Columns

10 Books on Writing and Creativity Every Author Should Ask for this Holiday Season

December 1st, 2020

Authors tend to run hot and cold on writing classes and writing books. Some people swear by them. Other writers are either dubious or bordering on hostile toward them. I’m not positive, but I believe these opinions are tied in part to other writing debates about what makes someone a “real” writer, what paths to publishing are most honorable, whether you should call yourself a writer or an author, or if it’s realistic to become a full-time writer/author.

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Storyville: How Long Should Your Story Be?

November 30th, 2020

One question I get from most of my student is, “How long should my story be?” Or, “How do you know when to stop, when your story is done?” And those are great questions. Let’s take a look at some different variables that can help you to figure out how long your story should be, and if there is enough meat on the bone to go longer.

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How to Protect Your Writing Time From Distraction

November 30th, 2020

Original image via C Technical I’ve got a running list of dates in my mind to remind myself of the person I was before said date hits. The Confident and Carefree Lisa of October 2016, the Excited For Three Weeks of Quarantine Lisa of March 2020, and the Wary and Ready to Throw Down Lisa of November, 2020—it seems like each new week brings a fresh hell of surprise and “it’s just unprecedented” and outrage and distraction.

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A Short Tour of Gimmick Covers

November 27th, 2020

Back in the day, the closest thing to a bookstore in my town was the rack of paperbacks in the grocery store. V.C. Andrews, Stephen King, and one book that I always giggled at because the title was Bitch Factor. Oh, Bitch Factor. I’ve never forgotten you. One of the greater pleasures of grocery store paperbacks was the gimmick covers. A little die-cut window, some texture, really anything that made the book stand out from the other similar titles. And from Bitch Factor.

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I May Fail NaNoWriMo This Year, but It Didn't Fail Me

November 25th, 2020

At the beginning of November, I began a Twitter thread which was meant to chronicle my experience with #NaNoWriMo2020.

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Is Patreon Still A Viable Platform and Income Source for Authors?

November 24th, 2020

Patreon.com is a platform for creators of all types to share work with a dedicated audience in a subscription format. Supporters of particular creators on Patreon are called patrons. Rewards for support can be physical things that are mailed or digital work that is unlocked. Support can begin at as little as a dollar a month and moves up through tiers for higher-level supporters and content. Patreon includes pages from visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, podcasters, streamers, adult star “only fans” personalities, authors, and more.

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Storyville: 10 Tips on How to Be a Good Critique Partner

November 23rd, 2020

So I know a lot of you have been in workshops, either here at LitReactor or other places. How can you be a good critique partner, no matter what the environment? Here are some tips based on my twelve years of experience. Hope it helps.

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It's Time To Change the Virtual Event Game

November 20th, 2020

We’re all goddamn sick and tired of virtual events. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they're not going away anytime soon.  Let’s talk about how you make your virtual event suck less.

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Meandering, Wrecked, and Random: My First True Understanding of Narrative Structure

November 19th, 2020

Photo courtesy of Karin Cecile Davidson In 1987, living in Iowa City with no intention of even trying for the Writers’ Workshop, I read and wrote and worked at New Pioneer Co-op, bouncing from running a register to unloading back stock to fronting bottles of shampoo or restocking bottles of beer. In the five years since graduating college, I’d worked on Colorado River rafting trips in the Grand Canyon; on the Mississippi Queen—a paddlewheel boat loaded with passengers and crew that traveled the Mississippi River between New Orleans and St.

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Creating a Reading System Helped Me Find Joy in Reading Again

November 18th, 2020

Images via Miguel Á. Padriñán & Leah Kelley Recently a tweet went around that had one of those alignment charts but for book-reading. Things like Lawful Good (read one book at a time, finish it before moving onto the next) were on there, all the way to Chaotic Evil (I can't even type it out it's too horrifying to me).

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