Columns

Access Your Subconscious for Better Writing

August 26th, 2019

Photo by Jenny Frenzel Throw away all preconceptions that you've got what it takes to make a great story by following a formula. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how high you scored on the SAT, or how prestigious your creative writing program was. Your conscious mind and your intellect cannot create a great story alone. If there's a mathematical formula for learning how to write fiction, it's probably too complicated for humans to quantify.

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Indie Comics Review: 'Serious Creatures'

August 25th, 2019

Images courtesy of Tony McMillen “Would you review my indie comic,” might be the scariest request a book reviewer gets. Comics are tough. Before you even think about matters of taste, there are the very basic questions about whether the book is read-able, whether the art is comprehensible, and whether the two can not only co-exist, but enhance each other. It’s like reviewing an art installation that boasts some visual art, some soundtrack, and a book of poems you’re meant to read in conjunction with certain pieces.

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What Reviewing Nonfiction Taught Me About Writing Fiction

August 23rd, 2019

Image via Pixabay Fiction was my first love and I was loyal to it for many years. Crime and horror made up the largest percentage of my literary diet. Then, once I started college, nonfiction crept into my life. I had never been a fan of reading historical accounts or long biographies, but then I discovered a world of amazing stories that had actually happened, and that captured my attention. 

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The Power of Ray Bradbury's Short Stories

August 22nd, 2019

Image: The Martian Chronicles (Bantam Books, 1972) Ray. Fucking. Bradbury. (Am I allowed to drop the F bomb here? I think so.) It’s his 99th birthday. Well, if a dead man can have a birthday, that is. Regardless, I’m sitting here awestruck by the power he has held over me and other writers—still holds, even postmortem.

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Tweak Those Boring, Stereotypical White Dude Characters

August 21st, 2019

Before you label me as some white power weirdo, give me a couple lines. Or, if you think I’m using “white dudes” as a slur, give me a couple lines. I see a lot of people who look like me in books, on TV, and in movies. They look like me, but as soon as they open their mouths or take any sort of action, I see bundles of cliches packaged in white dude bodies. Characters that are tired and boring.

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Storyville: Letting Film Unblock, Inspire, and Add Depth to Your Fiction

August 20th, 2019

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what can you possibly absorb from watching television and motion pictures? A lot, I tell you. Stephen King says that in order to write, you must read. And I agree 100%. It’s a great way to study plot, story, voice, setting, structure and so many other things. But I also feel film can help you as an author see things you never could in the real world. Help you safely experience intense moments, and fill your head with imagery and knowledge as you get ready to write a new short story, novella, or novel.

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Ask Nick: Publishing 201 — Can I Break Out?

August 16th, 2019

Hello, and welcome to Publishing 201—an occasional column in which I'll answer your questions about writing and publishing, so long as they haven't been asked and answered a million times already. There is plenty of 101-level advice out there, and thousands of writers who can repeat it, but very little has been written for writers further along in their careers or aesthetic development. If you have a 201-level question you'd like me to answer, reach out! This week, a short question generates a long answer.

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How to Approach the Second Draft of Your Novel-in-Making

August 15th, 2019

Say you’ve reached the other end of a long tunnel. It’s been a hard and difficult slog until now, but you see a dawning light as you reach the last few pages of your story and can finally type “THE END.” Is it time to pop open the champagne? Yes. Grab that bottle of Veuve Clicquot, kick up your feet, and celebrate the fact that you now have a first draft. Just don’t get too comfortable, as you’ve got a mountain of editing ahead of you.

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Beat the Heat of the Dog Days of Summer with These Five Dog Novels

August 14th, 2019

Header image via Pexels Ah, the Dog Days of Summer. When I was a kid, I thought this the perfect label for those sweltering, stifling days of August when it was so hot that even the dogs could do nothing but dig holes in the cool dirt beneath the porch and wait it out. I’ve since come to know the Dog Days as a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star, and its position rising in the night sky.

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8 Signs You Are Afraid of Writing

August 13th, 2019

If you want to become a writer, you must become comfortable with fear. It’s easy to dismiss the fear of writing. Easier to not recognize fear and writing are infinitely conjoined. You didn’t become a writer for the adrenaline thrill, after all. Writing is not like being a Navy SEAL or a firefighter. You are not risking your life when you write, so you believe. You imagine your fear of showing up to the blank page is silly and unfounded.

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