It’s likely that the average McGill student reads more words per day off of a computer screen than from in his or her books. Material for essays, labs and other class work are readily available on a number of databases – the most useful of which are even paid for by McGill. Online dictionaries, e-mail, Wikipedia; even WebCT Vista has become an outlet for additional research sources.

Why, then, is it taking so long for the novel to also make this digital transition? When the e-book trend finally flourishes on the Internet (‘when’ not ‘if’: online novels are already easily available and quite common) members of the literary community will tremble at the threatening idea that the form of the novel as we know it could be destroyed by such novel textual formats.

Fortunately, experts believe that the answer to this fateful question is a loud and resounding: “Of course not.” The industry’s face will, however, be forced to expand, and, ready or not, authors will eventually be forced to jump on the e-publishing bandwagon – or perish.

Don’t Panic: Same words, different cover

Anyone who has read (or seen the less impressive, recent film version) of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy can easily picture the so-called e-book of the future: a handheld blackberry-esque device that flips through entire novels at the touch of a screen, eliminating the need for the “softcover book” entirely. The effects of producing such a gadget would, in reality, be far less severe than most would imagine. Although downloadable movies, purchased DVDs and cinemas provide identical material, separate – and thriving – markets for each still exist. Audiences may choose to watch a movie in a cinema, on a television screen and from a computer screen; each medium is different and will inevitably offer distinct advantages. There is room for many different vehicles to co-exist in the entertainment industry.

When the radio was invented, musicians were convinced that it would kill music; playing music on air seemed, at the time, a mass act of piracy. Playing free songs to the mass public was admittedly a rather extraordinary idea and many musicians refused to embrace it right away. Those that immediately acknowledged the significance and inevitability of this new medium, however, ended up seeing huge commercial successes.

The fact of the matter is that the film and music industries have survived and continue to adapt to new, Internet-based technologies. Once more and more libraries are uploaded onto the Internet, the novel will face a similar fate. The authors that accept and take advantage of this unavoidable literary transition will likely benefit. Those that do not, may disap pear into literary oblivion.

Video killed the radio star?

Cory Doctorow is an award-winning Canadian science fiction writer who offers his books in their entirety as free downloads on his Web site. While such actions have generated screams from within the literary community, doing so has become an extremely successful business venture for Doctorow. Putting his texts online for free did not affect his book sales and in the end, even increased them. In his essay, “Ebooks Neither E Nor Books,” Doctorow claims that digital and print editions are “intensely complimentary”; he insists acquiring one will increase the need for the other. While admitting that free downloading may displace the occasional sale, the vast majority of book downloaders will read some of the novel – testing it out – and then decide to buy it. One of his novels, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, was downloaded more than half a million times and subsequently went through five print editions.

Doctorow stresses the case of developing areass in his argument supporting free e-book downloading. These nations account for one of the largest groups of e-piracy on the Internet. Since the per-capita GDP in most of these places is less than $1 per day, a commercial market for books barely exists, and instituting strict piracy laws for such a group is futile. However, as the Internet in its current form could never realistically isolate its content by geographical audience, many authors remain justifiably worried about continuing to make a living off of their work. Like musicians, whose CD sales are affected by the availability of music downloads, Doctorow suggests that authors may one day make their living off of touring, signing and speaking about their work.

Happy Endings

There is no doubt that e-books are more convenient and cost-efficient then the printed novel. As Wikipedia has demonstrated, the ability to update or correct an electronic text immediately is invaluable. To do so in a printed text requires going through a second edition or inserting a costly “erratum” slip. While the efficiency of an e-book is undeniable, there are some disadvantages to online publishing. Electronic publishing – especially for those outside of university gates – requires access to relatively advanced technology on the part of both the consumer and producer. Furthermore, an e-book (portable or not) requires a greater amount of energy in its use than the traditional book, both in consumption and for the reader. The importance of aesthetic appeal is also something that should not be underemphasized; some people will always prefer the look and smell of a book. Admit it: our shelves would look rather dismal without them.

