The world needs more pretty things. So I made 15 hipster pretty graphics with inspirational quotes. All the lovely photography was by my crazy talented brother, Jason Koons. From quotes about writing craft to writing in general, these calm my spirit and make me smile. “Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.” – Khaled Hosseini (more…)
“I’ll send someone in to schedule the test,” the specialist says to me. “Wait here a moment.” I nod and watch her leave. As the door clicks shut, a sinking, sick, hollow gap grows and groans in my chest. I shrink against the uncomfortable chair, stare at my hands or count the number of tiles on the floor. I don’t look at the posters of disease on the walls. I already read them earlier. It never gets better, this moment after the door shuts and there is only you and the white white room. It never changes. The me who...
It’s the fifth and final round of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is all about the international student angle. Though I’m approaching it as an American, it should be basically applicable to my Aussie and Indian and Canadian and [insert origin of choice] friends looking into the course. You can see the rest of the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing...
It’s round four of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the professional and personal development I underwent during the course. You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and can never hope to be as informed as the infallible Julia Green....
It’s round three of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the instruction and environment in the classroom, and what to expect during the final third term of the course. Enjoy! You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and...
Cray veniam ad poutine. Squid tofu irure four loko dolore salvia. Hammock VHS quis craft beer, keffiyeh retro readymade. Stumptown blog ullamco williamsburg lumbersexual, letterpress next level. Fixie tumblr consequat accusamus beard green juice. Dolore VHS drinking vinegar proident voluptate wolf. Single-origin coffee aesthetic post-ironic blue bottle, helvetica cornhole +1 venmo chicharrones adipisicing. Elit aesthetic art party, roof party brooklyn kinfolk hammock single-origin coffee. Synth biodiesel cred meggings eu nihil. Commodo cronut venmo, organic gluten-free ugh try-hard crucifix helvetica. Asymmetrical pop-up poutine gochujang. In affogato eiusmod kogi fixie, drinking vinegar dolore pariatur marfa bitters cillum shabby chic kinfolk culpa gentrify....
Click the pictures to see them full-size (and read the full blurbs). I’m taking a quick break from the Q&A series to participate in A Novel Idea. Yes, I’m talking about my own projects quite a lot here lately – mostly because that’s what my life currently revolves around! The Eleventh Trade is back with my agent now, and I’m busily editing away at Illuminate (and having entirely too much fun rediscovering the story after a nine month break). Here’s the Novel Idea prompt for this week: What would the back cover of your novel say? Try to make it...
It’s round two of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the classes (or, in British-speak, “modules”) and what to expect during the first two terms of the course. Enjoy! You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, you can reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and can never...
It’s a well-documented fact that I love the Master of Arts in Writing for Young People program at Bath Spa University (geez, that’s a mouthful). Since posting my 5 Questions to Ask Before You Get a Master’s in Creative Writing entry, I’ve had a steady stream of perspective students reach out with questions about the course. I love chatting with these guys and I’m always excited to get a new email! A few particularly inquisitive students graciously gave me permission to share part of our exchange in a sort of Q&A for other perspective students out there. It got quite intense, so I’ve broken...
Before we kick off the Q&A series, I wanted to do an exercise in Beautiful People! And since I’m back in revisions for Illuminate while my agent evaluates The Eleventh Trade, the character I’ll be talking about is Perl. I need to refresh my memory. What is Beautiful People? Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help writers get to know their characters better. I haven’t done it before, but I’ve wanted to for a while now! (Mostly to share pretty pictures. Shhh.) How do...
© 2025 · Alyssa Hollingsworth