Good morning

Good morning.

I am sitting in the Seattle airport, a place I have been many times before, and a place that holds countless memories for me. It is far too early for me to be up, considering where my circadian rhythms have me.

All that said (so you can gauge my mind set), this blog is ultimately supposed to be about writing, so let's talk writing.

Over this winter break of mine, I was expected to complete a draft of a play for Spence's class. It's a strange murder mystery playing out inside the protagonist's head. It is quite dark, and I think that darkness attracts Spence. However, I think that very same darkness keeps me from being very attracted to writing it. I prefer to write things that are happy and funny because I'd rather be laughing, all the same. In any case, I've written a bit more of the script, but still have a way to go.

I really want to finish this screenplay that I promised a friend I'd write. He came up with the characters and the world, but needs/wants me to write the screenplay. I really like the characters and the world he's created, and as I get closer to a finished product, you, dear reader(s) will know more deets (details). However, the story is just so ephemeral to me right now. It feels right and wrong in the same breath, and I'm not sure the tale I'm trying to tell fits within the Field three act structure. Nor do I think it would agree with McKee (So many books, I should write some reviews of the ones that have worked for me)... So, my problem is that I'm bringing my love for "meta" to the world of film. Not entirely unwelcome, but certainly awkward. Bah, enough complaining.

Go out and write.
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Bedtime Thoughts

Tonight will be a short night. I getting up at four in order to fly to my cousin's wedding. Three hours of sleep, fantastic.

I watched "Die Harder" tonight, and I will start out by saying I love the ironic title. I felt that the early Die Hard movies (by that I mean one and two) were especially interesting because they redefined the action genre. All this has been studied by folks a whole lot more verbose than I, and you can read it in depth from them. For me, the change happened with the shift from muscle bound supermen to the, more or less, guy next door. All of a sudden here is a hero the audience (presumably at least the white males) could really relate to.

I won't sit here (lay here) and pretend that John McClain is an everyman sort, but his actions don't transcend traditional levels of reality to much. There are repercussions to his actions, he gets injured, he runs out of ammunition, he questions his involvement in the action. All wonderful, and all not especially evident in the genre films leading up to this.

With all that to chew on, I'm going to throw out a quick question to muse as you sip your coffee as I jet overhead, has the tide turned? Are the heroes in action films turning back into the supermen of the eighties? Take a look at the latest installment in the "Die Hard" franchise, the not quite as deliciously ironic "Live Free or Die Hard" (I might be incorrect with the title.... How embarrassing). McClain is back, but he seems more capable in terms of the fantastic. He is no longer the cop down the street, but rather he has been transformed into the iconic figure of John McClain with his trademarked phrases and patented grimaces.

And just as John McClain's emergence signaled the changing of the guard, so to might John Rambo's re-emergence..........

Goodnight. Play nicely.
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Bedtime Thoughts

So usually, I really connect to movies/stories about writers and writing, and I find it is an easy way to motivate me into writing more.

For example, some movies I love (about writing) are "Shakespeare in Love", "Stranger than Fiction", et al.

For the record, a movie I do not like is "She-Devil". It involves a writer and writing, but I did not enjoy it (Interesting, though, to find myself watching movies two days in a row based on the premise of adultery. What is the prevalence of this discretion in our society?)

I also love the movie "Misery".

Because I am a writer, I like movies about writing. Is that a trend that continues throughout humanity? Do we prefer to listen to stories about our own little worlds? Or are we more attracted to the places that are alien to us. The writer leading us into the places we are afraid to pace... I'm not sure.

The oldest axiom about writing that I've been dished to is "Write what you know." But does the reverse apply? Read/watch what you know?

Think on it while I sleep.
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A new Job, a new type of Writing

So, I thought I would hold off on annoucing this new position that I've managed to acquire.

I've been "hired" as the Lead Writer for a small gaming company called Solid Stage, and we are working on a new MMO set in space. I'm writing the main world for the game, and coming up with the storyline. The game is called " Deep Transit".

I'm not exactly sure how much I can put in here about the work I'm doing, the writing and the world creation, so it will be a little light on that. BUT, there we go, there's something on the horizon. Perhaps sometime I'll even get paid for it.

Peace and love kiddos. I'll let you know more deets when I got em.

