Columns

On Kicking Ass: How To Write a Fight Scene

July 18th, 2014

Header image via Afonso Lima This may sound strange, coming from a person who writes for a living on a site dedicated entirely to the craft of writing, but sometimes words fail us. We’ve all found themselves in situations where there’s nothing left to say. Somebody presumes to put hands on you and yours, and they aren’t hearing any arguments. So what then? How do we communicate when our differences can’t be resolved with a conversation?

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5 Silver Linings of Having A Day Job

July 18th, 2014

Let's face it: having a day job sucks. But sometimes life puts us in a position where we have to work outside our writing career, and we can either waste time bemoaning this fact, or we can make the best of it.

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The Importance of Journaling

July 17th, 2014

Photo Credit: TheFancyLamb It all started when I was eight and I got a super cool diary for Christmas. It was soft and squishy to the touch, covered with drawings of teddy bears, the pages were rose scented, and it had a lock on the side so my sisters couldn’t read it. Most importantly, it was the first place where I felt comfortable writing down my thoughts, even if they were simply, Joey tried to hold my hand today and I hated it, or Homework is fun.

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Poetry Fun-0-1: America the Beautiful

July 17th, 2014

O say, can you read by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed as a poem-turned-anthem, Whose broad themes and bright lines through a rhyme scheme so tight, O'er the airwaves we've heard before many sporting games? And masses unaware there was poetry there Gave proof through the night that their love was still there; O say does that star-spangled poem yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

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Lawyers: Pros or Cons? Part 2 — Why You Should Love Lawyers

July 16th, 2014

I blame the bad reputation of lawyers on two things: ambulance chasers and American popular culture.  Having worked in a jurisdiction with limited compensation claims and advertising of personal injury cases, moving to North America was a bit of a shock. Lawyers… advertise? No win, no fee? Lawyers need to beg for work on billboards in Vegas?

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Lawyers: Pros or Cons? Part 1 — Why Lawyers Suck

July 16th, 2014

Q: “How many lawyer jokes are there?” A: “One. The rest are true stories.” Lawyers have a rotten reputation. On that point there’s no argument. But I’m here to tell you why writers in particular should view lawyers as a human form of the plague and avoid them at all costs. No, I take that back: they’re not quite as bad as a disease that causes buboes full of blood and pus to break out all over the body and kills its victims in a matter of days. I misspoke.

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On Research: The World is Full of Experts

July 15th, 2014

I don’t know if anybody really tells writers this anymore, but if anybody tells you to “write what you know,” kick them in the shins and run away. I seriously can’t imagine any worse advice to writers than “write what you know.” Maybe “always write from the point of a view of a monkey,” or “only write when you’re super drunk.” 

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LURID: Barbecue Season - Cannibalism for Connoisseurs

July 15th, 2014

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading.

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Edit My Paragraph! Episode Three

July 14th, 2014

It's that time of the month again, and like a menstruating uterus this editor bleeds red ink all over some prose...yeah... First up, Only2be gives us a paragraph on parenting:

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How To Do (and NOT Do) a Press Release

July 13th, 2014

There's a moment in your novel's lifespan where it's done, but not quite out yet. People can order it, but they're not going to be receiving their copy for weeks or even months. It's pre-order, the hype period, the time in which you're pumping up this thing that no one has seen or read yet. You're in dire need of press, reviews, and maybe even an interview or two. Bottom line: you've got to put on your public relations hat and solicit some attention. This is where the press release comes in.

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