I love Fairy Tales. They have a timeless quality to them that I find charming. Whenever I'm struggling for ideas for a story (or for a blog...) I tend to see myself going back to them for inspiration. So, in the simplest way possible I thought I'd break down the...

Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction Benjamin Percy Graywolf Press October 2016 ISBN 978-1-55597-759-7 184 pages Reviewed by MAYA WESMAN  Benjamin Percy’s book Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction is a joy to read. As a writer, I am always looking for insight from other writers,...

Let’s face it. Writing can definitely feel like the WORST (P.S. You get a million and five extra credit points if you read that in a Jean-Ralphio voice.). You are alone in your room or maybe you have a sleeping cat on your lap like me, and  you’re in the constantly...

"Write what you know." An old adage for writers going back to who knows when that basically means writing stuff you're familiar with is easier. Which is bullshit. If that's the case, nobody should ever write a character different from them. In pursuit of writing...

Life after college is daunting, especially for those of us who are graduating soon. Currently I’m a senior and will be graduating with a BFA in creative writing. I’m nervous about life after college, and I know I’m not the only student who worries about becoming...

When I was younger, I didn’t think twice about the fact that Peter Rabbit wore a jacket, or that Simba talked and sang. It was entertainment. It was just how the stories were told. Through animals. As a writer, I began wondering the benefits of such a ploy. What did...

Without any considerable effort, most of us could probably name plenty of books from our childhood that had a great impact on us. Whether we liked the characters, the pictures, or simply the association of something with the book, we all have those books we read over...

Okay, so you probably saw the headline and groaned about how much you hate sports or were completely on board with this train. Either way, I will give you all the tips and tricks from sports writing so you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Trust me, it’s a long...

Some say poetry is a dying art form. After centuries upon centuries of being a part of the human experience, predating literacy and the printing press, poetry has somehow lost its real world relevance. This is the form whose musical characteristics made ancient poets...

Beginning a project is an extremely daunting task. Staring at that blank screen—or blank page if you’re old school like me—can be nerve wracking, exciting, and maybe even frustrating. Some of the time you come to the page with just an idea, a thought of what you would...