Grief and Relief: Letting Yourself Breathe Again

On reinventing yourself in the wake of destruction.

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.

Book Review: Blue Eel by Lorne Dixon

Blue Eel is a psychedelic, sometimes foggy, trip through desert cults and the depths of the human psyche. 

And One Last Word: #1: Why Stephen King's "The Gingerbread Girl" is a Modern Marvel

One of King's lesser-known short stories is a surprisingly devastating piece of realistic fiction on par with his early novellas.

This Wasn't in the Script and Storywriting Tips

The foundation of every film is the screenplay. So why do so many movies feel like there wasn't a screenplay at all?

A Gift and a Paradigm Shift

I, of course, discuss writing at length on this writing blog... but how do you know when writing stops being a hobby and becomes a potential career?

Connotation and Not so Great Expectations

Just how much can a single synonym affect the objective of a sentence? The Joey Tribbianis of the world know.

Short Story Collections and Bite-Sized Perfection

Whether it's the result of our collective interest in being terrified or maybe our increasing short attention spans, there's something undeniably enticing about the short story.

Making the Time and Essay Crimes

Today's topic is especially appropriate considering my unplanned leave of absence, so turn off the clock and study up on how we can wisely manage the one thing none of us can ever have enough of--time.

Book Review: Intern: A Doctor's Initiation by Sandeep Jauhar

A startlingly personal and occasionally scandalizing account of the horrors and wonders of a medical internship.