I'm Austin Gragg. I write stuff.
This is my blog. Here I like to talk about writing, geeky stuff, and otherwise spill my brain juices all over the interwebs.
Sometimes it's NSFW.
FIND A KLINGON and chaH qaDta'bogh botlhDaq, Qap 'ej chaH batlh regain paq laD!
I'm surprised Indiana Jones hasn't come crashing through the window shouting, "That belongs in a museum!"
Sorry it's late! Here's Ep. 3 of the Uncritically self-acclaimed storytelling podcast! Austin and Blake take a look at endings. What works? What doesn't? Austin tries to put all endings into nice neat little categories... and it doesn't go well. A general discussion about the different kinds of endings we see the most and the effect they can have on us. Also, a special sponsor joins the podcast...
No, not the game, or the second one, or the best racing game to ever be made -- Burnout 3 Takedown -- but the kind that leaves you feeling like an army of Uruk-hai just trampled you in their mad dash for the new deli shop that just opened across the street. Uruk-hai love fresh cut hickory smoked deli. Don't believe me? Ask one.
Austin and Blake take a look at the horror game Outlast 2. After a discussion on gameplay, they turn to story, and what Outlast 2 brings to the table in regards to story.
I'm excited. And this time... it's personal. The blog I mean. This time, the blog is personal.
Austin and Blake discuss what they define as true horror in genre fiction from games to books and movies -- as well as tell a few true horror stories of their own...
When Story Goggles moved over to its own site from Blogger, there was quite a bit of content lost. And honestly it was a little disheartening to lose all that work in the move. But, losing all of that content and having to almost start over really made me think...
I was wondering the other day where I draw the line between a good movie, and a great one. What actual criteria for me personally needs to be met? I'm not talking about determining classics, or calling anything a masterpiece. Just simply, what's good and what is great.
My wife and I love movies. And when the mood strikes us, we LOVE horror films. As we re-watched ALIEN, we realized something...
"Have you ever felt like a movie fizzled out at the end? The whole thing was great until the ending was a total let down?" Let's talk about SPLIT. Of course, with our Story Goggles on.
Come for the click bait title! Stay for the book talk! -- "I had a goal to read 12 books. One per month. I ended up reading 21... And the best part is, I didn't really have to 'make' much time. I just had to find it. Hopefully, you can find something below you might find useful."
If you've read the novel or seen the film -- which as of winter 2016 is streaming on Netflix -- or both, this talk should have something for you.
Villains
Most of us love to hate a bad guy, and they come in all flavors. A villain can be a complete and total evil, like Sauron from LotR, or they can be rather likable and relatable with goals and ambitions of their own.