When the Beatles sang about “the dirty story of a dirty man,” who longs to be a “Paperback Writer,” they accurately depicted the stereotypes that still surround popular genre fiction. You know the type; you might even know it intimately. Trashy romance novels, fantastical sci-fi, horror stories, detective mysteries, even the more highly acclaimed chick lit and dick lit genres fit into this category. These novels, with their eye-catching covers, stock characters and formulaic plotlines, somehow earn a bad reputation with critics who read solely to enrich their intellectual capacities.

But does mainstream fiction deserve the slander that it receives?

Often, it does. A novel such as Carly Phillips’, Hot number, which contains enlightening descriptions of the romantic heroine “kissing those sculpted lips, threading her fingers through that thick brown hair and scraping her cheeks against his short, scruffy beard,” is probably not going to earn a thumbs-up from the New York Times Book Review. Yet Phillips, like her popular genre counterparts Nora Roberts, Stephen King and Dan Brown, all top the same paper’s Bestseller lists week after week.

Is this merely a case of an entertainment-seeking, unintelligent population of readers? McGill Cultural Studies professor Derek Nystrom believes that readers (and writers) of so-called “trashy novels” do not get the credit that they deserve. “When a novel becomes popular, you want to ask why. The popularity of genre fiction is not completely a case of an undiscerning [reading] public.” Nystrom himself admits to being a fan of the “dick lit” novelist Nick Hornby. “High Fidelity,” he confesses, “hit a little bit too close to home.”

The idea of a novel “hitting too close to home” is specifically what makes genre fiction a worthy contribution to the world of literature. “I identified with the main character in The Devil Wears Prada because she expresses herself like a real person,” proclaims Jennie Hugh, U3 Anatomy. Although popular novels are defamed for their unrealistic interpretation of life, a closer look at cheesy Danielle Steels and suspense-driven John Grisham page-turners reveals that their depiction of life is closer to reality than we think.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice)

“Was Jane Austen the ‘chick lit’ of the Regency Era? Of course,” declares Irish Times reporter Declan Kiberd in a Sept. 5 article. Like her modern-day counterparts, Jennifer Weiner and Helen Fielding, Austen received (and still receives) a fair amount of scorn. Structurally, chick lit novels resemble the commonly ridiculed Harlequin romances, although Nystrom clarifies that “they differ in that the writer possesses a highly discernable voice.”

In her blog, Jennifer Weiner (author of In Her Shoes), recognizes that chick lit is labeled as “sexist… with the built-in implication that what you’ve written is a piece of beach-trash fluff… that doesn’t deal with anything other than boys and shoes.” Even Weiner would have to acknowledge that when a novel titled Confessions of a Shopaholic hits the bookstore shelves sporting a bright pink cover, “beach-fluff” makes for a rather appropriate term of description.

But then again, Austen’s words continue to ring true. It is still a universal acknowledgement that a single man (preferably in possession of a good fortune) must be in want of a wife. And by that same token, a single woman (in possession of an equally good fortune), must be in want of husband. Whether or not you agree, the issue remains. Today’s readers continue to grapple with traditional gender roles in modern relationships.

Andrea Braithwaite, a graduate student studying popular literature and media in the Department of Communications, claims that chick lit novels “address issues such as why women feel they have to marry [to begin with]. …A lot of these novels feature protagonists whom the writer has a hard time locking into monogamous relationships.” Even if the heroine decides to wed her own personal Mr. Darcy, Braithwaite asserts “that doesn’t change the fact that throughout the course of the book, these women are asking themselves: ‘is this what I want? How do I go about finding something that works for me and my priorities?'”

The pressure to prioritize affects male characters, as well as female ones. “There is a lot of confusion for men’s roles in relationships,” says Braithwaite, noting that popular dick lit novels by Nick Hornby and Mike Gayle recurrently ponder the “crisis of masculinity.”

“‘O brave new world!’ It was a challenge, a command.” (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World)

Aldous Huxley may have coined the title, but in essence, every science fiction novel imagines a “Brave New World” that is able to transform the society portrayed in the chick and dick lit genre. Communications Professor William Straw recalls “people used to say that we read science fiction to imagine better worlds. I think that’s a bit of it.”

