Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 18
May 4, 2020
Lightsabers: A May the 4th Blog Topic
I don’t usually “celebrate” May 4th, but today I’m just going to do a short blog topic on what is probably my favorite weapon of all time: The Lightsaber. When I saw it in the original Star Wars (Episode 4) , it blew my mind. However, it wasn’t until Empire Strikes Back (Episode 5) that I really understood the power and ferocity of what a lightsaber could truly do. The fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader was something that I play out endlessly.
Toy Lightsabers
I’ve always had a lightsaber. I may have told this story before, but my local amusement park–Lake Winnepesaukah–had a gift shop that sold little knickknacks. One of those was a toy lightsaber. It was two pieces of plastic–a black plastic hilt and a red (or blue or green) plastic blade that was hollowed out so that when you swung it, it produced a whistling sound that–if you swung it hard enough–produced a sound effect not unlike that of the uncanny roar from the movies (if you used your imagination enough).
“Real” Lightsabers
Over the past few years, there’s been a cottage industry to build “real” lightsabers. Not the ones that are actual “lasers” mind you, but adult versions of lightsabers in which the hilt is metallic and the blade is some sort of PVC that is both light and durable. Most of the companies making the sabers are small businesses that create the blades for show, for competition, or for stunt-work. The prices can vary, anywhere from 75 to 500 hundred dollars (US) at the time of this entry, depending on the company and quality.
I Want One
In case there’s any doubt, I want one of these new generation “real” lightsabers. I don’t back Kickstarters as rule–my experience has taught me that I only have luck with products that have been released and reviewed, so I missed my chance to own the lightsaber that I really want–a Flowsaber. It is one of the “stunt” sabers that are out there that allow people to learn how to do lightsaber “stunts” with their saber. They offer a “balanced” lightsaber to help with those stunts, but they are currently in a 2nd kickstarter mode and have not offered “Gen 2” for sale. It is also probably on the expensive side (it is about 200-250 dollars US from what I remember for the Gen 1 versions).
There are other sabers out there, ones that look and feel much more like a real lightsaber, hilt that mimics the original designs from the movies, lighted PVC blades, and integrated sound effects chips embedded in the hilt. There are a couple of companies that make these, and of these two only Ultrasabers produces an affordable set ($75-125 US dollars).
I don’t have a lot of discretionary income (well pretty much none), but I think that my goal for the next year. To earn enough from my writing (and other endeavors) to get a good lightsaber.
May the 4th (and Force) Be With You!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 28, 2020
Living Slow and Methodical in a Quick and Impatient Culture
If I was a superhero, my code-name would either be “The Tortoise,” or perhaps, “Mr. Methodical.” That is something that the quarantine period of 2020 has reinforced in my mind, and I saw another example of it yesterday. My problem is, either I forget these lessons or I’m forced out of them by situations beyond my control. Modern life in general, but American life, in particular, puts a prize on being quick and being good. It even puts a prize on being quick and average or even substandard. About the only thing American culture doesn’t like is being quick and bad (especially, obviously bad). Pretty much anything else goes, so long as it’s quick.
Living Life in the Slow & Methodical Lane
What brought this insight on? Well, one of the fences that I share with a neighbor is overgrown. As she is older, I usually try to keep it up. I was able to do that to a fair degree while working at the Public Library and I was able to an awesome job clearing it off over the summers during my time as a teacher. However, since I commute now to school on a weekly basis, even during the summers (for summer classes and other obligations), the fence has seen less attention than usual and has been heavily overgrown in the past couple of years.
However, now that quarantine and the “stay-at–home” protocol has been in effect, I’ve almost COMPLETELY cleared the front part of the fence, just by a daily half an hour/hour “clearing” session. No big deal–I just grab my work gloves, assemble my tools (small clippers for the smaller things like vines and the big clippers for thicker, tougher branches), grab some water and my earbuds and go to work. Again, these sessions aren’t long or huge–they’re literally 30 mins -1 hour. And these were done when they’re weren’t a lot of people out around or when it wasn’t raining, and even with these restrictions, I’ve almost finished the front fence and I’m moving to the side yard.
