I am a cheater.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about writing games and exercises. One of the things I talked about is The Observation Deck by Naomi Epel. When I bought this game recently, I got hit with a bout of nostalgia because my high school creative writing teacher had this in her class. I remembered how useful it was then, and I thought it could be just as useful now. I was right. Anyway, I finally started using it. There are a few different ways to use The Observation Deck. What I did was to shuffle the cards and choose one at random. The card I got read "create a sacred space." My wife had chosen this one recently, so I already knew what it meant. But I already had a sacred space. I had a desk in my room that was just for my writing and homework. That wouldn't do. It was then that I did something I am not proud of. I cheated.
I put the card back, reshuffled, and chose a new one. Now, I'm sure most people are expecting read that I reshuffled, but amazingly I got the same card, and that I discovered the deck was trying to tell me something. I am sorry to disappoint you, but the next card I got read "follow the scent." When I read the chapter, it talked about how smells can take us back to previous times in our lives, and Ms. Epel suggested we use that as a way to remember a time when we were doing some great writing. She had other suggestions, but that's the one I went with. I felt satisfied with that card, so I kept it out. Only, I didn't write.
This was a problem. I already knew which smell to seek out. It is the smell of spiced chai tea, something I frequently drank while in my creative writing class. I did not have easy access to it, though. Then I thought I would come on here and write about the smell of chai and what it means to me as a writer, but I kept finding reasons not to. Then I started thinking about the chapter, and I came to a revelation. It was a chapter of going back in time in my mind. I remembered that the "create a sacred space" chapter had the same suggestion. I was supposed to create a space that would remind me of times when I was at the top of my writing game.
That is what I am doing now. My desk is (finally) getting cleared of clutter and my room is (finally) getting organized. And it helped. Now, instead of doing other things to distract myself from writing, I am writing and distracting myself from organizing. It's a vicious circle, but it helps. (sigh) Now I must return to cleaning. I must finish my sacred space and move on to the next card.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Don't Judge A Book: A Call For Help
This is a very special post. Typically, in the Don't Judge A Book series, I would compare and contrast a few books and their film adaptations. However, this is about a series of books that are very dear to me, and the movie (and possibility of its sequels) that resulted. As to why I titled this post A Call For Help, I will address that at the end. For now, here is my review:
A few years ago, before we were married, my wife and I tried a little reading experiment. We decided we were going to introduce each other to books and read them together. I don't remember the first one she introduced to me, but I showed her Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Eventually, we evolved from individual books to book series. Once again, I chose from Stephen King. Together we read his Dark Tower series. She, however, changed my life forever by introducing me to an author named John Marsden and his wonderful Tomorrow series.
Tomorrow, When the War Began is about 7 teenagers in a town in Australia called Wirrawee who go on a camping trip before school starts back up. They decide to go during a big festival, wanting to take joy in each other's company rather than join in on the festivities. While camping in a remote, hidden area (they call it Hell), their country is invaded. Let me pause here to make something very clear (and I apologize in advance for the all-caps, but some people need to understand this): THIS IS NOT RED DAWN. Red Dawn is a Hollywood movie about Russians invading the US and a group of teenagers fighting for the country. Yes, it sounds similar, but Tomorrow, When the War Began has much more depth and deals with more issues than just kids at war. This book is a YA book, and anyone who knows anything about YA literature knows what kind of issues it deals with. Marsden finds a way to magnify these issues without it feeling forced. On top of all that, he does it in a female voice, something most men cannot do at all, let alone with the grace he uses. Anyway, these kids eventually must decide whether they want to stay safely put or to stand up and fight. The characters are fresh and funny when they need to be, while taking on the necessary responsibility of a war they did not want. Not many books can compare to the genius that is Tomorrow, When the War Began and its sequels.
After being in print for over a decade, the first book finally got made into a movie back in 2010. It was directed by Stuart Beattie (Who also directed Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl). As much as I like my books just the way they are, it would be stupid of me to not understand that sometimes changes are necessary. For instance, in the novels, Ellie Linton, the main character, is writing the story of what happened, while in the movie she is telling it to a camera so she can narrate. I understand. What really shocked me, though, was that this novel actually transferred quite well. The casting was spot on. The kids they got were phenomenal. What's more, this film was produced in Australia, giving it some heavy advantages. First, it wasn't dilluted by Hollywood. Second, the actors could really portray the characters very well. Third, and most important, being from the US, it was hard for me to visualize what Marsden described in the books. This isn't a fault of his. I just didn't understand Australia. The movie helped me to do so. The film was fresh and the writing was crisp (especially a metaphorical scene near the end that epitomized a transformation from childhood to adulthood). Overall, this is the best movie adaptation of a book I have ever witnessed, and I would definitely rate this movie: TO SEE.
This is a call for help. The major disadvantage of this movie being filmed in Austrailia is that it doesn't have much of a chance to make money. It was one of the highest grossing films of that year, but it wasn't enough to secure the sequel they were hoping for. Only recently has it come to the US, and that is where I need your help. I think these movies deserve to be made, and I believe that if you see them then you will agree. Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, February 28, 2012) Tomorrow, When the War Began will officially be available on DVD in the US. I think it may still be in some theaters as well. If you see a theater that is playing it, give it a chance. I ask you also to buy the DVD, and help support these amazing actors and this awesome series so we can see it continue. It deserved to be made, and with your help, that can happen. Tell your friends to buy the DVD also. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. Just don't forget to let everyone know that THIS IS NOT RED DAWN. Do your part to make sure that many people are able to see this amazing story. And while you're at it, give the books a chance. I think you'll thank me.
