Rowling
Something for Clare
28/12/10 13:02 Filed in: Writing
Well, Clare, this latest addition to Chapter Five of
The Way Forward is for you. You told me that
you like the character, Kate, and wanted to see her
come back and so I've written her back in. You
suggested that her cousin be Penelope Clearwater,
Percy Weasley's girlfriend, and I've made it so.
I'm afraid that I couldn't build the scene the way you suggested it (with Penelope becoming jealous, thinking Kate's after Percy) but I think the tension in the scene is pretty good anyway. I hope you like it. The next scenes from this plot will have Percy and Penelope going to the Burrow to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about their wedding plans, to explain why Percy proposed to Pen so soon after Voldemort's defeat and Fred's death, to deal with the mingled joy and sorrow at the thought of a wedding without Fred. Then, of course, Percy will have to tell George. That's going to be a hard scene to write.
Our friend Stephanie has given me another idea for The Way Forward that I hope you like. Steph said she didn't like the fact that the Prologue of The Dealthy Hallows implies that Hermione didn't take a job at Hogwarts as a Professor, even though Neville did. Who better than Hermione to teach? So I'm thinking of having a scene (which would have to be much later in the book) where Minerva receives a letter from Hermione re-enroling in her seventh year at Hogwarts, to complete her magical education. My idea is that Hermione would then go on to a Muggle University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees, before devoting her life to researching the advances in magic that Voldemort made, trying to find ways to use them for good.
What do you think? What does Emily think?
I'm afraid that I couldn't build the scene the way you suggested it (with Penelope becoming jealous, thinking Kate's after Percy) but I think the tension in the scene is pretty good anyway. I hope you like it. The next scenes from this plot will have Percy and Penelope going to the Burrow to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about their wedding plans, to explain why Percy proposed to Pen so soon after Voldemort's defeat and Fred's death, to deal with the mingled joy and sorrow at the thought of a wedding without Fred. Then, of course, Percy will have to tell George. That's going to be a hard scene to write.
Our friend Stephanie has given me another idea for The Way Forward that I hope you like. Steph said she didn't like the fact that the Prologue of The Dealthy Hallows implies that Hermione didn't take a job at Hogwarts as a Professor, even though Neville did. Who better than Hermione to teach? So I'm thinking of having a scene (which would have to be much later in the book) where Minerva receives a letter from Hermione re-enroling in her seventh year at Hogwarts, to complete her magical education. My idea is that Hermione would then go on to a Muggle University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees, before devoting her life to researching the advances in magic that Voldemort made, trying to find ways to use them for good.
What do you think? What does Emily think?
A Christmas Break
Ten days off means a nice break from work and the
pressures it brings.
Patti and I decided to stay in Fredericton again this Christmas and play host to our good friend Stephanie, who has come from Halifax the past two years to join us for the holidays. Steph is one of those easy guests who fits right in, is comfortable from the first moment and enjoys a laid back, jammie-wearing lifestyle like we do.
I had a lovely Christmas, with Normand joining Patti, Steph and me for dinner on Christmas Eve, lots of time to talk to friends and family on Christmas itself and a couple of enjoyable evenings with our friends James and Patty (and family) here in Freddie. The weather has been playing games, of course, keeping Christmas green, then dumping about a foot of snow on us today (the 27th) to make life interesting.
The snow certainly made Boxing Day shopping a
breeze, since it made sure few people could get out
to the stores at opening time on Monday. Steph and I
trekked in through the deep snow to find Zellers a
ghost-town and the Future Shop just starting to pick
up. We bought the second season of Big Bang
Theory at Zellers for a great price (the first
season was a Christmas gift from Marlee to Patti on
Christmas itself) as well as a couple of movies. Then
it was on to the Future Shop where I succumbed to
temptation and purchased a basic Sony
Blue-Ray-Disc/DVD player for next to nothing.
And, of course, to test out the Blue-Ray high-def capability, we bought Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for $10, then came directly home to enjoy it. I had doubted the high-def would make that much of a difference but, even with a 720p TV, it was really quite amazing. I will try to control myself with regard to replacing DVDs I already own with the Blue-Ray version but I will keep my eye out for high-def discs of interesting movies we don't already own in the future.
And I got some great reading materials for Christmas as well. Malcolm Gladwell's latest, What the Dog Saw, was under the tree for me as was The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Hogwarts for Muggles) and an interesting novel: NIcholas Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners. I've already launched into the Gladwell and expect to enjoy all three books over the next couple of weeks.
Somewhere in there I'll have to find time to complete the revisions on The Silent Goodbye, my Philllip Gold mystery manuscript, with a view to submitting it to a publisher in January.
Patti and I decided to stay in Fredericton again this Christmas and play host to our good friend Stephanie, who has come from Halifax the past two years to join us for the holidays. Steph is one of those easy guests who fits right in, is comfortable from the first moment and enjoys a laid back, jammie-wearing lifestyle like we do.
I had a lovely Christmas, with Normand joining Patti, Steph and me for dinner on Christmas Eve, lots of time to talk to friends and family on Christmas itself and a couple of enjoyable evenings with our friends James and Patty (and family) here in Freddie. The weather has been playing games, of course, keeping Christmas green, then dumping about a foot of snow on us today (the 27th) to make life interesting.
And, of course, to test out the Blue-Ray high-def capability, we bought Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for $10, then came directly home to enjoy it. I had doubted the high-def would make that much of a difference but, even with a 720p TV, it was really quite amazing. I will try to control myself with regard to replacing DVDs I already own with the Blue-Ray version but I will keep my eye out for high-def discs of interesting movies we don't already own in the future.
And I got some great reading materials for Christmas as well. Malcolm Gladwell's latest, What the Dog Saw, was under the tree for me as was The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Hogwarts for Muggles) and an interesting novel: NIcholas Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners. I've already launched into the Gladwell and expect to enjoy all three books over the next couple of weeks.
Somewhere in there I'll have to find time to complete the revisions on The Silent Goodbye, my Philllip Gold mystery manuscript, with a view to submitting it to a publisher in January.
Contemplating Next Steps
24/12/10 08:57 Filed in: Writing
With Christmas upon us and my first review of The
Silent Goodbye now completed, I'm contemplating
next steps. I can't actually enter the revisions into
my manuscript until Patti has completed her review so
I have some time to move on to other things.
My friend Clare has been e-mailing me about The Way Forward, my Rowling-World novel that follows the lives of three minor characters from the Harry Potter series (which, by the way, is available on this website for your reading pleasure). Clare is a marvellously perceptive reader and an avid fan of Harry Potter so I find her e-mails very inspiring. She is adamant that the Muggle character, Kate, should have a continuing role so I'm asking her to help me plan the hows, whens, wheres and whys of Kate's re-emergence.
I am also starting to turn my mind to the next Phillip Gold novel. As I have mentioned before, I have two completed earlier novels (A Fleck of Gold and All That Glisters) but anyone who has read the first chapters of either or both of them (also available on this website) will be able to tell you that they will need a great deal of work to get them to a professional standard. I think they have good plots and interesting characters: it's just the writing that's substandard.
The question I face is this: are those novels strong enough to make the work needed to bring them up to snuff worthwhile? Or should I just set them aside as necessary practice in preparation for later Gold mysteries?
If I decide on the latter course of action, then I could get back to work on The Final Curtain, a new Gold novel that I have started planning in consultation with my nieces, Alex and Katie. I think this one has an exceptional plot in the works and would be fun to write. I feel like I'm leaning toward this novel as my next major Phillip-Gold project, though I have to admit I have been running revisions to All That Glisters around in my brain for a while.
Complicated. Maybe I should just work on all three at the same time, moving from book to book when I either run out of steam on one or have an inspiration for another. The Final Curtain involves all new writing for Phillip Gold. All That Glisters would require massive revisions based on an existing structure. The Way Forward is very different, working with established characters in a fantasy world, and is being written somewhat in free form.
