This year, I focused on writing short fiction. I had just finished a very long and emotionally demanding novel, and writing short fiction was a healthy shift for me in terms of creative rhythm. The great thing about short fiction is that it's SHORT. It's entirely possible to write, edit, and submit in a matter… Continue reading 2022 in Review: Publications
When I was a kid, magic was essential to my inner world. I read fantasy books full of witches and magicians and children with innate powers over the elements. I read about magic rings and wishing stones. I read about fairies and their glamours, about dragons and djinns. In The Real World, there was no… Continue reading What Magic We Make
Hi all! Long time, no post! Just dropping you blog-readers a line to let you know that I've published a new essay via The Art of Autism. It's a fierce critique of Netflix's new satirical film, Don't Look Up, which features a disturbing portrayal of an autistic-coded villain. Read the whole essay here! This is… Continue reading Publication Announcement: A Critique of Autistic-Coded Rep in ‘Don’t Look Up’
THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS YOU SHOULD TOTALLY FOR REAL ABSOLUTELY DO IN ORDER TO GET A TON OF AGENT REQUESTS DURING TWITTER PITCH PARTIES. I'VE DONE MANY PITCH PARTIES OF VARIOUS SIZES AND RECEIVED AGENT REQUESTS. SO SERIOUSLY. DO ALL OF THESE THINGS. LIKE, ALL OF THEM. EXACTLY AS THEY'RE WRITTEN.* 1. Hang… Continue reading HOW TO SUCCEED AT TWITTER PITCH PARTIES
One of the most difficult parts in processing my late autism identification and diagnosis (at 30 years old) is dealing with a constantly shifting perspective, specifically in comparing how I function in the world and how non-autistic people function in it. I spent my whole life assuming my way of being was "normal" or neurotypical,… Continue reading Querying While Autistic
I'm thrilled to be officially querying a brand new manuscript in hope of agent representation! It's titled THE VIOLET TAMARIND and you can read more about it and see a gorgeous mood board one of my beta readers made for it here. But Allison (asked almost no one), whatever happened to that post-apocalyptic science-fiction novel… Continue reading Where Do Novels Go When No Agent Wants Them?
Feeling stuck? Need some inspiration? Check out a nearly 400-year-old artist's statement by Japanese haiku master Matsuo Bashō and some reflections on how uplifting his thoughts and words are.
On January 30, 2020, I participated in my very first Twitter pitching event. And girl, do I have some THOUGHTS. But first, maybe some definition of terms. I know not all of the people who read this blog are writers, and y'all might be thinking, what the heck is pitching? When writers write a story,… Continue reading Pitching a Novel in a Tweet? What is this, the technological dystopian future?
November is gone. I have to take a moment, to lift my head from the laptop, to let my eyes adjust to the sunlight, to start breathing again. 50,011 words. National Novel Writing Month is over. I did it. None of it feels real. I wonder if this has to do with John Gardner's idea… Continue reading What I Learned from My First NaNoWriMo
can't talk right now got to write 5,653 words in three days or less with a national holiday in the middle whose idea was it to do this in November my god happy thanksgiving i guess and see you on the other side unless i write myself to death which is possible given i'm feeling… Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2019: Week 4 Update
Allison Wall 