David M. Brown's Blog, page 72
January 26, 2013
Guest Post: 6 Tips for Finishing Your Novel – Rob D. Young
We are delighted to welcome Rob D. Young, author of Broken Glass. Rob has stopped by to offer some useful advice on finishing a novel.
6 Tips for Finishing Your Novel
Writing a novel can feel like staring into your own open grave: You know, with certainty, that you’ll be swallowed up by it. Even after the hundreds of hours required to write, re-write, and polish the story, there can be no certainty that anyone will like the book. But it’s more than just your time at risk; a novel is an intimate expression of who we are as writers and as human beings.
How do you keep going in the face of this challenge? How do you stay motivated in the face of harsh reality? And how do you avoid that most common pitfall of all?: Abandoning one (or many) partially-finished books. Here are a few tips from my own experience.
1. Let it be about the story.The story isn’t about you. It isn’t about proving to the world that you’re a great writer. It’s not about winning the admiration and affection of your peers. It’s sure as hell not about money. It’s natural to crave these things; that’s only human. But the reason to write a story is that story deserves to be heard.
If you remember that this isn’t about “winning,” but about your obligation to a story that you—and only you—can bring to life, it’s easier to separate your ego from the equation and focus on fighting the good fight of novel-writing.
2. Skip the boring stuff.Many writers abandon a novel because they reach a part of the book that they weren’t excited for; they have a scene at the other side of a barren stretch of plot, but are crushed by the psychological drudgery of navigating that terrain. My advice? Don’t trudge though that terrain.
Skip ahead with a note to yourself to come back once everything else is done. You’ll write more happily and the distance will give the barren stretches of plot an opportunity to become more fertile. It’s also completely fine to just skip the boring section; if you’re not excited, your readers probably won’t be either. View the boring gaps between your better scenes as opportunities to practice time-killing devices.
3. Fall in love with your characters.Neil Gaiman (the brilliant author of American Gods) says he fears the characters he hasn’t written might haunt him before he dies, confronting him about why he never brought them to life. Now that is a motive. But if you have a dislike—or, worse, a sense of banal indifference—for who your characters are, your story will quickly crumble. By developing rich characters that you connect with, your story will improve and you’ll feel motivated to continue.
If you need a boost in fleshing out your characters, here’s a fleshy character questionnaire I’ve developed. You can also explore by taking personality tests, filling out online dating profiles, or even taking Facebook quizzes on behalf of your characters.
4. Write consistently.I finished my second novel during my sophomore year of high school. The opportunity was simple: I had a computer class and knew about as much as the teacher did. For 45 minutes each day, I was sitting in front of a computer with nothing to do. By the end of the semester, I’d written more than 50,000 words. The story of my third novel (which would become my first publication: Broken Glass) is similar: I had the opportunity to write backstage every night while performing at a local community theater. My fourth novel was written during the course of my Advanced Fiction Writing university course.
Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club) discusses his own strategy: He signs up for time-share sales pitches or community college courses just so he can be “locked in a room” for a while. As the speaker drones on, he takes the opportunity to write. Whether you find an external space such as a time share meeting or simply work at developing a stable routine for writing, consistency is key for making it to the end of your work.
5. Keep starting.You don’t ever finish a novel. Ever. You start page after page, segment after segment, edit after edit—and eventually you reach a point where you have to let it go. There isn’t such a thing as a novel being “complete.” Rather, you reach a point where you’re done. It’s time to move onto other projects; it’s time to let the story live on its own, without your support, and see what it can do.
You never “end” with your novel. But you reach the ending by starting, not once, but over and over again.
6. Have an audience.Your first draft is going to be crap. That’s the nature of the thing. As such, many of us are uncomfortable allowing others to read that particular draft. However, I’ve been strongly motivated by a select group of close friends who read over segments of what I’ve written, keep track of the story as it evolves, and enthusiastically await the next chapter. When it’s just you and the story, it’s too easy to let it stay hidden in the shadows.
