empathy – Ally Malinenko

UPDATED: Band of Brothers: The Found Family Trope And Why It Makes Me Cry

EDITED: UPDATE WITH CORRECTIONS We few…we happy few. We band of brothers. For he that sheds his blood today with mine shall be my brother. – William Shakespeare, Henry V Let’s talk about storytelling Many times tropes are pretty bad. By trope I mean a recognizable storytelling concept that readers (or viewers) will connect to.… Continue reading UPDATED: Band of Brothers: The Found Family Trope And Why It Makes Me Cry

2016: The Year Everyone Died

And just like that, February is almost over. I finally stumbled out of the David Bowie mourning phase. In the meantime, every creative person in the world seems to be dropping like flies. First Bowie, then Alan Rickman, Glen Fry, George Gaynes, Dan Haggerty, Clarence “Blowfly” Reid, Harper Lee, Umerto Eco, Abe Vigoda, for Pete’s… Continue reading 2016: The Year Everyone Died

Where the ducks go…..

I got to see a good friend of mine the other day. She’s about to start her senior year of high school, in a particularly crappy school. I’ve known her since she was 12. She’s smart and talented and insightful. Unfortunately, being a teenager she’s mostly blind to this fact about herself. She recently read… Continue reading Where the ducks go…..