Columns

10 Books About Revolution

July 24th, 2015

July is a month loaded down with historical revolutions and declarations of independence. There's the big, obvious American one, of course—a holiday known as the Fourth of July. Venezuela also expatriated themselves from Spain one day and thirty-five years later. We had the Young Turk Revolution of July, 1908. The Spanish Civil War began in July of 1936. Fidel Castro and his men attacked army barracks in Santiago on July 26th, 1953, an act that, while a failure at the time, eventually led to the Cuban Revolution and Castro's seizing of power.

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The Art of the Pitch and Synopsis

July 23rd, 2015

Every author I've met hates writing the elevator pitch. They hate the synopsis they have to write for their novel even more. There's something soul sucking about condensing the entirety of your book into a couple of sentences, or a page's worth litany of events. It's like pulling teeth. But you have to do it. So let's get to it.

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6 Women Who Punched the Prize Gap in the Face

July 22nd, 2015

Literary prizes have always been messy affairs. Kurt Vonnegut liked to blame his failure to win a Nobel Prize on his poor performance as a Saab salesman. “Swedes have short dicks but long memories,” he quoted mournfully from an old Norwegian proverb.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading Barry Gifford RIGHT NOW!

July 21st, 2015

Alright, folks, let’s talk about Barry Gifford. As far as I’m concerned, the man is the very definition of what a great American writer should be: Diverse, culturally savvy, and completely unafraid to take chances when it comes to his art. If you’re not reading Gifford, you are missing out on one of the most original voices currently publishing in the American scene. So let’s get our listicle on and take a look at 10 reasons why you should be reading Barry Gifford right fucking now!

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Advice From A Literary Character: Sabina from "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

July 21st, 2015

The answers to life’s big questions don’t always come easily. It’s no wonder we seek out the advice of others so often. The obvious choices for this advice are friends, family, and loved ones, but have you ever wondered what your favorite literary characters would say to the questions that carry so much…well, weight?

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Storyville: The Best Books I've Read in 2015 (So Far)

July 20th, 2015

Not all of these books came out in 2015, in fact, most of them didn’t. But since my “to read” pile continues to grow, and I’ve been on the road a lot this summer, flying to San Antonio and Oklahoma City to speak at conferences, trying to turn off the television set and pick up a book when I’m at home, it was time to get caught up on a ton of recent titles. Here are the best books I’ve read so far this year, in no particular order.

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Academia vs. Imagination: The Problem of Intellectualism in the Works of Stephen King

July 17th, 2015

Author photo by Shane Leonard via stephenking.com - Bday image by Cup of Couple Graduation image via Pixabay Stephen King is known for consistent themes throughout his work.

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Six Novels On the Transgender Experience

July 17th, 2015

Never before has it been more important to have quality young adult novels depicting LGBTQ characters in the hands of readers. If the wildly positive response to Caitlyn Jenner’s transition in recent media is any indication, the time is right for quality representation of the transgender experience, and thankfully authors are writing important books featuring protagonists who express their gender differently than those of us who are comfortable in the man/woman binary. Here are six unique novels that feature a transgendered protagonist.  

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Productivity Methods for Writers

July 16th, 2015

I like the idea of productivity tips and guides. I read up on them a lot, but I'm usually disappointed in them. They don't translate well to reality; they're usually vague and bland, except for some classic tips like:

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There's A God For That: Inserting Mythological Allusions In Your Writing

July 16th, 2015

In a recent article from The Guardian, writer David Shariatmadari bemoans journalists overusing the same allusions to Greek mythology when commenting on the current economic crisis in Greece. Of course, allusion is nothing new to the world of writing.

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