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We All Half-Know Things
If you’ve ever written something — especially fiction — then offered it up for critique, you’ll be familiar with this feeling: “Ah yes, I could see that problem for myself, deep down. But I didn’t really know it until you pointed it out.”
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How To Tell If A Pick-up Misogynist Is Hitting On You
Misogynists sell tips and tricks. They sell books and courses. They host podcasts. I listened to some of this crap so you don’t have to.
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Framing A Story
Framing a story: Presenting a narrative to an audience so the story is immersive (but not too immersive), suspenseful (but not baffling), and complex (but not convoluted).
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The Psychology Of Writing Critique Groups
I’ve been participating in various online writing critique groups for about fifteen years. These days, some highly algorithmic critique groups work to encourage participation, gamify frequent participation and reward peer-to-peer encouragement.
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Tristan and Isolde: Passionate vs Spiritual Love
Today we think of love in binaries such as love versus lust, but go back a few centuries and the binary was thought of a little differently: Passionate vs. Spiritual.
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Aliens and UFOs in Storytelling
A brief history of aliens, UFOs and otherworldly creatures in art, literature and storytelling more generally.
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We Didn’t by Stuart Dybek Short Story Analysis
“We Didn’t” is a short story by American writer Stuart Dybek, included in The Best American Short Stories 1994. A man addresses his first love. With the insight that comes from middle-age, the narrator feels sad about the tragicomic incident that that led to their breakup.
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Story Opening Case Study: The Time Traveller’s Wife
The opening to sci-fi romance epic, The Time Traveller’s Wife, was a massive bestseller upon publication. How do the opening paragraphs draw readers in?
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Loneliness by Bruno Schulz Short Story Analysis
“Loneliness” is a (very) short story by Polish Jewish writer Bruno Schulz, translated into English by Celina Wieniewska and published in The New Yorker in 1977. Although the story appeared to English audiences in 1977, long after WW2, Bruno Schulz lived from 1892-1942. This story appeared in one of Bruno Schulz’s two short story collections, published 1937.
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Story Opening Case Study: Never Let Me Go
The openings to stories by Kazuo Ishiguro are on the challenging side. Ishiguro writes for readers who persevere with a slow-burn mystery, who appreciate stories with gaps. It can be fun to fill in the gaps.
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Story Opening: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Detransition, Baby is a contemporary novel that hooked me right away. How did author Torrey Peters do that? Let’s take a closer look.
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Carnivalesque Plot Type: Visitors Who Outstay Their Welcome
Something feels different about some stories made for children. Not all of them. Just some. Take The Cat In The Hat or The Tiger Who Came To Tea. It’s not easy to find stories for adults with a similar blueprint. In these children’s stories, a visitor arrives in a child’s house and makes merry mischief. The child has heaps of fun. Then, after a surprising climax, the visitor leaves. The child’s world returns to normality and safety.
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How Do You Write Dialogue?
How to write dialogue in fiction? It’s not like dialogue in reality. So how is it different? How do you punctuate it?
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Stories Which Appeal To The Desire For Self-Sufficiency
World events have an effect on the stories which follow. Take the 9/11 terrorist attack for instance. Commentators have drawn a direct line between that and Mad Men, or rather, the desire for Americans to retreat to a safe 1950s version of America which exists only in modern imaginations. The wish to return to an earlier era even influenced fashion.
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Chickens and Roosters in Art and Illustration
Chickens have been (and still are) immensely important to human evolution. No surprise they feature large in art and illustration.
