Inconceivable: Social Media Branding Might Not Mean What You Think It Means

Inconceivable: Social Media Branding Might Not Mean What You Think It Means

Social Media is a mixed bag. If I'm honest, I have a lot of conflicting emotions about it. For one, it's distracting. It's so easy to spend precious reading or reviewing time mindlessly scrolling through tweets or posts. Sometimes I get sucked into a couple discussions and before I know it, I've spent an hour in back and forth dialog and searching for the perfect gif to capture my mood.

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Writing, Weight Loss, and Cops

Writing, Weight Loss, and Cops

Original images via Andrea Piacquadio & Rosemary Ketchum

I pitched this before the protests, before the tragedy of George Floyd. I recently started using a health app called Noom. Even with the malaise of Covid-19 and the stress of trying to run a publishing company and write during the pandemic, I have lost weight. The app works, but I don’t know if the way the police do their job works.

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"Final Cuts: New Tales Of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles" Edited By Ellen Datlow

"Final Cuts: New Tales Of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles" Edited By Ellen Datlow

Six years ago, an anthology of film-themed horror stories crept into readers' hands, and their nightmares were never the same.

Now...it’s back.

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What Tools Do You Use to Edit Your Manuscripts?

What Tools Do You Use to Edit Your Manuscripts?

Image by Pixabay via Pexels

What are your preferred tools when you write? A pencil and paper? A pen and a pad? Do you write notes on your phone, typing away in your notes app? Or, do you reserve all of your writing for your tablet or computer? Ultimately, all writers use some sort of tool, and very often we are using a combination of tools, switching from various platforms and then combining all of our material into a single space.

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Storyville: Advanced Storytelling Techniques

Storyville: Advanced Storytelling Techniques

Today we are going to talk about some advanced storytelling techniques. These are for authors that are already functioning at a high level. You get the basics—everything I teach in my Short Story Mechanics class—such as narrative hook, inciting incident, internal and external conflict, rising tension, climax, resolution (and change), as well as denouement (epiphany). You already understand the main components—plot, character, setting, dialogue, etc.

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The Hottest Summer Trends in Books, Reading, and Writing

The Hottest Summer Trends in Books, Reading, and Writing

We’re nothing if not trendsetters here at LitReactor. And while some outlets bring you the hottest fashions and spendy bullshit, we’re bringing you the hottest literary trends for summer.

Get it? Hottest? Because the number of degrees is higher in summer? Because of Earth’s tilt? See, people think it’s about closeness, but it’s all about the tilt. Another trend LitReactor was onto first!

We’ve got loads of sizzling, molten trends for you. Ignore them at your peril.

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Book vs. Film vs. Reality: "Shirley"

Book vs. Film vs. Reality: "Shirley"

Today marks the release of Shirley, the new film from surreal filmmaker Josephine Decker (Madeleine’s Madeleine, Thou Wast Mild And Lovely, Butter On The Latch), adapted by Sarah Gubbins from the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell (read Cath Murphy's LitReactor review of Shirley

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Kevin Bigley on the Intersection of Writing and Acting

Kevin Bigley on the Intersection of Writing and Acting

Photos via Amazon

Kevin Bigley is an actor and writer living in Los Angeles and working in Hollywood. His debut novel, Comaville, is out now from CLASH Books. His latest TV role is in Upload, a dark comedy by Greg Daniels that explores the afterlife experience in a future world where self-driving cars and virtual heavens are perks for the wealthy, while the less fortunate must do with the more affordable knockoff versions.

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The Most Memorable Duos in Literature to Celebrate National Best Friends Day

The Most Memorable Duos in Literature to Celebrate National Best Friends Day

Pride and Prejudice fans have always swooned over Mr. Darcy’s courtship of Elizabeth Bennet. But there are plenty of Austen readers whose favorite relationship in the book was a little less prideful and prejudiced: the unbreakable bond between Lizzy and her sister Jane.

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The Gabino Iglesias Online MFA: Fourth Semester

The Gabino Iglesias Online MFA: Fourth Semester

Original image by mentatdgt

The last semester of the Gabino Iglesias online MFA is here! If you made it this far, chances are you have what it takes to tackle the last semester and call yourself a writer...and you'll also know that, if you write, you are a writer anyway, regardless of your education or lack thereof. Anyway, let's get to it!

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