With the new Star Wars movie hitting big, people unfamiliar with fantasy and science fiction may feel out of their depth. For you normal folks, I offer a short introduction – a non-nerd primer so to speak – of accessible examples from fantasy and science fiction in four different media. Movie: Star Wars Recently my […]
Wedding Memories with Dona
Early June in Oklahoma. Hot. The evening light slants through the stain glass windows and heats up the church. Guests arrive. The mothers are seated. The wedding memories start. Actually, wedding memories started the night before. There had been the rehearsal and its dinner. Wade, being best man, crashed out for the weekend with me […]
Science Fantasy? What Hybrid Is That?
I’ve been blogging about science fantasy for a time now but have never sat down with you and defined what science fantasy is. Hold onto your hat, here we go: Science fantasy is a work of fiction that has elements of science fiction mixed with fantasy. O, now that helpful, wasn’t it? I think not. […]
Star Wars Summertime
Summer is the time for blockbusters. I remember the summer the quintessential blockbuster opened in theaters. This movie spawned five sequels, an animated series, millions of product tie-ins, and a Christmas special. (The producers would like to forget the Christmas special.) Of course, I’m talking of Star Wars. Why, even minor characters, like Boba Fett, […]
Unbelievable Stories in Fantasy and Science Fiction… Or… 3 Pills Lucy Found Hard to Swallow
This week I’ve invited my daughter Lucy Wright to take a swing for us in the fantasy and science fiction world. Lucy revisits the topic of the pill to swallow in fantasy and science fiction. In our first installment on this subject, I sited some examples where the pills went down easy and the stories […]
5 Out-Genre Movies Exemplifying Story for Science Fantasy Fans
A fantasy and/or science fiction fan doesn’t have to be bound to watching movies only in the fantasy and science fiction realm. Outside the genre are excellent examples of what story can do. Stretch your horizons and take in these five movies exemplifying story. Doctor Zhivago – Epic Scale Most fantasy and science fiction films […]
Romance in Fantasy and Science Fiction
The Problem with Invincibility
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 […]
Contrary but Similar Motives in Heroes and Villains… Or… Why the Two Dudes Never Play Nice
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 […]
The Pill to Swallow in Fantasy and Science Fiction
In any fantasy or science fiction story, whether literature or film, there’s always at least one premise… One pill to swallow, if you will. Too many pills forced down the reader’s throat and they’ll choke. A person can take one, maybe three, premises, but too much more than that and the story simply gets silly. […]