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Authors: 5 Ways to Build Villains That Are Real Monsters
If you want your book to stick with readers long after they’ve finished it, don’t just build a stock antagonist. Build someone that readers can’t stop thinking about.
- Culture Council
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Ordinary Things: Subversive Storytelling
Readers come to the page looking for escape — but what hooks them isn’t the strange, it’s the familiar made strange.
- Culture Council
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Flip to the End: Why Readers Want Spoilers and How Writers Can Use That
We can’t imagine why anyone would want to spoil the fun like that. But plot twist… those readers aren’t out to ruin the experience. They’re trying to trust you.
- Culture Council
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Bodies in the Room: Writing Memorable Minor Characters
It’s as true of fiction as it is of life: everyone’s the hero of their own story. No one sees themselves as “minor.”
- Culture Council
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No Maps Required: World-Building in Modern Thrillers
World-building is about more than setting, though. Just like fantasy, in every story, you need to explain the rules of the world.
- Culture Council
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Why Reading Retreats Are Becoming a Hot Travel Trend
For writers and the publishing industry at large, the explosion of reading retreats represents a transformative opportunity to forge deeper, more meaningful connections with readers.
- Culture Council
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Streaming, Storytelling and the Future of Hollywood
What began as an exciting new frontier has evolved into something more complex and potentially dangerous for the industry's creative workforce.
- Culture Council
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The Write Stuff: Swimming Against the Tide in Today's Publishing Ocean
Breaking through requires more than just talent — it demands a strategic combination of craft, savvy and the kind of persistence that borders on obsession.
- Culture Council
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Your Next Thriller Might Just Be in Yesterday's News: How to Find Stories in Day-to-Day Life
The thriller genre is built on a foundation of "what if?" questions applied to everyday situations.
- Culture Council
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The Great Writing Divide: Inside the Creative Battle Between Plotters and Pantsers
The choice between plotting and pantsing may matter less than the passion and persistence authors bring to their craft.
- Culture Council
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