The Prequel and the Anti-Pay-Off
As an aspiring writer, I’ve become very interested in how stories work – see, for example, my examination of how closely the plot of Aliens follows the Hollywood Formula. Naturally, I’m just …
GTRF! Episode 3: Ogre
The last one came three weeks early, so naturally this one comes two months late! This one’s another labour of love, although I didn’t write it. It’s a vignette written …
Beat the Back to Work Blues with These Seven Suggestions
Ahh, the Christmas / New Year break. Holiday time, over-indulgence, parties, families. If nothing else, you’ll likely have a day or two off work that you normally wouldn’t. Me, I …
Sharing the Stars
Sometimes, I think we try a little too hard to make light on New Year’s Eve. One of the down sides of being in Sydney during the night was that …
Make Time For Those You Love This Christmas!
You know, I’ve made the last few weeks into pretty damned good writing weeks. I’ve written and posted a six–part series which helped me not only get into a regular …
Applying the Hollywood Formula: The Protagonist and Act Two
As I explained in my post before last, I’m practicing the writing of an outline using the Hollywood Formula as a template. In order to get a feel for how the …
How Halo: Combat Evolved Brings More Adventure Than Any Other First Person Shooter
Ten years. Has it really been that long? In some ways, it still seems like yesterday that I bought my first ever gaming console and played through that epic campaign. It’s …
Bug Hunt: A Practical Example of the Hollywood Method – Part 6
I’ve spent a good chunk of the last couple of weeks dissecting the plot of the movie Aliens by seeing whether the three-character, three-act Hollywood Formula holds true within it. We’ve …
Bug Hunt: A Practical Example of the Hollywood Method – Part 5
And so we come to the final act of the movie Aliens, where, according to the Hollywood Formula, we’ll see our Protagonist resolve her issues with her Relationship Character and, in doing so, …
Bug Hunt: A Practical Example of the Hollywood Method – Part 4
Welcome back (or welcome, if you’ve just stumbled across this series) to my analysis of how the Hollywood Formula plays out in the plotting and action of the movie Aliens! As of part four, I’m …