Living Life in the Methodical Lane
Yesterday, another neighbor who has a relative in the lawn care business pulled up outside of her house at 2:30 pm and did an epic stint of yard work until a little before 6 pm. He cut grass, he used the weeder, he used the blower–he basically used every piece of lawn equipment he owned on the back of his “carrier” (and then some).
I can’t do this.
Well, I can, but I’m not successful when I try live my life this way. I need to continuously work in smaller segments over long periods of time rather than two or three (or one) long stint. This is where my strengths lie. I get so much more done at a much higher pace when I use my time to work in smaller work segments over a longer period of time. Yet, I find I’m rarely able to do this in the real world. There are so many pressures (short deadlines, quick turnaround time for assignments, etc.) that I’m often pressed for time and forced into longer stints to make sure that I hit my deadlines on time.
One of the life lessons that this “enforced isolation” as really taught me is that, to the best extent possible, I’m going to have to find ways of making as many tasks (writing, reading, dissertation, job-hunting, novel writing, whatever) into short, clear segments stretched out over a long period of time. While epic sessions may work for others, success is about learning what works for you and then maximizing it to your fullest. I don’t think I’m maximizing my abilities because I’m too caught up following the conventions of what American culture says is the best vs my own clear and natural tendencies.
In other words, yes, it’s going to take me a while to get to some of the things that I want to do, but if I start early enough on them, I will get there and at the high level that I want to achieve. Now it’s all about doing the work consistently and not missing days (or missing as few as possible).
Well, that’s all I have to ramble about today–thanks for listening! Have a great day!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 27, 2020
Mini-Movie Review: Extraction (Netflix)
This past weekend I watched a movie produced by Netflix. While not my first Netflix movie, I generally pass them up in favor of seeing “studio” produced movies as I’m trying to catch up on movies that I’ve missed theatrically. As an individual, I’ve seen a lot of movies; however, as a film student, I feel that I don’t have the same repertoire as some of my colleagues (one of my friends at school who is also a film student and working on his dissertation watches a movie a day on his phone! I sometimes struggle to keep up with the movie a week paradigm that I’ve set for myself.) This movie was written by Joe Russo (Avengers Infinity War/Endgame) and stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor & Avengers movies). So, did I like it–yes, I did, for the most part.
“The Protector”
This story is very much in the style of films made famous by Keanu Reeves in the John Wick movies. However, there is a difference, story-wise. While those are about “revenge” in some way, this film owes much more to films like Liam Neesom’s Taken movies (which I’ve not seen) and the BMW short film The Escape (which I have seen) in that there is more an element of protection than revenge. While different in tone, the plot actually functions a lot like other movies in the action genre–I’m specifically thinking of 16 Blocks, Special Forces, and Mile 22 (all of which I’ve seen–see, I do have a pretty good film knowledge base to draw on 
April 24, 2020
Reading Log: Frankenstein and The Hunger Games
So, I liked the way the blog post came together for my Writing Log post a couple of weeks back, so I think I”ll expand it so that I cover 4 or 5 different elements of my life in a “log” format and publish them (potentially) on Fridays–the day when I find it hardest to get blog posts done and out. I’m thinking it will follow writing, reading, video games, and some other fourth thing (not sure what that will be at the moment). Still, I really like the format, so look out for these on Fridays.
Now on to the log!
