Columns

YA Superstar: Sarah Dessen

August 23rd, 2012

The first time I ever met Sarah Dessen, she gave me a free whoopie pie. Really, that should tell you everything you need to know about what a fantastic person she is, but I can't pass up the opportunity to gush about what makes her such a terrific YA author as well.

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The Benefits of Free Indirect Discourse

August 23rd, 2012

Anyone who’s been writing for a short while knows all narrative points of view have their advantages and disadvantages. First-person offers unparalleled access but is extremely limiting; third-person offers a more objective view of the world but promises limited access; second-person is just plain weird.

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Image Innovation: Then & Now

August 22nd, 2012

Whatever your feelings about 1990’s era Image Comics (mine are mostly a side-eye with a heavy dose of nostalgia), the company has done exactly what they set out to do when they started -- their version of what DC and Marvel were doing, but with creators owning all their own work.  And they were massively successful in that endeavor.

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Where the Heart Is: Ten of The Best Regional Books You'll Find On the Shelf

August 22nd, 2012

Most stories, fiction and non-fiction, have settings. But there are some that stand out amongst others as having a unique sense of place; stories that are informed and made consequential by where they occur and the introspection they shine on their respective locales. The following is  list of ten great books that create an incredible sense of place; ones in which the setting isn't merely a device for advancing plot, but somewhere where the heart and soul of the story blossoms.

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The Death of the Literary Recluse (And Also, Is The Internet Ruining Us?)

August 21st, 2012

To Kill A Mockingbird was published in 1960. Since then, Harper Lee has appeared in public a handful of times. She never wrote another book, and she rarely grants interviews.  In 1951, J.D. Salinger published his first novel, The Catcher in the Rye. As the book grew in popularity, the author withdrew from public, moving from his Manhattan apartment to Cornish, New Hampshire. From there, he published three more books, all without maintaining a public profile. 

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Comics Crossover: Science Fiction Gets Inked Up

August 21st, 2012

Comic adaptations of science fiction novels are frustratingly rare. This is odd, because It would seem like the worlds of literary Science Fiction and comic books have a lot in common. After all, both are relatively geeky pursuits that often involve speculation about the future, high-concept plots, and - hopefully - robots. Additionally, readers of comics and sci-fi are both very used to defending their favorite titles against every disparaging label from the euphemistically loaded  "genre," to the outright hostile "low culture."

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Book vs. Film: Cosmopolis

August 20th, 2012

There is a specter haunting the world of literary adaptations and it is this: the book is always better than the film.

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Ask The Agent: Memoir Platform and Full Disclosure: How Much Is Enough?

August 20th, 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 a few of the industry’s mysteries, straight from the shoulder.

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Storyville: Endings, Twisted and Otherwise

August 16th, 2012

The alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end; this is what you need to think about when writing a short story or novel. Whether you plot out your stories in excruciating detail or start with an idea and just run with it, the way you end your story will help people determine whether it's a good one or a bad one. Endings need to be fulfilling, they need to resonate—they need to stay with the reader long after the story is over. But how do you do that? That’s what we’re talking about this week, endings that matter—twisted and otherwise.

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Five Reasons To Get Excited About Guardians Of The Galaxy

August 16th, 2012

At Comic-Con this year, Marvel unveiled phase two of their plan for world domination. In addition to the expected slew of sequels, they announced two movies that weren't based on any of their popular flagship characters. Instead, they went with properties that are practically unknown to people who do not read comic books.

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