advice | The Smart Set

Don’t Sing, Scarf, or Spit

John Capista — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:28:17 +0000

Culture, if we can still call it that, has taken a definite downward turn in the last couple of decades. Tee shirts with I HATE YOUR F—ING MASK (the F word spelled out) printed in large letters on the front. Texting at the dinner table. Parents using profanity to children. Being honked and tailgated while […]

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Trust Me on the Sunscreen

Joanna Haugen — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 11:30:56 +0000

In high school, we swooned to boy bands and carried quarters so we could “arrive alive” after a teenage drinking binge. In middle school, we walked straight to airport gates to greet our grandparents as they tumbled off flights, rumpled in button-down shirts and pantyhose. And in elementary school, we read piles of books to […]

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The Art of the Book Review

Michael Lind — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 12:30:05 +0000

When I was writing my first book, my editor advised me to put everything I wanted the review-reading public to know in the first and last chapters, because those are the only chapters that most reviewers read. In the years since then, I have discovered that indeed most of the quotes pulled by reviewers from […]

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Old Rhymes, Bad Words, and Good News

Maren Larsen — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 16:07:34 +0000

The origins of the limerick are vague But the style came after black plague. And in today’s modern age This boyfriend may wage Spats in rhyme, though his girlfriend may beg. (Stylisticienne, The Smart Set) Let’s take a critical eye to the profane and the obscene. (Los Angeles Review of Books, The Smart Set) What’s […]

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He Said She Said

Maren Larsen — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 13:39:01 +0000

Aspiring writers must navigate the legions of advice from the legends who came before — not a simple task in a world that idolizes both Faulkner and Hemmingway. Read about teachers who advise their students against the use of the word “said,” and graduate programs that reject the use of anything but. (The Wall Street Journal, […]

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Everybody Wants More than Just One Thing

Kelly Cherry — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 15:22:42 +0000

It is standard advice to state that the main character or characters should want something. That it is wanting — desire — that motivates characters to act and action that creates the story, novel, perhaps even the persona in a persona poem. It’s not bad advice; genre fiction can get a lot of mileage from […]

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The End

Kristen Hoggatt — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:12:43 +0000

I recently finished college and a competitive, labor-intensive internship. I’m going to be starting a new job in a couple of weeks, but instead of feeling proud or relieved to have completed my studies, I feel nervous. Why does The End seem so ominous? — Patrick E. Well, as the old adage goes, the […]

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Reading Habits

Kristen Hoggatt — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:12:43 +0000

Something weird keeps happening to me. I order one book online, then I get all these email updates — “Maybe you’ll like this book…” These online marketing tactics generally work. I think, “Wow, I would like that book,” and so I order it, and I LOVE IT. So now I’m afraid that these marketing tools […]

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Poetic Therapy

Kristen Hoggatt — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:12:43 +0000

My daughter is in a coma. She’s non-responsive. Her brain damage is extensive. Her doctors aren’t hopeful. Since you have relevant experience in this area, what do you think I should do to help her? What can I do to help myself, to keep thinking positive? — J Wow. From my experience, I think […]

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Wedded Bliss

Kristen Hoggatt — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:12:43 +0000

Is there a particular poem or collection of poetry you’d recommend for 2 bookish types, carefree in spirit but both simple and practical in their daily lives, who are getting married? I am also contributing to a Crate and Barrel gift card for them but I think marriage demands something a little more meaningful than […]

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