Don't Judge A Book: The Hunger Games

Before I begin my guest post: The Hunger Games edition of Don't Judge A Book, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Meg. I'm married to the guy who writes this blog, and, after reading The Hunger Games, I saw the midnight showing of the movie with him. I'm 28. I write YA fiction. I have a degree in Professional Writing. I have long been a fan of kids and YA dystopian stories, and I also have a habit of sneaking food into movies. The Hunger Games was no exception. As I witnessed this particular flick, my mouth was full of cherry, lemon, pina colada, and strawberry banana Starbursts. You can read more about that here: http://verymuchmeg.blogspot.com/2012/03/starbursts-compatability-and-pain.html

 

 Ah, The Hunger Games... it has taken both cinematic and literary worlds by storm. I wish I could say I've been a fan since their inception a few years ago, but the truth is that I was confused and thought the first book was part of the Ender's Game series (which I did not like), so I didn't read it until I saw the preview for the movie and realized it was a whole different concept: something I would actually enjoy. I hurried up and read the first book the night before the midnight opening of The Hunger Games, and I'm glad I did. I have almost always read the book before seeing the movie. I don't like to be confused if the movie is poorly adapted, nor do I enjoy blindly accepting whatever it has to offer without having perspective on the source material.

That said, if your curiosity was peaked by the preview or the recent buzz, or if you're anticipating being dragged along by a friend, don't worry: you won't be complaining about wanting that couple of hours of your life back. In fact, you should be able to enjoy everything The Hunger Games movie has to offer with only a few small points of explanation, should your movie buddy have already read the book.

As for a breakdown of The Hunger Games on screen, the movie has its own strengths and weaknesses. Please note that from here on out, this Don't Judge A Book contains spoilers... not just from the first book, but from the movie and all of the books.

Movie strengths:

• Seeing it on the screen is impressive. The set, lighting, costume, and makeup designers all did a fabulous job. The sound designer, especially so. My husband (you might know him as the host of this blog) pointed out that he appreciated the lack of overwhelming music where it did not belong: a common movie flaw, to be sure.
• Great casting job.
• Some aspects of the story were difficult to picture when reading the book. I love how imaginatively they were presented in the movie.
• Getting to experience The Hunger Games as part of a crowd or group was especially enjoyable (even more than with most anticipated movies). I have heard a few people point out that it effectively casts audience members as the villain. This is an interesting seat in which to sit.

Movie weaknesses:

• Though Rue was well-cast and the actress certainly did a good job, her death isn't as meaningful as it is in the book, because viewers don't know her as well as readers did. In fact, they barely know her at all. I feel these side bits of information being withheld really detract much from her presence. If they went to all the trouble to include her character, why not really introduce her to the audience?
• A piggyback complaint about the whole Rue storyline: how long would it have taken to show Katniss getting the bread parachute gift from District 11? What a wonderfully powerful and tear-jerking moment The Hunger Games movie-makers passed up! ...and, for what? 30-60 seconds of screen time? If they already felt the film was too long, why not take a chunk of the time Katniss is mourning Rue and put it to better use?
• My husband, who didn't read the book before seeing the movie, was confused by the flashbacks with Peeta and the bread. Since it is such an important scene in the book, it should've been presented more clearly in the movie.
• I'm torn on this one, because I feel this side plot wasn't properly developed in the books, but it disappointed me to see Katniss getting the mockingjay pin from someone other than Madge in the movie, and I was really looking forward to seeing her character on screen. At the same time, because no deeper plot develops about her aunt and Mrs. Everdeen's friendship, and you don't learn any more than just that she was in The Hunger Games, I can see why they might have seen introducing her character as a waste. Still, Katniss being jealous of her possible flirtation with Gale could really highten tensions later. And I'm having trouble figuring out how Katniss will acquire the information she does in the mayor's house without Madge's character being introduced at some point.

