Columns

How Not to Ask For a Book Review

January 16th, 2013

As some of you may know, I review speculative fiction for GeekDad over on Wired.com.  As an indie author, one of the things I try to do is review other self-published work. Since the eReader revolution, there has been a great deal of good fiction being self-published, but not many outlets for reviews. I decided that I wanted to try and fill the gap, at least for the speculative fiction that would fit with the audience on GeekDad. Recently, in order to find new fiction to review, I put out a call for pitches over at The Writers Café on Kindleboards.com.

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Five Characters From 'Arrow' That Would Make Better TV Than 'Arrow'

January 15th, 2013

By now you’ve no doubt seen or at least heard about Arrow, DC Comics’ latest hit or miss (pun intended) series. It’s a puzzling piece of television. While it certainly has some potential with its stellar supporting cast and an excellent eye for fight scenes, it continuously steps on its own feet. The drama gets undermined by bad dialogue, and the humor always falls flat, frequently delivered by irritating tertiary characters. Arrow can’t seem to decide what show it wants to be—is it a badass action drama, or a campy cartoon?

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The Blagger's Guide to Sylvia Plath

January 15th, 2013

Just the facts ma’am Sylvia Plath was born in Boston on October 27, 1932, and was raised in Winthrop, Massachussets, with her mother, Aurelia; German-American father Otto; and younger brother, Warren. Plath’s maternal grandparents lived a short distance from her family home and the young Sylvia spent much time in their house, built so close to the sea that she once remarked how after storms they would find the bodies of dead sharks washed up in the garden.

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Storyville: Writing Dialogue

January 14th, 2013

There are many components that go into a great story. You need to have a layered, vivid setting. You need to create a narrative hook that pulls your audience in and a story that keeps them interested. You need characters that are complex, flawed, and realistic. And you need dialogue that rings true.

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10 New Comics To Try In 2013

January 11th, 2013

Last year brought some brilliant new comics that I hope all of you read and will continue reading – gems like Saga, Hawkeye, Stumptown Volume 2, The Massive, Conan The Barbarian, and even intriguing new runs on books like Journey Into Mystery -- but if you’re curious what great ALL NEW comics to look out for in 2013, this is the list to get you started.

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Screenwriting: Insert Woman Here - Sidestepping the Sausage Fest

January 11th, 2013

Back in the day, the original Star Wars movies were a big hit at my primary school, except with the girls at recess.  As the boys galloped onto the playground eager to re-enact the destruction of the Death Star or the defeat of the Imperial forces on Endor, they had a plethora of roles to pick from, male characters of varying ages, colors and body types.

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Winter is Come: Fantasy Winters

January 10th, 2013

By now most of us have heard the saying, “Winter is Coming”, from George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. In the book and television show, it is the motto of House Stark, the guardians of the northern part of the kingdom, and those who are positioned in one of the worst places for that winter. Winters in Westeros, we’re led to believe, are bigger than just a winter on Earth, more severe, longer, lasting years. Summer at the beginning of the series has lasted nine years.

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The Joys and Perils of Self-Fictionalization as Portrayed in Four Films - or - Why We Write

January 10th, 2013

Let’s just get one thing straight—I am not a film critic, but I enjoy the storytelling process so much that I like to watch movies that place the act of making fiction at the center of the story.

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Five Plot Devices That Hurt Your Writing

January 9th, 2013

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about some of the more predictable stories that show up in fiction workshops. This week I’d like to do something similar: I want to discuss a few popular plot devices that cause our work more harm than good.

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Notes from the Drunken Editor: You Are the Joke Here

January 9th, 2013

Are you familiar with jokes at the expense of artists? Here's one: Q: What is the difference between a large pizza and a writer? A: The pizza can feed a family. Ha! But as with any profession that's been around long enough, you don't need to look very far if you want jokes. They're often called "case studies" and they can go like this: "This person or company did this and got these results. Let's look at what happened and learn something from it."

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