The Lab
Experiments in Writing Across Genre
12 August 2025
Territory Rights — Worldwide including Canada, Singapore and Malaysia, but excluding the British Commonwealth.
Description
Great writing doesn’t begin with form—it begins with obsession. Two novelists offer an inspiring guide to transforming that obsession, using whatever genre fits best.
Writers don’t need formulas; they need encouragement to take risks. The Lab offers a bold, hands-on approach, urging writers to embrace uncertainty, experiment with form, and investigate what haunts them.
The Lab features ten chapters and ninety exercises challenging writers to play with fiction, memoir, and poetry—or push toward hybrid or entirely new forms.
This is a book for those ready to dig deep and write fearlessly.
Reviews
"The Lab . . . [is] . . . about wrestling with the things that won’t leave us alone . . . and the truths we’re not sure we can admit." — Peter Orner, author of Am I Alone Here?: Notes on Reading to Live and Living to Read
"More than a craft book, The Lab examines what drives us to write . . . identifying what’s deeply true, strange, or compelling, then shaping that into a genre." — Alia Volz, bestselling author of Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco
"Ideal for writers like me to keep on their desk for quick inspiration." — Toi Derricotte, author of I: New and Selected Poems
"The Lab is the place to be in all stages of the writing process. This guide is crammed with ways to expand and reimagine your practice and project. Every page delivers an invigorating opportunity." — Jac Jemc, author of Empty Theatre
"Davison and LaPlante take a deep dive into the often mysterious alchemy of literary craft, and provide writers with a tangible roadmap to expanding their creative boundaries. The exercises that are liberally peppered throughout the book are more than prompts—they’re experiments that push you to stretch form and uncover what your voice is capable of." — Mieke Eerkens, author of All Ships Follow Me
"Davison and LaPlante…turn writers’ hopes, ideas and aspirations into manifestations. Grab your pencil, pen, paper, or laptop. Then grab this book, embrace it as your guide, and start and keep writing." — Jerome Joseph Gentes, Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing, Institute for American Indian Arts
"The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre is a masterclass in the creative process. This is an essential guide for writers navigating the rich, interdisciplinary possibilities of contemporary storytelling." — Evan Rehill, Professor at Rutgers University
"The Lab shakes off the tired rules of traditional writing guides and replaces them with something more electrifying: a call to action for writers who want to discover their fiercest, most authentic work." — K.M. Soehnlein, Creative Writing MFA Faculty, University of San Francisco
"With its inventive exercises and deep respect for literary experimentation, The Lab urges writers to embrace uncertainty and create something entirely their own." — Miah Jeffra, Professor at Santa Clara University
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