It may just be that having that kind of variety available to me will help to inspire and keep me working!
My friend Clare has been e-mailing me about The Way Forward, my Rowling-World novel that follows the lives of three minor characters from the Harry Potter series (which, by the way, is available on this website for your reading pleasure). Clare is a marvellously perceptive reader and an avid fan of Harry Potter so I find her e-mails very inspiring. She is adamant that the Muggle character, Kate, should have a continuing role so I'm asking her to help me plan the hows, whens, wheres and whys of Kate's re-emergence.
I am also starting to turn my mind to the next Phillip Gold novel. As I have mentioned before, I have two completed earlier novels (A Fleck of Gold and All That Glisters) but anyone who has read the first chapters of either or both of them (also available on this website) will be able to tell you that they will need a great deal of work to get them to a professional standard. I think they have good plots and interesting characters: it's just the writing that's substandard.
The question I face is this: are those novels strong enough to make the work needed to bring them up to snuff worthwhile? Or should I just set them aside as necessary practice in preparation for later Gold mysteries?
If I decide on the latter course of action, then I could get back to work on The Final Curtain, a new Gold novel that I have started planning in consultation with my nieces, Alex and Katie. I think this one has an exceptional plot in the works and would be fun to write. I feel like I'm leaning toward this novel as my next major Phillip-Gold project, though I have to admit I have been running revisions to All That Glisters around in my brain for a while.
Complicated. Maybe I should just work on all three at the same time, moving from book to book when I either run out of steam on one or have an inspiration for another. The Final Curtain involves all new writing for Phillip Gold. All That Glisters would require massive revisions based on an existing structure. The Way Forward is very different, working with established characters in a fantasy world, and is being written somewhat in free form.
It may just be that having that kind of variety available to me will help to inspire and keep me working!
Some Happy Writing Developments
11/12/10 15:03 Filed in: Writing
Two positive things to report today.
First, I went to my neighbourhood Staples outlet and had my revised manuscript, The Silent Goodbye, printed for review purposes. Double-spaced but double-sided, the novel fills 390 sides of paper and now sits happily in a black binder, waiting for Patti's attentions and then mine. As I have said, I hope to have it revised and polished by the end of 2010 to be ready for submission to the publisher in January. I think it's a reachable goal and it's a nice feeling to see the whole thing so neatly presented.
One of the reasons for printing it out at this point is because Patti prefers to have a physical document in her hands when she reads and to be able to make comments and corrections right on the page. Another reason is the fact that I composed the novel entirely on-screen on computer: when I come to review it, I am hopeful that the new format (black print on a white page) will help me to gain some distance and perspective on the manuscript.
The second positive development is the fact that I have posted a revised and extended version of The Way Forward, my in-progress Rowling-world novel featuring characters from the Harry Potter series of books. For those of you who have already read the original four chapters, you'll find new material at the end of chapter four and in chapter five. I should mention, of course, that I have corrected and polished all four of the original chapters, even adding in several new scenes along the way. So, if you have the time and inclination, you may wish to re-read from the beginning.
I very much enjoying writing this novel, probably because I feel I know the characters so well from Rowling's books. I just throw them into new situations and see how they respond. I'll probably continue to write new material for The Way Forward for a while yet, at least until I dive back into the Phillip Gold manuscript for the final polish.
I don't really have a final plot plan for The Way Forward so we'll just have to see what develops for Minerva, Aberforth and George.
First, I went to my neighbourhood Staples outlet and had my revised manuscript, The Silent Goodbye, printed for review purposes. Double-spaced but double-sided, the novel fills 390 sides of paper and now sits happily in a black binder, waiting for Patti's attentions and then mine. As I have said, I hope to have it revised and polished by the end of 2010 to be ready for submission to the publisher in January. I think it's a reachable goal and it's a nice feeling to see the whole thing so neatly presented.
One of the reasons for printing it out at this point is because Patti prefers to have a physical document in her hands when she reads and to be able to make comments and corrections right on the page. Another reason is the fact that I composed the novel entirely on-screen on computer: when I come to review it, I am hopeful that the new format (black print on a white page) will help me to gain some distance and perspective on the manuscript.
The second positive development is the fact that I have posted a revised and extended version of The Way Forward, my in-progress Rowling-world novel featuring characters from the Harry Potter series of books. For those of you who have already read the original four chapters, you'll find new material at the end of chapter four and in chapter five. I should mention, of course, that I have corrected and polished all four of the original chapters, even adding in several new scenes along the way. So, if you have the time and inclination, you may wish to re-read from the beginning.
I very much enjoying writing this novel, probably because I feel I know the characters so well from Rowling's books. I just throw them into new situations and see how they respond. I'll probably continue to write new material for The Way Forward for a while yet, at least until I dive back into the Phillip Gold manuscript for the final polish.
I don't really have a final plot plan for The Way Forward so we'll just have to see what develops for Minerva, Aberforth and George.
Back to Writing
04/12/10 11:26 Filed in: Writing
Having put The Silent Goodbye, my completed
second-draft mystery manuscript, on the shelf for a
while, I've been wondering what my next writing
project should be. Even though my subconscious mind
has been working on ways to rewrite my earlier
Phillip Gold novel, All That Glisters, in
the new format and I have a new Gold project already
started (The Final Curtain, from an idea
provided by my nieces), I've decided to put my
mystery protagonist aside completely for a couple of
weeks.
When I do return to do revisions and polishing of The Silent Goodbye, I want to be coming back to it completely fresh.
So, instead, I've decided to go back to The Way Forward, the ongoing Rowling-world novel that I began last year. The rough first draft of the first 40 or so pages is available on this website but I've made the decision to use this free writing time to try to move the project significantly forward.
To that end, I've copied all four existing chapters into one file, moved that file onto my trusty net book and started working.
I really like this novel, to be honest. And, having now re-read all seven of Rowling's original books and seen the excellent seventh movie, I am enjoying the prospect of spending more time with her fabulous characters.
I re-read and revised the first 40 pages this morning and was pleased with what I found. There are a couple of scenes in there that I think are very effective and affecting and the basic concept of the book is sound.
It might seem strange to some people to think that I could spend this much time and energy working on a book that I will never be able to publish or sell but, in some ways, that makes the work all the more joyful. I am writing this book because I love doing it, because I enjoy the world and the characters Rowling created, not because I hope to make a name for myself, a career, or even money from it.
My book focuses on Aberforth Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and George Weasley. It explores the relationships among the magical races and between them and the Muggles in the world. It unfolds in the aftermath of the late-won war as the main characters attempt to deal with their new realities.
I don't know if I'll finish it and I'm not sure that's even the point. I want to enjoy the writing, the creating, the ongoing immersion in Rowling's world. If a finished work comes out of it, great. But that's not the goal of the enterprise.
When I do return to do revisions and polishing of The Silent Goodbye, I want to be coming back to it completely fresh.
So, instead, I've decided to go back to The Way Forward, the ongoing Rowling-world novel that I began last year. The rough first draft of the first 40 or so pages is available on this website but I've made the decision to use this free writing time to try to move the project significantly forward.
To that end, I've copied all four existing chapters into one file, moved that file onto my trusty net book and started working.
I really like this novel, to be honest. And, having now re-read all seven of Rowling's original books and seen the excellent seventh movie, I am enjoying the prospect of spending more time with her fabulous characters.
I re-read and revised the first 40 pages this morning and was pleased with what I found. There are a couple of scenes in there that I think are very effective and affecting and the basic concept of the book is sound.
It might seem strange to some people to think that I could spend this much time and energy working on a book that I will never be able to publish or sell but, in some ways, that makes the work all the more joyful. I am writing this book because I love doing it, because I enjoy the world and the characters Rowling created, not because I hope to make a name for myself, a career, or even money from it.
