Who Needs an MFA When You Have This Literary Fiction Trope Checklist?

Writing literary fiction stories? Forget what you’ve learned about complex characters and earned endings. What you really need is to include the required tropes. To help you out, we’ve created this handy checklist. Literary Fiction Trope Checklist _____ 1. Starts with character waking up _____ 2. Starts with character looking out of window, describing scenery […] The post Who Needs an MFA When You Have This Literary Fiction Trope Checklist? appeared first on Electric Literature. Continue reading at 'Electric Literature'

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-26 11:00:50 UTC ]

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11 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Spring

Writers—even if working in fiction—are often concerned about what is happening in the larger world. Though it takes time to see a book through from manuscript to hitting the shelves, the ones featured here have a finger on the pulse of our contemporary moment and take time to explore the deeper... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-04-21 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal of “Little Movements” by Lauren Morrow

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Little Movements by Lauren Morrow, which will be published by Random House on September 9, 2025. You can pre-order your copy here. Thirty-something Layla Smart was raised by her mother to dream medium. But all Layla’s ever wanted was a career... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-04-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
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10 Things I’ve Learned About Writing From Being a Stand-Up Comic and in the Writer’s Room of Emmy Award-Winning TV Shows

Bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning television writer Matt Goldman shares 10 things he's learned about writing over the years. The post 10 Things I’ve Learned About Writing From Being a Stand-Up Comic and in the Writer’s Room of Emmy Award-Winning TV Shows appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-17 02:20:28 UTC ]
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8 Unforgettable Literary Fiction Reads by Marginalized Authors

BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled authors are writing some of the most thought-provoking, original, and memorable literary fiction works. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-04-14 11:45:00 UTC ]
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Finally, a Novel That Understands the Raw Sex Appeal of Airplanes

It wouldn’t be wrong to call Kate Folk’s debut novel Sky Daddy a marriage plot. The protagonist, Linda, has had numerous lovers, but she wants to settle down. She’s looking for a “fine gentleman” who’s sleek, strong, and ready to commit, and she already has her dream wedding planned: hurtling to... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-04-08 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Shubha Sunder on Writing an Immigrant Story Through the Lens of a Visa Year

In this land of opportunities, being an immigrant can often feel like playing a round of Twister. A certain contortion of mind, language, and will power seems written into the script; a lot of territory remains untouchable.  Shubha Sunder’s debut novel Optional Practical Training is named after... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-07 12:05:00 UTC ]
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In “Woodworking,” A Trans Teen and a Closeted Teacher Forge A Bond in Rural America

Emily St. James’s debut novel Woodworking chronicles the developing friendship between a 16-year-old trans girl and her recently-out-to-herself English teacher in Mitchell, South Dakota in the months leading up to the 2016 election. In a town like Mitchell, secrets are few and far between,... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Can the Classic Road Trip Novel Survive the Climate Crisis?

Climate change is conspicuously absent from most realist, literary fiction set in the present day. Hurricanes, wildfires, floods, droughts and other natural disasters are part of our daily lives, yet they’re absent, save for brief mentions of a news clip for a college protest from much of our... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal of “These Memories Do Not Belong to Us” by Yiming Ma

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, the highly-anticipated debut novel by Yiming Ma, which will be published by Mariner Books in the US and McClelland & Stewart in Canada on August 12, 2025. You can pre-order here in US or here in Canada.... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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“No Offense” Reveals the Hidden Fees of Being Queer in a Straight World

On the dedication page of No Offense: A Memoir in Essays, Jackie Domenus writes, “To all the queer and trans folks who have bitten their tongues until they bled: this book is for you.” In this powerful and timely collection, Domenus defends and celebrates identity and love with an unflinching... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
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12 Poems and Short Stories by Black Writers to Read For Free Online

Every week, our weekly magazine The Commuter publishes a new work of flash fiction, poetry, and graphic narrative. For Black History Month, we’re looking to the archives for some of our favorite poetry and stories by Black writers, all available to read for free online. From Tara Campbell’s... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-21 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Erin Steele Isn’t Trying to Look Good in Her Memoir

Erin Steele’s memoir, Sunrise Over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia, chronicles the life of an isolated, self-conscious Canadian teenager growing up in middle-class British Columbia to loving parents who are simultaneously present and absent. As young Erin grapples with... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Magic of Finding Yourself in “The In-Between Bookstore”

Edward Underhill didn’t plan on having his debut adult fiction book, The In-Between Bookstore, featuring a trans main character, come out six days before the Trump inauguration, but it’s kind of perfect timing. Especially since the book features a time slip, where Darby Madden meets his younger... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Giada Scodellaro’s debut Ruins, Child has won the 2024 Novel Prize.

Out of 1,100 submissions, writer Giada Scodellaro’s Ruins, Child has won the 2024 Novel Prize, and will be published early next year. The Novel Prize is awarded biennially to an unpublished work of literary fiction and “rewards novels that explore and expand the possibilities of the form, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-13 18:21:05 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal: “Both/And” by Denne Michele Norris

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender Nonconforming Writers of Color, edited by Denne Michele Norris, which will be published by HarperOne on August 12, 2025. You can pre-order your copy here. From Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-13 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Why America is falling in love with romance bookstores

Regular bookstores might be dying—but bookstores dedicated to romance novels are thriving thanks to TikTok and a desire for third places. Throughout Harvard Square, there are many bookshop brimming with the latest literary fiction and intellectual memoirs, patronized by scholarly types. But in... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-02-13 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Why Doesn’t BookTok Think Plot Is Hot?

Last year, burned out from going straight into a full-time lectureship after a pandemic PhD, I needed the kind of intellectual rest that only one thing brings: re-reading an old favorite novel.  For me, that was Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy, the fantasy series that got me through my... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-11 12:10:00 UTC ]
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Is the Book You’re Reading Literary or Genre Fiction? A 100% Definitive Guide

1. Check the cover for clues. Literary fiction will have the title in Helvetica along with amorphous shapes in shades of that year’s Pantone color.  Genre fiction will have a little cutout showing the face of either a wizard or a rakish duke. It opens to reveal the whole picture, and they’re... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-07 12:15:00 UTC ]
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7 Captivating Books About Life on a Farm

A good book that’s set on a farm can immerse you in an historical epoch, make you laugh until your sides hurt, inspire you to fight for a just cause, or sob over an unjust death. And it can so engross you that by the time you turn the last page, you might be bubbling […] The post 7 Captivating... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-06 12:05:00 UTC ]
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