Join The Silver Claw Inn Newsletter and get mini-progress updates and previews to upcoming works. I may even throw a mini-story or two featuring my characters above. Who knows? Don’t forget, the inn is always open. Despite dropping the typical Tuesday blog post, I’ll still do reactionary posts like this. I do have a few media reviews coming up, including one for FLCL: Alternative this … Continue reading The Whole Chuck Wendig Issue
I love a good story. Video game stories are wonderful experiences and combined with in depth gameplay, can produce experiences that are unlike anything I’ve seen. However, they have a gigantic flaw. Imagine this scenario. Continue reading “Talking About Tropes: The Problem With Playing Narrative Games (And How We Could Fix It)”
Talking About Tropes is a series where I talk about storytelling tropes and my thoughts on them. I also talk about certain tropes related to my works and why I used them for that specific story. Today, I talk more about representation in media, and how we can still improve. Talking About Tropes – More Thoughts On Diversity And Representation In Fiction I made a … Continue reading Talking About Tropes – More Thoughts On Diversity And Representation In Fiction
Beyond the Stars is a series of Science Fiction related posts where I discuss different aspects of the genre and the many tropes and plot lines associated with it. Today, I talk about what Star Wars has to do to survive the backlash of previous films.
I’m what you could consider a super casual Star Wars fan. I’m very familiar with the series, all the pop culture nods and all that, but I haven’t paid that much attention to the franchise as a whole. The only film I saw in its entirety when I was a kid prior to the Sequel Movies was Phantom Menace, and I think I saw it in theaters, but I remember seeing it on DVD. And I’ve seen a handful of films since then. It never pulled me in as much as other franchises have, but part of that has been due to the fanbase itself.
They’ve always been a loud bunch to the point where its hard for me to associate with them. I’m sure plenty of Star Wars fans are well behaved, but there seems to be a highbrow attitude when mentioning anything other than the original trilogy, the Holy Grail of Pop Culture. Since Force Awakens, I’ve seen a surge of renewed interest in Star Wars that hasn’t been seen in a long time. I figured this was a renaissance for the series. That this franchise had a bright future. Now, I’m getting a little worried.
The Last Jedi, while flawed, had its moments. Rey’s character development was well executed and seeing Kylo ascend as leader was a smart move. Everything else was not great. And don’t get me started on Solo. To be clear, I did like what those movies tried to do, but none of them stood as close as Episode VII.
So today, I’d like to have a chat of what Star Wars needs to do to get back to what made Episode VII so memorable.
Continue reading “Beyond The Stars: What Star Wars Needs To Do To Get Back On Track”
Fiction Friday is a series where I talk about what I’ve been reading. Short Stories (and sometimes Novellas) are featured as in-between posts and the first Friday of the month will feature a new novel review. Today, I review What Will We Do Without Exile? by Eleanna Castroianni Fiction Friday: What Will We Do Without Exile? Today’s short story is What Will We Do Without … Continue reading Fiction Friday: What Will We Do Without Exile?
Fiction Friday is a series where I talk about what I’ve been reading. Short Stories (and sometimes Novellas) are featured as in-between posts and the first Friday of the month will feature a new novel review. Today, I review Quiet Like A Homecoming by Cassandra Khaw. Fiction Friday: Quiet Like A Homecoming Note: This story contains references to abuse. Caution is advised when reading this. … Continue reading Fiction Friday: Quiet Like A Homecoming
Talking About Tropes is a series where I talk about storytelling tropes and my thoughts on them. I also talk about certain tropes related to my works and why I used them for that specific story. Today, I discuss whether or not storytelling is getting too political.
So a recent conversation on Twitter right now is a debate between political and apolitical storytelling. Namely, are works today too politically focused on recent events. You know what I mean. Racism, gender equality, #MeToo and of course “you-know-who” in the highest seat in the country.
Many of us are tired of dealing with political matter on a daily basis and just want a rest from it all. But with fiction being a free ground for thought, no doubt many authors want an opinion on recent matters and that seeps into their stories.
The only question now becomes: Are we too focused on politics to enjoy books anymore? Can a story be told without ANY political matter? Even if there are political messages, are they one shared by the majority, or a specific leaning.
I have plenty of political thoughts, but I’d rather not share them. I’m in the camp that wants a break from politics. I want to enjoy my life, live it to the best, and not worry if I live or die at the hands of our own lawmakers. So naturally, I am among the camp that wants no part of political messaging in my media.
But is it possible? Can a story be told without focusing on anything recent that’s controversial and warrants further discussion? I have a few thoughts on this because I feel like it’s worth discussing. Again, I don’t do political discussions often (because it usually doesn’t end well), but I feel it’s worth it to throw in my two cents.
Continue reading “Talking about Tropes: Are We Getting Too Political With Storytelling?”
