Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of The Little Prince

Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of The Little Prince

We’re back with another three-act analysis, this time of the French classic, The Little Prince by  Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This book has been a long-time favorite of mine, and like Animal Farm it has a great deal of allegory and symbolism woven into it, though it is decidedly less pessimistic and has a tone that… Read more »

Writer Fuel: What Types of Backstory Do You Need?

Writer Fuel: What Types of Backstory Do You Need?

Backstory is an essential part of writing. It puts elements of the main narrative into context, helping us understand characters’ motivations and the history of the world or setting. It gives us a better sense for character relationships and also helps us understand why certain objects, events, or institutions are important. There are primarily eight… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Make the Most of Writing Resources

Writer Fuel: Make the Most of Writing Resources

I’ve been thinking a lot about all the writing resources that are out there on the web—both free and not free. This got me wondering: “How do we manage it all? How do we tell what’s good from what’s not? And how do we know our time and money will be well spent?” In other… Read more »

The Book Nook: Create Your Own Syllabus

The Book Nook: Create Your Own Syllabus

Something about the back-to-school season gets me thinking about big projects for myself. And, like many word nerds, the way I prep for a big project is to read about it. I’ve found it useful to create a syllabus, a list of required reading, for my writing project to keep me on track and to… Read more »

Holiday Themed Round-Up

Holiday Themed Round-Up

Hey word nerds! The holiday season is in full swing, so we thought we would present a holiday-themed round-up full of posts from our archives for you to enjoy. Whether you want some advice on how to get some writing in during this busy time or maybe you want to explore some podcast episodes or… Read more »

November

Book Nook — November Edition

I know I’ve been complaining all year about time’s unnatural speed, but seriously? I cannot believe that it’s November and the year is almost over. I have met my Goodreads goal for the year, but I haven’t read nearly as many books as I would have liked, and there’s not much time left. This fall… Read more »

October

Book Nook — October Edition

Truly, where has the year gone? How is it October? I am not ready for the weather to turn cold. I am a summer gal, through and through. To me, cold weather means seasonal depression, so give me that summer sunshine. Alas, nobody asked me about the changing of the seasons, so here we are… Read more »

Book Nook April Edition

The Book Nook—April Edition

How is it already April? March was both a slog and a blur, and I am so glad to leave it in my rearview window. I know this post should have gone up on the first Sunday in April, but that was Easter, and we’ve had some other behind the scenes stuff going on here… Read more »

Pandemic Potpourri

It’s probably fair to say that the number of us actually living our 2020 plan is vanishingly small.  It was to have been my year of geographical expansion – a self-organized book tour to signings and festivals around the country. What’s happened instead is a geographical contraction to the four walls of my house and… Read more »