Columns

13 Solid Pieces Of Advice From LitReactor's Writers Workshop

May 15th, 2018

One of the great, unsung aspects of any writers' workshop is what you learn from reading the critiques of someone else's story.  You get to see the entire process, from story to critique, and you get to exist outside of that process. You can have an emotional detachment that's hard to come by when it's your own work. 

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What It Really Takes to Get Your First Book Published: 5 Critical Factors

May 14th, 2018

Publishing a book: it's a bucket list dream for many, but few are aware of what it actually takes to break through with a traditional book deal.

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Happy Birthday To The Evil Genius Behind 'Sweet Valley High'

May 14th, 2018

Francine Pascal turned 80 years old on May 13th, and in her honor we’d like to celebrate her wickedest creation (a legacy carried on by the fleet of ghostwriters working under her): the twisty, gossipy, teen-poppy confection of Sweet Valley High.

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Wonderful and Strange: Twin Peaks — The Literary Tie-Ins

May 10th, 2018

Twin Peaks first aired on April 8, 1990. The bizarre murder mystery, created by Mark Frost and acclaimed avant-garde filmmaker David Lynch, first centered on “Who killed Laura Palmer?” as a catalyst that ballooned into so much more. The show’s first season ran eight episodes and the second ran 22 before being canceled, and then there was a spinoff movie in 1992, Fire Walk With Me, that operated as both a prequel and a sequel to the series.

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The Subtle Beauty of A Quiet Place's Gender-Trope Upheaval

May 7th, 2018

As writers, we're often offered sage advice like "write what you know" or "show, don't tell." What we're not often offered are examples of what this looks like in practice. I saw a great example recently, and as it's been on my mind, I'm excited to share it with you. But please beware: there be spoilers ahead.

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5 Crazy Book Stunts You May Or May Not Want To Try

May 4th, 2018

So you’ve just published your next book and you’re thinking of the best way to promote it. What about… book review blogs? Yawn. Mailing lists? Guest posts? Blog tours? Swipe. Swipe. Swipe. Been there. Done that.

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The Definitive Guide to Social Media Etiquette During the Dying Days of Facebook (for Writers)

May 3rd, 2018

As the internet winds down and we enter the dark ages where we're forced to switch to actual real-world human contact, normal, well-adjusted people (or writers) might be forgetting the most efficient and acceptable ways to interact in this fleeting online arena, So I've come up with this handy list of tips to remind us all how to keep things trucking along as smooth as possible until the last sad Christmas lights wink out forever.

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The Sam Pink Universe

May 2nd, 2018

"Whenever a new Sam Pink novel lands on my hands, I start coming up with excuses for the appointments I’ll either be late for or simply miss. Pink’s work is always original and entertaining, the kind of literature for which the clichéd and utterly unattractive term “unputdownable” was invented. Rontel, his latest release with Lazy Fascist Press, is no different, except for the fact that it turned me into the guy on the bus who seems to be laughing at some internal joke."

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When it's Okay to be Uncertain

May 1st, 2018

At some point, you have probably heard the advice that if you’re to be a true writer, you have to know your characters entirely—that if you are creating a well-defined character you should be able to fully articulate what is under their fictional bed. I’m not sure if I believe this.

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A Very Personal Chuck Palahniuk Retrospective

April 30th, 2018

photo by Allan Amato This is a retrospective, a going-through of Chuck Palahniuk’s work. Because his new book comes out this week. I’m not going to talk plots or reviews so much as I'll tell some personal stories. If you’re looking for a plot summary, just buy the damn books and read them already. If you're looking for reviews, there's lots out there for you.  If you're looking to hear how an author has shaped a person's life, read on.

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