Columns

The Best and Worst Things We Can Do With 'The Great Gatsby'

February 18th, 2021

The Great Gatsby has entered public domain, meaning you can take it and do just about whatever you want with it. Nobody can stop you from printing an all-over t-shirt with every word from first to last, “In” to “past.” Nobody can stop you from recording your own jazzy audiobook version. Nobody can stop you from finally making that Gatsby: Revengeanceining first-person shooter. With all this new freedom...what are some of the best and worst things we could do with The Great Gatsby now?

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"To All The Boys: Always and Forever" is the Sweetest Ending to a Beloved Series

February 17th, 2021

Close to two and a half years have passed since the Netflix adaptation of To All the Boys I've Loved Before exploded into everyone's hearts, and the saga has finally drawn to a conclusion with the latest installment, To All the Boys: Always and Forever. 

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7 Books That Will Make You Happy You’re Single

February 16th, 2021

Ah, the cold, blustery plains of singledom. An uncomfortable yet inevitable stage of life that has been subject to the musings and contemplations of writers since time immemorial. In the fictional world, there are examples of those that take the single life in their stride — say, Samantha Jones, living her best life in New York City, with a high powered job and great friends. Others, like Bridget Jones, are the epitome of the hapless singleton, sobbing into a tub of Ben & Jerry’s on the couch as all her peers are happily coupled up.

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7 Short Literary Works for the Shortest Month

February 15th, 2021

Original Image via Gabby K Ah, February. I don’t know about you, but February and I don’t generally get along. It’s when all my good time goals of the New Year have thoroughly been dashed, there’s a greeting card holiday that shall not be named, and it’s usually very cold and very dark. Luckily, it’s a short month.

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Lessons I Learned Ghostwriting Romance (as a Non-Romance Writer)

February 12th, 2021

Images via Katie Salerna & Karolina Grabowska I don’t consider myself a romance author by any stretch of the imagination, but I have written a lot of it. As a ghostwriter, I've produced a lot of content, far more than under my own name. The vast majority falls into two broad categories. I’ve written a ton of business/autobiographical/self-help nonfiction.

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Say Something Nice: Good Things About Bad Books

February 10th, 2021

Because it’s government-mandated Love Month (that’s how Valentine’s works, right?), and because my understanding of love is that it’s weird and uncomfortable, and because I do so much complaining, I decided it’s time to say something nice. Below is a list of books that I don’t like for various reasons. And now I’ll do my very best to say something nice about each one of them.

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Curious not Confused

February 8th, 2021

Original image via Pixabay Imagine you’re writing a story set in Greenland. How much do you have to tell your readers about that country? It’s a place most English speakers aren’t too familiar with, so there will be some things to explain, but when deciding what to include in such a story that pesky glowing rectangle on the nightstand plays a role.

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Bad Romance: 10 Books To Warm Your Cold, Black Heart

February 8th, 2021

Header image by cottonbro studio To quote Lady Gaga, the Patron Saint of Pop Music: "I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance."

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Shedding Hyperbole in the Post-Trump Era

February 5th, 2021

Original image via Skitterphoto The following is not any kind of exclusive prep-school grooming for writers. Nor is it me censoring you or telling you how to express yourself. Nor am I alluding that writers are somehow more evolved than non-writers (in fact, we are consistently, if not uniformly, manic). However, if the shoe fits, I’d like to make the humble suggestion to find the confidence to wear it; especially considering you’re the shoemaker.

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Finding Solace in Horror Fiction

February 4th, 2021

There's something about it. That feeling of dread as a stalker observes its prey from the cover of darkness, the singing blade that tears through its victim, and the feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach knowing the killer is still out there. It's comforting. It's my sanctuary. I am one of many who seek refuge in the world of horror fiction and it's important to know why. As a writer, there's a lot of value in understanding your audience. Knowing who you're writing for helps you become a credible source with authority in the genre.

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