Nowadays, this idea of a “better world” outside of our own world has ingrained itself in the minds of readers, who, according to reporter Steven Anderson’s Sept. 29 article in the Globe and Mail, are buying more and more apocalyptic-type fantasy novels. Keeping in mind the instability that shook the world after 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami, Straw is not surprised at this development.

“It’s that sort of comfort factor,” Braithwaite insists. “These books make us think about things that happen in our lives, whether they’re big and catastrophic or personal dilemmas.”

Science fiction novels often reflect issues of race and gender in ways that realistic novels cannot. In a fantasy world, Braithwaite says, “it is possible for a writer to ponder the question of why we have gender in the first place.” Sci-fi writer Ursula K. Le Guin, for example, expounds upon this idea by creating a genderless population in her popular novel, The Left Hand of Darkness. For years, the genre has made it possible for readers to imagine a world that operates on a completely different and better level. “Even Star Trek, early on, showed blacks and whites working alongside each other in a way that contemporary genres wouldn’t have allowed,” Straw claims. “It [Science Fiction] offers problems for solving contemporary problems in a future world.”

But are we running from our problems by trying to escape in books? “Absolutely not,” says Nystrom, who believes that escapism is not such a negative idea. “Fantasies,” according to Nystrom, “are just as interesting as realities. Fictional worlds aim to reorder the world of reality. We need to focus on that reorder.” Science Fiction, perceives Nystrom, is not about avoiding reality, it is about “real life concerns played out in a different kind of way.”

Escapism is more than convenient; it is essential. “I don’t think that the negative connotations of escapism really do justice to the fact that everyone needs a fantasy life,” claims Braithwaite. “We need a place to explore different sides of our identity without the negative repercussions of what would happen in the real world.” After reading Harry Potter, who does not want to be a wizard?

“People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff.” (Stephen King)

“Part of what popular fiction does,” says Braithwaite, “is… making us think about things that happen in our lives, whether they’re big and catastrophic or personal dilemmas. They [genre novels] become a kind of therapy of being able to think about, read about and talk about these issues from different kinds of positions.” Braithwaite, a self-proclaimed fan of Janet Evanovich mysteries, notes that “people tend to gravitate to certain kinds of genres that offer different types of securities. We like popular genres because they’re so familiar. There’s a formula for how things play out.” In an unstable world, a novel that reads like a formula suddenly doesn’t seem so adver
se to the human psyche.

Writing is like sex. There’s that playing around with ideas before hand, the ejaculation of ideas on paper, and in one sweeping moment of inspiration the climax (of the story) comes, bringing everything to an end soon after. So why is it so much better to “do it” in Montreal? What is it about this city that makes it a great place for writers? After all, The Quebec Writers’ Federation dubbed Montreal the World Book Capital in 2005. If you feel like doing some writing in this literary city (hey- it could be your ticket to fame and wealth) and need inspiration, you’re in luck! Montreal is one of the best places to get inspired and start that bestseller you’ve always wanted to write. Here’s why:

First of all, there’s something in the air in Montreal. It is so heavily charged with thoughts (some deeper than others) that if you tune in to the right frequency, you can potentially catch some brainwaves issuing from the overheated minds of hundreds of students and, incidentally, professors that crowd the city. You can choose from McGill, Concordia, Université de Montréal (being bilingual can be helpful)… anything goes! This is a university city and thus it’s the hub of many intellectual (and not so intellectual) activities that could stimulate your brain cells.

Does school not inspire you? No problem, Montreal has other, greener things to offer, such as Mont Royal parc. Have you always found nature to be the best place to rejuvenate and recharge? Does the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing through the leaves give you a poetic urge? Nature has inspired many authors in the past, go and try it out: take a walk or a jog in the park! If you don’t get inspired, at least you’ll get some fresh air and exercise.

Prefer water to grass and old buildings to no buildings? Yet again, Montreal accommodates all of your inspirational needs. Take a walk in old Montreal and check out the port and old buildings. Feel the history, feel the flow of the St-Laurent and feel your pen finally hitting that paper.

