Oct 2009
Detectives, Trekkies and Young Girls Gone Old
One of the great things about writing is the rush of
ideas that comes after you've written a substantial
section. On Wednesday, I wrote a significant bit
involving a confrontation between my hero, Phillip
Gold, and the Alderman on the courthouse steps, then
Gold's dinner with the attractive law student at one
of Hamilton's best Italian restaurants. It's a good
section and I like it.
But the two days since have been filled with ideas bursting into my mind about how to improve the scenes, how to heighten the tension, how to lay the ground work for what is to come. It's an amazing process. Literally, you write knowing that, once all the conscious and subconscious work has been done, you'll have to rewrite. Often significantly. You need to have written something in order to be able to do the imaginative work to write something.
So now I'm planning to go back and do a massive rewrite of the section I just wrote, deepening the conflict, involving other characters and setting up for the next step in the plot. Two steps forward, then back again to take the same two steps forward.
That's the writing process that I love.
In the meantime, Lynn and Gavin have headed back to Ontario, making the entire 14-hour drive in a single day. They left here at 7:30 a.m. and likely made most of the drive in daylight, an amazing feat at this time of the year. They're great guests to have, interesting and creative, self-sufficient and self-motivated, and not demanding at all. In fact, I think they did as much cooking over the seven days they were here as we did. And now I have a series of tasks set for myself with regard to this website that will make it really cool, I hope.
Of course, anyone who is willing to sit through an entire screening of the movie Trekkies without complaint is alright by me!
Also on the movie front, Patti and I wanted to watch something fun last night so we slipped 13 Going On 30 into the DVD player. We inherited this little Jennifer Garner/Mark Ruffalo vehicle from my Mom but had never watched it. For the first 30 minutes, we weren't sure we were going to be able to get through it all. A blatant rip-off of the Tom Hanks' classic Big, this movie seems silly and flimsy by comparison. Then, suddenly, it takes flight. Garner, who seemed awkward and gawky in the first half-hour, takes on new life and, amazing for a Hollywood leading female, shows a willingness to be wacky and weird. The Thriller dance sequence is especially funny and she sells it well. We were also pleased to find a film that finally gives the likable Ruffalo a believable role that suits him.
It's no classic but it was a good choice for a cold Friday night.
But the two days since have been filled with ideas bursting into my mind about how to improve the scenes, how to heighten the tension, how to lay the ground work for what is to come. It's an amazing process. Literally, you write knowing that, once all the conscious and subconscious work has been done, you'll have to rewrite. Often significantly. You need to have written something in order to be able to do the imaginative work to write something.
So now I'm planning to go back and do a massive rewrite of the section I just wrote, deepening the conflict, involving other characters and setting up for the next step in the plot. Two steps forward, then back again to take the same two steps forward.
That's the writing process that I love.
In the meantime, Lynn and Gavin have headed back to Ontario, making the entire 14-hour drive in a single day. They left here at 7:30 a.m. and likely made most of the drive in daylight, an amazing feat at this time of the year. They're great guests to have, interesting and creative, self-sufficient and self-motivated, and not demanding at all. In fact, I think they did as much cooking over the seven days they were here as we did. And now I have a series of tasks set for myself with regard to this website that will make it really cool, I hope.
Of course, anyone who is willing to sit through an entire screening of the movie Trekkies without complaint is alright by me!
Also on the movie front, Patti and I wanted to watch something fun last night so we slipped 13 Going On 30 into the DVD player. We inherited this little Jennifer Garner/Mark Ruffalo vehicle from my Mom but had never watched it. For the first 30 minutes, we weren't sure we were going to be able to get through it all. A blatant rip-off of the Tom Hanks' classic Big, this movie seems silly and flimsy by comparison. Then, suddenly, it takes flight. Garner, who seemed awkward and gawky in the first half-hour, takes on new life and, amazing for a Hollywood leading female, shows a willingness to be wacky and weird. The Thriller dance sequence is especially funny and she sells it well. We were also pleased to find a film that finally gives the likable Ruffalo a believable role that suits him.
