This time I have some interesting ones, but they’re still… Behind the cut! Continue reading
Reviews for Child of Fire, part 9
StandardThis time I have some interesting ones, but they’re still… Behind the cut! Continue reading
Quote of the day
StandardThis is a long one, from an interview with Terry Rossio, one of the highest-paid screenwriters working today, and the man who runs the Wordplay site, which is full of writerly advice. I learned a lot on the Wordplay message boards, and in the columns, and I learned a lot from this interview (even though I’m supposed to be MAN BITES WORLD.
Anyway, this is about screenwriting, naturally, not writing books, but I think it’s pertinent:
JRM (interviewer): How did you break in, and how did you come to be where you are now?
Terry Rossio: I’m going to try to not give the usual boilerplate answers in this interview, and that means not going along with false presumptions, no matter how seemingly benign. The question about breaking in seems perfectly legit, but really it’s not. A writer must create compelling work, and then try to sell it. Once sold, the writer has to do the same thing again. It’s really not true that the writer ‘breaks in’—that’s an artifact of the belief that the person is being judged, not the work, and also of the belief that there is an inside and an outside, which I don’t think exists. There are too many screenwriters out there with only a single credit for there to be an inside, and too many writers on the outside making sales, to too many markets which are either new, changing, or undefined.
In truth buyers are just not that organized, your buyer is not my buyer, or in some cases, you can become your own buyer. Courtney Hunt was nominated for an Academy Award this year for best screenplay for Frozen River, and she’s never sold a screenplay. Is she on the inside or the outside? In truth, anyone, at any time, can come up with South Park or Superman or Sandman, and that’s all that matters.
And I can’t resist adding this one:
Screenwriters are the Charlie Browns of Hollywood, and everyone else holds the football.
I recommend reading the whole interview. Yeah, it’s a little long, but the stuff on constructing a story is wonderful
Remembering 2009 as it should be remembered
StandardBy the worst movie of the year!
It played in four theaters, and I’m told the distributor asked the theater owners to burn the prints so they wouldn’t have to pay to have them shipped back.
Here’s the trailer, which I imagine was supposed to interest viewers instead of drive them, laughing, to other theaters.
“They’ve got, uh, printers in the basement you can use.”
Public Access TV would be a step up for these guys.
New morning, new year
StandardThis past year saw a lot of changes for me. Child of Fire (Amazon.com | Indiebound.org) came out, obviously, which is a goal I’ve been working toward for a long, long time.
But I also went through a round of major revisions on Game of Cages (Amazon.com | Indiebound.org) which was extremely challenging and made me question myself and my actual writing/career plans. I went to San Diego Comic Con and endured the press of a hundred thousand people. I did face-to-face interviews. I did a signing.
Basically, I came out of my shell (a little). I can’t say I liked it much, but I’m willing to do what I have to. Let’s call it a year of personal growth opportunities (translation: I was pushed into a lot of uncomfortable situations).
One thing I didn’t do, which I’d planned to do, was steal time from my schedule for exercise. I’m not any bigger than I was at the start of the year, but I’m holding steady at a point I don’t want to be in. More on that later.
One thing I learned that I didn’t expect was that I don’t read fast enough to be a writer. It’s not just that I take forever to do my research, I take forever to do my revisions, too. I only read 15 books a year.
It’s untenable and has to change. I’ve already started working on this, but I’ll have to put more effort into it this year.
And, since so many others are doing it: Ten years ago, I was working for Children’s Hospital in Seattle (temping, actually), while they stocked up on medical supplies in anticipation of Y2K. In the years since, I tried to move to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting, ditched that idea. I tried my hand at low-budget filmmaking but found I wasn’t suited for it. I started writing novels and found success. My family came damn close to bankruptcy because of health care issues, but we came through it, stronger than ever.
And of course my son was born. I don’t talk about him too much here for his privacy’s sake, but he changed my whole life; I remember the time before he was born as though it had been lived by a different person.
New morning, new year. I’m going to start working on book 3 now.
Marking decades
StandardCan we start marking decades from ‘0-‘9 instead of from ‘0-‘1? I mean, officially?
I realize there was no year zero and I understand you don’t say you’ve drunk a pint of ale until the glass is empty, but all the nitpicking in the world can’t stop the general public from marking the end of ’09 as the end of this decade, and I think we ought to let common usage be common definition.
Then I won’t have to read about it any more.
My personal end of year post is going to happen tomorrow. What if I win the lottery tonight or something?
Whitman Authorized Editions for Girls
StandardI shouldn’t be startled by this, but I am. Maybe the only reason I’m surprised is that no one is doing it right now.
