One of the most important things I knew about the main character of my novel, The Unsuitable, was that she was not going to be likable. She wasn’t going to be pretty or smart. She wasn’t going to make ...

There’s something particularly tantalizing about glimpsing into the world of the ultra-wealthy—the gleaming facades of their lives, their gilded social circles, and the dizzying power they wield. It’s ...

Writing about pop culture and current technology is always a gamble, pitting critique of the present against longevity, a story that will still feel relevant after we’re gone. But for novelists ...

It isn’t unusual for libraries to feature prominently in novels; novelists, after all, are merely adult versions of the little people who fell in love with books at public libraries. But what of ...

Trauma does not recollect to us whole. Memory is already a ghost of our experience, haunting us from inside our minds and bodies. Put 10 people in a room with a blackbird for an hour and you’ll get at ...

Let’s face it: half of our favorite stories wouldn’t exist if the characters just went to therapy. The Trojan War would’ve lasted nine years, and Bruce Wayne would own a normal basement with a ping ...

We often behave as if there’s something inherently shameful about reading and writing fanfiction. I remember compulsively clearing my browser history as a child, terrified that my parents would find ...

Not long ago I was at a reading for the fantastic short story writer Kelly Link. The first audience question was “How much worldbuilding do you do for each story?” I’ve heard this question asked of ...

Everyone wants to write a book, or to say they have written a book. Publishing a book is still an honor, a point of pride—but like pretty much everything else, it’s also dependent upon a capitalist ...

I carry a pencil case in my purse that says on its side: “I’m a girl, what’s your superpower?” When I first came into possession of this case I loved it, but now every time I take it out I ponder the ...

If you’re a published author of any stripe, rank, or experience, you recognize these subject headings. You’ve probably opened the email, too, because it looks real and the sender has a real(ish) name ...

Aaron Burch is the Rick Rubin of online literary publishing. Over the last two plus decades, he’s helped hundreds of writers jumpstart their careers, whether it was through Hobart, the online literary ...