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LURID: Creepy Crawlies - Invertebrate Horror
August 3rd, 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.
Read Column →Some Practical Writing Advice From Douglas Coupland
August 3rd, 2012
LitReactor asked me for some advice for younger writers. In the end, I don't know how much advice you can really give a writer. They're either going to follow it or they're not. So rather than get mystical, I thought what might be helpful is a simple, practical list that I wish someone had given me 25 years ago. So here goes…
Read Column →5 More Ways Your Brain Sabotages Your Writing... And What To Do About It
August 2nd, 2012
Last month, we looked at five sneaky ways your mind messes with your productivity as a writer. I’d love to tell you that those are the only psychological tricks and cognitive distortions your brain has up its sleeve, but I can’t. Because there are five more where those came from, and also because your brain does not have sleeves. Let’s take a look at what else our writing practices are up against…
Read Column →Your Favorite Book Sucks: 'The Big Sleep'
August 2nd, 2012
'Your Favorite Book Sucks' is an ongoing column, written by different people, that takes a classic or popular book and argues why it isn't really all that great. Confrontational, to be sure, but it's all in good fun, so please play nice.
Read Column →New Release Roundup: Recommendations for August 2012
August 1st, 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 August. 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 →Is Kickstarter A Viable Tool For Writers?
July 31st, 2012
It used to be that if you wanted to record an album or write a book, you had to beg your parents for money or get a job flipping burgers, just to keep the lights on and the booze flowing while you toiled at your art. That paradigm has shifted, thanks to crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, where you can post a work-in-progress, request funding by enticing people with exclusives and rewards, and ultimately fund your dream without the indignity of filing out an application at the local Starbucks.
Read Column →UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: July Edition
July 31st, 2012
Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity. How This Works We give you something. It could be a picture or an idea or a sentence. You write a flash fiction piece, using the thing we gave you as inspiration. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked, and awarded a prize.
Read Column →Look Like A Genius Without Actually Being One: Eight Formatting Tips And Tricks
July 31st, 2012
Imagine watching a great TV show, and at the most dramatic, perfect moment of the lead character’s heart-wrenching soliloquy, the boom mic dangles, just barely, into the corner of the frame. No matter how good the show has been up to this point, the spell is broken—you’re painfully wrenched from the tale, immediately aware that you are not IN a story, only WATCHING a story. Bad formatting can do exactly this to your fiction.
Read Column →12 Hysterical, Offensive, Ridiculous, Controversial, Frightening, Sexy Book Covers
July 30th, 2012
They say don't judge a book by its cover, but these 12 designs make it awfully hard not to. From the hysterical to the offensive to the downright frightening, they are sure to elicit a gut reaction before your brain has even had time to process what it's seen. You'll laugh, you'll cry... you'll be aroused but ashamed to admit it. Which is why we discuss these things hidden behind our computers in the public privacy of the internet. But be warned, some of these are NSFW, so you might want to look over your shoulder if you're on the job.
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