The Movie “Sick List”

Empire Strikes Back

I’ve talked about this on the blog before (and a number of other places), but I’ve never been one of those people that cares too much about spoilers. Granted, I’m not going to go out and search for them to satiate that “I gotta know” need, but I’m also not going to flip a dude for accidentally spilling some details. In fact, one of my biggest pet peeves is when I tell somebody that I loved a new movie or an episode of a show, only to have them contort their bodies and shout “don’t tell me!”

To me, the thrill of any story or movie is its execution, the beats that stories take as they unfold, the sharpness of the characters and the journey that the storyteller takes you on. Because really, if a story is only as good as its twist or its ending, then it falls apart upon the scrutiny of a second viewing.

As such, I’m the kind of guy that can watch a movie a dozen times over and never grow tired of it. Continue reading →

Sudden Fiction: In the Blood

Inspired by my good friend Jeff James, who’s been writing great little bits of sudden fiction lately over at Full of Words, I decided I wanted to try my hand at a few creative writing exercises. As I’ve been working on all kinds of other stuff for about eight months on end now, my creativity has needed a bit of a shot in the arm.

So, I decided to run with a small idea I had and let it go for about 1000 words or so: a boy returns to bury his father and finds a secret. There are vampires involved, and Assassin’s Creed 2. It should be noted I’m not a huge fan of the vampire trend, but I thought the idea was a fun one and jumped on it. I’m pretty pleased with the results. Feel free to let me know what you think. Continue reading →

Things I Wish I Learned In College

Portal Companion CubeWhenever I talk to a friend of mine that says they can’t wait to finish college, I have to fight the urge to grab them by the shoulders and shake the truth into them. While I love my life, you will be hard pressed to get me to admit that I wouldn’t time travel back to college if I could. Not so I could change stuff, but just so I can hang out in a limbo of awesomeness without responsibilities.

They were the greatest years of my life, if I’m being honest. And that’s not damning my current situation in the slightest. It’s just, when you boil it down, I would rather sit on my butt and play video games and consume food like a black hole without consequences like I used to. Granted, the being broke part wasn’t fun, but it added a nice little challenge, right? Continue reading →

Writing for Yourself as the Audience

Aesops FablesYou can’t please everyone, so you might as well please yourself. It’s one of Aesop’s Fables and a song by Rick Nelson, but it’s a true thing that I think writers need to keep in mind as well. In a recent post on her blog, Jane Espenson, writer on such shows as MASH and Buffy, discusses the question of if in today’s age of high speed communication, does the audience have a much greater impact on the storylines of shows than ever before.

In a move that made me incredibly happy, Jane discounts that idea completely. The short of it is this: write for yourself as the audience. And from my (extremely) limited experience, I’d say she is 100 percent correct.

The answer I give to this is that I consider myself to be the audience I’m writing for. I write what I would want to see. Continue reading →

Soviet Union’s History Via Tetris

Lately I’ve been doing some ranting about derivative videos on the tubes, but here is a special one that manages to rise above even my disdain for them and the majority of their brethren. It’s a music video that tells the complete history of the Soviet Union to the theme of Tetris, and I think it’s something special that seems to have been largely overlooked.

This is probably because it didn’t have a cute nerdy chick in it, or because it is well done and clever. Who knows? Continue reading →

The Raggedy Edge

standing on the edgeIn the realm of things that are totally are-you-freaking-kidding-me ridiculous: last night, I officially hit my goal of writing 100,000 words for Seven Sons. There was no fanfare associated with this, nobody standing there and cheering or popping champagne bottles, but it was an event for me nonetheless.

The threshold was crossed on the following sentence: A few lies would set them back on their way just as easily as a blade, but the death would only mean questions later.

Continue reading →

The Power of an Idea

Yesterday I saw first hand the power of an idea.

As I posted a few weeks ago, my wife and I are currently on vacation in Orlando, Florida, where we partook in the theme park candy that is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the new addition to Islands of Adventure. On top of re-creating the likes of Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and Hogwart’s Castle, I daresay that whoever conjured up this fantastic place also accidentally created time travel, because I immediately felt like a six year old. I was full of wonder, joy and had quite possibly the biggest and stupidest grin on my face for the entire day. Continue reading →

My Superman Obsession

Superman

Another Comic Con has come and gone, and Eddy is left with an empty hole inside of his heart the shape of several thousand cosplay costumes, star-studded panels and epic movie trailers. Add this convention to the list of things I might commit a crime to attend one day, along with E3. Because of this, I’ve been in the superhero mindset as of late, which really doesn’t take too long, seeing as how I’m a bit obsessed, and have been since I was but a wee lad, as they say. Continue reading →

Why I’m Tired of Viral

City 17

I apologize in advance about the rant-y nature of this post.

I’ll go ahead and say it: I’m tired of viral videos. I really am. Not viral videos in general, though. I’m tired of the weekly recycled “awesome fan made x trailer/short film” (x being some property like Doom, Batman, AntMan or what have you). This is a conclusion I’ve reached recently, and it’s caused me to look at online video in an entirely new light, like getting a bucket of cold Fortress of Solitude ice water thrown on my face: for the most part, viral videos have turned into a derivative pile of predictable drivel.

For years now, the Web has been heralded as some kind of wide open landscape ripe with potential for creative types to find a home for their exciting and original content. At times, we’ve seen just that: people that become a unique force in a way they might not have outside the tubes, whether they are comic artists, Web show creators or video game reviewers. But is the Web actually living up to this promise, or are we making backwards progress? Continue reading →

On Westerns and Capers

WesternThere is nothing quite like that moment when you realize the end of something is in sight. When running the Houston half marathon earlier this year, there comes a point when you round Allen Parkway and you’ve got only about 2 miles left until you cross the finish line and promptly die. I remember hitting that point and getting so singularly focused that it was surreal, especially as I entered beneath the canopy of skyscrapers of Houston’s downtown that rose on each side of me. And when I rounded the last bend, I got a bit emotional, simply because it was a goal that took so long to achieve.

Now, with writing my book, I doubt I’m going to get emotional, but I’m coming around that bend now where the end doesn’t seem like some mythical idea but a tangible goal. Last night I came over the 87,000 word mark, and I’m looking to hit somewhere around 120,000 when all is said and done. That means I probably am only about 6 weeks away from finishing. After the rough draft is done, I will take 4 weeks away to start something new and get in a different mindset.

In that time, I need to do some key reading and movie watching. And I need some help. Continue reading →

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