Anna Black's Salon

The Hobbit

2007-12-19T05:03:00.001-06:00

Just in case you hadn't heard, Peter Jackson will be returning to Middle Earth. He and New Line are going to film The Hobbit and a sequel to it.

The Hobbit will be released in 2010 and the sequel in 2011.

You can read more about it here: Jackson back in "Hobbit" via New Line, MGM

Great news! The LOTR trilogy are among my all-time favorite movies. However, Jackson is not going to direct or write the movies just executive produce. Not sure what that will mean for the quality of the movies but at least he and his wife, Fran Walsh, will be involved.

Gotta run, as usual.

Ciao for now!

More of the White Stuff

2007-12-16T07:08:00.000-06:00

Much of the country is being hit by really bad snowstorms. We got another two inches yesterday.

Just a brief post as I have to run errands today that I didn't do yesterday as a result of the snow.

December is proving something of a challenge. We've gotten more snow this month than we've had in years. It really affects you. The stress of driving in it, the shoveling almost constantly, the cold and the darkness.

I want to be a bear and hibernate until Spring.

And we've been spoiled, at least around here, the last few years with really mild winters. Then all of a sudden, we get hit with over 20 inches of snow in two weeks!

If you're in the path or have been in the path of these ice and snow storms, hang in there! And dream of Spring!

As for my writing, I'm struggling with it but not giving up. :)

Ciao!

One More Blast!

2007-12-12T05:10:00.000-06:00

Another five inches of snow yesterday on top of the 17 inches I know we must have already gotten since December 1st.

But we finally get a break. No snow, rain, sleet or freezing rain is forecast until next Thurday. Or so the weather-shamans say. I hope they're right. We need a break!

I refuse to show pictures of snow as I'm already sick of it, so another tropical paradise adorns this post. Click on it for a larger view of it.

Other than digging out of snow storm after snow storm after snow storm, just working and writing. Writing is a bit slow but moving along. Just one deadline this month, a 3,500 to 4,000 word story, which is plotted out. Just need to draft it and revise it. Have till the end of the month to do that and with the Christmas break will have a few days off to work on it.

Mainly doing a lot of reading this month. Something I've sadly neglected. Just like with writing finding time to read all the books I want to read is a challenge.

Ciao!

More Snow!

2007-12-09T08:08:00.000-06:00

More snow. I don't believe it. We got more snow last night!

It looks to be about three inches. Three more inches added to the what?....17 inches we've had in a week!

See that picture? Yeah, that's where I am in my imagination. Some tropical paradise. Warm, soft breezes, the air full of the heady scent of thick, red flowers, some hot, sexy, cabana boy, who doesn't say a word, serving me those fruity drinks with the colorful umbrealls.

My laptop within arm's reach so I can write some hot, sexy story.

Well, I suppose I can write a hot, sexy story without the tropical paradise. *grin* But it sure would be nice.

Ciao!

Dreaming

2007-12-05T05:29:00.000-06:00

This is the picture I tried to keep in my mind during my trek home yesterday during the snow storm. A drive home that's usually 25 minutes top took two hours due to the snow and the heavy volume of evening commute traffic.

That's one of the things about winter. Everyting takes longer. You have to put on more clothes, brush the snow off your car, clear out your driveway, hope the plows have cleared off the street so you don't get stuck somewhere and wind up being late, leave home earlier, get home later.

Really cuts into the little bit of free time I have to write as it is.

But you make do and try and do the best you can and dream of spring and warm, tropical islands.

Ciao!

The First Day of the Last Month of the Year

2007-12-01T07:35:00.001-06:00

It's the first day of the last month of 2007. As the year winds down to a close, I'm taking stock of what I accomplished this year, writing-wise, and what I hope to accomplish next year.

November was a mixed bag for me. On the one hand I did submit my longest piece yet, a 25,000 word novella and last night I submitted a 4,000 word short story.

On the other hand I had to drop out of NaNo and, as a result of a new temporary work assignment, the early morning writing schedule I had established (which had also proved my most productive writing time) was thrown out of wack due to having to go in earlier and a longer early morning commute.

So I didn't write nearly as much in November as I had done in September and October. I still have yet to find a way to write early in the mornings which does not require me having to get up at 3:30 a.m. That's not to say I can't get up that earlier but I also can't say what use I'll be during the day if I do.

However, it' s December 1st and I'm eager to at least wind up the year having achieved a bit more productivity than I did this past month.

I have three projects I'll be working on, two of which have submission deadline dates this month. The two short stories are due this month; the novella I'm working on is one I want to submit whenever it's done.

We're going to have our first major snow storm today. I'm just glad it's happening on a weekend instead of during the week. Last episode of Torchwood tonight so I'm eager to see that. And I'm going to take a look at Tin Man on Sci-Fi Channel tomorrow although so far the reviews have not been that great.

I got the book Rhett Butler's People from the library, which is an authorized sequel to Gone With the Wind that focuses on Rhett. I always liked Rhett. Personally, I didn't think Scarlett deserved him.

Watched the 1949 version of Madame Bovary last night with Jennifer Jones, Van Hefflin and James Mason. What a great movie! And the costumes! Absolutely gorgeous. If you get a chance, check it out.

Ciao!

Throwing in the Towel

2007-11-24T06:50:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm throwing in the towel regarding NaNoWriMo. I started out with high hopes on November 1st that I'd finished, but that's also the day I started my new temp assignment.

Which requires me to not only go in earlier but to drive farther.

It's been a struggle to write in the mornings because I'd have to get up at 3:30 a.m. to get in a good writing bout and have enough time to get ready for work and get there in time. Sure, I get off ealier, but evenings are always touch and go for me, depending upon how crappy or stresseful the day has been.

That's why I liked writing in the mornings.

And, I should not have tried to do NaNo knowing I had a 30,000 word novella to revise in November for a submission deadline of 11/15.

So, I'm pulling out of NaNo. I've "won" it twice before so I know I can do 50,000 words in a month. And I did 0ver 50,000 words in October and, as a result of starting and participating in the 1,000 Words a Day Group, so far, since September 1st, I've written 117,252 words.

So I know I can do it. It's just that November has been something of a bust. And months, weeks or days where things just don't go as you planned do and will happen.

The important thing is not to let that become an excuse just to give up altogether.

Here's a link to a page that talks about setting and achieving goals. The idea is that when planes fly to their destination they are, apparently, some degrees off of course.

One Degree Difference

I've been more than one degree difference off course of my goals this month. That's for sure! But that's okay. I'm still going to keep flying.

And I'm mixing metaphors right and left in this blog post, aren't I? *grin*

Ciao!

Celebrate!

2007-11-16T05:35:00.000-06:00

Anybody out there remember the song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang? It's a great party song and very upbeat.

Well, I'm celebrating.

One of the published authors in my local RWA chapter said that writers should celebrate every time they send out a manuscript, not just when they get accepted.

However, trust me, gettting that same manuscript rejected a few months down the line does take the luster off the original celebration.

But, I'm not going to think about that. I finished revising my novella last night and submitted it just under the wire.

Yes, I most certainly wished I'd had more time to work on it and I fear, due to its many faults, it will most certainly get rejected.

But, so far, it's the longest story I've submitted. It came in at just under 24, 000 words. I've been steadily increasing the word counts for my manuscripts as I work my way towards finally writing, finishing and submitting a novel.

So I feel good about that, at least. I should have started working on it earlier, however, and have learned my lesson from that.

But, yeah, for now, I'm celebrating.

TGIF and have a good one!

Looming Deadline

2007-11-10T05:43:00.000-06:00

There's just never enough time, is there?

I've got a deadline looming for a novella I want to submit. The deadline is this upcoming Thursday, the 15th. This is the last weekend before the deadline, the last weekend before I have to return to work on Monday and spend 8 hours---not including commute time---not working on my writing.

So I've got to get as much revising done this weekend on my novella as I can. The draft is pretty much complete but there are still holes I need to patch up and smooth out and paint over.

And, of course, there are all those things you have to do on the weekend that you can't get done during the work week that will take time away from the writing.

Sigh.

But, I've done this before. Somehow managed to squeeze my writing in despite the time constraints, got the story finished and submitted, and I even managed to sell a few of those I've written that way.

Actually, in that I have to work full-time to keep those bills paid, pretty much everything I write is written like that.

Under time constraints that sometimes make my head want to explode.

But I manage somehow.

Ciao!

Writing a Mystery

2007-11-04T07:54:00.000-06:00

I'm writing a mystery for NaNoWriMo. Which means I probably won't win this time around. Getting my 50,000 words done by 11/30, that is.

That's okay. I've "won" twice before and both of those manuscripts are still sitting on my computer.

This time around I want a workable first draft.

And, since I've never written a mystery before, the learning curve is steep.

I've read mysteries, of course, but writing one is a whole 'nother matter.

But guess what? It's proving quite fun. I'm doing reserach on crime scenes, detective work, evidence collection, how to write red herrings, that sort of thing, and it's really fascinating stuff. And I'm having a lot of fun putting together my cast of sleuth, love interest, murderer, victim, supsects, etc.

Hmm, actually, my novel is not really a hard-core mystery. It's more a romantic mystery as the emphasis is on the heroine-sleuth and her love interest, but there are dead bodies, and innocent suspects and guilty suspects and sex and religion and politics and more sex and, well, I'm having a ball writing it!

CourtTV will start a new season of Murder by the Book on Monday. It's a show where top-selling mystery writers give their takes on true-life crimes.

I should say that I still love paranormals, fantasy and sci-fi and the ideas for my next two novels are along those lines. But I wanted to give a go at writing a mystery and, so far, it's been fun.

Ciao!

Write On!

2007-11-01T05:38:00.000-05:00

It's November 1s. I got up at 5:00 this morning. Why? Because I want to get in a good session of writing before I go to work, and it's also the start of NaNoWriMo and it's my goal to have a 50,000 word, hopefully workable, bare-bones draft of a novel by the end of the month.

I'm also revising a novella and doing world-building for a 30,000 word novella I'm writing in December.

Can I do this?

Possibly.

I started writing every day on September 1st. In September I finished and submitted three stories. I wrote 38, 192 words, averaging 1,273 words a day.

In October, I wrote a total 54,343 words, with an average of 1,753 words a day. I finished a draft for a novella and prepped for my NaNo novel.

I was given a boost when two stories I had submitted earlier this year and last year were accepted for publication in two erotica anthologies published by Simon & Schuster that are coming out in 2008.

So, yeah, I'm gonna do this. One way or the other.

As for the pic of Shakespeare, he's just happens to be my chosen Muse of the Month.

Ciao!

Pulp Fiction Writer

2007-10-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid I grew up reading science ficton from the so-called "Golden Age", comic books ranging from Thor to those romancy comic books, fairy tales and big fat books on mythology.

See, there wasn't the plethora of fantasy novels that are avalable today. Weren't even that many science fiction novels for that matter. Neither of those genres was as"cool" back in the day as they are now.

So, I"m still amazed when I go to Borders or Barnes and Nobles and see all those shelves full of fantasy and sci-fi novels.

I bring this up because I was having a conversation with my brother the other day about facing facts.

One of the facts I've come to terms with about myself is that I write what could probably be called pulp fiction. Meaning it's straight up genre fiction.

I don't even pretend that what I write is "literary" I like to read and I want to write about larger-than-life characters who are thrown into over-the top-situations.

Now, I have to admit that I do have a M.A. in English and I did spend a couple of years learning literary theory, a lot of which, thank God, I've forgotten. But being a graduate student did affect me as a writer because, at least back then, genre fiction was pretty much looked down upon.

For example, while in grad school I took a creative writing class taught by a very well-known writer of literary fiction.

Nope, I'm not going to mention her name.

Anyway I wrote and turned in a story about a woman who learns she's a werewolf. The story was passed out to the class and the instructor's comment was that this was the kind of story you would find in drugstores or at bookshops in airports.

Trust me, she did not mean it as a compliment.

But, you know what? I'd LOVE to have a book of mine in a drugstore or at an airport bookstore.

So, yeah, I write genre ficiton or pulp fiction or whatever you want to call it. Erotica, fantasy, science fiction, mystery.

And I"m damn proud of it!

Ciao!

Sweating with Sven

2007-10-24T06:45:00.000-05:00

Still sweating along with Sven. So far, since the 70 Days of Sweat started nine days ago I've written 16,842 words, with an average of 1,684 words a day for those last nine days.

Yesterday I finished the draft of my 30,000 word novella. Now comes the hard, but fun, work.

Revision.

Personally, I love to revise. Drafting is what I can't stand. That's why I try to write my draft as fast as I can so that I can get to what, at least for me, is the real writing. Revising, rewriting, editing.

My daily word count will go down as a result, because, as I'm sure you know revision involves cutting. But, I tend to write what I call bare-bones drafts, which means I leave out a lot of the description, internal monologue, dialogue tags and such that give texture to a scene.

I layer that stuff in after my draft is done. So it's a process of both adding what needs to be added and cutting what's not needed.

Fun stuff. :)

No, really. It's really fun. Hard work, but fun.

So, that's what I'll be doing from now until November 1st. Revising the novella and continue my prepping for NaNoWriMo.

Ciao for now!

Thoth: The God of Writing

2007-10-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

This is an image of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing. He is credited with the invention of writing and the alphabet and was scribe to the Egyptian gods.

I'm invoking him today in order to report on my writing so far.

As of yesterday, for October I've written 38,734 words and I've written on average this month 1, 937 words a day. That's compared to my overall total for September which was 38,192 and an average of 1,539 words per day.

Yes, I'm obsessed with Excel! *grin*

Now, once I start revising many of those words will be thrown out onto the compost heap. But I've come to the realization that in order to get the words that will, with hope, stir the reader, I've got to write a lot of garbage. There's no getting around it. I've got to write and I've to write every day.

