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.
Storyville: Death in Fiction
Death in fiction — who, what, when, where and why.
Seven Songs, Seven Literary Devices — Celebrating the Poetics of Songwriting
In:
Literary Devices
Songs are poems, too. Or, the article in which I mention Katy Perry, Yeezy, Ezra Pound, Dante, and Flight of the Concords.
The Archetypes of Hayao Miyazaki
In:
Character
Revered Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has announced his retirement, but not before years of contribution to the art of storytelling.
Edit My Paragraph!
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This column illustrates editing techniques by offering detailed edits to paragraphs submitted by the readers.
How To Break Up With Your First Draft
In:
Rewriting
You're staying with your first draft for all the wrong reasons. It's time to break free and get to the story you were always meant to write!
