Category: Opinion

John Ostrander: Writing 101 — Contradicting Your Characters

by John Ostrander

The most oft repeated dictum about writing that I’ve heard is: Write What You Know. The question is – what do you know? To take a literal meaning to the question suggests that you can only write within your own experiences which is awfully limiting. I’m a white middle class male and yet I created Amanda Waller who is black, female, and from the projects. What did I know that allowed me to do that? And yet, Amanda is one of the best, most realized, characters I’ve ever created.

My view of Write What You Know is – what do you KNOW as opposed to what you were TAUGHT. What has your own experience taught you to be true? An unquestioned belief, in my opinion, is not worth having. Only by testing that belief – by doubting, questioning – does a belief become your own even if you come to the same belief that you started with. Now it’s your own.

What do you know of life? Not what you were told or taught but what have you experienced? What do you know that is true? That should be in your writing.  read article

Herbie J Pilato has a Few Important Words to Say About a Kid Name of ‘Rudolph’

 

by Herbie J Pilato

The recent attacks on the classic 1964 TV holiday special, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, are wrong on so many levels.

First of all, from a personal standpoint, I AM Rudolph.  Although I’ve never had a shiny red nose, as a kid, I was singled out by bullies because I could sing, dance, and act, at a time when those talents for a young boy (or for an adult male, for that matter), were not so widely accepted in the mainstream. read article

More about ‘Rejection. A Wilderness Guide for Writers’

Mark Evanier, one of the biggest writing talents in TV, comic books, and blogging has been writing a series of articles on the subject of rejection as faced by all creative people.

A few months back, we introduced you to it via Part 23 in the series. Here’s another intro and, of course, a link, to the most recent installment:

read article

Thoughts While Watching ‘Scrooged’

This TVWriter™ minion admits it: Scrooged is far from his favorite Christmas pic. But it’s a damn sight better than Mixed Nuts or – choke – The Bishop’s Wife.

I always thought I was alone in my opinion of how overrated Scrooged in particular is. Then I saw this:

24 Thoughts We had While Watching Scrooged
by Tricia Ennis

A few weeks ago there was a meme making its way around the Twitterverse. What was the tagline of the number one film the day you were born? This is especially fascinating for me, as this is the year I turn 30 and either fall into an existential crisis from which there is no return or wake up the next morning with all my crap completely together. That’s how it works, right? This is what I’ve been told and the world wouldn’t LIE, right? RIGHT? read article

John Ostrander: The Man

Our last article about Stan Lee’s life and death? We aren’t sure, but it’s certainly one of the best.

by John Ostrander

So there I was, working on finishing up this week’s column, when I heard the news. Stan Lee had died.

I can’t say it was unexpected. The Man was 95, his health wasn’t great, but still – Stan the Man.

I never actually met him to say hello or shake his hand. The closest I came was at a convention; Kim and I were having dinner in the hotel restaurant and it turned out Stan was having dinner at a table near us. I could’ve said hello but he was eating and talking with someone. I got the shys and didn’t feel I could break in on his dinner. read article