In the eight years after my Behçet's Disease diagnosis, I'd had plenty of time to rage, cry, and contemplate my situation. What I neglected to realize was how obvious my condition was to other people.
Becoming a Working Writer: The First, Terrible Year in Review
In October 2019, I took the plunge. I made my first short-story submission to a paying market. The rejection came twelve days later. It was a higher tier rejection—the best kind, short of one bearing a personal note from the editor. I felt energized. I was—to steal Mur Lafferty's phrasing—a working writer. Let me back … Continue reading Becoming a Working Writer: The First, Terrible Year in Review
15 Holiday Gifts for Your Writer Friends
The holidays are here again. Cue the gift-giving anxiety! I can't tell you what you should buy for everyone on your list — mea culpa — but I can offer up these 15 holiday gifts for your writer friends. Whether you know an aspiring novelist or someone just nominated for a major award, this guide … Continue reading 15 Holiday Gifts for Your Writer Friends
Damn Fine Story: A Review
When you've been writing for long enough, or once you've read enough how-to books for writers, you start to notice just how similar all the "different" advice you're getting sounds. In Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Tools of a Powerful Narrative, veteran writer Chuck Wendig has crafted an irreverent guide to the one thing every … Continue reading Damn Fine Story: A Review
Gideon the Ninth: A Review
"Lesbian necromancers in space." It's one hell of a tagline, and it's exactly what it sounds like. The space-faring fantasy debut from Tamsyn Muir, Gideon the Ninth is a tale of intrigue, murder, greasepaint, and ... well ... Gideon. The premise in this trilogy-starter is far from simple. Eponymous heroine Gideon Nav is a foundling, … Continue reading Gideon the Ninth: A Review