It's no classic but it was a good choice for a cold Friday night.
Great Ideas Come to Town
27/10/09 19:38 Filed in: Writing
It's been an interesting couple of days. First, my
sister, Lynn, and her partner, Gavin came to town
from Toronto for a visit. We've been having a great
time. And, as an added bonus, they are both extremely
computer and internet savvy, so I've been picking up
a lot of tips for my website.
For example, I've added a new page to the website entitled "Video". This page allows me to embed the videos I've posted on Youtube so that people can simply access them from this webpage rather than having to find them on Youtube itself. It's pretty cool. I don't know if any of you will take advantage but I like the idea.
Second, and arising out of that first item, Lynn and Gavin have also suggested that I think about videotaping myself reading sections from my creative writing. I can post the videos on Youtube, then add a link to them on this website. That way, you can read my writing or let me read it to you. Sounds like fun. Of course, it will take a lot of planning since I'll have to make sure everything looks and sounds good. I'm also now feeling some self-inflicted pressure to revise the earlier Phillip Gold books before I do the reading. Or is that just a delaying tactic?
I'm quite interested in trying it with The Way Forward, my in-progress Rowling-world novel featuring Minerva McGonagall, Aberforth Dumbledore and the surviving Weasley twin. I wonder if I'll have the guts to do voice characterizations for each.
Third, Gavin showed me how I can put more photos on my website without making the computer file too big. It seems Rapidweaver saves each picture in its original size, even though what you see on the website itself is a much smaller version. By the press of a button, however, I can tell the program to shed the massive versions of the photos and just keep the smaller ones. So the size of the website dropped from about 15 MB to just two and a bit, without any loss of quality on the web. Cool. It means I can get back to putting more photos on the site and not worry about overloading my computer.
Best of all, I actually broke out of my slump, at least for the day, and wrote an entire scene for The Silent Goodbye. I'm pleased about that since it had been a while since I had been able to get myself to sit down and write. As so often happens when you start writing after a long absence, I had to leave a gap between where I left off in the plot and where I started up again; that way I can simply write the bridge section later, rather than having, say, two versions of the same scene to reconcile.
I wish I had a better memory, though. I have already forgotten some character names and many of the physical descriptions. That's really bad. That's why I've had to create the character and setting outlines: so that I can maintain consistency throughout the Phillip Gold collection, in spite of my bad memory.
A good day all around, thanks to Lynn and Gavin.
For example, I've added a new page to the website entitled "Video". This page allows me to embed the videos I've posted on Youtube so that people can simply access them from this webpage rather than having to find them on Youtube itself. It's pretty cool. I don't know if any of you will take advantage but I like the idea.
Second, and arising out of that first item, Lynn and Gavin have also suggested that I think about videotaping myself reading sections from my creative writing. I can post the videos on Youtube, then add a link to them on this website. That way, you can read my writing or let me read it to you. Sounds like fun. Of course, it will take a lot of planning since I'll have to make sure everything looks and sounds good. I'm also now feeling some self-inflicted pressure to revise the earlier Phillip Gold books before I do the reading. Or is that just a delaying tactic?
I'm quite interested in trying it with The Way Forward, my in-progress Rowling-world novel featuring Minerva McGonagall, Aberforth Dumbledore and the surviving Weasley twin. I wonder if I'll have the guts to do voice characterizations for each.
Third, Gavin showed me how I can put more photos on my website without making the computer file too big. It seems Rapidweaver saves each picture in its original size, even though what you see on the website itself is a much smaller version. By the press of a button, however, I can tell the program to shed the massive versions of the photos and just keep the smaller ones. So the size of the website dropped from about 15 MB to just two and a bit, without any loss of quality on the web. Cool. It means I can get back to putting more photos on the site and not worry about overloading my computer.
Best of all, I actually broke out of my slump, at least for the day, and wrote an entire scene for The Silent Goodbye. I'm pleased about that since it had been a while since I had been able to get myself to sit down and write. As so often happens when you start writing after a long absence, I had to leave a gap between where I left off in the plot and where I started up again; that way I can simply write the bridge section later, rather than having, say, two versions of the same scene to reconcile.
