Around The Web: Speech Marks, Virtual Readings, Narrative Arcs, and the Zombie Apocalypse

Welcome back, dear readers! This week’s roundup of bookish internet content includes some thoughts on quotation marks, musings on in-person and virtual readings, a look at narrative arcs, and a sci-fi story.

Does Fiction Need Speech Marks?

Learning to use punctuation is a big part of learning to write, but not everyone uses punctuation marks the same way—or at all. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett takes a look at speech marks (usually quotation marks in English) and how some dialogue can get by without them in this Penguin UK post.

In-Person vs. Virtual Readings

Since March, writers have been adjusting to new ways of doing readings. Open Book’s writer-in-residence Sennah Yee lists some of her favourite things about both types of events in this blog post, which celebrates literary community.

Narrative Arcs

If you're writing these days, this Writer’s Digest post might be helpful. It discusses what a narrative arc is and provides some examples.

Mom’s in the Zombie Apocalypse

It’s been a while since I recommended some short fiction, so here’s a story for you! “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson recently earned praise on social media for its world-building and strong characters. If you like sci-fi, this story about becoming a mother amid the zombie apocalypse might be for you.