If there is one genre known for tropes, it's romance. Whether it's the dynamic of the central relationship or a particular scene, it's safe to say that every romance reader has their favorite tropes that they have fallen head over heels for. But for every trope that gets love, there's one that gets shade—and none seems as disfavored as the miscommunication trope. The trope is exactly as it sounds: a miscommunication between characters causes tension and a conflict they must o

In the online writing community, you'll find an abundance of terminology flying around. Discovery Writers. Sprinting. Zero draft. Died on sub. Spicy books. Many are standard, like WIP standing for "Work in Progress." Other things might go by multiple names; Pantsers and Discovery Writers, for instance, can both refer to writers who like to write their first draft without a heavily detailed outline, seeing where inspiration takes their writing. And sometimes, you end up invent

"Don't quit your day job" is a quip typically hurled at folks pursuing an endeavor in the performing arts like music or stand-up comedy who haven't honed their skills just yet. It's a well-meaning insult. The somewhat less blunt way of telling someone they don't have what it takes to make it in the industry. Right up there with the equally common, "What about a real job?" For many artists out there, quitting their day job to pursue their craft isn't so much a pipe dream as i

After years of speculation on my part and finally getting more comfortable advocating for myself, I was finally diagnosed with ADHD last year when I was 28. In the months since, I've been learning to manage it through small steps. One of my more frequent fidgeting tendencies has always been picking at and biting my cuticles, sometimes until they bleed and sting when touched, so I've been testing out ways to break that habit. The paraffin hand cream from Bath and Body Works is

One thing that often amuses me as a writer is seeing how writers are portrayed in fiction. I've encountered quite a few fictional characters who are writers and bookworms that you can just tell were written by writers because of how they gush over every bookish thing and make all the references. Aside from them, writer characters typically fall into two zones—the bestselling author living their best life and the struggling artist who is uninspired and just trying to get by.