Whether you have a writing group, a group of close friends, or even an online creative writing community, shoving your unfinished story into the spotlight creates a useful sense of social expectation for your work.
Writing a novel is challenging and worthwhile. Almost everyone I know has started writing one; the real challenge is in bringing the full story to fruition. By following these six bits of advice, you can create a more productive and enjoyable writing environment that’s far more likely to lead to a completed novel.
About Broken Glass (2012)[image error]“We are never so beautiful as when we shatter.”Broken Glass dives into the mind and past of a murderer as he dissects the reasons for his actions. Filled with gothic tones, gritty struggles, and violence, the story’s undertones remain lighthearted—indulging in humor, romance, and philosophy as the narrator seeks to answer his question: What brought us here?
—–
I have to hold back my tears and my twisted malicious smile as I plant the gun deep into his chest. He’s screaming, but I’m so in my own world that I don’t understand. I know he’s swearing. Swearing more than you’d think possible in that three second window of time.
And then I pull the trigger. I feel this deep vibration, brace my muscles against the kick, but I’m still not sure if the gun went off. Thank God, I think. Maybe you didn’t kill him. I guess I didn’t expect there to be such a silencer effect. Like shooting into a pillow.
As his body thuds against the carpet, time comes to a full stop. My world has shrunk down to the size of this instant. I need to figure out what’s happened. What brought us here. And why—why, my finger shaking against the trigger—I feel that this was the only way I could possibly save him.
Amazon USAmazon UKGoodreadsAbout Rob D. Young[image error]Rob D Young is an indie author and writing blogger. His recently published novel, Broken Glass, is a literary piece that dives into the mind of a killer. Check out RobDYoung.com for more essays on the writing craft, helpful resources for writers, and other uber-nifty™ writer-oriented content.
Guest Post: 6 Tips for Finishing Your Novel – Rob D. Young | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 25, 2013
Book Review: Escape from Sobibor – Richard Rashke
Amazon US Amazon UK Goodreads Review: Escape from Sobibor
It’s extremely difficult to look at a book like Escape from Sobibor with a critical eye. The usual concerns of characterisation, plot, setting etc don’t come into play. These are facets that cannot be changed if the story is to be told accurately. Therefore, when I review a book like this I have two main considerations: 1) the quality of the writing, 2) the accuracy of the details.
Escape from Sobibor is related in a unique manner, almost as if it were a work of fiction. In this way we are introduced to the men and women whose stories form the basis of this incredible book. Richard Rashke has combined eye witness accounts with a wealth of research to provide a comprehensive account of life at Sobibor.
While I was impressed with Rashke’s narrative, attention to detail and obvious thorough reading and research, I was equally impressed by his respect for the Sobibor survivors and the lengths he went to to try and avoid causing additional distress (above and beyond the clear distress recounting their experiences caused). It is clear he came to care very much about the book but – more importantly – about the people behind the story.
Escape from Sobibor is an incredible book. It tells some of the stories that must be told, that must never be buried or forgotten. There are millions of stories from the victims of the Holocaust that go unheard. We must make all the more effort to honour the voices that could share. Rashke does this beautifully.
Verdict: 5/5
(Book source: Netgalley)
Book Review: Escape from Sobibor – Richard Rashke | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 24, 2013
Film Review: Taken
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky
Directed by: Pierre Morel
Runtime: 93 minutes
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Amazon US Amazon UK IMDB Review: Taken
Pierre Morel’s action/thriller has every parent’s worst nightmare at the heart of the plot but also throws in a father who is more than equipped to save his daughter. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is retired from the CIA and has moved to be closer to his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan is overshadowed by his daughter’s stepfather Stuart (Xander Berkeley) while his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) accuses him of being over-protective. Bryan is dismayed and very concerned when Kim announces she wants to go to Paris with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy). After reluctantly agreeing, Bryan is appalled when he learns the travelling to Paris extends beyond France and is to follow U2 on their tour across Europe.
