Columns

Write Drunk: The Science of Altered States and Creativity

March 11th, 2014

From Dionysian celebrations in Ancient Greece to vision quests and well beyond, the idea that altered states lead to creativity is an established cultural "wisdom." Many writers treat the Ernest Hemingway saying of "write drunk, edit sober" as a commandment from the Muses. But do altered states really expand our creativity? What are the limits? And, perhaps most importantly, what are the reasons? I'll explore all that in this article, but I'll also be doing something more: Drinking.

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Death Threats and the Death of the Book Review

March 7th, 2014

Book reviews are part of our lives now — particularly if you’re a writer — but what do they actually achieve? I started mulling this over after reading about a case where a book reviewer stated what she wanted in return for her reviews. It made me wonder: What’s the point of a book review in the 21st Century?

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LURID: O Unlucky Man - Christopher Marlowe

March 7th, 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. It’s 450 years since the birth of Christopher Marlowe, the second-greatest Elizabethan dramatist.  Unfortunately for Marlowe, it’s also 450 years since the birth of Shakespeare.  In death, as in life, Marlowe is perpetually overshadowed by the Bard.

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The Top 10 Reasons I May Have Rejected Your Short Story

March 6th, 2014

You’re a good writer. That’s why you submitted your story to a journal with somewhat famous people on the masthead. It’s a good story—great, even—and you’ve worked the hell out of it, so perhaps you imagine these somewhat famous folks will read it, fall ass over kettle, and make you somewhat famous as well.

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Storyville: Kill Your Darlings—How 'Game of Thrones' Can Change Your Writing

March 6th, 2014

NOTE: THERE WILL BE MAJOR 'GAME OF THRONES' SPOILERS BELOW (Also, forgive any spelling errors, these names are insane.)

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The Rookie's Guide to The LitReactor Writer's Workshop

March 4th, 2014

Seems like every week I see a new thread open up in our discussion forum regarding our writer's workshop—typically, asking the same questions to the tune of “how does it work?” and “what kind of stuff can I submit?” It’s not like shopping for an apartment where you can take a look at our reviewing system and how feedback is structured before you make the monetary commitment. So this column is for you, the aspiring authors, the ones looking to take it to the next level who aren’t sure if they’re ready to invest.

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Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!

March 3rd, 2014

My husband and I were watching Patriot Games a few weeks ago. More accurately, he was watching it while I worked on my laptop—I’d seen it before. But one scene perked up my ears and pulled me out of my work for a moment: Harrison Ford in the hospital with his daughter, a precocious little Thora Birch. “Read it again, Daddy.” Halfway through the grimly spoken first line, I blurted out, “The Cat in the Hat!”, nearly dropping my MacBook in the process.

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40 for 40: Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels that Changed My Life

February 28th, 2014

This month is my birthday month and since I turned 40 this year, I thought I would take the opportunity to do a self-indulgent post. And since my editors didn’t stop me, I wanted to list out the 40 novels of science fiction and fantasy that had the biggest impact on me, in hopes that you, faithful reader, would find it useful and interesting. I’ve already talked about a number of these before, so I’ll provide links to previous columns where possible.

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LURID: Hooray for Hannibal

February 28th, 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. “And what’s he then that says I play the villain? When this advice is free I give and honest…” — Othello, II, iii

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Storyville: Editor Interviews—Needle, Thuglit, and The Big Click

February 28th, 2014

This week, we’ve decided to speak to some crime, mystery, and thriller publications—magazines and journals that tap into noir, that build suspense on the page, one dirty deed after another. First up is Needle, a slick little rag that has eluded me for a few years now, but is still one of my favorites out there—they just got some stories into the Best American Mystery Stories anthology, so you know they’re doing it right. Second, is Thuglit, who have published some of the hottest names in noir and neo-noir.

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