Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 64

The Well is Dry (Or Nice Guys Finish Last)

Nothing in the well to write about.  I hate this feeling.  I hate trying to force my writing to come out.

I haven’t written creatively since 2/15/16 and no matter what I try, I can’t seem to put pen to paper.  This happens periodically, but this time it is life that is intruding on the writing.

NICE GUYS

I think I understand why people enjoy the “hooligans” so much these days.  Being the “hero” hurts.  It is painful and it is no fun.  Better to decimate, conquer, and have fun no matter the cost.

 

Tangent Online 2014 Recommended Reading List (Hey, Would You Look at that–“Faerie Knight” is on it!

So I got accepted into a PhD English program (yay!), but I did not get any funding, so I’m going to have to find some way to pay for it (boo!).

I am very frustrated with this outcome as I desperately want to attend, but I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to pay for it and I’m worrying myself sick over it.  I also noticed that this is similar to my frustration with the writing process.  I can dream up the stories, write the stories, edit the stories, submit the stories all day long, but if editors don’t ACCEPT them and publish them, then the whole process often feels like just time wasted.  So I was all ready to write a blog entry (diatribe/rant, really) on the frustrations of being a writer and the breakdown of the writing process and how too much of it is out of your control, blah, blah, blah, when I happened across this little nugget.

My story, “Faerie Knight,” which was published in the anthology Fae, ed. by Rhonda Parrish was listed on the Tangent Online 2014 Recommend Reading List!  I had no idea that it was there.  Yes, I knew that the story had been reviewed by Tangent Online (all the stories in the anthology were to the best of my recollection), but I did not know Tangent well enough to know that they did a recommended reading list every year (I know that Locus, the granddaddy of the Science Fiction/Fantasy field did one, but not that Tangent did).  Imagine my surprise when I discovered it online just a few minutes ago while taking a break from (unsuccessfully) looking for funding awards/fellowships/scholarships.

And what’s more, it looks like they assign a “star” system to rank how well a reviewer “valued” the story.  No stars, 1 star, 2 stars, and 3 stars.  Now, I’m thrilled that the story just made the list period which is what a no star rating means, I think, but guess what?  It even got a 1 star rating beside it!

I’m totally flabbergasted!  It was for something like this–where the whole process works and completes is why I wanted to start writing Science Fiction and Fantasy in the 1st place.

I dreamed up the story years ago, but didn’t have the writing skills to see it through.  After several aborted drafts, I found a good character and plot and finished it.  It was rejected several times (7 or 8), when I decided to try Rhonda Parrish’s Fae anthology on a lark.  I didn’t think she would take it as it has someone fighting the fae, but the central character technically wasn’t a faerie.  Then she did.  Then she requested quite a few edits.  As they didn’t change the overall story/tone, I enacted all of them (although I was a bit dubious on a rather severe cut of 2-3 paragraphs at the end).  And then it was published, and then there were reviews.  Now Rhonda’s moved on to other projects and so have I, but to come back 2 years later and discover that your story was good enough that someone liked your work well enough to recommend it (and give it a star, no less) makes me want to jump with joy.

I dream up a story, I take the extra step of writing it down, I take the extra step of submitting it, the editor takes the extra step of asking for edits, I take the extra step of getting the edits done, and the editor publishes it.  We both get rewarded with the satisfaction of a published product.  It gets reviewed and it sells for a period of time (hopefully positively on both accounts).  Then the editor and writer move on.  And hopefully, somewhere down the line, either the editor or author will find someone who has read their work and enjoyed it.  Maybe even enjoyed it enough to recommend to someone else.

This is how the writing process SHOULD work.

Batman Vs Superman Review (No Spoilers!)

Okay, so (like Star Wars: The Force Awakens), I wanted to wait and take a moment before posting my (non-spoiler) review for Batman vs. Superman (BvS).  Unlike, Star Wars:FA, it wasn’t so much because of spoilers, but for other reasons which will become clear in a moment.

