Storyville: Depression as Catharsis in Your Fiction

Column by Richard Thomas July 26, 2023
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Storyville: Depression as Catharsis in Your Fiction

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Today we are going to talk about depression and how writing and filtering those emotions into your fiction can be cathartic.

But before we get into this, obviously, if you are in a crisis state, and are suicidal, or are hurting yourself, please get help. I do not want you taking on your depression in your fiction if it’s going to backfire or trigger you.

Let's continue.

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Pierce Brown Brings the Light

Interview by Jena Brown July 25, 2023 3 comments
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Pierce Brown Brings the Light

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Photo via author website

Eight years ago, Pierce Brown drove a clawdrill through the literary world with his stunning science fiction book, Red Rising. We met Darrow, a young Red miner, toiling in the tunnels of Mars with the promise of a bright future thanks to their sacrifice. But that was all a lie.

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"Story of a Poem" by Matthew Zapruder: A Rumination

Review by Ben Tanzer July 24, 2023 5 comments
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"Story of a Poem" by Matthew Zapruder: A Rumination

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I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that Story of a Poem by Matthew Zapruder found me when I needed it to find me. It feels more correct to say that things find us as they do–in this case I was out running and listening to the Otherppl podcast with Brad Listi and he was interviewing Zapruder about the book–and we make those things into what we need them to be. 

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Timeless Advice: Truths Too Good for TikToks and Tweets

Column by Sadie Hartmann July 21, 2023
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Timeless Advice: Truths Too Good for TikToks and Tweets

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Imagine Ray Bradbury drunk flame trolling on Twitter.

J.R.R. Tolkien stitching a TikTok video to dunk on a reviewer that one-star reviewed The Silmarillion.

Agatha Christie starting a private Discord Server just to make fun of industry professionals. 

We have set the bar really low these days. 

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The Novels of Warhammer 40,000: Where to Begin?

Column by BH Shepherd July 20, 2023
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The Novels of Warhammer 40,000: Where to Begin?

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Maybe you’ve seen a rad space marine figurine on a friend’s desk, or stumbled across one of the many books featuring the massive armored warriors on the cover, and your curiosity has been sparked. What is Warhammer 40,000? What are these giants fighting about? You want to know more, and I’m here to tell you there is a lot more to know.

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B.S. Johnson Deserves Better Than Being Forgotten

Column by Peter Derk July 19, 2023
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B.S. Johnson Deserves Better Than Being Forgotten

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Photos by Peter Derk

When this column started, it was mostly about the unusual formats B.S. Johnson used to tell stories: cut-outs mid-story, shuffled chapters, and other oddities.

This was an idea I pitched before I knew Johnson died by suicide.

Whenever you look into a writer who died by suicide, when you know how the writer’s story ended, you look at his work through his ghost, a barely-there image that hovers over each page.

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"I Meant It Once" by Kate Doyle

Review by Alexander Pyles July 18, 2023 6 comments
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"I Meant It Once" by Kate Doyle

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I Meant It Once by Kate Doyle is a quiet, but revelatory debut collection. Each story is as sharp with wit and piercing with insight as the next. She charts the ambiguousness of various women’s twenties as they each try to hold on to what made them happy, desired, or wanted. The path forward for all of them is clouded with unknowing and the uncomfortable feelings that come with adulthood and maturity. Friendships change. Romances are not quite as hot as they once were. Life does not have the same luster as it once did in their youth.

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"Camp Damascus" by Chuck Tingle

Review by Christopher Shultz July 17, 2023 7 comments
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Storyville: Stop Pulling on Threads

Column by Richard Thomas July 14, 2023
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Storyville: Stop Pulling on Threads

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One of the most destructive things you can do when working on a short story (or novel, which is even worse) is to continuously pick at your work, pulling on threads that eventually cause your story to come undone. Don’t do that—obviously. So, what do I mean by this, what does that look like, and then how the hell are we supposed to edit our work, Richard? I have some thoughts. Maybe it’ll help.

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So You've Decided To Attend A Professional Conference: An On-The-Ground Report Of Stokercon 2023 (Part 2)

Column by Paul Michael Anderson July 12, 2023
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So You've Decided To Attend A Professional Conference: An On-The-Ground Report Of Stokercon 2023 (Part 2)

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Photos via the author

Previously, I talked about three things for those new to the whole professional conference game. 1: Remember that everyone’s an introvert, 2: the aphorism cons really happen at bars is true, and 3: FOMO is bullshit. 

Before I wrap this up, I did want to explain the difference between professional conferences and other cons. 

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