A Time for Graphic Novels

It’s a time for graphic novels. That might come off as an odd thing to say in the midst of awards season, and yet, I can’t help see it everywhere I go.

Anyone who is in tune with comics and graphic novels already know how structurally, they are page-turning storyboards to film and shows waiting to happen. While we’ve seen that a lot akin the superhero franchises, it’s the one-offs, the standalone graphic novels, the visual stories tapped into communities, and worlds even, apart from what we’re already familiar with that are starting to manifest into something more than what their bookworm audiences already know them for.

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6 Years of “An Absolute Mind” and the Future of that Universe

Ideally, I would have liked to have written about this earlier in the month. However, due to occurrences that I’ve made known by now, it just didn’t feel right. But I didn’t want the month of November to come and go without acknowledging it at all either, as there is more to be said about it than a year ago.

Remembering the Summer of Inspiration

Social media reminders of posts and moments that occurred a number of years ago have reminded me that it’s now been a whopping decade since – what I call – the summer of inspiration. In 2012, two distinct occurrences happened that summer that ultimately inspired me to start taking my creative writing more seriously.

The Act of Screenwriting Exercises

This is another one of those things where you will already know if you follow me on social media. However, in case you don’t, let me just say that I really enjoyed the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” limited series this past month. I loved the journey that this beloved character went through, and despite the hiccups along the way, it didn’t deter my otherwise full blown enjoyment for it. In terms of adding to long-existing story, it was inspiring to me as a writer — so much to where during the show’s run, I started adding to the story myself.

Wesley Chan on Re-Envisioning “Shell” Through New Sci-Fi Webseries

I rarely conduct interviews for my website, but when I do, I often center them on writers and storytellers who I either know or admire about their creative process and/or their latest project. This case scenario is particularly exciting for me, as this is a conversation with a filmmaker whose work I’ve come to admire and be inspired by over the years: Wesley Chan.

Meeting David Mitchell

It’s the dawn of a new year with very little to expect. That’s why to kick things off, I decided to have a little fun with this first post for 2022 and share something that happened to me a few weeks ago.

Playwright’s Commentary: “The Swan”

Ten months ago, I made my return to the theatre both for the first time since the pandemic began and the first time in a couple of years, when I made my playwright debut with Rainy Day Artistic Collective. My one-act virtual play, “Interview with an Aswang,” was part of the lineup for their inaugural production. It was such a collaborative experience to be a part of and from the sound of what the audience was saying online, it seems like it was well received.

“tick, tick… BOOM!” and How It Parallels This Moment in Time

Every now and then, I expand my dialogue about storytelling by going beyond the boundaries of books and out into the mediums of TV and film. I do so by doing these analysis pieces once in a while about a TV show or film that has reached a significant time in its history (i.e. series premiere, series finale, film release, anniversary of a release, etc.). It’s been over a year since I did an analysis, which was on “Hamilton.” Today, I explore yet another Lin-Manuel Miranda project, only this time with him in the director’s chair. Today, I analyze the Netflix film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick… BOOM!”

Thoughts About Drawing Inspiration From Real Lives

If you’re someone who’s in tune with widely read pieces on the Internet, then by now, you’re probably aware of the lengthy New York Times article that was published earlier this week called “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?” To put it short, it goes into great detail about the legal dispute between a kidney donor and a writer whose short story may or may not have been inspired by the former’s experience.

What Did I Miss?: May 2020

Published Works

Director Alice Wu and Actor Leah Lewis on the Whole Story of Making “The Half of It” – For the Center for Asian American Media, I give a glimpse at the making of Alice Wu’s first film since “Saving Face” and how the lead actor landed and approached the project.