Leon Parenzo

Psychology factors into most of what we do in modern life. Companies use psychology everywhere from human resources to building design. Understanding the human mind is a powerful tool. Though not always deployed ethically (for more on this, refer to the book I recently coauthored, The Trap: Sex, Social Media and Surveillance Capitalism), please appreciate […]

‘Change’ is a pretty big buzzword about this time of year. New year, new me and all that jazz. How many of us, year after year after year make lists, draft resolutions, and vow THIS time we’ll not only change, but change for good, but…. *insert sound of deflating balloon here* There are many reasons […]

Via ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ “Talk is cheap.” This is a common idiomatic expression, at least here in the States. While these might be words to live by, they are also words to write by. Dialogue can make or break story. It can make a ‘meh’ story concept shine or tank a superlative story […]

Dune…desert planet…no dialogue. Before we plunge ahead in our ‘sit-still’ suits, I promise to work very hard to avoid any ‘spoiler alerts.’ Though, in my defense, this story has been around since disco was cool. Also, feel free to disagree with my opinion, just please do so politely. Videophiles and cinephiles will LOVE this movie. […]

The wound is critical for creating dimensional characters and, thus layered stories. Ah, the masks we wear. We all have them because it’s impossible to be fully human and devoid of cracks. We all have a wound. In fact if you make it past childhood you’re probably carrying around more than carry-on baggage (more than […]

The Johari Window can be one of many powerful tools for crafting dimensional characters. It can also help creators develop layered stories (plots) that will resonate long after the audience reaches ‘The End.’ Why? Because great fiction is even better therapy. Too many believe fiction to be a fluff, an escape, a fantasy getaway. Some […]

Drama is the lifeblood of all good storytelling. In our modern world, where audiences have billions of choices regarding how to spend their time? Drama needs to be in everything we create if we hope to get so much as a passing glance. I don’t care if it’s a novel, a podcast, a documentary, or […]

Image via Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Frederik Andreasson Horror is in the HOUSE today…and over the weekend for many since, um, HALLOWEEN! So, today I’d like to talk about horror as a genre. Horror gets a bad rap. Most people automatically default to brainless, low-budget slasher movies. People somehow forget that we can thank […]

Silencers. Yes, today our visiting expert, Piper Bayard from the writing duo Bayard & Holmes is here to do some myth-busting. The movie industry seems to believe one can use a silencer on everything. ***Yet another peeve for many who are even remotely knowledgable about the gun world and how things actually work. I get […]

Fight scenes are essential when it comes to so many genres, which is one reason that one of my all-time favorite courses I’ve ever taught was Bulletproof Barbie. The second reason that was my favorite class? As an editor and avid reader, nothing can make or break a story—on the page or on the screen—like […]