Columns

A Brief History of Vintage Writing Software

August 27th, 2020

Maybe it’s just me who's been seeing a lot of writerly complaints lately. Mostly about how hard it is to write. Truth be told, we're damn lucky. It's never been easier to write. Let's wipe out one more excuse to NOT write by looking at how hard it used to be to type words onto a screen and turn them into a book.

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Confessions of a Short Story Addict: More, More, More

August 25th, 2020

I am a huge advocate for short stories. I'm not sure why so many readers express a disinterest in shorter works vs. full size novels, but I do my best to be a constant voice in favor of short story collections and anthologies. It's my opinion that a well edited anthology provides a ton of value to a genre-reader such as myself. In one book, I get about a dozen stories from a curated selection of authors. Hopefully, the TOC (table of contents) boasts diversity in the form of race and gender, as well as a balance between well known voices and up-and-coming ones too.

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The Best Star Trek Novels: A Personal List

August 24th, 2020

Star Trek has always been my fictional comfort food. When times are tough, I can always put on an episode or open a book and things aren’t so bad for a while. I don’t know if it’s the excitement of scientific discovery, the positive vision of humanity’s future, or just the premise of a diverse and competent crew working together to make the galaxy a better place—I almost always end a Star Trek story feeling a little more hopeful than when I began.

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Celebrating a Centenary of Ray Bradbury

August 21st, 2020

Author photo via Wikipedia Imagine you’re walking down the street in a pre-pandemic city. Across the way, the people milling by are absorbed in what’s playing through their earpieces, scrolling distractedly on the screen strapped to their wrists. Their heads are down as they rush forward, so engrossed in the cacophony of their devices that they don’t even notice the people around them.

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Keyboarding Games: Your Writing Still Sucks, But It Sucks Faster

August 20th, 2020

The first time I played basketball at a friend’s house, I was the only kid still deploying the two-arm, underhanded “granny shot.” Everyone else shooting overhand was a completely new thing to me. This was a sure sign of a self-taught player who spent a lot of time alone at the hoop.

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Reframing My Writing: Doing it For Me, Not An Audience

August 19th, 2020

Original images by Sara Garnica & Ivan Samkov It might seem ironic to confess what I’m about to say in an essay I’m writing for publication, but I think some time over the past few years of writing I’ve lost the ability to write for joy. In its place I’ve discovered the much-less satisfying art of writing merely for publication or recognition.

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The Best and Worst Book Furniture

August 17th, 2020

The comfortable chair will always have a place in reading. The gizmo in the reader’s hands might change, but the chair has been pretty similar for just about as long as we’ve had legs and activities that make those legs tired. Sure, there are cosmetic changes once in awhile, cup holders because we’re too lazy to hold objects, reclining ability because why not always sort of be in bed?

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Buy or Deny: 18 Trump Books You Should Consider Reading Before Election Day

August 13th, 2020

Image Credit: Vector Clipart Courtesy of friendlystock.com I shouldn’t have written this article. I’m sure many of you are already looking at me sideways, wondering why a Black woman in today’s America would even entertain such a topic. Believe me, I am well aware of how lightly I’ll need to tread here. But I think it is important that as we enter the 2020 election season, we move toward the ballot box armed with as much information about the incumbent as possible.

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Storyville: Universal Truths Can Help Your Readers Relate

August 12th, 2020

In my classes I talk about a lot of different ways to structure your stories and make them work. I talk about Freytag a lot—that narrative hook, inciting incident, exposition, rising tension, internal and external conflicts, leading to a resolution, change, and denouement. That’s very important. I also talk about writing across three levels to really appeal to the widest readership:

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Best Self-Published Horror Books of 2020 So Far

August 11th, 2020

The self-published category of horror fiction can be tough to navigate. There are a lot of talented authors who consistently put out quality horror. These individuals know the value of good editing, well designed book covers, and the importance of interior formatting. Here are my recommendations for the best self-published horror books of 2020 so far:

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