The [Feeds](http://johnaugust.com/site/feeds) section is now up and running, offering RSS and Atom feeds for all the content on the site. If you’re subscribing to one of the old feeds, update it now, because the old ones won’t be functional after this week.
Get yer Downloads here
I’ve moved all of the .pdfs from the old site into one handy repository: the new [Downloads](http://johnaugust.com/library) section, which is available on the right-side menu.
All of the scripts and outlines from Go, Big Fish and The Circle are there. You’ll also find the scripts for my first ill-fated TV show, D.C., which staggered through a few episodes on the WB back in 2000. Or was it 2001? The mind has a wonderful way of dulling painful experiences.
Transcript of my first meeting with Daniel Wallace
I first met [Daniel Wallace](http://danielwallace.org), the author of BIG FISH, on October 26, 1998. We met at an IHOP in Richmond, Virginia, and talked about his book and the prospect of making a movie from it.
I had this interview up at the old site, but it was kind of buried. So here it is, reformatted and reader-friendly.
John: What was your original intention with Big Fish? Did you sit down thinking, “I’m going to make a novel about this,” or was it pieces that came together?
Daniel: It started with bits and pieces. Originally, the very beginning was my interest in myth. I’ve always thought of myth as being a way to explain things that we can’t understand otherwise.
John: Like, why there’s thunder.
Daniel: That’s exactly right. It’s always easier to have some sort of explanation, even when you may know it’s not quite accurate or not quite real. It satisfies something. Anything’s better than not understanding. Even untruth sometimes is better than not knowing anything.
John: Did you write it from beginning to end, or did you write in bits and pieces?
[Read more…] about Transcript of my first meeting with Daniel Wallace
New look, new engine
It’s been a while in coming, but I finally converted johnaugust.com over from [Movable Type](http://movabletype.org) to [WordPress](http://wordpress.org), and redesigned a few things along the way. Well, okay; I redesigned pretty much everything. For people who are used to the old tabs-across-the-top layout, it may take a little while to get used to, but trust me, everything people actually used at the old site is now here, or will be shortly.
A few helpful hints on the new structure:
- Clicking anywhere on the header, or the big brass brad, will always take you back to the front page.
- Try the Archives. It creates a list of all entries, sorted by date, name or category. Very useful.
- The search now actually works. It will pull up full entries, combining them into pages of up to seven items.
- Instead of distinct sections for “Projects,” “Resources,” and “First Person,” these articles will be folded into the main content. If you want to see just the Projects, click on the button in the “Show by Category” section.
- Depending on how hard I get hit with comment spam, I may decide to turn on comment moderation. If so, comments on articles won’t show up until I approve them. I’ll warn you if I have to do this.
The old site was held together with duct tape and prayer, so the switch was necessary if a bit painful. Most things should be working now, but expect a few broken links and missing images. There’s a customized 404 page (“Sorry, I couldn’t find that.”). If you come across it while going through the site, I’d appreciate a note (you can leave a comment on this post) letting me know what took you there.