Robin Burrows's Blog, page 15

Poem: No Escape (A Vampiress Lessa Poem)

This poem is a response to last week's Writers Digest Wednesday poetry prompt.  The prompt was to write an "escape" poem . "No Escape" is set in my Vampiress Lessa story setting. If you used escape as a writing prompt, what would you write?  Here's my poem!

No Escape (A Vampiress Lessa Poem) 

By Robin A. Burrows

Darkness danced,

Silence swirled,

Midnight lapsed,

And Lessara leapt

From rooftop to rooftop

Heading home. 

Or what passed as

A home this week. 

She'd escaped

Death's dance.

She'd escaped

The Duke's demands.

She'd escaped

Life's lustful longings. 

How she survived

She wasn't sure. 

The eternal embrace

Enveloped her in

A prison of paradox.

Abominations birthed her.

Abominations abandoned her.

Abominations would destroy her. 

They had already

Destroyed her soul. 

To die was a sin

To live, a sin.

And yet Lessara lived,

Prisoner to both,

The un-escapable

Black and white – 

Of good versus

Abomination.

© Copyright 2011 Robin A. Burrows

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Blog: Hunting Dragons

A little less than two weeks from now, I will be attending Dragon*Con.

I feel like a young journalism student again, about to leave for my first journalism convention.

As a fan of the fantasy genre, I've always wanted to go to Dragon*Con. But it was never the right time for one reason or another.

When I heard that both Terry Brooks and Anne McCaffrey will be guests at Dragon*Con this year, I decided this would be the year that I would attend. Of course, then I had to convince my husband.

I have been a fan of Terry Brooks and Anne McCaffrey since I was a teenager. Their books were among the first ones I read in the fantasy genre (not including YA novels). Neither author travels much these days, so I was ecstatic when I learned that they would both be at the convention this year.

I have been waiting for Terry Brooks to come to Arkansas for years. The closest he's travelled to Arkansas, that I recall, was a trip to Dallas several years ago. But a 6-hour drive to Dallas wasn't an option for me at that time. So now I'm driving 8 hours to Atlanta. It will be worth it though. Terry Brooks lives in Washington state and rarely travels far for book tours these days. And of course the last I heard, Ann McCaffrey still lived in Ireland.

I am preparing something special in advance for my Labor Day Monday blog. But if responses from me are slow or delayed please remember, I may not be able to reach my phone because I'm hunting dragons! (No offense Ryo! ~ Chibi would never let me hunt you.)

Poll: When Do You Read Online Articles or Social Networking Posts?

Sometimes, timing is everything.  It can mean the difference in seredipity or failure.

When do you most often read online articles and posts on your social networks?

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Blog: Likable Characters

Have you ever read a book or watched a show where you didn't like any of the characters?

Recently, I've been watching Mad Men. I've heard good things about it from other people, so I assume later seasons are better. But so far the first season isn't really very likable. I would have stopped watching a long time ago if I hadn't heard that it gets better. (If you don't like spoilers, don't read the rest of this article.)

I know part of the point of the Mad Men was to show the gritty reality of being in advertising in Manhattan. But I am surprised that the show lasted past the first season, given how the characters are presented.

The first episode builds up an idea that the main character, Don Draper, isn't like the rest of the advertising men in his office. Yet the end of the episode destroys that idea when you learn Don has both a wife and a secret lover.

Although this may be realistic for the times, it's hard to believe that every single main character in the show seemingly lacks redeemable qualities. The only likable character in the first season was Rachel Menken, a woman who ran a Jewish department store. She resisted Don's temptations (at least for a while) and it really felt like she wanted to be a good person. Don's wife, Betty, should have been likeable. At least she was (mostly) moral. Yet she had this twisted mentality in the first season. She was always brooding and it always felt like she was scheming although her intentions were rarely clear.

Although Betty is pitiful, of the main characters in season one, the one I liked the most was Pete because I felt sorry for him. Pete is an eager young ad man who is arrogant and clever. He is still a new fish in the big pond of advertising.  Ironically, I liked Pete least at the end of the first episode because he goes and sleeps with Peggy (the new secretary) right before he's going to get married. Yet over the course of the season, I started to feel sorry for him (at least a little) because of the pressures his rich wife and her parents put on him to meet their high expectations.

And then there is Peggy Olsen. She is the new secretary in season one, but she aspires to be more. She is the token woman in a men's world as she works her way up to writing copy for the creative department. At times it seems like Peggy would be open to the idea of sleeping her way to the top of the company and at other times, she seems too strict and moral for such a thing. Perhaps it's because of the character's own confusion about who she is and who she wants to be, but I didn't like her is season one either.

All of that said, the show does start to get better in season two as the character backgrounds become a bigger part of the show and they slowly morph from one-sided immoral creatures into conflicted, reasoning characters.

Obviously, I haven't finished watching the series yet, but I've heard the show becomes more likable as it unfolds. Writing characters that are unlikable is a dangerous thing because it can turn off readers and viewers before they become attached to the show or book. I was very surprised with the amount of unlikable characters in this show, given its popularity. Yet, as more details are reveled about the characters, they start to grow on you.

Poll: What Gives a Story Soul?

There are some stories that become instant classics. They are retold over and over in various forms and formats for years after they are released. Other stories fall flat. What in your opinion gives a story "soul"? What makes it a classic?

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It's Time for Bed

Every time I hear those words, it still makes me cringe.

I remember as a child being sent to bed early. Bed time came before sunset certain times of the year (usually right around a time change). I would always lay awake in bed until I finally became drowsy and fell asleep hours later. In my teens, I especially felt that my bed time was much too strict. No one my age had a bed time of 8pm. Though it did help that most of the time my parents also went to bed when my siblings and I did.

Even today, I still have a repulsion to those words. Anytime I hear "It's time for bed," I am not inspired to go to sleep. Instead it flares the flame of determination inside me to stay up even later. Even when I need to go to sleep and my tired body wants to go to sleep, there is always a little voice in the back of my head that really doesn't want to go to sleep.  Although I know I need sleep, I hardly ever really want to go to sleep. Several of my friends have young children who feel exactly the same way.

Why sleep when there are so many other things I could be doing? There is always just one more of whatever thing I happen to be doing each evening. And my "to do" list is never-ending. If I didn't need to sleep, I could accomplish so much. Or perhaps become a professional procrastinator in the time everyone else slept. I would have the time to do anything and everything I ever wanted – if only I didn't need to sleep.

But if people did not need to sleep, they would never dream. And a life without dreams to pursue would be a very sad place indeed.

Poem: Not a Normal Duke by Robin A Burrows

This poem is a response to the Writers Digest Wednesday poetry prompt.  The prompt for this Wednesday was to write a "normal" poem that plays with the idea of normality. "Not a Normal Duke" is set in my Vampiress Lessa story setting. The poem tells a little about the background of two of the story characters.

Not a Normal Duke

By Robin A. Burrows

Le' Sara never thought of him as a normal Duke.

He was much better than normal.

Dark wavy hair. Deep brown eyes.

Thoughtful and attentive.

A large estate left by the late Duke and Duchess -

not that she cared for that – but her parents did.

With a look, he could steal the breath

of every lady in the room.

And to ride in his carriage

was like a flight to Heaven.

But in retrospect, all of her perceptions

seemed as normal as sunrise and sunset.

Until that night

Until that kiss

Until that fright

On the carriage ride home

Hidden under a dark sky -

Passion, teeth and blood.

Too far; too late.

She discovered

He was not normal at all.

He was an abomination.

Cursed by God for eternity.

And now, so was she.

"You shall be my bride,"

he whispered as her mind swirled

down into a heavy darkness.

"My vampiress queen.

Together, we shall rule for eternity."

But even as an abomination,

Le' Sara wasn't a normal Duchess

and she would never be his Queen.

