SIX OF THE BEST… things about finishing a novel
For the past year, I've been working on-and-off on a middle-grade portal fantasy novel. What does that mean? Well, it's aimed at kids a touch too young for true YA (more on that later), and [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… abandoned column ideas
I've been writing this column for more than three years now. I'm actually kind of amazed that I haven't stopped doing it. But that's beside the point. What I'm actually saying right now is that, [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons to outline your novel
I recently started writing a new book, and in preparation for it, I wrote an outline. Some writers do this; some don't. Some only do it for books; some do it for everything. It really [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons for giving up on a story
I love to read. This is known. I read very quickly -- I can get through most normal-sized novels (350-400 pages) in a little over four hours -- and I read a lot of different [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons to do it yourself
A lot of nerds are makers of one sort or another. I'm a writer; you might be a crafter, a musician, a filmmaker, or a chef. The thing is: you're creating something instead of depending [...]
5 Things Fifty Shades of Grey Did Very VERY Wrong.
I told my editor I was going to write this article and his response was, "Only five?!?!?!" I'm trying to keep this shit light, yo. My love for all things Fifty Shades of Grey is [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… ways to spend this weekend instead of seeing Fifty Shades of Grey
By now you've probably seen some sort of advertising for the "romantic" film Fifty Shades of Grey, based on the novel by E.L. James, based on her fan fiction of the Twilight series, except that [...]
Finding Happiness via HTTPS
As I write this post, it's March 14, 2014 -- Pi Day, and the day the Veronica Mars movie releases to the world*. I just watched video of Mark Oshiro, one of this century's greatest [...]
SIX OF THE BEST… Buffy crossover fanfics
I like Buffy. I like fanfic. Go ahead and laugh; I don't care. I originally discovered Buffy fanfic back in the mid 2000s -- well before I had any familiarity with the show -- because [...]