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5 Words to Be Grateful For
November 28th, 2013
In this season of harvest, bounty, and gratitude, let us take a few moments to thank the bread and butter of our profession: words. They sustain us in times of deep anxiety; they’re our best friends, especially when other humans become intolerable. Here are five words I’m particularly thankful for — in no particular order — because they’re either especially vital or oddly funny sounding. Or both.
Read Column →UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash (Crime) Fiction Smackdown: November Edition
November 27th, 2013
Flash (Crime) Fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity—and crime! 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.
Read Column →Cataloguing Your Influences
November 27th, 2013
I’ve always shied away from the questions, “Who do you read?” and “Who are your influences?” On one hand, I've always found my mind blanking when asked those questions, thus making me look like a word-fumbling moron; on the other hand, those questions always reminded me of that scene in The Third Man, when pulp writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) is inadvertently wrangled into a Q&A with a snooty book appreciation society.
Read Column →Culling The Classics: The Chronicles of Narnia
November 27th, 2013
Forget J.F.K., the grassy knoll, and any conspiracies theories you were planning to debunk this month, because November 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of a much bigger tragedy: the death of C.S. Lewis, author of the classic children's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Clive Staples Lewis (or "Jack" as his old buddy John Ronald Reuel called him, another spooky J.F.K. parallel) was one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. To celebrate the man's life 50 years after his death, to celebrate his 115th birthday (Nov.
Read Column →A Thankful Writer's Top 10 List
November 26th, 2013
It's November, which means Facebook's alight with thousands of "I'm thankful" posts. While 30 Days of Thankful feels overwhelming to me (and sometimes forced and a bit saccharine), I wondered what would happen if I tried to list items for which I'm thankful, with a bit of a writer's slant. Here's what I came up with...my Thankful Writer's Top Ten List.
Read Column →Snark is a Dead Scene: Why It's Time For Writers to Try Something New
November 26th, 2013
Illustration by Henry Holiday is public domain For those of you who read a column's title and sprint for the comments, pants around your ankles in anticipation of the self-righteous hot and coily you intend to deposit, let me preface this by saying I'm guilty of everything I'm about to address. So save the figurative unleashing of your bowels for someone else. This isn't the proper forum for such leavings, and you risk leaving skidmarks on the underwear of your reputation. That being said...
Read Column →Controversies Inside the World of Science Fiction and Fantasy
November 26th, 2013
With the recent release of Ender’s Game, many of you were made aware of the controversy surrounding Orson Scott Card, his homophobic comments, and his efforts to fight marriage equality. It was the rare occasion of something well-known in the science fiction community reaching a larger audience. In the spirit of that exposure, I’m going to share five more controversies that rippled through our small community. Be warned: there’s racism, sexism, and generally dickish behavior below.
Read Column →Getting Shit Done: Eight Tips and Tricks for Better Time Management and Productivity
November 25th, 2013
Photo by Daquella manera Maybe you work a full-time job. Maybe you’re part-time. Maybe you’re a stay-at-home parent. Maybe you’re making enough off your writing to call it a living. Whatever your situation, you’ve got twenty-four hours in a day and at one point or another, you’ve probably cultivated the perfect set of distractions to keep you from your writing.
Read Column →Storyville: Dissecting "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
November 25th, 2013
I’m going to be doing something a little different this column. Instead of dissecting one of my stories, I’m going to dissect a classic short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” by Joyce Carol Oates. This may be one of the most heavily anthologized and taught stories ever, and that’s no exaggeration. It’s a beautifully written story, where the tension slowly builds, very creepy and distressing in its subtleties—surreal and dark, rooted in the real world, with hints of something supernatural at hand.
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