Reading like a writer means reading to learn from other authors. By understanding the creative choices used in novels you admire, you can...

In The Queen’s Gambit, author Walter Tevis knows how to put readers on the edge of their seats with high-stakes games of chess. The...

To be queer is to be human — and humans are messy motherfuckers. Read my musings on Medium.

"Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” – Natalie Goldberg...

Trunk stories are novels or short stories you’ve had to bury because, for whatever reason, they feel lifeless. This video contains tips...

Whether you outline in advance or write on the fly, plotting a novel is hard work. Using examples, I’ll show you how to improve your...

As a tale of heartless revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous and lauded works. If you’d like to skip...

Many of us struggle with overwriting and underwriting (insert insurance joke here). You have to strike the right balance between rich...

Adding conflict to a scene can spice up the writing and reading experience. Here, you’ll find a few recipes for creating that...

“It’s not what you say; it’s what you don’t say.” Subtext involves the hidden feelings beneath spoken words—anger, love, mistrust—all...

Setting can give birth to plot, shape characters, and influence the atmosphere of a story. It can be the difference between a forgettable...

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series features characters of varying complexity. "Character complexity" can be defined as how much detail...

A well-written scene is like a good lover—it keeps your interest throughout and, by the end, leaves you begging for more. Once you know...

Sometimes our characters hover between two-dimensional and three-dimensional. By identifying the hidden depths of ourselves and the...