Suspend Your Disbelief

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Thursday Morning Candy: Algonquin's "Ask an Editor" Series

by Celeste Ng

Ever wanted an insider’s view on the publishing process? Algonquin Books has launched the “Ask an Editor” video series on their blog to give you just that. (Via.) Says the site: Have a question about the publishing world? Submit it in the comments section and one of our editors may very well answer it in a future episode. The first video features Executive Editor Chuck Adams answering the question “How did you acquire Water for Elephants?” Watch it below: Readers have already chimed in with questions from “What other changes should literary writers expect in publishing for the next five […]


License to Write: Further Thoughts on Author Bios

by Celeste Ng

Have you noticed that more and more often, writer bios emphasize everything about the author’s life but writing? Authors list their credentials from the odd jobs they’ve worked: door-to-door knife salesman, pig farmer, department store perfume-sprayer—okay, I made those up, but pick up virtually any book by an up-and-coming author and you’ll see that they’re not far afield. Writer Edan Lepucki discusses this phenomenon in an insightful essay on The Millions: Or is my annoyance at the non-standard bio about something else? With the authors who have held a dozen, motley jobs, I worry that book writing is just a […]


Edit your novel? There's an app for that.

by Celeste Ng

Okay, they’re not exactly apps, but new programs are standing by to help at every stage while you create your latest opus. First, to help you read: Perhaps you’re reading online and want to pare away all the sidebars and ads? Readability has been around for a while, but it has a new feature: become a paying member for at least $5 per month, and 70% of your membership fee will go to the authors of whatever you read. Visit the Readability site to learn more or to sign up as a paying member or a publisher. Next, to help […]


Journal of the Week: Gulf Coast

by Michael Rudin

To the uninitiated, a group to which I belong and will forever remain, the literary journal circuit can be a daunting index of titles backed by an even more daunting list of founding universities, non-profits, and artistic heroes—a collage of mastheads and mission statements boasting achievements and honors that, after a while, blend into one giant ecosystem: The lit journal. Unless you subscribe to and read each one—yes, a brave few have tried—you’ll find yourself relying on friends and fellow readers, anthologies, and posts like these to learn about a particular journal’s taste and aesthetics, its history and goals for […]


Book of the Week Winnners: A Thread of Sky

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

Last week we featured Deanna Fei’s debut novel A Thread of Sky as our Book-of-the-Week title, and we’re pleased to announce the winners: Ellen Baker, Seher Yildiz, and Marlene Rotter. Congratulations! To claim your signed copy of this novel, please email us at the following address: winners@fictionwritersreview.com To anyone who’d like to be eligible for our future drawings, visit our Facebook Page and “like” us. No catch, no gimmicks–just a great way to promote books we love. To everyone who’s already a fan, big thanks!


The ten-year story

by Celeste Ng

How long would you work on a piece of fiction? We’ve talked before about the ten-year novel, and FWR contributor Margaret Dean shared her story of the “long hard slog” from MA thesis to published book. But okay, those are novels. How long would you work on a single story? The Grub Daily, which was our Thursday Morning Candy a couple weeks ago, recently featured this essay by Amin Ahmad in which he describes working on a story for a full decade: Had it really taken me eight years to write it? Thinking back, I realized that it had actually […]


Writing lessons from the police blotter

by Celeste Ng

Every writing student has probably heard Mark Twain’s adage “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between the lighting and the lightning bug.” But for a really striking example of the difference word choice can make, the Utne Reader turns to a surprising place: the police blotter. If versions of the event differ from [the reporting officer’s], these are recorded as witness statements. These can be summaries, but quotes are often included. The narrative voice at the center of an incident report is always emotionally neutral. He’s the ultimate reliable narrator. His […]


Flipbook: "The Work of Writing"

by Celeste Ng

Every few weeks, we launch a new Fiction Writers Review “Flipbook.” During the past two and a half years, we’ve featured more than 50 interviews with authors established and emerging. They’ve had such valuable insights into the writing life—from thoughts on process and craft to ideas about community and influence—that we wanted to find a way to further these conversations within our community. Each Flipbook highlights some of the very best of the conversations on our site, centered around a particular topic. Our latest Flipbook is now up on the FWR Facebook page, with an exclusive slide right here on […]


Dzanc Day is almost here!

by Celeste Ng

Dzanc Books‘s second annual National Workshop Day—also known as Dzanc Day—is TOMORROW, April 9, 2011. From the event’s site: Consisting of dozens of creative writing workshops in almost as many cities, Dzanc Day provides local, affordable two-to-four hour sessions led by professional writers, authors, and editors, all open to attendance by the public for a very affordable fee. Sessions are conducted in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and are generally suitable for writers of all levels. Dzanc day helps writers in more ways than one, too: it helps fund Dzanc Books’s charitable endeavors, including the prestigious Dzanc Prize and their Writer […]


At the end of the bookshelf?

by Celeste Ng

If the e-reader causes the “end of books,” will it also be the end of bookshelves? Maybe not. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on how people use their bookshelves today: Michael Jones also loves books. But his loft condo in Minneapolis doesn’t have space for a traditional library. He still buys books but downloads a lot of his lighter reading material on his Kindle. Recently he added a custom built-in bookshelf to his living room — mainly to display his art collection. “I was running out of wall space,” he said. […] His new built-in bookcase, which spans most of […]


Thursday Morning Candy – 826's Online Stores

by Celeste Ng

To thousands of young students, those three little digits mean one thing: writing. Yesterday, we put the spotlight on the Ministry of Stories in London, so for this week’s Thursday Morning Candy, it seemed only appropriate to showcase a fun way to support the organization that started it all: 826. 826 is becoming prominent enough that you might be thinking, “Old news… Heard it!” (For those unfamiliar with 826 and their work, a quick primer can be found on the national organization’s website.) But did you know that the 826 branches sell many of their “products” online? The Pirate Store […]


Three Years in the Slushpile

by Celeste Ng

On The Awl, writer S.J. Culver describes the experience of waiting three years for a response from a journal: [H]ere’s a short list of things I did with my life while that magazine was considering whether to publish my 16-page story: I grew my hair ten inches; I paid off a car loan; I did my taxes (three times); I got my own apartment; I read 131 books; I attended two weddings and a baby shower; I cut my hair off again; I drove across the country three times. Additionally: I completed an MFA in creative writing, taught five semesters’ […]




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