randy obrien

 This extraordinary new movie, based on the life of British pop star Robbie Williams, is inspirational, heartbreaking, and uplifting. And it's genius. He's portrayed him as a chimpanzee. He'd said he felt like a performing monkey before, and the filmmakers decided to go with that image. Beautifully written and rendered, it takes a few minutes to get used to the idea, but it's worth it. Check it out!

Are your dreams trying to tell you something? Dreams are intriguing phenomena that have captivated humans for centuries. Some people believe dreams are messages from our subconscious, revealing our hidden desires, fears, or conflicts. Others think dreams are just random images and sensations our brain produces during sleep. But what does science say about the relationship between dreams and the subconscious mind? And how can we use our dreams to better understand ourselves and our conscious minds? And what can creative writers take away from the idea that our subconscious minds are where we do our best writing? One way to approach this question is to examine the process of dream recall, or how we remember our dreams. Dream recall is not straightforward, as most of us forget our dreams soon after waking up. However, some people can recall their dreams more frequently and vividly than others, and some factors can influence the likelihood of dream recall, such as sleep quality, emotio...

 A ranchy, adult comedy starring Will Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Check it out for a good time.  Lots of twists and ♥. 

For me, a story's genre is like a painting's frame. The story fits into the frame and meets the expectations of the viewer. You won't see a portrait or landscape if you're in a gallery featuring abstract work. But, if you do, you'll notice something added to or taken away from that depiction. However, the frame around the picture could be similar.   Like the contents of the picture, framed by the viewer's expectations, most stories can fit into a specific genre. Go to a bookstore, and you'll see books shelved under different levels. Some stories are not as easy to classify and cross genres, like a Romance with Comedic elements. There are Horror stories with Thriller elements, etc. Here are some of the genres available to storytellers. A loose definition of genre is a category that groups novels with similar themes, tones, or styles. Choosing a genre can help novelists meet their readers' expectations and follow some conventions and guidelines for the...

  Joseph Campbell And the Hero's Journey The Hero's Journey is a concept that novelists and filmmakers have used for decades, but few know its origin. Joseph Campbell first developed it in his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This blog post will discuss the specifics of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and how those ideas can help writers create better stories. We will also discuss the differences between using the Hero's Journey in movies and literature. By the end of this post, you should have a better understanding of the Hero's Journey and how to use the ideas to craft compelling stories. What is The Hero's Journey Joseph Campbell is one of the most influential thinkers in history, and his work has dramatically impacted the world of storytelling. Campbell was born in the late 1800s, and during his lifetime, he wrote extensively on mythology and the hero's journey. The hero's journey is a popular model used to explain how creators ...

  There are many strategies you can use to increase sales of your novel. Here are a few ideas: Build an online presence: Having a website and social media accounts allows you to connect with readers and share updates about your work. You can also use these platforms to promote your book and interact with your audience. Use online marketing: There are many online marketing tools and platforms you can use to reach potential readers. This could include advertising on social media, running promotions on book websites, or using email marketing to connect with your email list. Get reviews: Positive reviews from other readers can be a powerful way to convince people to buy your book. Encourage readers to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other book websites. Participate in events: Attending book festivals, writing conferences, and other literary events can help you connect with readers and sell books in person. Collaborate with other authors: Partnering with other authors can be a g...

  My new novel comes out on November 21, 2023. Check it out. #gettysburgbymorning #books #bookstagram #booktok #bookreview #bookrecommendations #historicalfiction #literaryfiction #southernhistory #southernliving #abortion # #womensrights #womenshealth https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMN8V57X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

When planning a story, think of what form the story might take. The format can be a short story, novel, screenplay, play, graphic novel, poem, song, but remember, the way it's told is not as important as what you're trying to say. For example, you may start a story as a play and realize it would be better told as a screenplay, etc. There are expectations in all of these formats, and deciding before you start can save time. I think it's good to start with one kind of format before you begin. Now, it's time to produce characters to explore the theme of your story. I like to use Star Wars as an example of how a theme helps create characters. You can, of course, do this the other way round. The essay here is called one way, not the only way. To me, the theme of Star Wars is "Is good stronger than evil?" We've all read novels, short stories, seen movies, and television shows where this question is asked. Most times, good proves stronger, but on occasion, evil w...

One Way to Write Your Story    1.        Anything can be a good subject for your story. What is your passion: sports, justice, love, family? 2.        Create an extraordinary character (protagonist) who shares that same passion. What will they do if they don’t presently have it or are about to lose it? Next, create a character (antagonist) who shares an equal amount of desire and goes for the same thing as the protagonist. 3.        A plot is a series of events that explores the theme. Fate vs. Free Will. Is good stronger than evil? What makes a family? What is justice? And allows the protagonist and the antagonist to battle against each other over aspects of the theme through words or actions. 4.        Choose who will tell the story, a narrator (third person) or one of the characters (first person), and use description and dialogue to engage the reader’s mi...

 I checked out the DVD of this classic from 1981 in hopes of reviving sweet memories of the novel and movie. It did not fail to move me. A fave.

 I happened upon this communications professor and I believe he could be helpful for fiction writers. He identifies traits that a reader will pick up on a subconscious level. Check him out. Communication Coach Alex Lyon Communication Coach Alex Lyon

A good article on writing a spec script. I would add read scripts and don't stop after your first one. A professional needs to prove they can catch⚡ in a bottle more than once. https://scriptmag.com/.amp/television/the-most-commonly-posed-questions-about-spec-scripts-and-answers

I like the idea of sometimes starting on page one with just an idea or a character, but these  questions might help with the  rewrite.  Who is it about? Is there a visual metaphor for a philosophical question to begin the story?  What do they want? Why can't they get it? What do they do about that? Why doesn't that work? How does it end?

https://lifehacker.com/screenwriting-software-showdown-final-draft-vs-celtx-1792519226 A great article on FD vs Celtx...and I agree. If you're serious about screenwriting, FD is the way to go. If you're a beginner, or broke, or just curious, Celtx. If you progress in screenwriting, upgrade to FD.

When a customer walks into a hardware store they're expecting to see pipes, lumber, tools and paint. When someone buys a book or turns on a television show or turns on a movie they have expectations there also. But what are those expectation? There are two forms of entertainment comedy or drama. There are mixtures of those two but the basic elements of those two particular genres are what makes up storytelling. If you write a joke the expectation is that someone in the audience might find it funny and that they will laugh. If someone turns on a horror movie their expectations are that there is something in the story that will scare them and they will react with fright. Both are emotional responses.  If you fail as a storyteller to meet those expectations the effort is deemed a failure.  Today's audiences expectations are that the story they have turned on will meet the expectations that has been promised to them.  Future posts will explore how best, IMO, to met the custom...

The journey is long, but I can see the payoff in the distance.   

When I was teaching creative writing I would give the students a process that could help them begin and shape their stories. It's just one way and it's not the only way, but it can help with writing and more importantly, rewriting.  IMO, all stories are about revealing identity. That end goal can be most successfully reached by characters who are diametrically opposed when exploring a philosophical question that had no settled answer. For example, Star Wars. For me, the question of SW is, Is good stronger than evil? The main character is Luke and his nemesis is Darth Vader. Luke doesn't know his true identity at the beginning of the story and by the end a farm boy becomes a war hero. That's his new identity. Darth is the biggest obstacle to him becoming the celebrated pilot who destroyed the Death Star. Along the character's journey he meets others who are allies, Han and Liela, and minor enemies. All of these characters work with or against Luke as he takes on his ...