Good Afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle…
And me Tucker the Maltese. I am here too…
Sit, mongrel and stay! Can you believe this? Anyway, I Gigi, parti poodle extraordinaire…
Tell them about the coffee! Tell them about the coffee….
You insipid…okay! Yes, I will tell them about the coffee. Lap dogs! Can’t live with them can’t…anyway, my novelist who likes tea also occasionally partakes of coffee and came across an interesting recipe on how to make ice coffee. Not being a drinker, she had to buy a martini shaker in order to create this concoction. So, what she does is she brews the espresso a little stronger than usual using a little more coffee and a less water. She puts ice, syrup, milk and the coffee all together in the shaker. Then she shakes the whole thing up till it is cold. Then she pours the contents over in a glass over ice. She likes to add a little whip cream to finish it off and a ring of caramel or chocolate sauce on the top.
It is nummy nummy!
The word is scrumptious you inane…oh, here is my novelist!

One of the most frustrating films I have watched (or rather re-watched) lately is Enemy. Everything about this film should work. It is an intriguing concept. It is well acted (especially by Jake Gyllenhaal). It is cerebral. It has great mood. And I wanted very much to like and recommend it. But the problem is it starts and ends oddly.

Now to be fair I have not read the novel it was it was based on called The Double by Jose’ Saramongo which might be outstanding. From what I have researched the film is rather loosely based on said book as opposed to say No Country for Old Men (based on a novel I did read) in which the Coen brothers stuck to the story well with excellent results.

One major issue in the film Enemy is the use of spiders and what they are supposed to represent. Spiders, from what I understand, are not used in the novel at all. It is something the screenwriter and director decided to incorporate. The problem is they do not really incorporate them well and when they do use them it creates puzzling results thus making the film polarizing. Some people like it and some people do not. I like the middle of the film immensely and was riveted by it more so than many other thrillers. But the ends, especially the ending are a mess.

Not to give too much away the film is about a history professor in Toronto, Canada who is depressed and bored. He has a winsome girlfriend but does not seem to be interested in her. She is merely a diversion from his repetitious doldrums. He is not interested in anything really. He gives his lectures on totalitarianism; he goes home and hooks up with his girlfriend. He gives his lectures on totalitarianism he goes home and hooks up with his girlfriend. He gives his lectures on totalitarianism he goes home and hooks up with his girlfriend…until one day. On that day he sits in a university break room with only one other person occupying the space, a man who, through dialogue finds out our professor does not like movies. Just the same he suggests a film called Where There’s A Will There’s A Way. The professor takes the man’s advice and rents the film and watches it. He does not think much of it until he wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes thanks to his subconscious one of the lesser characters in the film a bellhop is his doppelganger. And from here starts the journey of the professor attempting to hunt down his twin.

From what I read the director wanted to use the image of spiders to represent femininity. Okay, I can run with that. The spiders represent danger and entrapment. And I am sure the idea that some female spiders like the Hogna Helluo wolf spider eat the male after mating is to be considered here. But if you are going to do that you have to make that a lot clearer when you show the female characters from the beginning. Perhaps I missed it, but I did not see anywhere where the female characters represented spiders…except the bizarre ending. Yes, the film starts out with a phone message from the professor’s mother who has seen his apartment and found it wanting. And that’s all good and well. But when we do see the mother there is not an obvious allusion to spiders. There is not an obvious allusion to spiders concerning his girlfriend either nor the wife of his doppelganger.

In contrast if you watch the film Vertigo (based on the French novel Vertigo by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac which is an excellent read), for example, in one earlier scene the lead Scottie sees the other lead Madeline sitting on a bench observing a piece of art after he has followed her there. When Scottie looks at her, Hitchcock closes the camera in on Madeline’s hair which is swept up in a swirl that appears to be spiraling downwards. We realize that the swirl has two meanings: female sexuality and entrapment. Scottie is a confirmed bachelor and so his vertigo is not just one of heights it is one of falling prey to love. But in Enemy we do not get those clear motifs. If the enemy in Enemy is women (mother, wife, girlfriend) as opposed to his doppelganger, it needed to be much clearer both in the writing and the costumes, the set pieces etc. Then his ending (which I will not give away) would make sense and have a stronger impact.

