Charlotte Lit’s Blog

Welcome to Charlotte Lit’s literary arts blog. What you’ll find here: craft essays, book reviews, previews of literary arts events, and anything else that catches our attention.

Paul Reali

Understanding the Three Act Structure

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What is the three-act structure, really? Most stories are this: a character takes a journey of change. Let’s take this one level deeper. At the start, there is something internal the story’s protagonist must learn (such as overcoming an original wound or dispelling a misbelief). The story provides an external problem that forces them to […]

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Megan Rich

New Times, New Voice

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Over the last several months, I’ve taken a creative break from my novel project and am working on a new essay collection. In this transition, I’ve encountered an interesting problem. Because I’m what you might call a “method writer,” one who tries to become her characters, I noticed that, even when writing a personal essay, I often slip […]

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Betsy Thorpe

Read Like an English Major

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My daughter just graduated from college (a semester early, so my savings’ account thanks her dearly!), and now she is looking for a job. Since a lot of interviews take place over the phone for obvious reasons, I end up hearing snippets of her conversations. I’ve preached to her over the years that majoring in the […]

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Charlotte Lit Admin

Our Favorite Reads of 2021

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From Charlotte Lit’s faculty and staff, here’s a list of our favorite reads this year — most new, but some older favorites, too. Enjoy! Poetry Bright Dead Things, by Ada Limón — Paul Reali Come Hither Honeycomb, by Erin Belieu — Lisa Zerkle Facts about the Moon, by Dorianne Laux — Kathie Collins Indigo, by […]

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