Photograph of Juliet McDaniel by Dianna Gonzalez. I recently shared the news my fiction manuscript was selected as the Book Winner in Launch Pad’s 6th Annual Prose Writing Competition. But, as if that wasn’t so much more than enough, I was also picked as one of three Mentorship Prize Winners. What does that mean? It … Read More
Book Review: Body Work by Melissa Febos
Photograph of Melissa Febos by Beowulf Sheehan I am beginning the new year by writing about the best craft book I read in 2022 because I want us—me and you too, dear reader—to carry this book with us not only into 2023, but into the rest of our lives. Body Work: The Radical Power of … Read More
5 Reasons You Should Write Book Reviews
Earlier this year, I wrote a detailed guide to Writing Book Reviews. You might not have read it. You might have thought it didn’t apply to you because, although you love to read and you love to write, you aren’t a book critic. This morning, I want to share with you that you already are … Read More
Published: A Craft Guide
Some friends of mine over at Kelp Journal got together and wrote Published: A Craft Guide, a series of essays by current and former Kelp Journal editors on crafting fiction submissions that stand out. Edited by Kelp Journal managing editor A.E. Santana, Published offers essays on topics including structure, point of view, dialogue, characters, suspense, voice, genre, and living with … Read More
Writing and Warring
I just finished reading Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles (2012). At the risk of oversimplifying, the book’s advice boils down to this: Pressfield: “Do the work.” Writer: “But–“ Pressfield: “Do the work.” I enjoyed the foreword by Robert McKee immensely. McKee is an author, lecturer, and … Read More
Writing Book Reviews
All good and serious writers are readers too, and writing reviews of good books is one way to gain experience, contribute to the writing community, be a good literary citizen, and begin establishing yourself as a writer. Even if you don’t yet have links to published writing on your website, you can include links to … Read More