Why having good dialogue in that story you’re writing is important!
What’s more difficult than writing a good story? Writing good dialogue. Dialogue is an essential part of every writer’s arsenal. Get it right and it can do wonders for your ...
Editor's Pick, Fiction, On Writing
Read our Five Best Small Fictions nominees!
Picture credit: Jason Leung
By turns surreal, familiar, inventive and astonishingly written – immerse yourself in these five stories that we are delighted to nominate for Best Small ...
Editor's Pick, Fiction, On Writing
READ OUR SIX PUSHCART PRIZE NOMINEES!
Dive into these spellbinding stories from our writers who have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize!
Editor's Pick, Interviews, On Writing, Story Sunday
A FLASH OF INSPIRATION: “THE MIST”
Writer James Roderick Burns interviewed
COMPETITION: IGGY and Litro Young Writers’ Prize Award 2015/16
The theme of this year’s competition is Movement, and we’re asking entrants to inspire and captivate us with compelling stories around this concept. Stories must be no longer than 2,500 ...
Essay Saturday: Read Out Loud
I’m waiting for my turn to read, sitting in a large room full of people, holding their copy of the anthology. Some of them are members of the University I ...
A Sense of Place
Many a creative writing professor has lectured me on the pivotal role a “sense of place” plays in fiction. Writers work hard at creating credible worlds in which to set ...
Arts & Culture, On Writing, The Litro Blog
Cigarettes & Coffee: Our Writer Perception
Tortured beasts, addicted to alcohol and drugs, full of whimsy and imagination, conjuring creations with their gut, their anger, using their addiction, their coffee and cigarettes, their absinthe and hallucinogenic ...
Let It Go
Novelists are caught in a double bind. The novel is a sprawling expanse that offers us the scope for detailed excavation and explanation.
Why Write?
To get under a word’s skin is sheer joy. To tap into the incredible power of language to shape a story is a grand adventure.
The Letdown
Somewhere between the excitement of taking a chance on something and the real world practice of taking a chance on something, the disdain hangs in the balance.
Litro Book Club, On Writing, The Litro Blog
Litro Book Club Read: Who is Tom Ditto by Danny Wallace
Join the discussion of our current Book Club pick, Danny Wallace’s Who is Tom Ditto
Flash Fiction: What Not to Do
Calum Kerr, flash fiction writer and founder of National Flash Fiction Day, shares his tips on the clichés and mistakes that can send a submission straight to the reject pile. ...
The Business of Young Adult Fiction
What’s the secret of YA fiction’s recent stellar success? Eleanor Pender investigates the fan bases, blogs and DIY authors driving sales.
Blogging Towards Publication
Emily Benet’s blog was spotted by Salt Publishing, who loved it so much they offered her a book deal. She shares her tips on becoming a successful creative blogger.
National Flash Fiction Day this Saturday!
Tania Hershman tells us what’s going on for this year’s National Flash Fiction Day this weekend, a celebration of the very short story.
Iridescent Insects: What is Flash Fiction?
“I usually compare the novel to a mammal, be it wild as a tiger or tame as a cow; the short story to a bird or a fish; the microstory ...
In the beginning: Sudden Fiction
Tania Hershman, Litro’s guide to the world of flash fiction, kicks off her new column with a homage to the Sudden Fiction series of books that ignited her love of ...
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover: The Art of the Break-up Letter
Anna Stothard goes on the hunt of the lost art of the break-up letter, taking a snoop inside the tear-stained pages of Zelda Fitzgerald, Elizabeth I, Colette and David Foster ...
Taking Time to Review
The process of book reviewing can sometimes seem like a production line. A new book comes out and every newspaper, magazine and website rushes to review it. But is this ...