Columns

Ask The Agent: Write What You Love or Write To A Certain Market? and More

October 1st, 2012

It's always tempting to write for a certain market, especially if you are under the impression that what you write will be easier to sell and make you Oprah-rich. This is a publishing myth. In this week's Ask the Agent, I tackle some of those ideas (after I tackle cookbooks, of course).  Question from Chris Do standards change for cookbook publication? I haven't seen many updated books on publishing them.

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Marvel NOW! - What Is It And Why Should You Care?

September 28th, 2012

To be honest, Marvel NOW! is really confusing. As someone pretty deep into comics, I’ve read numerous pieces about it and could still not sum it up for you easily. The best I can do is to say that there's a massive event going on right now called "Avengers vs.

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LURID: Saucy Jack - The Ripper In Horror Fiction

September 28th, 2012

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a twice-monthly guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. …you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off. ha not the time to get ears for police. —Jack The Ripper, September 30th 1888

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

September 28th, 2012

Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity. Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown. This shall be a monthly bout of writing prowess, in which you'll be challenged to thrill us in 250 words or less. How It Works We give you a picture. You write a flash fiction piece, using the picture we gave you as inspiration. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked, and awarded a prize.

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The Art of the Content Edit: 10 Ways To Make Sure You're Doing It Right

September 27th, 2012

When a book is accepted by a publisher, it goes through a few rounds of editing, but there are two that are pretty important. The first is the content edit, in which the reader looks for issues related to pacing, structure, theme and overall effectiveness of the story. The second round is proofreading--making sure everything is spelled right, all the facts are straight, all the periods are in the right place. 

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Guess The Plot, Episode IV: A Galaxy Of Wonder

September 27th, 2012

Guess The Plot has returned from hiatus! That's right,  LitReactor's favorite/only speculative, vintage book cover-based game is back with another certified bananas piece of "art" from the depths of the Internet.

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Getting Over It, Getting It Out: On Embracing A Bad First Draft

September 26th, 2012

Back in April, Max Barry wrote an excellent article for LitReactor on some of the common frustrations surrounding the first draft.

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The Secret Lives Of Little Words

September 26th, 2012

If you’re reading LitReactor, you’re either a writer, book lover, or lost web surfer washed up on these literary shores. In any case, you’ve probably got a pretty spiffy vocabulary and would scoff if I told you that you might not truly understand how common words such as “okay,” “well,” and “so” function in conversation. Well, prepare to scoff because odds are, you've got a lot to learn about the hidden lives of the tiny words we use every day.

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Start Reading Comics! A Beginner's Guide

September 25th, 2012

As both a voracious and vocal comic book aficionado, I frequently answer the questions of those who are sadly unfamiliar with the form. In the steadfast hope of alleviating their condition, I always do my best to answer them honestly, succinctly, and then direct them to where they can learn more. By far the most common question I am asked is, Where to begin? There is so much material, so many titles to choose from, and all of it comes pre-packaged with decades of history—it’s quite easy to become overwhelmed.

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Your Favorite Book Sucks: 'Naked Lunch'

September 24th, 2012

'Your Favorite Book Sucks' is an ongoing column, written by different people, that takes a classic or popular book and argues why it isn't really all that great. Confrontational, to be sure, but it's all in good fun, so please play nice.

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