Columns

Storyville: NaNoWriMo and Free Writing

November 2nd, 2012

For this edition of Storyville, I’d like to talk to you about NaNoWriMo and free writing. I’ve never been big on plotting out stories. I don’t want to push my characters towards certain outcomes instead of observing and interacting while letting the organic and instinctual actions rise to the surface. There is a lot to be gained by sitting down, plugging in and letting go.

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What Scares You? 30 Terrifying Horror Stories Straight Out Of Your Worst Nightmares

October 31st, 2012

Fear is subjective and personal. The things that haunt your nightmares and the things that cause my breath to quicken—they are probably not the same. Some people are hit hardest by subtle seeping dread and things unseen. Others, by in-your-face gore and guts. Still others, by the darkness of the human psyche.

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LURID: Happy Halloween! Whatever that means...

October 31st, 2012

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.

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Book vs. Film: Cloud Atlas

October 30th, 2012

Stories cross mediums like clouds cross skies, an' tho' a cloud's shape nor hue nor size don't stay the same, it's still a cloud an' so is a story.

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

October 30th, 2012

Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity. Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess, in which you're challenged to thrill us in 250 words or less. How It Works We give you a picture. You write a flash fiction piece, using the picture we gave you as inspiration. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked, and awarded a prize.

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Guess The Plot Episode V: Thrills, Chills, and Me-ows!

October 30th, 2012

There is just no possible way that I could let the ghastliest, grossest, most ghoulish month pass by without a special installment of Guess The Plot. Because nothing says "Halloween" like trying to figure out what in the name of Frederick Krueger is going on within a classic horror novel based only on the insanity on its cover.

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The Best Comic Books About Bad Guys

October 29th, 2012

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, here’s a column dedicated to all those nasty characters we love to hate and hate to love—the bad guys. While compelling villains that prove more fascinating than the hero are certainly not unique to comic books, it is the one place where you see it explored in abundance. A handful of literature’s greatest antagonists might get a novel written about them decades after their original creator is dead. A good supervillain can star in his own ongoing title, and thus keep living, scheming, and returning to wreak havoc forever.

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Ask The Agent: How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch & The Low-Down on Agency Assistant Salaries

October 29th, 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 Lauren Can you give us some tips on writing loglines/elevator pitches? I'm having a hard time boiling everything down to a line or two.

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Recap: The Walking Dead 3.03 - Walk With Me

October 29th, 2012

Beware spoilers.  Oh, Merle, how we have missed thee.  This speaks to the strength of Michael Rooker. It's commendable how he can make you glad for the return of a racist psychopath. There was something incredibly endearing to him tonight--maybe because the writers are toning down the cartoonish nature of the character, and playing up the actor's charisma. He's also helped along by the badass knife arm that's replaced the hand he hacked off back in the first season.

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Death Turns The Page: Seven Notable Literary Kills

October 26th, 2012

Most of the time proper literature deals with death, it is presented as a beautiful thing: a knight's brave sacrifice, a lover's romantic suicide, an old person's fond farewell. But this spooktacular time of year pulled my focus towards another kind of literary death. You know, those dark and dastardly acts that run the bloodthirsty gamut from spine-tingling to gut-churning. The murders.

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