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Will There Be a Dr. Strangelove for the War on Terror?
A little less than a year ago I wrote a post here at Writer Unboxed on Black Comedy as a form, hoping to clarify the definitional ambiguities that often blur the lines between it and satire, farce,...
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The Guy Who Wrote Fight Club Just Kicked My Ass
At the beginning of 2020 (which must be about 40 or 50 months ago, right?), I stumbled onto a book that literally changed how I think about writing. During an email exchange with my dear friend and...
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Staging the Scene
Image by Thomas H. from Pixabay I have always been a visual writer. When formulating a scene, I have to envision each moment in exacting detail. As such, a good deal of my editing process involves...
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The Favorite Writer I Never Knew I Had
True story: When I was seven or eight years old, I found my calling. I was inspired to become a drummer by Micky Dolenz, the drummer for The Monkees. Or so I thought. It turns out the music on the...
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REWIND, 2008: A Conversation with Blake Snyder, author of SAVE THE CAT!
While I don’t recall how exactly I learned about Save the Cat!–a book marketed primarily to screenwriters–I’ll never forget reading it for the first time, that sense of “Oh, yes; this author has...
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The Power of Names
A dear friend of mine is having her name changed today. After her 20-year marriage ended in divorce a year ago, she decided to go back to using her maiden name, and today is her day in court, where...
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The Allure of Toxic Relationships (as a Voyeur and a Writer)
The past month, I’ve been in the throes of promoting my new novel, Strangers in the Night. The book is about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, their wild and rocky relationship, the glamour and the...
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Desmond’s Drops: Silver Screen Edition (1)
Welcome to a new edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops focused on one topic–lessons for writers from the world of FILM. CONCRETE ACTIONS COUNTING BEATS EVENTS Email subscribers,...
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Lessons from Barbenheimer – Embrace the Larger Story
This past weekend I did something unusual, at least for me. Though given the blockbuster audience numbers, it was a rather typical decision. That is, I saw both Barbie and Oppenheimer on the big...
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Desmond’s Drops: The Limits of Human Experience
Welcome to a new edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops focused on one topic–Robert McKee’s concept re: “The Limits of Human Experience.” How can you push your characters to their...
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