Young adult fiction is becoming a more popular category than ever—stemming back to the 1960s with the publication of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, marketed specifically for young adults. In more recent years, the genre has blossomed with bestselling books like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Twilight by Stephenie… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Steven James. We’ll be talking about his multifaceted storytelling framework, and his book The Art of the Tale. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email… Read more »
While my new column is about short fiction; short stories, novellas, novelettes, and flash, I want to start with some thoughts designed to help focus on writing, no matter what form it takes. Setting up time to write can be more challenging than choosing what form to write in, so I designed a DIY writing… Read more »
Content warning: This article mentions and discusses offensive words related to people with disabilities, while offering alternatives to prevent using ableist language in the future in your writing. Wow! That’s “crazy,” I can’t believe that happened. This event was so “lame.” She was “blind” to his ways, and he ended up taking advantage of her…. Read more »
Writing a draft isn’t easy, but it is easily measurable. Every day, your word count increases. You probably know how many total words your manuscript needs to have in order to meet your genre conventions. By analyzing your typical daily pace, you can even plan how much time you need to get to the finish… Read more »
You’ve just finished writing your first draft! Woo-hoo! Now it’s time to jump in to the revision phase, polish, and make the story shine. NO! Full-stop writer. Cool those jets. Revision is not simply about making sentences tighter or words prettier. That is part of it, but it’s a tiny slice of the whole. So… Read more »
Today, Lori is interviewing Sorboni Banerjee and Dominique Richardson. They’ll be talking about collaborating on their book, Red as Blood, and the sisterhood they found. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email… Read more »
While taking an evening walk, I asked my husband if he could guess which mystery shows I put on my list last time. He did guess several, but he also mentioned a couple I actually felt ashamed I left off, like Only Murders in the Building and Castle. Genuine favorites of mine! Especially OMITB! I… Read more »
Welcome to the first installment of my Book Coach Corner series. Today’s column discusses book coaches and how they can help you at any stage in the writing process. Why Might You Need a Book Coach? Historically, publishing houses employed editors who worked closely with their contracted authors on revising and finalizing their manuscripts prior… Read more »
Hello, word nerds! Welcome to the Almost Spring edition of Leisure Learning. This month’s melange of experiences brings you the nostalgia of Beatrix Potter, the convoluted craziness of Ian Fleming’s role in British naval service, The Oscars (for books!) and a wealth of Irish tales, recorded by school children in their 1930s-era copybooks. Whatever your… Read more »
