How to Judge a Book by Its First Three Paragraphs – A Guide by Nicole Dieker
Some people judge books by their covers. I like to judge a book by its first three paragraphs. The opening sentences of a story tell you a lot about the experience you’re likely to have with the book—and since many readers turn to books to find specific experiences, skillful writers often use their first paragraphs to let their readers know exactly what kind of experience to expect…
“The Gathering” – A Short Story by Lyndsey Croal
The ghosts gather on the burnt trees like a murder of crows, hungry-eyed and conspiratorial. Black feathery wisps dance around them, while talon-like hands grip to charred branches. They can see me, but they don’t yet know I can see them…
How to Interact with Other Writers – A Guide by Nicole Dieker
I email other writers a lot—and, believe it or not, most of them write back. I could drop some of the names that are now saved in my contacts list, many of which you may have heard of, but that would be both inappropriate and indiscreet…
“Season of Change” – A Short Story by Adam Godfrey
My wife left me last year. I’ve spent my life floundering between chronic skepticism and cautious optimism, the latter complements of my Cathy these last 22 years. My unyielding light. The missing element that guided me through a lifetime of fearful irrationalities…
How to Destroy Your Favorite Books – A Guide by Nicole Dieker
Rip ‘em apart and steal what you learn! If you want to become a better writer, you have to know how stories work—and if you want to write like your favorite authors, you have to know how their stories work…
“Given” – A Short Story by Joe Koch
You forfeit your name, the price of entry. Mere months ago, you were attached to its suggestion of ephemeral beauty, your name like a delicate flower, too precious to be plucked. You let them, though. Those who seemed worthy…
“The Baby Monitor” – A Short Story by David Worn
The stomping came first. Michelle knew it well. The sound of her daughter getting out of bed, probably coming to ask for a glass of water or another tuck-in. But then the wailing started, long and plaintive, growing louder and louder as her daughter fled from her bedroom…
“Seas of Static Between Stations” – A Short Story by Mathew Gostelow
Dementia is a radio detuning, a slow slide of mourning as, piece by piece, a personality is drowned in hissing white noise emptiness…
How to Write Without Distraction
There are two kinds of distractions that can get in the way of your writing: external distractions and internal distractions…
“The Last Phone Call” – A Short Story by Maria Berejan
She smelled oil. She smelled blood. She forced her eyes open, squinting against the bright beams of light in the darkness. Broken branches littered a path of wreckage leading to the road…
“Viral” – A Short Story by Chelsea Pumpkins
Mariah was busy flipping between her account and the trending page, searching for the magic formula for fame. Her mind flooded with analytics, calculating if she was growing or shrinking in popularity…
How I Write 1,000 Words an Hour
I use what I learned, during those early days—not the tricks, necessarily, but the tips—to maintain a relatively consistent 1,000-word-per-hour output. Day in, day out. Here’s how I do it—and how you can, too…
“Cornfield” – A Short Story by Christopher Hawkins
Alice wasn’t asleep, but she was starting to dose with her phone glowing balanced on her chest, when she heard the scraping at her window. She’d left it half open, as much an invitation as a way to let in the autumn air…
“A Girl and Her Dog” – A Short Story by Bev Vincent
Madison came home from school one afternoon to discover Lucky lying on the street in front of the house, bleeding and mangled. At first, she was sure her dog was dead, but Lucky opened his eyes and tried to lick Maddy’s hand…
“Only Bodies Wanted” – A Short Story by Jacob Steven Mohr
The room’s perfect whiteness is infinity. Without variation, without shadow, the illusion of perpetuity is near-flawless. She waits on the tissue paper, legs dangling. From somewhere comes the soft ticking of a clock, though there’s no clock in the room…