The most important pages you need to prepare before you query a literary agent, besides the query letter, are the first pages of your book. But how do you start a book? Or, how do you know when the first chapter you’ve written will hook your reader? Sometimes in an attempt to seduce a literary… Read more »
In my first column of this series, I wrote about how I don’t enjoy the art style of most mainstream comics. I find it overly complicated and with a fundamental lack of understanding about human anatomy, and I can’t concentrate on the storyline because male artists don’t understand how bras work. But before I throw… Read more »
Genre hopping is a great way to introduce yourself and your writing style to a new audience. If it is done incorrectly, it is a lot like a bad first impression. It will taint your future ventures and efforts with the audience. I would know. When I first tried genre-hopping, I made a big mistake…. Read more »
Hello, beautiful people on the internet! Stepping out of a world unlike any other, I am Disha and I am here to embark with you on your journey to a brand-new world fresh out of your mind. Do you enjoy setting up your stories in a world filled with imaginary or speculative events? You’ve unlocked… Read more »
I’m back for the third installment of my 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical (“VWS”) series and hope your own VWS is rolling along into the back half of 2021. If you missed the first two installments, Create Your Own Virtual Writers Sabbatical describes how to build an adventure focused on you and your writing craft, and… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kris Clink. Kris writes about relatable characters who rely on humor and tenderness to navigate complicated relationships. Set in middle America, her novels are laced with romance, heartbreak, and just enough snarky humor to rock the boat. When not writing, Kris spends her time searching for an open… Read more »
When people ask me to talk about my book, The Devil Makes Three, the question of genre always comes up. Now, it’s somewhat obvious simply because it’s practiced: I write horror. This book is horror. That’s not quite how it started, though, and it was a long road to get there. When pitching books, we… Read more »
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre remains a cultural touchstone 174 years after its debut. It is one of the best examples of Gothic Romanticism, a predecessor of modern domestic suspense. Gothic novels are characterized by sensational aspects, such as strange noises, dark houses in desolate settings, shattering secrets, and women in distress. But Jane Eyre was… Read more »
During an interview for the promotion for my most recent book, it dawned on me we have never actually discussed, in this column, the relationships between “pure” historical fiction and the adjacencies that might be either sub-genres or just tangentially related. The interviewer asked how historical fantasy differs from historical fiction – and answering that… Read more »
I almost fell into the trap recently. My protagonist, speaking of his brother, said, “That would be John going off half-cocked, Uncle, not me.” A nice evocative expression for someone who acts without thinking, right? The only problem is, the story is set at the beginning of the 14th century in western Europe. Guns didn’t… Read more »