I LIKED IT

First, this blog post is not going to be one of my more popular ones–I already know that even as I’m typing these words because I’m going to go against “popular opinion.”  I actually LIKED the movie (quite a bit, actually).  I don’t use the “A” movie (Exceptional)/”B” movie (everything else) paradigm that you seem to hear (aka A-List talent vs B-List talent, or triple A movie vs a B movie).  When I rate things, I’m doing so using the scale that universities use for their semester grade reports:

A (Superior/Exceptional)–You’ve gone above and beyond in order to create something few could achieve.
B (Above Average)–This is a good product with some minor flaws that detract slightly from the overall experience, but is still better than many would achieve.
C (Average)–This is “good enough.”  You’ve done just enough to meet the requirements, but haven’t done enough, but have too many flaws to be better than others like it.
D (Below Average)–Not up to “standards.”  This has too many flaws, isn’t crafted well, or ignores requirements.  It is well below what most can achieve.
F (Failure)–Simply put, unable to succeed.  A product that is lacking in nearly every respect.

After seeing it, BvS for me is a B (Above Average).  It better than a “typical” action movie (I’ll get into why I think so in a moment).  It is competently made (i.e., it holds to the western philosophy of BME–Beginning, Middle, and End.  It has a Protagonist & Antagonist.  It has rising action, it has a climax, it has falling action, and it resolves.)  It follows Fryetag’s Triangle perfectly.  For that reason alone, it should not be rated lower than a C.

However, the critics would have you believe that the movie is a D/F and that it fails on many different levels.  And the justification just isn’t there for me.

OPERA IN MOVIE FORM

I liken the movie to an Opera.  It is a long movie (over 2 hours and 30 mins) and much of the first part is setting up the Batman/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent dynamic.  But this a movie that is larger than JUST a comic book movie.  It touches on contemporary real world elements such police brutality, the nature of God and man, what it is to be a hero, what it is to be a above the law, discourse vs unilateral action, what it means to be a democracy, and what it means to be good/bad in today’s “modern” society.

All of this is in a “comic book” movie.  Critics slam this as being too much, having too many plot threads, “a mess,” as I heard one reviewer put it.  No, its not a Marvel movie, but then DC isn’t Marvel.  They have always done things differently than Marvel.  Many critics seem to be slamming the movie NOT because it is a bad movie, but because it is not a MARVEL movie and doesn’t use’s Marvel’s “template” for movies.

BvS isn’t as good as my current favorite Marvel movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it WAS more satisfying to me than Avengers: Age of Ultron.  It wants to have a conversation that the critics don’t seem to want to have in their “comic book” movies.

DC MYTHOLOGY

If you like graphic novels, see the movie.  If you like comic books and are up on your DC mythology, see the movie.  This movie includes a LOT of knowing nods and scenes to those who like comics (DC comics and graphic novels and properties) and does NOT try to explain to those who don’t.  I caught several striking scenes from various DC media: Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: The Dark Knight by Frank Miller, various BvS Graphic Novels, The Flash (TV show, current version), and others.

The iconography is striking, but there too, the critics want to complain.  Zack Snyder (the director) is “style over substance,” I heard in more than one review.  But that is what Snyder is KNOWN for.  300 was NOT a “great” movie when you get right down to it, but it was a visually striking movie.  Why is that not good enough now?  Because it’s a KNOWN quality about him now.  Only if you’re NEW and FRESH do the critics seem to take any notice.

WHY THE DISCONNECT?

I’m linking to a YouTube video to help explain what’s going on with the review scores.  Basically, the Youtuber is correct: there is a contingent who want to use social media to FORCE Warner Brothers to cater to them (fans) or those who want to punish the movie in some way (critics).  I’ve seen this before in other mediums: MASS EFFECT 3 for video games comes quickly to mind.  Many fans hated the ending of ME3 and social media outcry FORCED Bioware to go back and “redo” the ending of the game.  This is what I feel is happing here.  However, this has been building since World War Z, Man of Steel, Jupiter Ascending, and most recently, Gods of Egypt.  The Youtuber ‘s (Grace Randolph) channel “Beyond the Trailer” is one that I’ve recently found) and she does a great job of quickly of explaining a lot of my problems with the critics for BvS, in particular.  It’s short–only 13 minutes long and very informative:

Beyond the Trailer (Special Report BvS)–Grace Randolph

There is nothing inherently wrong with the movie.  It should be getting B’s and C’s.  Not the D’s and F’s that it is currently getting.  This is a good movie, with some flaws that keep it from being exceptional, but not one that should be denigrated as a failure.

