“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
WARNING: MILD SPOILERS FOR "BIRD BOX" AHEAD. So....it looks like Netflix has adapted Josh Malerman's Bird Box into a movie..... And as you can see, I'm not excited about it. It's not that I think all book-to-movie adaptations are bad, in fact some of them are quite good (ex: Holes, Stand By Me, Carrie, Lord of The… Continue reading Why I Won’t Watch”Bird Box” On Netflix
It could be my experience in customer service that has inspired me to write this post, however, this is something I've always believed to some degree: Books are better than people. Don't believe me? You will soon. Books are always available. If you are up in the middle of the night, you can just roll over… Continue reading Why Books Are Better Than People
This may make me sound like a traitor to readers everywhere, but I am generally not a fan of big books, specifically ones that exceed 450 pages in length. That's not to say I don't like any large books. One of my favorite books of all time, Gone With The Wind, is nearly 1,000 pages long. However,… Continue reading TL;DR: The Problem With Big Books
I can say with unshakeable certainty that Rebecca is one of the best horror novels I've ever read. It wasn't an action-packed gore-fest like many books of the same genre, but in my mind that's what makes it one of the greats. It's a British novel positively dripping with atmosphere and dramatic tension with an excellent… Continue reading My Emotionally Abusive Relationship with Daphne Du Maurier
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK OUTLANDER AHEAD. Strap in, folks, this is gonna be a long review. Then again this was a long book, so what do you expect? What I liked: The great characters. I didn't always like Claire, but she always felt like a person and not just a vassal through which the author… Continue reading Thoughts on “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon
Is there anything quite as beautiful as writing the first draft of a story? Every moment is primed with intrigue, wonder, and mystery. You just paint everything on the metaphorical canvass as you see it in your mind's eye. Ideas pour forth from you like a soda fountain filled with Mentos You pat yourself on… Continue reading Editing is the Worst Thing Ever
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL. As an avid fan of du Maurier's Rebecca, I have to confess that I was a bit disappointed with My Cousin Rachel. It started off very strong with little Philip coming face to face with the corpse of a man who had been hanged for murdering his wife, a scene… Continue reading Thoughts on “My Cousin Rachel” by Daphne du Maurier
I've seen several Instagram posts that say things like "is it sad that my characters are my best friends?" or "I have more conversations with my characters than I do with real people. Is that bad?" Yes. Yes, it is. Not because you're a wallflower with friends that exist only in your mind. That's perfectly… Continue reading Your Characters are NOT Your Friends: A Public Service Announcement for Writers
When I was a child I daydreamed all the time about talking to my favorite writers. While I was toiling for hours over my own horrible manuscripts, I would wonder to myself what wisdom they would impart onto me if I ever mustered up the courage to write to them. Writers back then were these… Continue reading Social Media Killed My Curiosity About Authors
When you decide to become a writer, there's one truth that you must confront at some point: what you write will probably not be as good on paper as it was in your head. I've come to realize this after multiple drafts and constant rewrites of fiction, nonfiction, blog posts and etc. I know it's… Continue reading If You Want To Be a Writer, Lower Your Expectations a Lot
The Crooked Pen 