Betsy the Gremlin

Writing about writing to avoid writing her writing.

  • What Makes A Strong Character?

    There are obviously lots of factors in to what makes a great story, both on the page and on screen. Is your plot interesting? Are your settings and locations easily explored by the reader so they want to dive right into your world? Does your writing splash off the page and keep the reader wanting Read more

  • A Tale of Three Sticker Makers

    I have been printing and selling my hand-designed stickers for about eight months now (which is a ‘wow!’ all on its own! Yay!), and I have learned a lot. I plan on writing a little bit more about how the whole process works and what works and didn’t work for me in the past, but Read more

  • Where the hell have you been, loca?

    So, full disclosure, I am not dead. Over the last few years there have been a few points where I did wish I was dead, but overall, nope; not dead, just having a complete life upheaval. In 2021 both my parents had a stroke; my father in January of that year, and my mother the Read more

  • Betsy The Gremlin on Etsy!

    Hear ye, hear ye! While I haven’t been doing much writing or blogging or blogging about writing (both my parents had strokes in 2021, which isn’t something I want to blog about all that much), I have been working on one tiny little thing that I’m very proud of. I opened a tiny Etsy shop, Read more

  • Beat Sheets, Everything You Need to Know

    If you’ve done any research into writing a screenplay you’ve probably heard the term beat sheets. Even more likely, you’ve probably encountered my nemesis, Save the Cat*. Blake Snyder’s critically acclaimed book details exactly how to write a screenplay that’ll sell. It’s got the formula and all the tricks of the trade that’ll make you Read more

  • 6 Insightful Film Industry Podcasts for the New Year

    However much you know or don’t know about movies and television, you can’t deny that they are a massive, unhinged, inspiring part of our worldwide culture. And they’re relatively new (just like podcasts are relatively new too!) Humans have been telling stories since about the time we developed fire, but it’s only in the last Read more

  • Inadvertent Hiatus

    So, 2020 struck. My father had a cardiac arrest. He’s doing okay and recovering very well but writing blog posts hasn’t really been a priority. I’m going to just try and enjoy the rest of the year quietly and post more articles in January. Here’s my femme!xmas tree and a gingerbread camper that I made Read more

  • Disaster Movies and the Gremlins Who Love Them

    I have a guilty secret; I love disaster movies. Disaster movies in any iteration are my bread and butter. Natural disasters and manmade disasters, you name it, I love it. From earthquake to terrorist attacks to avalanches to nuclear reactors failing, I want it all. Ultimately it’s about normal people thrust into completely wild situations. Read more

  • Try try again.

    So, I didn’t make it to the next round of judging in one of the competitions I entered. It really sucks, but I’d rather write about it here than pretend that a) nothing is wrong and b) I’m both far removed and successful in this industry. I’m not. I write with advice that I’ve gleaned Read more

  • Extra Messy Narrative and the Way to Clean It Up

    Narrative is a funny thing. Films and books follow a storyline, usually linear, that forms the basis of the plot’s narrative (save for a few artsy pieces, which we don’t need to get into). Events in a story connect one after the other until the story is over. In a movie, something from the scene Read more