World Reading Habits in 2021

World Reading Habits in 2021 

How much did the world read in 2021? That’s what Global English Editing set out to answer in their great new infographic, World Reading Habits in 2021. They dig into all sorts of metrics to put the world’s reading habits into perspective. Did you know that Europeans are the world’s biggest bookworms and many spend… Read more »

Story Grid Scene Analysis: Something Borrowed

If you’ve been following my last two articles on scene analysis, you know how valuable I believe it is for writers to understand how to determine if a scene either advances the plot and/or develops the character(s). This is especially important if it is the opening chapter of a novel. Before I became a Certified… Read more »

Abigail K. Perry

Story Grid Scene Analysis: The Giver of Stars

Welcome back! In my last column I talked about the immense value of using Story Grid’s Scene Analysis Template to read with purpose, by learning how to read (and analyze a scene) like a writer.  To recap: the bulk of the Scene Analysis Template focuses on how a working scene creates a Story Event—or an… Read more »

How to Read like a Writer

Here at DIY MFA, we talk a lot about writing, but reading is also an important part of the program. And reading isn’t about just sitting on the beach with a book in one hand and a Mai Tai in the other. You have to read like a writer. That’s where this post comes in. Most… Read more »

Episode 138: Writing By Numbers— Interview with Ben Blatt

Hey there word nerds! Today I’m delighted to interview journalist and statistician, Ben Blatt, about his new book Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve. Ben is a former staff writer for Slate and The Harvard Lampoon who has taken his fun approach to data journalism to topics such as Seinfeld, mapmaking, The Beatles, and Jeopardy! His… Read more »

Episode 18: Deconstructing Shakespeare’s Sonnet 90

Hello and happy Thanksgiving! I’m so thankful that you are here! This podcast has been a true labor of love for me and I’m thrilled to share it with you. Today I want to tell you about something else that I am thankful for: the ability to read Shakespeare in the original English. Shakespeare’s work has made a… Read more »