‘And then I was away, because you've got that structure with traditional crime fiction. You don't have to worry about the plot, really. You've got a body, you've got a limited number of suspects. And you've got some form of resolution.
In a move that has alarmed library supporters, a new law in Kentucky will give politicians control over local library boards in the state. According to a report in the Lexington Herald Leader, SB 167-which came back from the dead last week with a dramatic veto override-will empower local politicians to "appoint whomever they want to library boards and block major library spending." Read more
The HarperCollins Children's and Farshore executive publisher contributes to our Q&A series
Describe your job Inspiring and enabling my team to be the best that they can be in service to our authors, illustrators, licensors, agents, children and the company.
After two years off because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the London book fair, one of the biggest international literary events, returned in full force last week.
Publishers, authors and illustrators gathered at Olympia in Kensington to buy and sell the books we will all be reading next year.So what did we learn from the deals made at the fair?
This month marks 15 years since "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" made Kinney one of the world's most popular writers. I spoke to him about his start in children's literature and the mark he's left. Read more
I've done Durst, I've done the Menendez bros, I've done BTK and the Golden State killer. I've covered Bundy (duh), Cunanan, the Dating Game Killer, and even the lesser-known John Edward Robinson, who killed at least three people, but as an Eagle Scout in 1957, sang for Queen Elizabeth. As the Senior Writer for ABC's iconic 20/20 for over a decade, I've become an expert on murder. Read more
In 2013, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats wrote down the rules for storytelling she learned while working at the legendary animation studio. I especially love Rule #14. It's not actually a rule at all, but a question:
Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
Writers have long been fascinated with themselves and their craft, seeing a wealth of material in what is seemingly a rather mundane art-merely putting words on paper, or words onscreen. But in their own reflections, which can often border on myopic, writers have developed an entire, fascinating genre of writing about writing. In some ways, almost all popular stories are about writing. Read more
Every writer I know has a finely honed system for avoiding writing. Some develop a sudden need to deep-clean their houses when they're on deadline. Others (fantasy writers, in particular) convince themselves that they can't write the story until they've fully developed the monetary system and international trade patterns of the world they've imagined. Read more
What is the first-person point of view? Well, the answer is pretty simple. We all use the first-person point of view daily. If you've ever recounted a personal story to your friends, then you've used the first-person point of view. At least, I hope you did because it would be strange to tell a personal story from a third-person point of view, or stranger, second. Read more
'Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human condition.'