So atmosphere is weather, and even background sounds. But what do you do for atmosphere if you’re indoors? Well, first, you can make the scene atmospheric by adding fog. No reason not to add fog to any setting, indoors or out. Or you can make it dark, so that most of the details are obscured and […]
Atmosphere Part 3: Atmosphere Is Also Posters Read More »
So the other day I joked about how atmosphere is literally just the weather (mostly fog). But there’s more to it than that. There’s also background noise.* Go back to your list of atmospheric movies and/or novels, and pull up a scene/page from one of the items on the list. The first movie on my
Atmosphere Part 2: Okay, Also Atmosphere is Literally Just Background Noise Too Read More »
I consider Die Hard to be a Chrismas movie. I asked for other people’s suggestions to add to my list. I got suggestions that had nothing to do with the winter holidays, some that were traditional Christmas movies (some of which I’ll include, oh well), and a few that people started getting snarky about because they weren’t
The That’s-Not-A-Christmas-Movie Christmas Movie List Read More »
A thought experiment for you: Do a Google search for “atmospheric movies.” Check out how many of the movies had posters with some sort of fog, weather, smoke, or translucence in them. Of the ones that don’t, if you’ve seen the movie, ask yourself, “Is some element of the weather a factor in the story?”
Atmosphere Part 1: Atmosphere Is Literally Just Fog Read More »
I’m not sure I’m going to do this one justice, so I saved it for last (so far). I’m calling it The Big Twist. A crime occurs. By design or accident, the crime is completely misinterpreted. The solver(s) proceeds forward in good faith, as if it were one of the other types of simple mysteries or
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 4: The Big Twist Read More »
Another mystery plot. This one I like to call The Two Cases. Crime #1 occurs. Crime #2, a minor/funny crime, occurs. The solver tries to track down one of the two crimes, but it’s no good. They run into something from the one crime that reminds them of the other crime. Wait wait both these crimes
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 3: The Two Cases Read More »
Another simple mystery plot. This one I’ve got mentally labeled The Lead. A crime occurs. The solver follows leads as though they were a labyrinth. Some of the leads are dead ends. Some of the leads are live ends. One of the leads that looks like a dead end is a live end. The solver keeps
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 2: The Lead Read More »
I’m slowly getting a grasp on (some) types of mystery plots. Here’s my first one, which I’m going to call The Mistake. A crime occurs. There are three suspects. The criminal is not one of those three suspects. The solver rotates through investigating the three suspects, and may even form a valid-sounding theory about one of
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 1: The Mistake Read More »
It’s not you, or rather it’s not you you. Every time you want to change a habit, there’s a price to pay. The number of days before you can establish a habit varies wildly. Adding workload to your brain uses a disproportionate amount of calories. The cycle of adapting to change is practically the same one that
Increasing Wordcount Means…All the Drama Read More »
I’ve never understood Book of the Month clubs. But then…I read a lot of books.* I signed up for a clothes of the month club, basically. AND WHOAH. THEY SEND ME CLOTHES I LIKE AND I DON’T HAVE TO BE OVERWHELMED WITH ALL THE SHOPPING AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THEY FIT. Am I willing to
Book Business Idea If You Want One: Tailored Indie Book Boxes Read More »
