Columns

10 Reasons Why Books Are Always Better Than Boys

April 25th, 2016

1. Neglect Isn’t a Thing Let’s face it- relationships are work, and boys especially need lots of care and tending, so it’s not always possible to step away for a few days or weeks and not lose momentum. I mean, who wants their boy toy to feel neglected? But with a book, there’s no worry about abandonment! You can put a book down in March and pick it back up in May and it will have been patiently waiting for you to return, with nary a sarcastic comment or cold shoulder. When you need time and space to just be, books are always better than boys.

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Jasper Fforde's 'Thursday Next' Series, the Natural Progression for Harry Potter Fans

April 25th, 2016

Many Harry Potter fans grew up with the character and his stories. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first released in 1997 and was an immediate success. Its 1998 release in the United States, under the title ...Sorcerer’s Stone, led to the 2001 film adaptation, and the subsequent seven sequels culminated with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (the movie divided the book, released in 2007, in twain) a decade later.

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The Movies And Books That Influenced Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’

April 22nd, 2016

Last month I explored five movies that influenced Quentin Tarantino’s feature-length debut, Reservoir Dogs. This month I’m turning my attention towards his second feature movie, Pulp Fiction. The commercial and critical success of Reservoir Dogs has been huge.

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5 Works of Art Ripe for the Storyteller's Plucking

April 22nd, 2016

We've all heard of the visual writing prompt, right? It's the exercise whereby you write a story based on a photo, painting, or some other visual medium. The great thing about being a writer is, you can dream up a story based on just about any image you see, even if the image in question isn't all that inspiring. The most mundane and seemingly innocuous items can, through virtue of a healthy imagination, become something wonderful and/or terrifying.

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Storyville: Six Dark Contemporary Films That Can Inspire Your Fiction

April 21st, 2016

So over the past couple of years I’ve seen a lot of innovation in literature, and in film—especially with horror, and similar genres. What I’d like to talk about today is how you can embrace new movies and allow their visionary directors to inform, and inspire your fiction. Here are a few films that really resonated with me, and the ways they already have, or could influence my future writing projects—and your work as well.

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The 10 Most Compelling Hitlers in Fiction

April 20th, 2016

Before we get started, let's just be clear about one thing. This is not an endorsement of Hitler, not a loving memorial.  Let's face it, for better or worse or a whole lot even more worse, Hitler made an impact on the world, and the world of books is no different. Hitler's one of the few taboos left. What happens when writers go there?

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Six Ways Pets Improve Your Writing

April 19th, 2016

Every superhero has a sidekick. Every motorcycle has its sidecar. And every (animal loving) writer has his or her furry companion. Our pets bring us endless hours of joy and comfort in the funniest of ways—and even sometimes help us write. Their professional assistance is very cute, even though it’s not always appreciated. To honor their hard work and dedication, we as authors should take these 540 words to tell the world just how much our animals serve our craft.

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Bookshots: 'My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir' by Chris Offut

April 19th, 2016

Bookshots: Pumping new life into the corpse of the book review Title: My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir

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The Optical Illusion of Perspective In Storytelling

April 18th, 2016

I can usually tell when a character who wears glasses is written by an author with perfect vision. For me, the world is a series of blurs and movement. Color takes on particular importance, because it's one of the only ways to distinguish between objects without corrective lenses. The way we physically see the world has a deep impact on how we express ourselves. Skilled writers perform a kind of optical illusion of the mind's eye, creating language that matches and expands upon our own life experiences.

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What Works & What Doesn't: 'Badlands'

April 18th, 2016

Welcome once again to What Works & What Doesn't. Last time around we looked at Orson Welles's Citizen Kane and the construction of a sequence, the third largest building block of any screenplay (the second being sequences, the smallest being beats).

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