It feels weird to be posting this right after the announcement of Dollhouse’s official cancellation. But we’re still planning on doing the book, and so we hope you’re still planning on writing an essay. (A book like this is as fitting a memorial as I can think of for such a weighty, complex show.)

Let me also take a second to remind you, or let you know for the first time, that we’ve added a place on the contest page where you can sign up for updates on the contest and book. We’ll also make sure to remind you when the deadline approaches . . . though if the last episode of Dollhouse airs as hypothesized on January 22, that’ll likely be reminder enough.…

» Continue Reading “Dollhouse Essay Contest Tip #2: More Than Just Story”

At various points from now until February 1, I’ll be posting tips for those of you thinking of entering our essay contest. Following any or all of these tips doesn’t guarantee anything, of course—but it can’t hurt!

When you’re dealing with any show or book or film, there are some ideas that are kind of obvious: the X-Men uses metaphor to explore real-world prejudices; Buffy was about female empowerment; Dollhouse asks questions about the nature of the self.

This doesn’t mean these topics make for bad essays; great writing or novel insights can make ideas that would otherwise feel like old news seem new again. But it does mean that it’ll be harder for your essay to distinguish itself, since you probably won’t be the only …

» Continue Reading “Dollhouse Essay Contest Tip #1: Surprise Us”