Finally, a personal favourite (drumroll please): the metro. Yes, the metro, which is complete with its share of delays and malfunctionning escalators. Here, you will find all the inspiration for the colourful characters in your novel simply by people watching – like that homeless man who repeatedly asks you for 25 cents every time you walk in and out of the metro, no matter how many times you invariably shake your head to the question: “Have any change, man?” He never gives up. He is the model for a perseverant man.

Still can’t get inspired? You might be a hopeless case. Our advice: go to La Ronde and scream all your frustration out.

Montreal is the city for writing, there’s no doubt about it. To top it all off, the Quebecois je ne sais quoi will definitely give your writing an exotic finishing touch If you’re not ready to write your 300-page book just yet, well, then… enjoy writing midterm essays, which also require inspiration.

Do you use your extra spending money to buy books you may never get around to reading? Can you envision yourself 40 years from now spending three fourths of the day in your lavish mahogany library? Do you stroll along bookstore shelves just to “browse” and end up buying three unnecessary items? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you have a clinical obsession with books. Don’t worry; it’s nothing to fret over. One should embrace such a condition. To help you along with your journey of book worming, here are some new havens to pick your pocket and increase your literary love:

St-Laurent is more than a club and bar-lined avenue. However, one must use a keen eye to scan the street for a few hidden treasures. The Anarchist/Alternative Bookstore, located at 2065 St-Laurent, possesses materials quite reflective of its name. You are greeted at the door by a guy in a huge sweater and backwards hat. Your eye roams shelves of books hailing political upheaval and social revolt. Right when you think you’ve seen enough bold font titles and red book covers, your eye catches a row of t-shirts draped over a sign. Yes, they are anarchist t-shirts.

Features thinks: Get your revolutionizing reading materials here and wreak some havoc!

Farther up St-Laurent at 3878 is S. W. Welch Books. Visually appealing from the start, you enter through a tattered and worn screen door to a moderately sized room lined with books. The shop is white washed leaving only the books to fill and decorate the walls, except for one sign on a door reading “All ye who enter here beware.” A table spilling over with novels displays a $1 sign. The largest sections in the shop are devoted to fictional literature and world/travel. Welch’s books are typically old editions-a 1980s hot pink copy of Maurice by Forester pops into mind-and sell for about half the price of a new edition.

Features thinks: This neat, organized shop contains a wide variety of materials that will not burn a hole in your pocket.

Jump across town to 1439 Stanley (just above Ste-Catherine) to Odyssey Books. About the size of a large bedroom, the shop is cluttered with old, used gems. Crates of vintage records greet incoming customers as they wonder toward the back wall holding racks of art auction catalogues selling for 50 per cent off. Most of the books are used and around half price. Around the corner in the film studies section, you stop short as Ingrid Bergman stares at you from the cover of Hollywood in the Forties by Charles Higham.

Features thinks: The small, yet enticing, Odyssey has something for everyone – along with affordable prices and a great location close to campus.

Meandering into Concordia territory lies Librairie Astro at 1844 Ste-Catherine – another white-washed shop in no need of decoration, thanks to a massive amount of mysteries, science fiction novels, old children’s books and comic books. Racks of aged Archie and Veronica mini comic books rim the floor. As your eyes move up the book-plastered walls, they rest upon plastic-wrapped vintage Superman and Tomb Raider comic books priced upwards of $10.

Features thinks: This venue suits children and adults alike. A helpful and knowledgeable staff will help you navigate the oodles of books and comics that extend far into the back room.

Hard to spot and even more difficult to navigate is Argo, located at 1915 Ste-Catherine. About the size of a dormitory bedroom, Argo is bursting with an eclectic mix of books. A rotating rack (which the store barely seems to have room for) houses The book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura. Opposite to this rack is a floor-to-ceiling wall of books sectioned by world countries and world religions. Five people in the store make it too crowded to move in comfort. However, the owner is friendly and cordial with, obviously, a book in hand.

Features thinks: Great selection and some rare finds. However, if you happen to be claustrophobic, skip out on the experience.

