Scott Pearson's Blog, page 11

Enjoyment vs. upkeep

I'm not a writer that feels every word put down is like getting a tooth pulled, I enjoy the process. Sure, it can be a chore, it can be hard work, it can be a struggle, but overall I'd rather be writing than doing just about anything else.

The reality is that writing is a little like enjoying your yard. If all you had to do was sit out on the deck with an ice-cold beverage and look out across the lawn, that would be great. But you've got to mow the grass, sweep the deck, pull weeds, trim branc...

Some writerly things...

On the one hand, I was first professionally published in 1987 (click for opening excerpt); on the other hand, here it is over twenty years later and I'm still hovering around the edges of maybe something happening. I don't mean that to sound like moping. I knew in the beginning that writing was a long haul on a road that might lead to nowhere. It is what it is, and you have to be ready to accept what does or doesn't come your way.

Still, under such circumstances, it is a difficult thing to all...

Lost . . . Spoilers and Retcons

So here's what I'm thinking one day later. Read no further if you don't want spoilers . . . you have been warned.

As the core group of castaways faded into the light and images of the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815 appeared on the screen, I thought, "Are you telling me that they all died in the original crash? Everything was essentially a dream of dying passengers?" That was a real WTF moment for a fan, but upon reflection, and discussion with other Lost viewers, I realized that was not the in...

Need a market for a mystery story...suggestions?

So I've got this humorous mystery short story I've been sending out on spec. First sent it to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine . It came back, but the rejection letter said they enjoyed reading it and I should submit to them again in the future. Was it just a very polite form rejection? Seemed more personal. Next I sent it off to Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine . It came back this week with a handwritten note telling me they had enjoyed it too. Sure, it's a little frustrating to be told the edit...

Avatar spoilers. You know, what the kids are talking about.

Watched Avatar on DVD with the kid. Caught a glimpse of it at a friend's house on Blu-Ray, which I found annoyingly hyperclear . . . very distracting. Something a hundred yards away does not look the same as something a yard away. Cranking up the resolution does not necessarily make things look more real, it makes them look more like a videogame. On DVD that was less of a problem, but some shots were still way too sharp from foreground to deep in the background for my tastes. This is a rich b...

Playing some old music . . .

The kid was cleaning her room and unearthed a CD of mine, Stay Awake .

This an amazing album of classic Disney songs covered by contemporary artists, such as the inspired pairing of Tom Waits with "Heigh Ho (The Dwarf's Marching Song)" from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. Other artists appearing vary from Los Lobos to NRBQ to the Replacements to Yma Sumac.

There are stunning performances on this CD. Some songs are haunting, even creepy, others are beautiful or fun, or off the wall. It was a su...

Donnie Darko: Spoiler-filled post only for people who've seen it.

Finally got around to watching Donnie Darko a couple weeks back. Great cast, very engaging, drew me in. The use of the old crazy woman's book, both visually and as a plot point was clever.

However, once the movie wound up, literally turning back on itself . . . that's where it lost me. I just don't think the puzzle works once you know the twist. Let's review.

Donnie is called out of his room one night by a vision of a man in a rabbit suit. While he's gone, a jet engine falls out of the sky and...

Random Movie Post . . . Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

The kid has been on a Spirit kick again lately and had me load a couple of the songs from the soundtrack onto her iPod.

I love this movie.



It is the most subversive, antiestablishment, stick-it-to-the-man, rebel-yell kids movie ever made. Let's review some of the plot elements:

Set in the historical Wild West, the lead character is a wild stallion; the lead human character is a Native American. The bad guys are the U.S. Army. So right there you know this is something different. But wait, there's...

Plugging an eBook start up . . .

A professional acquaintance of mine is starting up an eBook enterprise, eBooks for Pleasure. His mission statement is:

Our philosophy is to create a worldwide market for new English literature.

We have identified a need for authors to find a simple, economic way of selling eBooks. We want to concentrate on those who have written a novel, but who have yet to interest a publisher; or who are prepared to publish the book themselves, but find the costs prohibitive. Those who have already published ...

Writing Update . . . The Lazy Edition

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but tonight I'm too tired to do word counts and progress bars and other such bells and whistles, so welcome to the lazy edition.

"Of Murder and Minidonuts," the follow-up to my anthologized mystery story "Out of the Jacuzzi, Into the Sauna," is still out there in spec-submission land. It marks the return of wise-cracking Kate Sheridan, civilian private eye.

"An Accidental Life," a time travel story, was hung up on the last scene, so I took a break ...