A thank you and retrospective of my favorite articles — Before I started writing on Medium, I’d mostly written fiction and had gotten burned out from trying to get my stories published. So I didn’t have any big expectations when I signed up on Medium in mid-January of 2021 with the hope of making a little extra income. …

6 reasons to ignore the common advice: write what you know — We’ve all heard the advice: write what you know. It’s a great starting point and acknowledges how everyone has a unique perspective to offer given their interests and life experiences. However, this advice can be self-limiting. If followed as a rule, we’d rehash what’s been written before. And if taken…

Writing 1,667 words a day for 30 days doesn’t work for everyone — You want to write a novel, but haven’t gotten around to it for months or perhaps years. You might’ve heard about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The goal is to spend the month of November writing a novel, amounting to 1,667 words a day for a total of 50,000 words…

5 new fiction books to check out this fall season — Summer isn’t over yet, but fall is around the corner. I don’t usually keep up to date with new releases thanks to an endless TBR pile on my Goodreads. However, I occasionally keep any eye out for upcoming books, especially horror ones from my favorite authors. …

A review of the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee in horror — Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite horror authors. While I often look forward to his books, his last novel, The Final Girl Support Group felt underwhelming compared to his previous work. Nonetheless, his unique and quirky blend of horror and comedy make for entertaining and compelling reads. After exploring…

Reflections about healing, mental health, and more from Risa Dickens and Amy Torok’s 2021 nonfiction book — While reading books about witches this year, I discovered Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic. This collection of essays features the untold stories of influential women along with meditations, perspectives, and practices viewed through an intersectional, feminist, and contemporary lens.

8 fiction doorstoppers to consider reading — I prefer shorter books and don’t typically read ones more than 400 pages. After all, the longer the book, the more time you have to invest. And since I generally like to read a variety of titles throughout the year, a 250 to 300 page story is my sweet spot…

Get ideas and inspiration for your life stories — Your life holds many stories. But if you’re trying to write a memoir, pinning down what to write about can feel daunting when there are so many options. Unlike an autobiography which details one’s entire life, memoirs focus on significant events, usually centered around a theme. If you’re having trouble…

Highlights from the book “Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween” — After years of exclusively reading Halloween fiction, I figured it was time to dive into the history behind the holiday with Lisa Morton’s Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween. From Halloween’s origins in the British Isles to its arrival and evolution in America, Morton provides an comprehensive overview of…