If you want to write a picture book, this post will help! How do you win a marathon? You run really fast for 26.2 miles without stopping. Like winning a marathon, writing is easy to describe, but hard to execute. Writing a good book is a magical art that blends creating interesting characters, placing them […]
Continue reading
Erika Alexander was once told that science fiction isn’t for Black people. This exchange took place in a meeting with a major Hollywood studio president, where Alexander — an actor known for the likes of Get Out and Wu-Tang: An American Saga — along with ex-husband and collaborator Tony Puryear, was pitching a science-fiction series […]
Continue reading
Have you ever Googled “writing contests”? Many require “reading fees” or prizes — like seeing your work in print — that you can only receive if you pay for it. Some legitimate contests do charge small entry fees, but often a fee can be a red flag for a scam, so those might be the […]
Continue reading“They said we was nothin’ but a bunch of drunk old fools,” Kelly murmured, hunched over the whiskey I bought him. “Worse things, besides.” “If you had it to do over again,” I asked him, “Would you still tell anyone?” As discreetly as I could I slid my phone closer to him. I hoped any […]
Continue reading
You’re not someone who cares about tradition in your fiction, are you? You’re willing to explore. You’re striving for meaning, and you want interesting experiences. Well, that’s the second-person point of view (POV) for you: nontraditional, explorative, meaningful and interesting. It also sounds a bit like an ad for an exaggerated travel agent or a […]
Continue reading
Is there a better feeling in the world than writing “The End” in your manuscript? It’s a moment to be celebrated: you’ve done it. You’ve written and completed an entire book. Not everyone can say they have. But you’re not finished. No, not even after you wrap up your self-edits. It’s time to pass your […]
Continue readingIn her inspirational writing, she gave voice to reality of the African American experience It is impossible to fully encapsulate the magnitude and influence of Toni Morrison, a writer of such power, gravitas and ingenuity, the rhapsodic praise almost seems inadequate, anti-climactic. But we must do so. We must celebrate her. If the act of […]
Continue readingKing has already written two endings for his masterpiece and now he’s found a third coda for the TV adaptation. As a fan, I’m wary Spoiler warning for two of The Stand’s three endings Stephen King fans, gather ye here: our lord and master has written a new ending to The Stand, his story of […]
Continue readingFresh from writing his own first sci-fi thriller, physicist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili chooses favourite books that tackle the Earth in peril Having written a number of popular science books, I decided three years ago to try my hand at fiction. How hard could it be, I reasoned arrogantly. Well, harder than I thought. But […]
Continue reading