Writing 3.4 – Giving & Getting Advice
The only thing writers do more than write is give advice about writing. May as well put in my two cents. I’ve thrown together advice I’ve been given but didn’t understand until recently.
Time – chapter 1 (1st draft)
Well, it’s sure been a long time since I’ve done this. For many years I’ve wanted to write a time travel story, but the problem was that I just never had a believable device. Welcome to – Time. It’s only a working title and, yes, it’s rather obvious. Well, let me clarify. No time travel device…
Writing 3.3 – “The Death Story”
In January of ’84, after a decent winter break between college semesters, I was excited and nervous about something new in my college schedule – theater. Not theater from a book but more like an intro to acting. I had always loved movies and plays, but I had never actually done anything towards joining a…
Back in the Day: “Do the Right Thing” (June ’89)
“…you’d waste a lot of time searching for a better first film by any other writer-director.” – me Hard to believe it was 25 years ago this June that a much unexpected film was so provocative that, during the Oscars for which Do the Right Thing was eligible but largely ignored, Kim Basinger was willing to…
Back in the Day: “Dead Poets Society” (June ’89)
Comic book pages can look great from a distance. Just ask Vivek. However, when you get up close enough, it’s really just a bunch of different color dots. There are also some movies that seem brilliant until a close examination shows they aren’t as great as you first thought. One of those is Dead Poets Society,…
Writing 3.2 – “Finding your voice”
One of the greatest compliments I have ever received was from a colleague who had just read one of my sarcastic emails sent to inform the rest of the staff about something unimportant. Sue: “You will never get away with sending an anonymous letter.” Me: “Whaddya mean?” Sue: “Because I don’t even have to look at…
“Joyland” by Stephen King, book review (C+)
Here is what I imagine could have happened as Stephen King was planning to write Joyland: Okay. I like amusement parks. I should think of a certain ride that is likely to terrify lots of people. I know – the ferris wheel. I’m seeing a struggle on that ride, and it stalls. Two people are…
Back in the Day: “Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade” (May ’89)
As the story goes, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were in the planning stages forRaiders of the Lost Ark, but they were still struggling with one key element – who the hell was going to play Indiana Jones? The best they had at the moment was Tom Selleck. To distract themselves, they went to a late-night…
Writing 3.1 – “He said, she said”
I recently received a rather unexpected comment on something I had written, and I think I did a good job of responding politely. Like most writers, I greatly look forward to comments, either positive or negative. Naturally, we like the positive nods because it means, usually, we did something well. I pause with usually…
“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” – book review (B-)
Don’t get me wrong – I like death, but death has limits and needs reasons. Without motive and a ground work, death is no more interesting than a flat tire or a carnival that closes early because the rains arrived. As goes for death, the same goes for the paranormal, demonic, and unexplained things that…
brainsnorts inc. 