Here’s a blog from my daughter Lucy on one of her and my favorite movies, Signs. A great discussion starter. Enjoy. Let me go ahead and offend 95% of evangelical Christians: I do not like Christian movies. I’ll let the evangelicals freak out for a moment…they’re saying I haven’t seen Fireproof. I have. They’re saying […]
Rules of engagement for impending marriage that is, not rules of war. Marriage isn’t supposed to be a battlefield. Life is the battlefield. You’re both in the foxhole together; don’t turn your rifles on each other. I last wrote in this series about falling in love, leaving my past self ready to propose to Dona. […]
Hold a book in your hand. Where did it come from? The publisher, of course. The publisher probably got it from a literary agent. The agent represented an author. The author had a story to tell. But where did the story come from? Stories start as a spark of an idea. And a story idea […]
I started “Guys Trying to Survive” because I was (am) trying to survive a loss. So, man, you may find yourself struggling, too. Your lady is gone. Death, divorce, disability, and on and on. Much in life takes away. That’s the way it is, and there’s no profit in being bitter about it. Now your […]
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 […]
Another three short lessons learned from Dona on dating. In the last story, we had left my past self wondering if a girl friend-zoning one guy meant the same for all guys. I found that not to be the case. Now forward a bit in time. Common Dislikes Bring People Together Each college spring break, the […]
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 […]
Dona was the consummate Christmas traditionalist. That is, of a sort. Her traditions weren’t the norm. She celebrated Christmas in unexpected ways, with customs refreshingly inspired. Learning was sure to follow. Act Like You Like It Even Though You Hate It I told my kids I was writing this blog, and two of them […]
Christmastime has its own set of fantasy movies. It seems that we enjoy hearing of the magic of strange species such as elves and flying reindeer and Whos, of adventure into alien landscapes such as polar factories and the insides of chimneys and Whoville. People like these things in December whether or not they hold […]
Time travel, ghosts, entities from another dimension. Now that’s great fantasy. But you mostly don’t think of Charles Dickens. More’s the pity. Fantasy A Christmas Carol is classic literature… and classic fantasy. The novel has what fantasy needs: Memorable characters going through extraordinary circumstances while facing daunting odds but eventually coming out victorious. In this […]
