New Years and No Fears

It's easy to feel defeated after such a relentlessly difficult, painful year. But as 2016 finally collapses into a maelstrom of celebrity deaths and national tensions, we must remember that a new year means a new opportunity to improve ourselves and our writing.

Setting Things Right and Putting Up a Fight

Never before in history has it been more important for you to use your talent for writing. The pen is mightier than the sword and we will prove that together.

Politics in Writing and Partisan Fighting

George Washington would be very disappointed to know that his attempts to prevent political parties from forming failed. He also wouldn't be a huge fan of all those myths about cherry trees and wooden teeth.

Something's Amiss and a Clever Twist

What exactly is a twist? And how can you write a truly effective twist without spelling it out for the reader?

Happy Endings and Tragedy Bending

Now that the summer hiatus is over, it is time to get a head start on winter's melancholy with a discussion of how tragedy dictates the life of a writer.

Making a Difference and Going the Distance

What drives a person to write? And how can a person excel in their craft or make any sort of impact without maintaining that impetus?

And One Last Word #3: When Stick Figures Learn to Feel

Don Hertzfeldt, father of twenty-first century absurdist humor, tells one of the most moving, beautiful tales of the decade with only a handful of stick figures and a brutally simple story.

Story Cohesion and No Good Reason

Episodic stories are all fine and good, but if your story lacks cohesive structure, you might as well just be an anecdote writer. And as any frequent partygoer knows, anecdotes can be quick to lose their charm.

Mastering Diction and Writing Fiction

Now that we've explored connotation, it's time to sharpen our wordsmithing skills and reevaluate the importance of diction in fiction (and poetry too, apparently).

Deadlines and Making Things Shine

It's deadline season for short story contests all across the nation! Time to plug in the coffeemaker, crack open a fresh bottle of Xanax, and get down to business.

And One Last Word #2: The Best Piece of Writing in Television Animation History

A largely dismissed and underrated show not only sprung some enormous surprises in its third season, it also produced the single best written episode of animated television ever.