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Book vs. Film vs. Mini Series: The Shining
June 26th, 2012
Stephen King’s third novel, The Shining, was conceived after a late–season visit to The Stanley Hotel in Colorado. King and his wife found themselves in a near-empty building, the only diners in the dining room, the only footsteps echoing down the corridors, the only ones riding the elevator. After King took a solo turn around the empty hotel and had a long chat with the bartender, Grady, inspiration wasn’t far from knocking. Most people experience a resort hotel in peak season, thronged with staff and ot
Read Column →The Building of Worlds
June 26th, 2012
Fantasy fiction, like its sibling Science Fiction, often depends on worldbuilding to be successful. A contemporary tale that takes place in our world depends on our sense of being alive in this present to give us grounding. But secondary worlds often demand explanation - whether it’s how a particular history developed, what kind of creatures exist in the world, what the physics are, whether magic exists and how it works, and so on and so on.
Read Column →The Long & Winding Road: Part V - Submitting to Publishers
June 25th, 2012
Recap: The Long & Winding Road is a multi-part essay about my endeavors to get an agent and publish my first novel. Part I discussed writing my first novel and seeking representation, Part II discussed "revision hell", Part III discussed talking to and landing an agent, and Part IV discussed editing with an agent.
Read Column →LURID: Bad Trips - Ten Novels With Serious Drug Psychosis
June 22nd, 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. “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix…” —Allen Ginsberg, Howl (1956)
Read Column →YA Novels vs YA Comics
June 22nd, 2012
Already I have to warn you that the title of this piece is incredibly misleading. If you’re talking about YA Novels, you’re obviously talking about anything from Harry Potter to Hunger Games, but if you’re talking about YA Comics, you could be talking about two very different things.
Read Column →With Comics Based On Our Favorite TV Shows, We Never Have To Say Goodbye
June 21st, 2012
Certain television shows - anything in the supernatural, science fiction or superhero oeuvres - appear to be made for comics. Particularly because many of those shows suffer from limited budgets and relatively low ratings, but benefit from vehemently loyal fans who are reluctant to say goodbye.
Read Column →Is This Your Card? How Michael Chabon Uses Suspense in Literary Fiction
June 20th, 2012
Perhaps my favorite thing about Michael Chabon’s writing is that whether writing about academics or comic-book creators, writing swash-buckling adventures or navel-gazing sexuality-discoveries, he knows how to craft a story with a capital S.
Read Column →Why I'd Rather Be Unpublished Than Considered "Beach Reading"
June 20th, 2012
Every year, around May or June, booksellers get busy setting up their big displays. They've weathered the post-gift-giving lull and are ready for sales to pick back up again--particularly if they're selling books in, say, airports, where people are still prone to purchasing actual paperbacks to take with them on the plane and, ultimately, on vacation. "Beach reading" season is upon us. Unfortunately, much like "chick lit," just because being deemed "beach reading" may be great for sales, it's not always excellent for the reputation of a writer.
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