Others may not have to write every day, but I've learned it's pretty much a necessity for me now.

Someone said (can't remember who) that you've got to write a million words before you can even think you've really hit your stride as a writer. Don't know if that's true or not. But if it is I've got to write steadily for at least three years to have written a million words.

So, here I go. :)

I'm 50% done with the draft of my 30,000 word novella. Really need to pick up the pace on that in order to reach my goal of finishing the draft before NaNo starts. My prepping for my NaNo novel is proceeding apace. Again, need to get a move on that too since NaNo starts next week and don't want to be caught short.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo go to link below to see the lists of authors who will be inspiring us NaNoWrimers to write in November!

List of Authors - Pep Talks for NaNoWriMo

I'm reporting in at 70 Days of Sweat and am finding the daily posts by the sponsors to be very helpful and inspiring and reading the comments of those who are also trying to sweat along with Sven is also motivating.

The 1000 Words a Day list is still going strong and has also proved a great source of motivation for me. Thanks, guys!

Saw a new episode of Torchwood last night. (Well, new for me.) Love that show! And Captain Jack? Well, what can I say? He's hot! Was an interesting one about one of the characters having the ability to hear other people's thoughts and the implications of that.

Ciao for now.

Torchwood

2007-10-17T05:18:00.000-05:00

Torchwood has become my new favorite show. It's a spin off of the current incarnation of Doctor Who and features as its lead a character who was introduced on Doctor Who, Captain Jack Harkness, who is a bisexual (or perhaps pansexual or omnisexual is a better term as Jack just doesn't confine himself to humans when it comes to sex) time traveller and con man from the 51st century. He's also immortal.

Jack Harkness is not his real name. He doesn't know his real name as it was wiped from his memory.

I could go on about the show but suffice to say if you like X-Files, Buffy, Doctor Who, of course, and things that go bump in the night, check it out. It's currently showing on BBC America and the DVD of the first season will be out in January.

Well, it's hump day and I'm still writing and sweating with Sven, still getting ready for NaNo and still working that nine-to-five grind.

And still having to run around like an insane person to keep up with everything.

So, as usual, gotta run!

Ciao!

Sweating Again....

2007-10-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

I've signed up for the Seventy Days of Sweat, which starts today. When I saw that suggestions were being offered for those of us doing NaNoWrimo, and since I'm already writing on average 1,499 words a day anyway as a result of the 1,000 Words/Day List, I thought, what the heck? Why not?

Sounds like it will be fun. I tried to sweat with Sven the first time around but was unable to. But this time I'm ready!

Oh, as for Elizabeth: The Golden Age?

The critics were right this time. At least for me, it was a disappointment. All it did was make me want to watch the HBO DVD starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth I. Highly recommend that instead of going to see this version.

Now, off to start sweating. I mean writing.

Writing and Elizabeth

2007-10-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

I'm going to go see Elizabeth: The Golden Age this afternoon.

I guess the reviews have not been that great.

That's okay, I still want to see it. I've seen the first Elizabeth movie that Cate Blanchett starred in at least a dozen times so I defnitely don't want to pass this one up on the big screen.

And Clive Owen is in it.

A local reviewer said that Clive looks like he stepped off the cover of a romance novel.

And that's supposed to be a bad thing? :)

Still writing and moving along fairly well. Not too for behind on my draft for 30,000 word novella and am making progress on my prep for my NaNo novel. The NaNo website seems to be working a lot better too. They were running super-slow for awhile due to all the folks signing on.

Ciao for now!

Update on Writing.

2007-10-11T06:55:00.000-05:00

For the past month and a half I've been getting up at 5:00 a.m. to write before I leave for work.

I've done that every work day so far and, the more I do it-----no, it does not get any easier! LOL!

But I'm doing it.

As a result, this month, so far, I've written, 20,458 words, with an average of 1,860 words a day.

I finished the first draft of my short-short and I've completed, so far, 20% of the first draft of my 30,000 word novella.

And getting ready for NaNo, of course.

This is also as a result of the 1,000 Words a Day list. It's really helped me to stick to my writing goals knowing I have to report in every day to the list.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth the I and Clive Owen as Sir Richard Raleigh is opening tomorrow. And I am so there! Going to go see it this Sunday afternoon.

Ciao for now!

Movies and Writing

2007-10-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

I love movies. Have loved them since I was a kid. Along with books, of course. And, when I write, although the books I've read have been a big influence, movies have proven just as big an influence.

I think writers can learn a lot from movies. In a movie, unless you have voice-over, everything about a character has to be revealed through action and dialogue.

And the way movies are paced, the fast cut, which, actually, is a technique that wasn't used much before the 60s. In movies prior to the 60s you might show a character saying he's going to the office.

You'd see him walk out the door, get into his car, drive through the streets, arrive at the office, get on the elevator, greet the receptionist and go to his office. Now, it's a fast cut from his home to him sitting in his office. Unless, of course, something happened to him on the way to work.

The fast cut can be a valuable technique for fiction writers. I've read some stories where I was pratically yawning because the writer felt he/she had to detail every single thing the character did.

No, you don't have to do that. Unless, of course, it has some significance. I mean, you can do it. You can do anything you want. But you risk boring the reader. Elmore Leonard has a famous quote. He says that when he edits he cuts out all the stuff the reader will skip.

Film editors do the same thing. They cut out the stuff that might cause the audience to start shifting in their seats or rattling their buckets of popcorn out of boredom.

As for my writing I'm doing good. The 1000 Words a Day group is also doing great. Everyone is writing and making progress on their projects. I'm done with the draft of a short-short, am ready to start drafting my 30,000 word novella and have finished the character sketch for my heroine/sleuth for my NaNo novel.

Until my next post.

The Different Drummer

2007-10-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that we’re all different people. We live lives that are separate and unique onto ourselves. We share things with other people, of course, but we’re still who we are

Unique and special.

I’ve always been terribly suspicious when someone, no matter who they are, or what their motives are, tries to tell other people how they should live, what they should do, and how they should do it.

Especially when it comes to something as creative as writing. Yes, there are what you could call “rules” or, what I like to think of more as guidelines, when it comes to writing, especially fiction. There are things we should know about craft as it relates to story structure, character creation, dialogue, writing scenes, etc.

But when it comes to what we write, how we write, when we write, how often we write, how long it takes us to write, whatever, that is going to be unique to that individual.

We should all listen to the beat of our own hearts, to that drumbeat of the different drummer. Follow what is true for us and not for someone else. There’s nothing wrong with seeking and taking advice, but always be sure it’s the right advice for you.

If you want to write a book in a month or a week or a day, go ahead. If that’s what you want to do. If you want to take a year, two years, five years to write your book, that’s fine too.

Do what’s right for you.

I read somewhere that the hardest battle anyone will ever have to fight in their lifetime is the battle to be themselves.

I truly believe that one of the keys to becoming a successful writer is being yourself. Not letting anyone, no matter how well-meaning they may be, try and change you into something you’re not.

Not only will it be a tragedy for you, if that should happen, but a tragedy for us, your potential readers.

NaNoWriMo

2007-10-04T06:24:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo, this year. That's National Novel Writing Month for those not familiar with it. It starts on November 1 and lasts until November 30th. In that time period you have to write 50,00o words or, 1,666, words a day and complete a novel. Or in my case the first draft of a novel.

I started participating in NaNo back in 2003. I didn't finish that year, but I did finish in 2004 and 2005. I didn't participate in 2006.

This year my plan is to get a draft of a 75,000 word novel done by doing the 50,000 word in a month challenge.

It's a lot of hard work but it's also fun. And if you do sign up, there's a forum where you can post and read messages from people all over the world who are participaiting.

Plus there are local chapters where you can meet and greet face to face. Some people have gone on to publish their NaNo novels. But for most people it's a chance to write like mad for 30 days in November.

As for my writing this month, it's going well. I do credit the 1,000 Words/Day list. It's really helped me to stay on focus. I can't say enough about it.

Speaking of, time for me to get back to my writing before I head to the salt mines.

Have a great Thursday!

October 1st and 1,000 Words a Day

2007-10-01T05:27:00.000-05:00

It's October 1st and, at least here, pumpkins are everywhere. Although with the rather warm weather we've been having it doesn't quite feel like fall

As for this blog, with hope, things won't be so hectic this month and I can at least post once a week.

September was a BUSY month. I drafted, finished and submitted all three of the projects I was working on. Two 13,000 word stories and one 4,000 word story.

And, I have to say, it was thanks to the 1,000 Words a Day List that Joely and I created.

As a result of that list I wrote 38,192 words in September which is 10% of the list's goal of helping its members write 365,000 words in a year.

I averaged 1,273 words a day and, as I said, I not only finished my projects by writing every day, but I got up early and wrote before heading to work and I also wrote when I got home.

And, so far, the members of the list have reported that it has helped them also with their writing.

So we're entering October with a renewed sense of purpose. I have two projects I want to finish by the end of the month and, this year, I'm going to do NaNoWriMo and see if it can help me get a jump start on writing and finishing a novel.

Happy Monday and Happy October 1st

Will Return in October

2007-09-21T17:49:00.000-05:00

It's been two weeks since I last updated this blog so I wouldn't be surprised if no one is even reading it anymore.

I've been so busy with writing that I just haven't had time to post to it, in addition to working my full-time job.

I'm trying to get three writing projects out the door by the end of the month!

So, I'll be back to blogging, hopefully, in October.

Ciao for now!

Lots of Writing

2007-09-11T18:35:00.000-05:00

Isn't that a pretty desk?

I wish I had it. I have so much writing to do this month. That's where I need to be sitting.

Got a 10,000 word story to revise; one 10,000 word story to write and another 4,000 word story to write. All by September 30th.

So my blog posts will be sporadic at best. Between writing, working, reading and researching, I'm really pressed for time.

I did, however, as a reward to myself for completing my writing goal on Monday, nice and early, go see 3:30 to Yuma.

Great movie! Well done and the usual display of
acting chops by Messers Bale and Crowe.

If you don't catch it at the theater, give it a looksee when it comes out on DVD.

Okay, I gotta go write.

Ciao!

Another Movie Opening this Week

2007-09-05T06:51:00.000-05:00

Clive Owen has a new movie also opening this week. It's called Shoot 'Em Up

To be honest, I'm not sure what the plot is, but who cares? I'm there!

It's got both Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, another one of my favorite actors.

Now, as much as I LOVE Daniel Craig as Bond, I still think Clive would have made a great one. He's got that brooding, smoldering, darkness in him. And he's great doing action stuff.

Ever seen hin in Sin City? He's very dark, but heroic. Badass but kinda sweet, in his own dark, tormented way. And, oh yeah, he's also very easy on the eyes!

Anyway, Shoot 'Em Up is also starting this Friday!

Fall Movies

2007-09-03T17:21:00.000-05:00

Looks like there's a banquet of movies coming out this fall that I want to see. Another reason to welcome fall.

To be honest, this summer was pretty much a disappoinment movie-wise. At least for me. Harry Potter was about the only movie I really enjoyed. The rest were pretty disappointing.

The first fall movie I want to see is 3:10 to Yuma which stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

It's a western but I've been on a western kick for quite some time so I'm there for this one!

I'll be highlighting other upcoming fall movies I want to see, so stay tuned!

Summer's Nearly Gone! Yay!

2007-09-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

Another image of a woman writer that I like. I'm not sure where it's from. Found among the ruins of Pompei?

Anyway, it's the middle of the three day weekend. I managed to make a little progress on my story that I want to submit this week.

I'm also getting ready to start two stories that I want to submit by the end of September.

I'm so glad it's September. I love the fall. I love the colors, the cooler weather, the holidays, the whole back to school thingy, even if I'm no longer in school!

My favorite time of the year! I've also noticed that lots of good books get released in the fall and it looks like there's a slate of excellent movies coming out this fall.

The sequel to Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett is coming out. Viggo Mortensen, Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Christian Bale and Clive Owen all have new movies coming out this fall. Yum!

So, yeah, I may be one of the few people who's not sorry to see summer almost on it's way out.

Ciao!

Cameo of a Woman Writer

2007-08-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

While surfing the Net, I found this picture of a cameo of a woman writer.

I think it' s lovely. I like the way she's resting her cheek on her hand, as if she's pausing to consider her next word.

Or maybe she fell asleep. :)

I haven't fallen asleep while writing but I've gotten pretty tired sometimes. Especially if I'm writing late in the evening.

I actually prefer writing at night but it's become problematic for me because most of the time, because I get up so early to go to work, I'm usually pretty tired in the evenings.

So, early morning has become the best time to write. Or at least it is for as long as I have to keep working for a living.

Now, I'm going to backtrack and say that, although I do like to write at night, when I'm not working (like on the weekends or during times of unemployment) I find that the hours between 8:00 a.m. and around noon work best for me.

Weekend afternoons are my favorite time to read or nap (yep, I love to take naps on the weekends) and weekend evenings are usually reserved to watch movies. In between running errands and doing whatever I can't get done during the work week.

So, care to share when, during the day, or night, is your best time to write? Which hours out of those 24 alloted to us each day do you find most creative?

Tick Tock

2007-08-28T05:10:00.000-05:00

Do you feel it sometimes? That sense of time passing by so fast that you wonder if you'll ever catch up to it?

I celebrated a birthday yesterday. Another one. When it seemed like I'd already had one.

People talk about the biological clock, the one that tells women they only have so much time to have a child before their bodies will no longer easily accomodate one.

I wonder if there is a creativity clock? Is it possible that one can reach a point, after enough time has passed, that one's creativity, especially if you don't use it, dries up?

I shudder to think so.

But, I don't think there is. Oh, there's no doubt that as we get older our bodies, no matter how well we take care of them, become more fragile, more susceptible to illness and weakness and that our brains too, age.

But we can still keep those creative fires burning, still keep that creativity clock ticking.

We just have to want to do it and make an effort to do so.

Speaking of illness, I believe I've caught a cold. My throat is scratchy and I'm sneezing. Oh joy! Time to find some Cold-Eeze and start sucking on them. Actually, they also come in bubble-gum, so more likely chewing than sucking.

I hate colds!

Ah-choo!

Ciao!

1000 Word A Day Update

2007-08-25T06:52:00.001-05:00

Just an update on the 1000 Word a Day Club.

It will be starting on September 1st. I think that's appropriate. It's back to school time for many and it will be a great time for us to start putting our butts to the chair and writing.

I'm considering not only having a blog but perhaps starting a Yahoo Group.

But I'll let you know if I decide to do that.

Again, the rules are going to be very informal. The only thing I'm going to insist on is NO NEGATIVITY.

I think we all get enough of that in our daily lives. *grin*

Positive thoughts, supporting each other and writing. Those will be our watch words.

As for my own writing, my goal is to get those 1000 words a day, and more, done this weekend. I've got to finish up a 10,000 word story that I want to submit the first week of September.

So butt to chair and fingers to keyboard!!

Ciao!

Too Much Rain Leads to Tragedy

2007-08-23T05:15:00.001-05:00

It's been raining like crazy since this past Saturday. We've had the rainiest month on record. Just prior to this deluge we had been experiencing a drought for most of the summer. And more rain is expected today and tomorrow. We are finally going to dry out and see the sun this weekend.

Unfortunatley, the heavy rains caused a tragic accident here yesterday. A mother and her child, who were waiting for a bus, were electrocuted when lightining struck a power line. It fell into some standing water near where the woman and child were. A man on the bus leapt off to aid them and he too was killed. The bus driver was injured when he also tried to help. This all happened during a terrible downpour yesterday afternoon, a downpour I was driving through to get home.

We've had so much rain in such a short period of time that on that particular street the rain was up to the bumpers of cars. So, yes, there was a lot of deep standing water and the combination of that and the lightinting striking that pole was a tragic conflation of terrible events.

What was also sad was that the first responders to the scene could do nothing to help the vicitms until the utility people arrived to turn off the power. Bystanders also tried to help but were pulled back as they would have been electrocuted too.

All very, very sad.

Happy Hump Day!

2007-08-22T05:23:00.001-05:00

It's Wednesday! Hump Day! So have a happy one. That's an order! From Captain Jack Sparrow himself.

I'm so glad it's Wednesday. That's a few days closer to the weekend.

This new assignment is the pits!

Nobody tells me anything but they expect me to know everything! And if one more person talks to me like I'm stupid just because I'm doing this kind of work I'm going to.....well, probably nothing because I need the darn money, but it sure makes me mad when they do that.

Makes me want to invite Captain Jack to pay them a visit! Grrr!

Thank the Muse for writing. It's the only thing keeping me sane. I have a story that I will submit the end of this month and I have about 2500 more words to write to get it up 10,000 words.

Oh, and don't forget if you're interested in joining the 1,000 words a day club I'll be starting on Septmber 1st just leave a comment stating that. I'll be sending out invites to the blog when I get it up and running.

The club is very informal. The object is to help each other meet that 1,000 words a day quota. And you can write anything. New stuff, revised stuff, practice writing. The idea is to get into the habit of writing every day. You don't even have to do 1,000 words. Just gotta do something.

Okay, speaking of gotta do something I've gotta get ready to make my daily trek to that pit of an assignment.

Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum!

Yeah, I wish!

Ciao!

The 365,000 Word Finish LIne

2007-08-19T06:59:00.000-05:00

Joely and I have been talking about starting a 1,000 Words-a-Day Club. In a previous post I talked about how much writing one could achieve in a year by doing this.

The object would be, of course, thus the name of the club, to write 1,000 words a day. Now, the setup of the 1,000 Words-a-Day Club would be a very informal one.

I'd create a specific blog for the club and the idea would be that you would let us know, if you want, whether you reached your goal of 1,000 words for that day.

You could also talk about how you got your 1,000 words done. What methods or tricks or inspiring tools you used.

On the other hand, if you had difficulty reaching your goal, you could talk about that also. It would be a way to see what works and what doesn't work for you. What days the writing seemed to flow and what days it didn't. And perhaps the other members of the club could help you find ways to meet the goal.

Again, it would all be very informal. No deadlines. No pressure. Just do your best to hit 1,000 words a day.

I've already started keeping track of my 1,000 words a day but I won't officially start the club until September 1st.

So, if anyone is interested in joining my little club just leave a comment here.

Ciao!

Don't Quit

2007-08-13T18:01:00.000-05:00

Just a little inspiration for anyone out there (like me) who's thinking about giving up or throwing in the towel.

You know. Quitting.

I don't mean quitting a job or anything like that.

I mean qutting your dreams, your hopes, your joys.

And check out the link below too.

The Don't Quit Poem

1,000 Words a Day

2007-08-11T07:05:00.000-05:00

Writing goals. Setting them, keeping them.

I've been struggling to set the right writing goals for years.

Should I do a page a day? Or how about two?

No, maybe a paragraph a day. Or would word count work better?

So, maybe, 1500 words a day. Or a thousand? Stephen King is said to write 1,500 words every day except his birthday, Fourth of July and Christmas Day.

Now, I know for a fact that, even with having to work full-time, I can get at least a 1,000 words done a day. I can even push that to 1,500. And on the weekends, for example during NaNoWriMo, I can do 3,000 to even 7,000 words in a day!

So I know I can do it.

But, as always, it's the doing. In all the hurly-burly and hustle-bustle of life in the 21st century, those words you mean to write that day never really manifest.

But, dagnabit, it can be done. Even with a full-time job or whatever responsiblities one is saddled with we all know that it can be done!

Then why, gosh-darn it, is it so gosh-darn hard!

I grind my teeth everytime I go a day without writing. I know for a fact, Jack, that the days I write I'm less stressed than the days I don't. Yet I can go days, even weeks without writing.

Am I just lazy? Well, no. I mean, I've written loads of words. I used to write fanfic back in the day and I'd write pages of that stuff.

Is it fear? Fear of what? Looking like an idiot? Writing caca? Or maybe it's the fear one feels if suddenly faced with your heart's desire.

Maybe it's just a huge, noisy carnival of fears.

1,000 words a day.

Now, let's think about this. Write 1,000 words a day and in a year you'd have.....ta da!....365,000 words.

That's four 80,000 word novels.

Three 100,000 word novels.

Eighteen 20,000 word novellas.

Forty-eight 7,500 word short stories!!

Adds up, doesn't it?

Maybe I should start a 1,000 Word a Day Club or something. Everybody commits to writing 1,000 words a day.

You'd think anyone would join?

How about you? *grin*

Duel

2007-08-07T18:58:00.000-05:00

How would you like to see that in your rear-view mirror, closing fast at 90 miles an hour? Well that's what Dennis Weaver is faced with in the movie Duel.

Duel is the movie Steven Speilberg made a couple of years before he hit it big with Jaws. It was a made-for-tv movie that came out in the seventies, so it's a bit dated but not in its classic tale of David and Goliath.

Dennis Weaver is a businessman taking a normal business trip in his car. He happens to pass a huge semi and whoa, do things get nasty after that!

The rest of the movie is a thrill ride of Weaver trying his best to stay alive as the trucker is hell-bent on making sure he doesn't.

I watched this over the weekend and I never cease to enjoy it. If you get a chance, check it out!

Riding the Bus? Nah!

2007-08-06T17:42:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be starting a new assignment on Monday. Thank goodness it pays more because it's on the other side of the town. Which means more money in the gas tank.

I briefly considered taking the bus. Now, where I live, it's a fairly populous city but it's not what I'd call a huge, spread-out city. The city itself is actually pretty small, geographically speaking, so when I say the other side of town that not's terribly far but it's far enough for this town. And it's definitely far enough for me, considering how much I love to drive. Which is not that much.

Anywho, I decided to see if I could maybe take the bus. Well, the trip one way is about 11 miles and would take about 25 minutes by car.

The trip by bus, however, at least in the morning, would take 2 and half hours!

Yes, that's correct. An additional two hours to travel the same distance. It wouldn't take as long in the evening for some bizarro reason I haven't yet figured out. (Reading this burg's bus schedule is like reading Ancient Akkadian.)

It doesn't take me that long to visit my Mother and she lives 70 miles away. In two and a half hours I could drive to Chicago, for goodness sake!

Look, I want to do as much as anyone to help the environment but the idea of having to get up at the crack of dawn to spend 2 and half hours on the bus when I can travel the same distance in 25 minutes?

Sorry, can't see it.

And they wonder why it's so hard to get people to give up their cars?

Now, I have to say that where I live, it's really hard to set up efficient bus routes. For one thing, it's not a grid city, it's bisected by an isthmus, in the center of which is the state capitol, and the streets wind and twist about it each other like a snake orgy. Trying to set up a straightforward bus route is a challenge.

Now, if I worked downtown, no problem. A straight shot. 15 to 20 minutes tops. But this new assignment is in one of those office parks that are springing up on the edges of cities. Treeless lanes, wide paved streets and boxy modern office buildings with those huge blank windows.

Yeah, I know. But it's a job and I need the money.

As for riding the bus, don't get me wrong, I rode the bus for years before I got a car. Got no problem riding the bus. I get lots of reading done while riding the bus. I listen to my IPod while riding the bus. I leave the driving and the getting around those orange barrels marking road work, and dealing with inattentive drivers to someone else while riding the bus.

But 2 and a half hours every morning!?

Oh, I've put on the comment moderation. I apologize for doing this but, unfortunately, when you write erotica it appears to make you a magnet for spammers. Again, sorry for that but I really want to have the opportunity to screen out the spammers.

Ciao!

Happy Friday!

2007-08-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!

I don't think I need to say more than that!

Ciao!

Job Interview

2007-08-01T07:02:00.000-05:00

I have a job interview this morning and another one on Friday.

Have I mentioned I hate job interviews? My head always hurt afterwards and my jaw too from talking so much. And that feeling of being evaluated and scrutinized and judged?

*shudder*

But, at least they don't last forever. People always ask me afterward how did the interview go? Do you think you got the job?

How can I possibly answer that! You really never know until they call you and offer you the job. I've been on interviews where I was absolutely certain I got the job and I didn't. And, vice versa, interviews where I was pretty sure I'd make my self look like the worst jackass in the world and nailed the job.

So, once the interview is over, I try not to think about it until I hear something.

Ciao!

Back On Track

2007-07-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

The last couple of months have been insane. I moved, had employment changes and am currently still in the midst of all this uncertainity.

Needless to say this has had an effect on my writing. I must say I admire those writers who seem to be able to soldier through and do their writing no matter what happens.

Sometimes I can do that and sometimes I can't.

For example, I'm no longer going to participate in the Seventy Days of Sweat. This really wasn't a good time for me to sign up for it. Usually my life isn't as hectic and insane as it's been these last few months and I'm working like crazy to achieve some kind of normalcy.

Now, that doesn't mean I'm stopping work on my writing project. No way! It just means I won't be trying to finish it in September. I'm pushing the finish date out until November.

I also have two other projects I'm going to be working on additon to that one. I have to be realistic, not only regarding how much writing I can get done but when I can write.

Thus the picture of the calendar. I was never one for using dayplanners or trying to organzie my time but it would be useful and helpful if I can at least try to schedule my writing time.

Working full-time is a reality I won't be able to ignore, if ever. So I have to determine when and where is the best time to write in order to accomplish my goals.

So, as for Sven, thanks for at least getting me started. And good luck to everyone still sweating along with the Nordic god. *grin*

Ciao!

Money, Money, Money!

2007-07-27T06:56:00.001-05:00

Well, it only took a year but I finally got paid for the story I wrote for The MILF anthology. The book came out last year but it's only yesterday that I received my check.

But, that's okay.

I got it and that's what's important and it's the first bit of money I've made on my writing ever! I mean, I've gotten checks, of course, for working, or from tax refunds, etc, but to get a check, to actually receive money for something I wrote!!!

It's a great feeling.

Hopefully, the check for Cowboy Lover will be forthcoming and won't take as long.

Speaking of money, I've got to go and get ready to be a wage slave. It's still only Friday so have one more day of work before the weekend.

Ciao!

Work and Writing and Wizards

2007-07-23T06:13:00.000-05:00

I managed to secure a temporary assignment for a few weeks so, today, it's back to work for me. I can't say how often I'll be blogging. at least for the time being. I may go back to my Sunday blogging but I'll try to post when I can.

I was very bad when it came to writing and spent the whole weekend reading the last Harry Potter book as I didn't want anyone spoiling the ending for me.

I will say I was quite pleased with the way the book , and the series, ended and that's all I will say. So, nope, I didn't write one word but I did quite enjoy my weekend. It was very relaxing and I needed that since I am returning to the world of work today. Not crazy about having to work but desparately need the money!

Hope everyeone else had a productive weekend and I will return to my writing today and will be able to post my word count on the morrow.

Happy Monday and Happy Writing

Just a Book

2007-07-20T06:26:00.000-05:00

At 12:01 tonight, the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released.

And one thing I've heard over and over is "it's just a book."

And I agree. It is just a book. So it does seem rather silly all the security measures being taken, the frantic efforts of its American publisher, Scholastic, to take legal action against those who, having received a copy of the book early, have posted reviews or, in one case, scanned all the pages of the book and put it up on the Internet.

They fear, as does J.K. Rowling, that people having already posted the book on the Web takes away some of the magic of people having the chance to read the book at (or near, taking into account time differences, of course) the same time.

But, what I find amazing is the fact that a book, a book, for goodness sake, is generating such a reaction.

