Reading slush teaches you a lot about short fiction writing and, if you do it enough, you inevitably notice a pattern.

Characters are the pulse which gives a story life. This is why character is a point of craft that writers continually return to. What makes a great character? How are great characters portrayed? What techniques do writers use to make us fall for characters? 

Last week I was invited by fellow author J.W. Donley to a challenge to read and dissect one short story from Paula Guran’s The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume I. If you’ve read my blog before, you know I love a good dissection, so I happily jumped on board!

At the beginning of this month, I took a virtual seminar with Rob Hart, author of works such as The Warehouse and most recently Paradox Hotel (both of which I highly recommend).

One of the best things to happen to horror is comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele. His debut film, Get Out, won his first Academy Award for best original screenplay.

I began this blog series because I think it’s interesting to see what other writers are reading, what they enjoyed and (most importantly) what they learned from reading. Be forewarned, I’m not a reviewer. That said, here’s the list for January

I wanted to start sharing what I read each month. Not because I’m a reviewer (I’m not), but because I think it’s interesting to see what other writers are reading and what they enjoyed.