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Does Gay Writing Deserve Special Treatment?
March 2nd, 2012
The 2011 short list for the Man Booker prize – the UK’s main literary award – ruffled a few feathers. Mainly this was because the chair of the judging panel, Dame Stella Rimington, had the nerve to suggest that readability was one of the main factors in deciding who made it onto the list and who didn’t.
Read Column →Top 10 YA Books That Adults Will Love
March 2nd, 2012
Even as a young adult, I never read much Young Adult fiction. But a few years ago my friends started Forever Young Adult, a hilarious site aimed at grown-ups who love YA. Being friends with YA experts means that I always have someone to weed through the dross and recommend (and loan me) the best the genre has to offer. I’m here today to pass on their expertise to you.
Read Column →The Path To Publication Part 3: When Is Done, Done?
March 1st, 2012
Recap: This is a monthly column about trying to publish my crime/noir/literary novel, formerly known as 'Apophenia'. Part 1 talked about the book and its history, as well as my decision to seek an agent. Part 2 talked about beta-readers and the various methods for finding an agent.
Read Column →New Release Roundup: Recommendations for March 2012
March 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 for March. 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 →Autobiographical Fiction: Using Your Real Life To Craft Great Fiction
February 29th, 2012
There is a fine line between a fictionalized autobiography or memoir and autobiographical fiction. In both cases, the author includes tidbits about his or her life. The difference is to what extent. Fictionalized autobiographies are mostly a truthful telling of the author’s experience with sections fictionalized to “protect the innocent”, filling gaps where memory fails, and occasionally rearranging events for maximum narrative effect. Generally speaking, the reader is to believe the author’s account and take it for truth.
Read Column →Transgression in Theory: The Idea of a Fight Club
February 29th, 2012
Not very much has been written, on even a basic theoretical level, about this weird thing we call transgressive fiction. I call it weird because the very idea of lumping together some twisted and “dangerous” novels and seeing them as part of a “group” — or worse, a genre — feels, to me, like a bad move. Certainly, as I’ll happily concede, novels like American Psycho and Fight Club have thematic similarities, as well as stylistic ones.
Read Column →What The Hell Ever Happened To... Harry Crews?
February 28th, 2012
Harry Crews is, was, and always will be a complete and utter badass. I mean, just look at his face. Would you fuck with that guy? If you're even remotely considering the idea, I'd advise you continue reading.
Read Column →10 Graphic Novels for the Literary Minded
February 27th, 2012
As graphic novels continue to become more widely accepted by the general public, I encounter more and more people unsure about where to start reading. There's a lot of product out there, which can make it difficult to find the right entry point. Additionally, many pick the wrong entry point and tend to run screaming from the medium.
Read Column →Top 10 Words That Need To Die, Immediately
February 24th, 2012
Header image by Pieter Joost Lemmens The English language is full of beautiful words. Like effervescent, and skullduggery, and defenestrate. And then there are these. These blights. Affectations that are completely devoid of meaning. Crimes against the English language that, just by saying them, you can lower any IQ within earshot.
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