My book focuses on Aberforth Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and George Weasley. It explores the relationships among the magical races and between them and the Muggles in the world. It unfolds in the aftermath of the late-won war as the main characters attempt to deal with their new realities.
I don't know if I'll finish it and I'm not sure that's even the point. I want to enjoy the writing, the creating, the ongoing immersion in Rowling's world. If a finished work comes out of it, great. But that's not the goal of the enterprise.
Deathly Hallows Part 1 Impresses
22/11/10 19:25 Filed in: Film
I am about to offer my thoughts (a casual review,
perhaps) on the latest installment of the Harry
Potter movies series, Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, Part 1, which opened in
theatres last week. Before I begin, however, I think
I should offer up a series of disclaimers, if you
will, to allow you to understand clearly where I'm
coming from in writing these thoughts for your
reading pleasure:
1. I am a huge fan of J.K. Rowling's seven Harry Potter novels. I have read each one at least five times and I have probably read (or listened to on CD) the seventh novel, The Deathly Hallows, more than 10 times.
2. As a member of the Board of the Hamilton Literacy Council a couple of years ago, I was asked to name my favourite novel. Ignoring such classics as F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jane Austen's Emma, Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and even Stephen King's The Stand, I chose Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as my all-time favourite novel.
3. I own all of the first six Harry Potter movie adaptations on DVD and have watched them countless times, even if I'm not particularly happy with several of them.
4. I have begun to compile my own Harry Potter concordance and I have begun writing my own Rowling-world novel, The Way Forward (which appears on this website).
5. I am often consulted by friends on Harry Potter trivia and have never lost a game of Harry Potter Sceneit, though I don't get to play nearly as often as I would like.
Perhaps most importantly, I HATED the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Despised it. I watch it often enough to start to appreciate some of its unique merits but I still abhor what director David Yates and Co did to Rowling's excellent sixth novel.
I despised the fact that Yates and Co altered Rowling's original book in ways that went way beyond what was necessary to trim it to feature-film length or to make it more visually appealing. I felt that Yates and Kloves (I think that's the screenwriter's name) actually believed they could improve on the original, by inserting extra scenes of their own creation, changing the motivations of characters, rewriting the story entirely.
So I approached this new film with no small degree of trepidation. After all, Yates was still in the director's seat and he'd used the same screenwriter to adapt Rowling's tremendous novel. I was prepared to hate it.
I'm pleased to sat that, after the debacle that was the film version of The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a breath of fresh, Rowling air. Yes, the first 500 pages of the original novel have been adapted to become the two-and-a-half hour film but the adaptation is respectful of the book. It seems to recognise that Rowling's novel tells a ripping good story in an interesting and exciting way.
In trusting the source novel and in deciding to split the book into two parts, Yates has created what I think is a really good movie. Yes, my intimate knowledge of the seven books and six previous movies allowed me to catch references that others might miss and, yes, my partner, who is familiar with the Harry Potter stories but has not even read all seven of the books, found this movie a little tough to follow in places. But I can honestly say that this movie provides great entertainment for both fans and newcomers alike and is probably my favourite film since The Prisoner of Azkaban.
In the interests of brevity, here is a list of five things I really liked about this new movie:
1. Emma Watson as Hermione. Watson carries this film, just as Hermione carries Ron and Harry throughout the story. The young actress performs beautifully in quietly emotional scenes, such as early in the film when Hermione erases herself from her parents lives in order to keep them safe from Voldemort. Watson also holds her own in the scenes of great conflict and action, not allowing her character to be overwhelmed by the many overwrought villains who surround her. And she has an impressive ability to convey a great deal with a simple facial expression.
2. Director Yates' willingness to film entire scenes almost exactly as they appear in the book, trusting Rowling and the actors to make it work;
3. The several small changes that Yates and crew made to render aspects of the story simpler to convey or more visually interesting, changes which were both surprisingly creative and still true to the spirit and flavour of the novel: for example, rather than having to explain how Harry's use of "Expelliarmus" during the opening battle scene gave him away as the real Harry Potter, Yates has Hedwig intervene in the battle to protect Harry, thus giving her death a level of heroism that is missing in the novel and providing an easy but still plausible explanation for how Voldemort identified the real Potter;
4. The humour in the movie, matching that of the book, which brings much-needed comic relief to an intense, brooding story; and
5. The slower sections of the film, which allow an exploration of the finer points of the plot and characterization and give the three main actors a chance to show off their chemistry and really shine.
I plan to go to see the film again soon. I don't know if a second viewing will change my impressions of it but I'm willing to take that chance. And hopefully, this time, I won't have a family of obnoxious loud mouths behind me, making idiotic comments all the way through the film.
1. I am a huge fan of J.K. Rowling's seven Harry Potter novels. I have read each one at least five times and I have probably read (or listened to on CD) the seventh novel, The Deathly Hallows, more than 10 times.
2. As a member of the Board of the Hamilton Literacy Council a couple of years ago, I was asked to name my favourite novel. Ignoring such classics as F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jane Austen's Emma, Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and even Stephen King's The Stand, I chose Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as my all-time favourite novel.
3. I own all of the first six Harry Potter movie adaptations on DVD and have watched them countless times, even if I'm not particularly happy with several of them.
4. I have begun to compile my own Harry Potter concordance and I have begun writing my own Rowling-world novel, The Way Forward (which appears on this website).
5. I am often consulted by friends on Harry Potter trivia and have never lost a game of Harry Potter Sceneit, though I don't get to play nearly as often as I would like.
Perhaps most importantly, I HATED the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Despised it. I watch it often enough to start to appreciate some of its unique merits but I still abhor what director David Yates and Co did to Rowling's excellent sixth novel.
I despised the fact that Yates and Co altered Rowling's original book in ways that went way beyond what was necessary to trim it to feature-film length or to make it more visually appealing. I felt that Yates and Kloves (I think that's the screenwriter's name) actually believed they could improve on the original, by inserting extra scenes of their own creation, changing the motivations of characters, rewriting the story entirely.
So I approached this new film with no small degree of trepidation. After all, Yates was still in the director's seat and he'd used the same screenwriter to adapt Rowling's tremendous novel. I was prepared to hate it.
I'm pleased to sat that, after the debacle that was the film version of The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a breath of fresh, Rowling air. Yes, the first 500 pages of the original novel have been adapted to become the two-and-a-half hour film but the adaptation is respectful of the book. It seems to recognise that Rowling's novel tells a ripping good story in an interesting and exciting way.
In trusting the source novel and in deciding to split the book into two parts, Yates has created what I think is a really good movie. Yes, my intimate knowledge of the seven books and six previous movies allowed me to catch references that others might miss and, yes, my partner, who is familiar with the Harry Potter stories but has not even read all seven of the books, found this movie a little tough to follow in places. But I can honestly say that this movie provides great entertainment for both fans and newcomers alike and is probably my favourite film since The Prisoner of Azkaban.
In the interests of brevity, here is a list of five things I really liked about this new movie:
1. Emma Watson as Hermione. Watson carries this film, just as Hermione carries Ron and Harry throughout the story. The young actress performs beautifully in quietly emotional scenes, such as early in the film when Hermione erases herself from her parents lives in order to keep them safe from Voldemort. Watson also holds her own in the scenes of great conflict and action, not allowing her character to be overwhelmed by the many overwrought villains who surround her. And she has an impressive ability to convey a great deal with a simple facial expression.
2. Director Yates' willingness to film entire scenes almost exactly as they appear in the book, trusting Rowling and the actors to make it work;
3. The several small changes that Yates and crew made to render aspects of the story simpler to convey or more visually interesting, changes which were both surprisingly creative and still true to the spirit and flavour of the novel: for example, rather than having to explain how Harry's use of "Expelliarmus" during the opening battle scene gave him away as the real Harry Potter, Yates has Hedwig intervene in the battle to protect Harry, thus giving her death a level of heroism that is missing in the novel and providing an easy but still plausible explanation for how Voldemort identified the real Potter;
4. The humour in the movie, matching that of the book, which brings much-needed comic relief to an intense, brooding story; and
5. The slower sections of the film, which allow an exploration of the finer points of the plot and characterization and give the three main actors a chance to show off their chemistry and really shine.