In a world of cell phones, Ipods, video games, the World Wide Web, high-def, wide-screen TVs, DVDs, CDs, laptop computers, digital cameras, and so on and so forth, a simple thing as a book, with clothbound covers and paper pages, can still get so many people so excited.

Now, I've read that sales of Harry Potter books these past ten years have not exactly generated higher sales for other books. Don't know if that's true or not. But there's been a slew of YA fantasy books published during those ten years. And those authors don't exactly seem to be hurting.

Personally, book-lover that I am, I think it's fantastic that people, especially young people, can still get excited over a book. My brother is buying two copies so that he and his two young daughters and wife can read the books at the same time.

Now, will this ever happen again? I doubt it. At least not in my lifetime. But it won't soon be forgotten that a book (which, of course, has spilled over into oodles of merchandising and into a very successful movie franchise, and has spawned video games and hundres of websites devoted to Harry Potter and the Wizarding World) was able to garner this much attention, excitement and devotion.

Just a book? Yeah, just a book. And that's what so amazing.

Happy Reading!

P.S. I came across this while reading an article about J. K. Rowling. A couple of quotes from her that I think are of particluar concern to us aspiring writers. She's talking about possible future writing projects.

"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry — I'll write what I really want to write, and if it's something similar, that's OK, and if it's something very different, that's OK.

"I just really want to fall in love with an idea again, and go with that."

Fall in love with an idea. That's the key isn't it? And, of course, hope that lots of readers fall in love with the idea, the world and the characters too. *wink*

Survive My FIre

2007-07-19T08:38:00.001-05:00

You'd have to be living under a rock or in a cave not to know that the seventh and last Harry Potter book will be released tomorrow at midnight.

But there's another relesae tomorrow that I'm even more excited about.

My dear, dear friend and writing pal, Joely Sue Burkhart, will have her first book released by Drollerie Press on Friday, July 2oth.

It's called Survive My Fire, her imaginative reworking of the dragon legend. And trust me, when I say "imaginative reworking" I'm not just throwing words around.

Joely creates these incredible, exotic, passionate worlds. The woman lives and breathes myths and legends and fairytales and in a world that's fast becoming cynical and jaded, her stories are like a breath of sweet fire.

I've known Joely now for over three years. We've yet to meet in person but I feel as close to her as I do any of the friends I've known for years. And she never ceases to amaze me in terms of not only her generosity of spirit but by the fact she's married, works full-time, has three small children and yet manages to write and write and write.

And she never gives up. And if anyone is deserving of this, it's her. Trust me on that.

Congratulations, Joely and much success!

Slow But Steady

2007-07-18T07:45:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know. My numbers so far for the Seventy Days are not that impressive. Not as impressive as some folks.

But I'm fine with that.

You see, I've done this kind of thing before. A little something called NaNoWriMo. It's held every November and the object is to write 50,000 words in a month.

Twice I've succeeded in writing those 50,000 words and twice I've wound up with a big file full of words. Just words.

I know I'm not going to reach 70,000 words by September 20th. And that's cool with me. If I only wind up with 20,000 words I'll be a happy camper. Because my hope is that it will be 20,000 words that I can finally use. 20,000 good words.

Now, I know that part of this challenge is to help us non-contracted writers to get a feel of what it's like to have to write to a contract. And I'm totally with that. It's a good experience.

But I've also struggled with writing a novel for the past three years and I'm determined this time to finally get one done. So for now, since I'm not writing to a contract, I'm not going to put pressure on myself by pretending I am writing to one.

To be honest, I have enough pressure in my life. I'm unemployed, I'm struggling to find work and I'm fighting to keep the wolves from the door. I really don't need any more pressure in my life, thank you very much.

So, maybe I'm not going to sweat like a fiend for this challenge but I am going to write. Every day. And I'm going to enjoy it and, with hope, by the time I'm done I'll have something I can finally feel good about submitting.

This is a race against myself. And for now, my motto is slow but steady.

Happy writing!

Bad Boys

2007-07-16T07:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to admit. I have this thing for broody, bad boys. Not that, in real life, I'd want to hang out with them, but in a romance they're so much fun to read.

I've been watching Angel on DVD because, of course, when the show was on I didn't watch it because I was, you know, like totally clueless And yep, I also didn't watch Buffy either, but I intend on fixing that by getting the DVDs from the library.

Thank the Muses for DVDs and free libraries!

Okay, techincally speaking I suppose Angel isn't really a bad boy. Or he's more like a bad boy gone good but still possessing those bad boy attributes. Like the dark clothing and the brooding good looks.

The reason I'm bringing up the topic of Bad Boys is that the hero for my 70 Days project. Rhade, is a bad boy. I'm just trying to decide how bad I want him to be.

Personally, I'd like to push him as far as the envelope will let me push it out. And then, once he meets the heroine, bring him back like a rubber band that snap backs after having been pulled too far.

Not wimp him out. Just soften him up. That's what I like about bad boys when I read about them in stories. They're so very, very bad to the bone and then, wham, the heroine shows up and those bad boy bones start to melt.

Well, I'll see how bad my bad boy gets. I am a prepper when it comes to writing, meaning I put in a bit of prep work before actually drafting my stories, but I also discover my characters as I write about them too. That's part of the fun.

Happy writing!

And It's Away!

2007-07-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

I just emailed the 13,000 word story that I finally, FINALLY, finished. I always love that feeling of sending something off.

Ann Voss Peterson, who is a member of my local RWA chapter and writes for Harlequin, told us that we should always celebrate submitting something. Don't wait for an acceptance to celebrate, she told us. Submitting anything, from a short story to a novel, is a major accomplishment.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty strapped for cash right now but I am going to set aside enough money to buy the last Harry Potter book that is coming out this upoming Friday/Saturday! So, I guess that will have to be my celebratory gift to myself.

And, FYI, I'm in the "Snape is Good" camp. *grin*

Now! *slapping hands together* I can finally get to work on my Seventy Days of Sweat. Actually, I've done some work already but now I can get into the actual grunt work.

No pun intended, but I'm not going to sweat it if I don't make it to the deadline. To be honest just signing up for the challenge has made me get more work done than I would have if I hadn't signed up. I fully expect to continue working on my novel past the deadline but if this challenge does nothing else but get me two-thirds of the way to completion, it will have been a success for me

The Order of the Phoenix

2007-07-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

Things are a little better on the homefront. Not a-okay and certainly not perfect, but somewhat better. Or at least I hope it will be. I didn't want to give the impression it was something dire. It was just one of those you-never-stop-being-someone's-mother-no-matter-how-old-you-or-your-children-get kind of things.

Since I must get to my writing ASAP, just a brief post to relay the above news and to say that I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and it's very good. Actually, I'd venture to say it's better than the book. The movie is leaner than the book by far and, yes, they did change a few things, but those were things that had to be changed in order to make the movie run tighter.

Movies are not novels. Let me repeat that. Movies are not novels. You cannot take a novel, and certainly not a novel as thick as HP & TOTP and translate it, page by page, into a movie.

Movies, IMHO, are more like short stories than novels. A movie has to get across a lot of information in the span of about two hours. And keep the audience from squirming in their seats while doing so. You can't have afford to have tangents in a movie, or extra characters, or meandering subplots.

I totally understood why the screenwriter and the director chose to make the changes they did. And I had no problems with them.

With each each movie in the series, there's no doubt the storyline has grown darker. But more is at stake now. Not just the wizarding world or the world of the Muggles, but Harry's soul is also in danger. He and Lord Voldermort now have a stronger connection than ever and it's now a question as to whether Harry will be able to defeat Lord Voldermort without becoming another Lord Voldermort.

Yes, secondary characters are given short shrift in the movie but the focus is where is should be. On Harry. And Daniel Radcliffe does a wonderful job portraying Harry's roller coaster ride of emotions.

I highly recommend it.

As for writing, goal is to get my submission out for my 13,000 word story today and to start on my 70 Days of Sweat project.

Happy writing!

Storm Clouds

2007-07-12T07:11:00.000-05:00

I know that if you want to be a pro in the writing biz you have to be able to keep going no matter what happens.

I wish it were that simple.

I had a family crisis yesterday and, as much as I wanted to write, as much as I may have needed to write, writing was the last thing on my mind.

That family crisis has not abated. I woke up with it on my mind. I still have yet to resolve it. However, this voice inside of me is telling me if I'm going to realize The Dream, if I'm going to be a professional writer, if I'm going to really, truly do this, I have to write in spite of.

Again, I wish it were that simple.

But, like that bit of sunlight peering through the dark clouds in the picture above, I guess that's what we have to do. Whether we want to become writers, whether we want to become doctors or lawyers or chefs. Whether we just want to live a life that's more than just a life. We have to acknowledge whatever is going on in our lives, as stressful and painful as it may be, and we have to keep on going.

None of us are special in the sense that we're the only ones who make mistakes, or we're the only ones who are in pain, or we're the only ones who have problems.

Everybody makes mistakes, everybody feels pain and everybody has problems of one sort of another.

So, I'm not going to make some rah-rah speech about how I'm going to grit my teeth and throw myself back into the trenches and write.

I will write today. I'll finish my submission packet for my 13,000 word story and submit it. I'll work on my prep work for the 70 Days which I'll be starting tomorrow.

But I'll write because that's what I have to do. Just like I have to get up and look for a job, or find some way to pay my bills, or make sure that those that I care for are all right.

I'll write because that's what I do.

I write.

In the sun and in the rain.

The Finish Line

2007-07-11T06:37:00.000-05:00

It's done. I finished my 13,000 word story. Okay, actually it's about 84 words over 13,000 but since I still have to go through and do my last major edit I can get rid of those 84 words fairly easy.

I'm just glad it's finished. It was, as usual, the last scene between the hero and heroine that was giving me the willies. But, as with anything, at some point you just have to stop knawing your fingernails and just get in there and write that darn scene or scenes.

So just some final cosmetic editing and I'll submit it sometime this weekend. I'm also doing my rather hurried prep-work for my project for the 70 Days, which I will officially start on Friday the 13th.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is out today! My son saw it yesterday at an employee's showing and he said it's pretty good. I plan to see it sometime later today.

Speaking of I heard that J.K. Rowling has hinted that she may return to the world of Hogwarts, after stating she had no intention of writing any more Harry Potter books. Or at least to the wizarding world that Hogwarts is part of

I'm not surprised.

I couldn't imagine that she wouldn't want to keep writing in that amazing universe she's created. And I'm sure----not to sound mercenary or anything----that she's had quite a lot of money dangled in front of her (as if she really needs it because last I heard she's worth more than $450 million dollars) to keep writing the HP books.

Just to give you some perspective on her suceess. The print run for the first Harry Potter book was 50,000 copies. The print run for the last book that is coming out next week is 12 million copies.

12 million copies! Mind-boggling, isn't it.

I've Already Encountered a Knot

2007-07-10T09:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, if you've noticed, I've yet to post a word count for the 70-Days. That's because---and this is the reason I hesistated to sign up for the challenge----I was already working on a 13,000 word long, short story that I want to get submitted ASAP.

I can't really use this current story for the 70-Days as it can't be longer than 13,000 words, but I really want to get it done before I devote myself to the 70-Days.

So, I'm not going to offiically start until Friday, the 13th, which I believe is the last official day for the sign-up.

I hope that's not breaking the rules or anything but I really must get this current project finished and submitted. I've been working on it too long and the deadline for it is looming.

But I'm pleased to see that so many are already making incredible progress.

Write on!

More on Seventy Days of Sweat

2007-07-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

Since I'm really chuffed to do these Seventy Days of Sweat, I'm thinking that one way to keep myself on track is to get back to posting every day on my blog.

Finding the time to post to my blog every day is always a challenge but if I tie in the idea of making a post every day to my blog with the goal of getting my writing done for the challenge, then, just as I'll have to make time to write, I'll also have to find the time to post to the blog.

If I post nothing more than my word count. Can't say it will be every day. But we'll see.

So, no word count yet, but I'll confess to being a bit of a pre-planner and I need a couple of days to pull everything together since I'm starting something completely new. I have notes but they are in boxes somewhere as I moved just a week ago. And, I'm also looking for work so that will cut into my time.

But I do believe that the time can be found. I know for a fact that I waste a LOT of time on non-writing related things. I'm basically very lazy. Yeah, I'll admit it. Very lazy.

But I also love to write and once I get into it I'm gone. It's just the getting into it. *grin*

That's why I decided to go ahead and jump into this. My writing pals have been egging me to finally step up to the plate and write a novel-length manuscript. And I agree. It's time.

So, I'm swinging my bat and, with hope. although I may not hit one out of the park my first time out, maybe I'll at least make it to first base.

Seventy Days of Sweat

2007-07-08T10:33:00.001-05:00

Allison Kent and a number of other authors are sponsoring a challenge called Seventy Days of Sweat. Basically, during these sweltering, dog-days of summer, if you need or want to get a 60,000 - 100,000 word manuscript done you can sign up for the challenge.

There are more details about it at the link below.

Seventy Days of Sweat

It starts today and I just heard about it today.

Well, I'm going to go ahead and sign up for it. Maybe it's just the thing I need to finally, FINALLY, get a novel manuscript done.

Again, check it out if you're looking for a kick in the pants to get some writing done this summer.

Still Here

2007-07-05T06:45:00.001-05:00

Just a short post to say that I'm still here although I'm currently in the process of unpacking everything, including my computer.

Other than moving nothing much else to report. I'm in the process of looking for a new job as job I had didn't work out. I'm still working on my writing and hope to get a 13,000 word story submitted, with hope, within the new few weeks.

So, for now, will post when I can. Have a lot on my plate for now. But, isn't that true of all of us. :)

Ciao!

Cough, Cough

2007-06-17T08:11:00.001-05:00

Have very bad summer cold.

