I am not really much of a comic reader. I like comics, in general, but my standards are very high, especially for graphic novels. Although I had read Phantom, Captain America, and a few other comics before, my first graphic novel was Watchmen. When you start with the best, it’s hard not to feel that everything else is a let down. So it was unsurprising to me that I found […]
A question on Reddit recently caught my attention: what is something that seemed sci-fish but is now mundane, and even boring? There were a whole range of responses. From mobile phones, to the internet, to flat screens, to multiplayer online games, and a whole heap of other technologies. However, for me there is something even more profound. Yes, it involves technology, but it also only happens thanks to the work […]
The Three Body Problem is a science-fiction novel written by Liu Cixin. Originally serialised in Science Fiction World in 2006, the novel was subsequently published as a stand-alone Chinese-language version in 2008, with the English-language version (translated by Ken Liu) published by Tor Books in 2014. However, it is a deeply flawed novel, beset with fundamental (even basic) faults. And yet it continues to be nominated (and even win) awards. […]
I did not know Terry Bisson. In fact, I barely recognised his name when I saw John Scalzi’s post about his passing. On a whim, I did a little research. I’m glad I did. I may not have remembered his name, but I loved his work.
It’s been just over two weeks since I finished Ursula Le Guin’s, The Left Hand of Darkness. I wanted to pen my thoughts on the matter. I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum. Although the novel is fifty plus years old, it managed to pass unheeded by me until now. It is a science-fiction tale, although at its essence it’s a story about clashes of cultures, and finding common […]
So, recently I coded up my first WordPress plugin. Nothing majorly impressive, but it did suddenly place me in some very rarified company, and that was a little intimidating. I’ve recently joined Mastodon. No I haven’t left Twitter, but my engagement there is minimal (and has been for almost a decade). It’s no longer the place it once was, and I have better things to do with my time. Like […]
So, you’ve got your structure sorted, but there’s still something not quite right about your screenplay. It’s flat, it lacks the necessary OOMPH!, and the characters that are kicking arse in your head just seem lifeless and uninteresting on the page. Then it could be that you’re missing one or more of these basic elements that every scene needs: