Slasher movies and torture porn will always have their place at Halloween and in the hearts and minds of horror fans. For me, effective and lasting horror does not necessarily have anything to do with buckets of blood or how stomach-turning the visuals are. Sometimes, the most penetrating stories of terror have less to do… Continue reading The Creeps
Month: October 2013
Movie Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula
It may be hard to realize for some young folks these days, but vampires didn’t always sparkle. Nor did they collectively get obsessed with a particular young woman who happens to have really tasty blood or a particular smell. The roots of the vampire tale go deep, and one of the earliest tales to reach… Continue reading Movie Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula
What Characters Say
“Supernatural” has some great exchanges. There are many people who come to mind that prefer dialog in prose to description. Even peers of mine find it much easier to write dialog than long narrative passages. The difficulty in writing dialog well is twofold: Making conversations clear, and making them feel natural. Both of these challenges,… Continue reading What Characters Say
Flash Fiction: Mission to Sirius
This week, for The Subgenre Smash-And-Grab, the d20 Ring picked Space Opera and Technothriller. The intelligence report appeared one letter after another on Commander Dane’s data-pad, red letters turning green as they were decrypted by the star cruiser Intrepid‘s onboard AI. He frowned, and turned to the lieutenant keeping pace with him as he strode… Continue reading Flash Fiction: Mission to Sirius
Writer Report: Long Hours, Long Days
It is my sincerest hope that this week was an aberration, and not the template for what’s to come between now and January (or even February depending on how busy things become). Weekend work combined with long days requiring intense focus have left me somewhat drained. I also hope I’m not sounding too much like… Continue reading Writer Report: Long Hours, Long Days
From the Vault: Death & Consequences
Dayjob demands have put me way behind in several ways. As I struggle to recover & catch up, here’s an entry from last year that I feel is still relevant. One of these soldiers is likely to die. There’s just something about a game, or story, that doesn’t pull its punches. I get a feeling… Continue reading From the Vault: Death & Consequences
No New Review This Week
The dayjob has been demanding much of my attention and focus. Since that is how I’m currently paying the bills and funding my endeavors, it has to come first. Unfortunately, it’s left little time for me to see or play anything new. I have a couple books to read, but that also requires time I… Continue reading No New Review This Week
Flash Fiction: Back It Up
This week at Terribleminds, we were asked to use a random song title. Cornelius remembered the morning’s breakfast all too clearly. “Bah!” One of the consuls, Gaius Terentius Varro, shot to his feet and stabbed a finger at the other. “You’re as spineless as your beloved Fabius! Give me one good reason why we don’t… Continue reading Flash Fiction: Back It Up
So Then, That Happened
Remember when I said that there was a bunch of dayjob nastiness looming on the horizon a few weeks ago? Lo and behold, it has arrived. I volunteered for some weekend work (might as well get in front of the thing while I can), and while I was able to take care of things, it… Continue reading So Then, That Happened
Writer Report: Word by Word
This is… a bit more complex than I thought it’d be. I’m working over Cold Streets the way Jack Bauer works over someone who knows where the bomb is on Air Force One. Two of the opening scenes have been entirely swapped, and I’m rewriting a major section and introduction of a new character to… Continue reading Writer Report: Word by Word