Still packing for move in two weeks.

Writing on hold until I get moved and over this cold.

Also hot and sticky here.

No A/C at current residence.

New place has central A/C.

Can't wait.

Ciao!

Pirates and Snoopy

2007-06-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

Another busy weekend. Lots of writing, lots of throwing out and packing.

I would, however, like to recommend two books.

The first book is Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life. This book is a collection of Peanuts comic panels that feature Snoopy as an aspiring author.

I read this book whenever I find myself getting depressed or taking this insane writing business too seriously. It is laugh-out-loud funny and some of the experiences that Snoopy undergoes in his quest to get published are ones all writers can relate to. There are also essays interpersed through the book from both fiction and non-fiction writers. To be honest, I've yet to read the essays. I'm usually laughing too hard reading the comics.

The second book is The Pirate Primer published by Writer's Digest Books. I got a copy of the book from the library just yesterday but I plan to purchase it. Why? Well, for one thing it's a fantastic book. It's got nautical terms, insults, curses, a lexicon of pirate words, cultural terms, toasts, etc.

I wish all books were arranged as neatly as this book is. Need to know a pirate curse? There's a section on that. There's even sections on pirate grammar. So if you just want to talk like a pirate, Arrrgh!, or you want to write a pirate story, this is a great reference to have.

Okay, I've got to go. I've got loads more packing and throwing away of stuff to do and I've got to get my writing in for the weekend before Monday is here in all its terrible glory and I have to go back to the mind-numbing EDJ.

Ciao and have a great rest of the weekend and a great week!

Sunday Update

2007-06-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

Since I'm going to be moving at the end of the month my upcoming weekends will be very busy with throwing stuff out and packing up whatever is left over. In addition, I have three writing projects I need to get out at least by the end of July.

I'm doing a lot of non-fiction reading in preparation for the novel I want to start writing in August. By then I will have submitted all my short story projects that have upcoming deadlines.

Still watching my Stargate SG1 episodes on DVD. Almost finished with Season 1. Oh, and I'm in love with Dr. Daniel Jackson. *grin*

Saw Pirates 3 on Thursday thanks to my son who took me with him allowing me free admission and food. I liked it a lot better than Pirates 2 but Pirates 1 is still my fave. But, I will say that Orlando Bloom, who always ran second IMHO to Johnny Depp in terms of hotness in the Pirates movies, comes into his own hot self by the end of Pirates 3. *fanning self*

Also, if you haven't yet seen Pirates 3 make sure you stay for the end of the credits. There's an extra scene at the end that's really lovely.

Ciao!

Quick Update

2007-05-27T06:27:00.000-05:00

I'm stealing a few minutes this Sunday morning to post to my blog. I'm attending Wiscon, which is a science fiction convention held in Madison every Memorial Day weekend and there's an 8:30 panel I want to attend, so I must be brief

Last Sunday I blogged about how I was going to spend the following week working on a story that was due June 1st. And I did. I wrote like crazy last week. However, a friend emailed me on Friday to tell me that submissions were closed early.

Bummer!

I'd gotten about 25% of the story done and was going to squeeze in working on it while attending the convention this weekend. I think I had a pretty good chance of finishing it in time but, well, there you are.

I've set the project aside for now. I do intend on finishing it and finding another market. I'm working on a new project, due date of July 31st but my goal is to get it done ASAP because of my fear of something similar happening!

Personally, however, I think if a deadline is given for a project it should be adhered to if at all possible. I suppose, in this case, more than enough submissions were received and that's why submissions were closed early but some people (like me, for example) have to squeeze in our writing with full-time jobs, school or family responsiblities.

I mean, sure, a lot of the time it is just good old-fashioned procrastination at work but sometimes it's just finding the time.

Oh, well, I'm not going to gripe about it. What's done is done. I will finish the story and I will find another market for it.

I will say that after I'd gotten my writing done last Thursday, I spent the entire evening watching the DVD, which I'd gotten from the library, of PBS's version of Jane Eyre.

Loved it! Absolutely loved it! Kept me rivited to the screen and was one of the most romantic movies I've seen in a long time. Definitely on my to-buy list.

Got an email from the editor of Cowboy Lover: Erotic Tales of the Wild West, which contains my short story "The Branding of Miss Charlotte Babington." She received the books from the publisher and, with hope, I'll soon have not only my copy but money too!

Ciao!

Writing, Writing and More Writing

2007-05-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes. Another weekend, another blog update.

Well, as the title for my post states, I'm writing, writing and more writing. This week I submitted the short story I was working on so I can pat myself on the back for that. And move on to my next project for which I have 12 days---12 days, mind you---to get a 10,000 to 15,000 erotic paranormal drafted, revised and submitted by June 1st

And, hmmm, let's see. I have to work my full-time job and, oh, yes, next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend and I'm going to Wiscon which is a science fiction convention held here in the Mad City.

But guess what? I'm going to get it done, by golly!

Actually, I'm about to leave to do one of my Sunday writing marathons. I've done these for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I pretty much spend the entire day at various bookstores and cafes, writing my not-so-little butt off. *grin*

My goal? At least 4,000 words today. 6,000 if I'm either feeling lucky or have completely lost my ever-loving mind.

Then, I'll still have to write my sex scenes which should fill up the rest of the word count. But that part will be fun. *wink*

Oh, I got this on a email loop I'm on. I thought it was hilarious.

How to Write a Trashy Romance Novel.

Part the One - http://tinyurl.com/2u23vo
Part the Two - http://tinyurl.com/2argar
Part the Last - http://tinyurl.com/cmx9c

And go to this link. It's a perferct companion to the How To Write A Trashy Romance.

Longmire Does Romance Novels

Seriously, if we romance writers don't laugh at ourselves every now and then, we'll go crazy!!

Ciao until next weekend!

Weekend Check In

2007-05-13T06:10:00.000-05:00

I really, truly wish I had something interesting to blog about for my weekend check in. But, in all truthfullness, all I've been doing is working and writing. I'm not having any ephiphanies about life in general or particular.

I did spend last week, when I wasn't writing or working, watching some DVDs. I never watched, for example, either Stargate SG1 or Angel on television. But thanks to DVDs and my local library, I'm currently done watching the third season of Angel and I'm in the middle of watching the first season of Stargate SG1.

Yeah, I know. Stargate has been running for 10 years. Well, can't say I won't have someting to fill up the time when I want to relax. My local library has the DVDs for all 9 seasons so I'll be able to catch up on the shows.

I'm enjoying both shows very much and love how character driven, in spite of the out of this world plots, both shows are. Being that I'm a character driven writer that's a major plus for me.

I'm rereading the last two Harry Potter books in preparation for the release of the last Harry Potter book in July.

I have yet to see Spiderman 3 but plan to see it probably Memorial Day weekend. Sherk the Third is coming out this Friday and the Friday after that, POC: At World's End.

A new movie theater opened in Madison. Robert Redford chose Madison as the one of the first cities in the country in which to open his Sundance Cinema Theaters. I hestiate to use the words theater chain because one of the things Redford is hoping to avoid is the cookie-cutter style of most theater chains.

Here's a link to it.

Sundance 608.

It's called Sundance 608 because 608 is Madison's area code. I've yet to visit it but I'm very excited about it. As you know Redford started the Sundance Institute, which is dedicated to fostering independent artists and audiences and there's his world famous Sundance Film Festival.

As for my writing, I'm nearly done with my submission for Tuesday, the 15th but, good-golly-Miss-Molly, I've got to get a fire burning under my butt or I'm going to miss the darn deadline! I'm also trying to get up to speed on a submission due on June 1st.

Once again time is flying. Can you believe it's almost the 15th of May!! Does time truly travel at a constant speed or are there times when it cheats and speeds up just a little.

Oh, and Happy Mom's Day!

Ciao for now!

The First Line

2007-05-05T08:18:00.000-05:00

In a recent episode of the The Tudors, Thomas Tallis, a composer, is speaking with Thomas Wyatt, a poet. Wyatt tells Tallis that he'd like for him to compose some music for a poem he's written. He tells Tallis that he has the first line. Tallis responds by saying, "Then you have almost everything."

I like that. That's the way I feel about writing. If I can get that first line down of a story or a poem then I feel as if I have almost everything because, if nothing else, I've broken through the barrier of the white page and into the kaleidoscope of creativity.

Back to Reality II

2007-04-29T07:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-22T07:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-18T07:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-16T06:46:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-12T07:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-04-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-04-05T05:42:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-01T07:18:00.000-05:00

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!

Children of Men

2007-03-26T19:50:00.000-05:00

Children of Men comes out on DVD Tuesday, March 27th.

I saw it the other night.

See this movie.

This week, next week, whenever you can.

Just see it.

The Tudors and William S. Burroughs

2007-03-24T07:29:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be busy writing all weekend as I've gotten a bit behind on my WIP.

So, for my blog post for the weekend, just a reminder that if you have Showtime, the mini-series The Tudors starts on Sunday, April 1st.

But, if you can't wait until Sunday, April 1st, you can catch, I'm asuming, an edited version of the first two episodes at the link below.

The Tudors

I say edited, because I saw the first episode last night and there are some pretty risque sex scenes in it.

Lovely risque sex scenes, but risque nonetheless.

But that Henry, he was a lusty bloke, after all.

If you don't have Showtime, and you want to see The Tudors, don't worry, it will soon enough be on DVD, I'm sure.

As for William S. Burroughs, I happened across this quote of his.

"I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it."

I'm not assuming anyone hates my guts. Maybe they do. *shrug* I don't think any of us are so lovable that someone doesn't hate something about us.

Just though it was an interesting quote.

Fact Vs. Fiction

2007-03-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

How "real" does fiction have to be? I ask this because I know that a lot of criticism that some readers levy against a novel or short story, or a movie, for that matter, is that such and such didn't or couldn't happen in real life.

Vice versa, some writers justify events or actions taken by their characters by saying "but that's how it really happened."

"How it really happened" is important when writing non-fiction or else the legtimacy of your article or book will be questioned. But how important is it in fiction?

IMHO, fiction is a cauldron whereby what we, as human beings, see, feel, think, experience or dream is thrown into a big, black, boiling pot. We stir that pot, using craft and imagination, and out of it comes something that I like to think transcends fact and reality. Something that speaks to us in ways that facts just can't give us.

An almost indefinable experience of the truth of the human adventure we call life.

Please note that I used the word truth, not fact. Not reality. But truth. Truth is not necessarily fact. Truth is something that resonates beyond the coldness and sterility of facts. It vibrates with that which is more than mere fact and becomes transcendent, almost spiritual. Truth is something you know with your soul, not your mind.

So, when I read a piece of fiction, I don't look for facts, I don't look for reality. I look for the truth of the experience of that novel, short story or movie. Each will have it's own truth.

If they're done well, of course.

Some fiction may be steeped in carefully researched facts. The writer may have duplicated whatever she really experienced down to the colors of the buttons on the protagonist's shirt, but that story still may lack truth.

And I should say that so called serious or literary fiction is not the only source of this truth of which I speak. In spite of the fact that genre fiction is still looked down upon by some academics and by those who think of themselves as members of the literary patrician class, it too can have it's own truth.

What some call formulas in romance, mysteries, horror, science ficiton, etc., are actually codes or tropes whereby each reader of said genre can know that this particular writer is well versed in the particular language of that genre.

Now, I'm not advocating that writers of genre fiction rely merely on formulas when writing. Heaven forbid!

But when a new writer is advised to read well within whatever genre she is interested in writing in, part of the reason for that advice is in order for the writer to familiarize herself with these codes and tropes. Not only so that she can avoid doing what's been done to death, but so that she can speak in the language that a reader of a mystery novel will expect, for example. And that language will be different, in some respects, from the language of a romance novel.

But back to fact vs. fiction. If I'm reading a historical novel, I don't necessarily want to come across some egregious and glaring mistake. But I'm not looking for 100% accuracy either. If I want that I'll read a non-fiction book on that historical period. And even then I know what is written in the non-fiction book won't be 100% accurate either.

No opinion can be trusted; even the facts may be nothing but a printer's error.W. C. Williams

When I'm reading a romance or a mystery, fantasy or science fiction, horror or a western, all I ask is that the writer remain true to the rules of the world he has established within his fictional milieu.

Waiters who are giraffes? No problem. Just make me believe it and, then, don't violate my belief over the course of the story.

So I'm not big on facts or reality in the ficiton I read. But I am big on truth.

If you're interested, the link below will take you to a website where tropes from television, comic books and videogames are being collected. It's pretty interesting.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/

Keeper Shelf

2007-03-11T08:08:00.000-05:00

I have a few books on my "keeper shelf". Books that once I've read them I have to keep close so that at some future point in time I can read them again and again and again.

Most of my "keeper books" have been science fiction or fantasy; the first Dune book, Lord of the Rings, The Snow Queen by Joan Vinge and a some others.

These two books are the only romance books, so far, that I have on my keeper shelf: Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm and Penelople Williamson's Heart of the West.

I've had Kinsale's book on my keeper shelf since I first read it a few years ago. I first read Williamson's book last December. Allison Kent mentioned it on her blog as a great read. I picked it up at the library, read it and loved it! I wanted the hardcover version, but it's out of print.

Yesterday I finally found a used copy of the hardcover at Half Price Books. I was so thrilled! Now it's sitting next to all my other keeper books on the shelf.

It's always great to discover a truly wonderful book. A book that becomes a keeper.

300. Again

2007-03-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Monday night I got a chance to see a free midnight test screening of the movie 300 on our local IMAX theater. Wound up not getting home until 3:00 a.m. and then getting up to go to work at 6:00 a.m. But that's okay.

I survived. :-)

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie! It was like watching a dream. Historically accurate? Nope. Deep plot? Nope.

A visual feast and pulse-pounding action? You bet!

