Ploughshares
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The Great Nonfiction Escape
But in the grand scheme of things, immersion journalism and other forms of narrative nonfiction, such as memoir, have done more for me as a reader than as a writer, allowing me to vicariously experience things I’d be too much…
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Literary Skeletons Out of the Closet
Time to get all the literary skeletons out of the closet: over at Ploughshares, Rebecca Makkai confesses her unutterable secrets about books never read and authors she’s confused—and you can relax, you’re not the only one getting distracted at readings.
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Literary Agents Are People Too
Authors aren’t the only ones facing rejection. Literary agents receive rejections after sending out their authors’ writing to editors, and they also get rejected by authors that they want to represent. Over at Plougshares, Eric Nelson reveals a few more insights into life…
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Who Killed the Novel?
Last week, Will Self declared the novel dead. But so have a lot of people over the last century. Video may have killed the radio star, but who killed the novel? Rebecca Makkai asks that question over at Ploughshares: Who…
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Life Lessons from Children’s Literature
The stories we read as children often stick with us for a lifetime, and so children’s literature can have a far greater impact on readers than books written for adults. Writing in Plougshares, Annie Cardi explains how children’s literature influences young…
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White People Everywhere
White male editors still dominate publishing and white male authors still dominate bestseller lists. Writing over at Plougshares, literary agent Eric Nelson explores the problem: I have frequently presented books as an editor to a room full of only white people.…
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One Chance to Make a First Impression
An editor’s first look at a writer’s work is in the query letter. Steph Auteri, writing in Ploughshares, explains how writers can improve their introductions, and why it matters when they try to publish. The best way to make an…
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How to Love a Writer
Writers are not the easiest people to fall in love with. Many of the characteristics of a great writer also make for a horrific companion. Over at Ploughshares, Amber Kelly-Anderson explores some of the things to expect when the heart wants a…
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Fiction is Fiction
What does “realism” mean, anyway? Over at Ploughshares, Rumpus contributor and Gigantic magazine editor Lincoln Michel discusses the problems of the term “realism” when it comes to literature: I tend to think it is an ill-defined term, not a useful…
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Objects of Our Affection
Objects make for excellent writing prompts, Anca Szilagyi declares on the Plougshares blog. Objects can ignite memories or serve as a simple writing exercise tool. And objects within a narrative define how characters interact in a world. But be warned,…
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How to really piss off a writer
Ploughshares list 14 ways to tick off a writer. Here are two: Say this to a writer and see what kind of look you get: “Email saying you want to be a writer too, and you notice the writer lives in the…
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Creative Writing, Creative Careers
The two central myths are one, that literary citizenship is all about self-promotion, and two, that it’s connected deeply to the “marketplace.” In an interview for Ploughshares, Tasha Golden talks to “writing geek” Stephanie Vanderslice about teaching the business side of…