Monthly Archives: May 2012

This weekend in movies May 25, 2012

And this weekend’s top box office is…
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Plots Are Conflict Resolutions

People thrive on conflict. There’s a reason why shows such as Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of (Name Your City) are so popular–they’re all about conflict. Feature films are no different. They need a strong central conflict that drives the story with a lot of little conflicts along with way. In its basic form,...
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Announcement – How to publish a novel, an online course (by E. Hughes)

Class: How to Publish a book ONLINE Course Class Date: August 4, 2012 Class End Date: August 4, 2012 Instructor: E. Hughes Location: Skype (Syllabus and class details will arrive by email five days before the course begins) Course Length: 1 hour (possibly longer) Class Objective: Students will learn how format a manuscript to meet...
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Writing romance – the guidelines

Romance Writers of America, an organization for romance writers, notes that every romance should contain two basic elements, “a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending.” So whether you are writing a novel or a screenplay, there are a few important guidelines you’ll should probably stick to. See...
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This week in movies 5/18/12

Guess which movie takes the top spot this week?
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Write About Real Life Instead of Movie Cliches

Nobody likes to see clichéd plots in movies. After all, everybody and his brother has pointed out the tried and tired plot that Avatar used, which was similar to a slew of movies like Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, and Fern Gully. In fact, people hated it so much that Avatar made $2.75 billion worldwide. ...
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This weekend in movies 5/11/12

Top three movies this weekend…
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Plot Is Determined by Setting

The plot of any story is driven by the choices its protagonist makes. However, the other major factor that affects the plot is the setting–the time and location the story takes place. Not much thought is given to setting of movies in general; if a movie uses a contemporary setting, then it’s obvious that...
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How Important Is Theme?

When asked, “What’s Moby Dick about?” you can answer in two ways: 1) it’s about an old sea-captain searching for the whale that took his leg years ago; 2) it’s about how obsession can destroy you. The first answer refers to the plot of the story while the second comments on its theme.
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