Lastly, there is the Fouberg Complex at 1616 Ste-Catherine. There were no signs indicating a store name and when asked, the saleswoman shrugged her shoulders and chuckled “giant book sale.” So be it. Indeed, giant is a suitable adjective, for the place is huge and roomy, providing a marked contrast to Argo. Large signs designate a wide variety of topics including architecture, sports, fashion and art. The cook book selection was surprisingly impressive. Most books are new, yet prices appeared less than those of Indigo or Chapters. The entertainment table boasted a shiny, hard cover copy of Johnny Cash’s autobiography. One could easily spend forever in a place like this, especially with a sweet smelling eatery across the way in the same complex.

Features thinks: This shop is a definite must. It is extensive in selection, the help is friendly, the titles are interesting and the atmosphere is quiet despite its location.

So there you have it book lovers! Take a detour when heading to Chapters or the McGill Bookstore and explore some smaller, funkier bookshops. Browsers beware: book buying is addictive, so pace yourselves!

“Force your foot in the door,” says Alex Grossi, and while she could be talking about any job, she is referring to television screenwriting. A lucrative and highly interesting position, screenwriting for TV has taken off in the past decade as the number of channels looking for the next “hit show” has expanded exponentially. Screenwriting is now considered a respectable major in universities across the United States and Canada. Schools such as the University of Southern California, the American Film Institute and New York University all have specialized screenwriting programs with helpful alumni networking possibilities to go along with your degree.

However, while attending a prestigious college might be one way to help “force your foot in the door,” it is not the only way. Like other types of writing, screenwriting involves years of practice and perseverance. Whether it is through winning a screenwriting competition, writing a short script that does well at a film festival or finding the perfect networking connection, succeeding in the world of screenwriting is not necessarily about an MFA in Film.

Take Alex Grossi for example. After earning her Bachelors degree in English and Italian with a minor in Film from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Alex Grossi landed her dream job. As a former writing assistant for the HBO “gritty drama” known as /Deadwood/, Grossi has succeeded against the odds in the screenwriting industry.

“I knew the importance of contacts and made it my mission to…become acquainted with all the people I met. … One of my glamorous duties… was to camp out in front of the dining tent during lunch and count all the people who ate. … It was hot, windy and dusty, however, I was able to meet everybody who worked on the show.” It was in this position that Grossi met her boss, David Milch, who was the executive producer of /Deadwood/. Grossi kept in touch with Milch, eventually showed him samples of her writing and was given a paid internship as a writer for the show.

Not your typical 9 to 5-er, writing for a TV show involves following the patterns of the production. Grossi explains, “While the show is shooting, we write in trailers on the set. The hours are less regular since they depend on what time the shoot starts that day.” Milch lectures on where the show is going and writers take it from there. If they hit a block or run out of ideas, they are allowed to watch edits of the show or trek over to the set and watch the drama unfolding as the cameras roll. However, when the show is on a break from filming, the writers work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an office in Santa Monica.

“We all do the same job, which is write whatever scenes we feel like writing,” Grossi says of the 12 writing interns and eight senior writers on set. Milch then reads every script and fills in and rewrites as he sees necessary.

“Even though a team of writers work on every episode, only one or two writers will get credit for that episode,” Grossi adds.

Since Deadwood was cancelled by HBO after three seasons, Grossi has followed Milch to a new show called /John from Cincinatti/. Grossi describes the show as a “surf noir” that “revolve[s] around three generations of a surfing/skateboard[ing] family.

“Part of being a screenwriter is being able to adapt and learn to write in dialogue that is true to the characters,” Grossi says when asked about the differences between /Deadwood/ and /John from Cincinatti/.

Advice for interested young screenwriters: “Take any job that will allow you to network and then keep in touch with those people,” Grossi suggests. Moving to LA and keeping in touch with alumni from your school who may already work in the industry are also important options to consider. And, of course, “a good education is always helpful!” In the end, however, a combination of solid writing skills, the ability to work through failure and a little dash of luck are the key tricks to breaking into the screenwriting business.