I wish I had a better memory, though. I have already forgotten some character names and many of the physical descriptions. That's really bad. That's why I've had to create the character and setting outlines: so that I can maintain consistency throughout the Phillip Gold collection, in spite of my bad memory.
A good day all around, thanks to Lynn and Gavin.
New Determination
24/10/09 21:20 Filed in: Writing
This dry spell has got to end. It's now been almost
three weeks since I've written a single word of the
Phillip Gold novel, The Silent Goodbye. I'm
not sure what's causing this extended interruption in
my writing but I've got to break out of it.
It's not like I'm spending my evenings doing exceptionally valuable things: watching TV, reading Peanuts comic strips, sleeping. No big deal there.
Of course, this week Patti and I are enjoying a visit from my sister, Lynn, and her partner, Gavin, up from Toronto. They're easy guests, enjoying sitting by the fire and chatting as much as we do. And they cook and help us with computer problems and do dishes and all kinds of great things. It's nice to have them here.
The hand-knit miracle socks, talking Star Trek bobble-head dolls and massive posters also contribute to how welcome they are in our home.
But their visit means I'm still not able to devote time to Phillip Gold. Once again, the problem seems to me that I've set up a barrier between me and continuing to write the novel: in this case, it's the compilation of my summary sheets for each recurring character and setting. I've done the raw work, reading through all the stories and novels and copying all the descriptions into compilation files, but now I have to sit down, review it all, and address inconsistencies over the various works.
I'm afraid that seems like a long and arduous task to me and I am a little fearful of starting it. If I don't start it, I can't finish it and I can't get back to writing the novel.
Next week. I promise. I'll take care of the barrier, then get back to the novel. I'm too close not to meet my goal of finishing before the end of the year.
It's not like I'm spending my evenings doing exceptionally valuable things: watching TV, reading Peanuts comic strips, sleeping. No big deal there.
Of course, this week Patti and I are enjoying a visit from my sister, Lynn, and her partner, Gavin, up from Toronto. They're easy guests, enjoying sitting by the fire and chatting as much as we do. And they cook and help us with computer problems and do dishes and all kinds of great things. It's nice to have them here.
The hand-knit miracle socks, talking Star Trek bobble-head dolls and massive posters also contribute to how welcome they are in our home.
But their visit means I'm still not able to devote time to Phillip Gold. Once again, the problem seems to me that I've set up a barrier between me and continuing to write the novel: in this case, it's the compilation of my summary sheets for each recurring character and setting. I've done the raw work, reading through all the stories and novels and copying all the descriptions into compilation files, but now I have to sit down, review it all, and address inconsistencies over the various works.
I'm afraid that seems like a long and arduous task to me and I am a little fearful of starting it. If I don't start it, I can't finish it and I can't get back to writing the novel.
Next week. I promise. I'll take care of the barrier, then get back to the novel. I'm too close not to meet my goal of finishing before the end of the year.
Time Out Continues
My extended break from writing continues. I don't
know what's behind it but I also don't seem to be too
interested in fighting it. As a result, I'm getting
nothing done.
I've taken up reading the Peanuts comic strips from start to finish. I have the first eight volumes of The Complete Peanuts in my book collection so I have finally taken it upon myself to read them through. I've always been a big Charlie Brown fan so this is a very nice way to appreciate the art and wit of Charles Schulz in a more concerted, comprehensive way. I'm only on the second volume right now but it's fun to watch as the now familiar characters take shape across the pages.
Phillip Gold remains on the back burner but much in my mind while Abigail Massey lingers as well. About the only writing I have been doing lately is an almost daily blog on sporting topics on the Fannation website associated with Sports Illustrated online. It's interesting to post a brief splash, say, on US college football and then watch as 10 or more people read it in the first half hour. Not that things continue at that pace for long: my most popular post has been read by all of 85 people. But it's kind of fun.
