Columns

Thickening Skin: 6 Tips for Taking Criticism

September 4th, 2013

Beginning writers are often told that they need to develop a thick skin. No one bothers to tell them how this is done or what exactly having "thick skin" means. Let me try to help. To start, here's a working definition: Having a thick skin means you are able to: stare down criticism and make it work for you; set aside your ego for long enough that your pride doesn't disrupt your work; and listen to criticism, understand it, and then completely ignore it when necessary.

Read Column →

Starting From Scratch: Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam Trilogy

September 3rd, 2013

Contains minor spoilers.

Read Column →

UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: August Edition

August 30th, 2013

Flash Fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess. How It Works We give you inspiration in the form of a picture, poem, video, or similar. You write a flash fiction piece, using the inspiration we gave you. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked and awarded a prize.

Read Column →

Nothing New Under The Sun: The Origins of 5 Common Literary Allusions Part 2

August 30th, 2013

Re-cap According to An Introduction to Poetry, 9th Edition, an allusion is an indirect reference to any person, place, or thing—fictitious, historical, or actual. Allusions allow writers to talk about an idea or commonly known story without having to explain. Allusions tap into our collective knowledge (and sometimes beliefs) to create meaning with minimal effort.

Read Column →

A Literary Nerd in Krakow

August 29th, 2013

Kraków is the second largest city in Poland—and was the second stop on our Eastern European vacation (read the first entry, covering Prague, here). Going from Prague to Kraków was a little like going from Manhattan to Queens. Less crowded, smaller buildings, and overall, a much more chill vibe. 

Read Column →

Marlowe and Me: Jumping Off the Hay Truck

August 28th, 2013

­A few months ago, my son tried to run in front of a train because I wouldn’t let him play on a decommissioned backhoe. Granted, he wasn’t trying to end all of his two years in a fit of rage, just trying to get away from me as fast as possible. And, I should add for the sake of Social Services (and I’m starting to wonder if these columns make me sound like a horrible parent, which is diametrically opposite the point of them), I yoked him up within a few steps. But it still scared the crap out of me.

Read Column →

Joshua Mohr and Anisse Gross Talk Plot

August 28th, 2013

Next week we kick off another installment of Plotlines, a workshop led by best-selling author Joshua Mohr, on finding the balance between character and story. While prepping for the class, Joshua thought it would be fun to engage another writer on the subject, and he picked Anisse Gross, the film editor at The Rumpus.

Read Column →

A Literary Nerd in Prague

August 27th, 2013

Seeking a break from work (and America), I decided to visit Eastern Europe this summer, along with my wife and two friends. The four of us met up in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. (Three of us then went to Kraków, the second largest city in Poland—check out that installment here).

Read Column →

Big In Japan: 12 Japanese Covers of Popular Bestsellers

August 26th, 2013

Village Vanguard image via Skvora Limited. All other images by Joshua Chaplinsky Konichiwa, bitches! I am recently returned from a glorious three-week sojourn in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Read Column →

The Kessel Run (in under 12 Parsecs): A Guide to the Star Wars Expanded Universe

August 23rd, 2013

Star Wars. Whether or not you consider it science fiction, it’s what many people think of when you mention space, spaceships, laser guns, or robots. One movie back in 1977 spawned an empire that continues today. It spun off into additional films, television series, games, comics and, yes, books. These make up part of what’s referred to as the Expanded Universe, the material that isn’t exactly canon but which has fleshed out Lucas’s world far beyond anything we’ve seen in the films.

Read Column →