As promised, the written version of the talk I gave (to a tiny, self-selected audience) at Legend Haven is up at Noble Cobra Magazine: There is a passage in C.S. Lewis’s seminal essay On Stories which has informed a lot of my approach to fiction. It comes when Prof. Lewis is trying to describe what he calls … Continue reading Payoffs and Ripoffs at Noble Cobra Magazine
On Writing
Friday Flotsam: Legend Haven, More History, and Some Storycraft
1. Legend Haven, the friendliest fiction convention in the galaxy, is happening this weekend, and I will be there! The con runs from Saturday to Sunday, but all my stuff will be on Sunday, the 19th. I will be hosting an open booth, ask-me-anything from 12-3 MST (so, 3-6 EST), followed by a discussion / … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Legend Haven, More History, and Some Storycraft
Devil Stories
My sixth graders recently read through The Devil and Daniel Webster, which they enjoyed. For my own part, it struck me that the devil in that story is really less of the devil of Christianity than he is a fairy. He takes the role of Rumpelstiltskin, offering gifts, but at an unacceptable price, accepting the … Continue reading Devil Stories
Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
1. I had my first angry parent encounter this week: someone not happy with one of my assignment policies. Sample from the conversation: "I think you're being very unprofessional.""How so?""You have a very poor attitude.""Can you tell me how?""You're too terse." An unpleasant experience, but an inevitable one. In any case, the policy still stands … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
Long-Form Endings (Kind of Spoilers)
My Hero Academia reached its final chapter not long ago and...well, I have to admit, I found it a little disappointing. It's hard to explain why without going into spoilers, but say that I thought the epilogue generally focused on the wrong things and left too many of the really interesting points rushed or unsettled. … Continue reading Long-Form Endings (Kind of Spoilers)
Maternal Loadstones: Mrs. Nickelby vs. Mrs. Bennet
I don't know that anyone can read both Nicholas Nickelby and Pride and Prejudice without comparing the maternal figures featured in each. In the cozy, but substantial niche of "embarrassingly foolish mothers," these two reign supreme as the most prominent and perhaps most troublesome. But the question remains; which one is worse? For my part, … Continue reading Maternal Loadstones: Mrs. Nickelby vs. Mrs. Bennet
Commentary: When Good Characters do Bad Things
Another bit of storycraft commentary up at Noble Cobra Magazine. This time discussing some thoughts I had about heroic or righteous characters doing 'mean' or off-color things in fiction: pranks, unwanted jokes, nasty tricks, that sort of thing, and how it can be used for characterization purposes (and yes, more Fruits Basket, since that's on … Continue reading Commentary: When Good Characters do Bad Things
Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
1. I meant to get to bed early last night, but the Fruits Basket post had been hanging over my head for weeks and I reached the point last night where I simply wanted to get it done! So, now it's up and I can move on. Hence also why this is a Saturday Flotsam … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
NC Commentary: “Not Pretty, But…”
My first piece of commentary is up at Noble Cobra Magazine, discussing a trope I call "Not Pretty, But..." Films often run into a problem where the story calls for the heroine to either be not particularly attractive, or for her to at least appear to be so to start with. The trouble is that … Continue reading NC Commentary: “Not Pretty, But…”
Saturday Flotsam: Heroic and Pseudo-Heroic
1. Somehow, I forgot all about the Flotsam yesterday until late, so we're doing it today instead. Albeit still kinda late. 2. An idea that came to me that I haven't quite fleshed out. There is today what might be called 'pseudo-heroic' fiction. This is framed as a heroic tale, but has this crucial difference. … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Heroic and Pseudo-Heroic
Serpent's Den 