Biff Price's Blog, page 2
July 19, 2016
World’s First Writer
World’s First WriterIt was announced today that the world’s first writer was discovered online at 3:30 p.m. on June 20, 2016 quite by accident. While surfing the Internet a man stumbled on an email that took him by surprise. When he read the message he was amazed. The text of the message follows: The Secret to Life High in the mountains of central Pennsylvania there is a cave near the small town of Clear Haven. The exact location of the cave is kept secret for obvious reasons – people would be combing the area from dawn till dusk if they knew of its existence – and those who are aware of the cave are unwilling to discuss it with outsiders.Discovered by a hiker in 1958, the cave contains the fossilized remains of what is believed to be the first recorded writing by a human. On a large slate rock in the center of the cave there are what appear to be crude letters scratched into the surface, The letters do not resemble English or any other form of writing presently known, but someone went to the trouble of recording his or her thoughts on the slate’s surface.In 1983 a scientist from Penn State University was given the opportunity to examine the rock, and the subsequent carbon dating proved that the text dated back at least 300,000 years. The scientist was sworn to secrecy.Earlier this year a world-class team of linguists and scholars was given the task of deciphering the text, but it took until last week for their studies to be complete. They announced that the ancient text contains the secret to life.The marks on the rock look something like this: *)-\^^^<,>’”^---(.1A loose translation would be, “Eating berries keeps you regular!”Gotcha!
May 31, 2016
Short Story Month Review
Thank you for all your support this month by reading my short stories. If you missed any, here a list of them and the links. Enjoy!
The Curse
The Song of Benjamin
Who Am I? 
No Laughing Matter
The Trouble with Murphy
The GameMay 30, 2016
May 23, 2016
May 22, 2016
May 15, 2016
May 8, 2016
May 6, 2016
May 1, 2016
My Favorite Childhood Books
I began reading at an early age. My mother said that I taught myself to read, but I don’t remember doing it. However, as all children do, I am sure I had favorite books along the way. At the age of 8 I remember reading Peter Pan in its original form (no pictures). When I finished the book I stayed up all night (no one in the family knew it) waiting for Pan to show up. I remember being disappointed when he didn’t come to my house. The thought of Never Neverland was an intriguing idea to an 8-year-old.
Sometime prior to reaching age 12 (about age 10 or 11) I discovered a whole series of books in our local library about Native Americans, the French and Indian wars, the conflicts between French and English settlers, and all about the Iroquois Nation comprised of six tribes. I went into the woods behind my home carrying my axe, bow and arrows, etc. and practiced Native American methods. For example, I learned how to call doves in the Native American way. To this day I am able to do this. One day, not many years ago I was in my driveway when I saw a dove on a telephone pole next to the street. Just for fun I used my childhood call, and the bird came and landed at my feet! Native Americans would sit very still for long periods. I practiced this and animals would approach me in the woods, not knowing that I was there.
My next discovery, at about the age of 12, was science fiction and fantasy. I had many favorite authors, including Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, etc. This fascination lasted until I was well into my teens.
I have read many hundreds of books in many different genres. Most writers begin as readers and then go on to writing. The gift of their imagination and ideas has impacted my life in positive ways. The two writers I revere most of all are J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia). I consider The Lord of the Rings one of the greatest accomplishments in the English language. My pick for “best” writer ever would be Ray Bradbury. He could say more in one paragraph than many writers do in a whole book.
Obviously, this is all subjective…for we humans are very subjective creatures, after all. We know what we like, and what we don’t like. What are some of your favorite childhood books and why? I'd love to hear.
April 24, 2016
Did the Movie Do the Book Justice?
Question: Has there been a movie based on a book, or a series based on a series of books and characters, that did the book(s) justice?Yes, of course. Two series that come to mind are the Harry Potter movies and the Star Wars movies. The Lord of the Rings movies have all also been outstanding. We could probably name many other books and movies that worked very well, but I'm happy to single out two favorites!
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is my first pick. Published in 1960, and released as a movie in December of 1962, starring Gregory Peck, the film is a powerful commentary on racial hatred in the American South. In what I consider to be his finest performance of all time, Peck, as the lawyer Atticus Finch, and his supporting cast of characters show a depth rarely seen in the films of that time. Yes, I am biased, but I believe Gregory Peck had more on-screen presence, greater ability as an actor, and delivered more power in a single sentence than all the movie actors of today. Mockingbird also introduced a young Robert Duvall to audiences.
My second choice is A Time to Kill, by Mississippi Lawyer John Grisham. He could not find anyone to publish his book until Wynwood Press in New York agreed to produce a modest 5,000 copies in 1989. It was not until 1996 that the movie was released with an outstanding cast featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Ashley Judd, and a young Matthew McConaughey, as attorney Jake Tyler Brigance. Brigance defends Jackson’s character, Carl Lee Hailey, in the murders of two white supremacists who raped and brutalized his little girl. Also set in the American South, A Time to Kill is an outstanding motion picture that did very well at the box office.
Good movies are often made from good books. Admittedly, some movies don’t measure up to the books from which they are crafted, but the successes appear to outnumber the failures. Making a two or three-hour screenplay out of a book is not a simple task. Staying true to the story and characters when creating a screenplay from a book requires great writing skill. Doing justice to a good book also requires a director who has the integrity and the desire to make the film as good as it must be to satisfy audiences who've read and enjoyed the book.
Share with me what movies you like that did the book justice?