Frankenstein
This is a book that I’ve been wanting to read for a while. I started it once before as I wanted to read it before watching Kenneth Branaugh’s movie adaptation of it. As I think I may have mentioned before on the blog at some point, I never got past the introduction/prologue of the tale and never watched the movie. However, my mentor professor, who is teaching a sci-fi literature course this semester, made it the beginning literary work to examine, so I read it along with the class and I enjoyed it. What I took most from it was how changed it is from the Boris Karloff movie. Now, I’ve not seen that one either, so one of these days, I really need to just go on a Frankenstein binge-fest, but I think I like the book’s quiet menace and contemplation on what it means to be different and hated. One could almost make a parallel between Frankenstein’s monster and racism based on the fact that the prejudice comes from the way the monster looks, not (initially) the way he acts. There is also something to be said about the nature vs nurture debate, in that things that happen later in the book are a direct result of how the creature was (not) nurtured rather than an product of its creation (birth). There is a lot to unpack in this novel, and one of the reasons that it is still such a classic even today. It makes me wonder why Branagh’s interpretation was so roundly disliked since it seemed to move back towards the book and be a much more faithful interpretation than than the Karloff story.
The Hunger Games
Like The Expanse, this is a book that I read at first and did NOT enjoy. While I liked the concept, I didn’t like (at the time) the way the characters were presented. It has been quite a few years since it first came out, and I think I read it–if not at the height of its popularity–quite close to it and I believe that it was probably “overhyped” in my mind and that helped to predispose me against it. I gave it 3 stars (out of 5) on Goodreads.
Rereading it, I’m able to appreciate it more. and I feel that it is a better book than I originally gave it credit for all those years ago. Another thing that I think helped is that understanding that I’m NOT the target audience for this book. No, I’m not talking about gender here or even YA, but rather, I’m not interested in the slightest in “Reality TV,” and that’s almost a requirement here. You have to be interested in the inside/outside machinations of that type of entertainment structure to really get into this book. In the intervening years, the “Battle Royal” subgenre has become a thing in video games, and while I’m not really big into that type of game, it is a reference point/touch point through which I can get into the story now–a book version of the “battle royal” genre.
I also liked the “Rue” subplot better this time around and the reaction to it really had the “weight” that I think it was supposed to have. As an African American, I may have been a bit miffed at the time at the outcry against Rue’s casting for the movie (and there was an outcry–I remember the news stories), and probably held that against the book–even though Rue is written in the book as a dark-skinned character. However, now that this controversy has faded, I was able to read the interaction as the author intended and found that it was a really captivating moment. Enough that I actually want to watch the movie. I even went back to Goodreads and gave it 4 stars (out 5).
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 23, 2020
RetroView: Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 (or C64) was my first computer. My best friend had a VIC-20 which was an earlier, precursor model to the C64 by the same company. The numbers represented the amount of RAM for each of the computers (as I recall). The C64 was notable in that it had 64K (yes, 64 Kilobytes) of RAM, a fairly large amount at the time. I got my C64 in either 1983 or 1984. I’m a bit fuzzy on the year because I got my first video game system, The Atari 2600 a year prior, so I think the dates were 1983 (Atari)/1984 (C64), but I could be off slightly–in any case, it was definitely in the 1983-1984 time period (1982 was the World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN where I first discovered “arcade” games and where my passion for gaming and all things video game related was born–it was only after that blossoming interest that my parents decided to spend the money on–what at that time might only have been a “fad”).
The “Educational” Machine
I got my computer for Christmas, although I got to go to the Hills Department Store (there’s a blast from the past that’s no longer around) and picked it out. I also got a Datasette tape machine to go with it–to load and save programs (the datasette was a cassette tape recorder which could save programs or could load them as well). It was abysmally slow–taking upwards of 5-10 minutes to load even the most basic of programs–these were after all 30 minute cassette tapes that were being read just like a music cassette tape. My parents sprung for a C64 Floppy Disk drive the next year.
I was given the computer with the stern caveat that it was only for use for education and any “games” that I might get for it could only be educational. This actually lasted for a good while–well up into the beginning of high school (1987-1988), although even before that time, my parents had begun to relax that restriction. I also began to find “creative” ways of stretching the definition of “educational.” At first, I stuck fairly close with “edutainment” titles like In Search of the Most Amazing Thing, but later I began to be more creative, such as justifying the purchase of the text adventure game The Tracer Sanction and the road racing game Great American Cross Country Road Race.
