Zambra: I’ve been writing most of my life; it’s just something I do. There is a big difference between writing and publishing. I don’t have any doubts that I need writing. I need it personally because this is the way I think. Publishing my book is like giving it away. At first you start talking… Read more
Xanaduism
“[Xanaduism is] academic research that focuses on the sources behind imaginative works of literature and fantasy. John Livingstone Lowes, in his publication The Road to Xanadu (1927), inspired the name, which in turn goes back to Coleridge’s visionary poem ‘Kubla Khan’. . . . More recently, the term has been used in a pejorative sense… Read more
Vulnerability
“The determination to share, to enlighten, to entertain by writing reflects what is finest in human nature. . . It takes pride and a strong sense of self to write for publication, to tell the world (or a small part thereof) that we think our ideas are important, our experiences valuable—even at the risk of… Read more
Under-narrated
Meaning: not much written about
Theme
“I prefer to talk about the meaning in a story rather than the theme of a story. People talk about the theme of a story as if the theme were like the string that a sack of chicken feed is tied with. They think that if they can pick out the theme, the way you… Read more
Scene
“To make a scene is to put your characters onstage and let them act out their own story. The point of view may not be strictly objective…but any scene is essentially dramatic; it follows George M. Cohan’s celebrated advice, ‘Don’t tell ’em—show ’em.’ A scene must persuade us in all its aspects, which means that… Read more
Revision
“The greatest pleasure in writing is rewriting.” – Donald Hall
Queer theory
“Queer theory…is a prism through which scholars examine literary texts. Queer theorists scorn traditional definitions of ‘homosexual’ and ‘heterosexual.’ There is no strict demarcation between male and female, they argue. Instead, queer theorists say, taking their cue from the historian Michel Foucault, sexuality exists on a continuum, with some people preferring sex partners of the… Read more