| A Story is a Promise |
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A Story is a Promise & Deep Characterization is available using this PayPal link. The cost of $17.95 includes media mail shipping in the United States.
Overseas mailing, $24.95. |
| Essays on the Craft of Writing |
| I've created a site on YouTube called Oregon Writers Speak. It includes two clips by Elizabeth Lyon speaking about writing query letters and writing with voice and myself speaking about deep characterization. |
| About the Author |
Movie Reviews
I review the following movies and their story structure:
- Groundhog Day
- The Usual Suspects
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Last Action Hero
- Toto le hero
- Die Hard
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Lethal Weapon
- Stargate
- L.A. Story
- A Room with a View
- Chinatown, Part One
- Chinatown, Part Two
- L. A. Confidential
- Seven, Part One
- Seven, Part Two
- Body Heat
- Shawshank Redemption
- From Simplicity to Complexity
- Conscious Storytelling
- Throwing Your Characters Over the Edge
- Writing from the Inside Out
- The Cascade Effect
- Writing Pain
- Creating Fulfillment
- Give Me A Dramatic Truth or Give Me Death!
- Embedding Story Ideas in Action
- Book of Revelations A review of Run, Lola, Run. Top of page
The following are columns originally written for Screentalk, the International Magazine of Screenwriting.
A review of Mulholland Drive that explores how this complex story was built on a foundation of simple ideas.
A review of the structure of Memento and how going back in time can advance a story.
A review of The Sweet Hereafter, The Five Senses, and Last Night that explores how stripping characters of a familar world can set a story into motion.
A review of You Can Count on Me.
A review of Mystery Science Theater's Pod People and the effect of obscurity.
A review of A Simple Plan.
A review of the Sixth Sense and Stir of Echoes.
A review of After Life, a Japanese film about the choices that need to be made at death before proceeding to an after life.
Notes on The Limey, One Fine Day, Pitch Black and other movies to explore how story ideas are embedded in the action.