Learning BASIC, Yearning for More
One of the things that I really got to do was learn the programming language BASIC really well. My elementary school also had a C64 and I was able to use it very well and became the defacto computer guru of the school. I wrote a small program that “interacted” with parents on a “Parents’ night” we had at the school. I was able to do that because the C64 users manual had the basics (pardon the pun) of BASIC and there were plenty of resources (magazines and new computer books in the Children’s Department of the library) devoted to learning BASIC. And basic could do some impressive things–In Search of the Most Amazing Thing was written in BASIC on the C64 (and so was Temple of Apshai–I know because I “peeked” at the code to try to decipher what those two games were doing “under the hood.”
However, the games that I really wanted to do (high graphics games and projects) were written in machine language. The C64 manual didn’t really cover this, offloading it onto another (fairly expensive) book. I couldn’t really afford it on my paltry allowance–but I really did want it. My uncle finally found a low-cost substitute at RadioShack, but by then, the whole machine language craze had pretty gone by the way side (Apple IIs, IBM PCs and the beginning of MacOs/DOS was taking over–I saw & used my first Mac and Apple computers in high school, but it would be several years yet before I saw my first true PC). Not including some sort of “machine language” programming book was truly a mistake as it kept kids like me, who couldn’t afford the true programming “tome” from really cracking the intricacies of the machine and getting into the guts of programming (although I’ve since learned that Commodore–the company–made a lot of egregious mistakes, but as a child, I knew none of this).
Not Without Its Problems
The C64, while being one of the most popular computers of its era, still had its share of issue. One major one being the power supply. My C64’s power supply died after 3 years–on Christmas day, no less, just as we were playing some of the new games on it. F15 Strike Eagle by Microprose was the offending game as I recall (I’d managed to snag that one by arguing that it was a “simulation” and I was learning about flight and flight models through playing it–I’m sure they saw through it, but they let me get it, so hey, I’m not complaining. It took a while for us to find a repair shop–in the strip malls above Northgate Mall here in Chattanooga.
We took it there and it took about a month (maybe less, two-three weeks?) to repair–probably just to order and ship in a new power supply. This one lasted for a several years and then it too died. However, this time the computer market had moved on, so computers weren’t prohibitively expensive (at least not Commodores). While most of the world moved on to Apples and PC clones, we decided to replace the C64 and did so with a C64c, a redesigned variant of the original C64. This one lasted until I quite a while, but as I couldn’t really do anything on it (too limited–it could on run GEOS, the Commodore answer to MacOs, but not well and I didn’t have a printer to print out school papers, nor could any of the school computers read the GEOS files even if they could have used the 5.25 floppies, which they couldn’t because the standard by then were the smaller 3.5 floppies.
The End of an Era
My grandmother had to buy me a new computer over Christmas Break of my first year in college. She bought an IBM PC clone (a 386sx Packard Bell on sale at Sears) and a Dot Matrix Printer. While not nearly as great as my C64–let me tell you, I have some things to say about Packard Bell computers, and none of them very nice–it still did the job in terms of allowing me to get my papers and school work done.
It also, luckily, had a modem. So I was able to experience BBSs and more importantly, use that experience to navigate the new burgeoning “online” world and navigate onto the “World Wide Web” for the first time (thus, becoming a savvy internet user in its infancy–for the public, at least). The C64 suffered as I rarely used it anymore and only my uncle would occasionally use it to play the “Gold Box” Advanced Dungeons and Dragons RPGs that I “convinced” them to let me buy. He got our respective parties to the “final” boss fight, ready to challenge the evil minions for the last time before he succumbed to cancer.
