Greetings. I am Karen and I am a novelist. Today I am introducing my owner Gigi, a parti poodle who will be taking over the blog this week. Gigi is a fledgling writer and has been working diligently on a story of her own. She asked me if she could write the blog this week for writing practice. I said certainly especially since I have been busy getting my next book Musicology Volume Four, Sweetie! ready to release in March. I thought it would be good preparation for her as she has shown an uncommon interest in the written word for a poodle and I could use the break. This was all decided on the condition that she would behave herself and not harm Tucker the Maltese. So, without further ado, here is my poodle Gigi.
Good afternoon. I am Gigi the parti poodle, canes lupis familiaris. I am the owner of a novelist and am studying to be a writer myself. I thought I would let my poor bedraggled novelist take a break and I would write this week’s blog. I must tell you this is most exciting. How often does a poodle like me get to express her point of view? This week I have been going over a long list of log lines from which I will choose one to turn into a book. This is not an easy task. My novelist taught me to make a list of ideas, one must create such a list one idea at a time. Thus, I followed her lead. She challenged me to come up with one logline every time she took the Maltese and me for a walk. I have to say it has been cold since my professional sheering and my novelist puts me in this rather stylish grey sweater with a skull on it which fits me well. But the point here is since we walk almost daily, I now have a bevy of ideas from which to draw my masterpiece.
The problem of course is narrowing it down to one artistic concept. It is important the idea I choose is one I am willing to stick to. We poodles have such short attention spans you see. But I think it is important to be knowledgeable about the subject one is writing so being a dog I have a unique view of the world. I see it from a much lower level than humans. And yet I can climb up to heights much loftier than my size. I can squeeze my way into places humans do not fit. I can smell things with far more accuracy, and I can hear things that are further away.
Because I sit on my writer’s lap in the evenings watching television series and films, I understand the shows you humans like to watch. Some are marvelous and some are dreadful. But I have learned much from both types and believe myself confident in embarking on the journey of canine writer.
I am still working on finding my voice. This is something I do not struggle with when Fedex, USPS, UPS or even OnTrac comes to the door. But when I am engaged in creating my prose, this becomes more harrowing. I am told my bark is much bigger than my diminutive size, a statement I find most insulting if I am being honest. One should not judge one’s bark by the size of one’s frame. Just the same I am experimenting with ways to bring out my own inimitable style. As I am a cultured creature and descended from one of the brightest breeds of dogs, I think I can safely say I will bring a literary voice to the table as none have before...
I am Tucker and I am a…
Get out of here, vile mutt or I shall bite your ear like…!
Gigi! You promised me you wouldn’t harm Tucker!
This is MY blog! It is not his blog! It’s mine! You promised me! This was supposed to be my week to take over! He should be…!
Tucker, you need to go back to your pillow now. Gigi is doing the writing this week.
But I just wanted to make an appearance. I am cute and cuddly and make good appearances.
Tucker, just…please.
My feelings are hurt. Gigi hurt my feelings.
Okay, well…Gigi, could you apologize to Tucker?
Not a snowball’s chance!
Gigi is sorry, Tucker. How about you come with me and you can curl up while I read.
I still feel hurt. I do not thing Gigi apologized to me. But I will go. I like curling up. It is comforting.
Good riddance! As I was saying, I believe I will bring a unique literary voice to the annals of literature…can you believe that insipid fluffball! Trying to steal my thunder! Self-serving little…anyway, thank you for your ear and I look forward to presenting my work to you in the future. Au revoir!
MUSICOLOGY: VOLUME ONE, BABY! IS FREE ON AMAZON THURSDAY, 2/4 UNTIL SUNDAY, 2/7!
MUSICOLOGY: VOLUME TWO, KID! WILL BE FREE NEXT WEEK STARTING WEDNESDAY, 2/10!
STREAM OF THE WEEK: KEITH (2008)-Tubi
Todd Kessler co-wrote and directed this underrated realistic sleeper that is not your typical high school romance. This is the third choice in my Valentine’s movie series. We first meet Keith (Jessie McCartney) playing a game of pool with Al (Michael O’Keef) a man old enough to be his father. Keith tells Al he has figured out his concrete goal. When Al asks what it is, he tells him a girl. And when Al asks what Keith intends to do, Keith with a twinkle in his eye and verve in his voice says, “I’m going to have fun with her.” The her in question is Natalie (Elizabeth Harnois), who as Keith says is “smart, beautiful, popular” a “classic TGFY” (Too Good For You). Natalie is a hardworking likeable girl who is bound for Duke university on a tennis scholarship with a stellar grade point average. The question is why is Keith going to have fun with Natalie and what is the secret at the center of his cryptic plan?
SMART MOVIES FOR SMART KIDS: BOYS OVER FLOWERS (2009)-Netflix
This tremendously well-done romantic Korean television soap opera for the older kids is a genuine must see. Lower class Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun) inadvertently rescues bloodied and beaten student Lee Min-ha from committing suicide by delivering his dry cleaning right before he is about to jump to his death at the Shin Hwa High School and grabs him in midair stopping him from plummeting to his death. Jan-di’s heroic act is awarded with a scholarship to the prestigious prep school. But there is a dark side to her reward: the F4. The F4 is a gang made up of the four wealthiest boys in the school: Goo Joon Pyo (Lee Min-Ho), Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi Jung (Kim Bum) and Song Woo Bin (Kim Joon) who drove Lee Min-ha to try and commit suicide in the first place and now have it in for Jan-di especially the leader of the pack Goo Joon Pyo.
SCREENWRITINGU FREE CLASS FRIDAY: HOW TO WRITE CAUSE MOVIES
You can sign up for the class here. All ScreenwritingU classes are teleconferences that start at 12:00pm PST unless otherwise specified.
Gigi Catches Air 