Columns

Comic Conventions Versus Pop Culture Conventions

July 26th, 2019

My first comic convention was not amazing, spectacular, or any of the words that have come before “Spider-Man” in a comic title. There were no big celebrity guests. There were no medium-sized celebrity guests. You know what? Instead of naming all the kinds of guests that were not in attendance, I’ll just tell you there were no guests whatsoever other than Holiday Inn hotel guests who wandered into the basement convention space by mistake.

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Taking Creative Control: How to Make Time for Writing in a Busy Schedule

July 25th, 2019

Between time getting ready for work, commute time, and time at work itself, I spend close to 58 hours every week in some way dedicating myself to my job. Which is great! I’m paid to do it and because of that, I can pay for things like, you know, rent. And groceries. The electricity bill. Even eating out with friends when I feel like it.

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The Most Anticipated Books of 2019: The Second Half

July 24th, 2019

This has been an incredible year for books. Here are some of the books I'm looking forward to in the second half:

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Everything You Need to Know About This Year's Hugo Nominees

July 23rd, 2019

Drumroll, please — the 2019 Hugo nominations are out! In case you don’t follow the genre avidly, the Hugo Awards are one of the premier accolades in science fiction and fantasy. And if the 2018 Hugo Awards are anything to go by, 2019 has a lot to live up to. Last year, we were witness to history as N.K. Jemisin won the Best Novel award — for the third year in a row. Needless to say, she’s the first author to do so, and her Broken Earth trilogy was hugely deserving.

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13 Reasons Why Your Novel Sucks At Diversity

July 22nd, 2019

Adding diversity to your novel is a difficult task, especially if you’re not part of the ethnic group being portrayed. While this sentiment could spur an argument about the appropriateness of authors writing across racial boundaries or how such efforts diminish the opportunities available for authentic voices, I believe our professional community is better served by discussing how writers can approach race or any other minority status with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

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Fountain Pens: Useful Tools or Hipster Affectation?

July 19th, 2019

I’m a curious person, which leads to trouble when it comes to the simple parts of life, like picking out a pen.

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10 Leo Authors And Their Most Leo Works

July 18th, 2019

photo: British Library/Flickr/No known copyright restrictions July 23rd marks the beginning of Leo season on the astrological chart. As we prepare for the running of the lions around the world, let's take some time to highlight some of the big-name authors born during this period, as well as their "most Leo" stories and/or characters. Why?

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Revisiting Old Works-in-Progress: 5 Ways to Make the Most Out of It

July 17th, 2019

Everyone knows Neil Gaiman, the author of Sandman, Stardust, and the now TV-famous Good Omens. And everyone should know the writing tip that he once famously gave to aspiring writers: “The best advice I can give on this is, once it's done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes. Finish the short story, print it out, then put it in a drawer and write other things.

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Horror Does Not Deserve Your Shame

July 16th, 2019

Ari Aster’s new film, Midsommar, is a genre-bending horror movie. His use of intense, slow-burn dread mixed with dark, satirical humor is a welcome throwback to a style of horror films that were popular in the ‘70s. Midsommar mixes old tropes with fresh perspectives that take horror in a rich and exciting direction. Too bad Ari Aster doesn’t consider Midsommar a horror film.

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The Top Three Things Your Character Needs

July 15th, 2019

Image via rawpixel Back in 2014 Chuck Wendig wrote a blog post titled 25 Things A Great Character Needs. If you have not read this post yet I recommend you go read it now, and while you’re at it why don’t you go ahead and read everything that Wendig has written to date, and also follow him on Twitter because he’s a great writer, motivator, and champion of writers.

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