Stories

The Twilight Zone: The Night of the Meek

12.25.2010

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Serling’s holiday classic starring Art Carney. Part 1 of 3. Fifty years old this year; original air date 12.23.2010.

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Need Company?

12.13.2010

Need Company? by Jace D. Albao (b. 1969) Gary had two problems. The first problem was that he lived in a crappy apartment with nobody to talk to besides the faceless girls on the other end of the pay-per-minute phone calls. The second problem was that he hated his job as a garbage collector. One [...]

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Waiting for Sue

12.11.2010

Waiting for Sue by Jace D. Albao (b. 1969) It happened at the top of a very tall bridge. Three women — a brunette, a blonde, and a redhead — were waiting for Sue. “Is she on her way?” the brunette asked, holding the gun on the blonde and the redhead. “I don’t think I [...]

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A Sound of Thunder

11.30.2010

The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury (b. 1920) The sign on the wall seemed to quaver under a film of sliding warm water. Eckels felt his eyelids blink over his stare, and the sign burned in this momentary darkness:

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Rod and Robby

11.29.2010

The legend Rod Serling with Robby the Robot, who made an appearance in the Twilight Zone episodes “Uncle Simon“, “The Brain Center at Whipples“, and “One for the Angels“. TIMELY AND RELATED: Robby played alongside Leslie Nielsen in “Forbidden Planet“.

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The Cold Side

11.27.2010

The Cold Side by Jace D. Albao (b. 1969) Back to the stake, hands and ankles bound behind me by unburnable chains, I had to admire the hooded one’s skill. An artist of great restraint, an effective minimalist, he started the fire masterfully small, taking extra care that carbon monoxide poisoning or suffocation would not [...]

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Battle of Los Angeles (movie trailer)

11.26.2010

Perfect timing. Bring on the buzz in 2011. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video International trailer. Notice the Dos Equis voice over guy: You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

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Under Angels 2.0: Where are we now?

11.18.2010

For about four and a half years, I’ve been designing a story called Under Angels. A fantasy psychological horror historical mystery thriller thing. It’s been said to have elements of Fight Club, Jacob’s Ladder, Myst, The Da Vinci Code, and perhaps even Operation: Mindcrime. It originally came out of my mind as a screenplay in [...]

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Happy birthday, Robert Louis Stevenson

11.13.2010

Today’s Google Doodle salutes Robert Louis Stevenson, author of ‘Treasure Island‘, ‘Kidnapped‘, and ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde‘. He was born on November 13, 1850.

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Local Ghost Haunts: Fort MacArthur

11.08.2010

Good old Fort MacArthur here in our backyard is known to be a hotspot for paranormal activity. From Wikipedia: Ghost hunters have heard footsteps, the clank of machinery not used in decades, and explosions. They’ve seen floating orbs, and felt inexplicable cold breezes and unseen entities brushing past them. They believe that the fort is [...]

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Six words about coming home from war

11.03.2010

SMITH Magazine is honored to team up with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to bring you Six-Word Memoirs about coming home from war. A few: “I don’t know who I am.” – Jeff, Operation Iraqi Freedom 2008-2009 “Two tours, no injuries, thank God.” – Anthony Pike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2004 and 2006 “I [...]

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The Hero’s Journey as seen in The Matrix

10.20.2010

Author Christopher Vogler discusses the 12 steps of The Hero’s Journey, a classic story structure model based on Joseph Campbell’s seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The makers of this informative video have nicely applied these ideas to The Matrix: You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

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J.K. Rowling’s spreadsheet plot

10.19.2010

A spreadsheet plot written out by J.K. Rowling. Her approach to spreadsheet plotting is to divide the columns by chapter number, story timeline, chapter title, main plots, and subplots. (via famulan)

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The Moment: “Pocket Cowboys”

10.10.2010

The Moment: “Pocket Cowboys” by Jace D. Albao (b. 1969) It was a balmy Saturday in Honolulu, the evening after I was born. Poker Night at my Uncle Danny’s house, and my old man was passing out cigars to the guys. “Becoming a father has been the best moment of my life,” he said. “Deal [...]

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Ray Bradbury speaks about writing

09.14.2010

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Ray Bradbury was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Citation from the 2007 Pulitzer Committee for his contribution to American literature. Here’s a two-minute clip of Bradbury’s message to would-be writers in Santa Barbara CA on 06.24.2006. RELATED: This was taped exactly thirty-one months before [...]

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The Twilight Zone: Stopover in a Quiet Town

07.29.2010

What’s a warm summer weekday afternoon without a lunchtime Twilight Zone fix? Here’s one of my faves. Part 1 of 3: You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Part 2 of 3: You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Part 3 of 3: You need [...]

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