I took a class once on how to write an ending to a film and these are the four things they said were crucial to a good ending:

1. The ending must be surprising, but inevitable.

2. The ending must be filled with meaning that has been well setup.

3. The ending must express and resolve the main conflict in some way.

4. The ending must be organic to the story.

The defect in Enemy is number two and because of number two number three as well. Had they written those two parts better the film could have been a home run.

While you’re waiting for my next post check out my novel Chicane on Amazon.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: THE INTERVIEW and THE GIFT-Netflix

Now here are a couple of suspense films which start strong and end strong. The first one is from Australia and the second was written, directed and co-stars an Australian. Both films are superb. One of the reasons I was hoping to tout Enemy is what it has in common with these two films: more substance less blood. It is difficult to find a modern suspense these days that is not bloody. Suspense should more about the tension than the explosion. But I think a lot of films like to use gore to mask over the blasé storytelling. Neither of these films does that and they are more riveting because of it.

The Interview is a smart cerebral film from 1998 that essentially takes place almost entirely in a police station. The film was co-written by the director Craig Monahan and Gordon Davie who also served as the films technical consultant as he was a police officer with the Victoria Crime Squad for sixteen years. The film starts out with a broke man living in a sparse apartment after his wife has abandoned him. Suddenly, his apartment is broken into by the police. They handcuff him and drag him off to the police station without much information as to why. After arriving there he is put into a room where his is interrogated by a Detective Sargent and his assistant, a younger detective. The detectives tell the man a car has been stolen and they are looking for the thief…or is that really what they are after? The movie keeps you guessing what is really going on and who the real puppet master is all the way up until the end. The DVD provides an alternate ending.

Australian actor Joel Edgerton wrote, directed and co-stars in The Gift, one of the best suspense films I have seen in a long time. Edgerton is superb in all three arenas here. I must warn you, however, this is a controversial plot so some viewers may take pause with it. But it is brilliantly executed just the same and an absolute must see. The film starts out with a young couple, Simon and Robyn (played dazzlingly by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall respectively) buying a house with lots of glass windows. (Now there’s foreshadowing). Something has gone wrong in their lives recently and they have moved from Chicago to California to start their life anew. As they are purchasing housewares to adorn their new abode Simon runs into Gordon better known as “Gordo” an old classmate of his from high school. Robyn does not know Gordo or his relationship with her husband…but she is definitely about to. Unlike Enemy, The Gift uses all its motifs and clues clearly and to full effect twisting and turning and then twisting again until its brilliant climax. I highly recommend this film. Do not miss it!

SMART MOVIES FOR SMART KIDS-A SILENT VOICE-Netflix
A Silent Voice is a beautiful and languid animated film that has something directly in common with one of the other movies I am recommending this week but handles the subject matter a little differently. It is for older children; I’d say about 12 and up and contains one harrowing scene. The film is in Japanese with subtitles. Shoya is a twelve-year son of a hairdresser. He and his buddies do not have a care in the world until a new girl named Shoko enters their class. But Shoko is different because Shoko is deaf. Shoya finds Shoko’s disability mildly annoying at first. But his annoyance turns into viciousness and cruelty until Shoko is finally forced to move away, an act which forces Shoya to rethink and change his entire way of living.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Afternoon. I have escaped my bedroom prison and believe me I have put that hijacking Maltese in his place. How dare he take over my blog?! It’s bad enough he dares to sleep in my novelist’s lap when clearly, I should be the one on the throne of honor. Moving forwards, my novelist is continuing to polish up the sixth book in her series and decided this week to focus on one of the films we watched on the “big shiny rectangle” as that boorish Maltese would put it. Without further ado, here is my novelist.

Some people are gifted, passionate and driven…and others go to business school. You could replace business school with law school too. Believe me. I grew up with a lot of people who became lawyers. And it is the premise of the fantastic underappreciated film Ford v Ferrari.

My novel Chicane is about a race car driver afflicted by unfinished business. And although it is a vastly different story, after interviewing with professionals and researching for my book I could appreciate the great care and technical knowledge writers Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller put into this screenplay. Especially Ken Mile’s dialogue where a lot of the science of race car driving comes to light.

The best scene in the film for me is not actually one of the racing sequences (although they are nothing short of spectacular). It is the moment where Ken Miles explains to Carroll Shelby the difference between Shelby (and himself) and the employees who work at the Ford Motor Company. It is one of the most truthful moments I have heard on film in a long time. Plainly put people hate people who can think differently than they do. Because those are the individuals who change the world. And not might I add just in the racing circuits and auto industries.

