Columns

23 Translations: What Your Editor's Queries REALLY Mean

October 4th, 2016

Editors know there is an art to writing author queries. If you've reached the thrilling and terrifying point in your writing career where you work with a professional editor, then you know what I’m talking about. If you aren’t quite there yet, then boy oh boy, allow me to dangle an enticing carrot on a stick.  “Author query” can be a confusing term. We know how frustrating and delicate writing queries for agents and publishers can be, but this is a whole other circus: the query from the Other Side.

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4 Ways To Develop Your Non-Fiction Voice

October 3rd, 2016

I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. My thoughts are if you dig something, you dig it. That’s all, end of story.

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Michel Houellebecq: The Best French Writer You Aren't Reading

September 30th, 2016

Michel Houellebecq is known as one of the most celebrated and controversial authors today. If you haven't read him yet, you should. 

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Tech and Product Round-Up: September Edition

September 28th, 2016

Welcome to the monthly tech news round-up. I've got some cool stuff from Shelfie, as well as anything you fellow writers out there might like to know about Apple's newest iPhones and mobile operating system, iOS 10. And finally, there's a bookmarklet I just discovered the other day that allows you to easily turn webpages into ePub books. There's a fair amount of ground to cover, so let's get started.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Memory

September 28th, 2016

Memory has always been an important element of the Harry Potter series. From Neville Longbottom’s Remembrall in Sorcerer’s Stone to Gilderoy Lockhart’s backfiring memory charm in Chamber of Secrets to the prominence of Pensieves from Goblet of Fire onward, memory as physical object is probably the most fascinating ideology of author J.K. Rowling. She also builds on the idea of memory being vital to the formation of identity over the course of seven books.

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Beyond Gone Girl: The Gillian Flynn You Should Read Next

September 27th, 2016

Everyone has heard of Gone Girl, and many have read it. (No, seeing the movie does not count, you heathens.) No doubt, it drew the public’s attention to Gillian Flynn and her impressive talent, even though opinion of that novel and the protagonist Amy Dunne was polarizing. I personally loved it (I talk about my thoughts on Gone Girl here), but I can also understand why some people didn’t.

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10 Things We Can Learn About Writing from 'You’re the Worst'

September 26th, 2016

If I told you a show existed that focused on two narcissists in a relationship, you would probably tell me, hey, that sounds kind of boring, and you’d have a point. When I first read about Stephen Falk’s You’re the Worst, I felt zero interest in checking it out. But eventually I grew tired of Bob’s Burgers reruns and gave it a try. Not only did I discover a new entertaining show, but I also discovered a multitude of writing lessons just waiting to be uncovered and exploited into a cheap listicle. So, here’s the skinny:

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They’re All Going To Laugh At You!: 5 Ways To Overcome Anxiety While Writing Your First Novel

September 26th, 2016

I’ve slowed down on the freelance work.

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LitReactor Community Spotlight: September 2016

September 23rd, 2016

It's been a little while, but the Community Spotlight is back! It's my first time putting the Spotlight together, and just in case it's your first time reading it, let me tell you why this matters. Because it's a lot more than just a list of stuff to read.

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LURID: Branwell Brontë—Wastrel or Romantic Hero?

September 23rd, 2016

Branwell Brontë died 168 years ago this weekend, on September 24th, 1848.  His cause of death was listed as “chronic bronchitis and marasmus”, a polite way of saying he was a coughing, half-starved, alcoholic, laudanum-addicted wreck who finally, mercifully, proved unequal to the struggle of drawing breath.

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