Firsts. Contests. Markets. Networks. Risks. Rebellions. Along with seven other flash writers, I discuss how to land your first flash…
Currents
Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions
Pictures of naked people? “The Shadow Knows”? Parodies of “True Grit”? Yes, Mom, all of these can these make you…
“Dear Lucky One”: Writing Lessons from Ellen Raskin’s THE WESTING GAME
If Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects) reads Ellen Raskin’s THE WESTING GAME every year or so, maybe we…
Mother-Reader (Reading with a Baby on Board)
Introducing the Mother-Reader … Everything changes after a child is born. But even the simple act of reading a book? …
Speedos! Submarines! Ukuleles! Beach-Writing!
Speedos! Submarines! Ukuleles! Beach-Writing! Take your writing on vacation in this post for the Ploughshares Blog. And you…
On Louts, Shooting Dogs, and Antonya Nelson
It started because I wanted to shoot a dog. In a short story, that is. The stories for my first…
The Nifty Trick of Dan Chaon’s “A Little Something to Remember Me By”
Who would condemn the grieving parents of a long-lost, likely murdered boy? Who would turn these parents’ tears to treacle,…