Columns

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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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.

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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

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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:

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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