© Copyright 2011 Robin A. Burrows

Poll: What Genre Do You Read Most?

 

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The Battle with the Inner Critic

I've written several blogs about the inner critic, but given the volume of work I need to accomplish this month, I think it's time for another one.

I find my inner critic is loudest when I feel overwhelmed. This month I have two regional writing contests that are important to me. These are for two little conferences I go to nearly every year, so I like to write for the contests hosted in conjunction with these conferences. I also have a work trip mid-month and will be attending DragonCon at the end of the month. Plus, I need to work on my Kaylee novel. It's really been pulling at me recently, but with everything else my inner critic is throwing a tantrum of criticism.

I have read that our inner critic is the internalization of all of the negative comments we have received over the course of our lives. It fights to protect us from potential harm like a blind child fighting the boogey monster.

The best way I have found to overcome my inner critic is to jump in head-first and start writing. When I feel that accomplished afterglow at the end of a writing session, my inner critic is significantly quieter. And I am significantly happier.

How do you fight off your inner critic – whether it be in writing or art or sports, or wherever you passion may lie?

Top 10 Favorite Movies

Part of what makes a movie (or any piece of writing good) is what the viewer brings with them. Viewers connect with certain story types better when they have a certain emotional state. We bring meaning with us, and as our experiences change, so can the meaning of our favorite movies. These change frequently, but here's my current top ten favorite movies.

The Fountain

This movie is about soul mates in their past life, their current life and their future life. The general concept is very similar to one of my story concepts so I was both excited and nervous when I saw the movie in theaters opening weekend. The couple is searching for the tree of life so they will not be separated by death. This is a very deep and layered movie, but it bounced between the three timelines which made it difficult to understand. Neither of the people who saw the movie with me understood it. It is on the same intellectual level as Inception. Anyway I loved the movie and highly recommend it.

The Notebook

This is one of the best love stories ever. It's actually two love stories: that of a young couple just setting out on the road of life, intertwined with the love story of an older couple nearing the end of their journey. It leaves you with the feeling that love is eternal.

Inception

I'm not usually big on mind-bending movies, but the intellectual layers of this movie combined with commentary on dream travel and inception ideas hooked me. Plus, I have a short story of my own about dreams. Need I say more?

The Golden Compass

Yes, I know the movie is nothing like the book and is a disgrace to fans of the book everywhere. But if you pretend it's not connected to a book, it's actually pretty good. What I love about the movie is the sense of wonder. Adults often forget how wondrous the world is. I go back and watch this movie when I need to revive some wonder in my life.

Stardust

This movie is about a young man who promises to bring his beloved a fallen star for her birthday, but the star isn't quite what he thought it would be. This movie is a cute combination of fantasy, romance, humor and quirky characters.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl

This movie is full of quirky characters and humorous situations. It is also filled with romance, adventure, and treasure hunting. It's perfect for a light evening at sea (or home). What more? Oh yeah, there's that elfie turned blacksmith, turned pirate. I didn't really like the later movies as much because Will's character lost the innocent charm that really made the character. But I loved this one!

Lord of the Rings

Epic fantasy. Epic production. Need I say more.

The Time Travellers Wife

This is a classic romance is a close second to The Notebook in the romance department. It is a heart-wrenching love story about star-crossed lovers who do their best to defy the circumstance of their lives to share their love with each other. This movie is even better when you know the ending of the book.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Quirky characters are one of my favorite things in books and movies. This movie is over the top with quirky characters, pun-y humor and don't forget your towel.

Serenity

This movie will not mean anything to you unless you have watched the Firefly tv series. If you have seen the tv series, this movie will help wrap up a few of the mysteries and loose threads left hanging when the tv show was cancelled. It is a bit of a disappointment because a few things do not line up with the original plot line. But it was a much-needed conclusion. It would be a disgrace to the tv series if I left the movie off my list.

What are your favorite movies? Do they all fall into a couple of genres like mine?

This blog is a response to a blog by Robert Lee Brewer on his favorite movies of all time.