Authors are tired of getting the same questions at every interview. They’ve answered them a hundred times and will not be excited to answer them yet again. I can tell you exactly the questions writers get time and time again at every book reading and interview: Where do you get your ideas? What is your writing process […]
In a world where J.K. Rowling’s manuscript of “Harry Potter” was rejected 12 times and Kathryn Stockett’s manuscript of “The Help” was rejected 60 times, it can be easy to become despondent about publishing your fiction, even more so for teenage writers aching to voice their thoughts to the world. However, there’s an abundance of writing competitions […]
As creative writers, we tend to get stuck. Whether it’s racing against the clock, summoning our inner novelist, battling our worst critic, or even putting pen to paper, we realize that sometimes we could use a helping hand. But with an endless trove of books on writing and books about writing, which one best suits your […]
I first got into writing when I had to write a poem in the 6th grade. I had never thought much about writing before then, but I ended up getting the best reaction and the loudest applause from my classmates. You can imagine what this did for my 11 year old ego. After that I […]
What do you do after an MFA? You drink whiskey, that’s what you do. But after you’re done with the whiskey, you read this fucking article. This is the advice that recent creative writing MFA graduates need. Sure, you can click away, or save it to read later, but God help you if you don’t […]
After writing a short mystery story filled with suspense and plot twists, the next step is figuring out the best way to publish your work. With a laundry list of publications to choose from, where should you submit your short mystery story? I’ve done all the work for you by racking up a list of prime places to […]
Why should every writer consider a pen name? A pen name can be a writer’s best friend. Whether you’re a rookie who’s nervous about stepping onto the scene or someone fairly well accomplished who’s looking for a chance to start over, a pseudonym may be your answer. While some people like the idea of a safety […]
If you want to rent books through a “Netflix for books” service, which one is the best? First of all, you should choose one that won’t shut down in a year or two. There are several companies that tried to offer a “Netflix for books” and failed, such as Oyster and Entitle. But Scribd, Booksfree, Bookmate and Amazon […]
One of the hardest things about literary magazines is dealing with the overwhelming number of them. You can’t keep up-to-date on all of them, so how do you decide which are really worth your time? Of course, everyone knows about Poetry Magazine, and I’d like to hear of a writer who isn’t on the New Yorker email list, but there are so many wonderful, small publications out there, just […]
1. Flaunt Your Genius Do you know obscure 18th century French authors? Why of course you do, and now is the time to namedrop them. Do you know critical theory? Why of course you do, and everyone will be impressed if you use a poststructural framework to analyze the book. Nobody thinks writing a book […]
