Skip Navigation

Top Menu

Home Archives About
 
 

Archives

Refine Archives

Date


Labels

Showing posts 1 to 10 labeled Criticism (29 total)

Constraints on Innovation in Fiction: Reflections on The Lady's Maid's Bell and The Haunting of Hill House (May 2, 2021)

Because expectations for horror have been so thoroughly solidified by Stephen King and slasher flicks, the unfortunate truth is neither of these classic and innovative stories could be published today. More »

Writing Experiences Other Than Your Own (January 1, 2020)

We should all write about people from other cultures. How lame it would be if every fictional world were populated by characters from only one background. But we have a responsibility to write respectfully and well, in a way that makes the real world better. More »

Let's Stop Making Excuses for Problematic Romances (August 4, 2019)

Minimizing or outright denying the problems in the classics doesn't protect the genre, but hinders it. More »

How to Show Culture Subtly (July 14, 2019)

This month I've been spending more time on Twitter, and through it I've found out how weak I am to peer influence. I've bought lipsticks because pretty women posted selfies wearing them. I've sought out movies because people referenced them in memes and animated GIFs. More »

The Difference Between Racist Jokes and Inclusive Humor (May 6, 2019)

Where is the line between progress and hysteria? More »

Where Are All the Complex Female Characters? (January 13, 2018)

Every book and movie made today features a "strong" female heroine, but it's still rare to find a complex one. More »

Crafting Tragic Tragedies (September 2, 2017)

The efficacy of the central tragedy makes the difference between a shallow romance and a touching one, a boring mystery and a captivating one, or a cliché fantasy and a memorable one. More »

Preaching in Fiction (May 6, 2017)

It's perfectly natural for authors to use their stories to show the difference between right and wrong. However, there are stories with good moral lessons, and then there are sermons masquerading as stories. More »

What I Learned from Pride and Prejudice: Maximizing Potential for Happiness (May 2, 2017)

The magic of P&P is in its basic story structure. More »

With Great Authority Comes Great Responsibility (April 21, 2017)

When a reader picks up a book, she basically hands her heart over to the author on a silver platter, saying, "Do with it what you will." More »