Ford v Ferrari was nominated for four Academy Awards and thankfully won for its outstanding editing (it also won the Bafta in this category) as it was clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. It also won the Oscar for sound editing which it also resoundingly deserved. It should have been nominated for a few more categories as well most notably Christian Bale’s outstanding performance as the insightful and talented but underappreciated Ken Miles.

And to further support the film’s premise Ford v Ferrari is one of those movies where the audience rated it higher than the critics. If you do not believe me go and look at the tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes for Ford v Ferrari. And while you are at it look at another film the critics rated lower than the audience, a little-known nineties flick called The Shawshank Redemption. The audience is right on both accounts. In fact, look at a lot of films that have come out over the past decade, especially some of the award winners that received critical acclaim and compare the audiences score to the critics score. You will start to see a disappointing pattern. I certainly did.

Unfortunately, Ford v Ferrari is not available to stream on Netflix or Amazon currently. But if you can rent Ford v Ferrari on DVD, I highly recommend it. I wish I had seen it in the theatres because all the racing scenes must look incredible on the big screen. And the feel and look of the movie is gorgeous. You genuinely believe you are in the world of race car driving.

While you are waiting for my next post you can check out my novel Chicane on Amazon.

There is a Free Class Friday 5/22/2020 @ Noon with ScreenwritingU. It is called 15 Ways To Rewrite Your Script. You can go here to reserve a spot and join the class.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: A MAN WITH A MISSION MOVIES: THE FURY OF A PATIENT MAN and BLUE RUIN-Netflix

The Fury of a Patient Man is about a mild mannered average middle-class gentleman who strikes up a relationship with a beautiful café owner. The café owner has a boyfriend she shares a young child with, but the boyfriend runs with a dangerous crowd. In fact, he has been spending a lot of time in prison because he and his buddies get their kicks robbing jewelry stores. And why does this mild mannered average middle-class man get involved with these nefarious characters? Because HE’S VERY TICKED OFF!!! The Fury of a Patient Man is a tense driven revenge story about a respectable man who is determined, and I mean determined to deal with those who crossed his path. Yes, this movie is in Spanish so you may have to use subtitles. But if you don’t watch movies with subtitles sometimes, you’re going to miss out on a plethora of great stories. So, buck it up, turn on the subtitles and go for this fantastic ride.

Blue Ruin is one of my favorite films of the past decade. Serendipitously cast with the wonderful Macon Blair in the lead, this is one you do not want to miss. Now this ironically is one of those films where the critics got it right giving it a whopping 96% positive and the audience got it wrong. It is also a revenge movie though it plays out a little differently than my other recommendation. Homeless and living out of his car Dwight gets the news his arch enemy has just been released from prison. Terrified and furious at the same time Dwight sets out on a journey to set things right…if you know what I mean. Although not an expensively made movie this film is gorgeous looking, and the use of blue throughout is reminiscent of the look of the film Bleu from the masterpiece Trois Colors by legendary filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski. Look for Eve Plumb…yes, that’s right Jan from The Brady Bunch in a tour de force role.

SMART FILMS FOR SMART KIDS: BOLT-Netflix

We’ll call this one the dog on a mission movie. Some of you may have caught this one and some of you may have passed. Either way, this is a terrific dog on a mission/road picture film for kids and adults alike. A dog named Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is the star of an spy action television show which he believes is real. On the show Bolt has superhero powers he believes are real too. His owner is the co-star of the show, a girl named Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus). When Bolt crosses paths with some mean spirited cats who act in minor roles on the show, Bolt ends up being accidentally shipped in a box from Los Angeles to New York city where he meets another feline, the world weary alley cat Mittens who the delusional Bolt employs to help him get back to the make believe world of television.

 

Hello. My name is Tucker and I am a Maltese. I have short legs and soft white fur and I am sweet. The poodle who is locked in the bedroom right now is not sweet. She bit my ear once and it hurt. She tries to herd me around and snaps at me. I do not like her. I am not sure if she is German or French but either way, I am scared. She is barking a lot right now and it is very loud. I want to be the dog to introduce our novelist for once. Most of the time if I get near the computer, the poodle charges at me and I do not like that. It makes me nervous. I do not like being nervous. I like being calm like when I lie next to my novelist and watch the big shiny rectangle. My novelist tells me I am an ISFJ. I am going to introduce my novelist now. Are you ready? Okay…what was I going to say…?