Cowboy Lover

2007-03-03T14:50:00.000-06:00

I wrote my first ever historical western back in November. It was a short story and I submitted it to the editors who bought my story, "The Cowboy and the Schoolmarm", which was published last year in the The MILF Anthology

The editors had put out a submission call for an anthology of cowboy erotica so I wrote a story called "The Branding of Miss Charlotte Babington."

I found out this week it was accepted! Here's the cover of the anthology which, I must say, I really like. The anthology is titled Cowboy Lover - Erotic Tales of the Wild West and looks like it will be out late April-early May.

Words on a Page

2007-02-26T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'm breaking with my usual posting on the weekends to say that I watched the Oscars last night, as I always do, and then find myself regretting having stayed up so late.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I loved the way they announced the nominees for best original and adapted screenplays.

For those who did not watch the Oscars, what they did is have the presenters read the names of the nominees and then they read aloud snippets from their scripts, superimposing the words of the script over the actual scene of the movie.

I thought it was a wonderful idea for I think, or at least I hoped, it reminded the audience that before there's ever a director, a cast, an art director, a cinematographer, a costume designer, a composer, etc. there's the screenwriter, alone in his or her house, apartment or wherever, putting black words on a white page.

Kudos to whoever's idea that was.

300

2007-02-24T09:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'll admit it.

I'm totally psyched for this movie. It's called 300 and it's based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller. It's a retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, wherein 300 Spartans (and 700 Thespian volunteers) helped to secure the retreat of their fellow Greeks by holding out against the massive Persian army of Xerxes I.

Miller said he based the book on the movie The 300 Spartans which he had seen as a kid. So had I. That movie was the first time I'd ever heard of the Battle of Thermopylae.

The movie is going to be shown in the IMAX format, which is how I plan to see it. Opening day is Friday, March 9th.

From the few reviews I've read so far, it looks to be a orgiastic frenzy of blood, sweat and guts.

Hard-bodied, half-naked, sweaty Greeks, shouting, bellowing, and fighting.

Beta males need not apply.

I am so there.

Busy Writing

2007-02-18T08:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I have just enough time this Sunday to say I don't have enough time to write a blog post.

I have a three day weekend from the EDJ as a result of Monday being a holiday, but I pretty much blew Saturday off. And I have a LOT of writing I'd like to get done before it's back to work on Tuesday.

So, happy writing to everyone and I'll see you next Sunday!

A Space of Uncertainity

2007-02-11T07:44:00.000-06:00

As part of it's 31 Days of Oscar, TNT has been showing movies that won or were nominated for Oscars. On Saturday they showed 2001 A Space Odyssey which won an Oscar for Best Special Effects.

I've seen this movie a number of times and always come away from it with something different. As the Wikipedia article linked above states, this movie consistenly makes the lists of best movies ever made. And, yet, there's no dobut this is a difficult film in that it doesn't do something that I believe more and more movies, books and televison shows are doing.

It doesn't explain every single thing. It doesn't solve every mystery. It doesn't give answers to every question.

If you've seen the movie, you know exactly what I mean. In the article it says that Stanley Kubrick, the film's director, refused to give an explanation of what the movie was about.

He wanted viewers to discover their own interpretations. Therefore, we have no idea what the huge, black monolith that first appears on earth to a trible of pre-historic man-apes and then is found again on the moon in the 21st century is. We don't know who built it or why.

We have no idea what happens to Astronaut Bowman when he comes upon another monolith in orbit around Jupiter, leaves his larger spacecraft in a smaller shuttle to encounter it and is, we assume, transported through both time and space and comes out the other side of his galactic journey, transformed and transcended into a gigantic cosmic fetus which slowly approaches the Earth, while Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra swells and pounds in the background.

It's a total mystery, this movie, and it bravely leaves it up to the viewer to determine just what in the heck it all means and why.

One of the things that seems to be almost a given in writing fiction is that the author must, at some point, provide explanations or answers for whatever dilemmas or mysteries she presents in her work. By the end of the story all the loose ends must either be tied up or snipped off so that the reader can close the book with a sense of order having been restored.

But is it always necessary to explain everything? Is there room in a piece of fiction for the open spaces of uncertainity? Isn't that one way of making the reader a part of the reading experience? Leaving those empty rooms, so to speak, where the reader can wander in and decorate it themselves and thereby make their own meaning or create their own interpretations without the author leading him or her by the hand?

I wonder.

The DNA of Story

2007-02-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms. One could call it the blueprint for all life.

The DNA of Story is the blueprint, in my oh so humble opinion, for all stories. Just as DNA is responsible for everything from a water lilly to a sperm whale, the DNA of story is responsible for every kind of narrative story, from 30 second commercials to Homeric epics.

In the context of Story, I define DNA this way. A character Desires something. For some reason she is Not able to have her desire. As a result, she takes Action to overcome whatever obstacles are between her and her desire.

I believe that any story that does not have all of those elements will not work. Period. Now, I'm not one for making such statements blindly. I have the kind of mind that can see an exception for every rule and looks at playing the Devil's Advocate as more than just a diversion; it's a life's mission.

But I feel very strongly about this. Enough to posit it as a near inviolable rule of storytelling. (Notice how I snuck in the word "near". See, I can't help myself. *grin*)

Biological DNA is the building block of all life. Narratilogical DNA (don't you just love that word! I just made it up.) is the building block of every story.

I'll break it down and show you what I mean. Let's start with D - Desire.

In every story, or every story that works, a character should desire, crave, need or want something. In Kurt Vonnegut's Eight Rules for Writing Fiction Rule # 3 states that "Every character should want something, even if it's only a glass of water."

Why? Because if a character doesn't want something, there's nothing to drive the story. It's like getting into a car that has an empty tank. You're not going anywhere and neither is your story if the character doesn't want something! Now, it could be that he wants not to want something, but that's still a want.

Desire is the fuel that moves the story along.

N - Not able to have the Desire.

Okay, let's say you're going to write a story about a man who wants a raise. You set up the scene where he walks into his boss' office and asks for the raise. The boss looks at your character for a moment then says, sure, why not. And that's it. The character gets what he wants and he's happy, and you the writer are happy because you love your character so much and you want him to be happy too.

But guess who is not happy? Yep, the reader, who has probably by now either flung your story across the room, shredded it into pieces, or is placing the ripped-out pages in the cat's litter box.

There have to be obstacles, barriers, roadblocks, between your character and his desire. Why? Because obstacles create Conflict and conflict is the guts and heart of drama.

Our hapless employee wants a raise. No, he needs that raise in order to pay for his Mom's operation. (This is a realy bad example, so work with me here. *grin*) But guess what? He's only been working at Acme Electronics for two weeks! Nobody gets a raise in two weeks. And he hasn't exactly been a model employee. He's come in late nearly every day since he started, and he's always asking to leave early so he can see to his ailing mother. As a matter of fact, the boss is fingering a pink slip with hapless employee's name on it as we speak.

Finally, A - Action.

Now, I've read quite a few books on the craft of writing fiction and just about everyone talks about goals and obstacles. And quite a few spend a lot of time talking about motivation, or why the character wants the goal. Those are all important, of course. But I haven't come across that many books or articles that talk about the action the character takes in order to overcome the obstalces to get to his goal.

Back to hapless employee. We've established that he needs a raise. We know that the obstacle facing him is the fact that he's new and, to top it all off, he hasn't exactly endeared himself to his boss. We even know what his motivation is. He needs the money for his mother's operation.

But we still don't have a story. Why? Because hapless employee could just as well sit in his cubicle, needing that raise so bad he can taste it, mulling over the fact that he's got about a snowball's chance in hell of getting it, and......well, he could just keep doing nothing until it's too late and dear old Mom has passed on from this life to the next.

No, our guy has to take action. He has to do something. And, depending upon the kind of character he is, whatever action he takes will be illustrative of the kind of person he is.

So, what does he do? He can do any number of things. He can boldly stride into the boss's office and ask for the raise. If the boss says no, he can try and embezzle the money from the company. Or he could kidnap the boss, whom he can't stand anyway, and demand a ransom.

By having the character take action something exciting begins to happen in the story. It's like a game of pool. You hit the cue ball. It bounces off the side of the table and hits another ball, and that ball hits another ball, and so on.

Every action a character takes is a stimulus for a reaction from the other characters in the story. Hapless employee asks boss for a raise. Boss can't believe his ears. He's so pissed off by the cheek of hapless employee that he fires him on the spot. Oh, no! Now hapless employee has another barrier between him and the money he needs for Mom's opeartion. He's unemployed.

Or hapless employee kidnaps boss. That action causes the FBI to become involved. They succeed in getting the boss back, unharmed. But, oh, no! Hapless employee discovers ransom money had an expolding packet of red dye concealed among the bills. It explodes, money is no good and hapless employee now has red dye all over his face. He's gotta hide so he won't get caught, and another barrier slams into place between him and the money he needs for dear old Mom's operation.

And so on and so forth until you end the story, one way or another.

D.N.A. The building block, the blueprint, the living guts of Story.

Just Stopping By

2007-01-27T08:20:00.000-06:00

It's another one of those crazy weekends, where I don't have enough time to do everything I need or want to do!

So, just a brief post for now.

I sold a story to Caramel Flava 2, which is an anthology of erotic stories edited by Zane. I had submitted the story to Caramel Flava, the anthology that was published last August, but my story didn't make it. But looks like I've gotten a second chance. I don't have a publication date yet, but since I had to get my contract and an electronic version of the story to Zane ASAP, I'm thinking sometime this year. Or at least I hope.

Okay, gotta start running around before the weekend is over and it's back to the EDJ (Evil Day Job.)

The Arc of the Character

2007-01-19T20:55:00.000-06:00

The Character Arc. It's one of those terms that's bandied about by writers, readers, reviewers, editors, agents, movie producers, etc.

But what exactly is a character arc? Some define it as the emotional progress of a character through a story. Others as the change and development a character undergoes, or the evolution of a character towards something positive, or something negative. On his website, James P. Mercurio has some interesting defintions of a character arc.

But I think it's safe to say that a character arc is some kind of change that a character undergoes during the course of a short story, novel, play, televison series or movie.

Deep Space Nine was the third incarnation of the Star Trek franchise. I'm not going to argue whether the show was the best or the worst of the franchise. I just know that for me it was one of the more interesting because it had some of the most dramatic character arcs I'd ever seen in Star Trek. Or in any other television show for that matter.

The four characters below, Captain Benjamin Sisko, Major Kira Nerys, Damar and Nog had some of the more fascinating arcs.

At the beginning of the seven year run of the series, then Commander Benjamin Sisko has recently been assigned to not only command the space station Deep Space Nine, but to assist the newly liberated inhabitants of Bajor in acquring Federation membership.

Having endured decades of occupation by the Cardassians, a militaristic alien race who enslaved the Bajorans and raped their planet of its natural resources, the Bajorans are struggling to get back on their feet.

However, the last thing Sisko wants is to raise his son on a space station, formerly a Cardassian stronghold, on the edge of the Federation. And the very last thing he wants is to be the Emissary of the Prophets of the Celesital Temple, as they are known to the Bajoran people. To Sisko, the strange beings who telepathically contact him are nothing more than wormhole aliens.

And yet, by the end of the seventh season, Sisko has not only accepted his role as Emissary, he regularly receives visions from the Prophets and in the very last episode joins the aliens in the wormhole in order to receive guidance from them.

Sisko's second in command at Deep Space Nine is Kira Nerys. She's a Bajoran national and a former freedom fighther or, as the Cardassians see her, a former terrorist. As she tells Sisko at their first meeting, she's been fighting the Cardiassians since she was old enough to pick up a phaser. And the last thing she wants is for the Federation to come along and replace the Cardassians as the overlords of Bajor.

And yet, by the end of the seventh season, Kira has not only befriended a number of Cardssians, sat and comforted a dying Cardassian who called her daughter, but in the last episode she's wearing a Federation uniform and sharing a belly laugh with three Cardassians whom she's been sent to train as freedom fighters as they struggle to free their world from the Dominion, a race of aliens even more hell-bent on conquest then they are.

Nog is a Ferengi, a race of aliens who live and breathe a credo that Gordon Gekko (played by Micheal Douglas) in the movie Wallstreet would have heartily embraced: Greed is good.

As a matter of fact the first time we see Nog he's burglarizing a store on DS9 and Sisko immediately has him arrested. By the end of the seventh season, however, Nog has not only been admitted to Star Fleet Academy, but he's become a spit and polish, by-the-book cadet. And in the last episode of the series, he's given the news, by Sisko himself, that he's been promoted to lieutenant.

And, finally, there's Damar. Damar is a Cardassian and he starts out initially as one of the officers serving under Gul Dukat, the antagonist of the entire series.

Damar is intensely loyal to Dukat and considers himself a true patriot of Cardassia. He has a great dislike of the Bajorans and an absolute loathing of Kira Nerys. And the feeling is mutal on Kira's part. Especially after Damar cold-bloodedly kills Gul Dukat's daugther, a half-Bajoran, half Cardassian woman whom Kira saw not only as a friend but as a kind of younger sister.

And yet, by the end of the series Damar has become a charismatic, heroic, rebel leader. He not only finds the strength to liberate himself from the alcoholic and self-pitying emotional morass he wallows in, as a result of his having gotten in bed with the Dominion, a tyrannical and imperalistic government that sees nothing at all wrong with sacrificing the lives of half a million Cardassian soldiers to achieve its ends, but Damar turns for help to free his world from the very woman whom, not that long ago, he would have gladly killed.

Kira Nerys.

Damar is, in fact, one of those Cardassians I mentioned earlier, with whom Kira is sharing a belly laugh as they try to figure out a way to storm the stronghold of the Dominion.