I have also added a temporary special section to this website. It's a page called "Buttons" (see top left) which offers a photo gallery of all kinds of different accessible door buttons and elevator buttons from around my place of work. We're planning a campaign to stop people from using these assistive devices if they don't need them; the more they're used, the sooner they wear out, the more often the accessibility of a particular building or room is compromised.
I like the photos, though, for some reason. So I thought I'd post them here for a while. Their presence on the web also gives our poster designers access to them without resorting to massive e-mails.
I will, I trust, be back in the courtroom with Philip soon; I'll let you know when that happens.
I've taken up reading the Peanuts comic strips from start to finish. I have the first eight volumes of The Complete Peanuts in my book collection so I have finally taken it upon myself to read them through. I've always been a big Charlie Brown fan so this is a very nice way to appreciate the art and wit of Charles Schulz in a more concerted, comprehensive way. I'm only on the second volume right now but it's fun to watch as the now familiar characters take shape across the pages.
Phillip Gold remains on the back burner but much in my mind while Abigail Massey lingers as well. About the only writing I have been doing lately is an almost daily blog on sporting topics on the Fannation website associated with Sports Illustrated online. It's interesting to post a brief splash, say, on US college football and then watch as 10 or more people read it in the first half hour. Not that things continue at that pace for long: my most popular post has been read by all of 85 people. But it's kind of fun.
I have also added a temporary special section to this website. It's a page called "Buttons" (see top left) which offers a photo gallery of all kinds of different accessible door buttons and elevator buttons from around my place of work. We're planning a campaign to stop people from using these assistive devices if they don't need them; the more they're used, the sooner they wear out, the more often the accessibility of a particular building or room is compromised.
I like the photos, though, for some reason. So I thought I'd post them here for a while. Their presence on the web also gives our poster designers access to them without resorting to massive e-mails.
I will, I trust, be back in the courtroom with Philip soon; I'll let you know when that happens.
Fabulous Fall
05/10/09 22:13 Filed in: Garden
Fall has certainly arrived in New Brunswick and, with
it, some of the most spectacular colours I've ever
seen. This morning, I took my usual drive down
Highway 7 between Fredericton and Saint John and
found myself driving through an amazing landscape,
almost other worldly in its vivid hues.
Highway 7 rolls over hills and through valleys as it heads south and offers some pretty impressive vistas. Sometimes, it's a hillside in the distance, awash in reds, oranges, yellows and golds, all mixed with a spectrum of greens. At other times, the forest comes right to the side of the road and the individuals trees leap out at you as you flash by, on fire with colour.
My mom would have loved this, the most
impressive autumn I've ever witnessed. She would have
wanted to drive and drive and drive, ohhing and
ahhhing at the trees. She would have loved the trip
Patti, Marlee and I took after work tonight, first
along Highway 7 to the valley town of Welsford, about
40 km from Saint John, then for a bite to eat at
Georgette's Diner, and finally the return trip home,
along the back roads through Fredericton Junction.
Almost every foot of the trip offered something
amazing to see (including a flock of deer in a
roadside field, which sent my heart into my throat!).
We videotaped the drive down Highway 7, then took some still photos in Welsford itself, including several of that magnificent tree you see in the photo at right. If you want to see the video (or at least some highlights of it), wait a couple of days, then check it out on Youtube by searching "markwwnb". It'll be there soon, along with numerous videos of Marlee Marie frolicking at some of New Brunswick's neatest spots.
Ahh, Fall. Nobody does it better than New Brunswick!
Highway 7 rolls over hills and through valleys as it heads south and offers some pretty impressive vistas. Sometimes, it's a hillside in the distance, awash in reds, oranges, yellows and golds, all mixed with a spectrum of greens. At other times, the forest comes right to the side of the road and the individuals trees leap out at you as you flash by, on fire with colour.
We videotaped the drive down Highway 7, then took some still photos in Welsford itself, including several of that magnificent tree you see in the photo at right. If you want to see the video (or at least some highlights of it), wait a couple of days, then check it out on Youtube by searching "markwwnb". It'll be there soon, along with numerous videos of Marlee Marie frolicking at some of New Brunswick's neatest spots.
