André van Haren

Music of the Mythospheres, The City of God, Part I. By Richard Farley. "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God . . ." --Ralph Waldo Emerson Prologue : The Children of Creation Imagine you are a newborn, a child less than a day old. Envision your sense of wonder and … [Read more...] about July 1997

Music of the Mythospheres By Richard Farley. Prologue Imagine with me for a moment a universe without form or dimension. Nothing exists. Not even time. Imagine this "nonbeingness" is centered within itself. Now visualize this "dimensionless centeredness" as something like a navel. And fancy that this navel may "nonexist" in consummate contemplation of itself. And behold, this centered … [Read more...] about June 1997

Gate Guardians and Shape Changers By John Jarvis. A number of writers have asked me to explain more about these two concepts -- Gate Guardians and Shape Changers -- which are discussed in StoryCraftNet and in the StoryCraft software. For a good example, let's look at Star Wars. A Gate Guardian impedes the Hero from performing his or her task. The stepparents at the beginning of the Star … [Read more...] about May, 1997

Magic Fire: The Search for Superman By John Jarvis. The aesthetically life is the only phenomenon that justifies both existence and ourselves. -- Nietzsche, THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY In the last 200 years, since the time of Rousseau, artists of all kinds have espoused a common rather than an aristocratic viewpoint. From late 18th century plays on -- throught the 19th century Russian novels, the … [Read more...] about April, 1997

Keeping an Eye On Format By John Jarvis. When I was in Hollywood, one of my first jobs was that of script reader. Work! A kind of magic word in LA. Most of us who didn't have to stay at the studio grabbed a trusty old beach umbrella and towel, and headed for one of the many beaches around LA. (Making sure that you had a book cover over the script. Else, you'd suddenly find yourself will a lot … [Read more...] about March, 1997