GWS Advocatus Diaboli: Is the Writing Community Now in its Purge Phase?
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GWS Advocatus Diaboli: Is the Writing Community Now in its Purge Phase?

We’ve all read Ryan Boudinot’s cri de coeur in The Stranger.  We’ve all read or participated in Facebook discussions about the piece. There have been many responses. I don’t agree with everything the gentleman said, but I’ve been a little surprised by the homogeneity of the response.  (Salon‘s Laura Miller offered a guarded defense of Boudinot’s thoughts.)  Most … Continue reading »

Damien Angelica Walters’s “Requiem, for Solo Cello” and How to Solve the Problem of Short Short Fiction
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Damien Angelica Walters’s “Requiem, for Solo Cello” and How to Solve the Problem of Short Short Fiction

“Requiem, for Solo Cello,” by Damien Angelica Walters (first appeared in Issue 69 of Apex Magazine) Interview with Shimmer, From Strange Horizons: “The Serial Killer’s Astronaut Daughter” I’ve written before about the challenges posed by the popularization of short short fiction.  As I pointed out then, there’s nothing inherently inferior about any medium.  Genres and forms are like tools; they … Continue reading »

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Guest Post by FJ Contreras: What Can We Steal From “Fifteen Million Credits,” Episode 2 of Black Mirror?

Friends, FJ Contreras is an interesting gentleman.  Please check out Mexican Driving, his cultural criticism/writing craft blog.  You will also find some of his work at Hades United.  Mr. Contreras is a writer and scholar and you would do well to follow him at @mexicandriving. Today, Mr. Contreras gives us a look at what we … Continue reading »

What Can We Steal From Writers’ Web Sites?
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What Can We Steal From Writers’ Web Sites?

For better and worse, the Internet is here to stay.  (Yes, I borrowed that sentence from 1995.)  It’s still possible for writers to avoid the Information Superhighway completely, of course.  Unless I’m mistaken, Cormac McCarthy is still 100% old school.  (And aren’t we jealous?) For the rest of us, however, it’s probably a good idea … Continue reading »

GWS Debate: How Much Do You Love the Internet…Sometimes?
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GWS Debate: How Much Do You Love the Internet…Sometimes?

Friends, I spend a lot of time hating on the Internet and resenting the way that the contemporary media environment has narrowed thought and turned American journalism into an endless series of Kim Kardashian pictures and speculation as to how the Charlie Hebdo massacre will affect your favorite YouTube stars. You know what?  I have occasion … Continue reading »

GWS Debate: Brand Names in Fiction…What Do You Think?
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GWS Debate: Brand Names in Fiction…What Do You Think?

A couple weeks ago, I was doing something that you should do.  I was reading Dare Me, by Megan Abbott.  The book is a fantastic…thriller/literary novel/New Adult novel that has gotten a great deal of well-deserved attention.  Now, I was drawn in by Ms. Abbott’s beautifully drawn characters and her stellar use of language.  I … Continue reading »

GWS Click Bait Controversy: $3 Per Poem Reading Fees and Our Biggest Problems
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GWS Click Bait Controversy: $3 Per Poem Reading Fees and Our Biggest Problems

Can we be honest?  Most writers like attention and enjoy being part of a dedicated literary community.  I am certainly one of these writers.  The GWS Click Bait Controversy is designed to bring attention to an important issue that impacts us all.  (And to bring attention to GWS.)  The provocative title is designed to make … Continue reading »

What Can We Steal From Adam Carolla?
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What Can We Steal From Adam Carolla?

Title of Work and its Form: Adam Carolla and The Adam Carolla Show and his multiple best-selling books and successful television shows…and everything else. Author: Adam Carolla (on Twitter @adamcarolla) Where the Work Can Be Found: Mr. Carolla’s many ventures can be found all over the place.  His program Catch a Contractor can be found on Spike … Continue reading »