I am nearing the end of rewriting and polishing the fifth book of my series for publication and will soon be moving on to book six. I am still on schedule to publish the first book of the series this summer. In the meantime, I thought I would talk a bit more about personality types for characters and focus on totem animals for each temperament.

Towards the beginning of chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 in David Keirsey’s book Please Understand Me Two he has assigned each of the four temperaments a totem animal. I like to think of them as mascots. What is great about this for a writer is it gives you ways to describe your character both externally and internally. Let’s look at all four.

Artisans or Dionysians (ESTP, ISTP, ESFP and ISFP) are represented by the fox. The fox is a predator and an intelligent one. They do not often spend time on prey they cannot catch. I cannot emphasize this point enough: they do not often spend time on prey they cannot catch. And in future posts I will go into deeper analysis about this salient point. They themselves are difficult to capture like the Roadrunner or maybe someone like Tom Sawyer or Bart Simpson. A lot of them are athletic. In fact, ISTP personalities are the most likely to receive a sports scholarship. This would be a hint on how your SP character moves. They would not be clumsy. They may be graceful dancers or wily magicians.

Artisans live in the now and rely on their senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. If you are looking to create a villain like say Hopper from A Bug’s Life, or Stanley Kowalski from A Streetcar Named Desire you would be wise to create an extroverted thinking artisan. Another couple of great examples are Lalo Salamanca from Better Call Saul and Tuco Salamanca from Breaking Bad. If you are looking for a more discretely clever character like say a musician or songwriter or artist, you might look to creating an introverted SP such as Schroder from Peanuts Pip from Great Expectations.

Guardians or Melancholics (ESTJ, ISTJ, ESFJ and ISFJ) are represented by the Beaver or the Squirrel. They tend to be hoarders so if you see a Got Junk truck backing up to someone’s house with a film crew in tow you can bet you have got an SJ on your hands. They have two great traits. First, they are extremely hard workers. And second, they are assiduous about saving up for a rainy day, a famine or say a pandemic. They tend to do things for their community so if say a predator (see Artisans) is on the loose they will send out a warning to the other beavers or squirrels.

If you are going to write a story with an SJ character you want to think of that character as always serving the institution whatever that may be. It could be a school, club, corporation, whatever. They will always put the institution first. Think of Richard Vernon from The Breakfast Club. And they are nuts about their money. Life is about working for and saving money like Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins. And they like to embrace doom. Think of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

They too are like the Artisans in that they rely on their senses. If they cannot detect something from sight, sound, touch, taste or smell it is hard to convince them it is real. However, unlike the Artisans who live in the present Guardians live in the past constantly embracing tradition. Because of their sensory nature both Guardians and Artisans alike may have strange fixations on food or spas or massage parlors or getting their hair done because they are sensory driven.

Idealist or Cholerics (ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP and INFP) are represented by the Dolphin. The dolphin is highly intelligent, friendly, and collaborative. Idealists like to have tight knit groups of friends and family they associate with. They are people-people. They understand people and like to be around people like Cher Horowitz (aka Emma Woodhouse) from Clueless (and Emma from the novel)and Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. And they look towards the future like Atticus Finch Luke Skywalker and Captain America. They love to be told the same story repeatedly and tend to have large imaginations. They are whimsical people who make excellent counselors and great writers. And most importantly they understand and have a love for the abstract. Idealists are popular choices for lead characters will physically lead with their hearts when they walk. They may also lead from the top of their head if you are looking to create an ethereal type of character.

One major drawback to Idealists is their tendency to often be attracted to narcissists like Benjamin Braddock (The Graduate from the novel) or Rapunzel (Tangled from the fairytale). This makes them excellent as both heroes and victims to put in your stories. For best results you will want to put an extroverted NF with an introverted NT narcissist and an introverted NF with an extroverted NT narcissist.

Rationals or Phlegmatics (ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP and INTP) are represented by the Owl. Keirsey noted that owls are amongst the most competent winged predators. They can see in the dark and have great big oversized talons which allows them to seize their target adroitly due to their keenness of sight, speediness, and timing. Like the owl, Rationals dive into the darkness of nature to retrieve its answers. They excel at grasping the abstract with their keen intellect. And they are exceedingly rare. Especially the introverted ones. Collectively they take up only 5-6% of the population. So, if you are one of those gleefully naïve women like Elizabeth Bennett determined to find your Mr. Darcy, hah! Good luck.

