ACT 2 - The Premise

It's about a guy who…

When we try to decide with our friends about seeing a movie, or surf Netflix for something to watch, or try to sell people on a movie/book/story we want them to experience, that's what we have to ...

Rawdale is fast becoming our resident political cartoonist! Hot on he heels of Jesus 2016 comes TRUMPed, a humorous and satirical take on the start of this latest US presidential administration. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Trump is a pretty ridiculous figure who's pretty ...

Huh. You're still here? I'll be damned.

Well then. Let's just go ahead and pick up where we left off last week, which if I recollect, was the beginning. Or at least, that's where you stepped into my world. Now, how you think about beginnings has ...

I was actually asked some writing questions the other day. Who the deuce would ask ME for advice? But I happened to have a little.


Here are some thoughts on writing that smallest unit of a story: the scene (reprise):


First off, what is a scene? What defines it?

It ...

Each time I return from shopping with a bag full of a pile of board games, vinyl action figures, or video games, I feel like I fit into a demographic of adults that still collect toys. I have a small amount of bills, so the money I earn gets to ...

I ran out of time and didn't finish the Newspost I wanted to; it'll have to wait until next week. It's a cool one!

Instead…this.


It can be a challenge to “be yourself”. It can be difficult to even define what that means. Most people probably ...

In my newspost last week about the “No Hugging, No Learning” mantra, I mentioned that I was basing a throwaway character – a loveable misanthrope – on a real-life friend of mine. It’s something I’m tempted to do fairly frequently; I spend most of my time in an academic environment ...

I think we all do this – you leave a quick note to yourself with some great idea you’ve had, or something you need to remember to do later on. Days, weeks, or months later you re-discover the note and you have no idea what your past self was thinking ...

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Sorry for the lack of picture! Computer is not cooperating. I'll add one today if I can!
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You may already know of Alfred Hitchcock's take on surprise and suspense. Here it is:

“There is a distinct difference between “suspense” and “surprise,” and yet many pictures continually confuse the ...

A story can be strengthened by coordinating the first and final images in some way.

It's not a hard and fast rule; it's not a rule at all. But it can be worth trying out in your writing!

The movie Halloween (there it is! I had to start ...