Month: May 2004

Restless

Writer guy

Remember when it was OK for a child to sleep in a parent’s bed? I’m 31 and the last time I slept in my parent’s bed was…well last night.

Since my parents are out of town and they are owned by two very large foxhounds that both follow rigid medication schedules, Mom suggested that I sleep over and tend to their pets.

Problem number one with this, the wife works in the other direction so it’s impractical for her to stay with me. Problem next, the bed is massive. On the surface perhaps that’s not a minus, but while the bed is the size of fricking Nevada widthwise, in terms of length the bed resembles Rhode Island forcing my feet to hang over the edge all night. The cramped, achy sensation resembles a hang over with none on of the pleasant memories.

On the plus side, the sound of the dogs barking at 5am cut my suffering short. Foxhounds are neither equipped with a snooze button, nor responsive in anyway to any pleas to be silent. They also don’t do bribery and require walks at unholy hours of the morning.

Besides that though, the hounds of hell are fantastic.

Whatever happened to the classics?

Writer guy

OK, despite my best efforts the first draft of Velocity is not done. Grrr. My projections called for Mid May, yet I’m not even 1/4 done, if even that far.

Why did the draft timetable slip so much? Hopefully for the right reasons. Based on some feedback received about the Ridge Runner, a 6th draft is in progress. 1st person is out, 3rd person is in.

There’s a bunch of caveats that come with the perspective shift, but essentially it boils down to this…

1) When I started the Ridge Runner, my sense of narration and description were weak which hobbled the story. Since my strongest suit at the time was dialogue, it made sense to go that route, forgo descriptions and dive headlong into 1st person. After writing more than a million words in the last eighteen months, my writing improved. It’s time to take advantage of that development.

2) The subject matter demands a certain balance between the characters. 1st person perspective has a tendency to dampen all the other characters, thus weakening the conflicts. To compensate for this, usually stories in 1st person are either tremendously funny or tremendously tragic. All well and good, but the subject matter of the Ridge Runner begs a more serious tone. Confessions of a Shopaholic Tracker this ain’t.

3) 3rd person is the best way to build suspense ( in my opinion ). Being close to the material, the story works best as a psychological thriller, rather than a next generation detective piece.

So that’s the holdup. Must return to my pages now…

Tuesday, the new Monday

Writer guy

Being funny when I feel like this requires more discipline than I possess, so my apologies in advance. Consider this a somber blog.

A not good thing happened early this morning; a relative died. While we were not very close, they were a real class act and cornered the market on kindness. They were the kind of person that makes the world a better place and shall be missed by many people, including myself.

One thing I remember about them, was that they were a soft touch when it came to my parent’s foxhound.

Mom: Lois, did you give your breakfast to the dog again?
Lois: Just the corners. She looked so little and hungry.
Mom: But we had pancakes.

Godspeed Lois Bradley. May you find the eternal peace and comfort you so richly deserve.

13 Going on 30

Writer guy

Tis the season for lots of comedies aimed at teens yet with stories broad enough to snag the adult market. 13 Going on 30 fits that bill to a T.

This is the tale of the girl who wanted everything only find what she wanted was what she had to give up. One minute our heroine is 13 trying to be cool, the next she is 30 and the epitome of cool, but all alone. Sort of Freaky Fridayish only she switches places with herself at different points in her life.

Side point, is the 80’s nostalgia movement absolutely horrifying or is it just me? Fashion was wack back then and it looks like fricking alien skin by today’s standards. Neon alien skin with pure Aquanet hair no less.

Anyway, it’s basically a lighthearted film. To say it was a romantic comedy would be a reach because the humor was more sweet than funny.

Three good things about the movie:

1) Jennifer Garner. On a scale of 1 to 10 she’s an 11.

2) The average guy next door got a chance at the hot chick. That gives us all hope.

3) The pacing and delivery was good.

Three bad things:

1) A little light in the laugh department, but the jokes didn’t fall flat so no big deal.

2) Jennifer Garner had to act 13. That made me feel awkward watching her at points.

3) Part of the movie was set in the 1980’s.

My vote – matinee it. It’s worth DVD if you catch the right sale, but it will work just fine on cable or video too.