Columns

On Readability: The Joy Of Reading Plays Part 2

May 15th, 2023

images: Yale University Press / Methuen Drama Recently I had the first eight pages of a play I’ve been working on read aloud by actors at the Inkwell Theatre’s monthly virtual Playwrights Night. The first chunk of this work features a lot of stage direction up front, including a significant amount of “stage business” (wordless actions performed by actors onstage).

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Writer’s Block And The New Writer: What My 11-Year-Old Daughter Learned At Authorcon 2

May 12th, 2023

Writing, like any other skill or talent, can be a family affair: The Bronte sisters; David & Amy Sedaris; hell, the majority of Stephen King’s family (his wife Tabitha, his sons Owen and Joe).   I write about slashers and people being transformed into carnivorous lakes. My daughter, about to turn 12 and referred to as The Bug in all public forums, seems to be following in my footsteps—she’s in the middle of writing about attacking zombie pickles and a variation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.  

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Thoughts From a Short Story Contest Judge

May 10th, 2023

Header illustration by Raúl Gil for Reedsy I’ve been helping judge the Reedsy Prompts contest since 2020. In this weekly short story contest, we supply five loosely themed prompts, and writers must base their stories on one of those five. Winners earn $250 and the chance to be featured in Reedsy’s anthology, Prompted.

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Batman, BatGod, Batinstitution: How and Why Batman Changes

May 5th, 2023

image source: Unsplash If we take care of ourselves, get our steps in, maybe eat the occasional vegetable, we might live to see Batman’s 100th birthday in a decade or so. The Batman we celebrate in 2039 might not look anything like the Batman we know today, though. Because the Batman we know today isn’t a whole lot like the Batman of 1939.

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The Most Dynamic Siblings in Literature

May 3rd, 2023

When Wednesday Addams declared that her brother was only hers to torment, older siblings the world over nodded in understanding. Even when we actually like them, no one can crawl under your skin quite like a brother or sister. But they can also be the best friend you never knew you needed. And nothing makes for better fiction than a character who pushes the protagonist in both good and bad ways. We wanted to highlight the full range of siblings, from rivalry to love. Here are the most dynamic siblings in literature, ranked best to worst.

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Storyville: What We Can Learn From Reading Bad Fiction

April 28th, 2023

Quite often in my classes, and my own studies, the way I teach, the way I learn and grow is from studying stories that I think are amazing. Whether it’s a genre I like or a particular style or just the fine execution of story with a powerful voice, if a story gets a high rating from me (say in the 8-10/10 range) then I revisit it, study it closer, and try to see what it can do for MY writing. It might have great setting, an original plot or story, a unique twist on a classic monster or trope, or a lyrical voice that proves to be immersive.

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Poem Shmoem: How to Write Poetry

April 26th, 2023

I have writers asking me all the time to write about writing poetry, and the question always makes me want to run. I don’t know how to write poetry, but I do write and publish a lot of it. My fans seem to really like it, and say things like, ‘wow, you really are a brilliant poet, some of your lines are genius.’ What? Well, thank you. Really, thank you thank you thank you. But to me it’s just the way my brain works and it doesn’t seem like genius and I don’t feel like I’m brilliant.

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"Lack of Character Development" is Not Always A Problem

April 24th, 2023

Header image: Andrea Piacquadio Zero stars, lacks character development. “Lack of character development” is a great thing to put on a negative review because it makes it sound like you know what you’re talking about when you definitely don’t know what you’re talking about.

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Storyville: Anthology Calls—How to Write to Theme, and Stand Out in a Crowd

April 21st, 2023

Over the years, I’ve been published in quite a few anthologies—sometimes cold calls via submissions, and other times from a private invite. But every time I send a story in to an editor, there are things I think about, and consider, as I try to address the theme, stay true to my voice, and yet still stand out in a crowd. Here are some tips from my experiences.

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How Poetry Can Help You Strengthen Your Novel

April 13th, 2023

If you find yourself feeling stuck or uninspired while writing a novel, turning to poetry may not be your first choice to break through writer’s block, but it can be an invaluable tool. After all, poetry is an ancient art, shared through song and oral recitation before it was ever written down. From epics to blackout poetry, and from odes to modern slam, this form of communication continues to evolve and change. Poetry as a method of storytelling has been in our blood for thousands of years.

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