Monthly Archives: May 2024

Nathan Gower: On the Mystery of the Writing Process

Nathan Gower is Professor of English at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He holds an MFA in fiction from Spalding University and a PhD in humanities with emphasis in aesthetics and creativity from the University of Louisville. His work has been published in Baltimore Review, Birmingham Arts Journal, Louisville Magazine, Louisville Review, New Southerner, Santa Fe […]

Wrangling a Big Manuscript

Before I started writing books, I wrote for TV news and TV production, with constant deadlines. Then I wrote books for clients, which also required me to produce work on a schedule. Now that I write my own passion projects, nobody sits around waiting for my pages. It’s up to me to create the routine, […]

Onyi Nwabineli: On Evaluating Our Relationship With Social Media

Onyi Nwabineli is a Nigerian British head-wrap aficionado. Born in Benin, Nigeria, she grew up in Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Newcastle, and now lives in London. Onyi is the founder of Black Pens (black-pens.com), a writing retreat for Black womxn, and cofounder of Surviving Out Loud, a fund that provides fiscal support for […]

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 697

For this week’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Like (blank),” replace the blanks with a new words or phrases, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Poem Like Nobody’s Watching,” “They Like Whatever She Says,” “Falling Like a Leaf,” and/or “Explain It Like I […]

Successful Queries: Caitlin Blasdell and Kirsiah Depp and “The Paris Affair,” by Maureen Marshall

Welcome back to the Successful Queries series. In this installment, we’ll look at two queries for Maureen Marshall’s novel The Paris Affair, recently published by Grand Central Publishing. The first query is the one sent to Marshall’s agent Caitlin Blasdell, and the second query is the reworked one sent to editor Kirsiah Depp. Also, notice […]

Covering Elections as a Journalist: 8 Article Ideas to Get You Started

Political coverage naturally dominates the news headlines during election season, and stories about presidential candidates and national issues are abundant. As freelance journalists and writers this is a great time for you to also consider pitching and writing politically themed articles. (Political Journalism 101.) In a previous post, I discussed the role of journalism in […]

The Macro Photographer

Photo by James Lee on Unsplash I have a great interest in maco photography—it’s when you take super close-ups of objects (especially in nature) to view every minute detail. For today’s prompt, write about a macro photographer’s work. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

Sally Wen Mao: Remain Open to Change

Sally Wen Mao is the acclaimed author of three poetry collections—Oculus which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2019; Mad Honey Symposium, which named a Top Ten Debut of 2014 in Poets & Writers; and The Kingdom of Surfaces, a finalist for […]

Rules for Writing Young Adult Science Fiction Novels

The young adult (YA) age range typically encompasses readers aged 12 to 18. However, it’s not uncommon for YA novels to attract readers in their early 20s as well. Understanding this demographic is crucial for crafting relatable and engaging content. Key Rules to Follow Strong, Relatable Characters: Protagonists should generally be within the same age […]

Your Character’s Crucial Inner Conflict

In our fictional stories, where emotions, ambitions, and fears collide, inner conflict takes center stage as one of the most important elements to inspire empathy for our characters. Characters who grapple with their own internal demons resonate deeply with readers, making conflict an indispensable element of storytelling. We often send our characters on epic quests […]

Hospital

By: Judith Ferster Fevered, unconscious, I was ambulanced to the ER where, worried I had had a stroke, they sent me, I learned later from records, to the nearby wing with a CT scanner and another with an X-ray machine, through tunnels posted as shelters for emergencies–perhaps tornadoes?– which in other emergencies worse than weather […]