It's a moving scene. All of the still-alive Avengers join together at the house for a send-off of their friend. Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., had died. The same Downey who played Sherlock Holmes during his stint with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The same Downey whose Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) is the love… Continue reading The Paradox of Fiction
Category: Writing
Dramatic Benefit of Horror
Writing, for me, is about healing and reconciliation. I do not mean that this is how I read all writing, but my interest in composing fiction is to that end. I also do not mean my own healing and reconciliation, because I also believe that if a writer composes with the intent of exorcising their… Continue reading Dramatic Benefit of Horror
Why I’ll Never Be an Author
Tell her to make it short and spicy. And if the main character is a girl, make sure she's married by the end. Or dead, either way. - Mr. Dashwood, Little Women (2019) One of the focuses in Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women is the publisher's insistence that Jo's main character be married… Continue reading Why I’ll Never Be an Author
A Teddy Obsession (A Sort of Gerwig’s Little Women Review)
When I finally got around to reading Little Women in college, it immediately became one of my favourite stories. Jo and Meg charmed me (admittedly, I found Amy annoying on my first read), and I saw a lot of myself in Beth, too. What opened made the story so accessible to me was Laurie though.… Continue reading A Teddy Obsession (A Sort of Gerwig’s Little Women Review)
How I Became a Writer (Again)
For years I thought of myself as a writer. Nearly two decades now. One could blame the encouragement of my teachers. While I performed well in school overall and prided myself on academic excellence, one area that was typically flawless was writing. Even if I missed the mark on a writing assignment (in a non-English… Continue reading How I Became a Writer (Again)
How Do I Start Writing?
The following is personal advice mixed with a heavy dose of professional advice from Lajos Egri (The Art of Dramatic Writing) and Stephen King (On Writing). As an active member of the writing community, I often see writers tossing out a familiar question: how do I start? While my general advice is to direct people… Continue reading How Do I Start Writing?
Three (Friendly) Complaints from a Fiction Writer to Readers
tl;dr version: fiction and non-fiction are two separate things. I think often of this line attribute to Mark Twain: The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible. An alternate version that I have seen is, "Truth is stranger than fiction and why shouldn't it be, fiction has to make… Continue reading Three (Friendly) Complaints from a Fiction Writer to Readers
101 Films That Influenced Me As a Writer
Some movies capture the imagination (sorry, no Star Wars on the list) and some entertain (no Disney either, even though I adore their films). The post today is not about my favourite movies or the greatest movies of all time or movies you should see before you die - even though there is obviously overlap.… Continue reading 101 Films That Influenced Me As a Writer
I Am a Terrible Author (But a Strong Writer)
Nearly 15 years ago, I began writing a novel. Well, a series of novels...well, maybe a trilogy or just one long novel - perhaps broken into two parts. Oh, or a series of short stories all set in the same universe. Or novels set in the same universe but not necessarily interconnected, kind of like… Continue reading I Am a Terrible Author (But a Strong Writer)
Celtic Riverside 