I plan to go to see the film again soon. I don't know if a second viewing will change my impressions of it but I'm willing to take that chance. And hopefully, this time, I won't have a family of obnoxious loud mouths behind me, making idiotic comments all the way through the film.
A Quick Trip
Just back from a quick trip back to visit friends and
family in Ontario. A really nice visit, not too
frenetic, not too tiring.
While hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law, I actually found time to do some revision work on my Phillip Gold novel. It's coming along well. Most of what I did was cutting and pasting to reflect the new plot-order but it's progress. I really like the way it's turning out.
I also got the chance while in Toronto to see the original movie version (taken from Swedish TV) of Stieg Larsson's first thriller, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I was very impressed. The casting was perfect, with real-life (rather than Hollywood-perfect) people in the various roles, and I felt they got the two main characters spot on. The direction and editing were also excellent, with a lot of nice artistic touches that added to the excellently paced mystery.
What impressed me most, however, was how they dealt with the challenge of reducing a long, involved novel into a 150-minute film. Instead of dwelling on the sexual violence that permeates the book (and convinced me not to read the second novel in the series), they actually focused on Larsson's complex, rivetting mystery: the disappearance of Harriet Vanger. Great choice and it made for a fantastic film.
I actually believe that this is one of the few times that the movie is better than the book.
Meantime, I was continuing to read the fourth Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am absolutely loving it. It was great to be among friends who really appreciate the Rowling novels too: I had several very enjoyable chats with Emily and Clare on Potter-related topics while in Hamilton, which always adds to my enjoyment of my visits.
So now I'm back in Freddie and back into real life. I hope to be able to find some time to focus on Phillip Gold over the next couple of days to keep the momentum going. And I'll have to think about looking up the second Swedish film adaptation of Larsson's book. Maybe I'll just watch the movie and not even read the book!
While hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law, I actually found time to do some revision work on my Phillip Gold novel. It's coming along well. Most of what I did was cutting and pasting to reflect the new plot-order but it's progress. I really like the way it's turning out.
I also got the chance while in Toronto to see the original movie version (taken from Swedish TV) of Stieg Larsson's first thriller, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I was very impressed. The casting was perfect, with real-life (rather than Hollywood-perfect) people in the various roles, and I felt they got the two main characters spot on. The direction and editing were also excellent, with a lot of nice artistic touches that added to the excellently paced mystery.
What impressed me most, however, was how they dealt with the challenge of reducing a long, involved novel into a 150-minute film. Instead of dwelling on the sexual violence that permeates the book (and convinced me not to read the second novel in the series), they actually focused on Larsson's complex, rivetting mystery: the disappearance of Harriet Vanger. Great choice and it made for a fantastic film.
I actually believe that this is one of the few times that the movie is better than the book.
Meantime, I was continuing to read the fourth Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am absolutely loving it. It was great to be among friends who really appreciate the Rowling novels too: I had several very enjoyable chats with Emily and Clare on Potter-related topics while in Hamilton, which always adds to my enjoyment of my visits.
So now I'm back in Freddie and back into real life. I hope to be able to find some time to focus on Phillip Gold over the next couple of days to keep the momentum going. And I'll have to think about looking up the second Swedish film adaptation of Larsson's book. Maybe I'll just watch the movie and not even read the book!
A Balancing Act
I've managed something of a balancing act over the
past week, finding time in my busy days both to read
and to write. It's been a most gratifying and
enjoyable period, since I have been able to cruise
through the first three Rowling novels while still
making decent progress on the revisions of The
Silent Goodbye, my mystery novel.
As you know, a very kind publisher has read my novel and given me clear suggestions on how to improve it and improve its chances of being published. As a result, I've embarked on a major rewrite, the most challenging aspect of which is to take the two major plotlines, which were presented consecutively in the first draft, and have them develop in a parallel fashion, so that my major character tackles both at the same time. It's a great idea and will improve the novel immensely but it's not so easy to put into effect.
One plotline involves my main character, Phillip Gold, witnessing the assassination of a police officer, then finding himself involved in a desperate cat-and-mouse game with the professional killer. The other plot has Gold, a lawyer by training, in the courtroom defending a gang leader on a charge of raping the daughter of a prominent local politician. In the first draft of the novel, Gold managed to stay a step ahead of the killer for a week until the trial started, dealt with the trial, then wrapped up the assassin plot once the trial was over. In the new version, the two plots mix and mingle.
I'm well along in the revision but, perhaps not surprisingly, it's the new writing that is slowing me down. In order for the revisions to work, I have to extend the courtroom scenes somewhat and make Gold a more proactive character on the cat-and-mouse front. So that calls for some creative writing. I'm glad to say it's going well but it is slow going.
On the reading side of things, I have now dashed through the first three books of the Harry Potter series. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get myself to read these books slowly. Even after five or six readings of each one, I still get so caught up in the action that I bolt right through.
Before launching into The Goblet of Fire, however, I have interrupted my journey through the world of Rowling to read a book that both my sister and my partner have recommended very highly: Nick Hornby's Juliet, Naked. The author of both High Fidelity and About A Boy, Hornby has a wonderfully light, easy style of writing and a firm grasp of the challenges our modern world presents to us 40-somethings. I only picked up Juliet, Naked for the first time last night but I'm already a third of the way through: it's turning out to be an interesting, entertaining study of the impact of the web-world on the lives of average people, their sense of themselves, their interactions with others and their communities.
I'm very much enjoying it. I'm not one to take easily to new novels (I tend to read and re-read my favourites) but this one is certainly a winner. I'll do a more formal review when I'm done but I'm loving it so far.
As you know, a very kind publisher has read my novel and given me clear suggestions on how to improve it and improve its chances of being published. As a result, I've embarked on a major rewrite, the most challenging aspect of which is to take the two major plotlines, which were presented consecutively in the first draft, and have them develop in a parallel fashion, so that my major character tackles both at the same time. It's a great idea and will improve the novel immensely but it's not so easy to put into effect.
One plotline involves my main character, Phillip Gold, witnessing the assassination of a police officer, then finding himself involved in a desperate cat-and-mouse game with the professional killer. The other plot has Gold, a lawyer by training, in the courtroom defending a gang leader on a charge of raping the daughter of a prominent local politician. In the first draft of the novel, Gold managed to stay a step ahead of the killer for a week until the trial started, dealt with the trial, then wrapped up the assassin plot once the trial was over. In the new version, the two plots mix and mingle.
I'm well along in the revision but, perhaps not surprisingly, it's the new writing that is slowing me down. In order for the revisions to work, I have to extend the courtroom scenes somewhat and make Gold a more proactive character on the cat-and-mouse front. So that calls for some creative writing. I'm glad to say it's going well but it is slow going.
On the reading side of things, I have now dashed through the first three books of the Harry Potter series. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get myself to read these books slowly. Even after five or six readings of each one, I still get so caught up in the action that I bolt right through.
Before launching into The Goblet of Fire, however, I have interrupted my journey through the world of Rowling to read a book that both my sister and my partner have recommended very highly: Nick Hornby's Juliet, Naked. The author of both High Fidelity and About A Boy, Hornby has a wonderfully light, easy style of writing and a firm grasp of the challenges our modern world presents to us 40-somethings. I only picked up Juliet, Naked for the first time last night but I'm already a third of the way through: it's turning out to be an interesting, entertaining study of the impact of the web-world on the lives of average people, their sense of themselves, their interactions with others and their communities.
I'm very much enjoying it. I'm not one to take easily to new novels (I tend to read and re-read my favourites) but this one is certainly a winner. I'll do a more formal review when I'm done but I'm loving it so far.
