When my mom reads a book, she goes to the last few pages to see how it concludes before starting from the beginning because she doesn’t want to become invested in it only to find that it ends badly. Of course, an ending being good or a bad is subjective. We tend to be programmed … More Satisfying Endings
I’m always surprised when someone tells me they enjoy my writing. I think I’m a good writer–at least I hope I am. But mostly, I write stories that entertain me, and I have low expectations that my work will make me rich or change the world. If someone else other than me is entertained or … More The Business of Entertaining People
Yes, we know–Hollywood is out of ideas. We hear that every time a new remake (or sequel, adaptation, or reboot) is announced. The thing is, movies have been remade since the beginning of the film industry. Back in the early years of motion pictures, films had a very short shelf life, which was its theatrical … More The Onslaught of Remakes
A common phrase that’s bandied about is “think outside the box,” meaning to not think in the same manner as everyone else, but to come up with new ideas and approaches that are unique. That’s a great philosophy, even if it’s somewhat impractical in the case of storytelling. The classic story structure is three acts–beginning, … More Thinking Creatively Within the Box
People often want to lump science fiction, fantasy, and horror together because there is a certain amount of crossover. Strictly speaking, science fiction is exactly as it says–fiction based on science. Fantasy is anything outside the realm of reality, usually dealing with magic or worlds and characters that cannot possibly exist in our understanding of … More Speculative Fiction
Writing is work. To those of us who like to write, it’s fun–but to actually be proficient at it, it takes work. Why do we write? At its most basic, the reason is to communicate something–information, ideas, opinions. But we also want to entertain or at least stir some emotion or thought within the reader. … More Writing and Rewriting and Re-rewriting
When I was 17 right after graduating high school, I was visiting my dad for the summer. I happened to open the newspaper to the entertainment section and found a full-page ad for a new movie that was “presented” by Steven Spielberg. The poster showed Michael J. Fox from Family Ties standing next to what … More The Future Is Back
I freely admit that I’m a nerd. For my entire life, I’ve been into Star Wars and Star Trek and am a huge aficionado of science fiction, fantasy, and horror both in print and on the screen. I love comic books, animation, and genre art. Many of the stories I’ve written and films I’ve made … More Fandom and Obsession
I just finished reading an enjoyable middle grades fantasy novel by the fun and personable Lindsay Cummings called The Fires of Calderon (the first book in the Balance Keepers series) and something occurred to me. Quite often in stories, especially ones with a flair for adventure, you have three main characters consisting of two males … More The Three-Character Rule
It seems that with fans of Star Trek (I will refrain from referring to them as Trekkies or even Trekkers), you can tell what generation they belong to based on which series or era they align themselves to. For instance, older fans may only be interested in the exploits of Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, … More Generational Star Trek
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