Bedtime thoughts

I am laying here in this warm bed, wondering what the hell is going on.

The power has been fluctuating between two positions. On and off, and its right annoying, especially as I am in the middle of a movie.

I am watching (attempting to watch) the movie "Waitress) which I am quite enjoying, but it raises two questions to me. One, how will this movie resolve to a happy ending (which a dear person has assured me it does) and two, is there a current trend of films/theatre/stories in which there is a moral justification for otherwise immoral actions?

The case here being adultery. Granted, as I write this, there has long been a Western tradition of glorifying violence, so perhaps moral justification for immoral acts is not a new concept. Fair enough. But, where are the moral lines drawn in story telling? Am I responsible, as an author for the actions I allow the protagonist to get away with? For the view that I take? Is it my view, or can I argue that the actions are those of the characters in the story?

All of which brings about the question of morality.... Is there a justification for any action? In the case of Waitress, does Keri Russells character have a justification for cheating on her incredibly atrocious husband? I mean, clearly, absolutely clearly a jerk in every stereotypical way... So much so that its a bit difficult to imagine how she could have married him in the first place. Say what you will about Stanley, but he has his moments, is great in bed and (especially when played by Marlon Brando) is one fine man. This Earl is a poorly disguised stereotype in an otherwise heavily dimensioned film.

There we go. The power is back on and let's see if we are able to finish the film.

*****SPOLIERS BELOW*****

The film has ended, and it did indeed have a happy enough ending. I mean, there wasn't a sense of closure for the relationship between the doctor and Jenna (keri russell). And isn't the doctor almost as "bad" as Earl for the manner he treated his wife? It's almost as if by not telling his wife about the affair, the damage is not done. I cry foul.

The characters of the two romantic leads were well flushed out, and I really enjoyed the banter between them. There was a genuine sense of comedy there, especially when the cliched response was given, the thrown out. A technique the male actor (also in Firefly (the captain therein) Scuz help me out))) seems to have perfected.

Okay, goodnight folks.
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"The Namesake"

Today I watched the Mira Nair movie, "The Namesake", which is quite good.

It's an interesting example of the film that explores the cultural melting point of contemporary society. The speed bumps of that new cultural assimilation. In this case, it is the story of an Indian family struggling with the Americanization of its children, while at the same time, it is the children dealing with being Indian Americans.

Oddly enough, I really did intend to speak about cultural notions, but I think the issue that comes up for me while watching this movie (yes, I am still watching the movie as I type this) is the notion of cruelty. As a writer, how can you be cruel to your characters. These entities of your own creation, and it is up to you to destroy them. I mean, let's be honest when we say there is little dramatic interest in a film (or play or story) where nothing bad happens to the protagonist. A question begins to arise, in my head at least, is it possible for a story to be dramatically interesting sans cruelty....

Perhaps, we shall see....
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Bedtime thoughts

Sitting in bed, laying really, I come to contemplating the movies I have seen recently, and the conjectures they have placed in my head. They are, in relative chronological order: "No Country For Old Men", "the Kingdom", "Shoot 'em Up" and last and least, "Jeepers Creepers".

Certainly, there is more to connect these movies other than their obvious predilection for violence. But I have to wonder if any of these films, nay movies, have serious value as either art or even story. Sure, they all tell some stories, and in the case of the Coens' quite well, but at the same time, all four of these movies left me very wanting.

I was enthralled by the world and the characters created by the Coens for their latest opus, and perhaps that is why their abject lack of logical progression in their otherwise hyper realistic movie bothered me so much. I hesitate to speak too much about the film because I would love my readers to see the film and come to their own conclusions, plus, I don't like to be one to spoil the movies. Be forewarned, it is impressively violent.

The start of this post, or at least the intent, was to discuss the concept of the story, or, to address the films I have seen lately and their general disregard for a quality tale. "The Kingdom" certainly seemed like it was destined for commercialism, and it did not disappoint. I felt I could have drawn out the beats of the movie, and laid it over the diagram Syd Field drew in "Screenplay". Too formulaic.

Okay, the bedtime notes are going to be a more regular occurrence as I try to make sure this site stays regularly updated, however, they are also to remain short.

So, goodnight. God bless.
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