Category: Storytelling
-
Questions
The following are questions that everyone needs to answer. They may not need to do so in words. But their actions are going to tell their stories. These questions are deep. They cannot be answered once and for all. Any answers must be confirmed day by day. We live in a changing world. While our…
-
Screenwriting Advice
Because I’m on this screenwriting kick, I’m sharing a bit of advice that makes sense to me. It comes from a book called Kill the Dog. Enjoy a brief laugh if you’ve ever read the Save the Cat books! An amateur screenwriter only wants to hear what’s good about their script; a professional only wants…
-
Creative Projects
I’ve been writing a screenplay. I don’t know if we’re eventually going to turn it into a movie. I would like to. The first step is to make the screenplay shine. It’s not easy work. Every day, I notice all of the things wrong with it. That’s part of the process. Lots of people say…
-
Visiting Venice
I like that we can tell stories about some of our best and worst experiences. It’s a way to share something about who we are. I remember the time I got to visit Venice. I met up with a couple of young women who were also visiting Venice for a day or two. Although we…
-
Say a Prayer for the Living
After the events of 9/11/2001, I wanted to do something creative that might be helpful to others. I wrote a song called Say a Prayer for the Living. Karilyn and I got a group of people together to create a music video that also gave people a chance to share their thoughts and feelings. I’m…
-
Invisible Work
Most of the work we do is invisible. My wife, a very talented actress, is currently preparing for a one-woman show. Nobody is going to see the hours and hours and hours of memorization work and creative effort she’s doing to prepare for the upcoming performances. It’s invisible. Authors usually don’t just write the words…
-
Priorities for Authors
We live in strange times. Of course, I suppose everyone does (for different reasons). I read an article about Craft vs. Content yesterday. I was particularly drawn to the following quote. Authors, for example, lament the fact that publishers will often only offer book deals to writers who already have established “platforms” (read: followers on…
-
Storytelling Rules
Many writers have documented rules, tips, tricks, and suggestions for new writers to improve their craft. Some of the books I recommend for this include Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, Stephen King’s On Writing, Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, and The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. You can also find great advice from MasterClass.…
-
William Shakespeare
Is William Shakespeare the most extraordinary playwright the world has ever known? I’m tempted to say “yes”. And he has been one of my heroes for a long time. Unfortunately, I’m not able to recount the exact details of my relationship with Shakespeare. What follows is my best guess. In grade school, my class went…
-
The Unknown
We all tend to fear the unknown. I remember the first time I was in a lightning storm as a kid. It got very dark, and the rain got heavy. It seemed to happen fairly suddenly while I was walking home from school all alone. I was cold and getting wetter by the minute. I…