Ahh, Fall. Nobody does it better than New Brunswick!
Merry Christmas and 27 Dresses
04/10/09 22:54 Filed in: Film
I'm in something of a writing short circuit right
now, with no energy for the task. Phillip Gold hovers
mid-trial and Abigail Massey is stuck in a rut.
So I'm watching TV shows and films instead. The other night, we watched a whole series of Mad About You episodes, and we've just enjoyed 11 episodes of Frasier in the last 24 hours. Tonight I watched the opening episode of CBC's wacky new reality show, Battle of the Blades, a live competition involving a retired male professional hockey players figure-skating with retired female figure skaters. The show's a bit stiff but the skating is fun to watch and these hockey players make their skating partners look absolutely tiny. I may just watch more.
What is it about the CBC anyway? Suddenly, they're offering a bunch of shows worth watching: Being Erica, Little Mosque, The Tudors, Heartland, Ron James and now this skating thing. If they're not careful, CBC may actually start selling some ads!
But I digress. I was planning to write about a couple of films we've seen recently: Merry Christmas and 27 Dresses.
Merry Christmas is a joint French, German and British production telling the fictionalised tale of soldiers from both sides of the battle in World War One putting down their weapons for Christmas in 1914 and meeting up in no-man's-land between the trenches for a brief break. It's a very effective, often frightening film that deals, among other things, with the idea that nations must train their citizens to see the enemy as something less than human in order to make them willing to kill in a war. The "fraternisation" that takes place among the foot soldiers undermines that effort and must, in the eyes of the commanders on both sides, be punished. It's an uplifting but chilling film, starring a series of European actors I don't recognise and directed by Christian Carion, that is very much worth your time to find and watch. And, if you get the two-disc version, be sure to watch the extra features. They're great too.
27 Dresses is not such a great film but it does showcase Katherine Heigl, of Grey's Anatomy and, I think, Knocked Up fame. Heigl is a revelation in this film and she truly lifts it out of the muck and mire of a bad script, poor direction and a mediocre supporting cast. Her performance in this uninspired version of the modern romantic comedy deserves better.
So I'm watching TV shows and films instead. The other night, we watched a whole series of Mad About You episodes, and we've just enjoyed 11 episodes of Frasier in the last 24 hours. Tonight I watched the opening episode of CBC's wacky new reality show, Battle of the Blades, a live competition involving a retired male professional hockey players figure-skating with retired female figure skaters. The show's a bit stiff but the skating is fun to watch and these hockey players make their skating partners look absolutely tiny. I may just watch more.
What is it about the CBC anyway? Suddenly, they're offering a bunch of shows worth watching: Being Erica, Little Mosque, The Tudors, Heartland, Ron James and now this skating thing. If they're not careful, CBC may actually start selling some ads!
But I digress. I was planning to write about a couple of films we've seen recently: Merry Christmas and 27 Dresses.
Merry Christmas is a joint French, German and British production telling the fictionalised tale of soldiers from both sides of the battle in World War One putting down their weapons for Christmas in 1914 and meeting up in no-man's-land between the trenches for a brief break. It's a very effective, often frightening film that deals, among other things, with the idea that nations must train their citizens to see the enemy as something less than human in order to make them willing to kill in a war. The "fraternisation" that takes place among the foot soldiers undermines that effort and must, in the eyes of the commanders on both sides, be punished. It's an uplifting but chilling film, starring a series of European actors I don't recognise and directed by Christian Carion, that is very much worth your time to find and watch. And, if you get the two-disc version, be sure to watch the extra features. They're great too.
27 Dresses is not such a great film but it does showcase Katherine Heigl, of Grey's Anatomy and, I think, Knocked Up fame. Heigl is a revelation in this film and she truly lifts it out of the muck and mire of a bad script, poor direction and a mediocre supporting cast. Her performance in this uninspired version of the modern romantic comedy deserves better.