Good novelists create characters who are complex. unique, and have relatable human needs and feelings. Joyce Carol Oates is one of our best contemporary novelists, and has created a host of memorable ...

Two new books by fiction writers Elizabeth McCracken and Sue Monk Kidd offer different approaches to the craft of writing. McCracken's "A Long Game" is skeptical of cosmic inspiration, focusing ...

There are some hard ethical questions in the writing of crime fiction. For me, the most difficult one is how to portray violence. For one thing, should you depict it all? And if so, how do you do it ...