I once heard the difference between these three facets of the horror genre described thusly: “Fear is knowing that a werewolf is hunting you. Terror is when you see it and it charges at you. Horror is realizing that your feet are stuck to the floor.” Obviously, good horror manages to spread a mixture of…
In some ways, writing fiction is like acting. It requires a lot of getting into the head of a character and seeing the world through their eyes. Sometimes your characters are similar enough to you that their voice is easy to capture. However, stories tend to take their characters to the extreme, meaning they may,…
A few years ago, Disney released a wonderful movie titled Saving Mr. Banks, which detailed the exhaustive process the creators went through in order to obtain movie rights for the beloved classic, Mary Poppins. The storyline paralleled children’s author P.L. Travers’ experiences working with Disney and his writers with events from her childhood—events that ultimately…
One of the beautiful things about storytelling is the ability to see the world from another’s point of view. Whether that story is based in reality or completely imaginary, at the heart and soul of things is the “truth” of a character’s personal perspective. But as it is in reality, two different characters may experience…
For those of us who may be a bit too young to remember (also known as those of us who make me feel old), back in the late 80s and up through the 90s there was a popular sitcom on television called Seinfeld, which followed the antics of an apathetic comedian and his quirky and…