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Writing Blog

A collection of 33 posts

Reveling in Metaphor: Aristotle's A Priori Illuminations

Reveling in Metaphor: Aristotle's A Priori Illuminations

Anyone who knows me knows that I can't stop talking, thinking, and using metaphors when I'm developing stories. Within them, I find strong clues about what I want to say in each project, clues that go far beyond words.

The Ideal Of A Creative Work Session: The Dopamine Of 1,000 Pull Ups

The Ideal Of A Creative Work Session: The Dopamine Of 1,000 Pull Ups

The Ideal Work Session: First I attend to my physical position, define the project and mark the time frame with an outcome.

THE SUPERMARKET: The Moment That Changed My Life

THE SUPERMARKET: The Moment That Changed My Life

I'm stuck in my car and I've managed to remove the seatbelt. My mind attempts to invite my body to get out of the vehicle. I've not been in an accident and my car isn't upside down. I'm parked outside a supermarket in my home city of Reykjavik, Iceland.

My Chitchat Before A Writing Session

My Chitchat Before A Writing Session

I was about to go into a writing session just now and I thought it would be an excellent idea write a bit about it before I start. The shadow side of me suspects that this is a camouflaged procrastination, but in all honesty, most things can be defined as

Knit, Count, Breathe - Protecting Your Creative Mood

Creative Gadgets

Knit, Count, Breathe - Protecting Your Creative Mood

My mother used to knit like there was no tomorrow. There was always something peaceful and harmonious about watching her click the pins through the wool.

Novel Work This Summer; A Brief Check-in

Novel Work This Summer; A Brief Check-in

Dear students, I hope you're having a good summer. This summer, I decided to take a little break from teaching and have been working on a novel that I've been breadcrumbing, inch by inch, over the last few years. I'd been writing a chapter

THE PASSENGERS: My experience with Olaf de Fleur's Skillshare classes and Film Webinars

THE PASSENGERS: My experience with Olaf de Fleur's Skillshare classes and Film Webinars

You appeared on my screen as the teacher of Skillshare’s class Learn Indie Filmmaking by Making a Short Documentary Film. While you were driving a car through Reykjavik, Iceland, you shared your passion and your tools skillfully...

The Fear of the Novel

The Fear of the Novel

I have decided to write a novel. And I am absolutely terrified. Now it's not like this is my first time writing. For the last 12-13 years, I have been making a living from writing one way or another. I've written feature films, some produced, most

Not Being Able To Write a Book

Not Being Able To Write a Book

I have been working on 'this book' for over five years, and I have found myself stuck in a detrimental loop.

Overwhelm: The Land of Indecision

Procrastination

Overwhelm: The Land of Indecision

"I don't like living here, even though everyone is very polite and nice, nothing happens in this village of no decisions."

The Courtroom of Your Creativity

The Creative Path

The Courtroom of Your Creativity

When we want to produce a creative piece of art, a story, a film, it's easy to talk ourselves out of it.

The Train, The Cargo

The Train, The Cargo

I have a sound recorder in my hand and I’m pointing it into empty space close to a train track. This space will be filled with thunder within a few moments. I maintain my posture like a statue waiting to be woken up. Noise creeps up from a horizon,

Write Monster See Kill

Write Monster See Kill

Let's pretend. You're a great writer. Pretend for 1 minute. Actually sit down, time it. Pretend to be the best writer in the world. (method) Act it. If anything stops you from doing this, it'll show it's face, and you'll

LORD OF THE FLIES | Writing a Film Synopsis

LORD OF THE FLIES | Writing a Film Synopsis

In writing, it's probably the most difficult thing when writing your idea, to write a paragraph or a page that sums up your story.

Writing Imperfection & Irrational Fear

Writing Imperfection & Irrational Fear

I love writing because through it I can see a reflection of nature. In work, relationships, behavior. One of the things around writing that I've always struggled with is the fear of a mistake, the fear of looking strange, of writing something so crazy that will alienate me

The Error Of Writing A Story From A to B - And The Anxiety It Provokes

The Error Of Writing A Story From A to B - And The Anxiety It Provokes

What does it mean to concentrate? Specifically when it comes to writing. Let’s throw in our usual disclaimer when it comes to creative work, and writing is no different, everyone has their way about it.

SCREENWRITING: Think in layers

SCREENWRITING: Think in layers

You can think of your story in independent threads that work together. This is different from thinking in ACTS. We're moving beyond that, though this does not substitute it, it's meant to improve the ACTS approach.

WRITING: Meeting The Pain of Not Being Perfect

WRITING: Meeting The Pain of Not Being Perfect

The future. We can see it. Before we write. We can see it. Good, bad, ugly, doesn't matter how it looks like. It's a lie we see as truth. We know it's a lie but we believe it's the truth.

WRITING - Protecting Focus with Physical Care

WRITING - Protecting Focus with Physical Care

Before writing, the first thing we would like to do, just like any athlete, is to warm up our body. I always recommend stretching your fingers, shoulders, and design a customized version of a physical warm-up tailored to your needs.

THE TWO METHODS OF CREATING

THE TWO METHODS OF CREATING

In this post, I wanted to touch on the two main approaches when it comes to creating your original idea. These two apply when you write, edit, and so on. You already know them as classic opposites, they are yin and yang, left brain vs. right, rationality vs. poetry, fast

A TOOL TO KILL CREATIVE OVERTHINK

A TOOL TO KILL CREATIVE OVERTHINK

Depriving Overthink of Oxygen This headline doesn't sound very nice. Or friendly. But hey, that's what overthink is. Not friendly, and definitely not nice. It has its place in the creative process, but can easily become a dictator for fear, you give it a thumb, and

FREE TOOL: IMAGINE, WAIT, WRITE

FREE TOOL: IMAGINE, WAIT, WRITE

A step-by-step guide to avoid exhausting your creative mind. Writing anxiety is no fun. However, it seems like a degree of anxiety is integraned with the creative process. It is easy to know the difference between a helpful anxiety, and the problematic kind.

THE HONOR: Becoming a Top Teacher at Skillshare

THE HONOR: Becoming a Top Teacher at Skillshare

It is an honor to have been selected as a TOP TEACHER at Skillshare. A shoutout to Skillshare's Marla for holding my hand, and to Tiffany who is about to. My classes have reached over 2,500 students, and I'm grateful to be able to share

THE PERFECTION MONSTER

THE PERFECTION MONSTER

Perfection is an idiot wearing social acceptance as a mask.

THE 15% POWER-CRAVING ACCOUNTANT: YOUR HEAD

THE 15% POWER-CRAVING ACCOUNTANT: YOUR HEAD

Ever noticed how when you think you can’t do something and then you see yourself do it anyway?