Columns

In Defence of Snark: Why Dark Humour Can Save Your Life

March 24th, 2014

A few days ago, one of my Facebook friends posted a meme. It consists of a stock photo from the TV show Gilligan’s Island. In the background some wag has photoshopped an image of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. ‘Too soon?’ asked my friend. Some people thought so. Some people thought the image was disrespectful to the missing passengers, or might be painful to the relatives of the missing. Some felt it was making light of a terrible situation.

Read Column →

Game On! Ten Awesome Word and Lit-Based Apps

March 24th, 2014

image courtesy GameFly Games In the past, I've written about mobile productivity apps that make the job of writing easier. But how can we writers also waste time on our phones/tablets and still pretend we're busy getting work done? Easy, just play some word or literary-based games, many of which are at least marginally educational.

Read Column →

Hurts So Good: Why We Love YA Dystopias

March 21st, 2014

With the holiday release of Catching Fire, the second installment in the Hunger Games franchise, it's clear that YA dystopias still rule not only the bookshelves, but the box office, too. Up next is Divergent, another series seeking to cash in while the gravy—er, gruel?—train is still in town.

Read Column →

Footnotes: The Bearable Lightness of the Extraterrestrial Being

March 20th, 2014

The idea of little green men absconding off into the cosmos with our physical body in tow formed right about now, as you were reading this, if we're looking at time according to Neil deGrasse Tyson's cosmic calendar.  That is to say: the idea of being abducted by cognizant beings from another planet or another dimension is still very new, even by our own ordinary yearly calendar.

Read Column →

Facebook Advertising: Is It Worth It?

March 20th, 2014

At this point, pretty much every writer/author out there has some kind of social media presence: Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, Wordpress, and hopefully, an official website...and we're all trying to crack this code of getting more "likes", more followers, more subscribers. We're all trying to widen our audience and get more eyes on our posts. We're all fighting for attention, and because most working class authors aren't brimming at the pockets, we're trying to do this in the most cost-effective way possible.

Read Column →

Telling Tales on the Publishing Industry

March 19th, 2014

Okay, this is all about fiction writing, so let me tell you a story:

Read Column →

How to Become a Freelance Writer in 900 Simple Steps – Part 2: The Existential Crisis

March 19th, 2014

Now that I have to decided to go freelance (no matter how long it takes me), I find myself parsing a slew of chicken/egg scenarios:

Read Column →

Path to Publication 2.1: Readings, Book Trailers, and Why I Loved AWP So Much It Hurt

March 18th, 2014

My debut novel, New Yorked, will be published by Exhibit A Books in January 2015. Until then, I'll be writing about the path to getting that book published... My original plan for this installment was to address the daunting task of writing a follow-up to New Yorked. That feeling of, "Oh shit, I have to do this again." But also my unbridled excitement at revisiting the world of my protagonist, Ashley McKenna, as he struggles to find his moral compass.

Read Column →

The Best Book Adaptation I've Seen Is...'Catching Fire'!?!

March 17th, 2014

The adaptation of The Hunger Games was okay. It wasn’t a bad film, but it wasn’t the kind that inspires article writing — even though I <cough> did write one. But I wrote that article because I pitched it before I’d seen the film. I was obligated. This one I pitched after seeing the film (repeatedly) and re-reading the book (twice).

Read Column →

Drunk Dubliners and Other Irish Writers Worth Reading

March 17th, 2014

Two years ago, I went on a month-long tour of Ireland. During that trek, I reviewed the famous Irish writers, spending time with their work and the famous places associated with them. I was taken aback by just how many talented Irish writers there are, especially given that half as many people live in Ireland as live in New York City. Something about the Emerald Isle yields a disproportionately high number of talented writers.

Read Column →