The DVD can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-When-Began-Rachel-Hurd-Wood/dp/B0073JF4ES/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1330330660&sr=1-1 while the first book can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-When-War-Began/dp/0439829100/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1330393391&sr=1-1-catcorr
Friday, February 24, 2012
Get Fit: A Writer's Guide to Exercising
Many people believe a writer's job is simple. All we have to do is write. This, however, is not the case. Take any other job, for example. A cop must enforce the law. Even though there are those who can make a cop's job a challenge, it actually isn't that hard. The rules are laid out, and cops are often thrust into the difficult situations. They don't sit around trying to decide how to do their job today. They just do it. A bartender's hardest job isn't making the drinks. It is keeping the drinkers in line. A worker in an automobile factory has a list of jobs he or she knows must be done in a certain order. For a lot of professions like these, the ins and outs are laid out for the professionals, and often the main part of the work, the part that defines a certain profession, isn't the hardest. Writing is a task that defines a writer, and yet it is the single most difficult aspect of being a writer.
The first, and probably most obvious, solution to this problem is to hit the books. You should read books that deal with the actual mechanics of writing. The more well-known, and to some the more useful, is The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk and E.B. White. Yes, that E.B. White, the one who wrote Charlotte's Web. He studied under William Strunk, who taught the basic elements of plain English style. White then converted the teachings into a small book, adding his own little bits here and there. If you want something a little more punchy, try Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots & Leaves. This book deals specifically with punctuation and revolves around a joke about a Panda Bear: A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons. “Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. “Well, I'm a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.” The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds the explanation. “Panda: Large black and white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots, and leaves.” Books are great for learning (or re-learning) the basics of writing, something many people overlook.
Another thing you can do to improve your writing is to play word games. Everyone knows Scrabble, a game that involves creating words out of a set of randomly picked tiles. If you like that idea but don't like the limitations of its rules, check out the more laid back Jargon, where slang and proper nouns are encouraged, or Bananagrams, a fast-paced, Scrabble-like game with no board. Try the game You've Been Sentenced, the object of which is to create sentences out of randomly picked cards. Another great one is Boggle, where you have three minutes to find as many words as you can in a grid of 20 letters. Then there's my personal favorite, Apples to Apples. This is a game of comparisons. The judge, a different person each round, presents a card that has an adjective on it (a descriptive word), and the players then lay their nouns face down in hopes that the judge will pick their card as best described by the adjective. Some pick funniest or weirdest. It all depends on the person.
A third, and very important, source for help with writing is a support group. These come in various forms. You could form a writer's group (or join one already started). Everyone in the group would share what they write, critique each other's writing, and bounce ideas off one another. If you can't find or start one locally, try looking online. There are whole networks of writers online. You can also seek information about writing from established writers. This is where books would come into play again. A prime example is Stephen King's On Writing. It is partly autobiographical, talking about how he came to be a writer, but it also talks about the craft of writing itself. And, of course, for more support you can scour the internet for blogs about writing, such as this one. Just google writing blogs and see what you come up with. Time can also be a support group. Maybe you don't write as much as you used to. This happened to my wife. However, when she started re-reading a book she first read when she was writing a lot, it took her back to that time and place and re-ignited the desire. That day she wrote almost fifteen pages worth of new material.
All of this is good and helpful, but it doesn't have you doing the one thing you really need to be working on: writing. That is where my final bit of advice, what I've been building up to, comes in. In order for you to truly better your craft as a writer, you must write. To put it another way, you must get in shape. Like a person who does physical exercises to improve his or her health, you must do writing exercises. And lucky for you I have a handful for you to try right here. Give these a chance and see if your writing improves:
The Observation Deck
This is a tool kit created by Naomi Epel, a literary escort from San Fransisco. Her job is to make sure authors get where they need to be when in town. She has had the pleasure of meeting many great literary minds. That, along with intelligent research on her part, contributes to the brilliance that is The Observation Deck. This is a deck of 50 cards, and on each card is a word or phrase connected to a chapter in the accompanying book. These explain the exercise to perform. They range from “Zoom In and Out,” advice about closing in on the details of a scene or pulling back to see the big picture, to “Ribe Tuchus,” the idea that you set aside a certain amount of time each day to just sit down and allow yourself to do nothing but write, even if it means doing nothing at all. These are inspiring exercises that give you the choice to either choose what to work on or pick a card at random. I believe The Observation Deck is one of the most useful tools a writer can have. (You can purchase your own copy from http://www.amazon.com/Observation-Deck-Tool-Writers-Present/dp/0811814815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330145552&sr=8-1).
The Game Exercise
If you enjoy playing the word games I mentioned earlier, you are going to love this. After playing a game (whether for just one round or for a whole game), use what you gained as a jumping off point. For example, if you played a round of Boggle and got 13 words, turn the timer back over and use those three minutes to write something utitlizing the 13 words you acquired. Three minutes may not seem like a long time, but that is what really helps. You don't have the time to just sit and think. You economize your time. Maybe you will never use what you write, allowing the exercise to get your creative juices flowing instead. Maybe what you start will be the beginning a new story for you. You never know. You can even come up with your own methods of using games to get you writing, although giving yourself a time-limit is a good idea. Try them out and explore your options.