Happy So Far
I finished the re-read of The Silent Goodbye
yesterday. I'm pleased to say I'm pleased. Very
pleased. It reads well and has good pacing. The
changes I've made have worked well, I think, and the
result is a tighter, more interesting story.
Now I go back to the writing again. I've got Gold heading into an action scene and the publisher who reviewed the earlier draft of the novel was not very complimentary about my action scenes so I've really got to focus to get it right. I'll try to write a draft tomorrow, sit on it for a while, then come back to it to polish it up.
So I'm happy. And I'm still on a pretty good time-line, which means I should get the next draft done by the end of the year.
My re-read of the Harry Potter series is also well underway. I whizzed through The Philosopher's Stone in 24 hours (well, after all, it is a 200-page book for pre-teens so it's a quick read!) and am now into The Chamber of Secrets. As always, I'm impressed with the writing, caught up in the action and amazed at the number of little details that emerge in the early books and then become major factors in later novels.
And this kind of process also helps to remind me how much better the novels are than the movies. I do watch the films from time to time because the action scenes are pretty awesome and I like the actors but the cut-down versions of the stories drive me nuts. The novels are so rich, full and deep; it's too bad that richness can't be translated to the screen. Makes me a little bit worried about the next movie. I love The Deathly Hallows and am scared that the film versions will be as big a disappointment as was the screen adaptation of The Half-Blood Prince.
The trailers I've seen on-line, however, look great so I am approaching the next movie with cautious optimism. Okay, cautious optimism and a great deal of excitement!
Now I go back to the writing again. I've got Gold heading into an action scene and the publisher who reviewed the earlier draft of the novel was not very complimentary about my action scenes so I've really got to focus to get it right. I'll try to write a draft tomorrow, sit on it for a while, then come back to it to polish it up.
So I'm happy. And I'm still on a pretty good time-line, which means I should get the next draft done by the end of the year.
My re-read of the Harry Potter series is also well underway. I whizzed through The Philosopher's Stone in 24 hours (well, after all, it is a 200-page book for pre-teens so it's a quick read!) and am now into The Chamber of Secrets. As always, I'm impressed with the writing, caught up in the action and amazed at the number of little details that emerge in the early books and then become major factors in later novels.
And this kind of process also helps to remind me how much better the novels are than the movies. I do watch the films from time to time because the action scenes are pretty awesome and I like the actors but the cut-down versions of the stories drive me nuts. The novels are so rich, full and deep; it's too bad that richness can't be translated to the screen. Makes me a little bit worried about the next movie. I love The Deathly Hallows and am scared that the film versions will be as big a disappointment as was the screen adaptation of The Half-Blood Prince.
The trailers I've seen on-line, however, look great so I am approaching the next movie with cautious optimism. Okay, cautious optimism and a great deal of excitement!
The Pleasure of Reading
16/10/10 12:55 Filed in: Reading
A pleasant Saturday morning all around. Despite the
latest hurricane doing its best to ruin our weekend,
it's actually been very nice so far.
I woke up early and sat in a hot bath, launching into Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first book in J.K. Rowling's magical series. What a fantastic book! I know, I know. I've read it a dozen times. It shouldn't surprise me. But it still does. I read almost half the novel before emerging, a little pruny, and taking Marlee for her first walk of the day.
A little shopping followed, one of those miraculous shopping trips where everything you want or need just happens to be on sale. I even got a brand new pitching wedge for just $10. Cool.
Back home again and, because the sun was coming out for a brief appearance on a rainy day, I took Marlee out again, this time for a run at the potato farm. Beautiful weather, warm even. Yes, there was a little mud and her feet are now pretty dirty but, still, it was good for both of us to get out.
Finally, back home. Patti's sitting in our new red leather chair, reading Nick Hornby's novel, Juliet, Naked, and apparently thoroughly enjoying it. Her laughter is interrupting me as I plunge back into Rowling's world. Hornby apparently wrote About A Boy and High Fidelity, both of which turned into successful films. Patti said she's finding it fun to read a novel like this by someone who is her age, sees things in much the same way she does, shares her experiences of the world.
She tells me I will enjoy it and, from the way she's responding to it, I no doubt will. I'll read it after I race through Potter again. All seven books. Cuz the movie is coming soon!
I woke up early and sat in a hot bath, launching into Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first book in J.K. Rowling's magical series. What a fantastic book! I know, I know. I've read it a dozen times. It shouldn't surprise me. But it still does. I read almost half the novel before emerging, a little pruny, and taking Marlee for her first walk of the day.
A little shopping followed, one of those miraculous shopping trips where everything you want or need just happens to be on sale. I even got a brand new pitching wedge for just $10. Cool.
Back home again and, because the sun was coming out for a brief appearance on a rainy day, I took Marlee out again, this time for a run at the potato farm. Beautiful weather, warm even. Yes, there was a little mud and her feet are now pretty dirty but, still, it was good for both of us to get out.
Finally, back home. Patti's sitting in our new red leather chair, reading Nick Hornby's novel, Juliet, Naked, and apparently thoroughly enjoying it. Her laughter is interrupting me as I plunge back into Rowling's world. Hornby apparently wrote About A Boy and High Fidelity, both of which turned into successful films. Patti said she's finding it fun to read a novel like this by someone who is her age, sees things in much the same way she does, shares her experiences of the world.
She tells me I will enjoy it and, from the way she's responding to it, I no doubt will. I'll read it after I race through Potter again. All seven books. Cuz the movie is coming soon!
Fowl and Potter
13/05/10 08:13 Filed in: Reading
An Open Letter to Emily and Clare,
Hi Emily and Clare,
I want to start by thanking you for introducing me to Artemis Fowl, the 12-year-old criminal mastermind created by Eoin Colfer. After our discussion at the dinner table last Sunday night, during which you told me that you and your friends are involved in a big debate over who is better, Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl, I decided I should go and check this Fowl guy out. As you know, I had a really hard time remember the little villain's name; I ended up reducing him (as suggested by your dad) to "Greek Duck". I did indeed manage to find a copy of the first Artemis Fowl book at the Bookworm in Westdale.
I then read this entire first book, titled perhaps predictably Artemis Fowl, before I got on the plane to fly back to Fredericton the next day.
I really enjoyed it. It's fun and witty and involves a playful third-person narrator who likes to talk to the reader directly. The "fairy world" is vividly created and the characters of Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Butler are well-drawn and interesting. I can't say the plot itself made me do cartwheels but it was certainly workable and moved at a nice pace.
But does it compete with Harry Potter? No way! Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a work of art. It is both subtle and clever and the idea of introducing the main character (and, with him, the reader) slowly into the magical world is brilliant. We feel awe as Harry arrives, for the first time, at Diagon Alley, at Gringott's, and finally at Hogwarts, as he discovers the powers within him and the friends (and enemies) who surround him. The plot is intricate and scary and the weaving together of the magical and muggle worlds makes the book memorable.
I think Artemis Fowl is very good, no doubt, but you can tell all your friends, from me, that comparing Fowl to Potter is about as fair as comparing your local police officer with James Bond. Harry Potter wins out, easily and with an abundance of class!
Thank you for giving me the chance to contribute to the ongoing debate.
Sincerely,
Uncle Mark
Hi Emily and Clare,
I want to start by thanking you for introducing me to Artemis Fowl, the 12-year-old criminal mastermind created by Eoin Colfer. After our discussion at the dinner table last Sunday night, during which you told me that you and your friends are involved in a big debate over who is better, Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl, I decided I should go and check this Fowl guy out. As you know, I had a really hard time remember the little villain's name; I ended up reducing him (as suggested by your dad) to "Greek Duck". I did indeed manage to find a copy of the first Artemis Fowl book at the Bookworm in Westdale.
I then read this entire first book, titled perhaps predictably Artemis Fowl, before I got on the plane to fly back to Fredericton the next day.
I really enjoyed it. It's fun and witty and involves a playful third-person narrator who likes to talk to the reader directly. The "fairy world" is vividly created and the characters of Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Butler are well-drawn and interesting. I can't say the plot itself made me do cartwheels but it was certainly workable and moved at a nice pace.
But does it compete with Harry Potter? No way! Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a work of art. It is both subtle and clever and the idea of introducing the main character (and, with him, the reader) slowly into the magical world is brilliant. We feel awe as Harry arrives, for the first time, at Diagon Alley, at Gringott's, and finally at Hogwarts, as he discovers the powers within him and the friends (and enemies) who surround him. The plot is intricate and scary and the weaving together of the magical and muggle worlds makes the book memorable.
I think Artemis Fowl is very good, no doubt, but you can tell all your friends, from me, that comparing Fowl to Potter is about as fair as comparing your local police officer with James Bond. Harry Potter wins out, easily and with an abundance of class!
Thank you for giving me the chance to contribute to the ongoing debate.
Sincerely,
Uncle Mark
Apparation Confusion
Not much progress recently. I've kind of fallen into
a bit of a lethargic state on the creative work, with
my career work heating up and a number of extra
projects coming my way. It's not the worst thing in
the world, to be frank, but it certainly makes
creating a "Writer's Blog" a little more difficult.
On the reading side of things, I'm back into Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this time trying very hard to read it slowly and thoroughly. I always find myself getting so caught up in the action that I whistle right through it so I am making a conscious effort this time to savour every word. And most of the words are worth savouring. I've noticed one significant issue, however, that I still can't figure out.
It has to do with Apparating, that process whereby a witch or wizard can transport themselves to another place simply by turning on the spot with a wand in their possession. In an earlier book, our crew takes apparating lessons. Hermione, as usual, does fine but Harry and Ron struggle. At the end of The Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore has to help Harry apparate since Harry is still not good at it and does not have his apparating license. Once Dumbledore is rendered incapable by the potion in the cave, however, Harry is forced to do the apparating for both of them and he is successful.
What I don't understand is why, in The Deathly Hallows, sometimes Ron and Harry are capable of apparating on their own and at other times they have to have Hermione's help. For example, when they move from Grimauld Place to the Ministry of Magic to put their plan into action, Rowling is quite specific that Hermione first takes Ron and then comes back for Harry. It's possible I've missed something but I can't figure out this inconsistency.
I know. Those of you who haven't read The Deathly Hallows eleven times like I have probably don't care but it still stumps me.
With regard to Luke, my new Phillip Gold novel, I hope to use some upcoming business trips to Ottawa (during which I'll have some evenings alone in a hotel room) to get back to writing. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
On the reading side of things, I'm back into Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this time trying very hard to read it slowly and thoroughly. I always find myself getting so caught up in the action that I whistle right through it so I am making a conscious effort this time to savour every word. And most of the words are worth savouring. I've noticed one significant issue, however, that I still can't figure out.
It has to do with Apparating, that process whereby a witch or wizard can transport themselves to another place simply by turning on the spot with a wand in their possession. In an earlier book, our crew takes apparating lessons. Hermione, as usual, does fine but Harry and Ron struggle. At the end of The Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore has to help Harry apparate since Harry is still not good at it and does not have his apparating license. Once Dumbledore is rendered incapable by the potion in the cave, however, Harry is forced to do the apparating for both of them and he is successful.
What I don't understand is why, in The Deathly Hallows, sometimes Ron and Harry are capable of apparating on their own and at other times they have to have Hermione's help. For example, when they move from Grimauld Place to the Ministry of Magic to put their plan into action, Rowling is quite specific that Hermione first takes Ron and then comes back for Harry. It's possible I've missed something but I can't figure out this inconsistency.
I know. Those of you who haven't read The Deathly Hallows eleven times like I have probably don't care but it still stumps me.
With regard to Luke, my new Phillip Gold novel, I hope to use some upcoming business trips to Ottawa (during which I'll have some evenings alone in a hotel room) to get back to writing. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
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.
Hard Reality
08/09/09 19:30 Filed in: Writing
I have to accept it. It's a hard reality but it
is reality: I'm blocked.
I've been making excuses on this blog for some time now but it's time I faced the fact that I am now facing a pretty nasty case of writer's block with regard to The Silent Goodbye. Even as I type that, my mind is coming up with all kinds of excuses: I'm too busy, work is overwhelming, too much to do at home, I'm working on other projects, etc. But the fact is, I'm blocked.
That's hard. And it's even harder because I know exactly what I should be writing. I just can't force myself to sit down and write it. That's sad. I am still working on the Phillip Gold Concordance and I'm still reading through the Harry Potter series again (I'm actually savouring book seven once again, forcing myself to read it slowly and deeply). That's fine. But I should be writing.
I'll get there. I set as my goal to complete a draft of the novel by the end of the year and that is still extremely do-able. I just wish I could get going again.
Maybe tonight.
I've been making excuses on this blog for some time now but it's time I faced the fact that I am now facing a pretty nasty case of writer's block with regard to The Silent Goodbye. Even as I type that, my mind is coming up with all kinds of excuses: I'm too busy, work is overwhelming, too much to do at home, I'm working on other projects, etc. But the fact is, I'm blocked.
That's hard. And it's even harder because I know exactly what I should be writing. I just can't force myself to sit down and write it. That's sad. I am still working on the Phillip Gold Concordance and I'm still reading through the Harry Potter series again (I'm actually savouring book seven once again, forcing myself to read it slowly and deeply). That's fine. But I should be writing.
I'll get there. I set as my goal to complete a draft of the novel by the end of the year and that is still extremely do-able. I just wish I could get going again.
Maybe tonight.
Toe Dipping
28/08/09 19:47 Filed in: Writing
I dipped a toe in the water of my trial scene. I'm
very proud of myself. The thing had been intimidating
the heck out of me so I thought I'd take two steps to
get myself re-started: first, I went on the web to
see if I could find sample Crown openings for jury
trials (I could); second, I decided to proceed very
slowly, very carefully while trying to be cognizant
of what each character would be thinking, doing,
aiming for with every word.
So I wrote about 300 words of Sharon Kyle's opening to the jury. I spent some time not only on what she would say but also thinking about how she would act and what impact her words and actions would have on Phillip Gold. And there's a lot going on there.
The last time Gold saw Kyle in action in a court room, he was on the witness stand and she was tearing him to pieces. So he's feeling a little bit vulnerable and embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Gold is not very confident as a trial lawyer while Kyle is the consummate professional. He wants to watch her closely so as to learn from her as much as he can.
And Kyle is drop-dead gorgeous, a fact that is not lost on Gold (nor on any one else in the court room).
This gives me lots to think about and lots to write about.
Going slowly seems to be working. I just hope my sister will be ready to receive a draft when I'm done. I'm thinking I should probably send her it piece by piece as I go along, rather than in one big chunk. That would give her a chance to review in brief spurts, focusing on each individual aspect of the trial (are you reading this, Janice?).
On the other side of the process, I think I mentioned that I have been re-reading the Harry Potter series (surprise, surprise!) from the beginning. I have just completed the fourth and fifth books (The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix, the first two longer novels) and was surprised to find that I have only read each of them once or, at most, twice. As a result, the movie versions were more prominent in my mind. I was delighted to rediscover how really excellent these books are, how much detail Rowling puts into them and how complex and layered the plots are.
It brought home to me, again, the deficiencies in the films. I guess I'm going to have to work hard to ensure that it is Rowling's originals, rather than the film derivations, that stay uppermost in my mind.
Anyway, back to work on Phil and Sharon, Gold and Kyle.
So I wrote about 300 words of Sharon Kyle's opening to the jury. I spent some time not only on what she would say but also thinking about how she would act and what impact her words and actions would have on Phillip Gold. And there's a lot going on there.
