Columns

Authorial Artists: 5 Painters Who Also Wrote

June 26th, 2013

Everyone wants to be a writer—deep down anyway. And maybe not everyone wants to tell stories on a professional or even professionally amateur level, but it is true that we're all storytellers at heart. The desire to share information, life lessons, and laughs through constructed narratives is innate to our species. We tell stories to engage with others, to flatter them, impress them, bond with them.

Read Column →

Adaptations: Passionate, Not Precious

June 26th, 2013

Last weekend, I was visiting my girlfriend in the suburbs of Boston. Wishing to push my absence from the Big City to its breaking point, we decided to go camping in the woods of nearby Plymouth (everything in Massachusetts is frighteningly close together). “Glamping” (glamour+camping) is probably the appropriate portmanteau; the site we chose at random turned out to have coin-operated showers, running toilets, a store with firewood, sunscreen and other essentials, and wi-fi available at daily or hourly rates.

Read Column →

Is Batman: Li'l Gotham the Best Comic In the DCU Right Now? Yes.

June 25th, 2013

You may wonder why, as an adult, you should care about an all-ages digital first title called Batman: L’il Gotham. Here’s why: it is quite simply the best book DC publishes right now.

Read Column →

Storyville: How Do You Know When Your Story is Done?

June 24th, 2013

You have a great idea so you rush to the computer to get it down, and there is the genesis of your next short story. You then read it over and think it’s crap. So you edit it, you push some scenes around, you fix the typos and grammar, do a little research on handguns and the avian flu, and even show it to a few friends. But how do you know when it’s done? Here are some tips for figuring that out.

Read Column →

The 10 Books Every Zombie Fan Must Read

June 21st, 2013

Let’s face it, vampires are played out. Sparkles and sexiness vanquished their frightfulness in a way garlic and holy water never could. But the world needs a monster, particularly in tough times, so zombies have spent the last few years shambling in to fill the pop culture void. We play Plants vs.

Read Column →

Comic Book vs. Film: Man of Steel vs. Superman Unchained

June 20th, 2013

Let's start with a disclaimer. This is not a "traditional" book vs. film piece. Because not only are we looking at a comic book, we are comparing it to a film that is not an adaptation of a specific work, a film that draws from many different ongoing works. Still, I believe it's a worthy comparison to make because two major Superman efforts were delivered last week: Zack Snyder's Man of Steel film and Scott Snyder and Jim Lee's Superman Unchained comic book.

Read Column →

Why The F*ck Aren't You Reading Scott Phillips?

June 19th, 2013

Before we get started, a quick word of warning: the opening paragraphs of this column contain a SPOILER. But for me, the vaguely described passage from the final chapter of The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips is the very definition of noir and the core of Phillips as a storyteller. So, if you're a "only the destination matters" type of reader, go ahead and skim past the first parts.

Read Column →

The 7 Cardinal Virtues of Successful Writers

June 19th, 2013

While the seven deadly sins are generally agreed upon, there are many lists of life's most important virtues. Today I will bring you another such list: Here are the seven cardinal virtues of successful writers. 1) DILIGENCE for regular writing I've said it before and I will keep saying it until it gets stuck on loop in your own head: To be a writer, what you have to do is write. Everything else you need to know can be picked up along the way.

Read Column →

Wasteland Gems: Fiction's Post-Apocalyptic Top 10

June 18th, 2013

This month sees the release of two post-apocalyptic films: the thriller World War Z and the comedy This is the End, proving that audiences still have an appetite for end-of-the-world fare. If anything, its popularity seems to be increasing. Television shows like Revolution, Falling Skies, and Defiance are all recent productions. Games like Fallout and Borderlands continue to sell well.

Read Column →

Digital Longhand: 4 Handwriting Tips for Tablets

June 17th, 2013

Some may argue that the ascension of the almighty word processor has rendered the longhand writer a near-extinct specimen, a dinosaur clinging to old ways, stubbornly refusing to get with the times. However, writing longhand can provide a deeper connection to your work—it may be a slower method, but for me that means it's more deliberate. My stories run less of a risk of becoming stream-of-consciousness, nonsensical journeys into the wholly unleashed imagination when writing by hand.

Read Column →