Event, Effect, Motive
A friend of mine taught this exercise to me, and it was actually very useful. It is best when utilized in a group. Three things must be determined. First, an event of some kind. This could be something small like a homework assignment to something big like political assassination. Second, somebody effected by the event. This can be general, like a dog-owner, or more specific, like Brad Pitt. It can even be a group of people (like PETA). Third, somebody who wants the event to take place. Again, this can be specific or general. The reason this works best in a group is because everyone creates one or two of each of these determiners. They are then put into a hat or box according to their category (event, effect, or motive) and shaken up. Each person then draws one thing from each hat or box, creating a random situation. These may end up being silly or they may become quite serious. The point is, as the writer you now have the authority to decide how much of an impact the event will have (it may not even happen, you may have your character prevent it), how the character will react to the event or the threat of the event, and what motivation the person or persons have who want the event to take place. This exercise puts writers in an active role so they are not passively waiting for ideas to come to them.
First Line/Last Line
I learned this one when in creative writing in high school. Pick up a book, any book, and look at its very first sentence. Now write it down. It doesn't matter how long or short it is, or how broad or narrow. Now do the same with the very last sentence. These are now the first and last sentences of your story. The story can be as long or short as you want, but you must coherently get from the first line to the last in your own words. Don't recreate the book you got them from. Make a brand new story. Some people find that getting started is the hardest thing, while others don't know what to write until they know how it's going to end. If you are either of these types of writer, than this exercise should help you.
Change the Mood (Genre)
This one is pretty simple. All you have to do is to take a familiar story, Romeo and Juliet for instance, and re-write it as a different genre. Shakespeare's play is dramatic and romantic, so you might make it light and silly. Keep the characters, the basic idea of the plot, and if you want, the setting. You then add your own dialogue and narration to make it a different story. This will most likely not turn into a story for publication, but it will get you to look at things in multiple ways so you don't overlook anything. Another variation of this is to use your own story. Maybe your stuck and can't write anymore on a specific piece. Try turning your comedy into a thriller or your mystery into a sappy romance. You might find that genre fits better, or you might just find that a character is not who you thought he or she was. Either way, this is usually a good help.
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
This is a familiar exercise. Find a picture, it can be one of yours or someone you know or it can be one in a magazine, and write a story about what is happening in the scene you see. However, I will add a little twist to this. The saying is “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Your story must be around a thousand words. This makes it so that it isn't so short because you didn't have anything else to say, but it also isn't too long, keeping it nice and concise. It doesn't have to be exact, but try to be within 50 either way.
Magnetic Poetry
Even if you don't write poetry, this is a good tool to have. It should be accompanied by a dictionary, though. Magnetic poetry usually has a lot of words most people don't use, and even some that many people didn't even know existed. Find these words, look them up if you need to and incorporate it into a story somehow. If it is a noun, just drop it into the story and see what develops. An adjective can be used for describing a character or town. Find a verb to get the action going. Or you can just grab a handful of words and make a story from that.
Exercising is a very important part of getting in shape as a writer. Try out each of these ideas, or find the one that you feel like you need to focus on the most. You should create a routine, though. If you find that you write better in the morning when you first wake up, put aside an hour or two each day to practice. Perhaps you do much better at night. Tell yourself to get at least two or three exercises in before you go to sleep. Maybe you have a hectic schedule and can't find a specific time to write each day. That's okay. Just make sure that you ARE writing each day, even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes. If you do this, you will see your writing improve, and on the days you have more time you might find yourself working on a longer story. Hopefully you will get to that place soon, but until you do, remember to stay in shape. Good luck.
The first, and probably most obvious, solution to this problem is to hit the books. You should read books that deal with the actual mechanics of writing. The more well-known, and to some the more useful, is The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk and E.B. White. Yes, that E.B. White, the one who wrote Charlotte's Web. He studied under William Strunk, who taught the basic elements of plain English style. White then converted the teachings into a small book, adding his own little bits here and there. If you want something a little more punchy, try Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots & Leaves. This book deals specifically with punctuation and revolves around a joke about a Panda Bear: A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons. “Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. “Well, I'm a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.” The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds the explanation. “Panda: Large black and white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots, and leaves.” Books are great for learning (or re-learning) the basics of writing, something many people overlook.
Another thing you can do to improve your writing is to play word games. Everyone knows Scrabble, a game that involves creating words out of a set of randomly picked tiles. If you like that idea but don't like the limitations of its rules, check out the more laid back Jargon, where slang and proper nouns are encouraged, or Bananagrams, a fast-paced, Scrabble-like game with no board. Try the game You've Been Sentenced, the object of which is to create sentences out of randomly picked cards. Another great one is Boggle, where you have three minutes to find as many words as you can in a grid of 20 letters. Then there's my personal favorite, Apples to Apples. This is a game of comparisons. The judge, a different person each round, presents a card that has an adjective on it (a descriptive word), and the players then lay their nouns face down in hopes that the judge will pick their card as best described by the adjective. Some pick funniest or weirdest. It all depends on the person.