The last time Gold saw Kyle in action in a court room, he was on the witness stand and she was tearing him to pieces. So he's feeling a little bit vulnerable and embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Gold is not very confident as a trial lawyer while Kyle is the consummate professional. He wants to watch her closely so as to learn from her as much as he can.
And Kyle is drop-dead gorgeous, a fact that is not lost on Gold (nor on any one else in the court room).
This gives me lots to think about and lots to write about.
Going slowly seems to be working. I just hope my sister will be ready to receive a draft when I'm done. I'm thinking I should probably send her it piece by piece as I go along, rather than in one big chunk. That would give her a chance to review in brief spurts, focusing on each individual aspect of the trial (are you reading this, Janice?).
On the other side of the process, I think I mentioned that I have been re-reading the Harry Potter series (surprise, surprise!) from the beginning. I have just completed the fourth and fifth books (The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix, the first two longer novels) and was surprised to find that I have only read each of them once or, at most, twice. As a result, the movie versions were more prominent in my mind. I was delighted to rediscover how really excellent these books are, how much detail Rowling puts into them and how complex and layered the plots are.
It brought home to me, again, the deficiencies in the films. I guess I'm going to have to work hard to ensure that it is Rowling's originals, rather than the film derivations, that stay uppermost in my mind.
Anyway, back to work on Phil and Sharon, Gold and Kyle.
Harry Potter and the Second Chance
10/08/09 17:20 Filed in: Film
I just needed a little distance.
The first time I went to see the newish movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I was very disappointed. You can read my disappointment in my blog of 21/07/09. In anticipation of seeing the movie, I had re-read the book and, with Rowling's powerful prose fresh in my mind, I went to the cinema with high expectations.
It turns out, I approached the movie with the wrong mind-set. I went in looking for the ways in which the movie version stayed faithful to the book and the ways in which it diverged. Though Half-Blood Prince is likely my least favourite of Rowling's seven, I still respected it for its consistency of tone, its psychological and emotional depth and the new directions in which it took the characters. I also knew it would be tough to make this deeply introspective, tone-poem book into a successful movie.
This time, I went to the cinema on the spur of the moment Sunday afternoon, now three weeks separated from reading the book, intent on judging the film on its own merits. Well, my opinion of it has improved significantly. Yes, I still think it is a pale, shallow, hollow imitation of the book but, as a film, it works. (Now that's a back-handed compliment if I ever wrote one!).
I will never like what Steve Kloves did to the book in making it into a film script. I will never like the liberties he took not only with Rowling's scenes and story but also with her characters and their motiviations.
I do, however, have a strong appreciation for the look, tone and atmosphere of the film. David Yates and his crew have done exceptional work at creating an artistic film, filled with beautiful images and interesting visual constructions. Yates is especially creative in finding visual ways to show Draco Malfoy's despair as he languishes in his efforts to fulfill the Dark Lord's orders to him. Rowling used the literary device of having another character (Moaning Myrtle) tell the reader (and Harry et al) about Malfoy's torment; Yates isolates Malfoy in the corners of frames, pans from scenes of youthful frivolity to images of Malfoy alone and lonely, pens him physically in the architecture of the school.
Yates also does a very nice job with the "Wizards in the Muggle world" scenes, particularly when the sisters visit Severus Snape in Spinners End. The image of Peter Pettigrew seen through the fogged glass of the home's front door is stunning and Snape seems right at home in the dusty library.
I would (and no doubt will) watch this movie again, not simply because it is an adaptation of one of Rowling's books but also because it is so beautifully filmed and beautifully acted, at least by the veteran back-up cast. I can't say any of the three leads particularly impressed me with their acting skills but they do have a nice chemistry and the film's emphasis of the growing friendship between Harry and Hermione (a steadfast, unquestioning, rest-of-their-lives friendship) is a nice touch in preparation for the final films.
The first time I went to see the newish movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I was very disappointed. You can read my disappointment in my blog of 21/07/09. In anticipation of seeing the movie, I had re-read the book and, with Rowling's powerful prose fresh in my mind, I went to the cinema with high expectations.
It turns out, I approached the movie with the wrong mind-set. I went in looking for the ways in which the movie version stayed faithful to the book and the ways in which it diverged. Though Half-Blood Prince is likely my least favourite of Rowling's seven, I still respected it for its consistency of tone, its psychological and emotional depth and the new directions in which it took the characters. I also knew it would be tough to make this deeply introspective, tone-poem book into a successful movie.
This time, I went to the cinema on the spur of the moment Sunday afternoon, now three weeks separated from reading the book, intent on judging the film on its own merits. Well, my opinion of it has improved significantly. Yes, I still think it is a pale, shallow, hollow imitation of the book but, as a film, it works. (Now that's a back-handed compliment if I ever wrote one!).
I will never like what Steve Kloves did to the book in making it into a film script. I will never like the liberties he took not only with Rowling's scenes and story but also with her characters and their motiviations.
I do, however, have a strong appreciation for the look, tone and atmosphere of the film. David Yates and his crew have done exceptional work at creating an artistic film, filled with beautiful images and interesting visual constructions. Yates is especially creative in finding visual ways to show Draco Malfoy's despair as he languishes in his efforts to fulfill the Dark Lord's orders to him. Rowling used the literary device of having another character (Moaning Myrtle) tell the reader (and Harry et al) about Malfoy's torment; Yates isolates Malfoy in the corners of frames, pans from scenes of youthful frivolity to images of Malfoy alone and lonely, pens him physically in the architecture of the school.
Yates also does a very nice job with the "Wizards in the Muggle world" scenes, particularly when the sisters visit Severus Snape in Spinners End. The image of Peter Pettigrew seen through the fogged glass of the home's front door is stunning and Snape seems right at home in the dusty library.
I would (and no doubt will) watch this movie again, not simply because it is an adaptation of one of Rowling's books but also because it is so beautifully filmed and beautifully acted, at least by the veteran back-up cast. I can't say any of the three leads particularly impressed me with their acting skills but they do have a nice chemistry and the film's emphasis of the growing friendship between Harry and Hermione (a steadfast, unquestioning, rest-of-their-lives friendship) is a nice touch in preparation for the final films.
Some Kid and the Half-Blood Prince
21/07/09 17:05 Filed in: Films
I have been wrestling with myself over how to write
my review of the recent David Yates movie, entitled
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,
since I saw the film on Sunday. My major issue seems
to be that, after seeing the movie, I'm feeling,
well, despondent.
I am a huge fan of Rowling's seven Harry Potter books. I have also been favourably impressed with the movie adaptations of those books, even when they slowly devolved into mere "highlight reels" of the books, showing only the action sequences and little of the character development or plot complexity. Even then, the movies stayed true to the original and gave us a "Coles Notes" type review of Rowling's books.
Watching the film versions of Rowling's fourth and fifth books (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) was, to me, like watching the highlights of a fantastic baseball game on the eleven o'clock news: you see the big hits, a defensive gem or two, just enough to get the general idea of what happened.
When a game finishes 1-0 with both pitchers in top form and little in the way of hitting, the TV highlights end up shorter, with more focus on the pitchers. But what do the film makers do when the author pitches a no hitter?
That's what Rowling has handed them in her sixth novel. A gem of a book for literary purists. The book focuses on how Dumbledore sets about preparing Harry Potter for the task of defeating, fully and finally, Lord Voldemort in the seventh book. It is filled with interesting scenes and great writing, some fun character development as the three main figures reach and react to their new-found interest in romance, and very little action.
In fact, in Rowling's book, there are only two real action scenes and they come, one hard upon the other, at the end of the book. The other six hundred or so pages represent well-written back-story and character development.
It truly is the equivalent of a no hitter. If you want action, you'll hate it. If you like to see the craft of writing at its best, to read interesting character development and fascinating scenes, then you'll love it.
