Columns

The 12 Steps for Struggling Writers

February 9th, 2018

1) We admitted we are powerless over the literary marketplace—that our writing life has become unmanageable. When you humble yourself and admit, “I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to writing, and what I'm doing is not working.” A lot of writing struggles occur when you’re writing to an audience of one—yourself—or you’re too paralyzed to continue because you are focused on the results—publication.

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7 Interesting Romance Fiction Trends from the Past 10 Years

February 8th, 2018

All corners of publishing are affected by market trends. If more people start buying more books on computer programming, then publishers will naturally acquire and publish more manuals. If a female-led thriller becomes the read of the summer (think Gone Girl), then you can bet that agents will be looking for a Girl on the Train or a Woman in the Window. However, no category is more affected by market forces than the romance novel. In no other literary genre will you see trends pursued so doggedly.

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Rocket Launcher Bayonets, Secret Babies, Rock Powers: This Is 'License To Love'

February 5th, 2018

Allow me to take you on a journey, not only of romance and love, but of Vegas magicians and UFOs. Take my hand and marvel with me at the plot of a book that features the most asinine poker scene of all time. And learn the ideal way to read a romance novel (spoiler: 5 feet from a toilet with a belly full of disgusting wine). Make the commitment. Earn your License to Love. How I Got The Book My own stupid life is my own stupid fault.

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James Joyce Loved Trieste, As Do I

February 2nd, 2018

Image via Trip Advisor There is a statue of James Joyce on a bridge across the Grand Canal in Trieste, Italy. A few steps down the road is a bar (coffee shop) called Café James Joyce. It has green walls, a shiny gold bar, and tables set into the wall in front of windows, so you can sip an espresso, people-watch, and ruminate about James Joyce, all at the same time.

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Celebrating Langston Hughes

February 1st, 2018

Langston Hughes photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1936. In 2008 I was living in a minuscule apartment with no heat and a borrowed mattress with a dent in the middle that made me feel like a human taco. I had left behind my country, language, family, friends, and favorite places to pursue a degree. My only friends back then were books, and I paid a lot of attention to what they said. When you have no money, no car, and no friends, books offer so much that you forget about what you lack.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Write a Screenplay

January 31st, 2018

Let's start with a story. A trip down memory lane, if you will. The year was 2003, and I had just finished watching Con Air for the eight-hundredth time. In that viewing, something struck me—something wonderful. The story wasn't over. When Cameron Poe is reunited with his family at the end, we are led to believe the story ends there, but it doesn't. Steve Buscemi's character, Garland Greene, escapes and no one seems to care. He was having fake tea with a little girl for God's sake.

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10 Things The Gym Taught Me About Writing

January 30th, 2018

The funny thing about revelations is that sometimes they appear as sudden explosions of understanding, but, after thinking about them for a while, you realize they are just your brain’s way of unexpectedly showing you a bunch of accumulated knowledge put together.

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Digitize Your Books For No Fun and No Profit

January 29th, 2018

I moved apartments three times in a little less than three years. There were some tough losses as a result of all these moves. Some losses were tragic accidents: And some losses were on purpose.

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Celebrating Dallas Mayr: The Wisdom of Jack Ketchum (1946–2018)

January 25th, 2018

I learnt this morning that Dallas Mayr, known to readers around the world as Jack Ketchum, passed away after a long battle with cancer. I stared at my computer screen, fighting back the tears, and searching for the right words. But the tears came and the words didn’t. I’m numb, as many of us are. Ketchum’s short story ‘Returns’ was written after he had his cat put down. In the story notes Ketchum writes:

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What It's Like to Be Young and Writing for Young Adults

January 24th, 2018

When the news broke last year about Tomi Adeyemi’s debut YA book deal, I found myself green with disgusting envy. Not because she got a huge book deal (she did) or a movie deal (she did) or because I’ve yet to find an agent; it was because she was my age. If Tomi had been 30, or 37, or 48, rather than 23, I would have been able to curb my jealousy. I would have applauded her for fighting for her dream and seeing it come true. I would have happily read all the think pieces about how success doesn’t have an age limit.

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