“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
What better way to kick off the holiday season than by being a total curmudgeon and discussing Christmas songs I actively despise. Honestly, I am not creating this list for you. I'm doing it for myself and for the sake of my sanity. I work in an office where Christmas is piped in at all… Continue reading Christmas Songs I Hate
If anyone were to look up from their dinner plates at me at this moment they would see someone on the verge of taking a plastic spoon from her empty soup bowl and gouging her own eyes out. I'm at a restaurant under the false impression that I am going to be doing some writing… Continue reading That First Damn Line
I never thought procrastination would be so simple, but I found a way. I found a way. I set out working on chapter seven of my story and somehow found myself plunging into the ether of pop culture sludge. For literally no reason at all, I began looking into the Drake and Josh controversy. In… Continue reading How Drake and Josh Are Destroying My Novel
Women having hair that is waist length. Most women I know don't have hair that is waist length. Do you know how hard it is to brush a monster that long, or keep it from getting caught in everything? Mine only went down to my shoulder blades and I had to chop it all off… Continue reading Annoying Clichés Writers Use (Featuring Adorable Cats)
I've read recently that Accomack County Public Schools are suspending To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for their usage of the N-word. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, you can see for yourself in this exert from "Classic novels pulled from Accomack County Public Schools" : Earlier this month, a parent voiced concerns… Continue reading The Suspending of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
If you have perused a YA section of a bookstore in the last three years, then you've likely come across the cover of a fairytale reimagining. Perhaps one book tells the story of Cinderella, a valiant warrior, who loses her magical boot in the middle of a battle and an infatuated warlord must return it… Continue reading Are Fairytale Reimaginings Becoming Unimaginative?
They say one of the best things about being a writer is that you can do it in your pajamas. I'm inclined to agree (although I very rarely write in my pjs ). But it goes farther than that. One of the greatest things about being a writer is the freedom to express yourself. However,… Continue reading Ode to My Lack of Motivation
I've noticed something a bit startling about myself: I am prone to ranting. However, I like to think of my rants as well-constructed and justified. More often than not, they spawn from a place of righteous indignation about things of no real consequence. Most of my rants revolve around terrible writing in the plethora of… Continue reading You Are The Ranting Queen
A friend of mine recently introduced me to British comedy, Black Books, which stars Irish comedian Dylan Moran. It's a show about a combative and anti-social bookstore owner in England and the strange adventures he gets into with his posse of misfits. As a fan of English comedy, I fell head over heels in love with Black… Continue reading Opinion: Comedies Are Terrible Now
Growing up, it was difficult to find people who loved to read as much as I did. Or people who read at all, really. I've always baffled by people who claim reading is boring, and yet spend hours and hours in front of the TV watching reality television. "How can you read so much?" they… Continue reading Being a Reader in an Unliterary World
The Crooked Pen 