Director Yates, screen-writer Steve Kloves and their movie studio apparently hate well-pitched games. So they took Rowling's sixth book and said, "Yikes," then basically chucked it out the window.
Oh, they start in the same place: the wizarding world has finally accepted that Voldemort is back and at full strength. And they end in relatively the same place, with a major character dead and a war breaking out.
But everything inbetween they make up on their own. Honestly. Everything.
They invent scenes (including the first two and one already controversial one in which Bellatrix Lestrange burns down the Burrow, screaming "I killed Sirius Black", an echo of the previous movie). They revise scenes that Rowling wrote so as to completely change the motivations, tensions and long-term impacts of those scenes. They change things that do not need to be changed to translate the book into film.
It's like they're the sports editors for the eleven o'clock news and, when presented with a no-hitter, they decide to insert a couple of home runs from other games, just to make the highlights more exciting.
I might have ruined the movie for myself by seething through scene after scene that is neither based on Rowling's writing nor true to the tone, themes and characters she has worked so hard to create.
I am despondent because this movie is NOT Harry Potter. If I had not expected it to be Harry Potter, I probably would be writing right now that it was a lot of fun, filled with action and romance, great gags and some fantastically beautiful images. I would probably be writing about the pacing of the story, the camera work and framing of the action. Because all of that was exceptionally good.
But it's simply not Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It's Some Kid's Big Adventure.
If you are a Harry Potter fan and don't mind a few spoilers, I'm interested in your thoughts on the following points:
In the book, Harry hides his potions text in the Room of Requirement very carefully, so that he can find it back. He places it under a bust upon which he sets a strange tiara-like thing as a way to remind himself where he left it. This becomes very important in the seventh book because the tiara-like thing turns out to be the lost diadem of Ravenclaw and one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Harry finds it because, once he knows what the diadem looks like, he remembers seeing it. In the movie, however, it is made very clear that Harry does not want to find the book back, takes no steps to mark its place and, in fact, closes his eyes while Ginny hides it so that he won't be tempted to find it back. He never sees nor handles the tiara-like thing that turns out to be the diadem. So how will he find it in the seventh (or eighth) movie?
In the book, after they arrive at the top of the Astronomy Tower, Dumbledore takes a moment to immobilise Harry before Draco Malfoy bursts onto the scene. That decision by Dumbledore keeps Harry out of the picture as Dumbledore faces his fate but also allows Malfoy to disarm Dumbledore in his first act upon arrival at the top of the tower. Harry feels guilty later that Dumbledore chose to protect Harry rather than himself but this is part of the pattern that Harry (and later Voldemort) focus on: so many people have sacrificed themselves for Harry. In the movie, however, Dumbledore simply orders Harry to hide and not intervene. What does this do to Harry's level of guilt (now he could have acted but chose not to) and our perception of Dumbledore's character (he attempts to draw his wand later in the confrontation, in a much more aggressive move)?
And it is a key point in the six and seventh books that Dumbledore told Harry to involve Ron and Hermione in the Horcrux search, putting the three of them in a strong moral position to resist the interference of others. The filmmakers clearly make a conscious decision to leave Dumbledore's instruction to Harry out, making Ron and Hermione's participation in the Horcrux quest a voluntary matter. How will this impact the seventh movie?
There are many many more such issues but those are three that stand out for me. What do you think?
I am a huge fan of Rowling's seven Harry Potter books. I have also been favourably impressed with the movie adaptations of those books, even when they slowly devolved into mere "highlight reels" of the books, showing only the action sequences and little of the character development or plot complexity. Even then, the movies stayed true to the original and gave us a "Coles Notes" type review of Rowling's books.
Watching the film versions of Rowling's fourth and fifth books (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) was, to me, like watching the highlights of a fantastic baseball game on the eleven o'clock news: you see the big hits, a defensive gem or two, just enough to get the general idea of what happened.
When a game finishes 1-0 with both pitchers in top form and little in the way of hitting, the TV highlights end up shorter, with more focus on the pitchers. But what do the film makers do when the author pitches a no hitter?
That's what Rowling has handed them in her sixth novel. A gem of a book for literary purists. The book focuses on how Dumbledore sets about preparing Harry Potter for the task of defeating, fully and finally, Lord Voldemort in the seventh book. It is filled with interesting scenes and great writing, some fun character development as the three main figures reach and react to their new-found interest in romance, and very little action.
In fact, in Rowling's book, there are only two real action scenes and they come, one hard upon the other, at the end of the book. The other six hundred or so pages represent well-written back-story and character development.
It truly is the equivalent of a no hitter. If you want action, you'll hate it. If you like to see the craft of writing at its best, to read interesting character development and fascinating scenes, then you'll love it.
Director Yates, screen-writer Steve Kloves and their movie studio apparently hate well-pitched games. So they took Rowling's sixth book and said, "Yikes," then basically chucked it out the window.
Oh, they start in the same place: the wizarding world has finally accepted that Voldemort is back and at full strength. And they end in relatively the same place, with a major character dead and a war breaking out.
But everything inbetween they make up on their own. Honestly. Everything.
They invent scenes (including the first two and one already controversial one in which Bellatrix Lestrange burns down the Burrow, screaming "I killed Sirius Black", an echo of the previous movie). They revise scenes that Rowling wrote so as to completely change the motivations, tensions and long-term impacts of those scenes. They change things that do not need to be changed to translate the book into film.
It's like they're the sports editors for the eleven o'clock news and, when presented with a no-hitter, they decide to insert a couple of home runs from other games, just to make the highlights more exciting.
I might have ruined the movie for myself by seething through scene after scene that is neither based on Rowling's writing nor true to the tone, themes and characters she has worked so hard to create.
I am despondent because this movie is NOT Harry Potter. If I had not expected it to be Harry Potter, I probably would be writing right now that it was a lot of fun, filled with action and romance, great gags and some fantastically beautiful images. I would probably be writing about the pacing of the story, the camera work and framing of the action. Because all of that was exceptionally good.
But it's simply not Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It's Some Kid's Big Adventure.
If you are a Harry Potter fan and don't mind a few spoilers, I'm interested in your thoughts on the following points:
In the book, Harry hides his potions text in the Room of Requirement very carefully, so that he can find it back. He places it under a bust upon which he sets a strange tiara-like thing as a way to remind himself where he left it. This becomes very important in the seventh book because the tiara-like thing turns out to be the lost diadem of Ravenclaw and one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Harry finds it because, once he knows what the diadem looks like, he remembers seeing it. In the movie, however, it is made very clear that Harry does not want to find the book back, takes no steps to mark its place and, in fact, closes his eyes while Ginny hides it so that he won't be tempted to find it back. He never sees nor handles the tiara-like thing that turns out to be the diadem. So how will he find it in the seventh (or eighth) movie?
In the book, after they arrive at the top of the Astronomy Tower, Dumbledore takes a moment to immobilise Harry before Draco Malfoy bursts onto the scene. That decision by Dumbledore keeps Harry out of the picture as Dumbledore faces his fate but also allows Malfoy to disarm Dumbledore in his first act upon arrival at the top of the tower. Harry feels guilty later that Dumbledore chose to protect Harry rather than himself but this is part of the pattern that Harry (and later Voldemort) focus on: so many people have sacrificed themselves for Harry. In the movie, however, Dumbledore simply orders Harry to hide and not intervene. What does this do to Harry's level of guilt (now he could have acted but chose not to) and our perception of Dumbledore's character (he attempts to draw his wand later in the confrontation, in a much more aggressive move)?
And it is a key point in the six and seventh books that Dumbledore told Harry to involve Ron and Hermione in the Horcrux search, putting the three of them in a strong moral position to resist the interference of others. The filmmakers clearly make a conscious decision to leave Dumbledore's instruction to Harry out, making Ron and Hermione's participation in the Horcrux quest a voluntary matter. How will this impact the seventh movie?
There are many many more such issues but those are three that stand out for me. What do you think?