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Cyberpunk is a genre that blends high technology (the cyber) with a deteriorating society (the punk). It features a gritty landscape where technological and scientific achievements are a dime-a-dozen, yet the quality of life seems to continue degrading. It’s no wonder it’s often summarized as “high-tech, low-life.” It’s a popular genre of fiction, mainly because it offered an alternative to the common (and sometimes repetitive) stories during its era of creation. It was essentially a rebellion against conventional storytelling; an effort to bring fresh perspectives to science fiction. Best Cyberpunk Books From TV shows ( Westworld , Altered Carbon ), film ( Blade Runner 2049 ), books ( Warcross ), and video games ( Cyberpunk 2077 ), there’s a noticeable increase of media that pay homage to the genre. It’s safe to say that it’s undergoing a revival right now, with so many industries looking to the genre for inspiration and source material. If this genre sounds interesting to yo...

It’s a popular stereotype: disheveled-looking people who don’t care about their sloppy appearances or tiny apartments stacked full of clutter and unfinished works. All that matters is their art, and soon they’ll catch their big break. We see this stereotype in almost every medium, including books, movies, television, and theatre. It is an inaccurate portrayal of the creative world that discourages many from pursuing a career in the arts. What Is a Starving Artist? A starving artist is someone involved in creative pursuits who disregards anything else for the sake of their chosen art. Every ounce of their resources is spent on furthering their creative careers. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was an overwhelming belief in “art for art’s sake,” that art must be made without serving any other motive than the simple pursuit of art. Adding to this was the fact that some of the most successful artists were actually wealth-deprived. Van Gogh, one of the most accompli...

Normally, horror relies on suggestions, implications, and suspense to build up the anxiety that makes your heart race. Take all of that away and you get splatterpunk—a horror subgenre that shows you everything there is to horror. Known as a subgenre without limits , splatterpunk stories are often characterized by gory, violent, and often excessively graphic scenes. It is horror taken to the extreme, almost without regard to your level of tolerance for stomach-churning subjects. Best Splatterpunk Books Although the genre has declined in popularity, there are still many writers who include splatterpunk elements in their stories. Nowadays, people more often call it extreme or hardcore horror instead of splatterpunk. I’ve assembled a list of splatterpunk books that best define the subject. I’ve included some classics as well as more modern examples. Check them out below! 1. Seeing Red by David J. Schow This is a collection of short stories by the man who coined the term “spla...

Are you looking for a creative way to tie up loose ends or show your readers what happens to your characters after their happily ever after? You might consider writing an epilogue. Not all books have them, but when used appropriately, then can add another element to your story and provide closure for your readers. In this post, we’ll show you how to write an effective epilogue using five simple tips. How to Write an Epilogue Consider these 5 tips when writing an epilogue for your novel or memoir. 1. Show character development. If you’ve written a great protagonist —and hopefully you have—your readers will be eager to know what’s happened to them after the story ends. You can set your epilogue in the future—near or distant, whichever makes sense for your novel—to reveal what your characters have been up to. However, don’t just spell out every detail for your readers. Use this is an opportunity to continue character development and illustrate how the story’s events have affected ...

Have you ever finished reading a novel and felt there were some pieces missing, or that you didn’t get the closure you were expecting? It could be that the final chapter didn’t do a very good job of tying things up. Or, perhaps an epilogue could have been used to add a finishing touch. What Is an Epilogue? As you might have inferred, an epilogue is the opposite of a prologue , in that it comes at the end of the book, rather than the front. An epilogue is the final piece in the story’s puzzle, and serves as a final chapter to provide closure and tie up loose ends. Though still considered part of the main story, an epilogue might reveal what’s happening in the characters’ lives several months or years down the line. Though more common in fiction, you may also encounter epilogues in works of nonfiction, especially forms of creative nonfiction , such as memoirs. Epilogue Examples The following are examples of effective epilogues from both fiction and nonfiction. Mockingjay by Suz...

Pick up a book and you’ll likely have to flip through any number of pages to make it to the “real” start—there could be a dedication, a preface, a prologue, a foreword, and even a whole page dedicated to critical acclaim for the book. While each of these sections has a distinct purpose, you might be more inclined to read some over others, depending on your interests. If you want to glean some insights into the author’s writing process or the text itself, you might be read the author’s note. Not all books have them, but if you’re an author yourself, you might be wondering if yours should. Do You Need an Author’s Note? An author’s note can appear in both fiction or nonfiction books. In nonfiction, its purpose is to explain or add context to the author’s decisions, such as how they chose sources, decided what information to include, or why they use certain language. It’s intended to be shorter than a preface , and often replaces it. (You should keep in mind that unless you’re a cele...

Appearances don’t matter when you’re a writer, right? The only beauty readers care about is the beauty of your words. Well, not exactly. Despite the old adage, readers really do judge books by their covers , and as much as you might like to pretend otherwise, they’ll judge your author photo, too. Since readers rarely get the chance to read your book before deciding to buy it, they rely on external factors to make their decision. These factors include the title, cover, back cover blurb and synopsis, the price, and, yes, even the author’s photo. But fear not—even if you’re camera shy, we’ll walk you through the steps to taking an awesome author photo that appeals to readers and represents your book. Why You Need an Author Photo Unless you’ve chosen to keep your identity under wraps with a pen name , you’ll want to take and publish a photo that readers could actually recognize you with. Author photos give readers a face to your name, and like it or not, your appearance is an impor...

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies , published in 1954, won the Nobel Prize for its story about a group of young boys whose plane crashes and leaves them stranded on a remote island without any adult supervision. This coming-of-age story instantly became the center of controversy, as the boys try everything they can to survive, eventually resorting to violence.  Although the book took on a morbid twist, it offers a very insightful look into man’s propensity for good and evil, especially in the absence of social norms and laws.  9 Best Quotes from Lord of the Flies If you’ve read the book, we hope the following list of quotes will help remind you of the thought-provoking experience you had while reading it. If you haven’t read the book, we hope these quotes will help inspire you to pick up a copy and finally read it!  Spoiler Alert ! If you have not yet read the book and want to avoid a spoiler, you may read until Quote #9. “We’ve got to have rules and obey ...

If you enjoy epic fantasy books with a thrilling twist, you may want to check out books by Sarah J. Maas. The 21 books currently under her belt cut across paranormal and fantasy genres, but set in modern times. As a New York Times bestselling author, she has sold millions of copies of her books, and they’ve been translated into 37 languages thanks to her expert storytelling of themes such as royalty, strong heroines, alpha males, and enemies-to-lovers relationship arcs.  Best Sarah J. Maas Books to Add to Your List  Here is a list of Sarah J. Maas’s books with a short summary so you can pick which one to read next:  1. Throne of Glass This first book in this 7-part series introduces us to 18-year-old Celaena Sardothein, an 18-year-old assassin who is serving a life sentence and offered freedom by Prince Dorian. But there’s a catch: in order to gain her freedom, she needs to serve as his champion in a quest to find the next royal assassin.  2. Crown of Midn...