Movie Review: Man of Steel

I saw the new Superman movie over the weekend, titled Man of Steel. Before I start with my thoughts on the movie, I should give you an idea of where I'm coming from. When I was little I really loved Superman, but the older I got the less I felt like I could relate to some virtually perfect alien with a perfect curl hanging over his forehead. Eventually I became a big Batman and X-Men fan. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two X-Men movies and absolutely abhorred the third one. I also absolutely loved the first two Batman movies from the latest franchise, but the third one was so awful I could barely stomach it. So I went to Man of Steel with some fairly low expectations, just because I'm not some huge Superman fan.

Book Review: UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record

Believe it or not I am quite skeptical of most UFO stories. I myself have seen strange lights in the sky, only to realize after a few minutes they are from a medical helicopter or something else man-made. I strongly suspect the vast majority of UFO sightings are from people's rush to judgment and ignorance of what can be in the sky (like Chinese lanterns).

A while ago when I was at the library I ran across a copy of UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record. I had read the press release for the book when it came out a couple of years or so ago, threw it on my reading list and then kind of forgot about it. The chance to read the book for free was too tempting, and so I checked it out and brought it home. I figured if the book was a bunch of horrible nonsense I was out no money and only a little bit of time.

Pushing On

It's better to be late than to never do something -- at least I think so. I have been consistently posting on this blog every Tuesday and Friday (plus some additional posts) for somewhere around two years now. But I had some things get in the way of my post for today, making it difficult to sit down and create something for you all to read. I'm dedicated to this blog like I am dedicated to my writing, so here I am at the end of my Tuesday creating this post.

Feel What You Write

One of the best pieces of advice I received as a young writer (I still consider myself young, even if others don't) is that I should feel what I write. At the time I didn't fully understand what that meant and for a while I pursued the wrong thing with my writing in an attempt to feel it. It wasn't until years later that it finally donned on me what feeling what I write means that I started to really have success as a writer.

Dearg Due

Most people have no idea that the Irish culture has its own version of the vampire. These Irish vampires are called Dearg-due and no, they definitely do not sparkle. When you think about it, it makes sense that the Irish had their own vampire tales since Bram Stoker was Irish.But Dearg-due is nothing like Dracula.

Get Up Again!

I read an interesting article the other day about kids who are graduating from school and don't really want to get a job and make it on their own in the world. I suspect some of the article was the product of some creative journalism, but several kids who were interviewed admitted that they were fine with just living in their parents' basement rent-free as they essentially made no money. I found my heart rate rising dramatically as I finished the article. Where was the ambition and determination? Why were these kids so content to just cruise along?

I've been thinking about that article since I read it. I suppose some people like the easy route for a variety of reasons. I suspect one of the most prevalent reasons is that getting out there and doing something with your life really puts you out there in a way sitting on the couch playing video games in your mom's basement does not. Sure, you might get whooped in a game of Halo 4, but there is no risk of completely falling on your face if you don't get off that couch.

Versatile Blogger Award

VR Barkowski has graciously nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. If you do not know about VR and her amazing work as an author, check out her blog by clicking here. VR is, as she puts it, a "recovering" sociologist who received her academic training from UC Berkeley. Like me she is a fan or traveling and graveyards (the two can go together quite nicely, believe me).

Now briefly, the rules of the award:

- You must create a post for the Versatile Blogger Award (hence this post)
- Thank the blogger who nominated you for the award and link back to that blogger's blog (done and done).
- Name off seven little-known facts about you (that's coming).
- Nominate other bloggers for the award (scroll down for the list).

Pretty simple, right?

So here we go with my seven little-known facts:

The Beast of Bray Road

Bray Road is a rural road located outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. In the 1980s the road was at the center of a paranormal phenomena that caught the attention of local journalists and eventually people from across the world.

Writing and Pacing

As I mature as a writer I have begun to really appreciate the art of pacing. It's a delicate balance, a tightrope walk that you must traverse as a writer to keep a story interesting for the reader without giving away too much too soon.

Breaking Bad episodes are excellent examples of pacing

One of the best ways to think about pacing is to consider a stand-up comedian. So much of comedic routines hinges on the delivery of the jokes. Two different comedians can deliver the same joke, the exact same joke, to the same type of audience. One comedian receives uproarious laughter and the other receives crickets. Why? It's all about the delivery or the pacing of the joke-telling. If you notice, the best comedians have a way, a rhythm if you will, of delivering their jokes. Chris Rock and Jay Leno are two excellent examples of different rhythm styles that work. 

Am I a Nonfiction or Fiction Writer?

For my entire life I have felt this tug on me: on one side to be a nonfiction writer and on the other side to be a fiction writer. These forces seem to compete against each other with tremendous ferocity. And up until recently I have been at odds with myself about what to do about these competing forces.

I know some of you are already saying "but you can do both." Not everyone feels that way. I have been told by quite a few people, including fellow writers, that I must make a choice between fiction and nonfiction. I guess they feel no man can serve to writing masters.