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When we do a content edit, we focus on the big-picture stuff first. There’s no point in nitpicking small things that might be rewritten anyway. However, we do run into lots of problems at the wordcraft level. To help everyone improve their prose, let’s go … read more »
How can I write sex scenes where the woman enjoys herself without seeming sexist? – Anon Read more »
Since we’re lucky enough to have Ariel in the studio once again, we’ve decided to take a deep dive into common wordcraft mistakes. There’s no plot or character analysis here, just the words and punctuation on the page. Mostly, it’s how those words and punctuation … read more »
Gender is a complex thing, and writing a character whose gender is different than yours can seem a daunting task. This is especially true for writing a gender less privileged than yours. Don’t worry, we’re here with sage advice. This week, we discuss how to … read more »
It can be challenging to tell readers everything they need to know through a character’s point of view, so why not ditch that confinement and use a narrator who knows everything? That’s called omniscient narration, and it’s what we’re talking about today. Joined by returning … read more »
This may come as a shock, but writers don’t always agree. When these disagreements are on the technical minutiae of wordcraft, it can be especially confusing to newcomers. Most newcomers just want to write respectable prose. So, how can you tell what that is when … read more »
In the beginning, a human told a story, and another human said it was not good. Thus was born the tradition of literary criticism, which is what we’re talking about today. We’ll discuss the different schools of criticism, whether reviews are a type of criticism, … read more »
Have you heard of this thing called literary fiction? We have, but we’re not quite certain what it is or why it matters. And we’re not the only ones who are confused. This week we get deep into what “literary” means, and how much writers … read more »
Despite the growing recognition of gender-neutral pronouns, many people – particularly in the writing industry – reject singular they. These traditionalists usually complain that singular they will make English worse. But English itself has something to say about that. Read more »
As soon as I spotted the cover for Jonathan Renshaw’s Dawn of Wonder, The Wakening, I knew this was the book to critique. “Dawn of Wonder” is already dramatic sounding, and adding “The Wakening” pushes it into melodrama. It doesn’t help that these words border … read more »