Columns

9 Literary Treats Made Into Musicals

August 22nd, 2016

You can make practically anything into a musical, though that doesn't mean you should. Having a degree in literature along with a background in musical theater, I've become intimately familiar with several musicals that were books first. So I am not only a book nerd—I am the book nerd who takes books to her community theater rehearsals, reading and writing during downtime.

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Ashes To Ashes: 6 Books About Funerals

August 22nd, 2016

Funerals are some of the most important events in life, even if they center around death. They're intriguing in the sense that the person of honor is present and yet not; a corpse is human, but also an inanimate object. These authors don't just address the difficult and often taboo subject of human mortality, they also play with it, using wit and skill to shine a light on the dark moments at the end of a life.

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8 of the Worst (and Best) Book-to-Film Adaptations

August 19th, 2016

I remember visiting the movie theatre as a child. It was a riveting experience full of wonder and joy. What new story will I see brought to life next? Will I be scared or forced to hold my belly from laughter? And, most importantly, will the employee behind the counter actually remember to put extra butter on my popcorn?

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What's the Big Deal about 'Ben-Hur'?

August 19th, 2016

Lewis Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was published in 1880 and has been adapted for the stage, silver screen, and television a total of seven times: a Broadway play in 1899; a one-reel silent film in 1907; another silent film, this one feature length, in 1925 starring the great romantic lead Ramón Novarro; MGM’s spectacular 1959 Biblical action-adventure extravaganza directed by William Wyler, with Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd as his best-friend-turned-mortal-enemy, Messala; an animated feature voiced by Charlton Heston (and other

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The Rabid Puppies of Pelennor Fields

August 18th, 2016

The Hugo Awards are among speculative fiction’s highest honors, and the winners, announced annually at Worldcon, receive their trophies amid black-tie pageantry and applause from the likes of George R.R. Martin, Connie Willis, and John Scalzi. In other words, the Hugo Awards ceremony is prom night for science fiction writers—and this year it’s going to be a bloodbath. Because behind all the smiles and the fanfare, the 2016 Hugo Awards ceremony is the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and believe me, my precious, the trolls are massing at the gate. Again.

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7 Things That Are Ruining Amateur Book Reviews

August 18th, 2016

Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing. I was excited when these outlets for amateur book reviews showed up. Finally, I could tell these snooty book reviewers, these Kakutanis, to take their five-dollar words and...ingurgitate them wholly. But that excitement came and went a long time ago. It was a different time. I was young. Excited about the future. I hadn’t yet seen the horrors to come. My mistake was thinking, for a brief moment, that something could be turned over to the crowd, and that the crowd would handle this new power well.

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Storyville: Continuing Your Writing Education

August 17th, 2016

So today we’re going to talk about how to continue your writing education. Whether you’ve graduated from high school, or obtained an undergraduate degree (both excellent accomplishments) there are several ways you can continue to grow as an author. Let’s explore them a bit.

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Manga For Beginners: 'One-Punch Man'

August 17th, 2016

Welcome to Manga for Beginners! I got hooked on manga during the explosion of translated titles in the late '90s/early '00s. My fandom declined over the years, but thanks to One-Punch Man, I'm back with a vengeance. Each month I'll be taking a look at one or more (new-ish) manga to hit the US that you should set you sights on. Got a book you're eager to know more about? Leave a comment and I'll see what I can do. First up? The party responsible for this madness: ONE-PUNCH MAN.

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Tech and Product Round-up: August Edition

August 16th, 2016

Hello all. I've got a decent handful of news and tips to share with you this month. Amazon released a pretty cool but not really cool new feature for their Kindle tablets and app. Though Apple is on the verge of announcing a new phone (probably, anyway, because they always do around this time of year), we haven't heard terribly much from their camp, though a few tidbits about iOS 10 are of particular note to writers. Last but not least, I've got a handy setting for you fellow Scrivener nerds, as well as some BIG news from the folks over at Literature and Latte.

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Writing the Crime Scene: Dead Bodies

August 16th, 2016

Every murder needs a victim. If you’re writing a crime story, there will undoubtedly be a character dropping dead in your manuscript. But when your dashing detective walks into that seedy hotel for the first time to examine the corpse, you need to make sure you have the technical details right to maintain your authority.

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