Fiction For Now
"...The story of an astronaut as she struggles to adjust to life on Earth!" the radio ad promised. My car's dashboard briefly transformed into the glowing cockpit of a space shuttle. Space, psychology, and a female protagonist? That sounded like a movie I'd see (or a book I'd write). But when I looked up which... Continue Reading →
Two Decembers ago in a mid-sized East Coast city not far away, I took my family of multi-generational Star Wars fans to opening night of The Force Awakens. Everyone enjoyed it: after enduring that wretched prequel trilogy in the 2000s, the franchise was finally fun again. And so, continuing the new tradition, we kicked off this year's... Continue Reading →
Admit it. You eavesdrop. It’s all right, everyone does. Some anthropologists even assert that humans evolved to gossip, because exchanging information about others informs our social bonds and behavior. In novel-writing, dialogue functions as a critical storytelling tool. But fictional conversations differ from those in real life. They must move the story forward through the... Continue Reading →
My blog is becoming an obituary column. Just days after saying goodbye to David Bowie, today we face another beloved British performer's sudden departure: Alan Rickman. Few actors can glide between genres--classics, science fiction, fantasy, and more--and bring such an unmistakable presence to every one. I'm still too shocked to attempt writing a proper tribute, so instead I... Continue Reading →
“Here am I sitting in a tin can/far above the world/planet Earth is blue/and there’s nothing I can do…” Rich layers of synth and guitar oozed from my mother’s monolithic turntable speakers. They probably stood taller than I did the first time she played me one of her David Bowie LPs. His music provided a... Continue Reading →
One of my earliest memories is of Jabba the Hutt. I can’t have been more than two years old, playing behind the couch while my parents watched Return of the Jedi on their 13-inch TV. Deep guffaws echoed in the living room. It sounded a little like Santa Claus, only...wrong. Peering around the furniture, I stared... Continue Reading →
