Posts by author
Victor Luo
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How to Hack Your Way to Being a “Best Selling” Book on Amazon
Because of the high bar, the term “bestselling author” was [once] a term with some meaning. It was seen as something that was earned through a lot of hard work. But today, that designation has changed—for the worse. It’s like…
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Writing with Your Fears
It is easy to forget that fear isn’t a thing—it’s just a feeling to which we have attached a word. It’s a powerful feeling, however, It is so powerful that if I sit in my living room and imagine a killer is…
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The Anxiety of the Waiting Game
For all the aspiring writers who sent out those applications a few months back, the day of reckoning soon approaches: acceptances (or lack thereof) are beginning to get sent out. To offer words of support, TheMFAYears blog shares testimonies from several candidates…
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When Serial Killers Write Memoirs
In a surreal exchange between fiction and reality, Amazon recently allowed a convicted serial killer to self-publish his memoir where he pleads his innocence, much to the horror of his victims’ families. The memoir in question was quickly pulled when…
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Examining the Dictionary for Sexism
We need to know that the dictionary, as an institution, has a cultural power beyond the sum of its parts…And that does carry with it a responsibility to realize that we exist within that tension, and to not always hide…
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Is That Book for Jocks or Nerds?
There is virtually no end to lists that attempt to catalog the best books in history, but what about a list that scrutinizes whether a book suits a jock sensibility or a nerd sensibility? Over at the Toast, Bridget Gibson…
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The Library in a City’s Time of Crisis
Libraries are major hubs that serve the community, and even more so in times when people are looking for help. Over at the Atlantic, Deborah Fallows details the efforts to preserve the San Bernardino library, which has seen an increased…
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Reading New Orleans
In the spirit of Mardi Gras, Veronica Brooks-Sigler has compiled a list of books inspired by the complex city of New Orleans over at Lit Hub.
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Elena Ferrante Breaks into Television
Great news for everyone swept up in the recent #ferrantefever (or possibly terrible news for those who loathe book adaptations): Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series will be produced for television. The author herself is reported to be involved in the process.
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Snag a Book with Your Happy Meal
In a somewhat romantic and educational gesture towards the Valentine’s Day season, McDonald’s is giving away books with their Happy Meals between Feb. 2 and Feb. 15. Titles include Paddington, Clark the Shark Takes Heart, Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!, and…
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If Walt Whitman Rode a Rollercoaster
Swift sweeping clusters of revelation! Plunging into pockets of the earth’s belly, and Shooting up into the blue and white woven infinity of the sky! Walt Whitman, author of Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself, is famous for his…
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In Defense of Memoir
If you don’t like memoir, don’t read it. And certainly don’t write about it. So you might be a critically acclaimed novelist, but if you don’t understand the genre, your critique is like Vin Scully smacking down golf, or Bob…