Ask the Agony Editor.
Opinion
Lauren McKeon: Writing a book about feminism backlash forced a confrontation with skepticism
Feminism is a done deal. At least, when I started working on F-Bomb: Dispatches from the War on Feminism in 2014, that’s what everyone kept telling me.
Agony Editor: Provoking an author on social media isn’t a cool, but neither is bullying back
Ask the Agony Editor.
Ask the Agony Editor: Publishing your own book might feel rewarding – just check your expectations
Is it the “idea” of being a published poet that appeals to your mom or does she genuinely believe that poetry is a profitable business venture?
Agony Editor: Once the joy of being published fades, the challenge of growing as an author begins
What do you do when writing seems to become harder, not easier, as your career moves forward?
Catherine Hernandez: There are melodies that deserve to be heard above the riff of the city
A personal essay by Catherine Hernandez.
Agony Editor: Honesty is the best policy when writing about family
Got a question? Ask the Agony Editor.
Ask the Agony Editor: Check your ego before writing from a cultural viewpoint that isn’t your own
Because you ask, the Agony Editor answers.
Ask the Agony Editor: Technology is fine, but a writer’s best tools are discipline and determination
Dear Agony Editor, I’ve been writing pieces of a very long story for several years. I have trouble remembering what… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: Words of advice for authors looking to write for the playground set
I wrote a children’s story with my oldest granddaughter in mind, and I’m not sure what I might do with it.
Ask the Agony Editor: Stop hoarding your work-in-progress and learn to share
Dear Agony Editor, (Illustration: Evan Munday) Writing fiction can be very solitary. How do I keep on writing when I’m… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: Writing circles can be helpful, but they also can suck the life force out of you
Dear Agony Editor, (Illustration: Evan Munday) I’m in a writing group, but I often find the feedback I get to… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: Stop procrastinating and get writing
Dear Agony Editor, I read a lot. I think being familiar with other writing and paying attention to their craft… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: Don’t try to write a literary masterpiece until you’ve conquered the clarinet
Dear Agony Editor, For the past seven years, I’ve been working on my debut literary masterpiece. I’ve attended workshops and… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: Sometimes a little conflict can only make a writing panel more interesting
Dear Agony Editor, I was on a panel at a writers’ festival. One of my co-panelists disagreed openly with everything… Read More »
Agony Editor: Sometimes the truth can hurt the person hearing it, and the person telling it
Dear Agony Editor, My husband recently retired and is fulfilling his dream of writing a novel. In my opinion as… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: when your family won’t read your work
Sometimes, parents just don’t want to understand. Dear Agony Editor, I’m a small-press author who has published two collections of… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on fine-tuning your personal brand
If you want to be the next Martha, start fine-tuning your personal brand Dear Agony Editor, I just started a… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on being a woman writer of colour in CanLit
Don’t be afraid to call someone out for thinking you’re Toni Morrison Dear Agony Editor, I’m a female writer of… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on poetic license
Be warned: there must be 50 ways to write about your ex-lover Dear Agony Editor, I had a brief but… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on pursuing feedback from prize juries
Feedback ain’t cheap. But sometimes paying for it can pay off Dear Agony Editor, As an aspiring writer, I enter… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on memoirs
Unless you’re a former drug addict with a strong narrative voice, rethink that memoir Dear Agony Editor, I have had… Read More »
Ask the Agony Editor: on interfering spouses
Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many spicey spouses enrage the editor Dear Agony Editor, Another editor I quite… Read More »
The sadist and the suck
Two kinds of editors you don’t want to work with
Contact us via email