'm planning to put in Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, On Writing by Stephen King and One Continuous Mistake by Gail Sher. (Just noticed that two out of three of those were in the original box!) I'm not sure what I'm taking out yet, but I'll take a look soon and get the box moving again. Thanks for sending this out, KateKintail!

LATER: I took out No Plot? No Problem, The Observation Deck and the Beverly Cleary memoir. The bookbox is headed for New Mexico as of Friday, March 9th. Enjoy!

The box arrived today and I have WritinReader's address so it is only a matter of figuring out what I want (all of them but I will be good) and what I will put in to the box.

I write for my own pleasure and it has been a long time since I have done that. I have many ideas for mysteries and fiction but never seem to make the time to sit and write. I doubt I will ever be published but I hope maybe to write something my nieces and nephews might enjoy.

KateKintail thanks for organizing, maybe I will find inspiration in the books I take out to sit and write.

RELEASE NOTES:

I took the box to the PO a few minutes ago. I got delivery confirmation. The confirmation number is 0306 1070 0001 3528 8615

Arrived safely today, will look through it a little later.

Writing is what I do for a living (fiction, ghost write, poetry, technical writing, travel and greeting cards)- it is also one of my great loves. And yes, I'm a total NaNoWriMo addict, will be participating again this year!

Thanks so much for putting this together, what a wonderful idea!

I'm taking out- 'One Continuous Mistake' by Gail Sher and putting in A Writer's Reference (Second Edition) by Diana Hacker.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to reulte
Delivery Conf # 0303 0130 0001 1244 7216

I'm delighted! My first bookbox!
I went out to the post office and found this delapidated box addressed to me. I couldn't figure out who had sent it (I really have a photostatic memory - some photo, but mostly static). I'm delighted . . . (reading the rules) . . what do you mean I can't read ALL the books. Ah well, I can skip sleep for a while, I'm sure.

Regarding this bookbox - the below-listed books are safe & sound with me; the box . . . well, it needs repairing. Or replacing. Or a whole bunch of tape!

On Writing
A Writer's Reference
The Superior Person's Book of Words
The Elements of Grammar
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
How to Write Your Autobiography
How to Write & Sell Children's Picture Books
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Modern American Usage
Roget's Thesaurus
Word Menu

(later) May 14 - We've been out of stamps for a while, but just got some yesterday. I'm emailing mssaver for her address and will have the box out by the end of the week. Not sure yet what I'll add, but will probably keep On Writing by Stephen King.

(later) May 16 - added If You Can Talk, You Can Write. No response from mssaver yet, will email again.

(later) May 21 - box mailed out.

It's here! It's here!

Thanks, reulte, and all who came before.

I'll keep the box moving as soon as I have KaiJinsbigsis's address.

I still haven't heard from fairydustwings, so I'm FINALLY getting the box off to KateKintail.

I took these out for myself:
- How to Write and Sell Children's Picture Books by Jean E. Karl
-The Superior Person's Book of Words by Peter Bowler

I took these out for my daughter--I haven't convinced her to become a BookCrosser, but she agreed to either return these to me or release them when she no longer needs them:
- Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Crawford Kilian
- How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

I put in:
- On Writing by Eudora Welty
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
- Writing from Start to Finish by Kate Grenville

KateKintail, you've roused my interest in NaNoWriMo, and I plan to investigate that. But I didn't yet say anything about my own writing. The little bit of writing I have done has been short stories and a little journaling, and I've unfortunately gotten out of the habit, but I'm in the process of convincing myself to get back into it. Interestingly, my latest urges are to write children's books (hence my claim on the Jean Karl book).

I'm inspired!

The box returned home today. Thank you ALL for participating and making my very first bookbox a smashing success! I hope it brought you some encouragement and inspiration... or at least some books to read while procrastinating :-)

I look forward to making my way through the books left in the box, then I'll probably bring them to a meeting of my local writers' roundtable group and offer them up to whoever wants them next.

Thought this would be an appropriate place to add by BRAND NEW NaNoWriMo winners icon. I am so jazzed.

Gearing up for a second round of the Writing Bookbox. If you're interested in participating again, drop me a PM and I'll include you!