A third, and very important, source for help with writing is a support group. These come in various forms. You could form a writer's group (or join one already started). Everyone in the group would share what they write, critique each other's writing, and bounce ideas off one another. If you can't find or start one locally, try looking online. There are whole networks of writers online. You can also seek information about writing from established writers. This is where books would come into play again. A prime example is Stephen King's On Writing. It is partly autobiographical, talking about how he came to be a writer, but it also talks about the craft of writing itself. And, of course, for more support you can scour the internet for blogs about writing, such as this one. Just google writing blogs and see what you come up with. Time can also be a support group. Maybe you don't write as much as you used to. This happened to my wife. However, when she started re-reading a book she first read when she was writing a lot, it took her back to that time and place and re-ignited the desire. That day she wrote almost fifteen pages worth of new material.
All of this is good and helpful, but it doesn't have you doing the one thing you really need to be working on: writing. That is where my final bit of advice, what I've been building up to, comes in. In order for you to truly better your craft as a writer, you must write. To put it another way, you must get in shape. Like a person who does physical exercises to improve his or her health, you must do writing exercises. And lucky for you I have a handful for you to try right here. Give these a chance and see if your writing improves:
The Observation Deck
This is a tool kit created by Naomi Epel, a literary escort from San Fransisco. Her job is to make sure authors get where they need to be when in town. She has had the pleasure of meeting many great literary minds. That, along with intelligent research on her part, contributes to the brilliance that is The Observation Deck. This is a deck of 50 cards, and on each card is a word or phrase connected to a chapter in the accompanying book. These explain the exercise to perform. They range from “Zoom In and Out,” advice about closing in on the details of a scene or pulling back to see the big picture, to “Ribe Tuchus,” the idea that you set aside a certain amount of time each day to just sit down and allow yourself to do nothing but write, even if it means doing nothing at all. These are inspiring exercises that give you the choice to either choose what to work on or pick a card at random. I believe The Observation Deck is one of the most useful tools a writer can have. (You can purchase your own copy from http://www.amazon.com/Observation-Deck-Tool-Writers-Present/dp/0811814815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330145552&sr=8-1).
The Game Exercise
If you enjoy playing the word games I mentioned earlier, you are going to love this. After playing a game (whether for just one round or for a whole game), use what you gained as a jumping off point. For example, if you played a round of Boggle and got 13 words, turn the timer back over and use those three minutes to write something utitlizing the 13 words you acquired. Three minutes may not seem like a long time, but that is what really helps. You don't have the time to just sit and think. You economize your time. Maybe you will never use what you write, allowing the exercise to get your creative juices flowing instead. Maybe what you start will be the beginning a new story for you. You never know. You can even come up with your own methods of using games to get you writing, although giving yourself a time-limit is a good idea. Try them out and explore your options.
Event, Effect, Motive
A friend of mine taught this exercise to me, and it was actually very useful. It is best when utilized in a group. Three things must be determined. First, an event of some kind. This could be something small like a homework assignment to something big like political assassination. Second, somebody effected by the event. This can be general, like a dog-owner, or more specific, like Brad Pitt. It can even be a group of people (like PETA). Third, somebody who wants the event to take place. Again, this can be specific or general. The reason this works best in a group is because everyone creates one or two of each of these determiners. They are then put into a hat or box according to their category (event, effect, or motive) and shaken up. Each person then draws one thing from each hat or box, creating a random situation. These may end up being silly or they may become quite serious. The point is, as the writer you now have the authority to decide how much of an impact the event will have (it may not even happen, you may have your character prevent it), how the character will react to the event or the threat of the event, and what motivation the person or persons have who want the event to take place. This exercise puts writers in an active role so they are not passively waiting for ideas to come to them.
First Line/Last Line
I learned this one when in creative writing in high school. Pick up a book, any book, and look at its very first sentence. Now write it down. It doesn't matter how long or short it is, or how broad or narrow. Now do the same with the very last sentence. These are now the first and last sentences of your story. The story can be as long or short as you want, but you must coherently get from the first line to the last in your own words. Don't recreate the book you got them from. Make a brand new story. Some people find that getting started is the hardest thing, while others don't know what to write until they know how it's going to end. If you are either of these types of writer, than this exercise should help you.
Change the Mood (Genre)
This one is pretty simple. All you have to do is to take a familiar story, Romeo and Juliet for instance, and re-write it as a different genre. Shakespeare's play is dramatic and romantic, so you might make it light and silly. Keep the characters, the basic idea of the plot, and if you want, the setting. You then add your own dialogue and narration to make it a different story. This will most likely not turn into a story for publication, but it will get you to look at things in multiple ways so you don't overlook anything. Another variation of this is to use your own story. Maybe your stuck and can't write anymore on a specific piece. Try turning your comedy into a thriller or your mystery into a sappy romance. You might find that genre fits better, or you might just find that a character is not who you thought he or she was. Either way, this is usually a good help.
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
This is a familiar exercise. Find a picture, it can be one of yours or someone you know or it can be one in a magazine, and write a story about what is happening in the scene you see. However, I will add a little twist to this. The saying is “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Your story must be around a thousand words. This makes it so that it isn't so short because you didn't have anything else to say, but it also isn't too long, keeping it nice and concise. It doesn't have to be exact, but try to be within 50 either way.
