Feeling stuck on a project you embarked on during the chilly winter evenings? Don’t fret. Spring cleaning isn’t just for clearing out our homes but also for injecting new energy into WIPs of all shapes and sizes. This is the perfect time to freshen up our characters and narratives with a spring-inspired approach, enhancing your […]
Can you close your eyes and visualize your favorite fantasy world? What are some of the things you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste? Who are you, and who is around you? Why do you think these details were the first to come to mind? Strong worldbuilding is essential to laying the groundwork for every […]
Halloween may be over, but spooky season is all year round if you want it to be. Whether you’re a seasoned horror writer or just dipping your pencil into the genre, you likely already know how crucial of a part tension plays. Tension is essential in every story, regardless of genre, but it especially does […]
Have you ever read a witch story and felt torn between wanting a classic “good versus evil” plot and craving something totally different? You’re not alone. Writing about witches is tricky business. On the one hand, we love the tried-and-true story arcs, those classic patterns we’ve seen since the days of Shakespeare or even Greek […]
Uncharted Magazine: In an interview, you described the sense of satisfaction and empowerment of putting yourself in control of a cruel world when writing horror. “Salt Girl” is a deftly written dark fantasy where dread is created through Rika’s loss of autonomy. Was there a catharsis to penning her deterioration into a pile of salt? Angela Liu: […]
By Caitlin Taylor So From the early 2000s to mid-2010s, young adult films of all genres dominated theaters. YA movie trailers were inescapable during commercial breaks. Up-and-coming actors became household names overnight. While the YA movie craze has since calmed down in 2023, it certainly isn’t a thing of the past. Instead of featuring in […]
Ah, witch lit, that sublime subgenre of fiction where broomsticks aren’t just for sweeping and a full moon means more than a cloudless night. For readers of this enchanted genre, and certainly for its architects, the term “witch lit” evokes a rich tapestry of magical realism, occult traditions, and—most importantly—a celebration of feminine power. Though […]
Crafting literature in the witch lit genre is akin to stirring a cauldron of diverse cultural influences. It’s not merely an assembly of spells and incantations; it invokes universal archetypes and symbols expressed through a rich tapestry of languages and lore. Drawing from an array of traditions, be it Celtic legends or Yoruba myths, Sanskrit […]
Have you ever found yourself eager to dabble in a bit of magic into your narratives? Welcome to the world of witch lit, where the extraordinary hides within the ordinary. Witch lit is a subgenre of fiction that intricately weaves elements of witchcraft into everyday life, creating stories where the mundane and the magical coexist. […]
Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer and an immigrant from Fujian. Her debut novella, Linghun, will be published this spring, as will her collection, Ai Jiang’s Smol Tales From Between Worlds. She also recently announced a new novelette, I Am Ai, coming in June. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Magazine of […]
Writers spend a lot of time thinking critically about beginnings and ends. These are crucial moments in creating a satisfying story, but they’re also the easiest turning points to consider. What’s the first moment of trouble, the first moment of choice? What’s the final confrontation, the culmination of the character’s desires and needs? Execution, of […]
I’ve been writing and submitting fiction for nearly two decades now, and while I don’t have an itemized list, I believe I’ve received about one trillion rejections. One particular criticism appeared again and again: The opening is too slow and the stakes are too low. This complaint began to wear at me like a stone […]