Columns

Inconceivable: Social Media Branding Might Not Mean What You Think It Means

June 18th, 2020

Social Media is a mixed bag. If I'm honest, I have a lot of conflicting emotions about it. For one, it's distracting. It's so easy to spend precious reading or reviewing time mindlessly scrolling through tweets or posts. Sometimes I get sucked into a couple discussions and before I know it, I've spent an hour in back and forth dialog and searching for the perfect gif to capture my mood.

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Writing, Weight Loss, and Cops

June 17th, 2020

Original images via Andrea Piacquadio & Rosemary Ketchum I pitched this before the protests, before the tragedy of George Floyd. I recently started using a health app called Noom. Even with the malaise of Covid-19 and the stress of trying to run a publishing company and write during the pandemic, I have lost weight. The app works, but I don’t know if the way the police do their job works.

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What Tools Do You Use to Edit Your Manuscripts?

June 15th, 2020

Image by Pixabay via Pexels What are your preferred tools when you write? A pencil and paper? A pen and a pad? Do you write notes on your phone, typing away in your notes app? Or, do you reserve all of your writing for your tablet or computer? Ultimately, all writers use some sort of tool, and very often we are using a combination of tools, switching from various platforms and then combining all of our material into a single space.

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Storyville: Advanced Storytelling Techniques

June 12th, 2020

Today we are going to talk about some advanced storytelling techniques. These are for authors that are already functioning at a high level. You get the basics—everything I teach in my Short Story Mechanics class—such as narrative hook, inciting incident, internal and external conflict, rising tension, climax, resolution (and change), as well as denouement (epiphany). You already understand the main components—plot, character, setting, dialogue, etc.

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The Hottest Summer Trends in Books, Reading, and Writing

June 11th, 2020

We’re nothing if not trendsetters here at LitReactor. And while some outlets bring you the hottest fashions and spendy bullshit, we’re bringing you the hottest literary trends for summer. Get it? Hottest? Because the number of degrees is higher in summer? Because of Earth’s tilt? See, people think it’s about closeness, but it’s all about the tilt. Another trend LitReactor was onto first! We’ve got loads of sizzling, molten trends for you. Ignore them at your peril.

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Book vs. Film vs. Reality: "Shirley"

June 10th, 2020

Today marks the release of Shirley, the new film from surreal filmmaker Josephine Decker (Madeleine’s Madeleine, Thou Wast Mild And Lovely, Butter On The Latch), adapted by Sarah Gubbins from the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell (read Cath Murphy's LitReactor review of Shirley

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The Most Memorable Duos in Literature to Celebrate National Best Friends Day

June 8th, 2020

Pride and Prejudice fans have always swooned over Mr. Darcy’s courtship of Elizabeth Bennet. But there are plenty of Austen readers whose favorite relationship in the book was a little less prideful and prejudiced: the unbreakable bond between Lizzy and her sister Jane.

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The Gabino Iglesias Online MFA: Fourth Semester

June 5th, 2020

Original image by mentatdgt The last semester of the Gabino Iglesias online MFA is here! If you made it this far, chances are you have what it takes to tackle the last semester and call yourself a writer...and you'll also know that, if you write, you are a writer anyway, regardless of your education or lack thereof. Anyway, let's get to it!

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Book vs. Series: Breaking Down "Defending Jacob"

June 4th, 2020

Apple TV+ has recently released a television adaptation of the 2012 novel Defending Jacob by William Landay. The miniseries stars Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery as Andy and Laurie Barber, a couple whose 14-year-old son is accused of murdering a middle school classmate. While the show has received mixed reviews, the different suspense-building techniques used in the series versus the novel reveal how tension and reader investment can vary even if many of the events remain the same.

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15 Sports Reads To Get You Through The Pandemic

June 4th, 2020

A lack of live sports has been tough on fans, and looking through YouTube for old footage doesn’t satisfy most of us for long. The Last Dance on ESPN helped for a few weeks, but that’s over now, and nothing like it appears to be on the horizon. Fortunately, there’s an abundance of literature about sports to keep us going in the coming weeks and months as we wait to see how and if our beloved contests will return. 

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