Victor Luo
The Rumpus
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Past articles by Victor:
The Literary Value of Bodybuilding
With the pinnacle of human physical achievement on full display at the Summer Olympics, enjoy this article about writing literature about the ins and outs of bodybuilding. → Read More
Combating Lit Journal Bias
In the latest installment of “The Blunt Instrument” over at Electric Literature, Elisa Gabbert tackles the delicate question of bias in literary journals. Her answer? Take thoughtful re… → Read More
Dark Magic Your Way to Better Writing
Are you in a rut with your writing? Blocked for ideas and inspiration? Finding those writing exercises designed to spark your imagination getting a little stale? Try some writing exorcises instead,… → Read More
The Existential Crises of Writers
Writers experience all sorts of anxieties and doubts, such that many find themselves taking a spiraling descent into the worst existential crises. No writer should feel alone in this—over at The Mi… → Read More
A Writer’s Per-Hour Salary
What kind of time could be counted towards the work hours of a writer? Does reading count? Drinking the coffee that bestows much-needed energy? Sitting around daydreaming? Read this hilarious piece… → Read More
Poetry Inspires Kids to Change the World
To do spoken word, you need bodies, you need people, you need that sense of gathering. Poets have always tapped into an unspoken understanding that language can tap into the ways in which the world… → Read More
When Procrastination Strikes
Is there such a thing as writer’s block, or is it simply procrastination? Several authors weigh in on their personal experiences struggling with getting the work done. → Read More
Writers Who Burn Their Own Work
We burn old love letters and photographs to be reborn. The action of burning is often a process. Find a match or a lighter. Put the papers in a container or can or shove them in a fireplace. There … → Read More
When the Libraries Got Desegregated
While Brown vs. Board of education immortalized schools as the site where the historic shift to desegregation happened, few would remember the other locales of everyday life that were also once seg… → Read More
Resident Cat Evicted from Library
Wouldn’t it be great if your local library had an animal friend to liven things up? A small town in Texas certainly thought so, prizing their tabby Browser as a member of their community. Unfortuna... → Read More
Are You a Cook or a Baker?
Do you enjoy the culinary results of tossing ingredients together with some heat to create some spontaneous deliciousness? Or do you prefer the structured act of measuring and timing that create co... → Read More
Don’t Kill the Dogs!
For many stories, death is an inciting incident that forces plot to move forward (looking at you, Game of Thrones). We’re so accustomed to stories where people die, it would seem that animals dying... → Read More
Celebrating Borges’s Dual Natures
Maybe there are two Borges in the world, existing at the same time. One is the fiction writer we know, the lover of paradox, the trickster, the forger, the artist who describes fantastical events w... → Read More
Hemingway and the Trendiness of the Badly Behaved Writer
While most know Hemingway to be a favorite of stereotypical “macho” literature buffs, what with the author’s tendencies for vicious criticism and outright brawling, not many know just how vulnerabl... → Read More
Self-Publishing Vs. Traditional Publishing
Who hasn’t felt that awkward moment between laughing and crying when the question, “do writers make money?” pops up? Unlike movie-makers and musicians, exact figures for authors’ earnings have alwa... → Read More
First Edition Of Alice In Wonderland Worth Millions
Alice in Wonderland remains one of the most beloved pieces of children’s literature, leaving its first editions truly a treasure for book collectors everywhere. Now, a first edition is going up to ... → Read More
When Writers Read in Empty Rooms
I wasn’t an adult. I wasn’t accomplished. I sure as hell wasn’t a novelist. I was 11, skinny and afraid, standing in front of my sixth grade class, asking if anyone liked me. Anyone? Anyone at all... → Read More
Celebrating The Legacy Of Valley Of The Dolls
One of the most well-known novels that has spawned its own cult following, Valley of the Dolls immortalized tales of women struggling with marriage, drug addiction, and class and sparked lively dis... → Read More
Books That Appear When We Need Them Most
There is a particular way we love books that find us at exactly the right time, a love that swells beyond the dexterity of the writing or believability of the characters. Books that appear when we ... → Read More
The Link Between Writing and Psychopathy
We’ve heard the arguments (and read American Psycho) about how success in the business world is often linked with psychopathic traits, but surely the same couldn’t be said about success in creative... → Read More