Magnetic Poetry
Even if you don't write poetry, this is a good tool to have. It should be accompanied by a dictionary, though. Magnetic poetry usually has a lot of words most people don't use, and even some that many people didn't even know existed. Find these words, look them up if you need to and incorporate it into a story somehow. If it is a noun, just drop it into the story and see what develops. An adjective can be used for describing a character or town. Find a verb to get the action going. Or you can just grab a handful of words and make a story from that.
Exercising is a very important part of getting in shape as a writer. Try out each of these ideas, or find the one that you feel like you need to focus on the most. You should create a routine, though. If you find that you write better in the morning when you first wake up, put aside an hour or two each day to practice. Perhaps you do much better at night. Tell yourself to get at least two or three exercises in before you go to sleep. Maybe you have a hectic schedule and can't find a specific time to write each day. That's okay. Just make sure that you ARE writing each day, even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes. If you do this, you will see your writing improve, and on the days you have more time you might find yourself working on a longer story. Hopefully you will get to that place soon, but until you do, remember to stay in shape. Good luck.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Words and Phrases
Let me start this post by apologizing for breaking my New Year's resolution in the first week of the year. I wanted to post on here at least once a week, and this is my first post in 2012. I've been busy with school work, reading for school, looking for a job, and side writing projects, not to mention personal drama, but that's no excuse. I know I can find time to write here once a week, and dammit I'm going to do it.
That being said, I would like to say that, no, the title of this post has nothing to do with Wheel of Fortune. As an aspiring novelist, I find joy in words of all kinds, and I find even greater joy in the combining of said words into interesting, if not thought-provoking, phrases. So, I would like to take a moment to share some of my favorites with you and hopefully get your feedback on them as well as see which words and phrases you enjoy.
Your dreams are manufactured:
I guess I'll start with the name in the address bar. For a while now (at least ten years) I've been working on a fantasy series that has recently become more serious to me. One of the main plot devices is a dream world. So, when I went to use the restroom at a truckstop one day and saw this written on the inside of one of the stalls in permanent marker, I knew I had to incorporate it into my story. Now I have a character who manufactures dreams and I am one step closer to getting this story off the ground.
Ride the lightning:
Once again looking at this blog you will find a favorite phrase of mine, and once again it has to do with my fantasy series. My wife helped me think of this phrase when I read a passage to her that took her breath away. She said she felt like she just went on a roller coaster ride, and I thought of a ride called the Lightning. I also thought of a Stephen King short story, "Riding the Bullet." The phrase "riding the lightning" just jumped out at me and I've loved it ever since.
Future yesterday:
When staying up late at night, there's typically not a lot of television to watch. Having grown up a bit, I've found myself becoming more fond of late night talk shows. One of my favorites is Craig Ferguson. He's funny, unorthodox, and just obscure enough that I don't feel like a follower when I watch his show. He has a theme song, and one of the lines in the song is "Tomorrow is just a future yesterday." This is one of those phrases that really gets me thinking. After 48 hours, tomorrow will be in the past. It's something I wanted to play around with, and after much deliberation, I found the perfect use of this phrase. It is the title of a short story I'm currently working on, and it's going to be a doozy. I'll keep you updated as it nears completion.
Infinite:
I have always loved this word. I don't know how it does it, but it really captures the true essence of endlessness. There are a lot of big, flashy words that are just fine, but it is the small words that most often pack the biggest punch. I can't see or hear the word "infinite" without imagining the sideways eight. It is also great for coming up with awesome ideas, lyrics, etc. like when popular Jewish a cappella group the Maccabeats (covering a song by another famous Jewish artist, Matisyahu), referred to infinite as "one more than you know how to be." The use of infinite has endless possibilities (pun intended).
Heist:
Like I said, the small words are the ones that pack the biggest punches, and "heist" is no different. Dictionary.com defines the noun "heist" as "a robbery or hold up." However, for those of you who are writers and/or enjoy these types of movies and books, the word "heist" means so much more. Traditional heist stories involve a group of people all working together to steal something. Some examples include The Perfect Score and The Italian Job. These are appealing to me because there is more than just stealing going on. There is a sense of togetherness and a sense of identity. Everyone knows his or her role, and they all must work together perfectly to pull the heist off. I can't hear the word "heist" and not smile.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
Just because small words are mighty oes not mean I do not appreciate the big, flashy ones. For those of you familiar with this word, I don't really think I need to say more. For those of you who aren't...where have you been? This word was made popular as a song by the same name sung by Julie Andrews in 1964. It was written by the Sherman Brothers specifically for the movie/musical, which is based on a book by P.L. Travers. In the stage version, Mary Poppins and the kids walk into a book shop in search of a good conversation, only to find out the lady who runs the shop is fresh out of conversation. She does have, however, some letters left. Mary helps the children to form the word which then leads into the song. As she states in both the movie and the stage version "It can mean exactly what you want it to mean," making supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the most useful word of all. It is pretty much the American version of the French, jena se qua, which means that something special you cannot explain.
Being a writer and a reader, words are my life. I love word games such as Apples to Apples, Boggle, You've Been Sentenced, and Scrabble. I have so many more words and phrases that I would love to talk about, but then this post would be way too long. I hope you can tell me what you think of these words and phrases and tell me some of your favorites as well. And you don't even need to splurge to buy a vowell.
