Columns

How the Superheroes of Literature can save you from the Grammar Nazis

February 22nd, 2013

We’ve all met a Grammar Nazi: those people who think it is their iron-clad duty not to comment on the rhythm of your prose or the strength of your arguments, but on the fact that you missed an apostrophe in the second line of paragraph three.

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Book vs. Film: Warm Bodies

February 22nd, 2013

Contains Spoilers This month saw the release of Jonathan Levine’s adaptation of Isaac Marion’s zombie romance novel Warm Bodies. [record scratch] Hold up – zombie romance? Yep, that’s what I’m telling you. Isaac Marion’s book is a Night of the Living Dead take on Romeo and Juliet. Romero and Juliet, if you will. (You probably won’t, and who could blame you?)

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Notes from the Drunken Editor: How To Fail and Why You Should Keep Failing

February 20th, 2013

Let's talk about failure. Failure is, after all, the great unmentionable. We pay no attention to failure until we see some cultural or corporate Goliath fall to its knees. Enron goes down, we pay attention. The United States invades Iraq — and things go a little wrong — sure, we're watching. Critics of the West's celebrity culture often point out how the media sensationalizes the trivial and, by omission, trivializes what is of true importance.

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5 Ways Looking At Comics Can Help The CWs "Amazon"

February 19th, 2013

With the news that the CW’s Wonder Woman adaption Amazon is living in a sort of limbo— its script still unapproved (or unseen) and thus pilot unordered, the search for a lead actress an ongoing process— those of us that would love to see a good Wonder Woman show are anxious. But then, we’re always anxious.

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COUNTERPOINT: We Shouldn't Be Giving Lena Dunham a Break

February 18th, 2013

It’s a dangerous position to qualify solidarity. Those with whom you stand will feel as though your inability or lack of desire to come over completely to their side indicates a weakness of character, or that it calls into question your stated loyalties altogether. Those to whom you find yourself opposed are likely to feel the same way, although they might add insult to injury by insinuating that you are perhaps too stupid to realize what your position is, and that you were really with them in the first place.

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O-day ou-yay eak-spay ingon-Klay?: Exploring constructed languages

February 18th, 2013

Unlike English or Mandarin, a constructed language (or conlang) is a language that did not evolve naturally over time, rather it was made up by a specific group of people (or by a person) for a specific use. There are hundreds of such languages in existence, and you probably know a few. Ig-pay atin-lay ing-ray an ell-bay? laH SoH jatlh tlhIngan?  True, Pig Latin and Klingon were are created for very different reasons, but they are both considered languages.

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Ask The Agent: Your Novel Word Count Guide and More!

February 18th, 2013

Navigating the rough terrain of today’s publishing industry shouldn’t be a solo event. This week in Ask the Agent, I’ll explore and dissect two of the industry’s mysteries, straight from the shoulder.

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6 Ways to Fall in Love with Writing

February 15th, 2013

It's February, and love is in the air—visible if you squint through the thick fog of resentment. Sadly, the same combination you'll see throughout the month (naïve infatuation, forced affection, and bitter isolation) are common in writing. You started writing because you loved it! So how can you fall in love with writing again? Here are six strategies.

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Sequel Status: ‘This Book Is Full Of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don’t Touch It’

February 15th, 2013

You know how sometimes when you're drifting off to sleep you feel that jolt, like you were falling and caught yourself at the last second? It's nothing to be concerned about - it's usually just the parasite adjusting its grip.

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Five Unconventional Fantasy Relationships

February 14th, 2013

It's Valentine's Day, the day of romance, relationships and the randy. I could do a nice conventional list about the great relationships in fantasy, epic lovers like Beren and Luthien of The Silmarillion, tragic romances like Buffy and Angel, or steamy human/god matchups like Yeine and Nahadoth from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. But fantasy is about the unusual, the unexpected, the extraordinary. In keeping with that idea, here are five great unconventional relationships in fantasy:

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