Needless to say, I love character arcs. I love when characters change, and I think a lot of readers feel the same way. Why?

Because I think we all would like to imagine or believe that we can change. That we are capable, in some way, of becoming better than what we are. That's there's hope for us to not only be better people but to create a better life for ourselves and those around us.

Not all characters have to change during a story, of course. But I think it can make for not only a more satisfying reading experience if a character does change, does arc, but an equally satisfying writing experience.

Leitmotifs

2007-01-14T08:47:00.000-06:00

First off, I'll preface this post by stating that I know as much about music theory as I know about thermonuclear physics. So I won't highlight my ignorance by talking about chord progression, semintone phrases or chromatic elements.

The purpose of this post is to talk about using the concept of leitmotifs for characters in fiction. But, first I'd like to introduce some people.

In the Star Wars epic, which now encompasses six episodes, George Lucas used the same composer, the incomparable John Williams, to score all six movies. John Williams, right from the start, established leitmotifs for all of the major characters in the Star Wars movies.

What is a leitmotif? To borrow the definition in the Wikipedia entry on leitmotifs, it is is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea.

Luke Skywalker, whom we first meet in Star Wars, Episode III, is the hero of what is known as the Classic Star Wars trilogy. His theme, or leitmotif, is also the main theme of all six movies and, when we hear it, we think of heroism and adventure.

His twin sister, Leia Organa Skywalker, is also introduced in Episode III, and she too has a leitmotif. It has a lush, romantic feel to it, and we hear it most in Episode IV, The Empires Stikes Back.

Finally, last but not least, the dark father of Luke and Leia, Darth Vader or, as he was known before the Dark Side of the Force consumed him, Anakin Skywalker.

Darth's Vader leitmotif, which is also known as The Imperial March, is powerful, dark and militaristic. It not only reprsents the repressive, totalitarian aspect of the Galactic Empire but also the souless, ruthless persona of the man, now more machine, who serves it.

Other leitmotifs are heard in the six films: Obi-Wan Kenobi has one, which is also associated with the Force and the Order of the Jedi Knights. Yoda has a very promiment theme, which suggests wisdom and the passing on of this knowledge to Luke. Han and Leia have a love theme, and just about all of the creatures from the Jawas to Jabba the Hutt have their own leitmotifs.

I was pleased to note that in the last movie, Episode III, The Revenge of the Sith, Williams used the leitmotifs for both Luke and Leia in a most poignant manner. The last few minutes of Episode III is basically a slient movie. With their mother dead and their father having been transfomred into a mechanical monster, the twins, in order to protect them from both their father and the Emperor he now serves, are split up.

We first see Senator Bail Organa arriving on Alderaan to present their foster daughter to his wife, the Queen of Alderaan. As he gently places Leia in his wife's arms, Leia's leitmotif, the one we come to associate with her when she becomes a young woman fighting for the freedom of the galaxy, is played.

The next scene is of Obi-Wan arriving at a lonely homestead in the middle of the vast deserts of Tatooine, where he also gently places Luke into the arms of his aunt, Beru Lars. Luke's heroic theme or leitmotif is then played.

Lucas and Williams, by playing those themes as the twins are given into the care of those who will see them grow safely to adulthood, gives the audience hope and reassurance at the end of what is basically a bleak movie. That is the power of the leitmotif.

Now, how can this be applied to characters in a book?

One way would be to use certain words or phrases with a character. Another would be to use soft, lyrical words whenever a character appears in a story that you may want to present to the reader as that kind of person. Or, perhaps, clipped, harsh words if the character is someone who is brusqe and to the point.

Of course, one would have to be very subtle in the use of such techniques. You don't want to hit the reader over the head with the leitmotif. You want it, prefreably, to play in the background as they read, affecting the reader on an almost subconscious level. But if done effectively, it could be a way to not only suggest the mood or tone of a particular scene, but also the psychological hue of your characters.

The point is that coming up with ways to differentiate between the characters in a story can go a long way towards helping the reader not only know who each character is but what they're about.

The Least Likely To

2007-01-06T07:52:00.000-06:00

Remember that classification in your high school yearbook? The one titled "The One Most Likely To?" Someone in the graduating class would be designated the one most likely to be a beauty queen, or the one most likely to become president, or the one most likely to be a millionare.

There's another classification that I like to think about in terms of my cast of characters. The Least Likely To.

Sometimes, just for kicks and grins, and for more serious purposes, I like to look at my characters and ask which one is the least likely to do something in the story and then, lo and behold, they do it. Here are some examples from a few of my favorite movies.

Frodo Baggins. I think it's fair to say that if anyone was the least likely person to carry the Ring of Power all the way to Mordor, to the very heart of darkness and evil on Middle Earth, in order to cast it into the fire from which it had been made, it was Frodo Baggins.

Not only because he is about the size of a child, being a hobbit and all, and not only because he comes from a race of people who, on average, were more interested in drinking and eating and tilling the soil of their pastoral paradise, the Shire, and had no interest in doing great deeds or caring about anything outside their borders, but because Frodo is a dreamy, bookish, introverted fellow who, although he dreams of adventures, really has no desire to be involved in one. And yet it is Frodo, with the help of Sam, of course, and in his own twisted way, Gollum, who accomplishes what no great king of men, or elf or even a wizard could have accomplished

Michael Corleone. The youngest son of a powerful Mafia Don. At the beginning of the Godfather saga, Michael makes it very clear that he wants nothing to do with his family's underworld activities. Michael is not only a college graduate but a decorated war hero and when he looks at his future he sees himself marrying his non-Italian, WASPish girlfriend and, presumably, getting a job in some corporation or perhaps even becoming a judge or a senator just as his father, Don Corleone, had planned.

But over the course of the story, it is Michael, and not his older brothers, Sonny and Fredo, who, when the Corleone family is threatened, must take up the reins of power and, by the end of the first movie, as his hand is being kissed reverently by his Mafia lieutenants, becomes Don Corleone.

Ellen Ripley. Okay, I know that in 2007 Ellen Ripely, after four Alien movies, doesn't seem like the one least likely to have survived the attack of the first Alien creature in the first Alien movie. But, lest we forget, the first Alien movie came out in 1979. Nearly thirty years ago. That was pre-Buffy, pre-Xena, pre-Alias, pre-all of the ass-kicking heroines that we are so accustomed to today.

I saw the first Alien movie in the theaters and, at least back then, most of us saw Ellen Ripley as the least likey of the crew to survive. Why?

Well, forgive me for being politically incorrect, but she was a woman. There were four other men on that crew and one other woman.

Now, it's not that we didn't think at least one of the women would survive, but back then, in those less politically correct days, and, in our oh-so-unenlightened eyes, we figured that at least one of the other men would make it too. The fact that Ripley was the only one to survive is what blew us away.

It could be argued that Lambert, the ship's Navigator, and the other female member of the crew, was the one least likely to survive. She was kind of whinny and nervous and, physically, she was even smaller than Ripley.

Ah, but here's where we come to an important point. When thinking about choosing the character least likely to do something, that character also has to have some inkling, subtle or obvious, that, given the right circumstances, they could achieve whatever goal is placed before them: to destroy the Ring of Power, to become a powerful Mafia Don, to survive the attack of a vicious, dangerous Alien.

Frodo Baggins isn't like the other hobbits. Not only does he read and speak Elvish, but he has an interest in events outside The Shire. He knows that if the Ring of Power is not destoryed, all of Middle Earth, including The Shire, will be cast into unending darkness. Also, because of who he is, Frodo has earned the nearly supernatural loyalty of Sam, without whom, as Frodo himself admits, he wouldn't have gotten very far.

In addition, Frodo has compassion, something his more xenophobic neighbors in the Shire may have had a hard time showing to someone like Gollum. It is Frodo's expression of compassion and empathy towards Gollum that motivates the pathetic creature to help Frodo reach Mordor, before his lust for the Ring consumes him and forces him to betray Frodo at the end.

Michael Corleone isn't like his two older brothers. Sonny, the eldest, is passionate, impulsive, vengeful. He can not control the power he has and it ultimately destroys him. Fredo, the middle brother, is passive, indecisive, weak. Only Michael possess the cunning, the strength and the ruthlessness needed to save his family from the forces that threaten it.

Ellen Ripley isn't like the rest of the crew of the Nostromo. Early on she come across as thoughtful, intelligent and level-headed. The others, from the captain all the way down to the engineers who dwell in the bowels of the ship, appear to be driven by whatever individual passions exist within them: the desire to make money, to explore the alien ship, to just get the hell out of there. Only Ripley seems able to calmly and, one could say, dispassionately look at the situation around her and try to understand just what the hell is really going on.

So, in summary, creating a character who is least likely to do something can be a fun exercise. For example, in my pervious post on Characters and Their Actions, I listed three characters and the actions they would take when faced with an armed robber. One would beg, the other fight, the other try to reason with the robber.

What kind of person would be the least likely to beg? A six foot, 10 inch ex-Navy Seal? But what if he were the one to beg for his life, falling to his knees, his hands clapsed in front of him.

What kind of person would be the least likely to attack? A 95-pound, 95 year old woman? But what if she were the one to try and wrest the gun away from the robber.

I'd venture to say that neither of these scenarios is totally beyond the realm of possibility. The trick would be making it believable.

And that's where the fun of being a writer comes in. *grin*

Characters and Their Actions

2007-01-03T17:48:00.000-06:00

I'm currently working on the characters in my WIP and my soon to be WIP.

One of the things I'm focusing on is the action my characters take when confronted with the obstacle that bars them from their goal.

A couple years ago I took a summer writing workshop with Jerry Cleaver, author of Immediate Fiction, a book on writing fiction that I am surprised is not recommended more. I think it's one of the best books on writing fiction I've read and Cleaver was very instrumental in getting me back to writing fiction after a very long time away from it.

In his workshoop and his book, Cleaver stressed that not only should a writer be concerned with his or her character's goal, their reason for wanting said goal and the obstacles they face, but the author should also focus on the action the character takes when confronted with the obstacle to their goal.

We never really know anyone, whether it's a real person or a character, until they take action. To quote Zoe from the movie Serenity "Talking ain't doing."

Until a character takes action we really don't know what kind of person that character is. For example, Characters A, B, C, could all want the same thing: to survive an armed hold-up. They could all want that goal for the same reason: to get home safely to their family. And they could all be confronted with the same obstacle: the robber is insisting he's going to kill them.

What what will distinguish the three characters from each other is the action they take in response to their goal, their motivation and the obstalce they face.

Character A, for example, will beg pitifully for his life, wailing that he has a wife and child.

Character B will attack the robber and try and wrest the gun away from him.

Character C will try to reason with the robber, reaching out to him in an attempt to find some common ground upon which she can establish connection and, hopefully, have the robber see her as a human being.

All three actions would be based upon the kind of person the character is; their background, their beliefs, their strengths and weaknesses. And that's where the author comes in as she goes about the business of creating her characters.

Jerry Cleaver told us over and over in the workshop that one of the purpoes of fiction is to reveal character, to show us who people are and why they are that way.

We can best show the truth of our characters by showing them in action.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T07:41:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope 2007 proves to be happy, healthy, successful and joyful.

Okay, now that I've uttered the customary New Year's babble, I truly do hope that 2007 is a better year for everyone, whatever it is that you hope to accomplish or achieve.

Usually, I would start listing all the goals I've set and resolutions I've made. But, after umpteenth years of doing that and then, after a month or so, drifting back to my bad old habits, I'm not going to do that.

I know what I need to do this year. I'm just going to do it. One day at a time.

And Another Year

2006-12-29T17:39:00.000-06:00

Another New Year will soon be upon us. I'm not going to say how fast this year has gone by because I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

With each year I get a year older and, I fear, no wiser. But I keep plodding along, hoping that something of what I've experienced has seeped into my mind and my soul.

I have, as always, the same old resolutions. Lose weight, exercise more, save money, etc, etc, etc.

To be honest, I'm just going to go with the flow this year. That doesn't mean I don't have any goals. I've set some, to be sure. But my primary goal is to just take each day as it comes. One day at a time. Spend more time focusing on what's in front of me at that moment than on what's behind me, or what may or may not be coming ahead of me.

I doubt that will make the time go slower but, maybe, it will at least help me to appreciate the passage of it.

Happy New Year!

Another Quick Post

2006-12-26T17:39:00.000-06:00

I really need to not only update the sidebar on this blog but to post more often.

One of my resolutions for the New Year.

It's just so hard finding the time between writing my stories, trying to get in a good bout of reading every day, working full-time and all the other sundry things one must do to get through the day. *sigh*

I truly hope to do better in 2007. I'd really like to post more on my blog and visit other bloggers too.

I finished my goals, writing-wise, for the last quarter of this year. I have five short stories out in the wilderness awaiting a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I'm currently rewriting a story that was accepted some time back but the anthology went belly-up. I'm also making notes for a novel I will start in January.

One of the things that helped me, I think, accomplish my goals these past couple of months was being very specific about what I wanted to do on a particular day. Instead of just writing, "work on short story" on my t0-do chart, I wrote something like "revise scene where hero and heroine first meet" or "deepen description in last scene drafted."

It seemed to help. When I get home from work, most of the time my mind is totally fog-bound with the stuff I've had to deal with all day and if I didn't have a specific task to accomplish writing-wise, I just stared numbly at the computer screen.

I've been reading Syd Field's updated and revised books on screenwriting. I have no desire to write a movie but I've found that screenwriting books can be very helpful for writing fiction. Anyway, Field said that the hardest thing about writing is knowing what to write. Amen to that.

So, by being more specific when I write my to-do list, I have a specific goal in mind when I sit down at my desk. As I said, it helped me get four short stories written in two months. That might not sound like a lot, but for me it was a lot.

