The great film director, Francois Truffaut, and others of the French New Wave in the 1950s and 1960s, developed what is known as the Auteur Theory. This theory asserts that the director should be the true author of a film. As a Film and Television Writer and Novelist, I can only accept this theory if the Director is also the Writer, otherwise, not so much.

There are certainly auteurs in film, almost exclusively produced independently, movies made outside of Hollywood’s studio system. These films retain the creator’s original vision and style. A prime example of this is Truffaut’s wonderfully …

Review from Laura Duggan at http://litkidz.com/

“Katrin’s Chronicles: The Canon of Jacquelene Dyanne” by Valerie C. Woods, published 2013

“There are those who, unmistakably, have a powerful talent, able to access the sensory energy of the world around them.They can even learn to work with it, harness it, utilize it to make change. Your sister is showing clear signs that she has these talents.”

From time to time, I break with my tradition of only reviewing books for younger people, in order to include a teen-appropriate children’s book. This is one of those exceptions, as this very unusual children’s book …

Q) You’ve had a very successful career as a television writer. How is writing a novel different than writing an episode of television?

VCW: Both forms of writing require specific writing skills. What’s common to both is telling a good story. When writing for television the storyteller utilizes dialogue, great characters, action and interesting settings to convey the complexities of the story. And though dialogue is very important, television is a visual medium. Whenever possible, “show” rather than “tell” the audience. The television writer needs to know what will successfully play onscreen, in a visual sense, and what is better …