“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton I’m a big believer that there is no need to reinvent the wheel, and there is no need to blaze your own trail when many others have successfully walked the path before you. That’s not to… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Caroline Donahue on the show! Caroline is an American writer living in Berlin, and the host of The Secret Library Podcast (where I’ve had the good fortune of being a guest!). She is also the co-editor, with Dal Kular, of the essay anthology I… Read more »
You have an idea for a story and you’re pretty sure this is an idea that would appeal to kids, be they tots or teens. But you haven’t been a kid yourself in . . . well, a long time. And if you don’t have kids yourself, or your kids aren’t the same age as… Read more »
Family has long been a cornerstone of humanity, regardless of time period, location, and culture. This is also true in the stories we read and write, as we discussed in this DIY MFA case study. However, what makes family such an important literary theme? Why do stories that focus on family sometimes lift our spirits… Read more »
Negative feedback and rejection are usually considered the worst parts of the writing journey. When your manuscript receives the dreaded form rejection letter from a literary agent or a publisher fails to respond to a pitch—it isn’t easy to view this feedback as “good”. In fact, you might be asking how a form rejection can… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! I have to admit that today I’m having a major fangirl moment because I’m interviewing Orson Scott Card on the show! Orson Scott Card is the author of the New York Times bestseller Ender’s Game and has won several Hugo and Nebula awards for his works of speculative fiction. In fact,… Read more »
Collective blogs, short story anthologies, and shared public events are just some ways crime fiction writers are banding together to increase their reach and marketing footprint. This trend is not only great for writers, but also great for readers. Collective Crime Fiction Blogs A collective crime fiction blog is just like it sounds. A group… Read more »
Walk into any coffee shop these days and you’re bound to see java lovers laughing out loud. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the source of their laughter is a book. And that book is the uproarious Crazy Rich Asians, or one of its two sequels, by Kevin Kwan. If you haven’t read it or seen… Read more »
When the label on a hopeful submission to your favourite lit mag switches from “In Progress” to “Declined,” you know the steps you’ll take, right? If your hopes were high, this rejection might have you sobbing into a bowl of cookies and cream. If you’ve built up more resilience in the submission game it might… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Traci Lambrecht, of the mother-daughter writing team P.J. Tracy, perhaps most well-known for their Monkeewrench thriller series. Traci spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses, then graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She then began… Read more »
