Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, and other famous writers narrate the funny pages.

Some NaNoWriMo tips from Mark Sample: Use foreshadowing to hint what’s to come. E.g., have the vampire say “I want to suck your blood” before he sucks blood. And: Add tension by making the gender of your narrator indeterminate. This works for race too. And age. And number of nipples.

Another (more serious) NaNo tip: write slowly.

The Millions thinks the recent film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are made a better trailer than it did a feature film.

Is Stephen King the most underrated novelist of our time?

“Simply rewrite a preexisting bestseller. Here’s one idea: “Hidden” in the painting of The Last Supper, all the plates are empty. Obviously, Jesus didn’t intend to die at all. Rather, he was planning an escape. Take a close look at the painting; dozens of conspiracies suggest themselves.” This and other tips on writing a bestselling novel by Flatmancrooked. Heh heh heh.

Cory Doctorow believes that teen novels should contain more teen sex and other mature themes.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject: Howard Jacobson’s top 10 tales of sexual jealousy.

“O darling (as we used to say)/You are wide-hipped and kind.” Who’s the poet: Jewel, Spock, or Yeats? Take the quiz.

Aaaand a pick-me-up to get you through the rest of your week. A really really good short story, via The Rumpus: