Veronica R. Tabares's Blog, page 16

Hi Victoria

Again with the Victoria!

It happened to me twice this week. Two different businesses called me Victoria, one on the phone and one via email. Both had my name right in front of them.

I have nothing against the name ‘Victoria’, except it is NOT my name. Never has been.

Is the name ‘Veronica’ really that hard to understand, say, or remember?

It seems simple enough to me.

A ‘v’ followed by an ‘e’ followed by an ‘r’ followed by an ‘o’ followed by an ‘n’ followed by an ‘i’ followed by an ‘c’ followed by an ‘a’.

V-e-r-o-n-i-c-a.

Ver-on-i-ca.

Veronica.

This weird glitch in the human brain that causes people to call me Victoria (or sometimes Vanessa, Monica, or Virginia) has plagued me my entire life. You’d think I’d be used to it. Or at least not care.

But I’m not, and I do.

Veronica. My name is Veronica.

Got that?

The mystery of the missing stones

Pic 1: Our back fence in the fall.

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Pic two: Our back fence now.

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See the difference?

No?

Focus on the right side, where the fence meets the stones. See it now?

I’ll help you out. Here’s a close-up.

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I have two questions.

Who removed the stones from the bottom of my fence?

(That person-size gap wasn’t there before and no one in my household moved them.)

And why?

 

The next line

“What do you think the next line is?” My husband asked as the image on the screen faded away.

“What?” I asked. I had been distracted by my phone and hadn’t been paying attention.

“The next line,” he continued, “what do you think he’s going to say next?”

I looked at my husband in confusion. He rolled his eyes.

“The trailer,” he explained. “That was just on.”

I shrugged. I hadn’t seen it.

“The guy pretended to point a gun at someone and said ‘boom’,” he explained with more patience than I probably deserved. “What do you think he’s going to say next?”

“Uh…you’re dead?”

My husband shook his head like I was clueless.

“What?” I was clueless. What did he think the guy would say?

“He’ll say @#$%.”

“I don’t think so,” I said. Those words never, and I mean never, pop into my head. Why would-

“Watch this,” he said. He yelled for my grown daughter, who was in the other room.

When my daughter arrived, he pretended to point a gun and said, “‘boom”, what’s the next line?”

To make a long story slightly shorter, both of them had the same, exact ‘next line’ pop into their heads.

That’s when I realized I shouldn’t write those gritty, shoot ’em up type of stories. The kind where every third word makes me blush. I don’t have the vocabulary for it.

It only took a split second to realize I’m fine with that. I actually like my vocabulary as it is.

Besides, I’m at home in the family-friendly market. It’s where I belong.

Crisis averted.

New things

I heard a strange noise outside, so I ran out my door just in time to catch a strange man leaving these two things by our front door.

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I ran him off.

My people, who are more trusting than I am, brought the things in. Then, next thing I knew, my people were rearranging the furniture.

I think that means they plan to keep them.

I’m worried.

What if these things are dangerous?

The magic of a single sentence

I adore writing.

Yet practically every time I sit down to write it’s a battle. That first paragraph, that first sentence, that first word, all punch me in the gut and kick me in the shins every time I try to capture them.

I can see why they fight so hard. I wouldn’t like to be captured and confined to a page either. It’s more fun running around free, with no constraints.

But I’m a writer. It’s my job to rein in those wild creatures we call words and convince them to work together to tell a story. And let me tell you, it’s not a particularly easy job.

To convince the little creatures to play nice I use the single sentence method. If I sit down to write and find that those words are being particularly ornery, I make a deal with myself (and them).

All I have to write for the day is a single sentence. One little sentence. It doesn’t matter how long or short, as long as it progresses the story and gets written.

That’s when the magic happens.

It’s strange. Once I rein in enough words to make a single sentence, other words usually follow. I don’t know if they’re playing Tag, or maybe Follow the Leader, but a single sentence turns into a paragraph, and that paragraph multiplies to become a page. Once I even wrote an entire chapter that way, without even realizing I had done it!

Of course, there are days that I write that single sentence, and that’s all. On those days I have to remind myself that tomorrow is another day, and hey, I have moved my story forward. If only a bit.

Besides. Those days are rare. In all the years I’ve been writing, I can only remember a handful.

Without a doubt, there’s magic in a single sentence.

Happy writing!

 

Centennial Park

A January walk in Seattle’s Centennial Park.

Got to take advantage of days without rain! After all, a few clouds won’t hurt you.

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So the Space Needle looks funny. It’s being remodeled, okay. Give it a rest!

Women write great movies

There are loads of fabulous writers out there, and many of them are women. But when it comes to Hollywood women writers are a bit hard to find. As a matter of fact, only about 11% of writers in Hollywood are women, even though about 52% of movie goers are women.

Odd, don’t you think?

Anyway, I decided to highlight some of the feminine talent out there with a list of wonderful movies that owe all or part of their entertainment value to, you guessed it, a woman. Maybe she wrote the screenplay, the original story, or was one of a whole crew of writers.

Whatever she did, she deserves the credit.

And yes, I’ve watched all of these. After all, I can’t say it’s a worthwhile movie to watch if I haven’t watched it.

Anyone else ever notice how hard it is to find writer’s names on movies?

And sorry if I missed your favorite, woman written flick. It was unintentional.

A Beautiful Mind. Book by Sylvia Nasar

Amazon Falls, Story by Katrin Bowen

Amarican Graffiti. Written by Gloria Katz

Austenland. Screenplay by Jerusha Hess and Shannon Hale

Beauty and the Beast. Animation screenplay by Linda Woolverton. Story by Brenda Chapman

(The) Big Sleep. Screenplay by Leigh Brackett

Brave. Screenplay by Irene Mecchi. Story by Brenda Chapman

Bridesmaids. Written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones’s Baby. Screenplay by Helen Fielding and Emma Thompson

Carrie Pilby. Screenplay by Kara Holden. Based on a novel by Caren Lissner

Casablanca. Play by Joan Alison

Casper. Written by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver

Chicago. Play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins

Clueless. Written by Amy Heckerling

Coffee Shop written by Theresa Preston

Contact. Based on a story by Ann Druyan

Descendants by Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott

(The) Devil Wears Prada. Screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna. Novel by Lauren Weisberger

Dirty Dancing. Written by Eleanor Bergstein

Divergent. Screenplay by Vanessa Taylor. Novel by Veronica Roth

E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Written by Melissa Mathison

Erin Borckovich. Written by Susannah Grant

Frozen. Screenplay by Jennifer Lee

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. Screenplay by Katie Dippold

Girl vs Monster. Story and teleplay by Annie DeYoung

Gone with the Wind. Story by Margaret Mitchell

Guardians of the Galaxy. Written by Nicole Perlman

(The) Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Written by Amanda Silver

(The) Heat. Screenplay by Katie Dippold

(The) Help. Novel by Kathryn Stockett

Hidden Figures. Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi. Book by Margot Lee Shetterly

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Screenplay by Gloria Katz

Inside Out. Screenplay by Meg LeFauve. Additional dialog by Amy Poehler

(The) Intern. Written by Nancy Meyers

(The) Jane Austen Book Club. Screenplay by Robin Swicord. Book by Karen Joy Fowler

Julie & Julia. Screenplay by Nora Ephron, book by Julie Powell. Julia Child also credited

Jurassic World. Screenplay by Amanda Silver

Kingsman: The Secret Service. Screenplay by Jane Goldman

Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Screenplay by Jane Goldman

(The) Last Mimzy. Screen story by Carol Skilken. From a short story by C. L. Moore

Legally Blonde. Screenplay by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith. Novel by Amanda Brown

(The) Lion King. Screenplay by Irene Mecchi and Linda Woolverton. Brenda Chapman, story supervisor. Additional story material by Jenny Tripp.

(The) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Screenplay by Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens

(The) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Screenplay by Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens

(The) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Screenplay by Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens

(The) Lovely Bones. Screenplay by Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. Novel by Alice Sebold

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Screenplay by Jane Goldman

Moana. Story by Pamela Ribon

Monsters, Inc. Original story by Jill Culton

Mulan. Screenplay by Rita Hsiao. Screenplay by Eugenia Bostwick-Singer

(The) Mummy. Screen story by Jenny Lumet

My Little Chickadee. Screenplay by Mae West

Night Will Fall. Written by Lynette Singer

(The) Outcasts by Dominique Ferrari and Suzanne Wrubel

Pitch Perfect 1, 2, and 3. Screenplay by Kay Cannon.

