Columns

The Best and Worst Love Stories of All Time

February 14th, 2014

What makes a love story great? What makes it terrible? A thousand people will give you a thousand different answers. As I'm about to share some of my favorite and least favorite love stories of all time, it seems wise to let you know what my criteria are.

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Footnotes: The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre Love Affair

February 14th, 2014

When seven mobsters were found dead in a Clark Street garage in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago eighty-five years ago today, the prevailing opinion, once news of the grisly murders spread throughout the country via telephone, telegraph and, the next day, the daily papers, was that Al Capone, the stocky, burly gangster of not-so-ill repute, was the mastermind behind what came to be known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.

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How To Use What You Learned in English Class to Find True Love OR How Not to Suck at Online Dating

February 13th, 2014

Valentine's Day, or as the more unoriginal among us like to call it, Singles Appreciation Day, is fast approaching, and if you're like 99.9% of people who regularly read (or write for) this site, chances are you are, once again, desperately, desperately alone. Don't feel bad, you never really had a chance. After living a life so devoted to writing, words, books, and other things associated with pen and paper, how can anybody ever expect your talents to translate over into real life?

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Poetry Fun-0-1: Love Poems

February 13th, 2014

A great poet once said, "All poems are love poems." Okay, it was a decent poet. Fine, it was me, all right? You caught me, congratulations. Maybe not every single poem in the world is a love poem, but regardless of the veracity of my claim, there are certainly more than enough to go around, a revolting amount of written endearment floating on that literary sea like emotional driftwood. How did the world end up with so many love poems anyway?

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5 Queer Relationships in Science Fiction and Fantasy

February 13th, 2014

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and it’s a time (they tell us) to celebrate relationships and love. Last year I looked at unconventional relationships. This time I wanted to look at some queer (LGBT) relationships in science fiction and fantasy. 

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Shelving a Fear of Romance

February 12th, 2014

About four years ago, a bookstore owner advised me to read romance novels. Romance readers are some of the most dedicated of any genre, he told me. They’ll stick with a series or favorite author through any number of pitfalls, continuing to buy new titles. Bring on a romance expert, and you’re basically guaranteed regular customers.

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Writer's Conventions: A Hot-Bed of Legal Issues

February 11th, 2014

TRIGGER WARNING: This column refers to sexual harassment and assault, and may be triggering to some people. Conventions are fantastic events, particularly for the writing and publishing industry. They give writers a chance to network with agents and publishers, and other writers. Aside from the positive business advantages of attending conferences, they can be wonderful social events.

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Storyville: Three Essential Books On Writing

February 10th, 2014

Today I’m talking about books on writing. I know that there are a million of them out there, but these three are the ones that I’ve read and re-read the most, the books I pick up when I get stuck or am looking for inspiration, the books that speak to me most as a writer. Yes, I own all three.

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11 Science Fiction Novels for the Lovelorn Rocket Jockey

February 7th, 2014

It’s the season of love, or at least the season of professing love through crass commercialism, so it seems only appropriate that we talk about romance novels. But I can’t be the only one who’s tired of ripped bodices and Fabio on book covers. Instead, lets talk about some great romances in the science fiction genre.

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Product Review: The Snugg

February 6th, 2014

More and more, we writers are turning to tablet computers for access to digital and online reading options on the go, as well as access to full-feature word processors in a smaller package for our writing endeavors away from home. Regardless of how you’re using your tablet, protection is a must, and selecting the right case for your precious can seem daunting, given the seemingly endless options available to you.

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