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So You Want To Write A Book, Part 2: The Daily Grind

October 21st, 2014

Hi again you guys! My writer-friends! My ones-and-onlies! This is our third month of So You Want To Write A Book, and it's time to check in. How's it going? Are you still writing? *stares at you expectantly* Yes? Great! I'm so glad to hear it! Remember, I welcome check-in comments below. I'd love to hear how you're doing!

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Spells and the Physical Power of Words

October 21st, 2014

Love, revenge, money, health— spells and poems are often quite similar in their subject matter. Both are a calculated set of words meant to draw a certain reaction from whomever they are directed at. Both utilize elements of structured meter and rhyme.

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Footnotes: 'King Lear' and 9 More Books Masquerading in Other Genres

October 20th, 2014

Patrick Magee as Cornwall and Paul Scofield as Lear in the 1971 film adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Kids begging for candy on your doorstep and college girls begging for it at the bar aren't the only things you'll find in costume this time of year. Browse a bookshelf and chances are you'll find several titles that aren't exactly as they appear — books in costume, masquerading in one genre when they're really something else entirely.

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Five Terrifying Things About Getting Published

October 17th, 2014

After years of writing journal entries only you ever read, book and music reviews seen only by you, or novels and short stories with an audience of precisely one, you finally hit one out of the park: you’re about to be a published writer! But more often than any of us care to admit, we’re far from joyful at the prospect. We’re terrified. As the wretched day approaches when the magazine comes out, or the website puts your work up, or the books are due to arrive at the bookstores, all you want to do is hide. And possibly scream.

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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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Writing Horror Without the Blood

October 15th, 2014

Sometimes, when people find out how involved I am in the horror industry, they’ll make a grossed out face and tell me they hate horror. The statement is usually followed with something like, “I can’t stand all the blood and guts.” First off, never associate with somebody who says they hate horror. They are probably already dead inside. But if you must, at least point out that horror isn’t just about the blood. Think of horror as a delicious cake, and blood as the sprinkles that make the cake look prettier.

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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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