Columns

All's Well That Ends Well: On Marriage And Closure

May 19th, 2016

Wedding season is almost upon us. For some, weddings are rituals imbued with cultural, religious, and personal significance. For others, they come with baggage of historical seclusion or repression, and for some they're nothing more or less than a ticket to a party with alcohol and cake.

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Six Habits of Prolific Writers (and How to Make Them Yours)

May 18th, 2016

Almost every writer out there dreams of being prolific. We all aspire to be the writer who puts out an abundant amount of quality work, drawing in new readers and fulfilling our creative destiny. For those of us who struggle to put words on the page on a daily basis, sometimes the dream seems out of reach. But in reality, there are a few key habits that most prolific writers maintain that can also easily be ours. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a high-volume writer, here are six habits to cultivate.

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How Running A Writing Contest For Kids Can Change Your Life (or at least your perspective...)

May 18th, 2016

It all began with a phone call.  "Would you be interested in helping to run the school's annual Reading Night," asked a friendly voice at the other end of the line. "I know you're a writer and..." How many conversations in our writer-lives end like that. "I know you're a writer and...." "...can you write this press release for me...for free?" "...can you write an article about underwater basket weaving and its impact on the global economy...for free?"

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Try To Be A Ghost: The Life and Times Of A Professional Ghostwriter

May 16th, 2016

Does anyone remember that column I wrote about a year ago, “What 65,000 Words In One Month Feels Like: My Life So Far As A Full-time Freelancer”? Yeah, it was a cute piece. The reason I think it’s so cute is because of this little statement (Guess who’s about to quote himself?):

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10 Beautiful Science Books

May 13th, 2016

As in any genre of writing, not all science authors are created equal. It takes a special kind of genius to explain some of the most complex subjects known to man, in a manner that's both accurate and linguistically elegant. By no means a comprehensive list of books that manage to achieve such heights, these titles are nonetheless a good place to begin exploring the outer reaches of the universe and the deepest corners of the human mind.

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How to Create an Award-Winning Magazine Without Ever Spending a Dime

May 13th, 2016

I’m going to tell you something no one else wants to admit: it’s really easy to run a successful literary magazine. It’s probably one of the least difficult things in the world. I’m not saying it’s easy to start a magazine and keep it alive for a couple months—I’m saying it’s easy to start a magazine and make it become one of the most popular magazines in the history of magazines. You want some awards? No sweat. Naked, beautiful groupies throwing themselves at your feet? You better have a big floor, pal.

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Why Readers are Lazy Fuckers and Why This Needs to Stop Right Now

May 12th, 2016

photo courtesy Quin Dombrowski via Flikr So you’ve finished a book and you have that End of B

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Comic Book vs. Film: "Civil War" (2006) vs. "Captain America: Civil War"

May 11th, 2016

It’s fairly safe to say Civil War, in both its incarnations, has been a success. The comic book crossover event sold well in a time when comic books weren’t supposed to be doing that anymore, and the film seems to be raking in both money and good reviews. But how well does this latest adaptation serve its source material? Be warned, past this point we're going deep into SPOILER country.

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30 Reasons Spider-Man Is the World's Greatest Hero

May 10th, 2016

all images courtesy Marvel When we talk about the greatest comic book heroes, we usually talk about that one A-hole billionaire industrialist who turned into a vigilante, or that other, B-hole billionaire industrialist who turned into a vigilante with a robo suit. There's the guy with the red cape, the lady made out of clay.  All of them pale in comparison to the one, true, hero, the best part of Captain America: Civil War and of comics, in general.

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10 Mothers of Famous Authors

May 6th, 2016

Sunday is Mother's Day, and to honor all the mamas out there, let's take a moment to highlight ten mothers of famous authors who played a significant role in shaping their sons' or daughters' literary careers—all while maintaining careers of their own (or, sadly, falling victim to mental illness and systemic sexism during their lifetime). Some of these moms were/are even famous authors in their own right. Happy Mother's Day! Writers, draft up something nice for your mama.

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