Despite Bryan’s warnings about the dangers of the world, Kim and Amanda immediately fall for the charms of Peter (Nicolas Giraud) who invites them to a party. Amanda plans to sleep with him after this brief meeting but any festivities are ended when both girls are kidnapped from their hotel. Kim manages to alert her father of what is happening and he is soon on a plane intent on not just rescuing Kim but bringing hell onto those that have taken her. Bryan’s background in the CIA proves invaluable as he begins his search for Kim. He soon finds Peter hanging around at the airport but despite some rough treatment is unable to get the answers he needs.
Bryan’s journey through Paris leads him into the dark world of human trafficking. This fate Bryan suspects has befallen Kim and Amanda and he does not mince his words in informing Lenore he has around four days to find their daughter or she will likely be lost forever. Bryan seeks the aid of Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin), a former colleague, who warns Bryan to leave Paris, concerned about the damage he will do. Bryan ignores the warnings and begins his hunt, crossing paths with Albanian pimps and drug dealers in a desperate search for his daughter. In asking questions Bryan relies on the usual unpleasant methods of interrogation – torture – and although you may grimace at what his victims go through I doubt you’ll feel much pity for them.
Taken is a fast-paced thriller with Neeson proving more than adept as the tough hero. He’s a bit rusty getting back into the swing of things but once he gets going he is almost unstoppable. After all the bloodshed there is an inevitable happy ending with father/daughter bonding but the rest of the film is tense and exciting throughout. Hopefully the sequel will not taint this effort.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Taken | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Machete
Set up, double-crossed and left for dead, Machete (Danny Trejo) is an ass-kicking ex-Federale who lays waste to anything that gets in his path. As he takes on hitmen, vigilantes and a ruthless drug cartel, bullets fly, blades clash and the body count rises. Any way you slice it, vengeance has a new name–Machete.
Starring: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
Runtime: 105 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Amazon US Amazon UK IMDB Review: Machete
A good action film needs lots of explosions and carnage but a decent storyline and acting are always welcome as well. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, Machete is violent, full of memorable faces, bouncing cars and gun toting femme fatales but is it any good?
The film begins with Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) on a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl only to be betrayed by his corrupt Federate chief and left at the mercy of drug lord Rogelio Torrez (Steven Seagal). Torrez kills Machete’s wife and daughter before leaving his adversary for dead but Machete is alive when the story picks up three years later. He is down and out looking for work in Texas amongst large groups of Mexican immigrants. When Machete is hired by businessman Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) to kill Senator McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro), Machete is given little choice but to take the contract. However, Booth and McLaughlin are working closely together and Machete’s attempts to kill McLaughlin are scuppered. The Senator is left intentionally wounded in the leg while Machete goes on the run as the would be assassin. With McLaughlin gathering support for his election campaign, Booth needs to silence Machete quickly but our hero finds a lot of help amongst the Mexican community who are eager to fight back.
Machete’s opening mission is bloody as he wields his trusted machete and dispatches everyone that stands in his way. It sets the tone for the rest of the film which is gory to say the least. After Machete is hired to kill McLaughlin he is wounded by one of Booth’s men and goes on the run. Treated in hospital, Machete evades capture and finds support from Luz (Michelle Rodriquez), also known as She, the leader of an aid movement for illegal immigrants. Machete also has to contend with Agent Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba), an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is eager to capture him. After recovering from his wounds, Machete seeks revenge against Booth and McLaughlin.
Machete targets Booth’s family which includes his daughter April (Lindsay Lohan) and kidnaps and imprisons them at a church where his brother Padre (Cheech Martin) is the resident priest. Machete uncovers corruption that will bring Booth and McLaughlin to justice but will he survive long enough to expose the truth? Before we know it the Mexican immigrants are taking to the streets and fighting McLaughling, Booth and border vigilantes led by the cruel Von Jackson (Don Johnson). We have cars that bounce up and down, Lindsay Lohan wielding a gun while dressed as a nun, many explosions, blood, gore and short-skirted gun toting nurses. Yes, this is that kind of film.
I’ll be honest and say that I enjoyed the first half of Machete. Trejo is a great leading man for this kind of film and the story was pretty good as he is set up as an assassin to fuel the campaign of Senator McLaughlin. However, the second of the film became rather silly. The bouncing cars are very strange and as pleasant as scantily clad women are it just seemed they were there to glam up some of the combat at the end and make it more interesting. Machete inevitably takes his revenge against everyone and there are some satisfying death scenes to be fair. The cast are a mixed bunch with Trejo, DeNiro, Fahey and Rodriquez being the most interesting. In the end this is one of those films that you don’t take seriously. It’s 90+ minutes of high octane action but not much else.
Machete starts well but them deteriorates into absurdity in the end. If you’re looking for an action film that isn’t too demanding then this one is certainly worth a try. There’s a good cast here who do their best but I’ve seen them in better films.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Machete | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 23, 2013
Game Review: Pang
How do you summarise Pang? Well, it’s one or two players, there are some balloons terrorising the world and it’s down to you to burst them with harpoons and things. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? You might even be thinking that’s a terrible idea, but back in 1990 on the Amiga you would have been very wrong indeed. This was something of a nostalgic trip for me reliving Pang and it was worth the journey down memory lane.
The Buster Brothers, one dressed in white/grey, the other one sadly in pink begin their journey in Japan and have to negotiate three stages, popping balloons in each one before moving onto a new country. Each stage takes place on one screen and the balloons vary in size. There are extra large, large, medium and small. Whenever you burst a balloon it splits into two smaller variants e.g. popping an extra large balloon will result in two large balloons, while a large balloon splits into two medium ones. The idea of Pang is to get those balloons down to their smallest size and if you hit them in this stage then they disappear. It’s easy to get into but once you’re started it’s very addictive.
The layout of each stage is different. Some have ladders and platforms to either aid or hinder your progress. In other cases balloons are trapped and need to be freed but you’ll need to be careful. If a character is touched by a balloon they die and you’ll have to begin the stage from scratch. You’re armed with a simple harpoon to begin with but as balloons are burst they drop little bonus items, some more useful than others. One feature allows you to fire two harpoons at a time, another is a grappling hook that attaches to the top of the screen and only disappears when an unsuspecting balloon hits it and then there’s a gun that has rapid fire and can take out balloons very fast. Aside from weapons other features include a clock that temporarily stops the balloons and dynamite that bursts the balloons into their smallest form which is pretty precarious most of the time.
Although the Buster Brothers are on a save the world mission they do get to see some pretty impressive places. Starting in Japan, you also take in the likes of Australia, India, Kenya and even Easter Island. Each location has a famous landmark but you’ll have little time to admire the scenery. Once you’re up and running the game goes by at a frantic pace. Between countries you’ll have a view of the world map and your little plane working its way between the many landmarks. This is a great game to play alone or pair up with friends but you’ll have to work together to take out all the balloons safely.
Reliving Pang was wonderful. For me, arriving in Australia and hearing that familiar music (my favourite segment) brought back all the memories of first playing the game when I was still at primary school. It’s not a game that lasts long, less than an hour in fact, but it remains great fun throughout and is one of the most enduring Amiga games I can remember.
Verdict: 5/5
Game Review: Pang | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 22, 2013
Book Review: Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.
Amazon US Amazon UK Goodreads Review: Me Before You
I hadn’t read any of Jojo Moyes’ work previously and I’ll confess that when I picked up Me Before You I expected something pretty fluffy and fun. That in itself would have been fine – I enjoy chick lit and a bit of gushiness. Me Before You, however, goes way beyond generating a touch of emotion – it’s a rollercoaster of thoughts, feelings and questions.
Will Traynor is a young man who had it all: the job, the girl, the adventures. When an accident leaves him paralysed and totally reliant on others to help him cope with day to day life, it’s more than he can bear. By contrast, Lou Clark has the boy – who she isn’t sure she loves, no job, the spare box room at her parents’ house. What she does have is an infectious spirit of fight and determination.
The relationship between Will and his new carer/companion Lou is a difficult one, complicated by interventions from Will’s mother and Lou’s boyfriend. However, despite the circumstances and their very different outlooks and personalities, a beautiful friendship develops between the two allowing us to see the best of both of them.
It is not all happy. There are moments of extreme sadness – I haven’t cried so much since I read The Time Traveler’s Wife – but there are also wonderful moments of hope and inspiration. This book will make you think and ask yourself ‘What would I do?’, ‘Could I do that?’, ‘How would I cope?’. It is all the more poignant for that. You don’t read this story, you feel it. In my case, I stayed up until 6 a.m. to finish it after deciding to read ‘a few pages’ earlier in the night. It’s one of the best uses of a lost night’s sleep I’ve ever had.
Verdict: 5/5
(Book source: Netgalley)
Book Review: Me Before You – Jojo Moyes | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 21, 2013
Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto
Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
Runtime: 105 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Amazon US Amazon UK IMDB Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
In essence, Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a sort of remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) which was the fourth instalment in the original series and showed how Caesar, the son of Cornelius and Zira, rose to power at the head of an ape slave rebellion. The format here is a little different.
Scientific experiments pioneered by Will Rodman (James Franco) at Gen-Sys are searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease. Chimpanzees are being used in the experiments and the drugs mutate one of the primates, increasing her level of intelligence. When the chimp goes on the rampage and is killed Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) orders the remaining chimps to be killed and the project ended. However, Will discovers the chimp’s aggression was born not of the drug but of maternal instinct in defending her new born baby. Will takes the orphaned chimp home and raises him. Will’s father Charles (John Lithgow) who is suffering with Alzheimer’s names the chimp Caesar (Andy Serkis) and he soon grows up with the same intelligence as his mother. What begins as a peaceful co-existence turns very dark when Caesar begins to look and question what he is and witnessing other chimps in captivity instils in him a fierce insurgence to lead his kind to freedom.
Breaking from the format of the long narrative told in the original series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes throws in an interesting angle with Caesar’s intelligence being inherited from the experiments on his mother. Though devoted to Will and Charles, Caesar begins to look at things differently in the outside world. When Caesar witnesses a dog on a leash he thinks of himself as a pet. At the behest of his girlfriend Caroline (Freida Pinto), Will tells Caesar the truth of his origins and it begins to create a gulf between them. After attacking a neighbour, Caesar is taken away and thrown into captivity with other primates where the luxuries of the life he once knew are taken from him. A bullied outcast, Caesar’s resentment for his existence boils over into open rebellion. He gains control of the primates and begins to plot their escape.
I enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After the disappointment of Tim Burton’s remake, this is a very welcome return to form. Some of the story seems unfinished though which is a downside but an inevitable sequel will surely clear a lot of this up. Caesar’s rise to power and his leadership as the apes head out into the city is fantastic. It’s always amusing watching humans assuming the task will be easy only to discover the apes are much smarter than they ever could have imagined.
Inevitably Rise of the Planet of the Apes cannot quite match up to the masterpiece that is the original but considering the other films I’ve previously seen I would say this one has comfortably nailed its place as the second best Ape film yet. Hopefully a sequel will follow and will prove even better than this one.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 20, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – The Safety Dance
One of my personal favourites from the eighties, The Safety Dance is a song I’ve known for years and do recall hearing when I was growing up. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I heard it again on the radio. During my bachelor days I would head home on a Friday after a week at work, have the whisky in and sit back either writing or gaming while listening to 4 hours of 70s and 80s music to begin the weekend in style. This ritual helped me find other gems from my childhood such as Nik Kershaw’s The Riddle and Peter Gabriel’s Games Without Frontiers, but The Safety Dance remains one of the best.
Lead singer Ivan Doroschuk is said to have written the song in protest to bouncers that didn’t like people pogoing in nightclubs. The song has been open to other interpretations but it is clearly about the freedom of expression, in this case on the dance floor. The music video has been compared to Middle Earth gone wrong and in some respects you could imagine this to be the case. In an almost Medieval-esque setting Doroschuk wanders into a village where a large group of people come to join the festivities.
The bizarre movements that make up the Safety Dance are purely comical and you might wonder how those bouncers could have deemed Doroschuk’s dancing as too dangerous for the clubs, though I imagine pogoing could prove nasty if a lot of people were doing it. Doroschuk had the last laugh though with this fabulous song, the group’s biggest hit to date, and memorably spoofed by Turk in Scrubs. This one of the eighties’ finest songs in my opinion.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – The Safety Dance | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 19, 2013
Guest Post: CHOP WOOD AND CARRY WATER – Irving H. Podolsky
We are delighted to welcome Irving H. Podolsky, author of the Irv’s Odyssey books. Irving has stopped by to share his thoughts on the importance of real experience of the world in writing the best possible stories.
Guest Post: CHOP WOOD AND CARRY WATER – A Writer’s Guide to the Real Thing
I’ll admit it. In real life I look a few years older than my avatar. But that is me, last century, at
[image error]twenty-six years old. Four years before that, I had graduated with honors from USC School of Cinema in Los Angeles. My last day on campus, I said goodbye to my college mentor and advisor, Professor Melvin Sloan, or Mel for short.
Mel shook my hand and held it, looking into my eyes. Then he said, “You made you’re A’s. Now what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to write and direct movies,” I answered confidently. Very confidently. Three producers had given me their cards suggesting I call them after graduation. And I told Mel that.
Mel nodded in a way that didn’t convey a thing. I wanted his approval, his blessing, and I waited for it. I got advice instead.
“I think you should pump gas for a few years,” he told me. “Then you can make your movies.”
Those were Mel’s exact words. I never forgot them.
In 1970 gas station attendants pumped fuel into cars, wiped windshields and checked the oil and air. It was the most menial job a white man could get. And there were plenty of guys my age doing that, as well as bagging groceries and mowing lawns. It was the American equivalent of the Zen Buddhist saying:
Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.
For the next five years, those were the kinds of jobs I did, low-paying gigs that needed little education. They weren’t my choice, but those experiences taught me more about the human psyche than any Ph.D. psychology course I could have taken.
One of my best friends IS a psychology Ph.D. and she said she learned nothing until she began her practice in the “Real World.”
DIRECT EXPERIENCE – you can’t beat it. It’s YOURS, filled with details, feelings and vivid memories generating new thoughts – YOUR OWN thoughts.
Yes, you can gain a reflected experience from reading another author’s work. But it’s HIS experience, HER truth, and it’s subjective. That’s why they call it fiction. And yes again, it’s entertaining. But is reading someone else’s art authentic research for a novel of your own?
If you’re reading novels for inspiration and information, how much of that content can you trust? What was filtered before it got to the page? What was altered for dramatic purposes?
And does it make a difference if it was?
It makes a difference if you are writing novels solely based on what you read in other novels – UNLESS you’re writing for genre and strictly formula. Then you can write variations of the tired and true, because that’s what the audience wants.
“SO WHAT’S YOUR POINT?” you ask.
My point is: Maybe you don’t want to write another werewolf romance. Maybe you want to write something as original as you can make it. Maybe you want to go deep into your characters to reveal a common thread among us all. Maybe you want to touch our hearts…our souls.
How do you do that?
[image error]We’ve all heard this advice: Writers should read and read and read great novels and more and more of them.
Why?
To learn technique? No argument there. But if you want to create literary fiction and you have limited time to read, why not pick up a political science book, or one about black holes and event horizons, or behavioral psychology, or World War I? How about reading prominent newspapers and magazines?
How about REINVENTING THE WHEEL, YOUR way! Meaning, you don’t have to read every how-to manual about writing to learn how to write. Start with the basics and then write and fail and write and get better and then try again. Convince your “beta-readers” to be brutally honest. You will never forget the lessons learned along the way, because they’re YOUR lessons.
You learned to write through process, not by trying to memorize a list a rules.
*****
Here’s another common recommendation: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.
Exactly. What YOU personally know, things you can write about in a way that’s BELIEVABLE.
How do you write believable characters and dialogue? Through direct interaction with living, breathing people! Watching movies and reading novels might get you close to the real thing, but it’s NOT the real thing.
I recently posted an article about techniques for writing dialogue. I’ll quote myself here.
Living a real life of texting instead of face to face conversation is not great training for a describer of human expression. To write about people, you must interact with them, watch, listen and think about what you observed; especially shared FEELINGS beyond the physical gestures and vocal inflections. Communicating is deep and provocative when it’s intimate.
This statement brings me to my next point:
Internet technology, with it’s advantage of time-shifting communication, is separating us. We no longer have to talk face to face or over the phone. We can send a message when we want and the recipient picks it up when she wants, if she picks it up at all.
I just finished a sociology book titled: ALONE TOGETHER by psychologist and professor Sherry Turtle at MIT. Professor Turkle points out that people who constantly text do so for control of their time, attention and commitment. And that control is self-centered. And worse, the information shot through cyber space can be misunderstood because there is no immediate feedback to the sender. Consequently, many decisions are carried out based on false assumptions.
As professional writers, (or adult for that matter) we cannot afford to skirt reality. We need more accurate information about everything.
Within the younger generations, it’s thought that even emails take too much time, give too much news, are too personal and might demand a return letter. Extended emails, like longer letters, suggest exposure and carry unwanted responsibility.
Thank God for Facebook! Our “walls” save oodles of time! We can post ten words to our friends, ALL friends, simultaneously, whatever a “friend” is now. Or we can Tweet with no need for feedback. And the short notes we do get, take only seconds to read. Yes, we’ve focused our world, directly on ourselves, in a loop that reinforces anything we want to believe.
This is comforting but unproductive.
Compression of information is a shaky foundation for writing anything. Too much living is [image error]experienced remotely, through filters. Too much of OURSELVES is filtered. By controlling and shaping our on-line personas, we sacrifice spontaneity and surprise. We sacrifice a moment of learning outside our comfort zones. And we sacrifice the deep friendship and loyalty that comes from others knowing the uncensored souls we really are.
Am I exaggerating? You can answer that yourself.
When on a date, romantically or with pals, do your eyes wander to your smart phone? Does your partner leave the intimacy to go someplace else with a text, a call or a search? Are people in the next booth on-line?
There are so many negative ramifications about this trend I could write three posts about it. But summing up this article, my message is this:
The more complex you live your life, the more you commit to it, the more you gather personal truths first-hand, the richer your stories will be.
Feelings don’t lie. That’s what you’re ultimately writing about, the stuff that connects us all – our shared emotions. You cannot get an exchange of energy out of a book, or a text or a Tweet. You can however, chop wood and carry water.
Invest your time by LISTENING to the ones you love…and the ones you don’t. Then put yourself in a quiet place, think about everything and start writing.
About Irv’s Odyssey: Lost in a Looking Glass Book One (2011)
[image error] Irving Podolsky is a nice Jewish boy looking for a nice Jewish girl and a job out of college which would, Irv hopes, make the world a better place. But when our hero’s food supply dwindles down to a slab of Velveeta and a jar of pickles, our lad takes his only job offer: directing pornographic movies. This leads to a night shift gig in a mental hospital, only to have that be replaced by the lowest rung in food service, which drives Irv so bonkers his mind ejects out of his body to the Other Side. Irv’s Odyssey is a humorous quest for love, truth and the meaning of life while lost in alternate life styles, a psychedelic drug culture and the free-love of the seventies. Lost in a Looking Glass starts the journey.
