LaurelLit.com

Writer, Reader, English Teacher

Writer

I love writing, and I also love to write ABOUT writing, classic female authors, and whatever else might be on my mind. I hope you enjoy the variety!

Swifterature: A Swiftie’s Guide to The Brontë Sisters

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Yes, "Swifterature" is a real thing. There's even a university in Belgium offering a course in analyzing her lyrics. As an unapologetic Swifty, I'm offering my own guide to Taylor Swift literary analysis, focusing solely on the Brontë Sisters. Jane Eyre & "All Too Well" The similarities between Taylor Swift's song "All Too Well" and Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre are both subtle and …

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Seven Weeks of Wuthering Heights

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This is an original short story I wrote a while back, which I  revised, added to, added to some more, and now am trying to form into a full length YA suspense novel. Since it's changed so much, I see no harm in publishing the short little piece here.  

“Seven Weeks of Wuthering Heights”

by Laurel Osterkamp

Week One:  We were assigned new AP Lit study groups. …

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The Five Worst Ways to End Your Novel (with examples)

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  What are the five worst ways to end your novel? Don't worry, I'm going to tell you, and I'll give you some examples!

Of course, it's all a matter of opinion.

But I did some research, and combed my own memories of novels I’ve read with disappointing or even infuriating endings, and categorized them into five types of endings to stay away from. *Note–there are spoilers ahead of well known, popular novels. Also, a lot of …

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How Do You Add Suspense to Your Stories? Here are 6 Tips For Awesome Plot Twists!

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My new novel, Beautiful Little Furies, (released 12/21/23 by Black Rose Writing), is not exactly a thriller, but it is psychological women's fiction. So, I needed to add some suspense. That should be easy, right? Actually, no. I have a hard time with suspense and plot twists. Done well, they can surprise, delight, and shock readers, giving a new perspective on the plot. Truly great plot twists are unexpected and logical, yet still …

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How and Why You Should Publish Short Fiction in Online Literary Magazines

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  If you write novels, I bet you can connect with poor old Sisyphus, who Zeus punished in the underworld by forcing him to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time Sisyphus almost reached the top of the hill, the boulder rolled back down.   Isn’t that a lot like publishing?   Maybe you’re lucky and/or extremely talented, and you’ve procured a lucrative publishing deal. Or, you’ve self-published and figured out how to beat Amazon’s algorithms, and have …

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