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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

6 Things I NEED to See in the Fantastic Beasts Film Franchise


As I've been getting ready for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them panel for Comic Con, I've also been getting really excited for the movie in November! In fact, it's led to me reread the (text)book and to write a few blog posts about the upcoming films. Here's the first one.

#1 -- Newt gives Dumbledore his Phoenix.  

Please! I need to see this! Dumbledore is the only professor who believed Newt shouldn't be expelled. How cool would it be if we could see the story of how Dumbledore got Fawkes? And Newt gave it to him? This definitely has some great, touching potential.

#2 -- Fantastic Beasts being Used to Battle the Antagonist and Help Newt (there will be death . . . probably.)

Not only is it cool that Newt has all these fantastic beasts with him, but I need to see him putting them to clever use. Is Percival the Auror chasing him? Use a Crup to nip at his ankles and slow him. Need to find something shiny? Use a Niffler to find it. Need to reach something up high? Use the Swooping Evil to get it. We all loved when Hedwig attacked the Death Eater in the Deathly Hallows movie, so give us more. And maybe . . . maybe . . . if we feel like having our hearts wrenched out (and we won't admit to it, but we kind of do) show one of Newt's loyalist beasts sacrificing itself to save him. Or, if the antagonist is pure evil, the antagonist killing it (which makes me already hate the hypothetical guy).

Monday, August 22, 2016

Come See Me at Salt Lake Comic Con! Here is my Schedule:

Next week is Salt Lake Comic Con, and I spent a good part of last week getting ready! And I'm getting excited. Salt Lake Comic Con is the third largest Comic Con in the world, and I get to be a presenter, moderator, and a panelist. ^_^

Here is my schedule:

Thursday, September 1st

2:00 p.m.

Room: 253A


15+ Tactics for Writing Humor

Learn the secrets to writing humor with over 15 methods that make readers laugh, with examples from The Office, Harry Potter, The Amazing Spider-man, The Fault in Our Stars, Zoolander, Enchanted, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Emperor's New Groove, The Series of Unfortunate Events, Elf, and more. Come prepared to laugh. Leave never having to feel clueless again.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Pairing Behaviors with Odd Demeanors for Originality




When it comes to characters, writers, especially new writers, tend to match their characters' demeanors up perfectly with their behaviors. The bully is a straight-up jerk. A class clown is always laughing and joking. Someone who is brave tends to be a bit loud-mouthed.

But the reality is, people aren't really that clear cut and standard. Honestly, it's been since elementary school since I met a bully who was straight-up jerk. But we tend to want to match up demeanors and behaviors stereotypically.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Traditional Publishing: Short Stories and Poetry




This week is my last installment in my publishing post series, and this one is about the small stuff. Here is how to publish short forms of creative writing.

Short Stories


1. Write the story.

A short story is a narrative under 7,500 words. Keep in mind that short stories that are on the shorter end tend to have a greater chance of being printed, if you are seeking physical publication. This is because it's less costly for the magazine. If you are only getting published online, word count probably doesn't matter as much. If your short story is accepted into a printed anthology, word count will depend on the anthology. Whatever the case, make sure your story is short enough to stay interesting, but long enough to cover the important parts. Sometimes I see unpublished short stories that are too short--the story isn't properly developed or fleshed out. Other times they are too drawn out, the author including too much information. When writing short the powers of implying and subtext are your friends. But this post isn't about how to write a great story. It's about how to get one published.

Monday, August 1, 2016

So I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . . . (Book Review)



(No Spoilers in this Section)


Initial Reaction to the News

When I first heard about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I had cautious expectations, and maybe even some skeptical ones.

First, adding more to an already satisfyingly complete story can do more harm than good.

Second, I know J.K. Rowling is listed as a writer, but she didn't really write the script, just gave the other guys a few ideas to run with. I've seen this done with another franchise I love and the result was terrible.

Third, it's really hard to pull off something like this. The audience usually has high, but very vague expectations, which makes it very difficult to deliver.

As for actually reading the book, well, there's a problem. It's a script. And really, scripts are meant to be watched, not read. I'm an English graduate, so I've read a few scripts in my day, and I almost never enjoyed it. The only exception was Dr. Faustus. So, again, I was skeptical, but I mean, let's be honest. This is Harry Potter, of course there's going to be something I like about it because I'm so biased toward it. I love plays themselves, I just don't like reading them.

I considered not reading it and waiting until the play came to the U.S., but I only considered it for a few seconds--I'm going to Comic Con next month as a guest, and people will expect me to have read it.

So, basically, I wasn't sure what to think about it and personally didn't expect much. But then months ago, I accidentally-on-purpose read some of the spoilers, because honestly, how much of a "spoiler" could they be? The main story is complete.

Man, was I wrong about being unspoilery. The two I read I did not see coming--and I loved them. So two points to Cursed Child on that--and I was excited to read it.