Lumped under Misc stories posted: (movies) The Blob, Wargames, Local Hero, The Fountain, When Worlds Collide, Coming To America, Yellow Submarine, Rustler's Rhapsody, ¡Three Amigos!, Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy, Capricorn One, Outland, My Favorite Year, About Time, Volunteers, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Great Waldo Pepper, Return to Me, The Amazing Colossal Man, Support Your Local Sheriff, About Schmidt, D.O.A. 1988, Being There, Duel, The President's Analyst, Lars and the Real Girl, Puff the Magic Dragon, Witness, Paulie, Muriel's Wedding, Mystery Men, Rollerball 1975, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The Court Jester, Brainstorm, Defending Your Life, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Runaway, Overboard 1987, Strange Brew, Baffled!, Dave, Stalag 17, Crazy People, This Is Spinal Tap, The Legend of Bagger Vance, An American Werewolf in London, Rocket Gibraltar, Dirty Work, Kentucky Fried Movie, The Railway Children 2000, The Lathe of Heaven 1980, Home for the Holidays, Dragonslayer, Silver Streak, Ghost Town, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 2013, Time Bandits, Sand Pirates of the Desert/The Majestic, The Gods Must be Crazy, The Great Race, Avanti!, I-Man, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Space Cowboys, The Great Escape, The African Queen, Delirious, Lost in Translation, A Bird of the Air, Nowhere Girl 2014, The Saint, Educating Rita (books) Shirley Jackson, James Thurber, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Shel Silverstein, Lensman series, Berserker series, The Compleat Enchanter (TV) Evening Shade, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Saturday Night Live - Mr. Bill, The War Next Door (Games) Monopoly (Musical/Plays) Paint Your Wagon, Witness for the Prosecution, Tommy (Cartoons) Schoolhouse Rock! (Anime) Millennium Actress.

It took two and a half years, but I passed the half a million word count on my posted stories. Or in other words, a few month's work for some writers on here!

And now the general background section...the updates section with ready-to-post list is in bold print and further down.

If you've never heard of some of the movies that I've written for (particularly in the Misc Movie area), don't worry; there are times I seek out the occasional oddball movie just to have a look at something that might be underappreciated, or I'll go back to a film I saw many years ago to revisit it and write something.

By profession I'm a chemist. By education I'm a business administrator. But I love being entertained, and yes it can be a challenging crossword puzzle or mindless viewing of some TV episode I've seen a dozen times already. That being said, it doesn't stop me from somethings wondering how a movie or TV show would have gone if something was changed in the plot.

It doesn't mean I'm an expert at writing, as any view of my stories will prove. I'm a fan of entertainment who doesn't know much about what he writes about, even less about spelling and grammar, and nothing about what 'real' people enjoy; an idea heartily endorsed by my wife. All I know is what I enjoy, and it doesn't necessarily match up with the mainstream or popular trends. I'm hardly a target demographic for Hollywood these days, but to be fair even though I haven't seen a single Twilight movie I haven't seen an Elvis movie either (unless you count Bubba Ho-Tep or Heartbreak Hotel).

I grew up a fan of science fiction, and could usually be seen carrying a book around reading between classes or on breaks at work. It was my favorite genre but it's usually the character interactions that draw me in, not the flash/bang/zap of special effects. Computer generated effects are great to depict what practicals cannot; but they can't take the place of character depth or a story that draws you in. All the epic space battles in the E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series took place in my head, but they were fought by characters; the technology was secondary.

As far as older influences, my classical reading list is mighty thin as a result, and I've only picked up a few titles here and there almost as much by accident as a purposeful choice.

I may have an appalling lack of favorite stories on this site, but in my defense let me say that I just don't read that much; most of my site time is taken up with writing. (Yes, I use the online editor to write most of my stories before importing it into a complaining word processor.)

But what about these stories?

All stories on this account are solo efforts by me unless otherwise noted in the author notes. You'll also notice that I tend towards the short one-shot variety of stories as I take an idea and explore it within a particular movie, TV show etc. Even my few longer stories are broken up into short chapters; I like to compartmentalize the writing into (hopefully) logical sections with a break that may or may not tease the next part.

Any movie-based sequels are probably from standalone films; they rather beg for continuation (in many cases, anyway) more than trying to redo an actual sequel. Of course this doesn't apply to one-shots that can fit in just about anywhere. And on rare occasions I might ignore sequels completely in a "What if" scenario.

If I see a category that has been set up but not written for yet (or only has stories posted that don't fit the fandom) I will consider it an unofficial challenge to come up with something to post provided I've seen the source material.

I tend to write from a humorous point of view. The humorous stories might have a grain of philosophic truth, and serious stories might have a few touches of humor. If life is a cafeteria tray, some of the food in the different sections tends to slop over the partitions and mix with its neighbors. Any life lessons or great insights gained from reading my material is unintentional and probably best left forgotten by the time you close your browser, or at least cross-checked with a reputable source. I don't write self-help books, run an advice booth or sit atop a mountain waiting for pilgrims seeking enlightenment.

