Columns

13 Reasons Why Your Novel Sucks At Diversity

July 22nd, 2019

Adding diversity to your novel is a difficult task, especially if you’re not part of the ethnic group being portrayed. While this sentiment could spur an argument about the appropriateness of authors writing across racial boundaries or how such efforts diminish the opportunities available for authentic voices, I believe our professional community is better served by discussing how writers can approach race or any other minority status with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

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Fountain Pens: Useful Tools or Hipster Affectation?

July 19th, 2019

I’m a curious person, which leads to trouble when it comes to the simple parts of life, like picking out a pen.

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10 Leo Authors And Their Most Leo Works

July 18th, 2019

photo: British Library/Flickr/No known copyright restrictions July 23rd marks the beginning of Leo season on the astrological chart. As we prepare for the running of the lions around the world, let's take some time to highlight some of the big-name authors born during this period, as well as their "most Leo" stories and/or characters. Why?

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Revisiting Old Works-in-Progress: 5 Ways to Make the Most Out of It

July 17th, 2019

Everyone knows Neil Gaiman, the author of Sandman, Stardust, and the now TV-famous Good Omens. And everyone should know the writing tip that he once famously gave to aspiring writers: “The best advice I can give on this is, once it's done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes. Finish the short story, print it out, then put it in a drawer and write other things.

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Horror Does Not Deserve Your Shame

July 16th, 2019

Ari Aster’s new film, Midsommar, is a genre-bending horror movie. His use of intense, slow-burn dread mixed with dark, satirical humor is a welcome throwback to a style of horror films that were popular in the ‘70s. Midsommar mixes old tropes with fresh perspectives that take horror in a rich and exciting direction. Too bad Ari Aster doesn’t consider Midsommar a horror film.

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The Top Three Things Your Character Needs

July 15th, 2019

Image via rawpixel Back in 2014 Chuck Wendig wrote a blog post titled 25 Things A Great Character Needs. If you have not read this post yet I recommend you go read it now, and while you’re at it why don’t you go ahead and read everything that Wendig has written to date, and also follow him on Twitter because he’s a great writer, motivator, and champion of writers.

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29 Binge-able Comics For Your Weekend

July 12th, 2019

What makes a great binge? Sometimes it’s a thing that’s super episodic, like The Twilight Zone. Sometimes it’s a show that pays off damn near every little thing, like Breaking Bad. Sometimes it’s something that you can watch 50 times and not get tired of, like The Office. Why not try a comics binge? You can read a ton over a weekend, you don’t have to wear clothes while you do it, and there’s more than you could ever get through in a lifetime.

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Should We Care Whether Writing is Therapy or Not?

July 11th, 2019

Photo by Green Chameleon I used to have very little time asked of me. What I mean is that there was not much that bombarded me with demands. When I was younger, there was school, the drama of my parents and friends. But as an only child, I always had time to myself. I spent hours in my room writing or painting or reading. When I hit my teens, I wrote poetry inside of notebooks and brought the poems to school to show my friends. I passed the notebooks around, looking for approval.

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With Great Responsibility: How a Comic Book Icon Inspired my Own Noir Novels

July 10th, 2019

It hit me in a weird way, as these things do. That this was the end of my novel series, and what brought me here.

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5 Business Savvy Books Every Author Should Read

July 8th, 2019

Does it irk you that almost every article boasting “must-read” books for writers lists the same five titles—On Writing, Bird by Bird, The Elements of Style, Daily Rituals, and Ernest Hemingway on Writing? Don’t get me wrong. Those are outstanding books, and the best way to master any skill is to model experts in your field. However, none of these works cover the business side of being a writer, which is an essential part of the job, especially if you’re self-publishing.

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