Columns

The Case For and Against Bob Dylan's Nobel Win

April 7th, 2017

Maybe it’s been long enough that we can talk about Bob Dylan’s Nobel win with clear heads? Before we start, I’m going to tell you this: I’m not a Bob Dylan fan. When I set out to write this, I felt one way about it. By the time I finished, I felt differently. Perhaps you can join me. Open your mind a bit, maybe have a drink or seven, and really consider the possibilities. Let’s look at the various arguments for and against Dylan’s win for the Nobel Prize In Literature.

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Give the Girl a Name, Already!

April 5th, 2017

Imagine if Rebecca, Jane Eyre and Lolita had been published in 2017. The Ghost Girl. The Girl with Dignity. The Girl on the Road. Or, The Girl With the Creepy Old Dude. Or perhaps, better yet, simply The Girl. It just doesn’t work, does it? And yet…

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10 Reasons Why Poetry is the Manliest of Genres

April 3rd, 2017

Okay, so when you're not trying to be very politically correct about it, chances are you think of romance as a feminine genre and crime as a manly one, right? You are obviously wrong because a plethora of authors in both genres have shown that, even if romance if predominantly consumed by women, gender has absolutely nothing to do with writing. Just kidding: it totally does. In any case, I want to prove to you that poetry is, surprisingly, the manliest genre. Here are ten reasons why.

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The Violence Yet to Come: Breaking Down the 'Taboo' Pilot

March 31st, 2017

Late in the series run of FX's Taboo, James Delaney leans in and warns a character: "You can leave right now, or you can stay here for the violence yet to come." There is no better description for the rather unimpressive Taboo pilot. It's an unimpressive placeholder of a TV episode, but there's a reason I watched the entire season—because I was afraid that if I didn't watch, Tom Hardy would find me. And I didn't want to miss the violence yet to come.

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On Writing Books for Nobody

March 28th, 2017

Right now there are people writing books they never intend to publish.

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Tech and Product Round-up: March Edition

March 28th, 2017

Welcome to the March 2017 edition of LitReactor's tech and product roundup. Today we're talkin' fonts, sound effects, and online-based writing platforms. There's plenty to cover, so let's dive right in.

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7 Tips for Donating Old Books Without Being A Jerk

March 27th, 2017

I work at two places that accept donations of used books: a library and a bookstore that serves as a front for a non-profit. Okay, the bookstore funds the non-profit. It’s not a “front.” But “front” sounds more crime-y and thrilling.

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Let's Get Political: 10 Tactics for Writing Resistance Fiction

March 27th, 2017

In 2011, when I was in grad school, I was working on a novel about drought, wildfire, and radical activism in the West. A novel exploring the implications of the so-called Patriot Act, which essentailly allows the US government to target environmental activists as terrorists.

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Horror and Crime: A Writer's Education

March 24th, 2017

The education of a writer begins with reading. I was never much of a gamer and never really got into comics because books took over pretty early on in my teens. Books were IT for me, and I was happy with that. I'm still happy with that.

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Writing the Crime Scene: 5 Fictional Female Detectives of Note

March 24th, 2017

Grab a pen and paper and write out a list of ten crime authors you enjoy reading. Take your time. When you finish the list, quickly write down the first ten fictional detectives that come to mind. I did this exercise for the purpose of writing a different column and noticed something very strange. While the majority of authors on my first list were women, there were very few female detectives on my second. I had no explanation. Surely there were more female detectives I'd read about than Miss Marple and Nancy Drew. It was time to expand the diversity of my reading list.

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