Bringing the Lie to Life: What Your First Two Pages Can Tell You

Column by Chris Rosales January 22, 2013 2 comments
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Bringing the Lie to Life: What Your First Two Pages Can Tell You

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I was once running a workshop at the Boulder Writing Studio when a student handed me a list. It had been compiled by a man named Gordon Mennenga, of Coe College, and had been passed around after the University of Iowa Writing Festival in Iowa City, until it ended up in my hands, here in Colorado. Unlike most such lists we see passed around writers circles, it was not a list of must-read books, and it was not a list of common mistakes writers should avoid, and, as much as most of us may have wanted it to be, it was not a list of Glengary-like leads on agents and editors.

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Extraordinary Leagues: Crossovers in Fantasy

Column by Rajan Khanna January 22, 2013 4 comments
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Extraordinary Leagues: Crossovers in Fantasy

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There’s something compelling about the idea of the crossover, of taking characters from different settings, sometimes even different worlds, and having them interact. There’s an intriguing juxtaposition of the familiar with the new, and changing the context of a character can often illuminate them in ways that might not have been obvious before. This idea pops up in comics, film, and of course in literature.

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Writers and Depression: An Interview with Psychotherapist and Author, Philip Kenney

Interview by Erin Reel January 21, 2013 12 comments
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Writers and Depression: An Interview with Psychotherapist and Author, Philip Kenney

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Writing is an oftentimes lonely calling. As if the rigors and challenges of modern publishing and making a living off one’s writing wasn’t enough, writers often fight many silent and sometimes crippling battles in their minds. So often have we heard the creative-as-depressive or just a little bit “crazy” debate: Do the truly brilliant artists require a bit of mental instability to craft brilliant art? And often the idea of the “crazy” or “mad” artist is romanticized by young writers finding their voice and literary path.

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Ask The Agent: When Should You Stop Querying?

Column by Bree Ogden January 21, 2013 1 comment
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Ask The Agent: When Should You Stop Querying?

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Navigating the rough terrain of today’s publishing industry shouldn’t be a solo event. This week in Ask the Agent, I’ll explore and dissect one of the industry’s mysteries, straight from the shoulder.

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LURID: Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe!

Column by Karina Wilson January 18, 2013 5 comments
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LURID: Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe!

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LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading.

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Sequel Status: How Does 'The Twelve' Stack Up To 'The Passage'?

Column by Meredith Borders January 18, 2013 10 comments
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Sequel Status: How Does 'The Twelve' Stack Up To 'The Passage'?

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The Twelve is Justin Cronin’s sequel to the generations-straddling vampire epic The Passage, the second in a trilogy that will be completed in 2014 with The City of Mirrors. And when I say vampire trilogy, I certainly understand your hesitation. “I’m a grown-up,” you might argue. “I read grown-up books.”

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10 Questions with Joe Biel, Founder of Microcosm Publishing

Interview by Rob Hart January 17, 2013 1 comment
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10 Questions with Joe Biel, Founder of Microcosm Publishing

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Joe Biel is a writer, activist, journalist, filmmaker, teacher, and publisher. He founded Microcosm Publishing and the imprint Cantankerous Titles, which have published over 300 titles and sold more than one million "classic format" paper books. He co-founded the Portland Zine Symposium and is the author of Beyond the Music, Make a Zine, and The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting.

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Kickstarter Campaign vs. Kickstarter Reality

Column by Kelly Thompson January 17, 2013 5 comments
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Kickstarter Campaign vs. Kickstarter Reality

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Back in August of 2012, after the end of my first (and only) Kickstarter, I wrote about the experience and offered some advice on how to run a successful campaign. Now that more time has passed, and all the emails have been sent, the rewards have been mailed, the packages have been shipped, and the credit card has been thoroughly exercised, where do things stand? Did I make any money? Did I love it or hate it? And most importantly, would I do it again?

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7 Strategies to Outsmart Writer's Block

Column by Rob Blair Young January 16, 2013 10 comments
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7 Strategies to Outsmart Writer's Block

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A writer who has never experienced writer's block probably hasn't written very much. Overcoming writer's block isn't as simple as "just writing" or "willing through" the difficulty. However, by understanding writer's block, you can employ strategies that let you maneuver around the problem, effectively outsmarting this common adversary of writers around the world.

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