Columns

A Brief History of Invisible Men in Literature

March 3rd, 2020

No, not your absent father. No, not your spouse when you’re looking for someone to sweep out the garage with you. I’m talking men who are not visible because of some accident, experiment, magic, or science. Although I guess your father could be absent because of an accident... You know what? Let’s leave the topic of runaway fathers alone. Let’s focus on a different set of jerks: invisible men in literature.

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Read Across America to Celebrate Literacy and Dr. Seuss

March 2nd, 2020

I will read all through Montana I will read across Alaska I will read in New York City I will read in Mississippi I will read way down in Texas And throughout the state of Kansas I will read from California All the way to North Dakota I will read tucked up in Main And from the sea down through the plains I will read out in the mountains Then find my way back to Wisconsin I will read in the middle of the country Now will everybody join me?

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EMMA. is a Charming, Self-Aware Adaptation of Jane Austen's Work

February 28th, 2020

As I walked down a New York City street toward the Angelika Film Center & Cafe in the cold of winter, my friend and I chatted about our expectations for EMMA., the new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde and starring Anya Taylor-Joy. “It’s definitely trying to do something,” we concluded. “It’s got a vibe.” We just couldn’t figure out what that something was, and more importantly, whether we would like it.

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How Late Nights Are Killing You and Your Writing

February 27th, 2020

Writers love the romance of an all-nighter. Oh, we’re so into our coffee and our quiet and our manic hammering away deep into the night. Like most romantic things (showering together in a one-person tub shower, making out in a vehicle, dance in general), the all-nighter is a lot better in concept than it is in reality. It might be hurting you more than you think. Not Me! Let’s knock this out right away: Most folks will say some version of, “I only need about six hours to function.”

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The Zen of Morning Pages

February 26th, 2020

Original images via Pexels I’ve lost count how long I’ve been writing Morning Pages. I think I started in 2009, but maybe it was 2010. Either way, I’ve been writing a few pages every day for around a decade now.

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15 Traps That Could Hurt Your Writing Goals

February 24th, 2020

Original photo by Skitterphoto It’s that time of year when we fail at all our goals!

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Storyville: The Duality of Strong Emotions

February 21st, 2020

So, I’ve talked about this before, but I want to dig deeper. What we’re talking about today is the duality of strong emotions. How can we use them to create conflict, atmosphere, and a powerful resolution? Let’s talk about that. It starts with love and hate. So I want you to think about something or someone that you love. There are many kinds of love, in case you didn’t know that. The Greeks mention several:

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"P.S. I Still Love You" is All About Love and Heartbreak, in the Cutest Way

February 20th, 2020

Spoiler alerts for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You and its predecessor below Netflix gave the world of rom-com lovers the perfect Valentine’s Day gift when they released To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You two days before the holiday. I watched it on V-Day itself, curling up with a bag of popcorn and my laptop after waiting two agonizing days to start one of my most highly-anticipated movies of 2020.

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Bob Seger's "Night Moves": A Short Lesson on Repetition

February 19th, 2020

If you don’t know the song...what am I saying, you know the song. What you don’t know is that it’s a great writing lesson that even YOU can understand, you dopey bastard. Allow me to explain. The Basics “Night Moves” starts out as an average classic rock song. Describe some Midwest-y characters, a little bit about the decade, that sort of thing. It was the song that moved Bob Seger from “local boy done good” to international rock star.

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What Is A "Mary Sue" Character and Do They Actually Exist In Fiction?

February 18th, 2020

In a recent Twitter conversation, someone referred to a woman in a work of fiction as a "Mary Sue" (the less said about the conversation overall, the better). I had not encountered this term before, and upon looking it up, my immediate reaction was to dismiss it as wholly sexist and non-existent, a trope that isn't actually applicable to most forms of fiction (novels, plays, television, film, etc.), but is recklessly hurled at those mediums regardless. 

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