Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • Robert McKee

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    I first became aware of Robert McKee when I read Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principals of Screenwriting. This book alone impressed me enough to consider him one of my heroes. Even as a kid, I wanted to understand stories. I wanted to be able to create stories at least somewhat similar to the…

  • “Not worth living”

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    A priest gave a homily during a funeral service today. He talked about the large number of people committing suicide daily. And he said that he agreed with them. He said, “With all of the suffering in this world, life is not worth living.” I found this repeated remark of his to be inappropriate and…

  • Musical Theater

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    For as long as I can remember, musical theater has been an important part of my life. When I was a kid, I listened to Paint Your Wagon and Camelot over and over again while in a bean bag chair, with large headphones on either side of my head. Through the years, I fell in…

  • Too Many Movies

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    I keep a list of movies and TV shows that I would like to see. I also keep a list of books I would like to read (or listen to). Others may keep lists of podcasts, songs, museums to visit, etc. My rate of consumption is less than my rate of adding content to these…

  • Writing – Elton John and Bernie Taupin

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    Sometimes, I like to learn how to play a favorite song of mine on the piano. And sometimes, I enjoy trying to sing and play one of these songs. I don’t remember exactly when I first heard this song. I do remember that Joseph, my roommate in college, enjoyed playing the album Captain Fantastic and…

  • Steven Pressfield

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    Here is a post about another one of my heroes. Steven Pressfield has the distinction of introducing us to the personification of RESISTANCE. Resistance is the part of us that resists forward motion. I think the first Steven Pressfield book I read was The War of Art. The struggle to do creative work is real.…

  • Surprise Party

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    It’s been just over two years since we released our most recent short movie. Today, I am every bit as proud of the work everyone did as when we initially released it. Having said this, I did run out of steam with the project. I chose not to submit the movie to several film festivals,…

  • I’m Harvey Milk

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    Last night, Karilyn and I experienced the pleasure of watching Mike Broemmel’s wonderful play I’m Harvey Milk. Ben Beasley did an excellent job in the title role. One of the things that impressed me about this play is that it really gave the audience an understanding of who Harvey Milk was BEFORE he became elected…

  • Death

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    Every day, people die. It’s not every day that someone I know dies. Recently, two people I’ve known have died. While it’s been a fairly long time since I’ve spoken to either of them, I would say that we have been close. This closeness is what allows thoughts of death to circulate in our minds.…

  • Morris Kline

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    One of my favorite non-fiction books is Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty, by Morris Kline, another one of my heroes. It starts with this amazing quote: “There are tragedies caused by war, famine, and pestilence. But there are also intellectual tragedies caused by limitations of the human mind. This book relates the calamities that have…