Writing Craft Archives - Uncharted

Meet Your Next AI Friend

By Caitlin Taylor So Artificial intelligence is on the rise and everyone’s mind as another chatbot or generative AI application emerges on every site you use or engage with. But have you met these AI characters? Check out these YA books (written by real humans!) that take place in worlds powered by artificial intelligence and […]

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Recommended Reading: Genre Flash!

by Myna Chang I love genre fiction and flash fiction, so I was thrilled when I learned Uncharted would be offering another flash contest this year! The contest is open to stories of 1,000 words or less in any of our genre categories: science fiction, fantasy, thriller, horror, mystery, historical, or young adult. We love […]

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Beyond the Bounds of Realism:An Interview with Tara Campbell

Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine, and graduate of American University’s MFA. Her award-winning work includes multiple short story and hybrid collections. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, will be released by SFWP in the fall of 2024. The novel is set in the parched, post-apocalyptic Western […]

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Read Until the World Ends

By Caitlin Taylor So The world is a scary place. It can also always be scarier. For some, that might be a comfort to keep in mind during troubling times. Here are some well-known YA dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels we hope will counterintuitively give you some peace of mind. The Waves are coordinated attacks The […]

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Dive Into Pride This June With These Colorful Reads

By Caitlin Taylor So Happy pride month, dear readers! However you may identify and show up in the world every day, we want to celebrate everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. Here are some books you can dive into this month and all year round. Based on a true story from Patricia Highsmith herself and the […]

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Crafting Character Transformations

By Jessica Berg So often, authors will create an engaging and immersive narrative with rich characterization, and then … nothing happens. That is to say, there’s no change in the main character from the beginning of the work to the end. In other words, there’s no arc. Understanding character arc is key for writers who […]

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Start the Summer With These Great Reads!

By Caitlin Taylor So With summer upon us, more sunshine will hopefully translate to more free time for you to read books outside! Catch these titles at your nearest library or bookstore and take them along your next vacation. Click on the books to find out more! Cadence spends every summer on a luxury private […]

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Recommending a Book for Each Popular Romance Trope

By Caitlin Taylor So In honor of Uncharted’s ten day writing challenge, The Romance Challenge, here are book recommendations for ten popular romance tropes to jumpstart your heart and creativity. Click on the titles to find out more! First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry of England have a meet-cute for the history books. The […]

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2024 Debuts to Look Out For

By Caitlin Taylor So As we approach the halfway point of 2024, there’s still new beginnings to look forward to. Keep an eye out for these books by debut authors—some the first in a series—and you might just find new favorites and obsessions! Click on the titles to find out more! Pick up this Jamaican-inspired […]

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Building Rhetorics of Joy: An Interview with Bethany Jacobs

by Kate Tooley The first time I met Bethany Jacobs was shortly after the release of her debut novel, These Burning Stars, in late 2023. We’d sat yelling distance from Union Square, freezing and eating tacos in one of the semi-enclosed outdoor dining areas that are now permanent relics of the pandemic. In the time […]

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Finished in a Flash: Five Quick Tips to Writing Flash Fiction

by Caitlin Taylor So Flash, micro, brief, or sudden fiction are all stories under a strict limit of words. Some writers may find this motivating, while others find it stifling. Regardless, flash fiction pieces must feel—for the most part—finished by the end. Being able to construct a fully fleshed out narrative in such a short […]

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Crafting the Cauldron: Merging Witch Lit with Historical Fiction

Scan your bookshelves, and you’re bound to find a recurring theme: a wealth of witch lit rooted in times long past, settings where candlelight and parchment reign. But what about the “other” historical eras, like the complex tapestry of the 20th century? How often do we find our mystic heroines navigating the trenches of WWI […]

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