During the last discussion of the the anecdote, we wrote a story belonging to someone else and made it our own. That exercise is great for capturing voice, and in some cases, capturing vernacular. Plus, it’s fun to create a character around a person you know and to tell aContinue Reading
“So, it really does pay to know a thousand people?” Crystal Sharp said to me many months ago. She said it, of course, because of some recent events involving Umbrella Factory Magazine. It seemed like the magazine, and the larger picture of it, was moving faster than light. She wasContinue Reading
I stay up late. I wish I had the late night personality some of my colleagues have. I do not have divine inspiration late at night, and I do not have a sudden dose of muse delivered. Late at night I do my best to waste time. I’m generally alone,Continue Reading
Back in 2004, my friend Charlie Bailey decided he had had enough. I would love to tell you the nuances of what was enough and how Charlie had it up to his eye balls, but that may be another story for another time. Suffice it to say, he decided toContinue Reading
Every so often when we talk about film, I hear someone say: “the book was better than the movie.” Of course it was. Don’t be silly. I would love to stand on my soap box and say that books are always better than movies. It’s a stupid comparison. They areContinue Reading
Perhaps the best way to begin is with this honest statement: I am not a screenplay writer. I have no training in the theater. Sure, I’ve seen movies, and I’ve seen plays. I read a book last year on screenplay construction. But, I am not trained in any of it.Continue Reading
“Did I ever tell you about the time we made that homeless guy drink bong water?” Adam asked. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, you have.” “Fucked up. So, we took him home and we smoked up. I don’t know where the gun came from.” He stood before me and held twoContinue Reading
When I think about the passage of time, I do so only very superficially. I realize today that I am older than I’ve ever been and I am, at the same time, the youngest I will ever be. I don’t spent too much time on this. These late weeks andContinue Reading
Before we get too deep in this, I must disclose, this little section will be in excess of 1,000 words. The brevity of things, of daily events, of writing is all well enough as long as something has not been omitted because of laziness or neglect. In the fiction senseContinue Reading
Highway 93 runs the length between Boulder and Morrison right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. When heading south, the foothills are on the right, they are small by comparison of their brothers and sisters to the west but impressive next to the expanse of plains that slope foreverContinue Reading