Rationals can be great villains. But be careful here. If you are thinking of making your villain a psychopath, you better to make them an ENTJ (Evil Overlord) like The Master from Doctor Who or an ENTP (Mad Scientist) like Doctor Strangelove. The three best personality types for psychopaths are in order: ENTP, ESTP (Con Artist) and ENTJ. If you are planning on making your psychopath an INTP or worse yet an INTJ you might rethink your choice. INTPs and INTJs do make great villains they just cannot be that type of evil. Making introverted Rationals villains is tricky. I will explain why in a later post. Rationals also make intriguing heroes and antiheroes like Beatrix Kiddo (ENTJ) (Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2) and Jean-Luc Picard (ENTJ) (Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard) Tyler Durden (ENTP) (Fight Club from the novel), and Doofenshmirtz (ENTP) (Phineas and Ferb), Walter White (INTJ) (Breaking Bad) and Clarice Starling (INTJ) (The Silence of the Lambs) or Kylo Ren (INTP) (Star Wars), and Doctor Who (Doctor Who)(INTP).

While you’re waiting for my next post you can check out my novel Chicane available on Amazon.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: MOVIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUNNY PART QUATRE: THE WILL FERRELL TRIPPLE THREAT: STEP BROTHERS & THE OTHER GUYS-Netflix and STRANGER THAN FICTION-Showtime

For my last installment for movies that are actually funny, I thought I would focus on some of Will Ferrell’s work. I have never understood why Step Brothers gets a 55% at Rotten Tomatoes. This film is hysterical. And not only is it hysterical everyone in it is hysterical. These are some seasoned actors here: Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Adam Scott, and John C. Reilly. Reilly I might add did True West on Broadway; a Sam Shepard play also about dysfunctional brothers (blood brothers in this one) with Philip Seymour Hoffman. They alternated their roles every night. What is not to like here? Step Brothers is supposed to be ridiculous and shocking! That’s part of its charm. I have laugh out loud every time I’ve seen it. Some critics have a cricket bat up their bum. Screw them and watch it anyway.

The Other Guys is a master class in droll. The tomato critics seem to embrace it better giving it a 78%. I think it deserves higher. I re-watched it recently and it holds up great. Will Ferrell and Mark Walberg have terrific buddy chemistry as two detectives who are desk jockeys (one by choice and one by unfortunate circumstances) who choose brains over brawn to crack a case involving a scummy businessman played by Steve Coogan. The deadpan jokes are laugh out loud roll on the floor funny and the dialogue throughout is sharp and smart. A comic sleeper.

When I saw Stranger Than Fiction in the theatre, I honestly thought this smart comedy/drama was going to get a writing nomination. Instead they decided to nominate and give the Oscar to Little Miss Sunshine. Just the same Stranger Than Fiction is a wonderful change of pace for Will Ferrell who does a great job here. And he is surrounded by an outstanding cast consisting of the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifa and Emma Thompson. Stranger Than Fiction the story of an IRS accountant named Harold Crick who one day begins hearing an anonymous woman’s voice narrating his life as he lives it and that’s all I am going to tell you.

SMART FILMS FOR SMART KIDS: CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (1962)-Netflix

Ian Fleming best known for his James Bond books wrote one and only one children’s book and it was a home run called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He penned it for his only son Casper. It is the story of the eccentric Pott family and their wonderful adventures with their magical car which, because of its unusual sounds they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The movie is somewhat different from the book, but both are outstanding. The wonderful Dick Van Dyke plays Mr. Pott and Sally Ann Howes sparkles as his love interest Truly Scrumptious (in the book her character would be the mother). They and the two Pott children take the car for a wonderful whimsical journey. It is an absolute must see for all ages and the book is a classic must read.

 

 

 

Good afternoon. It is I, Gigi the parti poodle introducing my novelist who, by the way, was not happy about with me ripping up her robe a bit this week. I don’t know why she’s so upset about it. She left it on the bed where I sleep and as far as I’m concerned whatever garment is left on the bed is my playground. In fact, I must say my expert touch made it better. Now it’s one of a kind. No one else has their robe ripped the exact same way. My novelist also wanted me to tell you she is going to add a section at the bottom called Smart Films for Smart Kids in which in addition to her Stream of the Week she is going to recommend one kids film on streaming right now. Anyway, without further ado, here is my novelist.