That being said, I would like to say that, no, the title of this post has nothing to do with Wheel of Fortune. As an aspiring novelist, I find joy in words of all kinds, and I find even greater joy in the combining of said words into interesting, if not thought-provoking, phrases. So, I would like to take a moment to share some of my favorites with you and hopefully get your feedback on them as well as see which words and phrases you enjoy.
Your dreams are manufactured:
I guess I'll start with the name in the address bar. For a while now (at least ten years) I've been working on a fantasy series that has recently become more serious to me. One of the main plot devices is a dream world. So, when I went to use the restroom at a truckstop one day and saw this written on the inside of one of the stalls in permanent marker, I knew I had to incorporate it into my story. Now I have a character who manufactures dreams and I am one step closer to getting this story off the ground.
Ride the lightning:
Once again looking at this blog you will find a favorite phrase of mine, and once again it has to do with my fantasy series. My wife helped me think of this phrase when I read a passage to her that took her breath away. She said she felt like she just went on a roller coaster ride, and I thought of a ride called the Lightning. I also thought of a Stephen King short story, "Riding the Bullet." The phrase "riding the lightning" just jumped out at me and I've loved it ever since.
Future yesterday:
When staying up late at night, there's typically not a lot of television to watch. Having grown up a bit, I've found myself becoming more fond of late night talk shows. One of my favorites is Craig Ferguson. He's funny, unorthodox, and just obscure enough that I don't feel like a follower when I watch his show. He has a theme song, and one of the lines in the song is "Tomorrow is just a future yesterday." This is one of those phrases that really gets me thinking. After 48 hours, tomorrow will be in the past. It's something I wanted to play around with, and after much deliberation, I found the perfect use of this phrase. It is the title of a short story I'm currently working on, and it's going to be a doozy. I'll keep you updated as it nears completion.
Infinite:
I have always loved this word. I don't know how it does it, but it really captures the true essence of endlessness. There are a lot of big, flashy words that are just fine, but it is the small words that most often pack the biggest punch. I can't see or hear the word "infinite" without imagining the sideways eight. It is also great for coming up with awesome ideas, lyrics, etc. like when popular Jewish a cappella group the Maccabeats (covering a song by another famous Jewish artist, Matisyahu), referred to infinite as "one more than you know how to be." The use of infinite has endless possibilities (pun intended).
Heist:
Like I said, the small words are the ones that pack the biggest punches, and "heist" is no different. Dictionary.com defines the noun "heist" as "a robbery or hold up." However, for those of you who are writers and/or enjoy these types of movies and books, the word "heist" means so much more. Traditional heist stories involve a group of people all working together to steal something. Some examples include The Perfect Score and The Italian Job. These are appealing to me because there is more than just stealing going on. There is a sense of togetherness and a sense of identity. Everyone knows his or her role, and they all must work together perfectly to pull the heist off. I can't hear the word "heist" and not smile.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
Just because small words are mighty oes not mean I do not appreciate the big, flashy ones. For those of you familiar with this word, I don't really think I need to say more. For those of you who aren't...where have you been? This word was made popular as a song by the same name sung by Julie Andrews in 1964. It was written by the Sherman Brothers specifically for the movie/musical, which is based on a book by P.L. Travers. In the stage version, Mary Poppins and the kids walk into a book shop in search of a good conversation, only to find out the lady who runs the shop is fresh out of conversation. She does have, however, some letters left. Mary helps the children to form the word which then leads into the song. As she states in both the movie and the stage version "It can mean exactly what you want it to mean," making supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the most useful word of all. It is pretty much the American version of the French, jena se qua, which means that something special you cannot explain.
Being a writer and a reader, words are my life. I love word games such as Apples to Apples, Boggle, You've Been Sentenced, and Scrabble. I have so many more words and phrases that I would love to talk about, but then this post would be way too long. I hope you can tell me what you think of these words and phrases and tell me some of your favorites as well. And you don't even need to splurge to buy a vowell.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Don't Judge a Book...
When most people hear "don't judge a book" they might, in their heads, finish it with "by its cover." My wife gave me a button for Channukah, though, that instead warned "don't judge a book by its movie." This is a war that has been raging for a while, and I want to comment on it.
I have to admit, I've been getting a little bit lazy lately. I'm going to school full time. When I have a job I'm working, and when I don't have a job I'm looking for work. I've been painting in my room. I'm quite involved in my synagogue. And, of course, I try to find time to write here. I don't get much time to read for me. Most of my books lately have been for school (as you might be able to tell by the new "Reading For School" tab I added). Also, I love movies. That being said, when I see a movie preview that looks good, or at the very least interesting, and I see that it is based on a book I start to cringe. If I haven't read the book, I sweat. This is because I don't like to see movies before reading their literary counterparts. However, I know that I won't have time to read that book anytime soon (if at all considering the long list of books that I may want to read before that specific one). Do I risk it and see the movie, or do I safeguard my ideals and wait?
Believe it or not, I can find pros and cons for each side. If the book is one about which I am on the fence, then seeing the movie may sway my decision about reading the book (I know, I'm ashamed). However, the book and movie may be totally different, and the decision I make based on the movie could turn out to be a really bad one. On the other hand, if I wait, I may never know that story. I am a slow reader, so I may never get to it. Also, a bad book may turn me away from a good movie or a good book may turn me on to a bad movie.
