Columns

Storyville: Revealing Character

April 17th, 2012

You’ve certainly all heard about the concept of “showing, not telling.” Basically, what this concept stresses is how to reveal things by allowing your reader to discover, label and define for themselves. Don’t tell us a woman is beautiful. I mean, what does “beauty” even look like? To one person it may be long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a conservative manner of dress. To somebody else it may be short black hair, dark eyes, tattoos, piercings and boots. And besides, it’s vague and empty. Beautiful doesn’t mean anything.

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Honey, I Shrunk the MFA Application Pile: Crafting Your Statement of Purpose

April 17th, 2012

Every place you submit, you can usually sample what they publish. Just to get a feel for what works there, what doesn’t—whether the current editorial tastes veer toward the gory and in your face or seem to be more in keeping with first-person first-kiss kind of stories. And this goes beyond publishing: before you apply for a job you can cruise the aisles of the store, see if people are slicking their hair back and covering their tattoos. And, if you want the job, you take their lead, you fall in. You need that check.

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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Prospero's, Kansas City, MO

April 17th, 2012

ADDRESS: 1800 West 39th St., Kansas City, MO, 64111 HOURS: Mon - Sat: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm, Sun: 10:30 am - 6:00 pm ON THE WEB: Website, Facebook

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LURID: Bedeviled - The Exorcist and Other Stories of Demonic Possession

April 16th, 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.

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Ask The Lit Coach: 'Is It Possible To Find A U.S. Publisher For Your Spanish Language Novel?' and More

April 16th, 2012

Is it possible to find a U.S. publisher for your Spanish language novel? How do authors attract an agent or promote their book if they choose to publish under a nom de plume? Those are the burning questions answered in this issue of Ask The Lit Coach. Question from Ernesto G. I am in the process of writing a novel, based on historical facts, it will be done in Spanish, since it will deal with the Salvadoran civil war. What would you advice as the best publishing house for that sort of material? 

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How to Tell a True Horror Story: Cabin In The Woods

April 13th, 2012

The best horror stories make you keep on suspecting that this can’t possibly go on. That things have already reached their bloody crescendo, have hit that point past which any reasonable story is going to have run out of gas. That’s right about when Cabin in the Woods starts picking up speed.

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10 Hysterical, Sexy, Awesome, Ridiculous, Scary Book Trailers

April 13th, 2012

Book trailers. They are officially a thing. And the world is a better place for it. But from whence came they? And since whence? Wikipedia has the (contested) answers: The term "book trailer" is currently a trademarked term owned by Sheila Clover of Circle of Seven Productions. The first book trailer to be played publicly was at a book convention in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2003 [contradiction], Dark Symphony by Christine Feehan.

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Interdimensional Hit Parade: Sci-Fi Influenced Pop Music

April 12th, 2012

For a geek like me, spotting a science fiction reference buried in popular music is a rare and wondrous thing. In the middle school of life musicians are the cool kids, while online sci-fi columnists are… crap, this analogy is depressing. Regardless, it’s always nice and surprising to discover that creative people are being influenced by the same authors and stories I revere.

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The Long & Winding Road: Part II - Revision Hell!

April 12th, 2012

Recap: The Long & Winding Road is a multi-part essay about my endeavors to get an agent and publish my first novel. Part 1 discussed writing my first novel and seeking representation.

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The Problems of the Disassembled Narrative

April 11th, 2012

It’s trendy nowadays for writers to create stories with non-linear narratives. While the experiment can produce some interesting results, I’m going to champion an unpopular position and say that most of the time it’s a terrible idea.

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