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
On Writing
More Thoughts On Dante
This is more or less what was supposed to be in Friday's post. In my reading of The Divine Comedy, the poets have reached Purgatory. It's really a relief to get out of Hell (I mean, you wouldn't think so, but...). I'd forgotten how effective Dante is at making the Inferno more and more unbearable … Continue reading More Thoughts On Dante
‘Death Note’ Quick Thoughts
I finally finished Death Note the other night. Overall, it's very good, and definitely a part of the modern canon, and the protagonist is the one of the more hateful, soulless characters I've encountered. However, I do think the first third-to-half of the show is by far the best part, and that it definitely falters … Continue reading ‘Death Note’ Quick Thoughts
Lighting for Writers
Picture this; you're writing a climactic scene in the Great American Novel. You eagerly describe the awesome cool sword-fight pitting the tortured, but handsome police detective against the evil, but even hunkier vampire in the night-shrouded cemetery, while the blonde-haired and surprisingly comely anthropology student watches with baited breath from her position bound to a … Continue reading Lighting for Writers
Friday Flotsam: Another Content Strike, History, and Gross Sex Scenes
1. First and foremost: The Wisdom of Walt Disney got another content strike against it. I sent Amazon a reply with the case number of the previous content strike and the fact that they cleared it. So, hopefully it'll get cleared up again soon, and in the meantime only the Kindle edition is available for … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Another Content Strike, History, and Gross Sex Scenes
Words of the Saints: St. John Henry Newman
Today's the Feast of St. John Henry Newman, so I'm going to offer another nugget of wisdom from the great Saint. The words below are all his. WHEN a "Catholic Literature in the English tongue" is spoken of as a desideratum, no reasonable person will mean by "Catholic works" much more than the "works of … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. John Henry Newman
Thought of the Day: Challenging
‘Challenging’ (when applied to a non-interactive work or aspect of a work) is one of those compliments that seems to me to say more about the critic than the subject: what does it mean that a piece of fiction is ‘challenging’? Whom does it challenge? Why is this challenge a good thing? Is the challenge … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Challenging
Writing Historical Characters
The film Cinderella Man came up on the Castalia House blog the other day. The film, just so we’re all clear, is the story of James Braddock, a slightly-over-the-hill boxer during the Great Depression whose career had seemed over, until he suddenly returned to the ring with a series of stunning victories, culminating in him … Continue reading Writing Historical Characters
Thought of the Day: Most Important Authors
My preliminary picks for the five most important authors of the 20th Century: -J.R.R. Tolkien-Edgar Rice Burroughs-Agatha Christie-Raymond Chandler-H.P. Lovecraft (A case could be made for H.G. Wells, except that his most important works were almost all written at the tail-end of the 19th century)
Thought of the Day: Logic Puzzle Monster Movies
Many of the best monster movies function as a kind of logic puzzle: given these factors (which have to be worked out over the course of the story), how do you overcome this challenge? Tremors (which I just re-watched recently) is one of the best examples of this: the characters spend about the first half … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Logic Puzzle Monster Movies
Serpent's Den 