Heroism, Not Hooliganism

So, as usual, this blog entry is REALLY late.  Apologies.  This has been a rough few weeks for me.  School has been “challenging” for me  these past three weeks, I’ve been ill, and I’ve had zero motivation to write since turning in “Ship of Shadows,” over a month ago.  What finally compelled me to write is the fact that I received a rewrite request for “Ship of Shadows” from the anthology where I sent it.  The editor gave me a week (7 days!) to rewrite the story and send it back.  Now, under normal circumstances, I would have gotten to work immediately and sent it back to her ASAP.  I mean, a publication is a publication, right?

However, after reading through some of the comments, I realize that the editor wants me to change my main character from a “hero” into a “hooligan.”  I’m NOT okay with that.  In  “Ship of Shadows,” I have my protagonist go back and save another character.  The editor believes that is out of character for her as I’ve mentioned that the protagonist is an orphan  and will do what it takes to survive.  This puts me into a situation is which I have to turn my hero into an anti-hero who is only out for herself and cannot be counted on when the chips are down–EXACTLY the same as Vin Diesel’s character in PITCH BLACK, a movie that I categorically DESPISE for its treatment of the Heroism vs. Anti-Heroism.

WHY A HERO?

I’m (currently) a 6th Grade Language Arts Teacher.  On my door is a sign that reads, “HELP OTHERS.”  Of course, no one really follows that advice (although to be fair, sometimes I see those who get the mini-lesson help out others in the class who are struggling when I’m helping someone else) as these are sixth graders.  They still believe that the world revolves around them and their needs are more important than everyone else’s in the entire world.

In the past two or three years, I’ve come to understand that my core values are (in the words of Captain America from MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS) “Old Fashioned.”  In a time where BREAKING BAD, THE WALKING DEAD, and GAME OF THRONES are held up as the epitome of “good writing,” I can’t help but shake my head.

What would our world look like if we ALL were out for number one?  Would strangers take the time to pull people out of burning cars and houses?  Of course not.  Would you take the time to call the police if you saw burglars in your neighbor’s house while they were away?  Not my house, you’d say.  What about calling 911 if you witnessed an accident with injuries and neither party was responsive enough to phone on their own?  Not my problem.

So, then, whose problem is it?

WHY NOT A HOOLIGAN?

Being a hooligan (anti-hero) is SO COOL.  You get to do what you want to, without anyone telling you it is wrong.  You get to be Mr./Ms. Bad Person without consequences.  You get to be “Number One” and no one can touch you, ever.  And if someone complains, you’re bad enough to BEAT THEM DOWN so they can’t ever complain again.  Right?

This is a fantasy that we have as kids, but it seems (to me) that more and more people are not growing out of this phase, but carry this type of attitude with them into adolescence and then into adulthood.

I see it both in the real world and in various mediums: various school fights being posted online (Facebook/YouTube), in video games (Grand Theft Auto series), TV (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones), movies (Pitch Black, Looper, Jumper).

I’m constantly having to reread books in my collection because I can’t count how many times over the past couple of years that I’ve checked out a book from the library only to find that the main characters are jerks, or are detestable jerks, or are detestable jerks using the F-Bomb (even though it is a Fantasy story), or are detestable jerks using the F-Bomb who are mysogynists, or who are detestable jerks using the F-Bomb who are mysogynists who run around slitting throats because they aspire to be the next “Great Assassin” of whatever generic fantasy world the author has created.  I don’t think I’ve managed to get past the first three chapters of any book I’ve read in the past two years unless the author was named Brandon Sanderson, Diane Duane, or Elizabeth Moon.  All the other authors that I’ve tried in that time have had characters so UNLIKEABLE that I’ve abandoned them ASAP.

NOW WHAT?