I detest stories that have been abandoned. Well, that's not entirely true - I detest that they've been abandoned, not the stories themselves. But then again, detest is a strong word; let's just say I'm disappointed in the circumstances. I know that sometimes life takes over and pulls you away from writing and posting, *but* rest assured that if I start posting a rare multi-chapter story I've already written the ending. The editing may not have been completed for the last parts, but it has been written - and will be posted providing I still have a sufficient number of synapses firing in the ol' noggin. (Minimal amount needed is still to be determined.)

You won't find much in the way of coarse language; my philosophy is rather old-fashioned in that profanity can be anywhere from potentially offensive to downright blasphemous. I prefer the more genteel way of speaking and will only use stronger language when the character would say it no other way. Likewise, any sexual activities between characters is going to happen offscreen behind that closed door/drawn curtain/thick copse of trees. If these guidelines make my stories less realistic, so be it.

I like to come up with appropriate titles for my stories; sometimes I think they're better than the story to which they are attached! Pun-filled or not, you have to walk a line between giving something away early and still managing the "oh, that's what that means" moment.

I'm as interested in the idea process as the stories themselves, so you will find SOMETHING in the Author Notes at the end of my stories that gives an insight into this aspect of my writing. You see some authors and cartoonists do this with anthologies or collections and I like the aside, so I've emulated the style somewhat with my own remarks.

I want my readers to laugh so hard they have to change their underwear, mist up and need to reach for the tissue to be able to read the screen, and cheer so strongly they knock over their drink. Okay, maybe an unreachable ideal but there it is. Ask me again when I've posted 100 stories and maybe I'll be more realistic. But I doubt it. (Note: Now that I've hit 100 I still want these things, but if necessary I'll settle for the readers to chuckle, sniff and give a little "yes!" instead to the appropriate passages.) (Okay, I'm at 200 and I'm holding steady at my reduced expectations. I do hope I get at least *something* on each story eventually.)(At 300 now, at least all of my stories have been viewed once or more!)

Because I am writing fan fiction, for obvious reasons I don't own the characters and settings created by the people of the original movie/show/play/book/game. Sometimes I'll create my own settings or characters to add minor or major roles to add to the original works, but they would not exist without those original creations of the entertainment industry. Thank you respective authors and artists for creating the playground that gives us an opportunity to bring in our toys and play.

If you're still reading this then thanks for making it this far! You're certainly made of sterner stuff than me. Hey, time for some music references:

Simple words can be come clever phrases
And chapters could turn into books
Yes if I could just get it on paper
But it's harder than it ever looks. - Jimmy Buffett

I could be a novelist
Tell secrets never heard
Pour my soul into each and every sentence
But I just can't find the words - Styx

And we were oh oh, so you know
Not the kind to dawdle
Will the things we wrote today
Sound as good tomorrow? - Elton John

The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks - Elvis Costello

It's a thousand pages, give or take a few
I'll be writing more in a week or two
I could make it longer if you like the style
I can change it 'round
And I wanna be a paperback writer - The Beatles

What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind the drugstore sells
When you reach the part where the heartaches
Come the hero would be me
But heroes often fail - Gordon Lightfoot

I'd also like to thank in perpetuity those that write reviews or click favorite but have their messaging feature unavailable due to being a guest - since I try to thank everyone who takes the trouble individually, I shall have to address the rest here: *THANKS*

Thank you for reading!

Walt and (on four stories so far) Craig

Series: I've got four five six at the moment.

Coffee Time Films is the 1st, and is simply a title pun based on a movie, tying it in with coffee. I make a poster for the pun, then follow it with a really short one-shot of the fake movie. Each one is independent of the others. Stories are (in no particular order) "Logan's Coffee Run", "Romancing the Scone", "A Few Good Menus", "Brewed in 60 Seconds", "Fahrenheit 190", "Lawrence of Arabica", "It's a Wonderful Latte" and "Karafe Kid".

Story with a Hole is the 2nd, a mystery story based on the game of the same name, where characters ask questions that can be answered yes or no until the mystery is solved. These are spread among different fandoms with those particular characters taking part, and no two stories are related in the series. These stories are "Operations Grounded", "Elementary My Dear Sheldon", "Key to Detecting", "Going Nowhere", "Homeward Bound", "Mr. Monk and the Story with a Hole" and "Yes or No Please".

The 3rd is by accident. I didn't intend on writing a series of stories based on the 1971 film Willy Wonka, it just sort of worked out that way. The current chronological order is "How Many Shades of Gray", "My Summer With Willy", "Let Them Eat Cake", "Chocolate Now That's An Idea", "Labor Pains", the movie (1971), "What Goes Up", "Echoes of a Remembered Tune", "Introduction" and "Straight Scoop". If any stories come along later they will be inserted where necessary.

