Chuck Palahniuk's 2014-2015 Essays
In:
Abstracts, Character, Dialogue, Grammar, Literary Devices, Narrator, Objects, Phrases, Plot, POV, Research, Rewriting, Structure, Verbs, Voice, Word Play, Workshop
Chuck surprised us all with a new batch of essays for 2014 & 2015! There is no exact timeline on how these will roll out, so just keep an eye on the site.
Notes on the Craft
In:
Dialogue, Literary Devices
Concrete, practical methods for improving your writing.
36 Writing Essays by Chuck Palahniuk
36 exclusive craft essays on writing you won't find anywhere else online. The knowledge here is equivalent to what you'd get in an MFA program.
Storyville: Story Dissection — "In His House"
In:
POV
Richard dissects his epistolary horror story, "In His House."
Storyville: Evaluating Your Work in Progress—As Author, Editor, and Reader
In:
Rewriting
It's crucial that you can read your writing as the audience, an author, AND an editor.
Alan Wake: A Look Back At Video Gaming's Best Writer Character
By Peter Derk
In:
Character
Ghosts I ain't afraid of, ghosts I AM afraid of, evaluating the handsomeness of Stephen King, ludonarrative dissonance, and everything else Alan Wake.
The Obsolescence of The Hero's Journey
By Gabriel Hart
Those who prescribe to a set system might be condemned to repeat mediocrity.
Telling the Story of a Pandemic and the Future of Now
In:
Setting
How do you write about the ‘now’ in a time of ongoing global crisis?
10 Books For the Flight to Mars
In:
Theme
Space exploration has been a popular topic in recent publishing, with a growing number of voices writing on the subject. Here are 10 books to keep you company for the (very) long flight.
Video Games as Literature: A Defense of the Medium
Video games are often looked down on. However, writers and lit enthusiasts can crack open new worlds of stories by appreciating the medium and its unique offerings.
When the Answer Isn't Always Edgar Allan Poe
In:
Voice
This essay encourages readers and writers alike to bridge the gap between literary and genre in order to find horror in unsuspecting places.
Storyville: Reasons Authors Don't Submit Their Work—And My Responses
In:
Research
The top reasons authors don't submit their work, and my responses.
Storyville: What Do You Have the Authority to Write?
Experience vs. research: What stories are yours to tell?
Who Owns The Story?
By Peter Derk
In:
Character
What gives you the right to tell someone else's story?
The Sound of Absence: Utilizing White Space in Poetry
This essay explores how white space can be used in poetry as a literary device that thrives on the power of absence.
Why Every Author Should Write Haiku
By Jay Wilburn
There are important things prose authors can learn by experimenting with haiku. It is an easy artform to take up, but difficult to master.
The Importance of the Character Interview
By Cina Pelayo
The more that you know about your characters, the more confidently you can write about them.
Lessons I Learned Ghostwriting Romance (as a Non-Romance Writer)
By Jay Wilburn
After ghostwriting many romance novels, Jay Wilburn learned some lessons that helped with writing stories in other genres.
Curious not Confused
By Joshua Isard
Finding the right amount of information to include in a story can be a difficult task for any writer.
10 Things Wrong with All My First Drafts
By Jay Wilburn
In:
Rewriting
No first draft is perfect. We all have bad habits and bad habits show up a lot. Here are 10 things Jay Wilburn seems to find in all his first drafts.
Writing Horror in a Post-Covid World
How do you write dark fiction in a post-Covid world? Be a phoenix, rising from the ashes.
What I Learned From Writing "A Return to Spring"
By Gabriel Hart
In:
Research
Think about all the stories that fall under radar, which sculpted your town into the place it is today.
Science Versus Faith in Fiction
By Peter Derk
Is science an overused tool in writing? What do you stand to gain by adding faith to your fiction?
Nothing New Under the Mistletoe - 40 Versions of "A Christmas Carol" You Should Check Out
In:
Theme
I love "A Christmas Carol", and I thought I'd seen every version out there—I was wrong.