So, back to the topic at hand–what to do with “Ship of Shadows?”  I’m going to implement many of the changes that the editor asked, but I will NOT have the main character kill the other character.  When I send it to her, I will politely let her know my reasoning and politely inform her that it is okay to reject the story if it doesn’t meet her needs (which is what I expect to happen).

I will then take this as a learning experience and realize that I’m either writing 10 years TOO LATE or 10-15 years TOO EARLY and dial back my expectations for my writing career.  I am not and will not be the “flavor of the month” or the “hot new writer,” because of my insistence on heroism and my disdain for hooliganism–at least, not until the pendulum swings AWAY from the anti-hero and BACK to the hero.

Author’s Note: Ship of Shadows (Science Fiction Short-Story)

So, I did not write a blog entry last week because I was knee-deep in “Project Shadow” trying to finish it by Feb. 15, 2015 for an Anthology’s deadline.  I did finish it (hurray!) on time, but not without errors (boo!), so I thought I do a quick deconstruction of the story’s genesis, creation, and issues that came up.  I also learned quite a few things about my writing process from work towards this deadline, so future blog entries (the next 2-3 weeks) will be trying to reflect on what I’ve learned as a writer.  Without further ado, the Author’s Note for “Project Shadows”:

Author’s Note – Ship of Shadows

This story has been kicking around my brain for a while. It comes from a scene from the movie Lost in Space. There was a scene with spider-like creatures that attack the crew when they investigate a lost ship. I’ve only seen the movie once and I can barely recall what happens in the movie as a whole, but that scene has stuck with me.

I’ve wanted to write my own version of this type of “Ghost Ship” story for a while as I’ve always been fascinated with “mystery ships” like the Mary Celeste. I was given a book about the Mary Celeste as a child and I’ve watched with interest any documentaries on the ship for clues as to what could have happened to her crew.  I’ve also had books on/seen documentaries on things like the disappearance of the Jamestown settlers and the Hindenburg disaster.  These “historical mysteries” are fascinating to me (note to self: I should probably read more of them to mine for story ideas).

As I am a Science Fiction /Fantasy writer, I thought that I’d take the whole “space spiders” idea and put it into a story about space ships using these “spider creatures” as an antagonist and put my own spin on it.   This idea has been baking in the back of my mind now for a couple of years.

Then I saw a listing where Lillicat Publishers had an anthology called “Visions IV: Space Between the Stars” that was looking for stories, I decided to write this story for it.  (Actually, that’s not entirely accurate–the true story is that I was starting on another Sci-Fi project called “Project Light” and had intended to submit that one to the anthology, but upon rereading the guidelines for the anthology, I discovered the story had to take place in Deep Space (hence the “Space Between the Stars” part of the title), where “Project Light” was to (mostly) take place on a planet.  So, I had to put that project aside and “Project Shadow” was the only one that I had been thinking about that was set in Deep Space, so I wrote that instead.)

I’m not sure I will do this again, however. Trying to write to a deadline was very hard for me. I ignored grading, reading, and video games (basically things that I either needed to do or that I should have done to relax) in order to get this story written by the deadline.  I essentially had to give up President’s Day in order to get the story finished.  I was only halfway done by the beginning of Feb. 15 and I had to write for the rest of the day to get it finished.  I didn’t really have time to give it a proper editing pass so there are probably typos in the story (something that publisher appears to hate based on their guidelines), so its prognosis is probably not good.

I’m also not to sure of the main character. I don’t think I put enough of her emotions in and she may seem like too much of a cipher. Again, that comes from writing quickly, trying to get it all down and not necessarily dramatizing it as well as I could.

I’m going to have rethink the writing to a deadline for now (while teaching) as it has put me well behind where I should be for grading and other things. My other stories that were published in anthologies were written to suit me and then I submitted them to the anthology if the theme matched my story. Trying to write to match a theme may not be suited to my writing style, but I also HATE missing out on opportunities for publication because I’m too slow and the anthologies’ deadlines pass me by before I can finish a story for it when I know I have an idea that might fit.  I’ve missed submitting to three different Sci-Fi anthologies from World Weaver Press (all of the Far Orbit anthologies) because I could not manage to finish a story by the editor’s deadline.  I made it a point to finish “Ship of Shadows” for Visions IV by the deadline, but I can’t say that I’m completely happy with the results.

 

 

Project Shadow Update

This will be a shorter post–work has interfered with both my personal life and writing life, and I’m struggling to catch up.

PROJECT SHADOW

I’ve completed the 1st scene (out of 3), but I plan on the 2nd scene being the longest.  I have a roadmap (loose outline) for the whole story, now I just have to find the time to write it as the deadline is looming (2/15/16).

I am off on President’s Day, but I’d really like to have it done by Friday (2/12) so that I can give it to my Beta readers.  Two scenes in one week, though, is a tough ask.  We’ll see what happens.

SUBMISSIONS

I’ve been more conscientious about submitting.  I’ve made a list of publishers/markets for the stories (about 5-8 markets) and I have ALL my stories out to 1 market at a time.  When any stories come back with a rejection (3 this week), I wait until Saturday night or Sunday night, look at the guidelines for the next market on the list, prep the submission, and send it.  When I run out of markets, I’ll simply make a list of 5-8 more.

I’m also trying to be more conscientious about following up with markets that have had my stories beyond their stated time.  I don’t want to pester the markets, but if they had it longer than a specified time and they say to ask, then I’m probably not going to wait until my buffer time (which was a long 120 days, or 4 months) before I inquire about it.)

DIANE DUANE – GAMES WIZARDS PLAY

Finally, one of my favorite authors has released a new book this week.  It is called Games Wizards Play and it is Bk. 10 in her Young Wizards Series (which is my favorite series and one I discovered as a child).

Now this is book 10 in the series, so if you haven’t read any of the books, I would NOT advise you to start here.  Rather, start with book 1, So You Want To Be a Wizard.  It starts off quite a bit as a children’s/YA book, but “grows up” pretty quickly and the resolution and ending is one of the strongest that I’ve ever read.

Like all series, I like some books more than others, but I spent all of last year collecting copies of all 9 books to add to my classroom library.  This year, I think I’m going to try to collect them all for my own personal library–starting with this one!

2016 Writing Season (Series 1)

Image Source: The Guardian.com

I’m back in the writer’s chair!

As this is primarily an author’s blog dealing with Science Fiction and Fantasy (with other miscellaneous topics thrown in), I wanted to announce that I’ve started my 2016 writing season!  Huzzah!

I just completed Chapter 1 of my 1st novel (after having already done the Prologue) and gave it to my “alpha” readers on Friday (more on that down below).  I have a short-story that I’m working on and another that I’m brainstorming now.  I just reorganized my writing space to be more conducive to researching markets in order to get a list of potential markets for stories that are finished ready, as well as to make the actual composition of the writing easier.  So, read on to find out what I’m doing/planning this year.

SERIES 1 & SERIES 2

My plan is to divide the year into 3 major parts: Series 1, Summer, and Series 2.  Series 1 runs from January to May and in it I will work on short stories and chapters from my novel.  On weekends, I will brainstorm new projects and decide which ones to write.  The bulk of my writing time will also happen on weekends (the only time when I can consistently seem to write on weekdays is Tuesdays for some reason and that’s simply not enough time.)  But, as I don’t really have as many responsibilities on the weekend, I can convert some of my free time to writing time and push through some of the projects that I want to work on this year.

During the summer, I want to continue working on my novel, but I also want to try longer works, such as a graphic novel & screenplay).  My goal is to work on each one every day during the summer (no school!) and then have a rough draft of each completed by the end.

Series 2 picks off where series one ended: short stories and working on chapters for the novel.  It will end right around the time school ends for the holidays for a break to recharge and then (hopefully) rinse, wash, and repeat, but with a new novel for 2017.

That’s my goal anyway.  We’ll see how close I come to it.

Cutting the Cord

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Welcome to the first post of the blog for 2016!  Huzzah!  My goal (not Resolution, but goal) is to post on a weekly schedule.  I did so during the last of November and most of December, even with the craziness of grading and deadlines, so it seems doable.

This post was supposed to be the last post of 2015, but it took longer to put into put into place than I anticipated.  This post is all about cutting the cord (or moving from a cable-based future to a streaming one).

Yesterday, I finally turned in my cable boxes and remotes and I’m completely based on streaming content (for TV/Movies) or pulling content from over-the-air (local & live sports).  Yes, I know that with a few tech options I could eliminate the over the air part and do it all digitally, but it works better for my workflow to have at least 1 TV dedicated to local programming (news) and live sports.

APPLE TV

My main source of streamed content is via the new AppleTV.  I have an Apple ecosystem and having the new AppleTV gives me the most flexibility.  I can buy shows and movies through iTunes, download digital copies from iTunes from the Blu-Rays that I purchase, and I can AirPlay apps and games that I purchase on my phone and iPad to the TV if I so choose.

The key is to set a budget and stick to it.  There are so many things out there and available that it is easy to overspend if you overdo it.  I’ve found that if I focus on one or two series at a time and finish them before buying anything else, I can stay within budget.  I don’t have a lot of time to watch TV anyway, so focusing only on shows and movies that truly interest me seems to be a more cost effective and efficient way of consuming content.

ITUNES, NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME

With Netflix and Amazon Prime, I get many of the shows that I’m interested in (of course, Science Fiction/Fantasy) like Star Trek (the various spinoffs), Dark Matter (new 2015 show), Stargate (older shows like SG-1), and Farscape.  These are just the few that I’ve investigated.  I’m sure there are others.  I also get access to a few movies, though not as many as I’d like (again, genre-based).  For the movies, this is where I use iTunes to supplement Netflix/Amazon.

Here, though, is a drawback of streaming only.  The movie industry saw the lowering of prices of music and fought that vigorously arguing that lower prices devalue their product.  Yes, the link is a bit old, but it is only to illustrate a point.  Movies are artificially higher in price than they are truly worth.  You can’t tell me that Jack the Giant Slayer (a 2013 release with below average ratings) is worth $14.99 which is the same price that The Martian (a 2015 release which will contend for the Oscars more than likely).  Jack the Giant Slayer should be in the 7.99-9.99 range by now.  It is the problem with many digital pricing structures–prices do not seem to go down over time, while the physical prices do because retailers need to clear shelf space for the next new thing.  You never have to run out of the digital item so retailers don’t lower the prices over time.

The easiest way I can think of not to spend a ton of money on movies is to set a budget that roughly equals 1 movie ($14-$20) per period on viewing media per pay period and not go over that.  Include Season Passes for shows that I want to watch that aren’t on Netflix & Amazon Prime and I’ll need to limit myself and make a choice–1 big purchase of a movie or 1 Season Pass which will last several weeks (or less if I binge watch the show).

Still, even this is preferable to paying a premium every month for TV & movies that I never will watch.

THE FUTURE

So, this will be an interesting experiment.  Can I watch the shows that I want to watch and the movies while not breaking the bank so to speak?

I think I can as I just watched the entire Series 9 of Dr. Who (Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman), in addition to the Christmas Specials of Dr. Who and Sherlock via iTunes, and I’m watching/rewatching the entire series run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix before turning my attention to Star Wars Rebels via iTunes.

I’ll keep you all posted periodically on my successes and struggles as I try to embrace a (nearly) streaming only household.

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Impressions (No Spoilers)

So, I wanted to wait a little bit before posting because I wanted to make sure that I thought about what I wanted to say and phrase it carefully because I didn’t want to spoil in any of things in the story & also because I wanted to make sure of my own feelings toward this movie.

STAR WARS 101

I think that this movie is great!  If I was grading it, I would give it an A (95-98).  It wouldn’t get an A+ for reasons that I will discuss later (no spoilers), but this is an Excellent movie (going by the “grading scale” of many universities).

No offense to George Lucas (as creator of the world and characters), but this is the Star Wars adventure I was hoping the Prequel trilogy was going to be when it released.  This one had old characters and new merged into an exciting new adventure.

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE

I love both the old characters and seeing them return, but I also like the new characters.  I like the characters and the actors portraying them.  I think that they have enough depth to carry them through a trilogy and the story definitely gave them room to grow in future episodes.

