Columns

5 Troublesome Birthday Parties in Literature and Film

January 11th, 2016

They say it’s my birthday. I’m not gonna have a good time. Screw the Beatles — especially that eternally, irritatingly cheerful McCartney person — and their little song, too. Lennon called it ”a piece of garbage.” He was right. “Birthday” is just too fucking happy.

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Storyville: My 8 Most Anticipated Books of 2016

January 8th, 2016

So, of course I wanted to start off by mentioning my own titles—Breaker (out January 5th); my third short story collection, Tribulations in March; The Soul Standard, a novel-in-novellas with Nik Korpon, Axel Taiari, and Caleb Ross in September; and a craft book TBA soon.

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What Works & What Doesn't: 'The Apartment'

January 8th, 2016

Welcome back to What Works & What Doesn't. We've been working our way through the basic tenets of screenwriting by first examining the three types of cinema narratives as defined by Robert McKee in his book Story, then by looking at examples of great scene descriptions via Alex Cox's Repo Man and, last month, exploring great dialogue via Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's sublime Shaun of the Dead (for a complete list of previous WWWD columns, click here). 

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Batman vs. Superman: 7 Classic Clashes

January 7th, 2016

One of the playground’s oldest and fiercest disputes is finally about to be answered. Who would win in a fight? Batman or Superman? It was the subject of the first argument I ever had that wasn’t with my parents, and it’s hard to imagine a more popular fictional prizefight. Even people who don’t like superheroes have an opinion. As Lex Luthor enthusiastically explains in the trailer, it’s because the characters can readily serve as avatars for so many opposing forces: idealism vs. pragmatism, brains vs. brawn, and light vs. dark, to name a few.

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10 Resolutions for the Writing Life

January 7th, 2016

It's a new year and a time not only for reflecting on the past, but also for looking toward the future. As writers, we are used to the solitary life. It’s always us vs. the blank page, with the knowledge that nobody can do the work for us. In order to find inspiration and camaraderie, we must look to each other and seek understanding in the common experience. As I look back on what worked last year and what needs a major overhaul, I'm sharing my Ten Resolutions for the Writing Life, in hopes that you might find something here to identify with.

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8 Ways To Fix Your Social Media Screw-Up

January 6th, 2016

A lot of writers have the same nightmare. You wake up one morning, and the notification numbers on your Twitter and Facebook are huge. You follow the stream to find out what happened. You start seeing that you screwed up. You posted something somewhere that was interpreted as insensitive, racist, wrong, bad, no-no, uh-uh. And now the internet, which might as well be the world, is abuzz with the revelation that you’re a piece of shit.

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Ring in the Noir Year: 2016 Edition — 8 More Promising Crime Titles

January 6th, 2016

Header Image by Randy Kashka I've been made aware of the fact that it's 2016, but in my post-holiday fog it still seems unlikely. Another 12 months have vanished since I wrote a New Year's roundup of 2015's most promising noir, mystery, and true crime. Writers will keep writing, of course, and there's a whole new selection of grim and gritty tales to choose from.

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The 5 Books I Wish Someone Would Write in 2016

January 5th, 2016

I pitched this article with the idea of a trawling expedition through those nether reaches of the internet called publishers lists and bringing back to you, my readers, a net bulging with all kinds of exotic fish – everything from giant killer sharks with teeth the size of scimitars to tiny octopi with rainbow tentacles. I’d spill my booty before you, you would forgive me for my wanton use of metaphor and together we would sit on the white sands of Cath’s Book Island and explore the contents together.

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UPDATED WITH WINNER - LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: The Holidays (Post Alien Invasion) Edition

January 4th, 2016

Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess. How It Works We give you inspiration in the form of a picture, poem, video, or prompt. You write a flash fiction piece using the inspiration we gave you. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked and awarded a prize.

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One Month of Reading Joe Hill: A Primer

January 4th, 2016

Image via Joe Hill Fiction Last month I focused on the work of Ryu Murakami, this month I’m turning my attention to Joe Hill. It’s unlikely you’re unfamiliar with Joe given the numerous awards he’s received for his work, the film adaptation of Horns, and his successful comic book series, Locke & Key, which was recently adapted as an audio drama featuring Tatiana Maslany and Haley Joel Osment.

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