“Playing good girls in the ‘30s was difficult, when the fad was to play bad girls. Actually I think playing bad girls is a bore; I have always had more luck with good girl roles because they require more from an actress.” Olivia De Havilland via BrainyQuote.com Olivia De Haviland as Melanie Hamilton in Gone … Continue reading Nice Girls – Are They More or Less Difficult to Write than Bad Girls?
Spider-Man
Lost to History…?
I am jealous, readers. So very jealous of all the people who got to see this movie. I wish to heaven it was available for viewing somewhere, but in all likelihood, it has been lost to history forever. At least Stan himself was able to see it while he lived and give it his enthusiastic … Continue reading Lost to History…?
Return to the Superversive Livestream!
It’s been a busy month, readers! Nothing attests to this fact better than the knowledge that I was on no less than two Superversive Livestreams and had little attention to spare to tell you about them. The first stream focused on Mecha and took place December 26 of last year: Sunday Superversive Livestream: All things … Continue reading Return to the Superversive Livestream!
Writerly Sound Bites, Number 2: Chasing the Unicorn of “Relatability”
Remember the post on writing advice, readers? The one that discussed “sound bites” as a means of offering guidance to aspiring writers? As someone who has had more difficulty cutting through and understanding such “sound bites” than she cares to recall, this author decided to provide future writers with some insights to help ease them … Continue reading Writerly Sound Bites, Number 2: Chasing the Unicorn of “Relatability”
Writerly Sound Bites, Number 1: On Characters, Flaws, and What Really Makes a Flawed Hero Heroic
Something I have discovered over the years is that advice from those in the field of storytelling – or from those who teach creative writing – tends to fall into two categories. The first consists of long descriptions which can almost be considered stories in themselves. Reading through these dissertations and parsing them out can … Continue reading Writerly Sound Bites, Number 1: On Characters, Flaws, and What Really Makes a Flawed Hero Heroic
“To Be Loved by the Audience”
While researching an anime series she has come to enjoy titled Kabaneri no Koutetsujou (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress), this author was introduced to an important interview with the show’s creator. Araki Tetsuro, who worked on landmark series such as Death Note, was interviewed by Sugoi Japan about his new series in 2017. He began … Continue reading “To Be Loved by the Audience”
Annoying Characters – Are They Villains, or Are They Heroes?
Catching sight of the above still shot and comment about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man* film gave this author pause. This writer grew up watching the Amazing Spider-Man* animated series. The show faithfully re-presented J. Jonah Jameson as a blowhard, a cheapskate, and a loudmouth. Even without his obsessive hatred for Spider-Man, he was an annoying character … Continue reading Annoying Characters – Are They Villains, or Are They Heroes?
Dragons, Superheroes, and Star Wars – Oh, My!
Have you ever imagined what your favorite characters from one fictional universe would look like and/or how they would behave in a different one? What if they were something other than human? Admittedly, that last one did not occur to this author at all. Human beings are much too interesting for her to want to … Continue reading Dragons, Superheroes, and Star Wars – Oh, My!
In Memoriam.
Rest in peace, Mr. Lee.
Redemption – Should It Happen All at Once, or Should It Be Gradual?
In my article “Conflict,” I mentioned that there would be more posts with some focus on my favorite anime, Zoids: Chaotic Century, and what it has to teach future authors. One of these lessons is the way characters can and should be redeemed by “modern” authors. These days some current writers seem to think redeeming … Continue reading Redemption – Should It Happen All at Once, or Should It Be Gradual?
A Song of Joy by Caroline Furlong 