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Reviews: True Map of the City
“The plot is clever and delicately developed, the symbolism is richly layered, and every scene leaves readers asking head-scratching questions. The hyperbolic level of bureaucracy and hypocrisy occasionally comes across as satire, but also has the dark edge of Orwellian fiction.
"Creating such a surreal, vaguely impossible atmosphere in a novel is a challenging task, but Guenther plays masterfully with philosophy and language to achieve a singular mood. The stark, matter-of-fact narration and the intimacy of Horus' inner monologue gives the prose a foreboding sense, while the flashes of humor and ridiculousness give the book an odd balance.
"Guenther fits a whole tangled tale into just over 100 pages, with few wasted words.
"Capped off with a . . . completely unexpected conclusion, A True Map of the City is a truly good read, and Guenther humbly proves himself as a literary descendant of Kafka himself.” --Editor, Self-Publishing Review
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Category Archives: stage plays
20 Scriptwriting Tricks from an Actor’s POV
Introduction The first play I acted in was a high school production of Our Town. During one performance, “Mrs. Webb” recited the first of two moderately long lines. Both lines started with well. When she reached the second line, she … Continue reading
My new screenplay, Part 5
I’ve noted that as a screenplay, the events in Temple of Isis become more shocking. I’m a bit worried that although I have made the story understandable to modern audiences, it has added shock value due to the immediacy of … Continue reading
My new screenplay, Part 4
The play has been converted to a Final Draft document. I now need to clean up the formatting, convert narrator lines back to action, and prepare character studies. At this point, I’m not sure who the screenplay version protagonist is! … Continue reading
My new screenplay, Part 3
I’ve converted 74 pages of my play from M/S Word into screenplay format via Final Draft. The process is a bit slow, but my target is a zero level draft, ready to rework for film. The script I’m using is … Continue reading
My new screenplay, Part 2
I’ve translated 31 pages of my play into screenplay format. Because of the nature of the thing, none of those pages are anywhere near ready for use. In the Mouth of the Lion will remain on hold until I’ve got … Continue reading
My new screenplay, Part 1
Okay, I’m still revising “In the Mouth of the Lion.” Meeting tomorrow to go over the latest round of notes, and probably will need several more meetings to finalize the changes to the step outline and list the scenes to … Continue reading
Acting Classes
In my last post, I referred to Hal Croasmun’s “22 Ways to Improve Your Screenwriting” (here). One of his recommendations is: 18. Take an acting class. Several people have suggested this to me in the past, and Croasmun’s advice pushed … Continue reading
Secret of the Universe 9.80
I have another short play now in development called Secret of the Universe 9.80. On November 11th, Eve Sigall, one of my instigators, asked me to come up with something by November 13th. Inspired by her zeal, Secret is the … Continue reading
Scene Tips
The rule in cinematic scene writing is: “In late, out early.” Pick up the scene after it’s really under way. If you want your thud-and-blunder detective to go question a witness, don’t say, “Mike Bludgeon puts down the phone, … Continue reading
My First Song Copyright
Today I applied for a copyright for my first finished song with Judy Sanger. I wrote the lyrics, and Judy, an experienced composer, did the melody. I’m very grateful for her huge part in making this happen. The copyright office application process … Continue reading