Why Does Grimdark Fantasy Speak to Audiences?
In an essay for Lit Hub, Alexa Schmitt Bugler wonders why fans love dark, brutal fantasy.
"Grimdark is a feeling as much as a genre," Bugler...
Keeping Track of Your Time-Hopping Murder Mystery
In a guest post on the A Writer of History blog, Mary Burns shares her process and advice for writing mysteries with dual timelines.
In...
5 Tips for Writing a Revenge Story
In a post on Writer's Digest, Kit Mayquist offers 5 tips for writing a revenge story that slowly puts the pieces together for a...
In a Mystery, Everyone Lies
In a new post, mystery writer Zara Altair says your murder suspects' secrets can create the red herrings you need to keep your sleuth...
Hide Your Villain Behind the Green Herring
Of course, mystery writers are familiar with the concept of a red herring - a clue that is really a misdirection, distracting the reader...
She Killed It: What Stand-Up Taught This Writer about Fear
In a post on CrimeReads, Erica Ferencik says years of performing as a stand-up comic taught her a lot about writing thrillers, because even...
Want to Write Great Horror? Be Ready to Cross the Line
For writers dipping their toes into the waters of horror fiction, finding moments that get under your reader's skin is an important skill. Without...
Use Foreshadowing to Build Suspense
A good mystery can use more than murder and clues to build tension and create atmosphere. Subtle foreshadowing can hint at events to come...
Joining a Cult is No Cliché
Cults are a fascinating topic in the real and fictional worlds: the Manson family, Heaven's Gate, Jonestown, The Handmaid's Tale, Under the Banner of...
Finding Originality in Horror
A few days after sharing 21 popular horror tropes, Writer's Digest shares advice from writer Richard Thomas about avoiding them. You can't win, can...
