What I'm Up To

How I Got My Literary Agent

My stats. TLDR: I couldn't have pulled it off alone. If you had taken my preteen self aside, and looked her full in her zit-dotted face and said, "Are you sure about this writing thing?", she would've answered, "Duh, why not?" And then you might've said, "Because you're gonna be querying agents." And, with the… Continue reading How I Got My Literary Agent

What I'm Up To, Writing Tips

Postcards from the Depths of Revision

When I was little, I turned my closet into a black hole of cardigans. I was so affronted by the precious three seconds it takes to hang sweaters on hangers that I tossed them into a pile that grew until one day I tried to pull one from the wall of knits and cotton and… Continue reading Postcards from the Depths of Revision

Writing Tips

A Beginner’s Guide to Worldbuilding

Setting up the Setting Characters don't interact in a vacuum. The reason some people prefer fantasy and sci-fi over contemporary fiction is because they want to get lost in a different world, so creating a compelling setting intrigues readers just as much as character actions and motivations do. Half the fun of reading Six of Crows and… Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide to Worldbuilding

What I'm Up To

7 More Odd, Wonderful Reads from Around the Internet

1. The Business of Murder Flash fiction when done effectively tends to be over before the reader is ready. This thrilling, 937-word piece about a planned homicide agency that never misses an appointment will keep you thinking long after the final sentence. 2. Kevin One of Reddit's most famous comments, this tale of a fantastically… Continue reading 7 More Odd, Wonderful Reads from Around the Internet

Short Stories

The Deathworkers Agency

The most annoying thing about death is all the paperwork involved. Every morning, Lyle and I make the trip to the warehouse to sift through today’s files and see whose soul we get to summon and send into the light. “Harold Lassiter, aged eighty-six,” I read from the list of names. “Heart attack. Leaves behind… Continue reading The Deathworkers Agency

What I'm Up To

7 Odd, Wonderful Reads from Around the Internet

Sometimes you're just in the mood to skim something short and whacky. Here are seven of my favorite odd reads, just the tip of the iceberg on a Bookmark list spanning at least a hundred. 1. The Wikipedia list of unusual articles Wikipedia tends to be dry and objective. This is one of the funniest,… Continue reading 7 Odd, Wonderful Reads from Around the Internet

Short Stories

The Claire Witch Project

There are many things you can easily explain to your parents. Accidentally blowing up your uncle is not one of them. “You are so busted, Claire,” said my sister Lindsay, eying the singed curtains and the freshly made crater in my bedroom floor. “Wait until Dad finds out you were practicing transmorph spells in your… Continue reading The Claire Witch Project