Beautiful post, Scott. Stories can indeed help us recognize our common humanity, narrow the gap between self and other, and wrest meaning from tragedy. Thank you for sharing that wisdom with your UNC students and the rest of us.

Thank you Scott, this is excellent advice and some small measure of consolation.

Thank you Scott. Regardless of genre, it is our responsibility as writers to wield our gifts with integrity and honesty, first and foremost. I am humbled by your words here. The medium of moving pictures can change minds, alter outcomes, meld our individual existences into a shared one. And that's far more powerful than an unbalanced angry man with a gun, ultimately. Fade in...

Thanks, Rebecca. My students at UNC are truly wonderful. My sadness over these horrible murders is multiplied by the knowledge that these students like mine throughout the university will have this experience as part of their lifelong memories of their collegiate experience. But then, it occurred to me, they have been alive for 9/11. They have witnessed the Iraq War. They know about Sandy Hook. So they are not immune to the presence of violence. Hence the tenor of my comments today: How to respond? And that's the one thing a writer can do: Write. No matter what happens on any level of any sort at any time, we have the power and instinct to pick up pen and paper, or fingers on keyboard, and put our thoughts and feelings into being. Those stories become potential bridges of connection to others. Thanks again for your comments, Rebecca.

Thanks you, Stephen. I just mentioned 9/11 in my previous response and that reminded me, that in the days directly after that horrific event, I never heard more poets in the media -- NPR, CNN, MSNBC -- than I did during that time period. Which makes sense. Poets have a way of finding a universe of meaning in the most mundane moments all the way up to the most overwhelming. They became our emotional spokespeople, expressing feelings the masses could not articulate. I think I'll dip back into my stash of favorites poems tonight, see if I can find anything appropriate for the events of the last few days... Stephen, may Creativity be with you and stories fill your imagination.

Good to hear from you, Jeff, and I'm glad for your comment not only for its truth, but also because it brings up something important. I'm not suggesting we write politically correct stories. Or namby pamby stories. Or stories without violence. In many ways, I'm saying precisely the opposite. We needs stories of ALL types, ALL genres, from ALL points-of-view. So yes, there's room for big CGI destruction porn movies like Transformers, let's see more movies like Boyhood, Whiplash, Nightcrawler, more support from financiers for actual filmmakers and storytellers who have something to say. And hey, studios, we could use you back in the game of mid-budget dramas, you know, like you used to make. Sure, they don't have plush dolls or toys you can make a gazillion dollars from in merchandising, but you can still make money on them if you work with talented filmmakers. And while you're at it, why not do BOTH: Big genre films that are smart and feature actual characters with authentic human experiences? Like Edge of Tomorrow, which posed some really interesting philosophical questions while trafficking in human emotions while providing lots of plot twists and turns AND plenty of explosions and destructive eye-candy. And oh yeah, it had Emily Blunt in it. So American Sniper, make that movie. Now how about movies that explore subcultures underserved in the current film marketplace. Is it true that there is only 1 movie featuring an Hispanic storyline? That's ridiculous! Straight Outta Compton? Now we're talking! More movies. Greater diversity. Different voices. This can only be a plus assuming the buyers make smart decisions in terms of actual stories and filmmakers. And while we're at it, mix up gender and ethnic roles. No better way to break down stereotypes than by... you know... BREAKING DOWN STEREOTYPES. Sorry, Jeff. A mini-rant. It's late and I'm recuperating from a sinus-throat infection. Thanks for your comments. And while we're here, a special tip of the hat to you for you have been visiting this blog since 2008 when it launched. Kudos!

Wow! No apologies necessary, that was great. 7 years along and we're both still here...I think that speaks volumes! :D I remain optimistic. Even though there's 100 reasons to be pessimistic about the state of cinema, I keep finding 200 more reasons to find hope. We're living in a time when a passion project from Austin TX filmed over 12 years with a story simply about LIFE can possibly be named Best Picture of the Year...well, I think if this is not a Golden Age, it's, at the very least, a Silver one! Of course, a LOT of my optimism continues to flow from keeping GITS on my daily rounds. You stump and rail about STORY and STORYTELLING here at least 5 (or more?!) times a day. As long as you and we, your devoted readers, keep this flame alive, the bastards never will win. GITS forever!

Very poignant words Scott and an important message to your students and everyone who believes that writing is something they've been called to do. Humanity has relied on storytelling for centuries -- to help us understand our differences and then find solace in our similarities. What happened at UNC is disturbing and senseless, truly a spear to the soul. Thank you for sharing this post.