Although the C64 holds some of the greatest memories of my life (from carrying the box out of the Hills Department Store to the car on one joyful Saturday afternoon, to being considered a tech guru because I could load up my friends’ favorite games on the system at school, to finding a hidden love of databases and relational data through creating a miniature computer catalog with a database program and looking for hours at graphs, charts, and breakdowns of the books that I owned, my C64 was companion that I will never forget, yet I have not been able to shake its final memories for me of my uncle and his last days with the system. I’ve not been able to take back out since (it is still up in the attic in its box along with the Disk drive). Maybe one day, I’ll be able to associate it with good memories again–but right now, all I can think of are the two teams waiting at the edge of the doorway, waiting for a battle that will never come.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 21, 2020
ReWatch: Wall-E and Crazies
Over the weekend, rather than watching a new film, I chose to re-watch two films that I’d already seen before, Wall-E and Crazies. Wall-E is an animated film from Pixar that is fairly well regarded (95% critics/ 90% audiences). Crazies (2010) is much less so, garnering a Rotten Tomatoes score of 71% from critics, but only a 52% from audiences. I happen to like them both, but watched them both for very different reasons.
Science Fiction Literature Class and Wall-E
While I’ve multiple English Literature classes, I’ve never had the opportunity to teach one. I’ve always taught introductory Rhetoric classes. This year, my school came up with a “mentorship” program to help those, like me, get more experience in teaching literature who normally teach just rhetoric course. My mentor happened to be teaching a Science Fiction Literature course this semester. One of the movies that she had on the syllabus was Wall-E as an example of ecological Science Fiction.
I really enjoy both the story and the message of Wall-E and I was reminded of it when I rewatched it a couple of days ago. One of the things that struck me was the way gender was handled with EVE. While very progressive in some respects, there are some more stereotypical ways in her characterization. I’m noticing this, by the way, because there is a Conference that will be issuing a “Call for Papers” about women’s issues, and I guess I’m noticing these things more.
Crazies (2010)
[image error]Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7w9uWFIMBs
Crazies (2010) is an “infection” movie that, while not technically a “zombie” movie, acts like one functionally. I was in the mood to see it again since it has come back on to streaming. While not nearly as intense as World War Z, it has a similar set up, with a local sheriff tasked with figuring out and surviving an outbreak that is happening in his town.
Again, while not perfect–sometimes the “zombies” kill immediately and indiscriminately, while other times they hold off–to increase the tension (demanded by the plot usually), it still is a good movie that isn’t “just” the same old story retread as every other “zombie” movie.
Like Wall-E, however, it has some interesting things to say about its female characters. Like EVE, the main female character has elements that are progressive and stereotypical at the same time. Motherhood and life-nurturing character traits seem to be consistent in both of them, yet both are portrayed as career women and women who will take no guff from their male counterparts. Again, just something that I noticed that might become a paper in the future.
Still, that is such an interesting idea that has sparked that I may do that a little more often in the future–rewatch older films together and see what ideas spark from them and where I can put them into conversation with each other–who knows, I might even find a video game or two that also helps to round out the idea and see what emerges from there.
Have a great day!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 20, 2020
What Writers Can Learn from Disney Star Wars Trilogy’s Mistakes
Okay, not to flog a dead topic, but as SO many other reviewers have noted, while Rise of Skywalker does some things well, it turns out to be an unsatisfying end to the trilogy and 9 movie arc because it shows that there was no consistent plan. As the story goes, after J.J. Abrams finished Force Awakens, he had “loose” notes on the way the story should go that the next director, in this case Rian Johnson could use or not use as he saw fit.
Mistake! This why I’m always “banging” on about about the need/importance of outlines and trying to minimize “discovery” writing (for myself) as much as possible.
Why Outlines are Important!
I feel outlines are critical because stories (either fictional or ones that we hear about/tell others about in real life) are not just events. You’re not just relying a set of events that happened to you or someone else–although that’s part of it. You’re relating a series of events in order to 1) make a point about something or 2) reveal something (usually something you discovered as a result of those related events). Each case, while different, gets at the heart of storytelling and narrative.
