No, this blog isn’t about fantasy or science fiction, though we’ll touch on these. I’m giving you three Independence Day movies to watch with your family. We’re going to have to go to some older movies, made when America was more celebrated than bashed. Once the 70’s came along, the Hollywood flavor of the decade […]
Before I leave dating lessons learned from Dona, I’ll give a few dating rules: Three lighthearted rules from Dona and three heavy rules from me. Scoff if you want, but they worked toward our relationship. Dona’s Dating Rule #1: Never Date a Guy Who Owns a Van A van could mean… If you can’t figure […]
I’d like to give you another short thinker-blog. Have you ever wondered if the Justice League, such a stalwart defender of America, is really committed to the ideals of democracy? Since they have superpowers, doesn’t that set them above the populace? Having such powers allows them to stand up against and above an elected government. This […]
Invincibility is a story killer. The magic in fantasy or the technology in science fiction can be so awesome that nothing is able to stand against it. For storytelling, this is bad. Story needs conflict, a way to endure or overcome, a real chance of failure. If the hero is so endowed with greatness that […]
In reality and fantasy, individuals act out of differing motives and backgrounds. But all people have a core they are striving for, an inner itch they seek to scratch. Villains Our contemporary culture has given us some amazingly complex fictional villains, ones with overlapping motives and obtuse back stories. This is because real villains of […]
We fantasy readers want a champion we can root for, suffer with, struggle alongside, and ultimately cheer on. If our fantasy heroes too wondrous, too cold, or too inhuman, we are apt to quickly lose interest. And when you don’t care what happens to a story’s characters, the story’s sunk. Here are five traits with examples […]
