Tony Del Degan's Blog, page 2

Creating a New World – The Evermore Compendium

When our current world sucks, why not make a new one? … Continue readingCreating a New World – The Evermore Compendium

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Ceres is Done – What Now?

My newest work is available for the world to buy. There are few feelings in the world to match this one.

Months of work have culminated in this fantastic novel, of which I couldn’t be prouder. I truly believe it is the best piece I’ve ever written. Every work will always be better than what came before, but there is something about Ceres that will stick with me far into the future of my career.

Ceres started many years ago, back when I was still writing The Plight of Steel. It ...

Legitimizing Your Story – How You Can Create a World Behind the Words

What Makes Good Worldbuilding?

Something I focus on while writing a novel is the world behind the story you’re reading. It’s incredibly important – just as much as the story itself. Without worldbuilding, the story seems shallow and unfounded.

For some writers, this is easier said than done.

How do you create a fake world that doesn’t exist? And if you manage it, how do you legitimize that world in both the mind of the reader, as well as your own mind. This ties in to the mark...

How Sci-fi Made Me a Better Writer

My upcoming Novel Ceres has truly put me through the ringer in terms of storytelling range.

In its infancy, Ceres was a half-baked and confused pile of ideas for characters, planets, and circumstances that I hadn’t been able to string together.

I had just gotten through half of The Point of Chaos, when I needed to take a break. I was going through a mental shift in what I was interested in, and was looking into Sci-fi in place of my typical fantasy.

And so, unable to smothe...

CERES – Something Actually Finished

From Start to End

I typically have a lot of projects going at once, and since I published The Recognition a few years ago, I haven’t actually come to the end of a story. The only stories that have gotten endings are The Plight of Steel (the first novel) and The Recognition, and so to cap off another novel was an incredibly rewarding feeling – especially one that I love as much as this one.

Neith

I set out to write a Sci-fi novel that I would personally find interesting enough to...

The Plight of Steel Series – Plans for the Future

As I continue writing on The Point of Chaos, I wanted to give some updates on what my plans for the series are. They’ve changed quite a ton since I began The Plight of Steel back in 2018… three years ago. Jesus.

The Plight of Steel started after I decided to write a television script (yes, at fifteen years old). Not much luck getting that anywhere, so my dad suggested I turn it into a book; I’ve told that story a million times in various writings and interview settings. How did I see the...

Review: Interstellar

I’d been hearing about this movie since it came out back in 2014. I saw the short clips of the black hole and knew about how the creation of this effect helped publish a legitimate scientific paper. Various images of cornfields and astronauts crossed my path for years while I traversed the internet, luring me in, but keeping me away due to how little information about the actual story was provided with these images. What’s the cornfield about? Why are they heading into a black hole? What the...

Short Film Review – LOST BOY

What’s this? It’s a short film review. Hollywood makes cool stuff, but I usually find the really interesting ideas in short films people put on the internet. And at the end of the day, Hollywood can only do so much when bound by decisions made based on what will make money and what won’t.

This short film is one I watched back in 2016. I was blown away by it at the time, and after re-watching it the night before writing this, I can remember why. It’s a proof-of-concept, which means there’...

Redshift 2301 – More and Less than Expected (Film BTS)

A Labor of Confusion and New Learnings

I just released my first “big” short film, Redshift 2301 – at least, big in its ambition and storytelling. When I set out to begin this project, I had a clear vision in my mind and a couple ideas of how I would accomplish it based on what was available to me on a budget of absolute zero.

Most namely, this was the first film project of mine that’s utilized fully rendered CG environments and elements. Before this, I’d been constricted to what I co...

Review: A Quiet Place 2

Initial Impressions

I’d seen the first one close to when it came out and was wildly impressed with it. It took place in one location the entire time, but kept the story engaging and new throughout. The idea of having to keep quiet, and being unable to do conventional dialogue and filmmaking most of the time was certainly unique. John Krasinski – typically a comedic person in my mind, aside from his role in Jack Ryan – is actually an incredibly talented screenwriter and director, though th...