Gordon Dymowski's Blog, page 8

Lookin' Mighty Keen Online....

One of the disadvantages of taking a break from blogging is that...well, I tend to generate a lot of online content. A lot. So I end up with a huge backlog of links that I normally end up posting here monthly to help improve search...and to also show off what I've done.

(And it wasn't just blogging: I took a seven-day break from Facebook, and wrote about it for Chicago Now. I also took a break from Twitter, although not before participating in a SproutChat session on snark on Twitter).

One...

Where Stories Come From: HOLLYWOOD MYSTERY - In The Frame

I know, it's been awhile since I've blogged...at least, on this blog. (And I'll have my usual online appearance roundabout post out this weekend), but I thought it would be a great idea to launch into an explanation of how my latest published tale, "In the Frame" for ProSe Productions' Hollywood Mystery [image error] anthology, came to pass.

TL; DR - It's all Tommy Hancock's fault.

(OK, let me get one thing off my chest - people who use TL; DR should be shot. It's pretentious, pandering, and disrespectful b...

A Different Kind of Independence Day

Right now, I'm sitting on my mom's couch. After four months of rehab and hospitalization, she came home this past Friday. I'm sitting at my laptop, about to work on a longer-form writing project and freelance copywriting, and I have come to a decision...

...Blog THIS, Pal! is going on a short hiatus.

Much of it is simply due to time: after the events of the past few months, I need an emotional break. A major move, job issues, and family health issues are tough enough on their own: as one of my...

Deep Thoughts: Introducing the "Nerd Paradox"

Much of this is going to be a bit rambling, and maybe a bit obvious to many of you. For me, it's trying to wrap my brain around quite a bit that's happening in nerd and "New Pulp" culture. This is less of an academic piece and more of a rant...but I'm willing to live with that, and I hope this either spurs on further conversation, and/or points me in the direction of current thought.

Recently, there was news that Damen Lindelof would develop a Watchmen series for HBO....and something just broke in me. I actually found myself hating Watchmen in any form....

....and it's been frustrating to deal with friends and colleagues engage in full-on fan entitlement, complaining about the "design" of Star Trek: Discovery ("It doesn't follow the original show of 50 years ago!") to pulp characters that are over 80 years old ("If it doesn't fit the canon, it's not worth it.") (Or even a recent Doctor Who meetup where an attendee extended our venue time without my knowledge, insulted the venue, and basically disrupted the entire affair). It's even extended to Internet culture, with white dudebros on YouTube mocking the performance of the recent Ghostbusters reboot or claiming that a recent fan film settlement was out of line because this particular franchise "belongs to the people."

My first response is, "No it isn't - intellectual property". But the second - and more measured - response is a response to what I'm calling the "Nerd Paradox."

When we engage in any creative work or works, we develop an affinity for it - we like what we like and we dislike what we dislike. For many of us, that identification becomes so strong that it feels like that creative work (or franchise) "belongs" to us...and it doesn't. We own our reactions, our beliefs, our "feels" if you like....but we don't own the franchise. Part of building any franchise is taking risks: seeing what works and building upon it for modern times. If you're lucky, you get something that builds and expands upon the original (Battlestar Galactica); if you're not, you get....something else.

In addition, though, we crave the new and exciting. We want to see change (or more accurately, as Stan Lee once put it, "the illusion of change") yet somehow feel like our favorite franchises are still the same. (It would be strange if Doctor Who, for example, became a wacky sitcom about a chiropractor with short-term memory problems). There's a tension between being surprised in the same way when we first encountered this work and wanting the comfort of familiarity.

So the Nerd Paradox goes something like this:

"If you are going to make so many changes in this character/franchise, don't call it that franchise...yet, if you give me a new character that has too many changes from the old, why not just call it the old character".

Or, to use Star Trek as an example:

"Star Trek: Discovery looks like a bomb because they're not really following the design or continuity of the past series..." Yet, how many times have there been space operas/science fiction shows where someone has said, "It's enough like Star Trek...so why not call it Star Trek?"


It's frustrating both as a fan and a writer/creator....as a fan, it makes it much tougher to have conversations because any criticism gets serious push back. (Criticize the inconsistencies of how Clara Oswald is written in Doctor Who and the result is "...but I liked her.") Try to have a conversation about what might work about a franchise, and the result is defensiveness (so for many of my New Pulp colleagues: you may think Chris Hemsworth would make a better Doc Savage than Dwayne...

Upcoming Personal/Podcast Appearance - Doctor Who Meetup @ Third Coast

Heads up - if you're in Chicago and want to hang out with me - and participate in the recording of a Doctor Who podcast - and watch a classic episode, I hope you have the time this Wednesday.

As part of the Chicago Doctor Who Meetup, I'll be hosting a screening of the classic series episode Survival. Afterward, I'll be recording an episode of the Who 37 podcast with pal JB, where we'll be discussing this episode in the context of The Eaters of Light, which was also written...

A (Slightly Awkward) Tribute to Adam West

I have to admit that, in light of Adam West's passing, that I wasn't....always....the most faithful of fans. Oh, sure, I grew up with the 1960s Batman. Hell, I dressed up as Batman for Halloween. Several times.

But once I hit my twenties, something happened.

Maybe it was the Keaton movie...or the animated series...but for some reason, I found the 1960s Batman quite corny. Eye rolling.

In short, I was one of those "dark, gritty fanboys" that Bob Chip discusses in his Adam West tribute:


Perhaps I...

Today's Vocabulary Lesson

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If you can see this, that means you're reading this in a feed reader - why not visit the blog at blogthispal.blogspot.com?
(Be sure to avoid blogthispal.com for now - it's being held by a cybersquatter. And he doesn't deserve the traffic.)
Or check out any of my other activities via http://gordondymowski.com

You'll thank me later.

I Know Cool People: SINGULARITY - RISE OF THE POSTHUMANS

One of the great advantages of being a writer is that, when other writers do well, you feel proud to share in their glory. It's even more wonderful to read their work and realize...it's actually more than just good....it's really special.

Singularity: Rise of the Posthumans [image error] is more than just another great Pro Se Productions anthology (and full disclosure - I've contributed to several Pro Se Anthologies myself), it's a Pulp Factory-Award winning work that not only has some great ideas but also...

Various & Sundry Online Shenanigans

Now that I'm starting to get settled, here are some other writings, appearances, and other various things that have kept me busy.

For one thing, I was asked to return to CompleteSet to write about pop culture collectibles. So in that spirit, enjoy some recent pieces focusing on Happy Meal toys and Star Wars action figures.

If you missed it, Sean Taylor interviewed me for his blog. And a side note - for all those authors who said, "Hell, yes, I kill my darlings" in response to my comments...no,...

More Pascha Videos to Boost SEO

Now that things are starting to clear up (and now that I'm also procrastinating from freelance work), here are some more videos of Mom's cat....enjoy!




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If you can see this, that means you're reading this in a feed reader - why not visit the blog at blogthispal.blogspot.com?
(Be sure to avoid blogthispal.com for now - it's being held by a cybersquatter. And he doesn't deserve the traffic.)
Or check out any of my other activities via http://gordondy...