Steven Barnes's Blog, page 22

Incredibles 2 and the power of yeilding

I just heard from Dan Moran, that INCREDIBLES 2 kicks butt.   I am SO happy to hear this, because the first movie was one of those “so close to perfect I can’t find anything serious to complain about” movies.  In the running for “Best Superhero Movie” ever as well as “Best Family Comedy”, Brad Bird’s masterpiece just get almost everything right.

 

SPOILERS for the original film.

 

Let’s follow one plot thread to see an example of how it works beautifully.  The core conceit is that Superheros...

Your Action or Your Life

Thief: “Your money or your life.”

(pause)

Thief: “Your money or your life!”

Jack Benny:  “I’m THINKING, I’m THINKING!”

 

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I had a recent exchange with a reader who complimented me on a powerful post.  I replied with thanks, but made it clear: the sign that such  communications  have power is not that it triggers emotion or thought but that IT TRIGGERS OR CHANGES BEHAVIOR.

 

I would go so far as to say that in a very real sense, no information that fails to change behavior has any real me...

Not Whether, But When

Jason is fourteen, and for the very first time starting to talk more directly about wanting a girlfriend, specifically a certain tall young lady I caught a glance of a week ago.

Pretty!

 

And quite reasonably, T said that its time for That Talk.  Well, the core biology of it is handled through school and certain videos I know he’s snuck and peered at on the computer at least two years ago.   That certainly leaves a lot of gaps to fill in, but the big question, the BIG  BIG question, will be t...

Behavior is Truth…but lying is interesting, as well

 

**SPOILERS for “Deadpool” and “Coco”**

 

I don’t know about you, but I loved the first Deadpool (and enjoyed the second, but didn’t “love” it the same way).  One thing that works is an aspect of the characterization. Yeah, despite breaking the fourth wall, there really is a character arc in there.  And they use the “Behavior is truth” plotting technique.   There are a few basic principles here:

 

We are what we do, FAR more than we are what we think, feel, or say we are. Anything you learn...

What Book Changed Your Life?

Is there an author who changed your life?   How?

 

SPOILERS.

 

Oddly, mine is Martin Caiden, the author of “Cyborg”, the book that became “The Six Million Dollar Man.”  He wrote a book called “The God Machine,” a very “Colossus, The Forbin Project” style book (probably not as good) but it contained a very fascinating scene.

 

It’s been almost fifty  years since I read it, but I hope the basic details are right: In this book, a young computer engineer is faced with a sentient machine that take...

A Letter To My Younger Self

I’m finally creating my full Morning Ritual program.  Part of what I need to do is unpack it so that I can really understand why so many of my teachers insisted on a Daily Ritual of physical motion, emotion, and mental focus across a balanced set of goals.  The Morning Ritual is magic, a body-mind sigil of transformative power.  It doesn’t care if you believe it works, only that you do it. If you do, you will change.

This morning’s thoughts deal with a tiny piece of that puzzle that transform...

Cliff Stewart Day

“Our very dear friend and martial arts icon, Maha Guru Clifford Stewart is going to be honored at the Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank next Saturday, June 2nd from 4:00-6:00pm.

If you’ve never been to the museum, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out and enjoy an afternoon of honoring a true giant among men.”

 

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I will be there.  Let me tell you why.  Sit back a while: this will take some time.

 

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Let me tell you a little about what I owe Cliff Stewart.  First, let’s g...

Escaping an ego trap

I noticed that yesterday I commented on a political thread when someone got their facts wrong, and he responded with insult.  Immediately, I felt a “flash” of emotion, and began to engage.

 

I noticed myself looking for all the usual things: his underlying beliefs, any logical inconsistencies, assumptions, and so on.  But there was something lurking in the back of my head.  On some level, I was thinking Sun Tzu: there are battles it is not worth fighting.  It was as if someone had called me a...

Don’t be a hack

Many years ago I was at one of my first book signings, and an older writer showed up. He was charming and witty.  He handed me his business card, which said “freelance hack and literary mechanic.”

 

Hah hah.

 

He was dead of alcoholism within a year.

 

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Some years later, I pitched an idea to a television show, and was told that they couldn’t do my idea, because if they did, people would think their show “was about something”, when the truth was that they were in the business of putting o...

More on Talent vrs Modeling

 (from 2007)

Now, it’s possible to “focus” on, say, writing for years and never develop good skills. Such people might focus on, say, producing 1000 words a day without reading, or getting coaching. In essence, they’ve been practicing typing rather than writing. It isn’t practice but effective or “perfect practice” that improves performance.

This is why it is important to combine focus with things like modeling in order to know what to focus ON. But even the best education, opportuniti...