Columns

Gerard Way, 'The Children's Crusade' and the Death Rattle of Vertigo Comics

May 24th, 2016

DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint was once the shining jewel of mainstream comic books. Launched in 1993, it was presupposed by Alan Moore’s dark and complex Saga of the Swamp Thing in 1984, and that continued with the “British Invasion” of Jamie Delano’s Hellblazer, Grant Morrison’s Animal Man, and especially Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. Today these comics are canonical examples of comics growing up.

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CLIFFHANGERS: How 'Game of Thrones' Got It Right and 'The Walking Dead' Didn’t

May 23rd, 2016

BEWARE OF SPOILERS (Obviously)

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Exploring The Pomodoro Technique and Timers to Improve Productivity and Write More

May 23rd, 2016

I’m a productivity junkie. For a long-time now I’ve been obsessed with squeezing the most out of the day and optimising the way I work. In a world full of distractions and technology maintaining focus can be difficult, but for many of us it’s absolutely necessary. I’m a writer, editor, podcaster, publisher and teacher. Without a system in place for getting the work done I’d crumble—losing my job and whatever dignity I still have.

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12 Superman Stories You And Zack Snyder Should Read

May 20th, 2016

I saw Man Of Steel. I saw Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I've seen what Zack Snyder has made of Superman. The fanboy side of me was frustrated. And when I say fanboy, I don't mean that to evoke a guy screaming into his computer in all caps about how this or that character would never do this or that thing. I mean a fanboy who collected action figures deep into his teens. And by "collected," I mean played with.

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Every Anne Rice Novel Summarized in 140 Characters or Less

May 19th, 2016

Book image via Brad Murgen Inspired by the column that almost became a segment on the Queen Latifah Show: Every Stephen King Novel Summarized in 140 Characters or Less by Max Booth III First, a few caveats, based on reactions to my previous column,

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All's Well That Ends Well: On Marriage And Closure

May 19th, 2016

Wedding season is almost upon us. For some, weddings are rituals imbued with cultural, religious, and personal significance. For others, they come with baggage of historical seclusion or repression, and for some they're nothing more or less than a ticket to a party with alcohol and cake.

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Six Habits of Prolific Writers (and How to Make Them Yours)

May 18th, 2016

Almost every writer out there dreams of being prolific. We all aspire to be the writer who puts out an abundant amount of quality work, drawing in new readers and fulfilling our creative destiny. For those of us who struggle to put words on the page on a daily basis, sometimes the dream seems out of reach. But in reality, there are a few key habits that most prolific writers maintain that can also easily be ours. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a high-volume writer, here are six habits to cultivate.

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How Running A Writing Contest For Kids Can Change Your Life (or at least your perspective...)

May 18th, 2016

It all began with a phone call.  "Would you be interested in helping to run the school's annual Reading Night," asked a friendly voice at the other end of the line. "I know you're a writer and..." How many conversations in our writer-lives end like that. "I know you're a writer and...." "...can you write this press release for me...for free?" "...can you write an article about underwater basket weaving and its impact on the global economy...for free?"

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5 Reasons Why Children's Books Are Bullshit

May 17th, 2016

Let’s say, for the purpose of this article, I have a son. Let’s call him something like...I don’t know, Former President William Howard Taft. I know that’s not a reasonable name to give your son, but listen, this isn’t your article. So, last week Former President William Howard Taft begged me to read him a book. I was pretty busy at the time listening to videos of TV static on YouTube, but the little bugger was persistent, so I pulled out my copy of Blood Meridian and told him to sit tight, because he was in for a treat.

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Try To Be A Ghost: The Life and Times Of A Professional Ghostwriter

May 16th, 2016

Does anyone remember that column I wrote about a year ago, “What 65,000 Words In One Month Feels Like: My Life So Far As A Full-time Freelancer”? Yeah, it was a cute piece. The reason I think it’s so cute is because of this little statement (Guess who’s about to quote himself?):

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