Columns

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. 

Read Column →

Guess The Plot, Episode IV: A Galaxy Of Wonder

September 27th, 2012

Guess The Plot has returned from hiatus! That's right,  LitReactor's favorite/only speculative, vintage book cover-based game is back with another certified bananas piece of "art" from the depths of the Internet.

Read Column →

Getting Over It, Getting It Out: On Embracing A Bad First Draft

September 26th, 2012

Back in April, Max Barry wrote an excellent article for LitReactor on some of the common frustrations surrounding the first draft.

Read Column →

The Secret Lives Of Little Words

September 26th, 2012

If you’re reading LitReactor, you’re either a writer, book lover, or lost web surfer washed up on these literary shores. In any case, you’ve probably got a pretty spiffy vocabulary and would scoff if I told you that you might not truly understand how common words such as “okay,” “well,” and “so” function in conversation. Well, prepare to scoff because odds are, you've got a lot to learn about the hidden lives of the tiny words we use every day.

Read Column →

Start Reading Comics! A Beginner's Guide

September 25th, 2012

As both a voracious and vocal comic book aficionado, I frequently answer the questions of those who are sadly unfamiliar with the form. In the steadfast hope of alleviating their condition, I always do my best to answer them honestly, succinctly, and then direct them to where they can learn more. By far the most common question I am asked is, Where to begin? There is so much material, so many titles to choose from, and all of it comes pre-packaged with decades of history—it’s quite easy to become overwhelmed.

Read Column →