Chad Schimke's Blog, page 4

HALSTON

HALSTON - Roy Halston Frowick was born in 1932, to a stay-at-home mom (Hallie Mae Holmes), and CPA father (James Edward Frowick). Early on, Halston had developed a flair for creating hats and clothing for his grandmother, mother and sister. He was raised in the American heartland: born in Des Moines, Iowa; and later residing in Evansville, Indiana. 

After high school, he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. From there he got his break in fashion as a milliner, in the Midwest, and later, New York. He reached international renown in 1961 with a tiny pink pillbox hat, worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at the inauguration of JFK. Once hats fell out of fashion, he quickly moved onto clothes in 1968, by opening a Madison Avenue boutique.

In the 70s, clothes needed to be sexy but luxurious, which he achieved by building a luxury brand that didn’t originate in Europe. The first American luxury designer made clothes special, by doing things other designers weren’t. Bespoke fabrics, vibrant tones, cut on the bias, hidden buttons and closures, muted minimalism, which can be dressed up or down, by changing outerwear, belts, or bags. At his peak Halston grew his business with media promotions (WWD’s 1973 Battle of Versailles) and a series of mergers/ licensing deals (Bergdorf Goodman, Max Factor, Norton Simon, JC Penny, Ezmark, Revlon). During this time he was often seen out at Studio 54; in the company of  Liza Minelli, Liz Taylor, and Andy Warhol.

In nightlife and romance, he was associated with sometimes lover Victor Hugo, who would become Halston’s undoing. Or maybe Victor just played into demons his lover already harbored. All this, at a time when his cocaine addiction spiraled out of control. Tapped out, running low on ideas, he could no longer produce a best-selling product by just dialing it in. As business declined, so did creativity, which fueled his addiction, in an accelerating cycle of self-destruction. 

His 1993 JC Penny deal arrived at a point in his aesthetic where everything became beige and boring, and sales were reflective of this. A year later, his company fired him and he lost rights to design under his own name. Somewhere before,  or after or during, he tried to buy his company back, but was unsuccessful. Forced into retirement, he, along with countless thousands of others, learned he was HIV positive, which at the time was a death sentence. Halston spent his final days touring the California coast, being chauffeured around in a Rolls Royce. His death came in San Francisco in 1990 at the age of 58, just 2 years after receiving the diagnosis. 

Online interviews will drag up old footage of Halston, with his particular vocal fry and physical affectations. These clips wil be compared to Ethan McGregor, now showing in the recently released 5-part Netflix limited series. I have appreciated McGregor’s previous acting. But I can’t grasp why this role wouldn’t have gone to a gay actor who could have done a better job? Here, I disagree with this choice.  That aside, the acting is serviceable, and I watched the whole thing in one sitting.

History doesn't understand the transition from Disco to Preppy to New Wave. Halston wasn’t an affectation, a turtleneck, a cigarette, sunglasses, or a costume. He despised cheap costume trickery, and refused to settle for something tacky. All he ever wanted to do was create something beautiful. Roy was an all-American boy, a product of his own creation, possessing a vision of effortless simplicity which embodied a lifestyle. He was the first, the best, and set the course for everyone to follow. 

THE WRITE PLAN (TO DRAFT YOUR NOVEL, IN ONE MONTH)

THE WRITE PLAN (TO DRAFT YOUR NOVEL, IN ONE MONTH) - Plan on writing a novel in one month? It’s easy to dream, and much harder to achieve. My suggestion: go into this with a goal and a plan. Maybe you want to participate in NaNoWriMo. Or maybe you have a vacation, a chunk of free time, and want to finally write that book. Fine, but how? Before I wrote my first novel, I had no clue where to start, and had only ever written short stories up until then. I dreamed about writing a book. There was a goal, but no plan. Need structure? No matter where you’re starting today, follow these tips. Your writing will be the better for it. I recommend considering 2 important factors, before jumping into a fiction project: 1. Set an end goal, and 2. Develop a plan. 

Set an end goal - NaNoWriMo begins on November 1st, with a target of 50,000 words. This can be a good approach, but can also be scaled up, or scaled down. Only have one week? Shoot for an average length short story of 7,000 words. Don’t have a lot of writing experience? Start with smaller incremental goals, and build up stamina over time. 

