An Abundance of Robin Hoods: How Social Bandits Defy Time and Culture
In:
Character
Whenever a source of authority grows too powerful and begins to usurp the common people, Robin Hood-like characters start to appear in film and literature.
On Weed: Should Writers Write While High?
By Peter Derk
In:
Research
Does weed help the writing process? Let's find out.
Six Tips for Troubleshooting the Novel
In:
Rewriting
Every novel is a special snowflake, sure, but many go wrong in the same ways. An editor breaks down known issues at the level of plot, structure, and characterization she sees over and over again.
Storyville: Writing a Novel Without Plotting it Out
Tips on how to write a novel without plotting it out.
Why Are Textbooks So Fucking Expensive?
In:
Abstracts
Differing studies have found that the average U.S. student spends between $600 and $1,200 a year on textbooks and supplies. What exactly makes textbooks so expensive?
So You Want to Write A Book: Part 0 — Ready, Set, Don't Go Yet
By Leah Rhyne
In:
Research
In this, the first in a new series of columns about the mechanics of writing a book, we'll talk about the prep work that should occur before you even sit down at your computer/notebook/typewriter.
Punctuation Pairs: How To Combine Punctuation
In:
Grammar
As if the rules of punctuation weren’t confusing enough, what do you do when you have more than one punctuation mark to contend with?
The Machine With a Soul: Typewriters In the Past, Present, and Future
In:
Abstracts
Perhaps our fondness stems from that image in the collective cultural imagination: a man with his typewriter, clacking away in a lonely hotel room, bottle of cognac at his side.
Better With Age: Giving Elderly Characters the Spotlight
In:
Character
Every living person on the planet has experienced childhood, but the same can’t be said for old age. Older characters have more history, so creating such a person takes considerable imagination.
Bodices Don’t Rip: Writing Accurate Historical Fiction
In:
Research
Sitting in a classroom or wandering through a sterile museum, we often feel estranged from history. But history is really about people, and that’s what makes it such fertile ground for writers.
Storyville: Writing About Taboo Subjects
When writing about taboo subjects, be careful how you do it.
How to Survive Your First Live Reading or Book Selling Event
By Leah Rhyne
In:
Live Reading
In late June, I survived my first ever live, public reading event....and you can too! Here's how I did it.
Forget Heroes and Villains, There is Only Point-of-View
In:
Character
You want to make your characters realistic? Think of everybody as the protagonist.
Play It Again, Sam: Tackling the Rewrite
In:
Rewriting
Sometimes the best way to tackle a revision is to just start over.
Typos: Funny or Foul?
In:
Grammar
Typos are a part of everyday life, but sometimes they can be downright dangerous. Here are three types, from the innocent to the egregious!
The Curious, Poetic Lives of the Rossetti Siblings
In:
Research
Born to a literary scholar obsessed with the works of Dante, siblings Christina and Dante Rossetti would respectively become some of the most famous poets of the Victorian era.
On Research: The World is Full of Experts
In:
Research
The author of 'The Last Policeman' trilogy extolls the virtues of going out into the real world for your research.
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Three
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This monthly column explores writing craft by offering detailed edits of paragraphs submitted by readers.
Take Your Characters Out to Lunch: 5 Development Exercises
In:
Character
Like going on a date, character exercises are part of the process of getting to know another person better (in this case, an imaginary person).
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Two
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This monthly column explores writing craft by offering detailed edits of paragraphs submitted by readers.
Live Dangerously with Second-Person Perspective
In:
POV
Second-person perspective is one of those things that becomes more intriguing the more you are told not to use it.
Storyville: How to Put Together an Anthology
Tips and information about how to put together an anthology of short stories.
Slipping Into Someone Else's Skin
In:
Character
Great characters aren't just words: they're living, breathing people, as real as you or me. But where do they come from? How does one birth a character with depth and soul?
Believing In the Nonexistent: An Introduction to Fictional Realism
In:
Abstracts
Have you ever wished that Rivendell existed so that you could go there next spring break? Fictional realists argue that technically, it does.
