Columns

Writing Through The Fear Of Words

September 10th, 2013

Though I on occasion feel confident in calling myself a writer, I am, more often than not, someone who downright despises, and sometimes outright hates, words and the idea of words. This is in large measure because they are very powerful things. Powerful things I can get mightily confused by. Words scare the beejezus out of me. I am often upset and downright baffled by grammar and syntax. My gut twists and swells over the placement of commas and semicolons. I am terrified of form and context. I am bored, unmoved and unmotivated by words.

Read Column →

TripLit: Who Am I? Love Letter Edition

September 6th, 2013

Bust out your map app, it's time to go on a trip! This month's game: Who Am I?

Read Column →

Hollywood's Science Fiction Problem

September 6th, 2013

As a fan of science fiction, I am often excited when Hollywood decides to make a sci-fi movie. Or at least, I used to be. These days it seems exceedingly rare that science fiction feature films are any good. At best they’re lackluster or confusing. At the worst, they make me want to throw things at the screen.

Read Column →

Gridiron Blues: Authors Reflect on Football Fandom

September 5th, 2013

Living in southern California, I never understood why my father and I rooted for the Miami Dolphins. He was born in Kentucky and moved with his family to Bakersfield, California as a young child. I lived in Bakersfield until a week after high school graduation. I've never asked how he became a Dolphins fan, and in the dark days after Dan Marino retired, when I denounced the team and the sport entirely, I found I couldn't give the Dolphins up so easily. Religion is an easier thing to leave behind than a favorite team.

Read Column →

Book vs. Film: How The Wolverine Masters the Art of Adaptation

September 5th, 2013

When two things you love come together—like, say, comic books and movies— it’s hard not to get excited. You love both of those things! How could combining them be anything but awesome? That was and sometimes still is my initial reaction whenever rumors surface of the next superhero to get a shot at the big screen. Even though I know better, I just can’t help myself. If you’ve been a dedicated fan for more than a decade, these increasingly common Hollywood flare-ups have been the source of a great deal of disappointment and frustration.

Read Column →

Storyville: 10 Ways to Evaluate Your Writing Career

September 4th, 2013

If you’ve been writing for a few years, you may be curious if you’re making any progress. How exactly is your career going? Is it still in the “hobby” phase or have you gotten serious about it? Is your work getting out there, are you making any money, are people starting to notice you—even strangers? Well good, it sounds like you are evolving as an author. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly you’re doing (or not doing) to get an idea of your evolution.

Read Column →

Thickening Skin: 6 Tips for Taking Criticism

September 4th, 2013

Beginning writers are often told that they need to develop a thick skin. No one bothers to tell them how this is done or what exactly having "thick skin" means. Let me try to help. To start, here's a working definition: Having a thick skin means you are able to: stare down criticism and make it work for you; set aside your ego for long enough that your pride doesn't disrupt your work; and listen to criticism, understand it, and then completely ignore it when necessary.

Read Column →

Starting From Scratch: Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam Trilogy

September 3rd, 2013

Contains minor spoilers.

Read Column →

UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: August Edition

August 30th, 2013

Flash Fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess. 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 →

Nothing New Under The Sun: The Origins of 5 Common Literary Allusions Part 2

August 30th, 2013

Re-cap According to An Introduction to Poetry, 9th Edition, an allusion is an indirect reference to any person, place, or thing—fictitious, historical, or actual. Allusions allow writers to talk about an idea or commonly known story without having to explain. Allusions tap into our collective knowledge (and sometimes beliefs) to create meaning with minimal effort.

Read Column →