Columns

10 Tips for a Superb Reading

May 15th, 2019

Photo by Wendy Wei from Pexels Here are some facts I won't argue about: Book covers matter and sell books Professional editing and layout matter Reading your work in public can help you sell books Especially that last one. It has worked for me time and time again.

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Storyville: Sympathy for the Devil

May 14th, 2019

When you write about horrible people in your fiction—whether it’s your villain or your protagonist—their portrayal can’t be one note. What I want to talk about today is how you get readers to feel strong emotions about all of your characters, but especially the dark souls, monsters, and evil entities in your stories.

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Book vs. Films: "The Birds"

May 13th, 2019

As Malcolm Jones correctly opines in an article for The Daily Beast, "Ask anyone today who wrote The Birds, and the odds are good that you’ll get a blank stare for a response." This is certainly true of cinephiles, as well as the population at large, who think, no doubt, of three things when reminded of The Birds: Hitchcock, Tipi Hedren in her green dress getting jabbed and pummeled by the titular avians, and a farmer with his eyes pecked out. 

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Ten Books to Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month

May 10th, 2019

Heritage months! So much to learn in such a short time. May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and, my goodness, there's a lot in there. Starting in 1978, Asian Pacific Heritage Week was designated by law as the first 10 days in May and was officially made into the month of May in 1992.

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Writers In Movies: What Do They Get Right?

May 9th, 2019

Ever tried to watch an action movie with a gun nut? It’s impossible. It’s non-stop “11 shots from what’s CLEARLY a revolver? Please.” Listen, buddy. We’re about to see Stallone kick Wesley Snipes’ flash-frozen head clean off his body, and then it bounces and shatters on the ground, shards of frozen gore everywhere. I’m fine with the reality breaking a little bit.

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The Seemingly Inevitable Relationship Between Writing And Imposter Syndrome

May 7th, 2019

photo: "Luke Alike" by JD Hancock / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 Every writer knows about imposter syndrome: those moments when you feel like a total fraud and a joke to your friends and family, a sad sack with unrealistic dreams, who isn’t doing anything a million other people aren’t doing, and, compared to other writers better than you, you’re failing at

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Writing Comics vs. Writing Novels

May 6th, 2019

Comic books are not graphic novels. The term “graphic novel” was popularized in the 80s to make collections and other long form comics more palatable to outside readers (i.e.: anyone who doesn’t frequent a comic shop) who might otherwise never pick up a copy of Watchmen. But comic books do not tell stories in the same way a prose novel does. Comic books are comic books.

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20 Comics To Cure Your 'Avengers: Endgame' Hangover

May 3rd, 2019

You saw the movie. It’s over. It’s all over. Doesn’t it feel a little like the day after Halloween? All this build-up and excitement, then it’s just...over? The awesome Demolition Man costume you made is trash. That great party left you with nothing but cleaning tasks, sweeping, bathroom duty, rinsing out the skull/spine beer bong. That feeling, that “it’s all over” thing, it’s a form of hangover. How do you cure a hangover? How do you drag your sorry carcass through this, the toughest hours?

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5 Key Things to Know About Harry Potter Day

May 2nd, 2019

‘... evacuation will be overseen by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organise your house and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point.’

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Not There Yet: Diversity in Big Five Publishing

May 1st, 2019

Nothing brings racists out on Twitter quite like asking for more diversity in publishing. Last week I tweeted: So the authors making ridiculous money according to Forbes are James Patterson, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, John Grisham, Jeff Kinney, Dan Brown, Michael Wolff, Danielle Steel, & Nora Roberts...but we need to shut up about diversity & identity politics ruined your career, right?

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