I have to admit, I've been getting a little bit lazy lately. I'm going to school full time. When I have a job I'm working, and when I don't have a job I'm looking for work. I've been painting in my room. I'm quite involved in my synagogue. And, of course, I try to find time to write here. I don't get much time to read for me. Most of my books lately have been for school (as you might be able to tell by the new "Reading For School" tab I added). Also, I love movies. That being said, when I see a movie preview that looks good, or at the very least interesting, and I see that it is based on a book I start to cringe. If I haven't read the book, I sweat. This is because I don't like to see movies before reading their literary counterparts. However, I know that I won't have time to read that book anytime soon (if at all considering the long list of books that I may want to read before that specific one). Do I risk it and see the movie, or do I safeguard my ideals and wait?
Believe it or not, I can find pros and cons for each side. If the book is one about which I am on the fence, then seeing the movie may sway my decision about reading the book (I know, I'm ashamed). However, the book and movie may be totally different, and the decision I make based on the movie could turn out to be a really bad one. On the other hand, if I wait, I may never know that story. I am a slow reader, so I may never get to it. Also, a bad book may turn me away from a good movie or a good book may turn me on to a bad movie.
It isn't easy being a book AND movie lover. Therefore, I have decided to rate 3 books and their movie counterparts in what I like to call TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE. I will let you know if a movie is worth watching compared to its book counterpart. Don't worry, I've read all of these books. I will tell you if the movie is not as good as the book, as good as the book, or better than the book and why. We start, in no particular order, with:
Okay, so I didn't read every single Sherlock Holmes story that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote, but I read enough of them to know a few things. First, Holmes was indeed a fighter, so the action wasn't too embellished. Also, Holmes was a social drug user, so casting Robert Downey Jr. gave the character the background it needed. Viewers still had to wait to find out the truth until Holmes decided to reveal it. But two things really sold the movie for me. The first was the few times I got to see his mind in action. Before taking out some bad guy, Holmes would break down what was going to happen blow by blow, showing the viewers the scene in slow motion before rewinding and seeing it play out at regular speed. The other thing that sold the movie for me was the closeness to the book. This especially shined through in the end of the second movie, playing out a scene almost exactly as it is described in the book. Guy Ritchie's directing and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's acting make the movies almost (but not quite) as good as the books and well worth seeing. Final decision: TO SEE.
Not many times in my life have I been more angry than when I watched the movie based on Stephen King's novella "The Mist." Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE Stephen King fan. When I first read the story I instantly fell in love. Stephen King created true-to-life characters and put this in a very frightening situation. After reading the story, I got scared every time the weather turned foggy. Then I watched the movie. Originally I was excited because it was directed by Frank Darabount, who directed another movie based on a Stephen King story, "The Green Mile," which was absolutely fabulous. However, the acting was only okay and the effects were quite fake. I was willing to let all of that slide and just enjoy the movie as a guilty pleasure of entertainment. That is, until the end. *Spoiler Alert* Never have I ever walked out on a movie for a reason that wasn't an emergency. At the end of "The Mist," I could bear it no longer and got up and left. I actually felt sick. The end of the novella has a band of survivors driving as far as they can away from the main setting of the story. The reader does not know what happens to them, but does know that they want to live. In the movie, there are five survivors a woman, a man and his son, and an old couple. Feeling like they have no hope of surviving, a gun is drawn. It has four bullets in it. The man shoots the old couple, the woman, and his own son apparently so they don't have to suffer. A hazmat team then comes in and cleans up the mess. It is a sad attempt at an O. Henry type ending that literally made me sick. This movie is nowhere near as good as the novella. Final decision: NOT TO SEE.
I did not know who Philip K. Dick was, let alone know of this short story, until I saw the movie. After finding out that it was originally a story, I bought it and read it. It's not very long, which is the first thing that amazed me. George Nolfi, the director of the movie, was able to take such a succinct story and turn it into a full length movie that doesn't bore the audience to death. The short story makes an allusion to a supreme being constantly changing people's lives while the movie uses agents of fate. The allusion is still there, but only as an afterthought rather than the point of the story. The agents of fate keep referring to someone as The Chairman, leading viewers to believe it is supposed to be a heavenly figure. The fact that the movie makes you think twice about labelling The Chairman is one of the improvements it makes on the story. The other big one, besides giving more depth to the characters, is that the agents of fate explain their story a lot better while still allowing the viewer enough room to ponder. Dick's "The Adjustment Team" was a good story, but if I never knew it existed and only saw the movie I would be just fine. The movie was much better than the book. Final decision: TO SEE.
These are just a few examples of all the different directions movies can take from books. I would never substitute a good movie for even a mediocre book, but it's nice to know that some people won't make me have to choose.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Book Review: Corridor by Robin Parrish
In Robin Parrish's first attempt at writing a Young Adult novel, I would venture to say that he succeeded in writing something worthy of that genre. Although this story can easily reach its demographic, readers of all ages can enjoy it as well. It is full of mystery, suspense, and fast-paced action. Parrish's Corridor is written on a level comparable to O. Henry and Phillip K. Dick. Like so many of his other novels, Corridor starts off with a bang, barely giving his readers a chance to get used to the settings before flinging them into action. This is appropriate in his new novel because that is exactly what Troy Groggin, the main character, deals with. Troy wakes up in a place called the Corridor not remembering where he last was. The Corridor turns out to be a maze of sorts that tests its runners' physical and psychological skills while asking one question of them: how badly do you want to live? Troy finds the answer to that question as his will is beaten time and again only to have his world shattered by one final choice.
