Bill Gathen

The writer strike the sparks, the reader does the burning

Lessons Learned from Dancing with the Stars

Bill | May 15, 2008

My wife and I have been playing catch-up on Dancing With The Stars for the last two weeks. ABC makes all its prime-time shows available for free on their website the day after they air, so we rolled-back to the beginning of the season, cuddled up on the couch and queued it up.
I am not [...]

The Joy of Getting to the Middle

Bill | February 17, 2008

In any long-term endeavor, there are going to be times when you don’t feel like doing your work. Days when you just can’t face the keyboard, canvas, whatever. During these periods it’s very easy to hate what you’re doing or wonder if it’s worth doing at all.
An important thing to note is that once you’re [...]

Relationships and the Genius of Joss Whedon

Bill | February 16, 2008

Everybody argues about whether it’s plot or character that’s the source of good fiction. Of course, it’s a trick question: the real answer is that there is no real plot that doesn’t derive from character and no way to show character except by their reactions to plot. But I’m starting to think both of these [...]