Though I have a few complaints (mainly things I was disappointed not to see), I understand why most of the choices were made when the movie was being put together. I trust that, since the author was so involved with the screenwriting process, she has her reasons for signing off on things being included, excluded, or presented a certain way. The changes would have bothered me more if she wasn't one of the screenwriters. To be honest, they might also have bugged me more if I'd been a Hunger Games fan for years instead of a day by the time I saw the movie, though I was deeply impacted by all three books, and I consider myself a fan of them now.

I would definitely say to both readers of The Hunger Games and non-readers of the books that you should go see The Hunger Games in the theater. It may even be worth the extra to pay for an IMAX viewing, if one is available and you enjoy that sort of thing. Upon our return home from the movie theater after the opening showing, I was telling my husband that I would've liked to have seen it in a theater with a curved movie screen—something as close to 360 degrees as possible. I feel it would've facilitated a different experience: one where an audience member feels as if he or she is actually in the arena with the tributes. Maybe being cast as a tribute as opposed to a spectator of The Hunger games would lead to a whole different takeoff on this fabulous movie.

Maximizing on Controversy

Dear Reader,

I am mad. No, I mean like pissed off mad. Before I tell my story, I invite you to find out why I am so infuriatingly angry here: http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made. Understand now? Good.

I have not read Suzanne Collins' epic, bestselling trilogy, but everyone I know who has read the books has said how amazing they are. On top of that, she helped adapt the novel into the screenplay, which means she had at least some say as to what the characters looked like. In fact, it would have been a bigger issue to me if Rue and Thresh were white when the  book so clearly describes them as having dark skin. I don' know how Collins is reacting to this outcry, but I would love to see what her response is.

I have decided to maximize on this "controversy." I had never given the look of my characters much thought, but now I think I am going to consciously pay more attention, especially in my Regulators book. I haven't talked much about it, but I will say that it is going to be a series that deals a lot with the dream world. The first three books will introduce each of the three main protagonists, collectively known as The Regulators. I have decided that one of these characters will, in fact, be black. Why? Because he is a powerful character who plays a very important part in the story. Upon first glance, this might seem like a "pity-casting." However, this issue made me realize that I wasn't paying attention to the physical appearance of my characters, and once I did I discovered that this character is black.

I'm thinking that this decision will probably cause even more controversy, but that's my goal. We all need to open our eyes and see that there are issues that are alive in our society today that we deemed resolved. The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery and the Civil Rights Movement did not end racism. We need to be aware of these horrible things and stomp them out. We need to care for each other the same way Katniss cares for Rue, even after she's dead. I plan on doing my part, however small. What do you plan to do about it, Reader? When you figure that out, let me know. Until then,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

As Always,

James

Why I Am a Writer

Dear Reader,

I find writing to be invigorating. When the words fall into place just the right way, when that one line pops into my head and I think "this is it," when the character does something that I never would have thought of, when I push past a period of blankness, I get a good feeling and I start to think that maybe being a writer isn't such a bad job. That being said, the real reason I am a writer is because of the people. But, how can this be, you might be asking yourself. Aren't writers typically introverts, immersing themselves in their work and leaving the "real" world behind? In a way, yes. However, there are a few things you should know.

First, I am not a typical writer, in that I am not an introvert. I enjoy the company of other people. This doesn't mean that I don't need my alone time. I'm just more sociable than most writers are portrayed to be.

Second, though writers can be introverted when it comes to "other" people, we are usually quite friendly with each other. We bounce ideas off of one another, critique another writer's work, and listen for their feedback on our own. So, even though we are commonly "loners," we are loners together. It's kind of like that Billy Joel line from Piano Man: "They're sharing a drink they call lonliness/But it's better than drinking alone."