Quick Post

2006-12-19T17:21:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to say that it's definitely not a white Christmas here! Unless it snows between now and Sunday. Which the forecast is not predicting so far.

Not a bit of snow to be seen anywhere. We had a snow storm a few weeks ago but the temps shot up into the upper 40s and melted it all away. This has been going on now for a number of years. Snowless Christmases and this in a state that I remember, as a child, pretty much being covered with snow from November until March!

And I saw on the news Monday that New York was in the 60s! In the middle of December!

Global warming, anyone?

I'm just about to get started on editing two short stories so that I can mail them out tomorrow. Are they ready to be mailed out? Probably not. But is any story ever really ready to go out into the cold, cruel world?

It's just like with kids. Eventually your stories, just like your children, have to leave home.

Except, unlike with kids, unless you have more children once yours leave home, of course, you send a story out and start working on the next one.

TNT and Lord of the Rings

2006-12-17T09:46:00.001-06:00

I would have posted this on Saturday but I've been sick as a dog for the past week with a nasty cold, so I spent all yesterday resting. Really don't feel that much better today, but I have to go back to work tomorrow so, among other things I must do today, I also have to finish editing a short story for submission tomorrow.

Anywho, today, Sunday, TNT, is showing all three Lord of the Lord Rings movies, starting at 11:30 Central Time, so for anyone who doesn't have the DVDs or has them but just doesn't feel like sticking them in the DVD player, you can watch all three in a row today on TNT.

Of course, you'll have to deal with commercials breaks, which I tend to mute until they're over, but it'll be a chance to see the entire trilogy in one day.

I still remember mid-December of 2001, 2002 and 2003, when I, and a host of others to be sure, was eagerly anticipating the release of a new Lord of the Rings movie. It really added a bit of excitment to doldrums of winter.

Pan's Labyrinth

2006-12-11T19:18:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how wide a release this movie will get but it's one I would very much like to see.

Pan's Labyrinth, although it looks like a fairy tale for children, is definitely not for children. It's described as a fairy tale for adults and, from what I saw in the trailer, it looks like the kind of dark fantasy movie I've been wanting to see for quite some time.

A brief synopsis: Set in 1940s Spain against the postwar repression of Franco's Spain, a fairy tale that centers on Ofelia, a lonely and dreamy child living with her mother and adoptive father, who is a military officer tasked with 'ridding the area' of rebels. In her loneliness, Ofelia creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and secret destinies. With Fascism at its height, Ofelia must come to terms with her world through a fable of her own creation.

As I said, it's definitely not for young children as the movie is rated R but it looks incredibly imaginative and original and, trust me, imginative and original is something that I can't resist in a movie.

If, for some reason it's not released here, I will definitely look for it on DVD.

An Early New Year's Resolution

2006-12-10T08:58:00.000-06:00

It's only December 10th and I'm already thinking about New Year's Resoltuions. Why?

I got on the scale the other day. Yikes! No wonder I've been feeling so uncomfortable lately. I've gained nearly 10 pounds! And trust me, those are 10 pounds I do not need!

So, of course, like millions of others, one of my New Year's Resolutions is .....drum roll, please.

To lose weight!

Yeah, like I haven't set that as a resolution every year since I put on all this darn weight! But, I figure I'm just gonna keep setting that as a resolution until I accomplish it. However, I'm not going to wait until January 1. I'm starting today. Slowly, however. Very slowly. Easing into healthier eating. Easing into daily exercise. And my goal, for now, is just to lose five pounds. Once I lose that, then I'll set another goal of five pounds and just focus on that.

And then, with a lot of hard work, hopefully, I'll lose all that I want to lose. About 65 to 75 pounds. More would be nice but I'm trying to be reaistic. I am getting older, after all. Years ago I used to wear a size 4. I'll never see that number on a dress or a pair of jeans again. *grin*

But I'll be happy being able to wear, oh, I don't know. A size 10? Yeah, that would be a nice. A size 10. *sigh*

Hump Day

2006-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

So it's Wednesday, Hump Day. That day in between Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday. I figure if I can get over Hump Day, then, with hope, it's a nice easy slide into the weekend.

My writing is going. Not as quickly as I would like but it's going. It's always a challenge squeezing the writing in during a 40 hour work week. Have to finish two short stories in order to submit them by the end of the month. Then I have one more short story, a little longer, clocking in at about 6,000 words that I'd really like to finish up before the end of the month but may be asking too much there. The deadline for that story is the end of January so have a little wriggle room on that one.

After that, on to some longer projects for 2007.

Quest for Fire

2006-12-01T16:45:00.000-06:00

The movie Quest for Fire came out in 1981 and is probably known, if at all, and somewhat notoriously at that, for the scene in the film when the human male takes that giant leap forward from engaging in coitus doggy-style to doing it in a more "civilized" manner. Meaning the missionary position.

Having watched the movie the other day when it came on television, however, I was struck by the rather tender love story at the heart of the movie.

A brief synopsis. Quest for Fire takes place 80,000 years ago. A tribe of Paleothic humans, as a result of an attack by a more animalistic tribe, lose not only their cave but their precious fire, which they do not know how to make but rather is carefully tended by a somewhat inept fire-keeper who manages to douse the fire trying to cross a river.

Three warriors are sent out on a quest to find another source of fire, which means they must either stumble across it, perhaps from a lightning strike, or steal it from another tribe.

The hero of the movie, Naoh, is also the leader of the trio. He's the best fighter and comes across as the more thoughtful of the three. They eventually find another tribe of cannibalistic animal-humans who have captured the heroine, Ika, and are about to dine on her. She is the most human looking of the cast and appears to belong to, despite her nakedness, a more advanced tribe.

Naoh and his companions, however, are interested only in the fire the cannibals have in their possession. They subseqeuntly defeat the cannibals and steal the fire. Meanwhile, Ika, who has managed to free herself, decides to follow Naoh and the others.

Why? It's never fully explained but I think it's because Naoh was certainly strutting his Alpha male qualities when he defeated the leader of the cannibal trible in full view of Ika. However, Naoh and the others have no interest in Ika and try to scare her away by throwing rocks and snarling at her.

Ika doesn't give up and eventually manages to insuniate herself with the trio. Naoh soon claims Ika as his. Initially it's nothing more than animal rutting on his part. However, as the movie progresses, you begin to see signs that Naoh perceives Ika as more than just a sexual release.

Ika soon becomes homesick and, while Naoh and the others are sleeping, slips away to return to her own tribe. Naoh wakes up, reaches out for her and realizes she's no longer lying next to him. He jumps her and sees her running off into the distance. He howls angrily, then turns his back on her and kicks dirt behind his heels as if to say: Fine. Leave. See If I Care.

But, when he and the others resume their trek back to their tribe with the fire, Naoh stops. And he looks back. And there's a confused look on his face as if he doesn't know quite what it is he's feeling but he feels it. Deeply.

He turns around and goes back to where he and Ika had last lain togther. His companions follow him, clearly dumbfounded by his strange behavior. Once Naoh reaches the spot where Ika had been, he picks up the grass she had slept on, holds it to his face and breathes deeply of it.

Of her.

He lies on the ground and wallows around in the grass as if trying to wrap himself with the scent and the memory of Ika, while his companions look on totally not understanding what the heck is up with their leader.

Eventually, Naoh gets up off the ground and his friends are probably thinking: Okay. Great. He's got that out of his sytem. Now let's get back to the tribe.

But Naoh does not go back to the tribe. He goes in search of Ika.

Now, all the actors in the movie spoke a language that was created by Anthony Burgess and there are no subtitles, so it's almost like watching a silent movie.

Maybe that's why I was so struck by that pure and simple expression of yearning that Naoh has for Ika. Prior to the attack on his tribe, we see his people in their natural state and they pretty much follow the precept that the strongest survive and the weak perish.

So, for Naoh to not only find himself missing Ika, but forsaking his duty to bring fire back to the tribe in order to find her; well, that's no minor thing.

It's a step forward toward a more human expression of tenderness and yearning and, yes, love. You sense that he's not even sure what it is that is compelling him to find her. He just knows that he must find her.

Naoh's friends are totally baffled by now and refuse to follow him. They take the fire and head back to the tribe, while Naoh continues his search for Ika alone.

The point of this post? I guess it is, as I said. It was that totally pure expression of yearning and longing on Naoh's part, when he returns to the place where he and Ika had last lain together and basically wallowed in her scent, that just struck me for some reason.

Naoh had no words for what he felt for Ika. He just felt it and he acted on it. I liked that.

On Hiatus

2006-10-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm going to take a break from adding new posts to this blog. I'll update the sidebar but that's about it for now. I need to devote as much time as I can to my writing in that I have four short stories I want to write and submit by the end of the year.

Enjoy the holidays.

Oh, before I forget. I saw The Prestige last night. Very interesting movie. Unfortunatley, it's difficult to talk about the movie without giving away the twists, but I will say that Bale and Jackman were very good and David Bowie was a wonderful surprise in the role of Nikola Tesla. Andy Serkis (Gollum) is also in it and Michael Caine is, well, Michael Caine. He's like Morgan Freeman. He rarely disappoints in a role.

I would definitely recommend seeing the movie but be prepared to have to pay close attention. The movie shifts back and forth in time and it can be a tad confusing. At least it was for me but not terribly confusing. Just took me a second or two every now and then to orient myself as to "when" I was. The costumes are GORGEOUS!

Laptop Blues, Two Magical Hunks, NaNoWriMo, A BookFestival

2006-10-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I had to buy a new laptop this week.

Did I want to buy a new laptop? No, not really seeing that I'm still quite broke.

But my old laptop died on me last week. Columbus Day to be exact. The place I'm temping at was closed that day so I grabbed my laptop, my binders and my notes for my current WIP (a short story) and took off early that morning for what I assumed would be a blissful day of writing.

Except my laptop died.

As for my buying a new laptop the reason I did so, despite my current dismal financial situation, is I've been spoiled. Very spoiled. I lug my laptop to the coffee shop, to the library, and to just about every bookstore in this town that has decent tables upon which to write and coffee to drink. I was going through very pronounced laptop withdrawal after my old laptop died. So I bought a new one. Do I have the money to pay for it?

Nope, not really. But I figure I can stand eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for awhile. As a a matter of fact I'm sure I can. As long as I can keep writing. I mean, heck, I don't do anything else. I can't remember the last time I went out to eat, or to a play, or went crazy in a bookstore, or bought myself a new pair of shoes just to buy them. I've been very frugal this past year I've been temping. Cutting back on just about everything that one tends to spend one's discretionary income on!

Sorry about that mini-rant.

As for the two magical hunks, well of course, I'm talking about Jackman and Bale!

The Prestige opens today but I won't see it it until Monday. One, because tonight is Dr. Who and Battlestar Galactica night. The other reason is that if I wait until Monday I can get in free and and I can use that money towards this laptop I just bought that I can't afford.

I haven't read any reviews for The Prestige yet because some reviewers don't review as much as summarize the movie! I hate that! But, as I've said before, I don't care how badly reviewed it is, there's no way I'm not going to see it! *grin*

I also want to see Flag of our Fathers, The Departed and Marie Antoinette. As to whether I'll see all of those, that's up for debate. But I will see The Prestige for sure, and my son wants me to go with him to see Flag of Our Fathers.

Now, as for NaNoWriMo there's a good chance I won't be doing it this year. Two anthologies have come to my attention looking for submissions. They are paying money. Money I could use. The deadline for both anthologies is Jan. 1, 2007. And they have to be mailed. No email submissions so the deadline will actually be earlier than that in order for me to get them forwarded in time.

My concern is that if I spend November doing NaNo instead of writing those two stories, and then if the place I'm temping at does like it did last year and requires a 50 hour per week mandatory overtime for the entire month of December in order to reach profits that will impress the powers that be, that will cut into my time to work on those stories.

I'm going to wait until the end of October to make my decision, however.

This weekend is the Fifth Annual Wisconsin Book Festival, held here in the Mad City. Neil Gaiman is scheduled to appear on Sunday - Genre Fiction and the New Wave Fabulists -- A discussion with Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Gary K. Wolfe: The Evolution of Horror and Fantasy.

I'm going to that discussion. There's a note on the schedule that says he's on-call for an overseas movie prodcution so might not make it. I hope he does, as I'm sure a lot of people are hoping. I've seen him once before and I'd sure like to see him again.

Quote for the day - When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about. -Albert Einstein

The Prestige Opens This Friday!

2006-10-14T18:56:00.000-05:00

Don't forget. The Prestige opens this Friday, October 20th. I am so there! I went over to Rotten Tomatoes to see where it is on the Tomatometer but there aren't enough reviews yet.

But as my son likes to tease me, it wouldn't matter if this movie were the biggest pile of crap this side of a cattle ranch, I would still go see it.

Damn straight! *grin*

However, I think it will be very good. I liked Batman Begins, which Christopher Nolan, the director of this movie, also directed and which also stared Bale.

That's good enough for me. And the fact that it has Bale in it. And Jackman. In Victorian London.

I think I'm going to faint.

National Novel Writing Month

2006-10-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st. For an entire month you work on writing a 50,000 page novel by the end of November. It started in 1999 with only 21 particpants. Last year there were over 50,000 people who signed up and this year they're prediciting well over 70,000 participants.

What do you get if you're a "winner?" A certificate, a sense of accomplishment and, who knows, maybe even a published novel. Lani Diane Rich joined the National Novel Writing Month challenge in 2002. Those first 50,000 words turned into her first published novel, "Time Off for Good Behavior," in 2004.

You can find out more about NaNoWrimo by clicking on this link
NaNoWriMo Webesite

This will be my fourth year participating. The first year, 2003, I didn't finish. I did finish in 2004 and 2005. I'm rewriting this year the novel I wrote in 2005. I'm not sure if that's against the "rules" or not, but I'm doing it anyway.