Monthly Archives: September 2011

My RX For a Bloated Novel; Posterboard and Sticky Notes

Posted on September 24, 2011 by chrisdevlin

If, like me, you love to listen to yourself write, you’ve probably needed to cut huge swaths of words out of your novels. I’m rewriting my YA urban fantasy St. Vitus Academy Bk. 1; The Lazarus Rock. Word count: I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Plot, Revision, Scenecraft, Writing Craft | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Review: Drive

Posted on September 20, 2011 by chrisdevlin

Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive is one of those buzzy movies with wildly mixed reviews.  The enamored toss around favorable comparisons to Pulp Fiction and Taxi Driver while others use words like ‘laughable’ and ‘over-the-top.’ Movies like that are at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Noir Fiction/Film Noir, Pop Culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

My Origin Story Part 7: Another Novel, More Lessons Learned (Sort of)

Posted on September 17, 2011 by chrisdevlin

Previously on My Origin Story: I worked on a style of writing and won an award. During the summer between 9th and 10th grade, I started my second novel. In Anya Seton’s Green Darkness, a novel about reincarnation, there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Characterization, My Origin Story, Plot, Scenecraft, Writing Craft | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

How To Write a Batterer

Posted on September 15, 2011 by chrisdevlin

In critique group the other day, the issue of writing batterers and domestic abuse came up. Here are some thoughts on the matter. (My alter ego is as a crisis counselor in a domestic violence (DV) safehouse.) Who are these … Continue reading →

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Film Noir; Some Greats

Posted on September 13, 2011 by chrisdevlin

Smoking was cool. Lighting was dark. And the souls of the denizens of film noir were even darker. Born out of post-war angst and moral uncertainty, the “noir” movement in literature and film produced some classic movies. And the sultry, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Noir Fiction/Film Noir, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My first-ever guest blogger!

Posted on September 3, 2011 by chrisdevlin

Today, please welcome my friend, writer Ray Dean Parker (aka Richard Dean).  I’ve asked him to share some of his vast knowledge about the fascinating literary genre of Noir Fiction.  Look for his novel, One Good Thing, upcoming as an … Continue reading →

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Noir Fiction by Ray Dean Parker

Posted on September 3, 2011 by chrisdevlin

I like to imagine some lonely guy back in the late-1940s or so, on his own in a small town or in a big city, living in a hotel by the railroad tracks or a roominghouse or a cheap apartment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Noir Fiction/Film Noir, Pop Culture, Reviews, Writing Craft | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

New Fall TV Shows, by Devlin

Posted on September 1, 2011 by chrisdevlin

It’s September and we all know what that means. The new TV season is here, the new TV season is here! [/Navin Johnson voice]. These are the new shows I’m going to check out: Ringer Why? Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy … Continue reading →

Posted in Pop Culture, Reviews, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments