Back to Reality II

The first week of work went okay. Since I've decided to keep my private life and my writing life separate I won't say on this blog where it is I work but let's just say it's a place where there's a procedure for everything and it's also heavily regulated by the government so I'm having to learn a lot about such things.

As for my writing I didn't do much this week, as I've been trying to not only get back into the rhythm of working full-time again but having to ingest so much information from the job during the orientation.

May 1st is this coming Tuesday and I have two projects with due dates in May. Both are short stories so I'll be working on those and I have a novella coming up due at the end of July so if I want to get that done I'll need to start working on it ASAP.

So, all in all, as for my new job, it's a job. I'm grateful for it, but the job of my dreams?

Hardly.

The job of my dreams would be to write for a living. But so far writing has yet, if ever, to provide me with that kind of income. So I work and I write.

Ciao!

Back to Reality

My two weeks off are nearly over. Tomorrow I start my new permanent job. Which means back to the 40 hour work week. Which means fighting for writing time once again

I didn't get as much done, writing-wise, during my two weeks off as I would have liked. I did spend the majority of the time working on a short story for a fantasy anthology (an actual *shock* non-erotic story!), which I submitted last Friday and was, subseqeuntly, rejected on Saturday.

Yes, a very fast rejection, but if you're going to get rejected on a story I'd much rather know sooner than later.

Now, of course, I'm wondering if I should have spent my time off on something else since the story I wrote, as far as I can see, has a very limited marketability, meaning, at least for now, I have no idea where else I can send it.

But, I can't undo the past. What's done is done. All I can do is move on. And move on I shall and I must. I'm going to start work today on a new short story (going back to my erotica) and the due date for submission is May 12th. And I'm also going back to working on my novel (which I somewhat put aside in order to get the rejected short story done in time for the April 20th deadline) and the world-building for my next novel. Also have a number of other deadlines for projects that are fast approaching.

That's what you have to do with rejections. You shake them off (but trust me, they do hurt!) and you go on to the next project.

Well, off to buy new shoes for work and and a couple of items of clothing. Fortunately, where I'll be working is "business casual". Whatever that means. Usually it just means you can dress relatively comfortably and you don't have to spend a pile of money on clothes (unless you choose to and I choose not to). Fridays we can wear jeans so that's cool. I was able to do that on my last temp assignment and it makes Fridays even more of a day to look forward to.

Ciao!

Back to Weekend Blogging

I got the permanent job I applied for and I will start my new job on Monday. So, more than likely, I'll be back to weekend blogging.

I've tried to get a lot of writing done during my time off but I wonder, sometimes, if having a job and having to fight for the time to write actually makes me more productive. Not that I haven't accomplished probably more writing than I would have working full-time, but I think that the struggle to find the time to write makes that writing time even more precious.

Just a thought.

That's not to say I wouldn't mind making a living from my writing and not having to work at all. Not saying that at all.

But, for now, and the foreseeable future, I have to work and write. That's just the way it is and that's just the way I'll have to deal with it.

Movie Monday

I'm not sure if I'm going to designate Mondays, Movie Mondays as the weekends seems to be the time when I watch movies and I thought Monday would be a good day to talk about them.

But, truthfully, I'm not working right now, so I'm posting more often that I would if I were working.

But, we'll see.

This week, at least, it's Movie Monday.

I watched two movies over the weekend. The Last King of Scotland starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy (and an almost unrecognizable Gillan Anderson of X-Files fame) and Notes on a Scandal starring Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy (who is fast becoming one of my favorite actors.)

Both movies were what I would describe as psychological thrillers in that Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal, and McAvoy in The Last King of Scotland, are two naive, vulnearble and rather flawed individuals who find themselves under the sway of someone who is not only more powerful in the sense of being older than they are, but are also in positions of authority. In Dench's case, her having taught for years at the school where Blanchett is a novice teacher, and in the case of Whitaker, his being the president of Uganda and McAvoy a young Scottish doctor who comes to Uganda to, as he says, "make a difference."

McAvoy and Blanchett in the beginnings of their relationships with Whitaker and Dench, respectively, are drawn, like moths to the flame, to their more powerful, and ultimately, dangerous mentors. Soon, however, both relationships---as much through the fault of both McAvoy and Blanchett---turn poisonous and, even in McAvoy's case, deadly.

I would recoomend both movies as excellent studies for not only how to go about writing flawed characters but for also creating that dizzying pas de deux of attraction and repulsion between two people that can be so fascinating to read in a novel. Or, in this case, to see in a movie.

I should mention that both books are based on novels and that may account for their psychological richness. Also, Whitaker, McAvoy, Dench and Blanchett are incredible actors. It was like dining on a gourmet meal watching both of these movies with these particular actors.

One interesting thing about Dench and Blanchett is that both women have played Elizabeth I. Dench in Shakespeare in Love and Blanchett in Elizabeth, which I believe she's filmed a sequel to.

Now, if only someone would come up with a movie that would star Dench, Blanchett and Helen Mirren, who recently played both Elizabeth I on HBO and the Queen of England in The Queen.

Now, that would be something to see!

Archetypal Heroes

Every now and then I like to look back at old writing craft books that I purchased in the past and have kept. Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Sue Viders, and Caro Lafever is one such book.

You can find more about these sixteen archetypes at Tami Cowden's website.

Mostly to amuse myself but also to remind myself about these archetypes I've put up pics of actors who, through the roles they've played, seemed to exemplify the heroic types described in the book.

Maybe sometime down the line I'll do the same for the heroines. I can't reprint the descriptions of the archeyptes so I'll only mention the labels and the name of the character or actor I think illustrates that archtype. You can read the descriptions at Tami's website.

The Warrior - Leonidas (Gerard Butler) - 300










The Chief - Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) - Star Trek









The Swashbucker - Zorro - (Antonio Banderas) - The Mask of Zorro









The Professor - Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) Stargate SG-1










The Charmer - Will Smith - He's often played the Charmer archetype in a number of roles.










The Best Friend - Tom Hanks - Like Will Smith, he's often played the archetypal Best Friend character.









The Bad Boy - James Dean - In just about every role he played in his tragically short life.











The Lost Soul - Vincent - (Ron Perlman) - Beauty and the Beast








Some of these actors or characters blend over into archetypes. Leonidas, for example, as King of Sparta is both Warrior and Chief. Captain Kirk is both Chief and Warrior. Will Smith sometimes plays Best Friend roles. James Dean's roles were a combination of Bad Boy and Lost Soul.

I think it's interesting to see how often certain kinds of archetypal heroes show up in movies and books, what their roles are in those narratives, and how many actors, for example, have made a career out of playing a certain archetype.

Also, there are a number of romance writers who seem to favor a certain archetype as their heroes.

So, what is your favorite archetypal hero? The Bad Boy? The Warrior? The Best Friend?

Can you name any other actors or characters, whether from books or movies, who epitomize these archetypes?

I'd be interested in hearing your comments.

A Great Writer and a Great Actor

Two greats are no longer with us. Kurt Vonnegut has died at the age of 84 and Roscoe Lee Browne at 81.

I haven't read any Vonnegut novels in quite some time but the ones I had read never failed to make me laugh nor to feel the pain of whatever he was writing about. His satire was funny, yes, laugh-out-loud funny, but it was always biting too and certainly made you think.

Among his books are "Slaughterhouse 5", "Cat's Cradle" and "Breakfast of Champions."

Roscoe Lee Browne was an actor of great dignity and power. He often played well-educated, dignified characters at a time when such parts were often difficult for African-American actors to secure.

If you don't recognize his name or his face, however, I'm sure you'd recognize his voice.

It was warm, deep and rich and it was he who narrated the movie "Babe."

Both the literary and film world are a little less brighter with the loss of these two great men.

Inside Man and Something New

Still on a Clive Owen roll here. The cable company has been offering HBO/Cinemax free until Wednesday so watched a few movies yesterday when I was done with my writing.

Now, I used to have HBO/Cinemax but had to drop them when the price got too steep.

Anyway, last night I watched Inside Man, which stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster.

A stellar cast and a great plot. Very much enjoyed it. And, finally, a New York city that looks like New York city is supposed to look like. Meaning ethinically diverse.

My only complaint was that Clive Owen spent most of his on-screen time with a mask over his face. Major bummer!

I also caught the last act of a movie I'd like to see in its entirety.

It's called Something New. It's a romantic dramedy about a young, professional African-American woman who, like so many young, profesional women, black or white, is looking for her ideal man. The problem is, when she finds him, he's white and her family and friends are not down with that at all.

As I said, I saw the last act so I know how it ends but I was impressed with the acting, particulary that of Sanna Lathan who plays Kenya, the heroine, and Simon Baker, her hunky love interest. Enough that I want to see the entire movie. So I went to the local library website, saw they had some copies and put a hold on it.

As for the non-movie viewing aspects of my life, I'm writing, writing, writing. My current ETA (Evil Temp Assignment) ended rather abruptly last Thursday so it looks like I'm going to have the upcoming week off. No pay for it, of course, but I'm going to do my best to write as much as I can while I have this free time. Hopefully I'll be back to work soon.

Writing-wise, I'm currently drafting a novel (half-way through it), working on a fantasy short story (a non-erotic one---yes, really! *grin*) and doing world-building for an upcoming urban fantasy suspense something or other.

So, till the next post, ciao!

What Kind of Reader Are You?

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Your Personality Cluster is Introverted Intuition

You are: Multilayered and complex Inspired and driven to achieve your goals A visionary with a complete life plan Intuitive enough to understand difficult problems, ideas, and people

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Clive

As usual, I'm behind on my writing so my weekend blog post is that.....I'm behind on my writing. *grin* And with it being Sunday and back to work tomorrow, I'm REALLY behind on my writing.

So, instead of a post, I'm posting this picture of Clive Owen for Joely and Maria, my fellow Clive Owen fans.

Ciao!