Columns

5 Famous Authors Who Became Infamous

December 17th, 2012

As literary types are all too fond of pointing out, writing and literature has been on something of a downslide in terms of the public eye lately. With the rise of mediums like film, television, and the plethora of content available for free at the click of a button on the Internet, the concept of slogging through a 200+ page novel doesn’t hold as much appeal as it used to.

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6 Ways You're Molesting Your Metaphors

December 17th, 2012

A good metaphor is an incantation that transports your reader to another world. A good metaphor is an antique key your grandfather gave you that fits perfectly into the lock on your story's meaning. A good metaphor is the smudge at the corner of Mona Lisa's lip that, in its willing disregard for direct truth, allows her smile to freeze, permanently at the edge of life. A good metaphor is a duck. Because ducks are awesome.

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LURID: Spine-Tingling Victorian Ghost Stories

December 14th, 2012

Header image via Wikipedia Commons LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. A sad tale's best for winter: I have one Of sprites…” — A Winter’s Tale

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Merry Wishmas: Top 10 Book Gifts I Wish Existed

December 14th, 2012

Last week I posted a list of the Top 10 gift items for bookworms this holiday season, and they’re all pretty good. However, in a perfect world, those might not be the very best gift items bookstores have to offer.

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Five Cheap DIY Gifts For Book Lovers

December 13th, 2012

Your list of people to buy for is big but your budget is small. What’s a generous soul to do? You could try to re-gift the Fifty Shades Of Grey you won as a door prize at the swingers’ club or the Grieving For Dummies you were given after your last goldfish died. You could stalk Amazon’s lightning deals 'til the wee hours. Or you could create handmade book-related DIY gifts for your loved ones. The crafty route seemed like a sensible way to save a few dolla bills, so we fired up the glue guns, old books, and spray paint and got to work.

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Storyville: Happy, Not Sappy

December 13th, 2012

I know that a lot of people here at Lit Reactor tend to write dark stories. Whether those are horror, neo-noir, crime, fantasy, science fiction or literary stories, the desire to see how characters react to trauma, violence, and negative experiences is a normal one. It’s just more interesting to see how people deal with a bad day instead of a good one. But how do you write a positive, upbeat story without it being melodramatic? How can you focus on the light, instead of the dark?

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Indie Press Spotlight: ChiZine Publications

December 11th, 2012

Do you like vampires that poop spangly fairy dust and are apparently resistant to sunlight? Do you like barrel chested werewolves who are emotionally conflicted about being killing machines? Do you like sociopaths who are debonair charmers with 180 IQ’s that leave a calling card whenever they murder someone? Do you like “horror” novels that read like recycled Stephen King or Dean Koontz?

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Say Cheese! 12 Terrible Photos of Bestselling Authors

December 10th, 2012

Whenever I get a new book, I give the thing a thorough once-over before I dive in. I check its teeth, kick its tires, and generally read every scrap of information that isn't the story proper. This includes author blurbs, the table of contents, and any introductions or forewards. Then I flip the book over to read the synopsis on the back cover. It makes me feel prepared, and gives me a frame of reference for the journey I'm about to embark on. I even check out the author photo, to give a current face to the name.

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Ask the Agent: Options For Novellas and More Advice on Query Etiquette

December 10th, 2012

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. Question from Courtney What types of options are there for novellas within the traditional publishing industry? Would I be better off going with self-publishing or should I send out some feelers first -- and to whom? Agents within my genre, or are there novella-specific agents I should research?

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UPDATED WITH WINNER: Workout Your Brain: Write a Sonnet (& Win!)

December 10th, 2012

Let’s get one thing straight—I am not a poet. But I am a writer, and let’s face it, poetry takes the best that language and grammar have to offer and elevates it to divine status. Even though I know poems are the result of a lot of hard work, a good one can read like a miracle.  That said, I am now going to advocate writing a poem, potentially a very bad poem, a sonnet to be exact.

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