What is Tangled Prose about?
Tangled Prose is a blog about novels and the craft of writing them. It blends close reading with practical writing advice, exploring how great fiction creates character, tension, voice, and meaning, then translating those insights into choices you can use in your own work.
Is Tangled Prose a writing blog or a book blog?
Both, on purpose. Tangled Prose is for people who love novels and want to understand how they work, whether you are drafting your own fiction, reading with a pencil in your head, or doing both at once. The through-line is always the same: what makes a novel compelling, and how can we learn from it.
Who is this blog for?
It’s for emerging and working writers, curious readers, and anyone drawn to thoughtful discussion of fiction. If you like literary analysis but want it to stay grounded, or you want writing guidance without the fluff, you are in the right place.
What kinds of posts can I expect?
You’ll find craft essays on prose style, narrative voice, character, plot, and story structure, alongside posts about books worth reading, reading slumps, and the state of contemporary fiction. Some pieces zoom in on a single author or novel, others zoom out to talk about movements, trends, and why certain kinds of stories keep returning.
Do you talk about specific novels and authors?
Yes. Tangled Prose often takes a close look at particular novels, writers, and literary touchstones, from canonical names to modern favourites. These posts focus on what’s happening on the page, including voice, form, character psychology, and the emotional logic of a story, rather than treating books as status symbols.
What sort of books do you cover?
The reading here ranges from literary fiction to widely loved, conversation-starting popular novels. You’ll see work that is experimental, work that is propulsive, and work that sits somewhere in between, with an interest in books that do something sharp with language, structure, or human behaviour.
Does Tangled Prose cover genre fiction as well as literary work?
Yes. The lens is story-first, so ideas apply across literary fiction, speculative fiction, crime, romance, and other genres. The focus is less on labels and more on craft: how a novel builds tension, earns emotion, and creates a satisfying arc.
How can Tangled Prose help me with my novel?
The blog breaks big, slippery advice into practical decisions you can make in scenes, chapters, and revisions. That might mean diagnosing why the middle has collapsed, strengthening stakes, tightening point of view, improving dialogue, or refining prose so it feels more deliberate and alive.
I’m stuck in the middle of my draft. Is there anything here for me?
Absolutely. Tangled Prose returns often to the messy middle: the point where confidence dips, structure frays, and the plot starts to wander. You’ll find ways to re-enter the manuscript, re-clarify your protagonist’s desire, and rebuild momentum without starting from scratch.
Will this blog help me become a better reader as well as a better writer?
Yes. Close reading teaches you what good novels are actually doing, not what we claim they’re doing. By paying attention to how books handle character, tension, subtext, pacing, and language, you learn to read like a writer, then carry that awareness back into your own drafts.
Do I need formal training in creative writing to follow along?
No. The posts are written for motivated readers and writers, not for a workshop gatekeeping committee. You do not need an academic background, just the appetite to think clearly about fiction and try things out on the page.
Do you talk about the writing life as well as technique?
Yes. Tangled Prose treats writing as both a craft and an emotional practice. Alongside structure and style, you’ll see posts about confidence, creative resistance, reading slumps, staying connected to your taste, and how to keep going when the work gets difficult.
Do you cover publishing, trends, and book culture?
Sometimes, particularly when those shifts affect what gets written, what gets read, and how writers and readers find each other. Expect the occasional post on platforms, industry patterns, and the wider conversation around fiction, always filtered through the question of what it means for the novel.
How can I get the most out of Tangled Prose?
Start with the post that matches your current problem or curiosity. If you’re writing, take one idea into your next session and test it in a single scene. If you’re reading, treat the blog like a companion, something that helps you notice what you liked, what you resisted, and why a novel stayed with you.
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