Let’s get this out of the way: Rings of Power is not Tolkien, even if Amazon paid to have The Lord of the Rings in the title. These stories are essentially […]

Today is Earth Day. Many of you have heard of this time of reflection, and you probably already have an opinion on whether we should devote a day each year […]

  Several of you probably saw Stranger Things a year ago, but I just saw the first episode. The homage to the 1980s is lovely, but the artistic expression in […]

Cars 3 clearly shows Pixar returning to the original film for inspiration. While Cars 2 was more a feature-length version of Mater’s Tall Tales, this film inherits more thematically from […]

I have mixed feelings about the second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy. Although I would not call it a great movie, I have the desire to see more of […]

Does Stephen Strange Grow into a Virtuous Person? Dr. Strange is another enjoyable entry in the Marvel Studios master plan. Of course, this film is another superhero adventure with the obligatory […]

Recapturing the Spirit of the Franchise Yeah, yeah. I know I’m months behind, but I just finally watched Rogue One–had to get it in before May 4th! My delay in seeing […]

Mix the themes of West Wing (yet, alas, not the Sorkin-inspired banter) with the action and occasional family moments of 24 (with no ticking clock), and you will have a good idea […]

Somehow it slipped by me this past July: Scrivener finally arrived in the App Store for iPads and iPhones after years of our waiting. Now we can take the magic […]

Disney’s Zootopia is a masterpiece of quirky characters, thoughtful plot twists, and brilliant spectacle. Imagination abounds in the film’s portrait of a city containing multiple habitats and species living right […]

After the action-packed premiere (picking up with last season’s cliffhanger), the Person of Interest writing team take time for a more cerebral episode. Harold and company have risked their lives to […]

Before you judge this latest Marvel film, you should ask yourself what you think makes up a good superhero story. Comic book writers and readers have long noticed the difference […]

There is a reason certain works get the label “classic,” and every now and then we see a re-telling of the story that reminds us of the power of its […]

  Some calendars don’t even have it listed in April, and many people dismiss it as a silly effort of “liberal-minded tree huggers” to promote agendas that will ultimately annoy […]

There are many social-media resources for authors today, and many authors eventually waste untold hours trying to promote their books through these channels. Although Facebook and Twitter can be helpful […]

Wolf Code is now a GoodReads Giveaway again (available worldwide), from May 19 to July 31, 2016:   Goodreads Book Giveaway Wolf Code by Chandler Brett Giveaway ends July 31, 2016. […]

To help explain the elements of CHANGE mentioned in my last post, I thought it would be helpful to analyze a movie or television episode. I just recently watched the […]

The last writing lessons focused on reader expectations (genre conventions) and the four basic narrative elements (plot, character, setting, and point of view). Several popular books about making your novel […]

On January 6, Boo Sheppard and I sat down for an interview about the release of Wolf Code. Boo is a talented interviewer, actress, director, producer, and author. For nineteen […]

I finally saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens this weekend after carefully navigating around family and friends who had seen it before me. I know there will be plenty of […]

Advanced Reviews: “Wolf Code is an entertaining read, but also a gently thought-provoking one — a combination not always easy to find. I look forward to what is next for […]

WOLF CODE : A SHELTERING WILDERNESS Copyright © 2015 by Chandler Brett All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner in any media without […]

So where did you get the idea for your book? Authors hear this question frequently. It is a good conversation starter because it asks the writer to punctuate the highlights in […]

I recently watched the documentary Trek Nation and learned Nichelle Nichols considered leaving Star Trek after the first season. During this pivotal time, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. and learned he […]

At least since Aristotle, writers and critics have identified four building blocks that storytellers use to spin their tales: plot, character, setting (atmosphere), and tone (point of view). Stories are […]