I just got finished watching “A Thousand Words,” a movie featuring Eddie Murphy. The story is about a book agent who develops a psychic connection to a mysterious tree. He discovers that for every word that he says–or even writes–a leaf falls from the tree. He determines–with the help of a holy man–that when the … More A Thousand Words
Week six in my Drama Writing class, and we are making the transition from stage play writing to screenplay writing. As I have said from the very beginning, we are blessed with two great textbooks, and I am learning a lot not only about scriptwriting, but about novel writing as well. One of the words … More How Spectacular Are You?
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” –William Shakespeare I suffered through the typical teenage years. I was pretty insecure about who I was, and was eager to be accepted into “the inner circle.” And so I was constantly trying to reinvent myself. One week I would go for the cool surfer look … More The Trap of Reinvention
I spent a little time on Twitter this morning. My Reporting class is involved in an in-class writing exercise, which gives me time to play. Once again, as I surf through Twitter, I am amazed and floored at the thousands and thousands of would-be writers all saying the same things and dreaming the same dreams. … More Really, It’s Not the Lottery. Or Is It?
“Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.” —John Lennon I drank the Kool-Aid at an early age. I grew up with my mother telling me that “God has something special for you to do.” And I believed it. I believed that someday I would cure cancer, or write the Great American Novel, or … More The Trouble with Goals
Today I am at home with a bad case of the sinuses. I have been struggling with allergies for weeks and–stupid me–went for two days straight without taking my sinus medication. In addition to that I have had a chronic stiff neck due to too much computer work. I woke up with a plugged up … More You Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone
I’ve been enjoying studying the intricacies of writing stage plays with my Drama Writing class. Today we were talking about structure; specifically, the three-act structure. As a novelist, I will have to admit that my view of the three-act structure has been pretty elementary over the years: Act One, get your hero up a tree; … More Revealing Your Moment of Truth
I’m what I would classify as a binge writer. All my life I have heard that you have to write everyday. That advice has depressed me, because my lifestyle doesn’t allow that to happen. Further, I have to immerse myself into a project before I can do what I consider a good job. So I … More Ducks on a Pond
When this year’s NFL Draft came around, several hundred new football players were chosen by the 32 teams of the NFL. The odds were against these new players, and many knew that despite their long hours and hard work they would be unemployed by the time preseason was over. One of those not chosen on … More Dealing with Doubt
As I mentioned last week, this semester I am teaching a class entitled Drama Writing, which involves entry-level script writing for both stage and screen. Since it has been years since I’ve written a script, I have told students that “we will learn together.” And this isn’t the first time they have heard those words … More What a Novelist Can Learn from a Scriptwriter
The Great Adventure 