Columns

LURID: Scream If You Want To Go Faster - The Live Horror Experience

October 12th, 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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10 Things The Walking Dead Has To Do To Keep Me Watching

October 12th, 2012

Here are some things you should know about me as a viewer of The Walking Dead, before reading any further. #1. I am a huge fan of the comic book. While it’s not always perfect, it’s regularly very strong, and has been for over 100 issues now – which is incredibly difficult to do. In fact, The Walking Dead was the book that brought me back to reading monthly comics after a long hiatus. #2. Nobody wants to like a great zombie television show more than I do.

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Return to the Masculine: The Reemergence of Men's Pulp Fiction in the Age of eBooks

October 11th, 2012

A couple of years ago, Amazon was heavily advertising its Kindle eReader with this little commercial below: [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWd9WXFdYI4 align:center]

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Big ‘A’ Little ‘a’: Writing Between the Concrete and Abstract

October 10th, 2012

Fiction’s currency is specifics: specific characters, specific places, specific descriptions, specific actions, specific events. Of course, writing addresses big ideas — some would say the biggest ideas. So, how do we get there through an examination of the small? Devising a decoding process that takes the reader from the story’s collection of concretes to its universal themes is one of writing's true paradoxes. And as most paradoxes go, the majority of writers who struggle with this quandary fall victim to it.

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Primer: Gene Wolfe - The Subtle Master

October 10th, 2012

That Gene Wolfe is one of the grand masters of science fiction and fantasy is a fact disputed by few. Michael Swanwick called him “the greatest writer in the English language alive today.” Patrick O’Leary called him “the best writer alive. Period.” China Mieville called him “a god” and said, “He is one of the great living authors.” Ursula K Le Guin has called him “our Melville.”

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Library Love: Reader’s Advisory - Expert Advice On What To Read Next

October 9th, 2012

Let me tell you about my Buddhist friend, an avid reader. He reads multiple books concurrently, each occupying a specific time of his day. He paces himself, allowing only a few chapters at a time, savoring every literary morsel. Reading takes him on a jaunt into the writer’s world, where he dips his toes, splashes a little, and then returns to his life.

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Direct-Address Commafication

October 8th, 2012

Comma pendant by Chao & Eero I. Hey, Jack, off that horse. A completely legitimate imperative sentence. Forget to put your commas in the right place, however, and suddenly you’re writing a different story, for a different market altogether. Or try this: Look at the computer, genius.

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Seven Badass Authors And Their Potentially Deadly Research Methods

October 5th, 2012

So you think the research for your novel is tough, huh? Searching through library stacks, poring over LexisNexis results, conducting interviews with willing participants... Boo-frickin'-hoo. You don't know tough until you've faced lynching, been held hostage in a piss-covered stairwell by a gang, had yourself committed to a madhouse, or eaten a guy or two in a Peruvian jungle. These badass authors and their dangerous immersive research techniques put the rest of us to shame...

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Sherlock Holmes (On CBS) Vs. Sherlock Holmes (On BBC)

October 5th, 2012

There was no shortage of grumbling when CBS announced they'd be producing Elementary, a modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes set in New York City. After all, the BBC is prepping for the third season of Sherlock, a modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes set in London. The BBC series, created by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, is critically-acclaimed and a geek darling.

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Storyville: Story Dissection - Maker of Flight

October 4th, 2012

I thought I would take the time to dissect another of my stories. The last one I covered, “Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave” was a unique format, so with this column we’re going to look at a more traditional structure. We’re going to dissect my story “Maker of Flight”, which was a contest winner at ChiZine, on their Chiaroscuro webzine.

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