When I was in high school, my favorite classes were almost always (go figure) my English classes. I loved the smell of old books and the discussion of ideas and the thrill and terror of writing an essay in 45 minutes. I was also extremely lucky. During my time at school, I had many brilliant English teachers, and as we…
Welcome to Fanfic to Published Fic, a new series where I take my experience as a fanfiction writer and help other authors make the transition from online storytelling to professional storytelling! This is the first installment of this new series, so let me know what you think! In fandom parlance, there is a common term known as “feels.” If I were…
To call putting your creative work in the hands of someone else “difficult” is probably the understatement of the century. When you create something, you put pieces of your heart and soul into that work, which means that, sometimes, giving over your work to another person feels like you’re asking for them to judge you personally. That, of course, isn’t true!…
It’s the holiday season, which means one thing above all else: this is the time of year when slogans and cheesy inspirational sayings are all the rage. Phrases like, “the best present is being present,” and “a goal without a plan is just a dream,” permeate our cultural consciousness as people come together to celebrate their religious holidays and the…
Let’s face it. Characters are hard. Deciding to write about one is hard. Coming up with a name is hard. Making them do stuff and have that stuff matter is hard. Characters are hard because people are hard; characters are difficult because people are difficult. In real life, people are complex and varied and while small glimpses and interactions aren’t…
In one of my favorite musicals of all time, Passing Strange, there is a song called “Church Blues Revelation/Freight Train.” And that song, written by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, includes one of my favorite lyrics ever written in the English language. It goes as follows: Music is the freight train in which God travels. Bang! It does its thang and then…
As everyone knows, we are living in the era of peak TV. With so much binge-able content available these days, there’s a perfect show for everyone. Whether you like the high fantasy you’ll see in Game of Thrones, the tear-jerking family drama you’ll catch in This is Us or the thrilling escapades of a regenerating Doctor Who, you can flip on your TV or…
