Showing posts 1 to 7 labeled Criticism (7 total)
Agency in Adult Fiction (May 19th, 2013 - No comments)
Yesterday I finished another of Sophie Kinsella's bestsellers in my ongoing effort to learn the secrets of comedy gold. Unfortunately, this time the only lessons I took away were negative ones. The book of the week was The Undomestic Goddess, which has four and a half stars on Amazon... More >>
Writing Novels Like Screenplays (April 29th, 2013 - No comments)
Yesterday I discovered that my local library subscribes to eBooks through Indiana Digital Media, which is powered through Overdrive. I went to town browsing all of the books I normally wouldn't look twice at if I had to pay for them through Amazon: horror novels, paperback romances, sci-fi and thrillers... More >>
What I Learned From The Casual Vacancy (October 22nd, 2012 - 1 comment)
Last night, I finished J. K. Rowling's long-awaited "grown-up" novel, The Casual Vacancy. I say "long-awaited," but what I mean is "long-dreaded." Would she fumble the ball? Would she dash our hopes for the next great literary achievement, the application of her famous creative wit to the complex and contradictory world of adults... More >>
The "All Is Forgiven" Effect (May 9th, 2012 - 2 comments)
So I just finished the season finale of Castle, and joined the collective voice of millions of other Americans saying, "Squee! Rick and Kate together at last!" I probably would have "squeed" louder if I hadn't been waiting for it for, oh, the past four years... More >>
Great Writers Who Can't Write (April 14th, 2012 - 2 comments)
Early on in the short history of this blog, I criticized the overuse of the word "craft" as a self-important alternative to less artistic-sounding verbs like, you know, "writing." That is not to say, though, that an actual concept of "craft" does not exist... More >>
Victorian Gentlemen: Racist, Sexist SOBs (February 12th, 2012 - 2 comments)
I've always known that the time and place I live in now is a lot nicer than in bygone eras. Racial and religious minorities can vote. Women can attend universities. You can pretty much marry anybody you want without becoming a social outcast for it (marrying a convicted serial killer you've been exchanging letters with for a month notwithstanding)... More >>
Heroines I Hate (February 9th, 2012 - 1 comment)
I've taken a break from my WIP to write a collection of short romances set in the 1890s (the aforementioned "trashy" piece being one, followed by some nine others with varying degrees of fluff). The best thing about short stories is that I can stuff in a whole lot of ideas all at once, and clear some space in my head for some more substantial efforts... More >>