I won’t reveal any of the characters twists, but I will say that BB-8 has probably become one of my favorite droids.  Like R2, the audience can’t decipher what his “beeps” mean without another character translating, but as expressive as R2 is, BB-8 is more so.  They convey a surprising amount of emotion through the droid and it is well appreciated.

LAUGH IT UP, FUZZBALL

As many internet reaction videos will attest (and you should watch NONE of them until you’ve seen the movie for yourself), the humor is really good in this one.  I think one of the reasons that I like Star Wars so much is the use of sardonic humor.  Rather than slapstick, SW has this wry humor that pervades the action.  From the “cheesy” dice in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit in SW, to the way Vader “disciplines” Star Destroyer commanders & the “hyperdrive” subplot with both Han & Lando, to Han’s outlandish comments to Chewie during the tense scene when they are trying to pass themselves off as a shuttle crew when they are sneaking to the moon of Endor (“I knew it was going to work,” Han says.  He had just told Chewie moments ago to fly “casually”).

Again, without spoiling anything, I think that the wry humor is back and updated for the “new” generation.  I could definitely see some humor that would appeal to Millennials, but there were also some nods back to Gen X’ers like myself.

Whatever you do, keep a close eye on BB-8.  For a CG character, many of his humor beats are pure comedic gold.  He’s a scene stealer almost every time he is on the screen (can you tell I really like this droid?)

THERE IS A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE

Now, I’m not going to lie and say that this is the best movie EVER.  When we were leaving the theater one young lady was remarking to her friends, “that was the worst movie ever–they way overhyped it.”  My mother was in instant disbelief.  Myself, I could only shake my head as it wasn’t the marketing folks who overhyped it–it was the young lady herself.  She went into the movie with the wrong mindset.

It is not an revolutionary movie like the original SW was, but an evolutionary one.  It takes the SW series back to the path it was on BEFORE the Prequels.  The Empire & Death Star were such an engaging conflict, of course we want to find out what happened AFTER those events.  SW:FA gives that opportunity.  It also gives us new characters with which to continue the adventure–just as Lando added history to the Millennium Falcon and Han’s backstory in Empire & Jedi, so to do these new characters give the audience a way to into the story.

The reason why I personally wouldn’t give this story an A+ is for 2 reasons: 1) while I like it and think that the movie is well worth the admission price, it isn’t my favorite SW movie.  I’d still have to rate the original series higher (nostalgia is coloring my perception, probably, but there it is).  I think this is the BEST movie I’ve seen in 2015, but I still like the original series of movies (as a whole) better and  2) they do have a lot of story elements from the original series as both a callback and as a structure.  If you have the original SW movies memorized like I do, then it will be EASY to pick out the story structure.  In one of the final plot elements, I had to willingly suspend my disbelief CONSCIOUSLY in order believe an element that happened.  Luckily, it was the only time and I felt that they were trying to appeal to nostalgia rather than just poor plotting, but I did have to do so.

THE FORCE WILL BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS

Still, even with those distinctions, I have no problems recommending this movie.  If you are a SW fan, you’ll love this movie.  If you’re not, or aren’t a Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan, you’ll be fine as long as you keep your expectations in check.

Remember, there can only ever be one REVOLUTION.  Everything else that follows is an EVOLUTION of the original.  Sometimes that evolution can be misguided and lower the value of the original (the Prequel trilogy in my opinion) or it can raise it to new heights (Empire and Jedi, again in my opinion), or it can reset the bar and establish a new course and new bar for the original (and that’s where I think SW:FA comes in and accomplishes wonderfully).

In short, if you haven’t seen it, run, don’t walk to the theater.  For myself, I can’t wait to see it again to pick up on the things that I missed during the 1st viewing.

May the Force (Awakens) be with you!

Dream Chattanooga

I’ve lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee for most of my life and I like the city–it’s large enough to have everything that a mid-size city should have (attractions, businesses, etc.), but not so large that it is impossible to move around and get things done in a timely manner.  It is familiar.

However, being the Fantasy/Science Fiction writer that I am, I tend to dream about Chattanooga being a more fantastic place than it already is–or perhaps I should say, “fantastical.”  I’ve noticed that I tend to dream of the city and when I incorporate it into my dreams, the results seem to mirror the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” in some respects.

