Comments for The Story Department

Comment on Learn From My Mistakes by Jonathan Empson

Jonathan Empson — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:40:30 +0000

This is the deus ex machina problem, no? The resolution of the story has to derive directly from the hero’s actions. In TCH, for instance, the robot the puppy saves should then save the puppy, not some third party.

Comment on Sex in Screenwriting (6) by Matches Malone

Matches Malone — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:11:33 +0000

Usually, I just write, “They make love.” And let the director hash it out :)

Comment on Video: Joss Whedon by Martin Simpson

Martin Simpson — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:56:12 +0000

Nice teaser to Joss Whedon’s world. His comments on change and mistakes resonate strongly with me in my character explorations. Should be a great show at the Opera House.

Comment on Mystery Man & The Art of Exposition by Christine Spoljar

Christine Spoljar — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:58:10 +0000

I laughed!

Comment on You Can’t Write This by Christine Spoljar

Christine Spoljar — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:18:24 +0000

It’s true! It’s true! The “Paper” never lies! Sometimes fact IS stranger than fiction…or at least as strange as it. The truth is, my Mum is going to talk to dead people tomorrow!…in a zinc-alum. garage in the back yard of a fibro house in midwest suburbia. I don’t believe there is any rotting flesh involved though. Perhaps only a comfy chair; chunks of rose quartz and amethyst; flimsy wisps of gauze in hues of purple and pink; a dark-haired woman in flowing robes; and the scent of burning incense.
How do you find the time to troll the abyss of cyber information whilst my “free” hours are spent opening little yellow envelopes with my cyber dagger?…It is SO unfair. I have relegated 190 letters to my recycle bin, only 361 to go….why wasn’t I so popular in the days when pen was put to paper and I stood anxiously at the letter-box awaiting the arrival of the post-man?!

Comment on You Can’t Write This by Warren Paul Glover

Warren Paul Glover — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:23:35 +0000

This was a great read. Why? It reiterates that you should always look to the real world for your source material (especially if you’re stuck for an idea) but it also made me smile because in my short story, ‘Escaping to Venus’, I have a character who talks to his dead wife as she’s propped up in bed. And I just made that story up – I didn’t source it from the Sydney Morning Herald or any other newspaper.

Comment on Writing Drama (11) by Mark

Mark — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:48:20 +0000

This is what Billy Wilder referred to as ‘the clean line of action’.

Comment on Structure: Elephant In The Room (2) by Lee Matthias

Lee Matthias — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:14:21 +0000

Thanks Jana!

Comment on Structure: Inception by Karel Segers

Karel Segers — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:51:51 +0000

Nice one… :)

Comment on Structure: Inception by TOAST

TOAST — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:42:25 +0000

Damn you’re good!

(Although… well, he could have just had Michael Caine fly his kids to Paris… just sayin’ :-P~ )