If there is one thing readers should remember before reading Corridor, it is to not try to figure out the ending. I read the story in two sittings, quite the feat for me even taking the book's short length into consideration, and all the while my mind kept racing to figure out what was going on. Even as I write this, I believe that the next time I read it something else will happen. That is the power Parrish has over his readers. He uses science fiction the way it was meant to be used, the way pioneers such as George Orwell and Ray Bradbury intended its use. Parrish uses Corridor to take his readers down a different kind of rabbit hole, one with very few hopes of escaping.
All this does not mean that Parrish's writing is flawless. His use of language is a little weak, most notably when a seventeen year old boy exclaims “Oh crud.” Troy makes this comment well after his many near-death encounters, and although I know that somewhere out there may be a seventeen year old boy who says “Oh crud” after almost dying for the umpteenth time, it isn't likely. I find it difficult to believe that a seventeen year old boy in that situation wouldn't swear, even if the words aren't spoken on the page. Parrish's first five novels were published under a Christian publishing house, and this one is represented by a Christian literary agent. However, he himself has said that he doesn't want to be pigeonholed as a “Christian author” but rather as an author who happens to be Christian. That being said, I don't think it's too much to ask that, after Parrish brings us into a world that we should have no right believing in but because of his writing we do anyway, he doesn't lose his readers' belief through his use of overly genteel language.
The biggest distraction for me, though, was not necessarily in Parrish's writing as it was in the editing. Troy is first referred to as runner thirty five thirty seven (3537), but later he thinks about how three thousand seven hundred and thirty four (3,734) people came before him. This was only one of the inconsistencies that should have been picked up in the editing process but, unfortunately for Parrish, wasn't. Thankfully, because of his effective world-building talent, these issues don't deter the reader enough from the novel to not read it. Overall Parrish did a great job of creating characters the reader can care for, a world the reader can believe in, and a story the reader can enjoy.
Corridor is available as an ebook for just $2.99 on the Kindle and the Nook. It is also available for POD (print on demand). For more information, visit his website at the link on the right.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
A New Year
It has been almost one full year since my last post. I am the kind of person who gets excited about something, then kind of lets it go. Well, the blog is back and, at the risk of being too cliche, better than ever. I have decided on a few New Year's resolutions. Along with finishing painting my room and organizing the house in which I am currently living, I have also made it my resolution to write more. That last one starts with this blog. However, things don't just happen. Everything has a reason, and every reason has a story. Here's mine.
Just a few days ago as I was cooking pasta sauce and chicken noodle soup, my cell phone vibrated, indicating I had a text message. I set my phone up to receive tweets from some people, and that's what this was. I am currently following Robin Parrish on Twitter. You can read an earlier post to find out about him, or you can click on the link on the right and go to his website. Anyway, this tweet was to let his avid followers know that his latest book was almost done and that if a few people wanted to, they could e-mail him and he would send a pdf of the book to be reviewed. I instantly e-mailed him with a request, thinking that nothing would come of it. However, less than ten minutes later, I received a reply with the book. I was so excited that I nearly forgot to finish cooking. After portioning out the food into containers and refrigerating them, I started browsing the internet, reading up on Robin Parrish and other book and writing related things. I then decided to look at my blog. I knew I had no followers, since I didn't have any last time I posted, and that was a year ago, but I just wanted to look at it. Rereading my posts and thinking about reading and writing got my creative juices flowing again. It's been a long time since I felt this enthusiastic about writing, and I have Robin Parrish to thank for it.
So that's my story. If you went through my older posts, I will tell you this: I still plan on writing about writing; I still plan to write reviews; and I still plan to write about my endeavors as a reader and writer. I hope you find these posts helpful, fun, insightful, and overall enjoyable. I guess only time will tell. (AHH! More cliches!)
Just a few days ago as I was cooking pasta sauce and chicken noodle soup, my cell phone vibrated, indicating I had a text message. I set my phone up to receive tweets from some people, and that's what this was. I am currently following Robin Parrish on Twitter. You can read an earlier post to find out about him, or you can click on the link on the right and go to his website. Anyway, this tweet was to let his avid followers know that his latest book was almost done and that if a few people wanted to, they could e-mail him and he would send a pdf of the book to be reviewed. I instantly e-mailed him with a request, thinking that nothing would come of it. However, less than ten minutes later, I received a reply with the book. I was so excited that I nearly forgot to finish cooking. After portioning out the food into containers and refrigerating them, I started browsing the internet, reading up on Robin Parrish and other book and writing related things. I then decided to look at my blog. I knew I had no followers, since I didn't have any last time I posted, and that was a year ago, but I just wanted to look at it. Rereading my posts and thinking about reading and writing got my creative juices flowing again. It's been a long time since I felt this enthusiastic about writing, and I have Robin Parrish to thank for it.
So that's my story. If you went through my older posts, I will tell you this: I still plan on writing about writing; I still plan to write reviews; and I still plan to write about my endeavors as a reader and writer. I hope you find these posts helpful, fun, insightful, and overall enjoyable. I guess only time will tell. (AHH! More cliches!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)