On the Symbiosis of Writing and Community
By J.A.W. McCarthy Writing is a solitary art. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all lived it. It’s one of those things that can be true and false at the same…
What to Read (and Watch) – the Ecohorror Edition
by Maria Haskins It’s only natural that ecological horror, ecohorror, is so prevalent in popular culture. With Earth entering the Anthropocene, a time when humans are having a substantial impact…
Setting
From: Yours to Tell – Dialogues on the Art & Practice of Writing “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”But if you are in Kansas, show us Kansas. Take us to Kansas,…
What to Read – The Women in Horror Month Edition
by Maria Haskins, Sr. Columnist It’s March, AKA Women in Horror Month, and as always, my main recommendation for Women in Horror month is to read horror by women all…
Writing When Life is A Lot (or Too Much)
I’ll start this writing advice essay by pointing out that giving writing advice is an iffy proposition. What works for one person might be useless or even detrimental for another,…
How I Edit an Anthology
I don’t typically swing an axe around my apartment while editing an anthology, but this time, I did. For my latest, 120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era, one…
The First Draft
Much has been made of Ernest Hemingway’s judgement that ‘the first draft of anything is shit’. But why? It’s such a crass truism, one that, thanks to the profanity of…
Some Thoughts on Beginnings
Without the right beginning, a successful creative piece is impossible. This may sound self-evident, and yet the process of working through a story or novel is such a chaotic and…
Ideas
If you’re a writer, it’s the classic interview question (or even the one that just occurs in general everyday chat.) ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’