I stumbled on this weird bit of publishing history because I watched a Bonita Granville NANCY DREW last night (NANCY DREW — REPORTER. Verdict: terrific. It rang the bell for my expectations of a Nancy Drew movie, which aren’t necessarily sky high, but still). After the movie, I did what I usually did after seeing a good performance by someone I hadn’t heard of before: I looked them up online.
Bonita Granville’s wikipedia entry directed me to the Whitman Authorized Editions above. For those who didn’t click the link (and who have bothered to read this far) the WAEfG were suspense/adventure novels that starred actual movie stars of the time. For instance, Bonita Granville gets to star in her own Nancy Drew-like adventure, Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island. There’s also Judy Garland and the Hoodoo Costume, Dorothy Lamour and the Haunted Lighthouse, Deanna Durbin and the Feather of Flame, and so on.
Some of the novels portray the actresses as themselves. Some (like the Betty Grable’s) portray the actresses as themselves if they’d never become famous movie stars.
Now, I’m sure there’s a fan fiction term for this: famous real people breaking up Nazi spy rings or solving decades-old murders in the swamps, or whatever. They even sound like they’re full of id-driven weirdness.
But why doesn’t someone try to revive this? It sounds like it could be odd, fun and successful, if it was handled correctly. Jennifer Love Hewitt and the Spectral Lighthouse, or Michelle Obama and the Mystery of Chesapeake Bay, or Anne Hathaway and the Poisoner’s Letter, or what the hell, even Susan Boyle and the Music Hall Gunman.
These people are all public figures, too, so I’m not sure what sort of rights issues would be involved.
Randomness for 12/29
Standard1) Tape measure superpowers. via sinboy
3) Romeo and Juliet by people who slept through English class. Hilarious. The text is fun, but listen to the audio news report, if you can. It’s not only wonderful, but it goes a little deeper than you might expect.
4) I’m supposed to be on a holiday media fast, but some things can’t be ignored: Is this Iran’s Second Revolution?
5) First link from James Nicoll: Most unsympathetic protagonist of 2009? The list is limited to protagonists who are supposed to be sympathetic, and Thomas Covenant has been awarded a lifetime achievement award and is no longer eligible.
6) Second link to James Nicoll: Rail travel in the U.S. Personally, I’d love to see more reliable, faster rail service in this country.
7) Sixth Pacific NW police officer dies of gunshot wounds in two months. First we had an office in Seattle shot to death on Halloween night. Then there were the four Lakewood officers. Now this. Law enforcement deaths are down from last year, nationally, but shooting deaths are up (most law enforcement deaths are auto-related). Condolences to his family and his fellow officers.
Christmas wrap up.
StandardGet it? “Wrap?” Huh? Huh?
Okay. I’ll tell this one briefly, if I can even manage that any more: The boy received quite a bit of love from Santa this year, mostly in Lego form. My wife received the light-up bicycle safety vest she so subtly hinted at (“Ooo! Check out that guy’s vest! I’ve been seeing those around and they’re awesome!”) although it wasn’t the one I would have preferred. It was, however, the very last one in stock at REI, so I didn’t have a lot of options.
Her surprise gift was a down comforter. Our old one has worn thin and she was waking up in the middle of the night from the cold. The new comforter is fantastic. She sleeps much longer than she used to, and I’m happy to see how well it’s working for it.
Me, I received clothes (I explained to my son that he would know he was an adult when he was happy to get underwear and socks as gifts) and a Wii Fit Plus.
The Wii is actually pretty awesome. The interface is a little bit of a struggle, but that might be on me, not the machine. The exercises (I haven’t tried them all yet) seem like fun. Added bonus: we have to keep the living room organized to use it, which is nice.
The biggest problem is getting a turn with it.
Otherwise it was all quiet time at home with family, and a brief but welcome visit from an old friend. And that’s how I like it.
God help me…
StandardI just created a Mii character called Ray Lillii. Once I look up the steps for connecting our Wii to the web, I’ll try to post a pic of him. And of my Mii.
Also, I joined SFWA. I thought I’d give it a try. If it works out, I’ll be glad. If not, I get to quit in a huff or whatever.
edited to add: That’s too glib, actually. I’m pleased to have joined SFWA; it’s something I’ve wanted to do for many, many years. Over the last few I’ve been doubtful, mainly because I’ve learned that I don’t join very well, but we’ll see.
A birthday tip from me to you
StandardYou know what heat does to candle wax? Melts it.
You’re welcome.