THE STRANGE

A particular theme of my dreams when I incorporate the city is the idea that I’m looking for something, well, in a word . . . fantastical.  There is an element akin to something like Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, where it looks real, but in fact harbors the Strange and the Wonderful.  Another thing that I’ve noticed is that I always seem to be looking for some artifact in the dreams about the city.  I either find it and it is the best thing ever, or I go into the “dream world” remembering where it was and I’m always trying to find it again somehow, but (usually) it isn’t there anymore.  Dream interpreters, make of that what you will–I have my own thoughts about that however.

One dream that I can remember clearly where this happens is a dream that I’ve had at least twice since I was a child.  McCallie Avenue is a major artery into the city (downtown area).  When I was a child it was even more so as it was four lanes into the downtown area (about 14-15 years ago they changed it to a two-way in & two-way out to accommodate the increased college expansion on the other side of McCallie.)  When it was a 4 lane there was a small store/deli at the very terminus of the road where it split going to the left and the right.  Now in real life, I’ve never been in that deli/store, but it looks like a 1 story construction.  In my dream it was two stories and underneath was this mall-like area and there was a store that sold the most amazing things.  What were they?  I don’t know–can’t remember that part of the dream, but the impression was that they were awesome.  I made a promise to myself that I would come back and then I woke up.

Sometime later, I did dream that same dream, but when I went down to that area, and the “mall” area was still there, but the store that sold the “amazing” things?  Gone.  Nowhere to be found.  But, I would find it again . . .

DREAM GEOGRAPHY

Something else that I’ve noticed is the way my mind constructs the Dream Chattanooga.  It seems to meld places together.  As a child, my parents used to take my “around the mountain” to Tiftonia to buy fireworks.  Now, there’s no way to get there from Navajo Dr (a street off of Brainerd Rd and S. Germantown), but in my Dream Chattanooga there is and it will lead to this most amazing group of stands and stalls.  Imagine a farmer’s market, but instead of fruits and vegetables, you have trinkets, magic books, amulets, and the most amazing collection of fantastical “stuff” that you can think of.  This is where my store had gone.

Again, one night I found myself dreaming and on this same fictional road so I remember my dream-self saying, “Okay, let me see if I can find this store again.”  And I drove down the road, but where it should have been, it wasn’t.  And I continued to drive and drive, but could not find it again in that spot.

STILL DREAMING

So this “store” has popped up in many different locations all around the “dream city of Chattanooga.”  From a fictional “bookstore” located at the base of the McCallie Tunnels where the road splits and allows you to get on to Dodds Ave (there is no real bookstore there), to a fictional merging of Red Bank and Dodds Avenue where it appeared as a “superstore” (these two areas are on the opposite sides of the city.)

As late as two or three weeks ago, I dreamed of the store again.  It was on a fictional hill that is an amalgamation the “Ridge-cut” in the city along with Shallowford Rd blended with St. Elmo community.  All of these places are nowhere near each other (although St. Elmo and the Ridge-cut areas are not too terribly far from one another now that I think of it.)

THE DREAMERY

I’m writing this post for a couple of reasons.  1) I wanted to get this down in a fixed form because I’d like to write a story that features this “amazing store” in some way.  This idea of a “fantastical store” that disappears and reappears is appealing to me, and 2) to show that story ideas come from the unlikeliest of places.  I don’t know why my mind amalgamates streets and neighborhoods in the city like it does, or why when I revisit places in the dreams, the “amazing” things that I’m looking forward are no longer there.  I don’t know what any of this means, but I’m hoping that a story about might help me to figure it all out.

GOOGLE MAPS

Chattanooga natives will probably know where all these areas are, but if you’re reading this blog and you’re lost, I’d just google or google map some of these names and it will give you an idea of the places mentioned in this post.  :)

McCallie Ave. (Across from the Memorial Auditorium)
McCallie Ave. (Dodds Ave)
Navajo Rd
Red Bank
St. Elmo
Brained Rd
Shallowford Rd
The Ridge-Cut