Name (on here anyway!): Norwesterner

Age: 53

Gender: Male, straight (and single, fairly slim and well-groomed) -- even though I really like movies and stories with heart like WALL•E . . . and fun ones (with heart, too) like CARS.

I simply started writing stories that I'd like to read about my favorite movies, but only ones where I can see a compelling question or a possibility that the movie hasn't addressed. Initially, it turned into a great way to pass free time by myself at my rural home. I found it much more entertaining than watching most of what's on TV! But having developed my craft across eleven stories here, and with both relatively high readership and very positive reviews, I'm now working on original stories commercially as screenplays and books, while still being committed to eventually finishing two incomplete stories on this site.

Why have I tended to focus on stories related to animated movies here though? Because I mostly like metaphor in storytelling, and just tend to find that quality animation tends to focus the stories in movies somewhat better than live action does. Maybe it's the externalities being stripped away, the expressions clearer, the characters more generalized or idealized. I just tend to find myself more moved when stories with heart are portrayed through animation than through live action for some reason. This of course does not include the likes of 'Sponge Bob Squarepants' or much of what now passes for 'modern' TV animation on Cartoon Network these days.

This takes a lot of time and energy for me though — I typically write non-stop for an entire day or night on a single chapter. Then I do have to stop to keep up with my more day-to-day responsibilities, until I can pick the story up again!

I hope you enjoy my stories, and I'd enjoy hearing from you if you care to write!