Develop a plan - In a “pantser” approach, writers draft freely, without a clear goal where the story is headed. But if your time is limited, consider not wasting that valuable asset. Have a system, and there is no need to invent one. Years ago I stumbled on Book in a Month by Victoria Schmidt quite by accident. I go back to it time and time again. Start with the section on creating an outline. Create scenes, character maps, turning points, generate backstory and identify potholes. Write the whole damn first draft, or as much as you can muster, straight through from the opening sentence to the last line. Don’t write and edit at the same time! If you aim to reach the full 50K word count goal, I recommend setting up the outlines, characters and plot points in October — ahead of time. 

The limitations - No, you won’t end the month with a complete novel. It won’t be ready to “hit send” to agents or publishers. You might pull that off with a short story, but probably not if it’s your first time. What will you have? A first draft; which must be shared with critique partners, and rewritten based on their feedback. Perhaps by that point it will be ready to self-publish or submit to publishers. Don’t skip professional editing if you’re going to independently publish. 

It’s not easy to write a fully complete novel, but it can be done. Who knows? If you have a good hook, well-paced plot, and put in the work, it might even be a great novel. You’ll never know until you try. Want to do more? Please consider donating to the organization that brings this event to life.

This post was first published on Medium in November 2020: 

https://medium.com/nanowrimo/the-write-plan-to-draft-your-novel-in-one-month-4967f46a6085

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I Am Legend Richard Matheson 1954

 

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I Am Legend Richard Matheson 1954
The only survivor of a pandemic lives in LA, as he struggles to beat the disease but constantly fears pandemic sufferers arisen from the dead like vampires.


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MAGGIE’S BACK (AND SHE BROUGHT HERSHEL)

 

MAGGIE’S BACK (AND SHE BROUGHT HERSHEL) - The Walking Dead’s current season is finally finishing out its second half, delayed due to the global pandemic (the real one, not the TV one). It marks the return of major lead Maggie Green/ Rhee, a fan favorite on TWD all the way back from Season 2. She conveniently disappeared in the “big time jump” which came at the end of Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln’s) final episode, having apparently left Hilltop with the mysterious Georgie. In reality, Lauren Cohen had been on a hiatus to film an expensive star maker. Cohen’s much anticipated Whiskey Cavalier, met with lukewarm ratings, was axed by ABC after a single season. Maggie encounters Negan on the trail. She stares him down and keeps walking. But all she finds of Hilltop when she arrives for a homecoming is a ruined heap… and the dead. With some luck, she finds Carol and Daryl. Carol tells her she set Negan free from prison, so he could kill Alpha. Carol also reveals Negan was with the Whisperers when they leveled Hilltop. Maggie goes back out with Daryl to get Hershel from camp. He’s staying with a group of leftovers she met along her travels. Maggie confesses to Daryl that she’s had her share of losses on the road. Communities came together and fell apart. Things collapsed and she ran. By the next morning, they arrive at camp only to find death and destruction. What’s worse, they begin to take fire from a new group, the Reapers! But all Maggie can worry about is finding her son. Tune into the 6-episode second half of season 10 tomorrow night!

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/02/maggies-back.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2020/03/michonnes-sword.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2020/03/heavycom-michonnes-sword.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/05/walking-dead-franchise.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/02/michonnes-last-stand.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2018/10/fragmentation-of-dead.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2018/02/goodbye-carl.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/05/the-walking-dead.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/05/the-walking-dead_4.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/05/the-walking-dead-vid-clip.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2015/10/the-walking-dead-1-5-circa-2003.html

 

 

 

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Paperback Contest - Closing on February 28, 2021.

Paperback Contest – Closing on February 28, 2021.

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FREE E-BOOK - The Costumer by Chad Schimke

 

The Costumer by Chad Schimke – Life’s rough in NYC in 1989, especially when all you really need is someone to talk to. Don’t go it alone, pick up the phone, because you’re never too far gone to go back home. Step inside the costumer’s closet backstage on opening night, for the worst New Year's Eve of your life. And you better hurry up, because time is running out. Read ‘The Costumer’ today!

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