My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: John Hodgman
Like Will Ferrell or Amy Sedaris, it seemed like John Hodgman was creating a new kind of humor. We had no idea what he was
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Read This to Learn That: Gaby Dunn’s “Bad with Money” and Starting as a Writer from Nothing
One thing I know about the writing life is that you get better at the thing by doing it. I started out hoping to be
Why a Writer Might Want to Care About Frugality
I’m doing Liz Frugalwoods’ Uber-frugal challenge this month, and I don’t like it. I mean, I like her and her challenge, but I don’t like
I Don’t Want to Be Frugal, But I Want to Be a Writer
It’s spending season. The sun shines upon Seattlites at University Village as I run to the Amazon book store, because it’s the only place to
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Michelle Obama
Is there anyone classier, smarter, and more of a person I might be tempted to put a photo of on my mantel than Michelle Obama?
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Anthony Bourdain
Before my trip to South America, I looked for places he’d been. I had 24 hours in Cali in Colombia, and he’d gone there, had
10 Beach Reads
“In my mind, a beach read is something that’s “unputdownable,” whatever that means to you,” says Susan Kehoe, managing partner of Browseabout Books. When the
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is kind of everything you ever want to be. I’m in love with this short story I heard her read on the New
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Amy Schumer
As you know, Amy Schumer is ridiculous. I consider her my long-lost third sister. Not only does she have her book, The Girl with the
Read This to Learn That: Nature Writing
I’ve only once fallen in love with a piece of land, and I’ve been trying to write about it for a decade. When I bought
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay was sitting outside Hugo House one night when I went to a reading. My friend Jessica and I chatted with her about student
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: George Saunders
George Saunders is an uber-favorite: kind, brilliant, hard-working. I’ve never met anyone who said a bad word about him, and he was very generous when
Tools to Write Without Distraction
You know that feeling like you want to just head out to a cabin in the woods and just write? Well you can get a
The Next Books I’m Buying for My Writing Business
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone Ask by Ryan Levesque Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port Getting Things Done by David Allen
Read This to Learn That: Free Indirect Discourse in “A Changed Man”
There’s a style of third-person in fiction that frees up your narrator to let the characters indirectly share their thoughts, without all the clunkiness of
Show Your Work: How I Finally Got Published in McSweeney’s
Here’s how I got into McSweeney’s: 1. I submitted about 10 pieces over the last 10 years. 2. I joined a group of comedy writers
10 of My Favorite Seattle Writers
When you get live in a certain place, you get to know the writers who aren’t necessarily the biggest names (though some are). Here are
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean is a force. The author of The Library Book, The Orchid Thief, and Rin Tin Tin. I once got to sit near Susan
10 Books of Poetry for People Who Aren’t “Poetry People”
When you think of poetry, you probably think of the things that come up when I looked for stock images for “poetry.” Feather quills. Roses.
The 10 Greatest Books of All Time
Have you ever wondered what the best books ever are? I found out! There’s a whole website dedicated to it, TheGreatestBooks.org. They took more than
The 10 Most Hilarious Books I’ve Ever Read
Do not listen to David Sedaris on a bus. I tried to enjoy The Drama Bug, and nearly convulsed as he described picking up Elizabethan
10 Books That Have Legit Changed My Life
Here are 10 books that have shaped who I am today: 1. Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi An unprecedented international publishing event: the
10 of The Best Books in First Person
First person can be a tricky road, but when it’s done well, we are along for the ride, no questions asked. You’ve probably read a
10 Books to Make You a Hustling Artist
These books helped me increase my earnings or lower my costs, making the writing life more feasible: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
A Year of Craft – 12 Wonder Craft Books
Craft books are an essential part of any writer’s reading regime. Don’t let your ego get you all excited about “being self-taught.” There are