Yet, if you’re just throwing random events together, or even if you are trying to following a logical progression of events, the one element you’re missing is the element of planning. What events are you going to foreground because they’re necessary to understanding the point of the story or what was learned/gained from the story? These are all questions that an outline helps to answer.
Let’s take Rey’s parents as an example as this was a particularly contentious “bone” that both Rian Johnson and Star Wars fans hotly debated. Let’s, for the sake of argument, pretend that Rise of Skywalker contained the “outline” that is supposed to have existed after Force Awakens. Had Johnson followed the idea, we could have been given the information about Rey’s parents (spoiler so I won’t reveal it here) in the 2nd movie (last act), and then she would have had to wrestle with it at the end of the 2nd movie, during the intervening time between movies (for characters) and then all through the 3rd movie. I mean, since we’re paying “homage” to Lucas anyway with the set-ups for these movies as they are very similar to the original trilogy, then this is what happens in Empire. Luke learns his parentage at the end of that movie, simmers over it during the intervening time, and then confronts Ben Kenobi’s Force ghost about it in Return of the Jedi. The revelation meant something, his conflict (inner turmoil) meant something, and him confronting Vader meant something (because Vader, at that point, wasn’t a nameless, faceless enemy, but his own father). A point was made and delivered. Not so with the Disney trilogy. As the reveal of Rey’s parentage comes in the 3rd act (or late 2nd act) Rise, there’s next to no impact on Rey outside of “shock value.” There was no emotional investment of the information.
Essentially, the storyteller focused on the “wrong” thing–shock value in learning Rey’s parents/heritage over emotional investment in seeing Rey struggle with the knowledge of who she was and is and a choice that she has to make as to whether to be defined by her heritage or break free from it. There could have been a powerful (American) introspection of are you bound by your circumstances or can you rise above them. However, with no outline, this is NOT in the story and helps to create the audience dissatisfaction that we see reflected in the 52% Rotten Tomatoes score.
In Defense of Outlines (and Drafts)
In closing, outlines help to provide a coherent framework to a story and keep it from meandering. It also helps the writer see (and focus) on the details that will most strongly make his/her points. Lastly, it allows the storyteller to see what the ultimate point or goal of his/her story is and make more effective choices on how to get there.
If you’re a “discovery” writer, should you drop that and start using outlines? No! That’s not what I’m advocating. I’m of the opinion that whatever works for you is something that you should do more of it. I might suggest however, that once you’ve finished the discovery draft, to go back and rewrite it (heresy, I know) because you now know you’re point and what events in the story have led you to the point and you may be able to get there more effectively with another draft or two, but if it’s working, I say keep doing it. As always, however, if it isn’t working, then you might give outlining a try.
Here’s an example of several writers who would like to “fix” Star Wars and the story outlines provided. They are all really interesting and, even though there are elements that I don’t agree with or would do differently, if I could “fix” Star Wars, they still illustrate how a cohesive (and competent, maybe even compelling) story can be told through outlining. (There are some spoilers for the movies, so be warned if you’ve not yet seen them all.)
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 17, 2020
Mini-Review: Star Wars IX: Rise of Skywalker
Last weekend, I watched Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker (RoS) for the first time. I know that it has a fairly poor rating, 52% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, but I felt that it was, overall a much better story than its predecessor–The Last Jedi. I can’t (and won’t) go into too much territory in terms of spoilers (although I can’t be sure that what I discuss won’t give hints/clues to those the movie’s structure/plot, so you’ve been warned). I think–and will always think–that hiring Rian Johnson was a mistake because he’s not, at heart, a sci-fi writer. As you can see with Knives Out, he’s best when he’s being “clever.” Clever can mean a couple of different things here: 1) witty as Knives Out seems to be a satirical movie (based on the trailers) full of repartee between the characters and 2) provocateur, throwing things our/subverting expectations just because he can, something Last Jedi was filled with. Rise of Skywalker rights the ship, but is ultimately a decent movie, but is an unsatisfying end to a trilogy (and epic 9 film saga) because it has to spend so much time trying to undo the missteps of the previous two movies.
