Columns

Ask The Lit Coach: 'Should Writers Censor Their Work Because They Fear Agent Or Editor Rejection?'

December 19th, 2011

In the preface of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde very starkly lays out the aim of the artist - "The artist is the creator of beautiful things." And the aim of art itself is "to reveal art and conceal the artist." The critic, be it your workshop peers, agents, editors, your reading public, reviewers, etc., "is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things." 

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Top Ten Comics That Should Be A TV Series

December 16th, 2011

There aren't a ton of can't-miss television shows when it comes to my weekly viewing habits, but one series I love that has taken off and become somewhat of a cable sensation is The Walking Dead, which is based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman. Comic book properties making their way to television isn't exactly a new phenomenon, as there have been numerous cartoons and live-action series, but none have managed to reach the level of sophistication and drama that The Walking Dead has achieved over the course of just a season and a half.

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Buying Guide: How To Shop For A Writer This Holiday Season

December 16th, 2011

The gift-giving season is upon us! If you're not done shopping yet, and you've got a writer in your life, we're here to help!  Here's a list of gifts that any writer would love. They come in a variety of price ranges, to compensate for how wealthy/cheap you may be, but most importantly, they are thoughtful, useful gifts that any writer would appreciate. (For example, I am a writer, and I would appreciate anything on this list. So there's your proof!)

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On Dialogue Tags: Why Anything Besides 'Said' And 'Asked' Is Lazy Writing

December 15th, 2011

Chortled* is a verb. The definition is: To laugh in a breathy, gleeful way; chuckle. And it is a horrible, terrible, stupid word. For me it conjures the image of an obese woman laughing through a mouthful of spray cheese. I don’t know where it came from, but I do know we should send it back and light it on fire.  Wait. Deep breath.  Let’s step back for a second.

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A Reader’s Confession: I Dog-Ear My Books.

December 15th, 2011

I dog-ear my books. I do. I underline and highlight passages, scribble in the margins. The first thing I do when I buy a paperback is to crease the spine for easier pocket-stuffing. I read my books in the bath, on the beach, in the rain, while camping. My library therefore looks a little worse for wear, but trust me that it’s better for love.

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Why Independent Bookstores Matter: A Rebuttal To Slate's Farhad Manjoo

December 14th, 2011

Farhad Manjoo has a piece up at Slate right now, Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller, that has independent bookstores in a tizzy, because it makes the argument that Amazon is a friend of book-lovers, and the indies are not.

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LURID: Bad to the Bone? (Part 2: Adults)

December 14th, 2011

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a monthly guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading Happy Kwanukkasolmas!  Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, here’s hoping you’ve survived prolonged contact with your family, and found the tips contained in the last LURID re: identifying juvenile psychopaths useful during your festivities.

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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, San Francisco, CA

December 14th, 2011

ADDRESS: 261 Columbus Avenue (at Broadway), San Francisco CA, 94133 HOURS: 10 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week FOOD/DRINKS: No café; drinks during certain signings or special events only.

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Generation Active: What Can Video Games Tell Us About the Future of Narratives?

December 13th, 2011

I want to make a promise to the readers of LitReactor: I, John Jarzemsky, hereby solemnly swear that my next column will not involve technology, and how it will or will not affect the worlds of books and storytelling. I also promise that I’m not a robot hell-bent on making The Matrix into a reality.

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Hashtag Haiku: #funwithshortforms

December 12th, 2011

It’s December. It’s cold. You’re already sick of eggnog (or sick from eggnog), so let’s just have a little fun with a couple of literary forms—one older than old, and the other still just a toddler: Haiku and Twitter Hashtags. Hashtags Even if you’re not a Tweeter, you’ve probably noticed these little cross-hatched symbols pop up in text a lot more than they used to. This symbol has a variety of names and uses, the most common (here in the USA) are:

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