It has been interesting observing human behavior during the Covid-19 outbreak. And might I add useful knowledge to use for character study. Especially how the idiosyncrasies of personality traits have come to life during this strange time. Since sensory people take up 75-80% of the population, the way most human beings view the world is by touch, taste, hearing, sight, and smell. If a danger or for that matter a remedy cannot be detected by the senses it must not exist. This would account for some of the protests going on right now. Or more specifically the citizens who want the country reopened. Some of them do not believe the virus is deadly. Others do not believe it is real and apparently like to push forest rangers into lakes.

Intuitive personality types both the thinkers and the feelers on the other hand are used to using their imagination and view the world from a standpoint of possibilities as opposed to the concrete. Many times, I have heard scientists talk about the value of imagination and how without it is difficult, maybe impossible, to be a scientist. Intuitive individuals can see things in their mind’s eye and can postulate possibilities. By that rational, intuitivists are naturally more likely to believe the virus is real and deadly. But they only take up 20-25% of the population.

Now, this is not to say there are not sensory personalities who do not comprehend the danger of the virus. In fact, 60% of people polled support the staying home restrictions. Also, many people in the medical industry are SJ (sensory judgement). In fact, it is quite common amongst doctors, nurses, technicians and so forth. Surgeons are more likely to be SP (sensory perceptive) due to the visceral nature of the job. But then there is the other 40%. 32% of people polled are worried more about the financial state of the country than the virus.

Also, extroverts both the sensory version and the intuitive version are having an especially difficult time right now. In fact, I saw a big sign on someone’s lawn this week which said, “I Am Bored”. This is because extroverts physically gain energy being around other people. The distance is making them bored, tired, cranky, wrestles and in some cases careless. They may be going to the grocery store a little too often or thinking six feet is the maximum rather than the minimum, meeting people online who are toxic or setting up ski jumps on their roofs hoping they hit the swimming pool correctly. One of my biggest terrors is what is going to happen when extroverts emerge from their forced hibernation and start hitting the dating scene once again? What kind of madness is going to ensue from that? How steep are crime rates going to rise? I also wonder what kind of traffic the porn sites have been getting. Apparently, they have been running specials.

We introverted personalities on the other hand are enjoying the whole social distancing immensely though we are profoundly sad for people and their families who are suffering with Covid-19. In opposition to extroverts our energy is drained when we must spend time around people. We are immune to the misery extroverts are experiencing right now. Being able to cross the street and not talk to someone is presently considered a common courtesy. Avoiding sitting in a crowded room and engaging in stupid mindless chit-chat is valiant. Finding a project to do other than wasting your life socializing is productive. The world at present is our oyster.

A great movie and book that shows the clash of introverts and extroverts under pressure is The Flight of the Phoenix. It’s not streaming for free on Netflix or Prime right now, so I won’t put it in my Stream of the Week section. However, if you can get your hands on the original film with James Stewart on say…YouTube, I recommend it highly. Essentially a plane with several passengers on it crashes in the desert. They will all die if they cannot get out. In Susan Cane’s book Quiet, there is a simulated version of this concept done at an ivy league school. Let us just say the inability for society to listen to people who are introverted, not charismatic but knowledgeable is chilling…and timely.

While your waiting for my next post you can check out my book Chicane now available on Amazon.

Also, this week’s ScreenwritingU Friday noon free teleconference class is called Creating TV Series That Sell.  The link to join the class is here.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: MOVIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUNNY PART TROIS: THE KEVIN SMITH DOUBLE FEATURE EXTRAVAGANZA: CHASING AMY & ZAC AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO-Netflix

When Kevin Smith makes a good film, he makes a great one. If you have never seen Clerks, it is required viewing. Make sure you see the alternate ending. Unfortunately, Clerks is not streaming on Netflix or Prime right now. But luckily two of his best ones are…but they’re not for kids.

