The Writer's Lens

The story of the Roofman may sound like the makings of a B-level horror film. But it's more on the level of a tale about a polite criminal who, at the end of the day, is still just that - a criminal. My latest episode delves into what it often looks like to justify one's actions for the sake of one's own self preservation. And thereby, what consequences follow swiftly thereafter.  Enjoy. 

In this 2026 inaugural episode of The Writer's Lens, we take a look at the latest Super Mario Bros. movie. I was always a big fan of Super Mario - and still am to this day - so I'll be diving into what worked, what maybe didn't, and what the future might hold for the Italian plumber. 

In this reflective Short, I take a look back at when I was overeager and overly trusting of anyone I crossed paths with on my road to writing stories. 

You publish something. Someone buys it. Maybe you know them. Maybe you don't. But does it matter if they read it so long as you sell it? Or at least know that they have a copy of it? Might seem pretty straightforward. This short little rant explores some of the psychology behind what happens when we know someone has bought, read, and then given feedback. 

The news is always updating, always changing, and seemingly always in our faces. And there's a reason for that - we love to hear stories. Good, bad, ugly - it doesn't matter. This newest short on The Writer's Lens is about the news and how storytelling is intertwined within. 

In this shorter episode of The Writer's Lens, I have some free form discussion on whether or not creatives should be working to attain mainstream recognition or not.  As always, I trust this will garner some further thought (and perhaps action) on the topic.  Enjoy! 

Welcome back to The Writer's Lens!  In this end-of-year episode, I decided to kick the podcast back into gear by discussing a few Hollywood and movie reboots. And what these reboots might be signaling about our culture - and how we view what it means to be a "man" in the 21st century.  Enjoy and Happy New Year! 

The Ninja Turtles are still - to some degree - a cultural phenomenon. A story about humanoid, mutant turtles who just so happen to know ninjitsu. But did you ever consider that it's a story about two fathers and how they run their households? I'm sure you didn't. So in this episode, I will attempt to lay out my argument as to why that is. And why the Turtles' story continues to be relative to each...

The film "Remember the Titans" is mostly known for its brilliant way of portraying cultural race relations surrounding high school football in the 1970s. And though it's a very well-told and appropriate, the film is also a great example of what leadership can look like. What it takes to be a great leader and what sorts of intangibles are necessary.  And for the sake of discussion, I do reference M...

What does a Dreamwork's movie have to do with dating and marriage? Or rather, what do dragons and vikings have to do with courtship? Well, here's my attempt to marry, uh, combine these two items into a singular episode. Enjoy. 

It's the Christmas season. And in the spirit of Christmas, I'm doing a Christmas-themed episode by talking about A Christmas Story. This one is a bit jumbled in its approach, but in this holiday episode, I talk briefly about the infamous bully encounter within A Christmas Story and why overcoming our biggest detractors is a pertinent message for this time of year.    Enjoy and Merry Christmas ever...

Godzilla is an international icon in monster movie cinema. Recognizable by millions and adored by multiple generations. His inception - to those unaware - was Japan's response to the first, and only time, nuclear weapons were used in modern warfare. The bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastated the country and its people. And simultaneously gave rise to all manner of "what if?" scenarios ab...

Parenting is an easy task, isn't it? I mean, even a caveman could do it.  Dreamworks' "The Croods" features a family of cavemen struggling to survive in a world that is drastically changing. And in order to survive, the family's patriarch - and leader - must adapt to the changing world around them.  It might seem a stretch to use cartoon cavemen as a proper medium to discuss parenting, but this is...

The Super Mario Bros. franchise is beloved from the east to the west. Its longstanding run in the video game industry has spanned nearly four decades and as of 2023, appears to have never been stronger.  Today's episode takes a brief dive into what I think helped to make Mario a household name in our culture. And it all started with jumping over barrels to save a princess. 

The dystopian genre has grown exponentially in the Western world over the years. Book series like "The Hunger Gams" and "Divergent" have made people reconsider if the power structures in play are there for the betterment of all mankind - or to keep the masses in line.  Today's episode looks at dystopian storytelling - one of my favorites. Reason being how it pings the West's spirit of rebellion an...

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln.    Writers have been trying their best to predict the future for generations. Hundreds upon hundreds of imagined worlds await within the pages of acclimated sci-fi and fiction authors around the globe. But of those who take a stab at humanity's future, who has been right? Who has been wrong? But more importantly, who has the...

Aliens.  You hear the term and you instantly get an image of something otherworldly. Be it little green or gray men with giant eyes or terrifying insect-like beasts with acid for blood, the "alien" in most of the stories we know is exactly that: a creature we cannot define because we are unfamiliar with what - or who - it is.  This edition of "Stories I Like, Love, and Hate" features the little gr...

Miss me? Well, even if you didn't, I have returned for this end-of-summer-return-to-podcasting episode. In short, my creative sabbatical has ended. Within this podcast, I'll give you some updates on what's been going on with The Writer's Lens, what's happening now, and what's happening going forward.    - J.C.L. 

As part of a short series I'll be doing this spring, here's the first "Stories I Like, I Love, and I Hate" - DINOSAURS edition.  Ever since I was a kid, dinosaurs have piqued my interest. And it's evident that these long extinct creatures are still pinging the imaginations of young people around the world.  With that in mind, I'd like to weigh in on some of my favorites and also one of the promine...

A livestream follow up to my 2021 episode about the Heroes and Villains of our own stories. In this live episode, I look at why we might have more in common with the villains of our favorite stories than the heroes we admire. 

Like the title implies, it's almost the end of January and I realized I needed an episode to kick things off. Get ready for some updates, looking ahead, and what to expect in 2022. 

We all want to be the heroes of our own stories. So how do we deal with those who come against us? Is it right that we make them into the villains of our own tales? Or are there other ways to deal with them?  This episode deals with that idea head on and is as much a challenge for me as it is for any listener. 

James Cameron's sequel to "The Terminator", otherwise known as "T2", is virtually the same tale as its predecessor, minus one very important detail: the father-son relationship explored between said terminator and the rebellious teen-turned-leader of the human race, John Connor.  In today's episode, we'll look at this crucial piece of the Terminator universe. And why it's the best part worth exami...

What is one's fate? What is one's destiny? These two ideas often run side-by-side in our culture and are also oft-presented as a means to direct someone's path. So what's the difference? And how does that affect us in our own stories? 

101 Dalmatians is a beloved Disney tale. And upon watching it again as an adult, I can say it's even more beloved. Why? Because of its portrayals of positive parenting, what a caustic marriage looks like, and on an even darker note, the underbelly of child trafficking.  Don't think so? Well, take a listen with me and see if you agree. There's a lot to unpack and plenty of reasons to give this oldi...