I love other writers. I went to college for writing. My best friend is a writer. I married a writer. I surround myself with writers. This especially helps when dark days come like the one I had this past weekend. Like I said, I love it when I get a line that fits perfectly, and as Meg and I were talking about my Regulators story, she made a quick comment about it and my face lit up. The sentence she uttered would go perfectly in my story. Later that night, I sat down to write more of my story, and something terrible happened: I froze. I remembered the line, and I wrote it down, but absolutely nothing else came out. It was the perfect line, but nothing was happening to it. That's when terrible occurrence #2 happened: I decided I would never be a writer. I wasn't good enough, I never was, and I never will be. Meg refused my decision, but I had already made it...until today.

If you look at the left of the screen, Reader, you will notice I made a couple of changes to My Favorite Links. I removed Robin Parrish (I'll explain why at a later date) and I added a little something called YAtopia. This is a blog by YA writers and it features a fantastic writer named Sarah Nicolas. When I checked my e-mail today, Meg had sent me a link to Sarah's latest contribution to YAtopia: http://yatopia.blogspot.com/2012/03/struggle-with-your-self-esteem.html. Read this and you will see why it helped. Meg introduced me to Sarah Nicolas, and I have only recently discovered how good a writer she really is. Her blog entry came at the perfect time for me, and now I feel better about myself as a writer. Her link is right above YAtopia's. Check them both out. Follow them both. If you are a writer, you will thank me later for that. Which leads me to my next bit: Thank you, Sarah Nicolas, for being an inspiration to all aspiring writers out there. I look forward to reading more of her posts and seeing what enlightening bit of information she has next.

Before I go, Reader, I want to let you know that I will be having a special contributor on here to write up a very special entry of the Don't Judge A Book series. Here's a little hint: it has to do with a major movie that just hit theaters. Until then, Reader,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

As Always,

James

Observation # 4

Dear Reader,

This week's observation took a few turns before I started writing this. As per usual, I shuffled the cards and picked the one on top: "explore the underside." Upon first glance, I thought about looking beneath the surface, literally. Maybe I was supposed to look under my desk or my bed. I secondly thought of the metaphorical underside, but in a narrow sense. Perhaps I was supposed to look for anything hidden. A hidden object, a hiding place, etc. That was the closest to what the author had in mind, but it was still small-thinking.

Ms. Epel started the chapter mentioning how we should "discover the dark side of your hero, the soft side of your villain." That broadened my idea a little bit more, but it was really the first sentence in the second paragraph that got me. "Every positive characteristic has its negative side." Instantly that reminded me of a television show my wife and I watch that we love. ABC's "Once Upon a Time" is an imaginative look at fairy tales. It interested me recently because of the fairy tales I studied in my Children's Literature class I'm taking. Then, the story became interesting on its own. It intertwines a bunch of well-known tales, and since most (if not all) fairy tales cannot be traced back to the original source and since there are so many different versions, the show is not being disruptive. Anyway, the reason that line reminded me of the show is that the character of Rumplestiltskin constantly reminds the people he gives help to that all magic comes at a price.

What this caused me to realize is that I work so much in the moment when I write that I rarely think about the domino effect. Which is kind of funny, because I usually have an end goal in mind. I now understand why most of my writing becomes so lengthy. I am willing to take my characters through anything for as long as it takes to reach my goal. Either that or I force them into an unfair situation and the writing turns to crap. I'm not an organized person (just ask my wife), and I thought that it wouldn't be a problem for my wanting to be a writer, especially after reading how Stephen King does his writing. He doesn't believe in outlines. He gets the ball rolling and lets the characters dictate the story to him, not the other way around. Of course, he is rarely ever presumptuous enough to decide what's going to happen ahead of time.

Where does this leave me? I now have to research the idea of outlining my writing, which is a difficult thing for me to do. I have to face the music and force myself to do it. I really think that it will help, as much as I hate to admit it. I don't know if you feel the same way, Reader. How do you write? Do you just let the characters do their thing, like Stephen King, or are you more of a J.K. Rowling type, who was very meticulous in her organization of the Harry Potter novels? I'd really like to hear what helps you best, especially if it's something other than the two things I mentioned. I always look forward to new ways of doing things.

Before I sign off, Reader, I would like to let you know about the new blog I started. The only subject that I am as passionate about as I am writing is teaching. I started a blog about education titled The Answer in the Back. You can get there either by clicking the title or the link on the left under "Favorite links." If you have any investment in education (and most people do), then please check it out. I've only just started it, but I hope to have a lot to say before long.

Until next time, Reader,

Write candidly. Speak freely. Read endlessly.

Yours,

James

An Old Flame

Dear Reader,

Before I really get into this post, I must do something. A while ago I started talking about The Observation Deck cards. My wife thought that I should elaborate on that because I came off as very confusing. So, I will do that now.

The Observation Deck comes with 50 cards. Each of these cards has a word or phrase, otherwise known as observations. The creator of this nifty tool combined ideas from all different kinds of writers and came up with some of the best suggestion to help aspiring authors get started, or really to help anyone who is "blocked." One of the ways this can be done is by simply looking at the book that comes with the cards and finding the chapter you want to work on or feel like needs the most improvement. Another way, the way I do it, is to shuffle the cards and pick one at random. Each time, I leave the current card out, shuffle the deck, pick the card on top, and replace the former observation back in the deck. In doing it this way, I have created a much needed sacred space, started writing letters, and am now on my third (and still eerily spot on) card. I really hope that helps you understand, Reader. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to try to answer them.

This brings me to this week's observation. After a shuffle and a draw, I found myself staring at a card that simply said "rhyme." I looked at the corresponding chapter, and the author suggested that if you are blocked you should just play around with rhyming. She states that this lets the muse know you are there, and it gets the juices flowing again. This seemed a little infantile to me, but I promised myself I would at least try it. Before I could, though, I had to return to class after my much needed spring break. One of the classes I had was Children's Literature. We started the semester off talking about a few fairytales and moved on to children's novels. We took a break, though, to spend a day talking about children's poetry. The poems were both funny and inspiring, and at the end of the class the professor offered extra credit to anyone who wanted to write a specific type of poem and bring it in. I did not need this enticement. As the class was happening, I found myself playing with words in a way I hadn't since high school. I started writing poetry again.

It felt like I was destined to get that card when I did. I remembered how much I actually loved writing poetry, and since yesterday I have come to a decision. I am going to compile my own book of children's poetry. Every now and then I will post a poem here for you all to read and give me feedback on. I would even encourage you to read them to any children you may know (I will put up disclaimers if I feel it is necessary).

I have not given up on novels. One thing I have always said is that I am going to dabble in everything as a writer. I plan to have books, both fiction and non-fiction, published. I plan to have collections of poetry. I even want to write television and movie scripts, even if only once. I like to think big.

Thank you for listening, Reader. I look forward to the day I can tell you that you should go out and buy something of mine. Until then,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

Yours,

James

Spring Cleaning

Dear Reader,

Today, I return to school after a spring break that was much needed in more ways than one.

First of all, I needed the rest. I've been anticipating a job where I would work third shift, so I acclimated my sleep accordingly. The problem with this is that two days a week I have a class that starts at 1:30pm. Add in the time it takes to eat, shower, and get ready for class, I don't have much time left for sleep. So, this past week has been great for catching up.

Second, I was able to take a break from reading and writing for classes. I actually enjoy academic reading and writing, but I've been doing so much of it lately that I've felt like a zombie. I admittedly tried to get a little caught up this week, but I was able to be casual about it and not feel rushed. Another plus.

However, the best part of spring break was the increase in my writing. On New Year's Eve, I swore to myself that I would update my blog at least once a week. For more than a month I did not keep that promise. Then I forced myself to update regularly. Finally, when spring break got here, I went on a blogging binge. As I look back on some of my posts from this past week, I notice that they were not necessarily all that good, but upon further analysis I know that they needed to be written. After not writing for so long, I started amassing quite the mental clutter. I couldn't think straight. Thanks to this blog, I was able to update almost once a day and de-clutter a lot of what was in my head. It was my "spring cleaning" so to speak, and I found out how absolutely helpful it was. It also will help me keep my promise to update at least once a week because I don't want to be cluttered up like that again.