What I Liked
Action: The action of the first movie was back–thank goodness. Instead of action happening off screen in Last Jedi–Luke never getting to confront Kylo (or even Rey about what happened to her parents) was such a downer for me. Luke is (and was) the central character of the Skywalker saga that it was criminal for him to be dispatched in such a ignominious fashion in the previous movie. The action has returned in this one and while not nearly as thrilling as the original trilogy, there are some set pieces that were inventive and well-done. Action scenes, lightsaber battles, and space scenes seemed to be back to the level we expect from Star Wars films
(Some) of the Characterizations: These characters felt more like what we introduced to in The Force Awakens. While some things seemed notably off–the fact that Finn & Rey (first movie) were co-opted by Rey & Kylo storyline (the 2nd movie & fan-base with their “Reylo” fan-fic element)–comes to mind, the characters seemed to stay and be truer to their natures than in the previous movie.
Explanations: While seen as a “walk-back” by many reviewers, what Rise of Skywalker actually gives us is some answers (now I don’t always like those answers or the way they were delivered), but at least it wasn’t just thrown out there to flatly contradict what we were shown in The Force Awakens (“Rey, your parents were nothing special”).
What I Didn’t Like
The Need for “walkbacks”: You’ll notice I’m spending a lot of time talking about Rise of Skywalker in terms of what it did in comparison to Last Jedi. That’s intentional and it shouldn’t be necessary. In the Return of the Jedi, Lucas had already established the characters, deepened the plot, and made Luke’s conflict (destroy or redeem Vader) clear. In Rise, we are so busy explaining elements from the previous movie that made no sense, that the actual “trilogy” went out the window.
No Trilogy: related to the last point–this actually wasn’t a trilogy arc. It was movie 1, movie 1 again (Rian Johnson’s interpretation), movie 3. The “Reylo” storyline proves it. In the original trilogy, Han & Leia “spark” in movie one, their feelings are exposed in movie two, and they deepen in movie 3. In the Disney trilogy, Rey and Finn “spark” in movie one, “why do keep holding my hand?”, but in movie two (Rian Johnson interpretation), Rey and Kylo “spark” and Rose and Finn are supposed to “spark,” and in movie three Finn hints to Rey his feelings, but never says them outright and is in a “platonic” relationship that includes his best friend Poe Dameron (3 way hug) and Rey and Kylo expose their feelings for each other (“Ben”) in that “star-crossed” lovers way. Nothing in the trilogy pays off in the way that it should because movie two didn’t “deepen” anything in the way that a good second chapter of a trilogy should have and the “payoff” you would normally get from the third movie either isn’t there or is far below what it should have been.
Little Details: So many of the little details were off. Some of it was due to the untimely deaths of original trilogy cast members (or advancing ages). Obviously, Carrie Fisher’s heartbreaking and untimely death meant that the filmmakers had to incorporate scenes that were already shot into the narrative to give Leia’s character an appropriate sendoff, but even Chewbacca didn’t look like, sound like, or “run” like Chewbacca as it was different actor portraying him. C-3PO’s voice is higher than normal (again do to age of actor), and Artoo Detoo is hardly used. Some of it was due to the “walk backs” necessary. And some of it was due to the way Disney wants its SW movies to appeal to a new audience while trying to “pander” to the old audience as well. Disney is like look–here are the old droids you remember, but aren’t the new droids–BB-8 and the new droid they introduced just for Rise whose name I can’t even remember (it’s that forgettable as a droid) so cool because, hey, they’re new, and everyone likes new stuff, right, right? There are so many small issues that one only notices if the person is truly invested in the Star Wars world. For me, there are so many of them that it begins to seriously detract from the quality of the story and begins to make it seem more and more like a pale imitation of the original.
