Stories By Van

Hey everyone! Hope the weekend is going strong. Okay, now that formalities are out of the way, I have a new story for you guys. This story is a cold open for a TV show. I thought of this show while at my author showcase a few months ago. I wrote the whole scene in my notebook that day. It was just flowing out of my head. It's a pilot for an action series based in ancient Rome. The theme would deal a little with fighting against oppression and things along that nature. You get the sense of that at least in the cold open, so go ahead check it out. Let me know what you think. Also, a cold open is that first few minutes of a TV show before the title sequence. It can either start the story, or just be for a quick joke to start things off. Think of The Office. That show has really funny cold opens. Alright, enjoy.  Rome Pilot By: Van Windsor FADE IN: ext. Colosseum-day A crumbling Colosseum filled with as many bloodthirsty spectators as it could still hold. Down in

The Blood Moon is here! It's the end of the world! Run for your lives! Okay, so today is the longest blood moon in the 21st century, and some people really do think it has to do with end of the world. Apparently, there are some bible verses that make a somewhat compelling argument. I haven't read them, but I'm hoping that it doesn't mean the rapture. If it does, I can only pray that seeing the blood moon means you're a bad person because if you look at this link  it'll show that North & South America are safe. It's actually pretty funny that we are in the perfectly wrong spot to see this blood moon.  So what is a blood moon? Why does it occur? A blood moon is the phenomenon whereby the moon in total eclipse appears reddish in color as it is illuminated by sunlight filtered and refracted by the earth's atmosphere. Pretty cool.  If you're into horoscopes, you can check how this blood moon will effect you here.  For me, as an Aquarius, Ma

Hooray! Good news everyone! I have new short story to share with you. Isn't that exciting? Eh, maybe a little. I'm curious to see what you all think of this one. I had the idea for this story back when the Las Vegas shooting happened last October. The thought just kind of hit me like a slap in the face (as most strong ideas do), and I wondered What was going through that guys head at the time. So, the gears started to turn. It wasn't until months after that I actually started writing the story, but it was always in the back of my head. I wanted it to be right. I don't know if it is, but it's complete. I finished it a couple weeks ago, and was just letting it settle before giving it a look through. So, I hope you all find it interesting and thought-provoking. Also, it doesn't have a title, so get over it.             9:45AM, already 82 and sunny on that cloudless Thursday morning. Dozens and dozens of busy-bodies in their sundresses and business suits, butt

What’s up people! I feel like talking about beer today because it’s the middle of the week and I’m ready for Friday. I’m also relaxing poolside at this very moment and a beer completes that image quite swell. I was never really a beer drinker back in college. I don’t really think anyone starts out liking it. The first two years all I heard was, “Just keep drinking, man. It’s an acquired taste.” Well, I just wasn’t acquiring it, I guess. It was horrible. Disgusting tasting piss water. I was doing just fine with whiskey sodas. Those made me feel more sophisticated and manly anyway. It wasn’t until about 2 years into college that I found a beer I could actually drink. It was a craft beer. Locally brewed, and I discovered that once I found a beer that I did like it was easier to drink other beers that I previously didn’t. That’s the secret, my friends. And I have proof. I took my brother, once he turned 21 to a bar that sells dozens upon dozens of different flavors of beer. All you d

Hey guys, I heard this really interesting quote today by George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones creator). He says that there are two types of writers. There are architects and there are gardeners.  The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. I love this quote. I think it's the best way to describe the different kinds of writers out there. George R. R. Martin considers himself a gardener,

Hey people, sorry this is a late post, but I was driving back home and just got back. I’m pretty wore out from the weekend, so I don’t have much to talk about. What’s traffic like for most people? I mean like heavy traffic. Like 4 lanes of metal cages sliding in and out of spaces only a few inches bigger than the car. Is there anyone that can do that kind of driving with ease? It’s-no-big-deal type of attitude about it. Because I hate it. It stresses me out. I don’t trust other people, and that trust is cut in half on the roads. Some people just have no sense of awareness. They just slide in when they see fit. No blinker, no care in the world. “When people see me turning they’ll know to get out of the way.” That’s what must be going on inside of those people’s heads. It’s not safe, or polite. Some people can be just the worst, can’t they? Or, maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the problem. I will admit that I am a cautious driver to a degree, but that’s just because I’d prefer staying

Hey people! What is going on? I'm writing this super early right so I can actually get all that juicy detail squeezed out before I need to do anything; I'm very tired right now, but it's the sacrifice I take for you, so you better appreciate it... Anyway, let's get right into it with out topic: Delicious lamb meat DID YOU KNOW that lamb meat is best prepared by marinating the meat in olive oil, garlic, or lemon? Also, and this is super fascinating, lamb meat needs to be cooked at- That's not our topic... Sorry, to anyone that believed it would be. Maybe in the future I'll fulfill your wants and write that lamb meat recipe. But, for now, let's talk storytelling. Good storytelling understanding is a great tool to have for more than just writing. You can apply these techniques to social situations like at work, or a dinner party. Also, if you are speaking to a large crowd or audience. Storytelling, in it's simplest form, is nothing more telling a st