Menu Close

Articles on Writing

Displaying 1 - 20 of 209 articles

An illustration from Christine de Pizan’s ‘The Book of the City of Ladies.’ Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images

Centuries after Christine de Pizan wrote a book railing against misogyny, Taylor Swift is building her own ‘City of Ladies’

By compiling stories about the accomplishments of women, Christine set out to build an allegorical city where women and their achievements would be safe from sexist insults and slander.
Today’s undergraduates are plunged into a sea of texts, information and technology they have immense difficulty navigating, and artificial intelligence tools for writing aren’t the solution. (Piqsels)

Writing is a technology that restructures thought — and in an AI age, universities need to teach it more

Undergraduate writing courses are about learning to think, synthesize and judge the credibility of sources — and interact with an audience.
America’s biggest book publishers originally viewed LGBTQ+ romance as a niche market. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?

It’s tempting to see this trend as a sign of the times. But the biggest book publishers started changing their approach only once they realized they were leaving money on the table.
Louisa May Alcott took part in a 19th-century literary culture of anonymity and guessing games. Universal Images Group/Getty Images

How I identified a probable pen name of Louisa May Alcott

By disguising her name, Alcott could publish in less prestigious venues without worrying about tarnishing her literary reputation.
Many educators say they are worried about being unable to keep up with advances in AI. Guillaume via Getty Images

Writing instructors are less afraid of students cheating with ChatGPT than you might think

A survey about college writing instructors’ fears and anxieties about AI demonstrates that student cheating isn’t their only concern. And in fact, many have embraced it as a teaching tool.
We see the teacher lay out the tightrope … as the young writer clenches their toes and steps out above the air. Danilo Batista/unsplash

Friday essay: a poet, a disciplinarian, an illiterate grandfather – writers reflect on the teachers who shaped them

What makes a great writer? A key element is the right teacher. Belinda Castles reflects on her own guides, as do authors such as Margaret Drabble, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Paul Theroux in a new book.
Creativity involves generating something new – a product or solution that didn’t previously exist. Maestria_diz/iStock via Getty Images

AI scores in the top percentile of creative thinking

Researchers had college students and AI take a standardized test in creative thinking, and all of them were scored by trained evaluators who didn’t know in advance that some had been completed by AI.
Obtaining a desired image can be a long exercise in trial and error. OpenAI

The folly of making art with text-to-image generative AI

Visual artists draw from visual references, not words, as they imagine their work. So when language is in the driver’s seat of making art, it erects a barrier between the artist and the canvas.
McCarthy attends the 2009 premiere of the film adaptation of his novel ‘The Road.’ Evan Agostini/AP Photo

Cormac McCarthy’s fearless approach to writing

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author was always willing to experiment with his prose, pacing and narration, crafting an oeuvre that varied wildly in style and structure.

Top contributors

More