Columns

Dispatch From the Querying Trenches (Part IV): We Did It, Joe!

June 26th, 2023

Original graphic by Kat Korpi, character art by Jess Montz It’s my fourth dispatch from the querying trenches — and finally I have good news to share. On June 14, I got to send out a tweet I’d been dreaming of tweeting for 10 years. I got to share news I’d honestly started to believe I would never have the chance to share: I signed with a literary agent.

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6 Short Books to Get You Out of a Reading Rut

June 23rd, 2023

Let me start with a disclaimer: reading ruts do not always necessitate a ‘cure.’ Sometimes, if your focus isn’t cooperating with your will, you can just choose to listen to whatever it is that’s stopping you from reading, cut yourself some slack, and do something that replenishes you in another way.

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Storyville: The Pros and Cons of Prologues

June 22nd, 2023

Much like the discussion about “Should I get an MFA or not?” the opinions on prologues are divisive. I’ll try to shine some light on the subject today and not only tell you my opinion (with examples), but discuss the merits of having a prologue or NOT having a prologue.

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Horror Mechanics: What Are They, How Do They Terrify, and Where They Go Wrong

June 21st, 2023

image credit: Pixabay How do the scary things work in your horror story? That’s what we’re here to talk about today: how to pay attention to the mechanic in your story, how to write it so it makes sense, and how to make sure you don’t overwrite it. What Do I Mean When I Say “Mechanic”? A mechanic is a term borrowed from gaming that describes how something functions in a game.

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Does Writing Fiction Make You More Empathetic?

June 19th, 2023

We all know that reading makes you more empathetic. And if you’re like me, you think empathy is a pretty important part of being a good person. Therefore, reading helps make you a better human being.  So, if anyone ever questions you on all those book purchases, you can tell them that the stacks of paperbacks actually help improve who you are in life. 

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A Ranking of Literary Parents

June 16th, 2023

Original image by Anna Sheets Parents. Even the best can make the strongest child cringe. They don’t even have to be bad; they just bring out that extra level of embarrassment. And the fact that they’re usually unaware of why, makes it so much worse. In literature, parents are as diverse as they are in real life, when they’re not dead, that is. Some we love, others we hate, and some, we really, really hope we never meet.

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On Leaving Social Media

June 14th, 2023

Original image via Cottonbro Studio A couple months ago I decided to step away from social media. I wanted to experiment with not living so online.  I failed gloriously. But the experiment wasn't a total loss.

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We Go On: The Miracle of Perseverance

June 13th, 2023

I expect many readers will undoubtedly be frustrated after finishing my debut novel, Everything the Darkness Eats. I expect many readers will feel cheated, as though they had blindly submitted to the whims of some master manipulator. Of course, I welcome these criticisms and I am delighted whenever readers react so powerfully to my work. After all, I’ve been told time and time again that the worst public reaction to any creative piece of work is indifference.

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ChatGPT Is A Menace

June 9th, 2023

Images via Cottonbro Studio & Pixabay I have two writing lives: by day I’m a mild-mannered content writer. By night I hug my Master’s In Creative Writing as I weep while staring at the blurry card a literary agent gave me in 2010.

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9 Queer YA Books to Help You Celebrate Pride

June 7th, 2023

It’s the most magical time of the year: Pride! A whole month to celebrate queer and trans identities. This year there’s so much on the line — from anti-trans legislations to the proliferation of “don’t say gay" bills to the increase in book bans, it’s crucial that the LGBTQ+ community and our allies come together not just to celebrate but also to fight back!

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