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12 Vital Preparatory Steps for NaNoWriMo
October 2nd, 2014
Thanks to the Office of Letters and Light, November poses one of the greatest challenges for writers: drafting an entire novel in one month. With a 50,000 word threshold, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) completion represents dozens of hours of work. To be sure, the challenge shouldn't be taken on lightly—which is why October is the perfect time to start preparing. Here are 12 vital preparatory steps for nailing NaNo this year. 1. Decide Your Level of Commitment Fifty. Thousand. Words.
Read Column →In Defense of Chelsea Cain
October 2nd, 2014
In this column, we’re going to talk a little about an online flare-up, we'll hear a little something about Nicholas Sparks being a jerk at the Laundromat, and we'll cap it off with bit about this author’s time in high school. And these will all end up in the same place, if it works out. Fingers crossed, readers. Let’s start this off with what happened online between Chelsea Cain and some other people who are not Chelsea Cain.
Read Column →Embracing Diversity in YA Literature: Six Titles to Get You Started
September 30th, 2014
Never before has the conversation about diversity in literature been quite so active. With the We Need Diverse Books campaign in full swing, there’s never been a better time to explore young adult novels that are raising the bar with a rich and diverse cast of characters. We will look at books that celebrate a wide range of diversity from authors like Una LaMarche, Amèlie Sarn, and John Ed Bradley.
Read Column →UPDATED WITH WINNER - LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: September Edition
September 30th, 2014
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.
Read Column →Five Real Book Thieves
September 29th, 2014
photo by Simon Lesley Although Markus Zusak may have popularized the idea in his YA novel, The Book Thief, literary theft isn’t exclusive to the realm of fiction. It might be a relatively unusual crime, but every now and then, someone runs sticky fingers through a library catalogue. Although some heists make for an interesting story from a third party perspective, the loss of even a single valuable book can be devastating to a small business.
Read Column →Book Vs. Film Vs. Unmade Film: "Pet Sematary"
September 29th, 2014
WARNING: Spoilers discussed freely.
Read Column →6 Novels That Will Destroy Your Good Mood
September 26th, 2014
photo © sylvain.collet via Flickr There are times when life is so full of joy.
Read Column →Testing Lab: Gifts For Writers
September 26th, 2014
When you Google phrases like "Good gifts for writers" or "unusual gifts for writers" or "what the $^#& do I get this stupid @$$%^@#?" you'll find plenty of advice blogs and heaps of bizarre gadgets, and you'll find several that pop up over and over. But do these gifts actually work? Are they, as MC Hammer put it, 2 Legit 2 Quit, or are they the exact opposite, 2 Crappy 2 Make You Happy? When you buy something for the writer in your life, are you wasting your money in a fun, conversation piece way, or is it in a junk drawer kind of way?
Read Column →Why The F*ck Aren’t You Reading Matt Kindt?
September 25th, 2014
image courtesy firstsecondbooks.com Why The F*ck Aren't You Reading? is a feature where the columnist spotlights a writer who has a dedicated following and is well known within the writing community, but hasn't achieved the elephant-in-the-room style success of a Stephen King or Gillian Flynn—But they deserve to, dammit! Hopefully the column will help gain the author featured a few more well-deserved readers.
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