Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Let's Talk About Writing--Part 2

Specifically, for the moment, Harry Potter which will be the template for that kind of book forever maybe.

Book 1 started with the tone of a children's book.  I understand why.  I don't fault Rowling, this was the beginning of her journey both as a writer and as the captain of the Ship of Potter, and she was finding her way.   There was the quality of being read to like in a library.  That tone was quickly dropped and never returned.  Yay.

An orphan child is not uncommon in literature.  Jane Eyre was an orphan.  A child who goes missing and won't be missed is an invitation to a big honking adventure.  Otherwise you have a Lifetime Channel movie (ugh).

Yes, I'm back to the confidant issue.  Harry Potter immediately regained Hagrid as a friend and protector, soon to be followed by Ron and Hermione.

If you want to keep your character isolated, then you have to deal with that.

Here's some story advice: you have to deal with everything you put on the table.

For everyone who thinks you don't, you can have a guest post and explain why.  You might convince me!

It's a very bleak and psychologically damaged character who cannot connect with anyone or anything.
How many times have you seen Cutting Edge, the ice skating movie?  I've seen it many times.  I love it.  Congrats to Tony Gilroy, that's a really good script.  But I'll tell you what's missing.  We never see Kate being a nice person.  We never see her connect with anyone or any other creature.  And I can tell you where they missed their chance.  It was so simple, it would have taken the same amount of time as what they used (I think Paul Glaser did a great job as director, so maybe it's a guy thing) and it would have given added dimension to Kate.  The audience would know by the movie PLAYING IT (Play it, don't say it.  Show, don't tell.) that Kate was in desperate pain and ached to connect with any living thing.  There's a scene where she's leading a horse by the rink (indoor ring?), it's early winter, there's a little bit of snow falling, it's gray.  Beautiful shot.  She could have stopped, buried her head in the horse's neck for a moment and then kept walking.  That little bit would have solved a big issue.

Maybe no one else had an issue with her.  Okay.  It's just me.  Why did Doug love her?  If she was really the Ice Queen, what was he seeing in her?  If we have the connect with horse scene, then when Doug watches the vid of what happened during Kate's performance at Calgary, we understand how tenuous her life on that tightrope has become.

Or just blow up the rink because ELF is angry with the father as a wealthy industrialist.  And we don't have to think about character motivation and depth.

What can I say.  There is another way to live.

I'm still working on my cookbook and here's a close-up of the shot I took this morning.  I love that D7000.  I got everything set up, raised the camera to my eye and said "I don't have my contacts in."  I can't see a bloody thing with just glasses.  Not up close.  Then I said "Yeah but the camera can see."  That auto-focus is perfect.  Way to go, Nikon!

So I really like colors and shapes and light.  I have a pal and sent this to him this morning saying "Just appreciate it for the colors."  But he sees things very literally.  He didn't like what was in this recipe so he couldn't enjoy it.

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