Video Games are Real

Category: Study (the world/the craft)

  • Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. VIDEO

    Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. VIDEO

    Click the image above to watch the video
    Click the image above to watch the video

    Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

    Rule # 1 is You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

    Success is defined as a pass/fail dichotomy. There’s no gray area, meaning there’s no room for humanity. Humanity is a gray area,  constantly redefined by context.  And narrative relies on a “gray area” approach to be successful.

    We, as readers, rarely accept winning v. losing as a satisfying climax to a  narrative series of events. Rather, we care more about the characters that shape those series of events.

    Sports fans don’t just care who wins or loses; sports fans watch ESPN for hours every day to learn about the statistics and human interest stories behind their favorite teams, and more appropriately, their favorite players.

    Watch. Learn.

  • The AWP Conference in Boston is almost here. Are you going (to buy me a beer)?

    The AWP Conference in Boston is almost here. Are you going (to buy me a beer)?

    Click the image above to watch the video
    Click the image above to watch the video
    I’ll be in Boston from March 6th – 8th for the annual AWP conference. If you’re there, maybe we can meet up. You can buy me a beer.
    AWP stands for Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Writers? Writing? Of? is what one would say, if they were intrigued, so let’s pretend that you are. What is this AWP event? It’s an annual gathering of writer types from all over the world for a 3 day event that’s basically a giant literary circle jerk
    I’ve attended 6 or 7 so far, sometimes to sign books or perform at a reading, sometimes as part of a panel, but most often as a regular conference-goer. It’s a lot of fun either way.

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  • The Origins of Valentine’s Day OR The Origins of your Death of Innocence

    The Origins of Valentine’s Day OR The Origins of your Death of Innocence

    Many of us don’t know the true origins of Valentine’s Day…scrap that, ALL of us don’t know the true origins of Valentine’s Day, but what most people can agree on is that Valentine’s Day originated after the death of St. Valentine. Come with me as I take a humorous, and probably offensive, look into this holiday’s mysterious origins.

    Fun fact: this is the second video this month in which I apologize to black people.

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  • Sherpa Bowel XLVII and Other Trademarks You Didn’t Know Were Trademarked

    Sherpa Bowel XLVII and Other Trademarks You Didn’t Know Were Trademarked

    Click the image to watch the video
    Click the image to watch the video

    Many people don’t realize that the term Super Bowl is trademarked, and is actually quite expensive to use, which is why one is likely to hear a version of the term “The Big Game” as a replacement in media not directly connected to the NFL.

    What about all those other ubiquitous terms out there that are also trademarked? I’m going to look at 4 such terms in an effort to make you think I’m some fancy learnin’ specialist.

  • Just Tell a Goddamn Story

    Just Tell a Goddamn Story

    I once again grace the liternet over at Slothrop.com with an article whose title might just be more compelling than the content.

    No, really, you should read it though. Realize that you have to just tell a goddamn story.

    slothrop-new-logo

  • Interviewed at Slit Your Wrists Magazine, bar tabs, story origins, and suicide – yours, not mine

    Interviewed at Slit Your Wrists Magazine, bar tabs, story origins, and suicide – yours, not mine

    The amazing Laurance Kitts interviews me for his Slit Your Wrists Magazine website, a site that frequent visitors may recognize; my story “Sebaceous” appeared there back in April. Laurance knows how to ask questions without bowing to a person’s ego, so you can read this Q&A without anticipating a pretentious me basking in the warmth of praise. I mean, sure, Laurance does feed me some softballs, but…those are easier to chew.

  • Social Media for Authors and Planting a Story Seed. Slideshow fans, get ready to geek out.

    Social Media for Authors and Planting a Story Seed. Slideshow fans, get ready to geek out.

    This past weekend I was fortunate enough to have been invited to be a part of the 2012 Tallgrass Writing Workshop. This thing has been going on every year for the past 27 years; I definitely do not take lightly the privilege of being part of such a legacy.

    Aside from participating in general camaraderie, I taught two sessions. Both of which seem to have been pretty successful (despite my habit of talking WAY too much).

    For the benefit of those who were not able to attend my sessions (due to simultaneous, better sessions), I have uploaded my two original slideshows for the viewing pleasure of all. The social media one even has audio included. Neat!

    Click the links below the images to access the slideshows.

    Watch at Slideshare.net (with audio) | Watch using Google+

    SURVIVING ONLINE: Why Social Media is Not a Waste of Time for Authors

    Some writers claim that time spent engaging in social media is time wasted. But what is an author but a communicator of ideas, and what is social media but a platform for exchanging ideas (primarily by text, I might add). This session will focus on how the entrepreneurial author, even without a book yet to promote, can use social media not just for nurturing a potential readership but for nurturing story ideas as well.

    Watch at Slideshare.net | Watch using Google+

    PLANTING A STORY: How to Grow a Plot from a Single Seed

    Author Stephen Graham Jones has said that many of his story ideas stem from misheard conversations. This session will explore the process of building an entire story from practically nothing, with special consideration given to dismantling the sham known as writer’s block.