Some questions won't die, no matter how many books we write about them. Do you know how to answer them?
Archive
How does literature say your love story should go?
Over the course of our lives, we all ingest hundreds of love stories. How do these stories inform our concept of love? How does literature say the human love story should go?
Why are there so many orphans in literature?
Are orphan stories a relic of our grim past, or are orphans just a convenient plot device?
When minor characters turn hero…
Do books have room for more than one hero? Aunt Polly, Regulus Black, and Izz Huett think so!
Who should paint Jane Eyre’s portrait?
If a picture's worth a thousand words, imagine what a picture from Vincent van Gogh or Leonardo da Vinci could tell you about your favorite book characters.
5 poems that could be full-blown novels
Keeping it short and sweet is impressive, but some poems just leave you wanting more!
How Pixar breaks hearts (and you can too)!
Turns out, there's a three step formula that Pixar uses to break hearts. Learn it, then go forth and break hearts like a pro.
If Holden Caulfield was a girl…
would he have more friends? Would Elizabeth Bennett be quite so sassy if she was a man? And what would happen to Sherlock Holmes' intellect if he belonged to "the gentle sex?"
5 Oddly Specific Writing Tips
Creative writing classes often reiterate the same lessons, but when you read, you can pick up lessons you'll never hear in a class. These are a few of the lessons I've picked up on...
Can your fictional character hobnob with Charles Darwin?
Has your favorite historical figure ever made an unexpected cameo while you were reading a historical novel? How did you react?