Columns

Writing the Crime Scene: Mental Illness

May 10th, 2017

They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damn them, they outvoted me. — Nathaniel Lee

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Storyville: Writing Compelling Dust Jacket Copy

May 9th, 2017

So, you have a book coming out, or maybe you’re editing an anthology, and now you have to write the dust jacket copy—what should it include? Here are a few thoughts on how you can make the back of your book really sing.

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Never Write for Exposure...or Should You?

May 8th, 2017

Image by Helmut Gevert If you've been doing the writing thing for more than three days, chances are someone has already told you never to give your work away for free. Whoever told you that is absolutely right. Exposure is something you die from. The day you go to the grocery store and the cashier tells you they're now accepting exposure as payment, then go ahead and expose yourself like that creep by the park rocking the trench coat. If that hasn't happened yet, make sure you get paid.

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When Bad People Write Good Things

May 8th, 2017

Ender’s Game is a good book. Let’s start right there. At the very least, it’s a crowd pleaser, and if we want to get grandiose, it’s not hard to find a reader willing to call it a foundation work in science-fiction. That said, the author is a problematic person. “Problematic” doesn’t even scrape the surface in some opinions, is overblown in others. For now, let’s go with the blanket term “bad.” Because "bad" is three letters and there's a lot to cover here.

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10 Things Selling Books at Festivals and Cons Has Taught Me About Writing

May 5th, 2017

1. It's a Business and If Your Books Don’t Sell It’s Hard to Stay in It A lot of writers I know hate the business side of writing. They hate it with a passion, and I have felt that way too, but going to conferences and festivals to table books has helped me make peace with the commerce side of creative work. Tabling forces you to see the business side with third grade math: I’ve paid for a table, books, traveling, and my goal is to sell most of these books and at least break even.

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Life Moves Pretty Fast: How the 'Ghostbusters' Remake Proves Comedies Aren't the Same Anymore

May 4th, 2017

It seems like everyone was already nostalgic for the 1980s as soon as they were over. By the mid- to late-1990s pop culture started to reflect this longing. Beautiful Girls, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and Grosse Point Blank, all released in 1996 and 1997, were about Generation Xers edging toward their 30s looking back on the music and fashion of their youth. The Wedding Singer, also released in 1997, took the next step and went back in time to 1985, immersing itself in a world that already looked so different.

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Book vs. Film vs. Film: 'Trucks' vs. 'Maximum Overdrive' vs. 'Trucks'

May 4th, 2017

It's safe to call 2017 "The Year of the King," in that the master of horror Stephen King is all over the place. There are two major cinematic adaptations of his work on the way—The Dark Tower and It; there's a new TV show with co-producer J.J. Abrams called Castle Rock, which is set in King's fictional town of the same name; and the author has already published two new fictional works, co-written with his son Owen and Cemetery Dance founder Richard Chizmar, respectively. 

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9 Signs You May Have Over-Edited Your Work

May 3rd, 2017

Is it possible to over-think your book? Make TOO many changes to an essay? Is it possible that there's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to editing? Is it possible to over-edit your work? As someone who's in that boat, I'm telling you it floats. Like a log of crap, the over-edited story will float along in the toilet waters of...you get it. Let's try a different comparison. Less toilet-adjacent.

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5 Ways A Short Writing Retreat Can Provide Big Results

May 2nd, 2017

I have never encountered a writer who claims she has far too much time to dedicate to writing. There are things that come up every day that are necessary (and sometimes even enjoyable) but take up valuable creative time. You know, little things like working a job, running errands, getting enough exercise and sleep, and having some semblance of a social life.

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10 Horror Movies I Wish Were Novels

May 1st, 2017

Think about some of the best horror movies and you'll end up with a list packed with films that came from novels. Need a bit of help? Here are some off the top of my head: The Shining, The Exorcist, Psycho, Carrie, Cujo, The Serpent and the Rainbow, every Frankenstein movie ever, Hellraiser, Dracula, The Amityville Horror, Rosemary's Baby, The Descent, Angel Heart, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, Re-Animator, Pontypool...the list goes on and on and on.

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