Columns

Creative Influence Isn't an Excuse for Plagiarism

March 13th, 2014

Remember that talk we had? No, not that one; the other one. No, not the seahorses; the other other one. The time we talked about how creativity is based on the combination of existing ideas. It’s time to revisit that topic because — as with all good ideas — someone has managed to mess it up by taking it to the extreme.

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Poetry Fun-0-1: Greetings from the Emerald Isle

March 12th, 2014

Well, this column hasn't been canceled yet, so apparently there are enough of you out there who truly are interested in poetry. I'll raise a toast to that! Be right back... ::actually going to get a drink to help me write this column:: ...okay, hey. Full disclosure, I only had scotch, so I went out to the store to get something Irish. I'm a Guinness man normally, and there's a nice Irish Beer Discovery Pack with Guinness, Black Lager, Smithicks, and Harp, so that's what I got. Sláinte!

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Amtrak Residency Application Terms and Conditions: Proceed With Caution

March 11th, 2014

When Alexander Chee was asked in a Pen Ten interview what his favorite place to write was, he responded with: I still like a train best for this kind of thing. I wish Amtrak had residencies for writers. And after trains, libraries at night, especially empty ones.

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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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