Columns

Typos: The Final Word

January 2nd, 2023

Typos are like bedbugs: they’re manageable, but they’re impossible to eradicate. Nobody likes them, but everybody encounters them at some point. And both bedbugs and typos appear in books more often than we’d like to admit. I vote we have this one, last discussion about typos, then we stop talking about them. They’re boring, they don’t hold the meaning so many of us think they do, and, like, who gives a shit?

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"Madam Tomahawk" and the Thrill of Writing in Someone Else’s Universe

December 30th, 2022

If you stick with the writing game long enough, someone may ask you to take a shot at characters and worlds invented by someone else. It could be a Star Wars story, or the next chapter in a novel some writer friends are passing around for fun. Snatching the proverbial baton from someone else can present some (fun) challenges unique to writing—and it’s potentially overwhelming if you’re not careful.

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Books We’re Looking Forward To In 2023

December 29th, 2022

If you’re anything like us, you start every year promising to read the books in your precariously stacked TBR pile. And every year, somehow, we defy the laws of physics by adding even more books to that stack with very few removed. It’s the paradox of being a bookworm. There’s never enough time and always too many fantastic books. 2023 won’t be the year any of us break that cycle, as there are already so many good books waiting to be released. We went through and found eleven we’re looking forward to the most in the New Year.

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Phantom of the Hip-Hopera: An Improv Novel-Writing Experiment

December 23rd, 2022

They tell you to start your column with your best line, so I’ll start by telling you this is a story about a new way to write fiction. And now I can get to the extremely boring second line: I do a podcast. If I was good at promoting myself, I would link it here. But I’m not.* Besides, it’s the worst kind of podcast: just some dope talking about whatever, no format, all nonsense.

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LitReactor Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2022 - Part II

December 22nd, 2022

Original image via Rodnae Productions Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind.

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The Must-Read Horror Graphic Novels of 2022

December 21st, 2022

This has been a powerful year for horror, especially in the comic industry. Creepshow came back with a triumphant new series followed by R.L.

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Storyville: 10 Tips and Exercises for Generating New Story Ideas

December 16th, 2022

What’s that you say, you’re having a hard time coming up with new story ideas? Well here are 10 tips and exercises that can help you do exactly that.

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11 Of My Personal Favorite Kidlit Reads of 2022

December 15th, 2022

It’s the end of another year — somehow. It doesn’t feel real, and yet the calendar says it’s mid-December, so who am I to argue with the great all-knowing gods of Google? Given that it’s nearly the end of 2022, I’d love to share some of my favorite books I read this year. I’m pursuing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, which translates into having read a ton of kidlit this year.

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This Is Your Permission To Write Offensive Things

December 14th, 2022

Hi. I’m a White, cis, male writer. And I’m here to give everyone permission to write horribly offensive things. And, no, I’m not planning to do that by purchasing an entire social media platform. That’s SO last month. Let me tell you why I can give you permission to write offensive things and how taking it will change your writing for the better.

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Why Horror Resonates With Autistic Fans

December 13th, 2022

I’m autistic. While I didn’t receive an official diagnosis until my late 20s, I look back on my childhood and teenage years and can see how obvious it was. I was a certified “weird kid” with anxiety issues who was prone to panic attacks. While I don’t believe having a diagnosis is always necessary, it’s personally helped me to form a better understanding of myself and how to approach situations in a more positive way. Embracing this part of me has also led to a deeper connection with horror as a genre and a special interest.

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