Columns

The Food Pyramid for Writers

April 26th, 2017

Writing professionally can be really hard, but dieting and losing weight is so much harder. I’ve done a lot of writing and editing in the last five years, but the trade off has been gaining 40 pounds, and none of it muscle. I tried exercising, portion control, but none of it worked. If I managed to lose a few pounds, I felt miserable, like I was starving. I’d last two weeks at most, and then give in to overeating. It’s been incredibly frustrating.

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The Five Be's to Being a Better Beta Buddy

April 25th, 2017

Beta Readers. Beta Buddies. The words can strike fear into a writer's heart. They've written a novel, yes. Poured their heart and soul into it, yes. But now it's time to put their words out into the world, out into a small, controlled environment, populated by friends. Colleagues. And yes, occasionally, their mom.

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Storyville: Leaving Room for the Reader in Your Fiction

April 24th, 2017

I was talking to a few of my favorite authors, Stephen Graham Jones and Brian Evenson, when they stopped by my Contemporary Dark Fiction class, and in both conversations the idea of “leaving room for the reader” came up. I think this is something that is crucial, as an author, and I’d like to talk about it a bit here today, to try and elaborate and explain what I mean, and how you might do that yourself.

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10 New Female Authors That Should Be On Your Radar

April 21st, 2017

A ton of books are published every day, and many of them are by women. However, sometimes it's easy to overlook or simply miss new talent because there is just too much out there. Because some of these authors deserve all the attention they can get, I decided to put together a list of the best new voices. How did I decided which ones are "new"? Well, I went with authors with only one book published. Here they are. Go read their words.

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Oni Press 20 Years Later: 'Blue Monday' and the Pros and Cons of Colorizing Black and White Comic Books

April 21st, 2017

Oni Press is an independent comic book publishing company formed in 1997. It made a name for itself in the early days by having a punk rock attitude, with books like Jen Van Meter’s Hopeless Savages, Brian Wood’s Pounded and Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, with room for exceptions like Greg Rucka’s Whiteout. But its distinctive alternative edge came from the fact that they published almost entirely black and white books.

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What I Learned Being Mandy De Sandra

April 20th, 2017

About 3 and a half years ago, two college students started churning out kindle singles about women having sex with dinosaurs. I found their success a little depressing but also fascinating. Eventually, my curiosity overpowered my snobbery and I was one of the first people to interview one of the dino-erotica girls. I interviewed Alara Brawnen and my literary worldview was forever changed.

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The Hack Chronicles—The Dadonauts: Time Management

April 20th, 2017

For a writer, time is the enemy.

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Tech and Product Round-up: April Edition

April 19th, 2017

image courtesy neybox.com Hello all, welcome once again to LitReactor's monthly tech and product round-up, where we discuss the latest in technology with a writerly bent. There's plenty to report, as usual, so let's jump right in.

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17 Recommended Podcasts To Help You Improve As A Writer and Human Being

April 19th, 2017

Initially I was going to write an article solely focussing on podcasts that can help you improve as a writer. But the more I pondered the subject, the more evident it became that being a well-rounded writer is inseparable from being a well-rounded human being. Rather than read this as a definitive list of podcasts, I want this piece to serve as a starting point in your own podcast journey. A choose-your-own-adventure, if you like. For that reason I’ve sectioned recommendations into categories.

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13 Ways to Support an Author Without Ever Spending a Dime

April 18th, 2017

I may be an author myself, but I still get it: books can be expensive. I read like a fiend and have made it a personal mission to support as many of my favorite books and authors as possible, but it can be tricky at times on an author/teacher paycheck. There are so many ways, however, to show an author some love without having to drop $25 for every hardback on the shelf. Here are just a few suggestions to help get you started.

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