• Truth v. Accuracy in Fiction - As a writing coach at the Agile Writer Workshop I meet a lot of people who want to write a memoir or an autobiography. They usually have a story to tell and it’s usually pretty personal. I always encourage them to write a memoir rather than an autobiography.  Autobiographies are usually reserved for famous our infamous people. These new writers often have a harrowing story, or they’ve lived through a
• How to write an apology – in 4 easy steps - It’s going to happen – you’re going to do or say something stupid. And you’re going to have to take it back. If you’re in the public eye in any way, it’s critical that when you make a mistake, you make a heartfelt apology. There are four parts to a proper apology. Here is your guide to writing an apology that is sincere and has a good chance of repairing
• The Experimentor - Experimenter (2015) Director: Michael Almereyda Writer: Michael Almereyda Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, John Palladino, Anthony Edwards, Jim Gaffigan Peter Sarsgaard plays Dr. Stanley Milgram who in 1961 performed a series of experiments where unwitting subjects asked another person questions and shocked them with up to 450 volts of electricity for each wrong answer. The fact was, that no one was actually shocked. The “shockee” (or learner) was behind a wall and the “shocker” (or teacher) was instructed
• Domain Names for Writers - How To Choose a Good Domain Name Everyone knows it’s necessary to have a strong internet presence if you’re going to be a modern writer. Perhaps one of the most difficult decision you’ll make is the domain name for your site. Or maybe not. Domain names are becoming less and less important. Today, people are searching for site links with Google using the name of the company, writer, or book
• Public Library Shuns Writer - From Publishers’ Weekly: “YA author Julia Watts has been removed from the slate of authors participating in LitUp, a teen literary festival sponsored by the Knox County (Tenn.) Public Library that was inspired by a teen book festival of the same name launched last year in the Kansas City area. Knoxville’s inaugural LitUp festival is scheduled to take place on October 13 with a full day of programming, including appearances
• Good vs. Bad book? Don’t Judge - K.M. Weiland is an excellent resource for writers of all types. Her website Helping Writers Become Authors should be on everyone’s short list of helpful websites. Also, her books on writing are excellent and merge well with Agile Writer theory. But, in a recent site article by Katherine Marsh entitled “Why Do So Many Bad Books Sell on Amazon?” steps over the line from advice to judgement. Let me explain.
• Bookstores are Swimming in these Titles… - Used books are a good deal. But apparently there are a good deal of these titles: POLITICAL TELL-ALLS NONFICTION TITLES MADE INTO MOVIES: Seabiscuit, Unbroken, Marley and Me, The Blind Side, Black Hawk Down. ’80S AND ’90S PAPERBACK HITS: Mary Higgins Clark, Danielle Steel, Sydney Sheldon, Tom Clancy, Nora Roberts. JAMES PATTERSON CHRISTIAN FICTION GREATEST HITS: The Shack, Left Behind, Karen Kingsbury’ CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL COOKBOOK CELEBS GO
• Speaking at "Awesomize Your Life" - I just found out about Shawn Furey’s “Awesomize Your Life” seminar next week (March 23rd, 2019) in Augusta, Maine. Shawn is a leader in the heroism science community and applies his special knowledge of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to help facilitate psycho-educational groups and provide one-on-one counseling to people in recovery from opioid addiction. He’s a true hero. So, he asked me if the Agile Writer Method could be used in autobiography and
• On Awards Shows - Why Watch Bad Films Every year, my writing partner on ReelHeroes.net, Dr. Scott Allison and I discuss the idea of reviewing films on the Golden Globes and Oscar nominations lists. Scott prefers to review movies he knows are going to be of high quality, whereas I like a sort of random draw – reviewing both bad and good movies. I find I learn more from a bad movie than a
• The Problem with Notting Hill - I recently read a blogger’s takedown of “Notting Hill.” She had identified the Anna Scott character as being very shallow and self-absorbed. And since she was so flawed, Will Thacker should not have loved her. The author believes no one should watch the movie because it gives a bad example of relationships. https://www.mamamia.com.au/notting-hill-sends-a-bad-message/ My thoughts… If you look at this from a “story structure” point of view, you need a character