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The Solidified Space of the Anti-Hero
The idea of the anti-hero has been around since stories have been told. This isn’t an antagonist. This isn’t someone working against the...
Jessica Dainty
May 22, 20184 min read
Make Books Cool Again
When he heard that I’d published my first novel, my brother-in-law said, “That’s great. Too bad nobody reads books anymore.” I recently...
Ward Parker
May 21, 20182 min read
Contests
I had the opportunity to enter a contest recently. Literary Taxidermy seems interesting, in that they give you the opening and closing...
Jeff Messick
May 20, 20181 min read
The Highly-Technical Art Of Not Quitting
If you’re a writer, you know how it feels to get rejected, and that it can come in many different forms. “Not a good fit.” “Decided to...
Benny Sims
May 17, 20183 min read
Know What You Write
"Write what you know." Age old advice to writers. But I would argue this advice is a tad....incomplete. I'd say, "Write what you know,...
Nola Nash
May 15, 20182 min read
Cheri's 20 Questions! - An Interview With Author, Nola Nash
Welcome to the first edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My first interviewee is the amazingly talented Nola Nash. Originally from south...
Cheri Champagne
May 13, 20186 min read
On Writing Flash Fiction
I’m wordy. I can wax poetic for way too long. And that gets boring for people who want to just get to the point already! When my CPs...
Dana Faletti
May 12, 20183 min read
When there’s Nothing Left to Say… Just Meme It!
One of my oldest and dearest friends and I were having a conversation the other day. It was by email, since we can’t be bothered to hold...
Seth Augenstein
May 7, 20183 min read
A Heroine to Believe In
Today I was asked, “How do you write an adventurous heroine?” I paused, knowing they’ve read Rogue Alliance and they’re referring to...
Michelle Bellon
May 6, 20183 min read
Come Chat
Hello everyone! I am pleased to announce that you have officially been invited to my monthly #thewriterszen Twitter chat (The First...
Jessica Reino
May 5, 20182 min read
Creative Anxiety
So, this past weekend I was going to travel from New England to DC for the Malice Domestic Mystery conference (a great conference). ...
Nicole Asselin
May 4, 20181 min read
The Power of Writing Prompts
Two things incited Chimera Catalyst: a dream and a prompt. I dreamed that I had a dog that was also part parrot. She had fluffy white...
Susan Kuchinskas
May 3, 20182 min read
Advice from a Squirrel
In the summer of 1999 I moved away from the hometown I’d known and (kinda) loved to the woods of northern Michigan. I was trying to...
Laura Kemp
Apr 30, 20182 min read
What kind of writer are you?
My first novel took me 10 years. Give or take. Why? Full-time job. Two kids. A mortgage. And that I had no idea what I was doing. I'd...
Tony Ollivier
Apr 27, 20182 min read
Allow Me to Be Your Book Concierge
I have long been fascinated by the concept of a concierge. Maybe it's because I have rarely been able to afford to stay in a hotel which...
Matt Coleman
Apr 21, 20186 min read
KRICKET: A book whose time has come
I got the idea for Kricket during the 2008 election when some fringe folks were suggesting that the Democratic candidate Barack Obama was...
Penni Jones
Apr 20, 20182 min read
Dream n'Dash
So I have almost perfect recollection of my dreams. And I dream almost exclusively about food. Sounds fancy, hmmm? Well, no, it sucks....
An Tran
Apr 19, 20182 min read
Writing Fast
Yesterday was one of those banner days in writing. I typed "The End" on the final page of a project and reformatted it from "Work In...
Elgon Williams
Apr 15, 20184 min read
Poison Girls: a captivating thriller that reminds us of the importance of journalism
Cheryl L. Reed’s Poison Girls is a gripping tale that often reads like creative nonfiction. And for good reason. Reed drew the story from...
Penni Jones
Mar 30, 20181 min read
The magical bromance of TJ & Dave
Even if you’ve never heard of the improv duo TJ and Dave, you know TJ and Dave. TJ Jagodowski is the fair-haired guy in the Sonic...
Penni Jones
Mar 22, 20182 min read
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