Columns

Let’s Get Critical! How Book Reviewing Can Make You A Better Storyteller

October 17th, 2014

About a month ago, writer and editor Sheldon Lee Compton posted on Facebook: “I don’t just want to be a better writer, but a better reader.” I’m, of course, paraphrasing, because the statement is of the type that most writers make on a occasion (okay, constantly) on social media, and to be blunt, I’m feeling a little lazy and don’t feel up to scrolling through Compton’s FB feed to find the actual quote.

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Edit My Paragraph! Episode Five

October 16th, 2014

In this edition we’ve got reptilians, zombies, and aliens. Perfect for Halloween, right? Right. First up, a user emailed the following paragraph:

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Caffeinated Lit: 9 Coffee and Book Pairings

October 16th, 2014

You have the day off, and you decide to spend it participating in one of the most luxurious activities imaginable: reading a book at a café while enjoying a cup of coffee. You arrive at your favorite spot, order your drink in a “for here” cup, and sit down at a quiet corner table. Tell me this doesn’t sound like heaven on earth.

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Locked Up: Books For My Father

October 14th, 2014

Allowable property includes 2 books, 2 faith group items, 1 eyeglasses/case, authorized hygiene items, legal papers, 5 photographs, 1 plain wedding band & 1 pair of shower shoes. —Colorado Department of Corrections Offender Orientation Handbook My father probably wears shower shoes in prison. He's always been conscious of hygiene. He was a doctor, an anesthesiologist if you want to get picky.

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BookShots: 'Mr. Mercedes' by Stephen King

October 13th, 2014

Bookshots: Pumping new life into the corpse of the book review Title: Mr. Mercedes Who Wrote It?: I think it's going to get a lot darker, more violent, and more intense if it heads in the direction I think it might. The king of horror, Stephen King, author of more than 50 books.

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Top 10 Ways To Make 'The Strain' Less Stupid

October 13th, 2014

The first season of The Strain just came to end. And, well, that certainly was a television show. 

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Things to Consider Before Signing a Publishing Contract

October 10th, 2014

Writing a novel is damn hard. Selling one to a publisher, in its own distinct way, is even more difficult because you're essentially convincing a company to gamble on you and your work. This is part of the reason self-publishing is booming right now. Searching for a publisher is both a hassle and a blizzard of heartbreaking rejection, so when you actually do get an offer, it's a huge moment. So euphoric that emotion can often blind the writer to those important details on what's on the actual contract.

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What The Huge Success Of ’Gone Girl’ Says About Us As A Society (Hint: It Isn’t Good)

October 10th, 2014

My problem with Gone Girl isn’t the book or the writer or the film. My problem with Gone Girl is us. Let’s start with this: Gone Girl is a great book, a really great book; one of those rare works of craftsmanship that make even we battlehardened correspondents from the front line of book reviewing drop our habitual sneers of ennui and let slip a small nod of respect.

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The Self-Taught MFA: Novel Idea or Fairy Tale, Part 2

October 9th, 2014

  I'm astounded that some crook has not had the idea of opening a writing school.                                  

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Book Vs. Film: "Gone Girl"

October 8th, 2014

Back in January, Entertainment Weekly ran a cover story on the (then) upcoming adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel Gone Girl. The article's author Stephen Lee quotes director David Fincher (The Social Network, Se7en) on the author-penned screenplay for the film—which stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy respectively—indicating that drastic deviations from the source material were taken. Lee writes:

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