Safe Haven. Screenplay by Dana Stevens

Saving Mr. Banks. Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith

(The) Secret Garden.  Screenplay by Caroline Thompson. Book by Frances Hodgson Burnett

(The) Shining. Screenplay by Diane Johnson

Singin’ in the Rain. Story by Betty Comden

(The) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Screenplay by Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler. Novel by Ann Brashares

Sleepless in Seattle. Screenplay by Nora Ephron

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Screenplay by Leigh Bracket

(The) Terminator. Written by Gale Anne Hurd

Terminator Genisys. Written by Laeta Kalogridis

Their Finest. Screenplay by Gaby Chiappe. Novel by Lissa Evans

Tinker, Tailor Soldier Spy. Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor

To Kill a Mockingbird. Novel by Harper Lee

Unbroken. Book by Laura Hillenbrand

What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Screenplay by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach. Book by Heidi Murkoff

Whip It. Screenplay and novel by Shauna Cross

(The) Wizard of Oz. Screenplay by Florence Ryerson

You’ve Got Mail. Screenplay by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron

Zootopia. Story by Josie Trinidad and Jennifer Lee

 

Movies I’ve found on ‘best’ or ‘favorite’ lists, but I haven’t yet watched:

American Psycho. Screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner

Before Sunrise. Written by Kim Krizan

Before Midnight. Written by Julie Delpy. Characters by Kim Krizan

Belle. Written by Misan Sagay

(The) Bling Ring. Written by Sophia Copola and Nancy Jo Sales

(The) Boxtrolls. Screenplay by Irena Brignull

Celest & Jesse Forever. Written by Rashida Jones

Cinema Paradiso. Collaboration writer – Vanna Paoli

Dallas Buyers Club. Written by Melisa Wallack

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Written by Amanda Silver

(The) Debt. Screenplay by Jane Goldman

Downfall. Book by Traudl Junge and Melissa Müller

Enough Said. Written by Nicole Holofcener

Gone Girl. Screenplay and novel by Gillian Flynn

(The) Handmaiden. Screenplay by Seo-kyeong Jeong. Inspired by novel by Sarah Waters

Home Again. Screenplay by Hallie Meyers-Shyer

How to Train Your Dragon. Book by Cressida Cowell

Howl’s Moving Castle. Novel by Diana Wynne Jones

(The) Invisible Woman. Screenplay by Abi Morgan. Book by Claire Tomalin

(The) Iron Lady. Screenplay by Abi Morgan

Jane Eyre. Screenplay by Moira Buffini. Novel by Charlotte Brontë

M. Written by Thea von Harbou

Metropolis. Screenplay and novel by Thea von Harbou

Middle of Nowhere. Written by Ava DuVernay

Rebecca. Novel by Daphne Du Maurier. Screenplay by Joan Harrison

Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Written by Amanda Silver

Room. Screenplay and novel by Emma Donoghue

Shutter Island. Written by Laeta Kalogridis

Smashed. Written by Susan Burke

Stardust. Screenplay by Jane Goldman

Twelve Monkeys. Screenplay by Janet Peoples

When Harry Met Sally. Written by Nora Ephron

Witness for the Prosecution. Novel by Agatha Christie

Wreck-It Ralph. Screenplay by Jennifer Lee

 

Enjoy!

A sweet tradition

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is…

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…building our yearly gingerbread village!

This year the youngest builder was 3 and he was so excited to successfully build a sweet little house all by himself.

Good cheer to all! 

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Decisions, decisions!

Here’s the thing.

I adore Christmas. Decorating, spending time with family, baking. All of it.

But I don’t ever want to get too far from my writing. I have a fear that if I allow myself too much time away from it I’ll lose that spark. And I really like that spark.

I just took off a little over a week for a trip, and there’s a week and a half until Christmas. That’s about three weeks out of the writing routine.

I know I’ve been writing regularly long enough that I seem to be able to start it and stop it almost at will.

But what if I can’t? What if the next long stretch of time I don’t write, the well goes dry?

Wait a minute! I’m looking at this all wrong.

Writing has become so much a part of life to me that it’s more like breathing than anything else.

If I hold my breath, I have no fear that I’ll forget how to take that next breath.

I can write, or not write, during the Christmas holidays.

Because I know that when everything settles down again, I’ll be gasping to get all those pesky ideas down on paper.

Phew! Crisis averted.

Being nice

…sometimes doesn’t pay.

I just got back from the grocery store.

As I was returning the cart I noticed that the person who had returned the cart right before me had left what looked like a gift card in the basket.

The man was still there, so I rushed over to let him know that he had left it behind.

He thanked me. More than once. And no matter how many times I hinted that the conversation was over, he kept talking.

I detest being rude, so I spent the next few minutes inching closer and closer to my car so I could make my get-away without hurting the man’s feelings.

I was only a few feet away from my car when the man decided to solidify our budding friendship by insulting President Trump.

I’m SO tired of that.  He was obviously about to say more, so I gently informed him that I support President Trump.

I had assumed I would be allowed to politely leave, but no. It was as if I had flipped a switch and become not the nice person the man had just been complimenting, but The Enemy. He wasn’t quite yelling at me as I got into my car, but he wasn’t that far off.

Nice to know we still live in a civil society.