Columns

8 Writing and Researching Tools You Might be Ignoring

September 18th, 2019

Image via rawpixel.com You sit down to write and—usually, at some point—you have to stop and do some research because you don't know what comes next. Similarly, I know a lot of writers enjoy writing prompts because they can help get the creative juices flowing. Whatever the case, there are tools out there that can help you improve your writing, put ideas in your head, or help you get out of a mental slump. Here are some of my favorites. 

Read Column →

Storyville: Pacing and Depth in Short Fiction vs. Novels

September 17th, 2019

I’m teaching a few different classes right now, and one of the biggest issues I see with authors that switch from short stories to novels is pacing and depth. If you’ve written flash fiction you may already understand the difference between telling a story in 1,000 words (or less) and doing the same with 5,000 words (or more). As you go from a story that is less than 7,500 words long (the maximum word count for a short story) to a novel, you are going to have to expand up to TEN TIMES that length. So let’s dig in and address that expansion.

Read Column →

Book vs. Minisieries vs. Films: It - The Special Beverly Edition

September 16th, 2019

It: Chapter Two hit theaters on September 6th, 2019, debuting at number one at the box office, demonstrating once again the timeless appeal of a deranged clown/multidimensional being stalking and murdering children. Based on the 1986 novel It by Stephen King, Chapter Two—as you might expect from the title—is the continuation of It: Chapter One, released in 2017.

Read Column →

Be Childish Because It’s Robert McCloskey’s Birthday

September 13th, 2019

Hook them while they’re young! That’s the unofficial motto of children’s literature and should be sung by every author. Young readers grow up to be adult book lovers. Sure, some bibliophiles are late bloomers, but keeping in touch with my inner child prevents this writer from turning into the crusty, hateful stereotypes that are not only outdated, but inaccurate.

Read Column →

Books That Are Feminist AF: Back-to-School Edition

September 11th, 2019

Summer is quickly winding down, and with it, our desire for light plots, laughable conflicts, and feel-good formulas—fall requires books of a sturdier sort, the better with which to stave off the impending dark. 

Read Column →

Reality in Fiction: The Invisible Signature of Your Favorite Authors

September 10th, 2019

Andalusia Farm image by Stephen Matthew Milligan At the end of Flannery O’Connor’s story, “Good Country People,” a young woman with a wooden leg and a fatal heart condition gets seduced by a traveling Bible salesman. Cynical, well-read, and wise beyond her years, she lets her guard down to this simple, salt of the earth, "good country boy"—who is hiding whiskey and cards in one of his Bibles and using a fake name.

Read Column →

Ten Problems Only Booksharks Have

September 9th, 2019

Shark image by GEORGE DESIPRIS Let's get the obvious question out of the way. Booksharks is a term I created after getting tired of seeing readers referred to as bookworms. We read ferociously. We never stop. We hunt exciting narratives. We discuss books aggressively. We move through bookstores with purpose and killer instinct. We are predators, and "bookworm" just doesn't cut it anymore. We're fucking booksharks. 

Read Column →

Sell Books, Get Noticed: Google Analytics for Authors

September 6th, 2019

This is some seriously unsexy stuff. Buckle up. We all know that Google, Facebook, what have you, all of them are doing some weird, creepy data tracking. And it’s probably no coincidence that the outlets doing the most data tracking are also tremendously successful. Data is power. Data is currency. They own your ass, is what I’m saying. This leaves you, the average Joe, with two options: Rage against the machine -or- Use the machine

Read Column →

7 Podcast Adaptations You Should Know About

September 5th, 2019

You probably already know that not all television shows and feature films are entirely original. Indeed, many are adapted from existing material — most commonly, well, books. (Game of Thrones, anyone?) But now that we're in 2019, technology’s given rise to another source of inspiration: podcasts.

Read Column →

In Honor Of Back To School, Let’s Talk About Romeo And Juliet’s Idiocy

September 3rd, 2019

Junior highs and high schools across America go back into session in August, and that means millions of teens will get their first taste of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the story of "star-crossed lovers" from two warring families who would rather die than be apart. If students these days are anything like kids back in my day, some members of this new class will likely think it’s really romantic that Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, and some of their teachers might very well echo this sentiment.

Read Column →