Columns

5 Storytelling Lessons You Can Learn From the Films of 2013

January 3rd, 2014

This column was born out of a desire to inject a little film criticism into my work here at LitReactor. Spice things up a bit. After all, screenwriters and film directors are storytellers too, and we can learn just as much about narrative from watching movies as we can by reading books. So I pitched an article on the best screenwriting of 2013.

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Write Every Day in 2014: 14 Steps for Forming A Writing Habit

January 2nd, 2014

If you want to be a writer, the single most important thing you can do is write. And writing, oddly enough, isn't the hard part. The hard part is starting to write. The best way to keep yourself from getting stuck in the pre-starting phase is to write consistently enough that it never feels like you need to start up again.

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UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: December (Holiday) Edition

January 1st, 2014

Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity. Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess. You get 31 words and 3 holiday song or movie titles. How It Works We give you inspiration in the form of a picture, poem, video, or similar. You write a flash fiction piece, using the inspiration we gave you. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked and awarded a prize.

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4 Tips for Making Your Writing Resolutions Stick

December 30th, 2013

 I know. I'm lazy. But I made myself a New Years resolution that I would write myself something really special. Which means I have 'til December, right? —Catherine O'Hara

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Storyville: Editor Interviews—Shock Totem, Shimmer, and The Dark

December 30th, 2013

I decided to do something a little different this column. I wanted to reach out to a few editors to get their thoughts on what they are looking for these days—what their magazine is all about—five quick, easy questions. I decided to select markets that have not only been elusive to me, for this first column, but also markets that I consider to be some of the best out there. Shock Totem publishes some of the most entertaining and layered horror I’ve read, and they’ve really become a favorite of mine.

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Exploring the Digital Wilds: Expanding Our Approach to Novels

December 27th, 2013

Telling stories is a part of human nature, but the way we tell those stories changes constantly. Once upon a time, neolithic cave-dwellers shared stories around the fire. This transformed into oral storytelling traditions, religious morality tales, representational drama, epic poetry, romances, novellas, and novels. Now the mode of storytelling is changing again thanks to our journey into the digital landscape.

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The 2013 Author Awards

December 27th, 2013

Actors get the Oscars. Musicians get the Grammys. Sportspeople get sponsorship deals. Authors get zilch. Apart from a dedication on the inside cover and (if they are really famous and/or pretty) a photo on the back, when it comes to public recognition, writers are the red-headed stepchildren of the entertainment world. This is a wrong begging to be righted, in which spirit I now pick out those in the literary sphere who made themselves conspicuous in 2013. And not always in a good way…

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Freelancing: The Art of Saying Yes

December 26th, 2013

This is the story of how I came to stand within arm's length of Annie Leibovitz as she led a small group of writers and photographers through her highly-touted, extraordinarily personal new exhibit: Pilgrimage.  But wait. Back up. Hold the phone. This is a writing site. A reading site. Why do you care about me getting to see a really famous photographer? Why am I talking about this?

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2014: A Retrospective of the Year in Books

December 23rd, 2013

Image from The Time Machine, Warner Bros. Editor's Note: As far as we know, Cath does not actually possess a time machine, thus her claims cannot be verified.

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Santa’s Naughty Past: A Look at the Long, Hard History of Robert Devereaux’s Santa Claus Chronicles

December 23rd, 2013

When you think of Santa Claus, what do you see? You likely picture a jolly, round old man with a flowing white beard. He likely wears a red suit and red cap. Perhaps there are cookie crumbs in his beard, a wishful child on his knee. Like the NSA, he’s got a list and you’re on it. Have you been naughty or nice? Too late to delete your browser history. Santa’s seen it. Don’t worry, he’s into redheads too. At least, he’s into one particular redhead in Robert Devereaux’s trilogy of bizarre, erotic Christmas novels.

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