The 4th is a short series based on the Riverworld novels by Philip Jose Farmer (which also spawned two films). I wanted to cover what it might have been like for some other people to wake up from being dead along with the rest of humanity, along the banks of a river that winds around a world. This story series is the shortest and you'll find them all under the Riverworld movie category; be sure to check for any crossovers.

I wasn't planning on the 5th, but I wrote a story as a retelling of a movie in the form of a child's bedtime story and had fun with it so I may throw a few in here and have no idea how many I'll end up with. So far I have "Searching for the Scarlet Boat" (Hunt for Red October), "Make Money Not War" (Kelly's Heroes), "Man With the Golden Touché" (Goldfinger), "The Adventures of Buck or Two Bonsai After He Goes to a Different Dimension" (Buckaroo Bonzai), "Greets, Eats Meats and Beats" (Conan the Barbarian), and "Times of Loudness" (Days of Thunder). Any similarity between the father/daughter of Loftus and Survey Sparrow in my stories and Atticus and Scout Finch from "To Kill A Mockingbird" is purely intentional.

The 6th is simply a scattered collection of pilot episodes for TV shows that never got picked up for series. Pilot Error takes a look at various pilot movies that I've stumbled across that inspired an idea for a short (what do you want me to do, write a whole season?) story. This includes "Baffled Indeed" and "Cellular Coverage". Yes, after naming the series I found out someone has a video series called the same thing that covers old pilot shows. Oh well.

Reviewing: When I read a story of my own choosing I like to point out a few things I like about it. I won't be critical because I don't want to discourage writers, and I'm in no position to know what constitutes good writing. However, if you ASK me for a critique then I will point out things that I would have done differently if I had written it and why, assuming I have time to read the suggested story. I'm not saying it's necessarily better, just my opinion that I'm expressing. And I ALWAYS sign any review I write.

If you've read something of mine and like it, feel free to give a little feedback. I can tell from the stats that they have been looked at, but there's no way to tell if anyone likes it unless you give a short shout out like a review; I'll gladly take a favorite if you don't want to write anything - don't freak out if I acknowledge one, I like to thank everyone I can. Even a micro "I enjoyed it" is great; I appreciate that as much (or maybe even more) than a 14 page breakdown of the story itself. If I get somesome wrong like the spelling of a character or the name of a town please let me know so I can fix it. More than once I've managed to get an existing character's name wrong or use the wrong terminology.

Requests: I never even considered this possibility until I got my first request about 20 stories into my postings. I might consider a request if it is for a relatively short story, provided I've seen the movie or TV show or read the book and an idea comes to mind OR your idea is something that fits into my 'style'. (For instance, I'm not going to do a horror story.) Don't get your hopes up unrealistically; if it's for something fairly recent I'm far less likely to have seen it. But if a request is made I will at least consider it instead of dismissing the idea outright. I occasionally do more than one story per category, but I'm more likely to move on to something I haven't covered yet. I've written four so far. Requested stories are: A Life Once Lived (The Fountain), Grandmas Always Know (Twilight Zone), The Thing's the Play (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), Shanti-ly Lace (Jungle Book).

Posting: I plan on posting something every Saturday as long as I have material, and if I have a lot of stories ready to post I'll throw some in on Wednesdays too and maybe the odd holiday here and there, dropping back to once a week when my "stock" runs low. If I haven't posted anything for several weeks it means 1) I'm dead 2) I've got no internet (about the same as #1) 3) It's the hermit life for me 4) My ideas have been wrung out like a sponge 5) I'm working on a reeeaaallly long story or 6) I simply don't have time to write what I want. In the case of #4 I'll probably finally take the time to read other's stories on here instead of just writing my own. In any case, if it's a planned sabbatical from writing I'll put it in the update section. Speaking of the update section...

The collaboration/random item generated centenarian story (300) was delayed but has now been written and is being edited.

UPDATES

07-22-20

Previous posting: Cliffhanger from The Italian Job (1969).

Most Recent Posting: I Could Just Kill You Sometimes from The War Next Door.

Ready to Post:

Spell it Out from Hogan's Heroes.

Declassified from Black Sunday (1977).

Talia Lives from Babylon 5 (the conclusion).

Staycation from The Long Long Trailer (1954).

Follow in that Train from The Man Who Would Be King (Kipling).

Kempt Arrangements from Keeping Up Appearances.

How Far is Far Enough? from Grand Prix (1966).

Pointed Discussion from The Point (1971).

Legacy in Bloom from Big Fish (2003).

Turning Native or Turning a Profit from Never Cry Wolf (1983).

Patterns of Unnatural Behavior from The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969).

Veterinarian's Hospital - Please Hold from The Muppet Show.

Night of the Floating Pyre from The Wild Wild West.

Idea stage whatever: I always have a list of some vague ideas written down for consideration, but nothing beyond a brief sentence description at most. Sometimes I just have the name of the show written down because I want to write a story but an idea hasn't popped up yet.