Can’t travel this summer? No problem. A good book can transport us to another city or country and to places we can only dream of visiting. Even when a story is sad or downright depressing, a memorable depiction of a locale can still trigger our wanderlust.

What does it take to be a traditionally published author? Twenty years ago, I would have said talent and connections. Today, only one word comes to mind—grit. If your field is as cutthroat as publishing, here are four ways that helped me develop mental toughness, which could be the very thing you need.

Is it okay to write a novel about a famous person? For me, the answer is yes. French novelist Gregoire Delacourt, who got sued for his novel that paid homage to Scarlett Johansson, might say no.

I don’t disagree with Henry Miller when he said, “Writing is its own reward.” I also believe that writers should be compensated fairly for their labor. Of all types of writing, fiction writing gets the least respect. Most people consider it a hobby (read: nonpaying job) because they have no idea how hard it is.

Zora Neale Hurston. Harper Lee. Margaret Mitchell. They are three of my favorite novelists from the American South whose books are also set in the South.

If you’re wondering whether to pursue writing, we can go over some of the most common myths about publication to help you make your decision.

I’m not proud to admit that I read Raymond Carver only last month. Of course, I’ve heard of Carver—one of the most influential American short-story writers—but I never felt compelled to read his work until I watched “Birdman” and “Everything Must Go,” both of which were inspired by Carver’s stories.

Have you thought of making the supporting characters in your novel the stars of their own lives? It’s the key to developing more interesting secondary characters, according to a Penguin Random House editor.

Online dictionaries have chosen the words that best reflect our collective mood in 2022. Permacrisis is a new word while goblin mode first appeared on social media in 2009. Gaslighting dates back about eight decades.

A study published in the Journal of Cultural Analytics shows that the prominence of female characters in novels and the number of female novelists declined between 1800 and 1960.