Columns

5 Works of Art Ripe for the Storyteller's Plucking

April 22nd, 2016

We've all heard of the visual writing prompt, right? It's the exercise whereby you write a story based on a photo, painting, or some other visual medium. The great thing about being a writer is, you can dream up a story based on just about any image you see, even if the image in question isn't all that inspiring. The most mundane and seemingly innocuous items can, through virtue of a healthy imagination, become something wonderful and/or terrifying.

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Storyville: Six Dark Contemporary Films That Can Inspire Your Fiction

April 21st, 2016

So over the past couple of years I’ve seen a lot of innovation in literature, and in film—especially with horror, and similar genres. What I’d like to talk about today is how you can embrace new movies and allow their visionary directors to inform, and inspire your fiction. Here are a few films that really resonated with me, and the ways they already have, or could influence my future writing projects—and your work as well.

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The 10 Most Compelling Hitlers in Fiction

April 20th, 2016

Before we get started, let's just be clear about one thing. This is not an endorsement of Hitler, not a loving memorial.  Let's face it, for better or worse or a whole lot even more worse, Hitler made an impact on the world, and the world of books is no different. Hitler's one of the few taboos left. What happens when writers go there?

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Six Ways Pets Improve Your Writing

April 19th, 2016

Every superhero has a sidekick. Every motorcycle has its sidecar. And every (animal loving) writer has his or her furry companion. Our pets bring us endless hours of joy and comfort in the funniest of ways—and even sometimes help us write. Their professional assistance is very cute, even though it’s not always appreciated. To honor their hard work and dedication, we as authors should take these 540 words to tell the world just how much our animals serve our craft.

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Bookshots: 'My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir' by Chris Offut

April 19th, 2016

Bookshots: Pumping new life into the corpse of the book review Title: My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir

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The Optical Illusion of Perspective In Storytelling

April 18th, 2016

I can usually tell when a character who wears glasses is written by an author with perfect vision. For me, the world is a series of blurs and movement. Color takes on particular importance, because it's one of the only ways to distinguish between objects without corrective lenses. The way we physically see the world has a deep impact on how we express ourselves. Skilled writers perform a kind of optical illusion of the mind's eye, creating language that matches and expands upon our own life experiences.

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What Works & What Doesn't: 'Badlands'

April 18th, 2016

Welcome once again to What Works & What Doesn't. Last time around we looked at Orson Welles's Citizen Kane and the construction of a sequence, the third largest building block of any screenplay (the second being sequences, the smallest being beats).

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Are 'The Jungle Books' Racist or Not? And Why You Should Read Them Either Way

April 15th, 2016

“We have made enormous progress in teaching everyone that racism is bad. Where we seem to have dropped the ball is in teaching people what racism actually is.” —Jon Stewart

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I’d Rather Talk to Hitler Than to Jesus: The Importance of the Bad Guy in Your Story

April 15th, 2016

Image Who would you rather invite to dinner – Jesus Christ or Adolf Hitler?

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Game over, man!: The Love/Hate Relationship between 'Aliens' and its Tie-In Books

April 14th, 2016

There was a time when the wait between movies in a beloved franchise was agonizing. Every rumor, however farfetched, was pored over and the years were interminable. These days, however, are an age of miracles. Star Wars is on the big screen. Marvel and DC duke it out with two or more movies per year. Whereas there was a dozen years between Terminator 2 and Terminator 3, in that same amount of time two more sequels have been made.

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