I would like to take this time to thank you, Reader, for bearing with me through my not-always-intelligible ramblings and being a part of my return to writing. I love to write, and I always will, but I write to be read, which means that I would have nothing to say were it not for you, Reader. Again, I want to thank you. I would also like to take this time to turn your attention to my sidebars before I sign off. Feel free to follow me by clicking the button under "followers" at the top left of the screen. Also, even though I have a strict list of what I have to read for school, I would like to encourage you to give me suggestions for what to read for review and what to read for fun. The best way to truly know what to read is to pay attention to word-of-mouth reviews. I am always looking for something good to read, and I want you to feel free to participate in this. So, if there is a certain book you would like for me to review, please leave a comment and let me know what it is and why I should read it. Maybe it's your favorite book. Maybe it's your favorite author. Maybe you know who wrote it (or you wrote it yourself). Whatever the reason, I would love to hear your feedback. I can't promise that I will get to every book in a timely manner (or even at all), but I take the suggestions of other serious readers to heart. I can't wait to hear what you have to suggest. Until then, Reader,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

Yours,

James

A Fork In The Road

Dear Reader,

I am like a rat stuck in a maze. Allow me to explain.

I was doing the dishes earlier, minding my own business, when my head got a near violent shock. Don't worry, it was metaphorical, not physical. As I was doing this menial task, I realized that a story I started a few weeks ago needed to be completely scrapped. Well, not exactly. I just had to change the title. This wasn't mecessarily because I didn't think the title fit. Actually, I needed that title somewhere else, and my brain let me know that as I was drying a plate. I almost dropped it, the shock was so big.

My mind is constantly doing this to me. It is always changing. After I finished the dishes, I sat down to start writing this new story. After the first two sentences, I hit my first fork: is the main character animate or inanimate. More specifically, I thought I could tell this story through the eyes of a human or a stuffed animal. I decided to go with human and write another version if I still felt strongly about the stuffed animal idea later.

Okay, so that hurdle got cleared, but it was only two more paragraphs before I hit my next fork. I thought my character was going to be just your everyday, average Joe (Ted, actually), except for the fact that he knew something other people didn't (sorry for being so vague, but I can't tell more until I'm sure of the story). I told my wife this idea, and she found it to be Vonnegut-esque. However, as I was writing, I realized this character could be one of many who has a specific job. This would not only alter my whole story, it would also change my Voice. If I took this new turn, I would be going from Vonnegut to Orwell.

This is a strange perdicament I find myself in. My story is constantly changing as I write it. This is especially interesting considering what my story is about. Oh, how I wish I could tell you more, Reader, but I just don't think we've reached that point in our relationship yet. Don't worry, it's not you. It's me. I am using you. I need somebody to talk to so I can sort out my brain and try to line things up. I hope you don't mind, Reader. I just needd to tell someone.

That is my problem. I hit way too many forks in the road. I've heard that if you find your story diverging in two different paths you should try experimenting with both of them to find out which one suits you best. I don't think I have that kind of time. My story is constantly changing. If I focus on two separate paths, eventually they will each break off into separate paths and so on and so forth. Oh, what do I do. Perhaps this is just my way of procrastinating. I truly believe that once I really get into it, my roots will start to anchor me down and the story will grow itself. I just need to nurture it in the right places and tend to it once its done (if that ever happens).

Thank you for listening to me, Reader. You have no idea how much your ear (or, in the case of a blog, eye) means to me. Feel free to give any advice you may have, though I expect nothing from you. Being there for me is enough. I promise that once I start getting settled and understand where my story is going and feel more confident about it, I will share more with you. Until then, Reader,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

Yours,
James