THE GUIDING DWIGHT

I saw the new MUPPETS movie tonight.  I'm a believer.  It has some of the most touching songs in it including "Pictures in My Head" and "Am I a Man or a Muppet?" (written by New Zealand songwriter Bret McKenzie) and a poignant reprise of "The Rainbow Connection" that has new resonance in a modern context.  Making open reference to the question of whether the muppets are relevant ten years later in this cynical age of ours -- the muppets seem more symbolic than ever.  I bought the digital CD as soon as I got home.  Click below to listen to the songs.  Though I should says the songs are more powerful in the context of the movie. As a novelist, I'm also inspired by the clean character arcs and goals of the characters.  The hero and villain have clear, tangible goals that are mutually exclusive.  So when the climax occurs, we know what's at stake and when the story is over.  I often find that good animated films teach me about the import...

Sometimes it's interesting to hear writers talk about a particular book they've written in terms of the themes they and their characters wrestle with   in a given book.  This also applies to what themes compel a reader as well. My debut speculative novel PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL is about a human embryo allowed to preview the world before deciding whether to be born.  The central question hopefully raised in the mind of the reader is: If I know when I was about to be born everything that I know now about the world and life -- would I have chosen to be born? Or would I have asked to be returned to the gene pool to wait for a later arrival time and a better world? So at one level, the novel is about evolution . Are we evolving or backsliding? How do we create better, happier humans? Another question is how does our world, our species, look to the complete outsider ? Does earth throw out a welcome mat to newcomers? Or would a newcomer observe us for a few weeks and go...