Overall Grade: B- (80)
I really think this is a stellar improvement of the last movie, but there are so many flaws in it because it can’t do what the 3rd movie in a trilogy should do, but must spend so much time trying to address the poor choices of the 2nd installment that it really weighs the film down for me.
While not a 52% (which would be a low, low F on a grading scale by the way), and yes I know that RT isn’t a grading scale, but a percentage of people who like/dislike the movie, but my point stands–this movie isn’t as bad as some would have you think as they would like to “punish” this movie and Disney with a low RT score–I still think that it is hamstrung by the fact that it has to essentially be a truncated 2nd act and then a partial resolution that has so many compromises that, while a fun and satisfying movie on its own, it can’t be a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy, let alone a 9 movie saga which is what is was purported to be.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 14, 2020
Blogging My Way to a Novel
One of the things that I noticed when I was looking over the stats for my blog posts is the amount of words that I’ve been averaging. I’m actually down overall in terms of words from the past couple of years because I’m not publishing posts as regularly even though the actual word count for the posts has gone way up.
However, when I looked at the word count for the year, I was astounded. Taking the overall yearly word count just for the blog into account, I’ve written enough words to have written a novel every year since 2016!
Yup, you read that right–just doing what I’ve been doing for the blog would have been enough for a novel for the past four years!
60,000 Words (2016)
So, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which happens in November has a goal of 50,000 words. In theory, while there is no set amount of words for a novel, 60,000 words has generally become the accepted length in practice–although some would argue that NaNoWriMo’s 50,000 word length could also be considered novel length.
Looking at the blog’s stats–I reached 60,000 words (and change) in 2016. I was fairly committed to blogging–but I didn’t do it every day. If you were to use the calendar function on an old 2016 post, you would see that there were long gaps in posting, although I did post routinely at 5-6 days out of the month (yes, I think there may be some 3-4 days in their, but I generally average 5-6, maybe more). As you can see, while not consistent, I at least wrote something on monthly basis, even if it wasn’t a lot (or daily).
Had I done the exact same with my creative writing as I did with my blog posts, I would have had enough for a (depending on the font choice) 200 – 225 page manuscript and would have completed my first novel.
117,000 Words (2018)
My high water mark (so far) for the blog came in 2018, where somewhere around April/May, I hit my stride and blogged pretty much consistently for rest of the year. I blogged much like I’m trying to get back to now and what works best for me: Mondays-Fridays, 5 days a week. I actually usually do one or two blog posts on the weekend (maybe 3, but usually not more than 3) and then fill out the rest of the week with blog posts either written on that day (or at most, a day earlier).
I managed 117,000 words (and change) that year. Enough for 2 full novels or 1 door-stopper epic fantasy novel. This is the stat that really floored me and set me thinking about my writing, my writing process, and that helped to inspire this post. Just think of all that could have been accomplished had I taken the time to do with my creative writing that I managed with my blog.
Lessons Learned
I’ve learned two lessons from looking at my stats for the blog over the previous years of blogging:
I need to be more consistent in my writing process if I want success. Even if I can’t find the “time,” I need to always be moving forward and to make sure I find time to write at least 5-6 days monthly. If I can also find a way to write daily (Monday-Friday) along with my blog, great–and that will put me in better stead–but at the bare minimum, I must be more consistent about writing.I should try to use the format of my blog to help me draft my longer works. This format works well for me–Introduction, 2-3 headings, and a paragraph or two for each heading. This is how I’m hoping to help myself become a better and more productive writer without “breaking my process.” That’s the key and I’m hoping that because I like this format–it will work for me.
Well, that’s all I have for today–nothing earth-shattering. Just a realization that I have the capabilities within me to make my dreams come true–if I can just find the consistency (and willpower) to get it done. And of course, not let it interfere with my dissertation for school.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 13, 2020
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken (Part Deux)
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
