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The Blagger's Guide to David Foster Wallace
October 4th, 2012
To blag (v): to sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t The Blagger’s Guide to Literature (n): an invaluable resource for those who wish to blag about books without actually reading them.
Read Column →10 Words You Literally Didn’t Know You Were Getting Wrong
October 3rd, 2012
Original header image by Andrea Piacquadio 10 MORE Words You Literally Didn't Know You Were Getting Wrong
Read Column →New This Month: October Reads
October 2nd, 2012
Every month I'll be toiling in the dank, dark mines of literary obscurity, scouring the catalogues of every major publisher to bring the LitReactor faithful a few choice titles hitting the shelves. The following is a brief look at what's worth checking out in October. Full disclosure: unless otherwise noted, none of the below books have been reviewed by myself or other LitReactor staff. These are just a few recommendations based on publisher's notes and my own opinions. Without further ado:
Read Column →LitRecapper: The One Year Anniversary
October 1st, 2012
Prelude Joshua Chaplinsky peels his forehead off his desk, his jaundiced skin illuminated by the pale glow of the LitReactor homepage. He glances bleary-eyed at a page-a-day calendar displaying a shirtless picture of James Van Der Beek. The date: October 1st, 2012. He mumbles to himself... The years like great black oxen tread the world, And God the herdsman goads them on behind, And I am broken by their passing feet. His vision blurs. Fade to black...
Read Column →Ask The Agent: Write What You Love or Write To A Certain Market? and More
October 1st, 2012
It's always tempting to write for a certain market, especially if you are under the impression that what you write will be easier to sell and make you Oprah-rich. This is a publishing myth. In this week's Ask the Agent, I tackle some of those ideas (after I tackle cookbooks, of course). Question from Chris Do standards change for cookbook publication? I haven't seen many updated books on publishing them.
Read Column →Marvel NOW! - What Is It And Why Should You Care?
September 28th, 2012
To be honest, Marvel NOW! is really confusing. As someone pretty deep into comics, I’ve read numerous pieces about it and could still not sum it up for you easily. The best I can do is to say that there's a massive event going on right now called "Avengers vs.
Read Column →LURID: Saucy Jack - The Ripper In Horror Fiction
September 28th, 2012
LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a twice-monthly guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. …you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off. ha not the time to get ears for police. —Jack The Ripper, September 30th 1888
Read Column →UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: September Edition
September 28th, 2012
Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity. Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown. This shall be a monthly bout of writing prowess, in which you'll be 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.
Read Column →The Art of the Content Edit: 10 Ways To Make Sure You're Doing It Right
September 27th, 2012
When a book is accepted by a publisher, it goes through a few rounds of editing, but there are two that are pretty important. The first is the content edit, in which the reader looks for issues related to pacing, structure, theme and overall effectiveness of the story. The second round is proofreading--making sure everything is spelled right, all the facts are straight, all the periods are in the right place.
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