The Writer

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Have you ever had a really bad argument with a good friend? One in which you feel the need to explain yourself, over and over and over again? I had one of those recently, and I think I have diagnosed the problem: neither one of us trusted the other t

AS preparation for writing yet another YA book of my own, I’ve been power-reading a lot of YA novels recently, and from that, three ideas have sprung to life. (1) YA writers love tropes. (2) YA writers super-duper love tropes. (3) Chupacabras are rea

“There’s never been a greater need to think about the ways that creative work can help illuminate intersections between environmental and social justice,” says Anna Lena Phillips Bell, editor and art director of Ecotone, the award-winning literary ma

Publishing dates are never truly set in stone, but this year has seen an unprecedented number of publication date swaps, delays, and early releases thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories relevant to the outbreak, such as titles about past pandemics

Kate Ristau, executive director of Willamette Writers in Portland, Oregon, believes in the power of the Zoom breakout room to build literary community. She witnessed it firsthand this past August at the Willamette Writers Conference online. “Usually

Publishing is often seen as a “mature” person’s game, so much so that writers who successfully claim a seat at the Big-Kids Table and achieve critical success before crossing particular age thresholds are lauded as rarities, prodigies who beat the od

In 2020, for the first time in 15 years, the Northern Colorado Writers Conference staff had to cancel their two-day event because of the coronavirus pandemic. Director Amy Rivers wants to make sure that never happens again. “We’re going to offer a hy

Logic, in my experience, is one of the first things to succumb to a crisis. When I got walloped by the Great Recession in summer 2008, I had been freelancing regularly since spring 2006 and had made the jump to full time three months before the econo

I started writing seriously, with an aim toward making it my career, almost 40 years ago. I explored several genres – science fiction, fantasy, literary, mystery, and horror – before eventually focusing on the latter. It was inevitable, I suppose. Ho

I know it’s helpful to show trusted readers your work before submitting it for publication. But none of my friends and family are writers! Do you have tips for finding good beta readers elsewhere? —DOUBLE VISION Dear Double Vision, Do you only want w