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About Irving H. Podolsky
[image error]Irving Podolsky resides in the mind of this writer and within the trilogy, Irv’s Odyssey. As your storyteller, I’d like to share the adventure with your younger YOU, that which seeks fun, romance and a wild ride into the Unknown.
Guest Post: CHOP WOOD AND CARRY WATER – Irving H. Podolsky | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
January 18, 2013
Film Review: Stranger Than Fiction
[image error]Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman. Harold Crick is a strangely isolated IRS agent who begins to hear the intrusive voice of an author who’s narrating her latest novel about a fictional character. But the intimate details of her narrative happen to coincide with every detail of Harold’s dull life.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Directed by: Marc Forster
Runtime: 113 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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Review: Stranger Than Fiction
As a writer of fiction I do put my characters through some awful events, ordeals I would not wish on anyone but somehow they forgive me and continue to thrive on the pages. I’m not sure what I would say if I ever met any in person. Marc Forster’s Stranger Than Fiction covers such an eventuality, having a writer struggling to complete a manuscript and every event depicted in it affecting someone in real life. It’s an intriguing concept but is it any good?
The film follows the story of Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) who spends his days as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. It’s a thankless job as you can imagine but one which Harold devotes himself to. Harold’s life changes when his next meeting is with a baker, Anna (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is a tad lax when it comes to her taxes but rather than being ruthless with her Harold finds himself drawn to the young woman. Even worse for Harold is the emergence of a voice that appears to be narrating his life though he has no idea where it is coming from. Things take a serious turn when Harold’s watch stops and he has to reset it only to hear the narrator mention how this one event will lead to his untimely death!
Harold’s sudden dilemma at having his life narrated is actually an exciting event as well as his meeting with Anna. Prior to this Harold is a somewhat sad character with nothing in his life other than his work so the sudden injection of a love interest shows promise but the narrator’s insistence that Harold will soon die leaves the rest of the story on a knife edge. A psychiatrist at first argues Harold may have schizophrenia but offers the alternative suggestion that it could be a narrator. This claim is corroborated by university professor, Jules Hibert (Dustin Hoffman), who informs Harold he must try to locate the author but first he needs to figure out what sort of story the narrator is telling. Harold’s approaching death points to a tragedy, his meeting with Anna could promise a romance but there are suggestions that this is a comedy as well.
Despite knowing that he will soon die Harold embraces what little life he has left and begins to live a little. Taking time off work Harold enjoys time with Anna and learns to play the guitar. Any hope that he may avoid his death is shattered when by chance he identifies the narrator’s voice as the author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson). Jules informs him that he knows Karen’s work well and every novel she writes leads to a tragic death for the main character. Though Karen is struggling to complete her manuscript she has an assistant Penny (Queen Latifah) on hand to maintain her focus. With such a revelation Harold has to enjoy being with Anna before the end comes. His life is beyond his control.
Stranger Than Fiction boasts a fabulous cast and Ferrell, Gyllenhaal, Hoffman and Thompson are all on good form. It was great to see Ferrell taking on a more serious turn in this particular film and you’ll likely be moved by this man who begins with a seemingly empty existence but has a chance to let his hair down and live for the first time. Does he somehow escape his fate or is destiny unavoidable? You’ll have to watch the film to find out the answers I’m afraid. By the end I found myself feeling somewhat guilty at the turbulent lives I write for my characters and certainly Karen’s struggles in completing her novel reflect how tough it can be for some of us writers.
Stranger Than Fiction is an enjoyable comedy with a moving romance, some amusing moments and a stellar cast leading us through what is an interestingly different storyline. Certainly not the sort of film that would be the biggest box office draw of the year but they’re seldom worth all the hype anyway.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Stranger Than Fiction | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
