Note: I promised last week a discussion of techniques in developing characters, however were I to append such a discourse to the material I have posted below I would turn this blog post into a small novel. Therefore, I shall touch upon the subject briefly, but leave an in-depth discussion for a later post.

Last week we scratched the surface on the subject of characters in stories—why, from an audience's standpoint, they are essential to any tale. But from the writer's standpoint, there is much more to be said on the subject, and what there is to say is far more interesting.

A number of films have come out recently that have had varying degrees of visual excellence, but have skimped on storytelling. Some of these movies I was inclined to like, such as the animated feature 9 and James Cameron’s Avatar, while others, such as J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek, have earned my distaste. All of these movies go wrong in the story department at some point, and much of it has to do with their use and development of their characters.

Since I'm making some substantial progress on some of my projects, I thought I'd enumerate what I'm working on for the benefit of any interested parties.

Another long interval between posts, and I find myself almost world-weary. A more-than-full-time schedule at school, unrequited love and my own personal demons have left me exhausted, stressed, worn out. Amidst it all, I have little time to write, or little time that I decide to spend writing. I wonder if that is part of my recent instability. Regardless, I am here now, and even though I am not writing fiction, my sentiments make it to the page.

Are Star Trek fans insane, or are they just so hungry for more that all sense of, you know, standards in storytelling has left them?

I'm not referring so much to the upcoming Star Trek movie, helmed by the unworthy J.J. Abrams, but the series of comics released to bridge the events of the new film with the previous continuity. I have just finished reading the first in the series of comics, and I must say, though the thrust of the story is interesting, the execution leaves much to be desired.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Recently I read this article on an RN, call her Nurse Olona, who apparently has the habit of removing intra-uterine devices (IUDs) from patients without their consent. Her justification for these "accidents"?

I'm switching around some website content in preparation for development of the paper and pencil RPG I'm making, tentatively titled Saga RPG. NOT to be confused with "Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG," which is entirely different and possibly grounds to change the name of the whole project. In any case, the updates page is now the home page, and my blog is but an ordinary page. Since I need the help of others to make Saga, Runicfire is taking steps to become more of a community instead of just my personal webpage.

Unlike some people, I never "became" an atheist. I was born without religion, raised without religion, and it wasn't until I was older that I had a word for it. I had a very "live and let live" attitude towards religion, though I was frustrated with attempts to quash science in its name. That persisted even when close family members of mine became more religious and concerned with the alleged fate of my soul. I've found it at once interesting and disturbing that I've become more militant in my views as time goes on.

Atheists, according to Mollie Ziegler Hemingway of the Wall Street Journal, are no more rational than theists. In fact, they are a mite more superstitious, or so she says in a recent article titled “Look Who’s Irrational Now.” Apparently, 8% of those “who attended a house of worship” claimed belief in palm readings, astrology, and undead visitations, compared to a staggering 31% of the unchurched, including “avowed atheists.” Even more stunning is the fact that quite a few of these so-called atheists pray or proclaim belief in a personal God.