Word nerds, thank you for joining me in what is my most favorite post of the year: Leisure Learning: Spooky Edition. This month, readers can peruse Mary Shelley’s (actual!!) Frankenstein notebooks, become unmoored by art inspired by Poe, and hopefully, add one of the best darkly academic podcasts to a playlist or two. Since we… Read more »
I can’t encircle the trunk with my arms or see the top. Douglas Fir trees are like that. 500-year old giants, they stretch straight to the sky, snag clouds, and create their own weather. The bark smells of cinnamon and moisture, and if I am not careful, it will leave a scratch or two on… Read more »
Well-crafted plot twists have the power to leave readers breathless, reeling with shock and excitement, their impact lingering long after the story’s been read. And nowhere are they more important than in horror and thriller fiction. Keeping our genre readers guessing and on the edge of their seats is absolutely crucial to our success. A… Read more »
I find it very difficult to name a favorite type of mystery, but it just might be puzzle mysteries. They scratch a cognitive itch. Solving them, whether in a book, an app, or a video game, feels so satisfying. Plus, they’re just fun. In the past, some leveled the criticism that puzzle mysteries lacked in… Read more »
I am an unapologetically voracious reader, but that wasn’t always the case. When I first started writing seriously I eschewed all forms of creativity other than my own. Nuts to all that read your genre, read widely nonsense. Why? Something about not wanting to be influenced by other people’s work, or some such malarkey. And… Read more »
Hello and happy almost-August! The July 2023 Leisure Learning column is all about the literal places that literature can transport one’s self to. Get in touch with your inner Transcendentalist, talk with the kids about their summer reading, go on a few virtual tours that bring epic word nerd sites to you, and have a… Read more »
Welcome back to The Messy Middle, where we focus on crafting complex characters and building dynamic worlds that connect with readers from marginalized communities. In a previous post, The Messy Middle: Luna & The Rise of Trans Narratives, we examined the pitfalls of the young adult (YA) novel Luna, which provided a compelling “case study”… Read more »
Though it may come as a surprise to some, I’ve only been reading romance novels for a few years now. I’ve always secretly enjoyed romance plots when they come up in other books I’ve read or movies I watched, and I’m the first to worship two characters at the barest hint of chemistry, but it… Read more »
Word nerds, please grab a mimosa and join me as I raise a glass to that super special time of year: (to be read with your best Oprah impression)***SUMMER READING SEASON!!*** Like ghost stories in October, summer reading carries with it the indulgence of being simply delightful. It’s a time to break free of books related only… Read more »
Greetings and felicitations, fellow nerds of the word! The May 2023 Leisure Learning column focuses on literary contributions somehow related to the past. Gain insight into William Blake’s process for resurrecting the illuminated manuscript, meet some lesser-known family members chronically overshadowed by their famous relations, and see how Walt Disney’s soldiering days influenced early Disney… Read more »