Chasing Amy: Thoughtful comedy just doesn’t get better than this. With it’s fantastic dialogue and heartfelt storyline Kevin Smith weaves and directs a love story for the ages. Comic book artist Holden McNeil (Ben Afleck) and his longtime buddy and co-artist Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) attend a comics convention and meet another artist, Alyssa Jones (deftly played by Joey Lauren Adams). Much to Banky’s vexation Holden is instantly smitten with Alyssa and the three of them go out for drinks. Most of the conversation is between Banky and Alyssa with Holden begrudgingly sitting on the sidelines. Then Holden discovers something unanticipated about Alyssa and the story takes a sharp turn which profoundly challenges all of them. An absolute must see.

Zac and Miri Make a Porno: Don’t let the title fool you (and it is a great title). This one is well worth the watch. Down and out Zac (Seth Rogan) and Miri (terrifically played by Elizabeth Banks) have been best friends for years and live together as roommates. They attend their high school ten-year reunion and meet up with former classmate Brandon and discover how lucrative the adult film business is. Zac concocts a desperate idea: what if he and Miri made a porno movie? And what if they film it in the coffee house he works at? And what if they did a sex scene together? Rounded out by an engaging motley crew Zac and Miri Make a Porno is a wonderfully raunchy romp.

STREAM OF THE WEEK EXTRA-CHRISTINE-Netflix

I am going to recommend one last film which is not a comedy, but it is leaving Netflix Streaming on May 16th and I wanted to give it a mention because it is probably one that gets overlooked. It’s a 2016 film called Christine and no it’s not about a car. It’s a true story about a woman named Christine Chubbuck who worked as a news reporter for Sarasota, Florida in the 1970’s. She is highly intelligent, ahead of her time and very misunderstood. When she finds out some of the team from the station is being promoted to a station in Baltimore, she does everything in her power to get the job. Christine is brilliantly played by Rebecca Hall and when I first saw the film, I was certain she was going to get an Oscar nomination. But alas the Academy passed her over. This film much like the one about the car is not for the squeamish. But it is well worth the watch if you can catch it before May 16th.

SMART FILMS FOR SMART KIDS-HUGO-Netflix

Hugo is a gorgeous looking and highly engaging film based on the children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is beautifully directed by Martin Scorsese and tells the tale of an orphan boy named Hugo who lives in a train station in Paris in the 1930’s. His father left him a mechanical man, but he does not have the key with which to make it work. Hugo gets himself in dire straits when he meets a stern shopkeeper named George. Hugo finds out George has a plucky goddaughter named Isabella he takes care of who joins forces with Hugo on their search for the missing key. Rarely do we get a kid’s film these days that has as smart a story so vividly brought to life that both adults and children can enjoy. Sacha Baron Cohen also terns in a terrific performance as a bitter station inspector.

 

 

 

 

 

Good afternoon. Gigi the parti poodle here once again to introduce another blog entry for my novelist. I must say this has been a harrowing week. We were out for a walk on our usual route when we crossed the street to practice social distancing. We heard the rumble of a low-pitched bark and turned to find one of the neighbors, a known whack job had decided to adopt a Pitbull. I shudder just saying the word. Apparently, it had come out of its house sans owner and it stared at us as we continued along. The owner attempted to call it back in vain. We now have a different route but between you and me I have been researching mace online. I do this late at night while my novelist is asleep. I am considering this brand and have been practicing my aim. That said, here is my novelist. 

I have almost completed the rewrite for the fourth book in my series which I am planning to release this summer. Hopefully I will have it finished by next week and start in on book five. Since I have been posting a lot about writing lately, I decided to switch gears this week and focus on films.

I thought I would tell you about one of my favorite resources for writing. They are called ScreenwritingU and last week they started doing a once a week class on Fridays at noon. Every week is a different screenwriting subject. Last week’s was Build Mystery Into Your Script. The best part about it is the Friday classes are free. At the end of each class they usually pitch one of their pay class series you can take, and they will from time to time offer a discount.

This week’s class is called How to Write Exceptional Scenes. The class lecturer is usually Hal Crossman (who is doing this Friday’s class) and he does a great job. I have listened to many of his lectures over time and he is always top notch. If you do take the free class which often runs around one and a half to two hours, you’ll sign up on their web site giving them your name and email address, then on the day of the lecture they send you an email with instructions. They will also send you a worksheet to print out to use during the class.

What sets them apart from traditional writing classes is they have done a lot of research in the movie industry and interviewed many producers, writers, actors, directors etc. So, you get more industry insight from them than you might in a normal writing class. This makes for great additional learning if you are a college graduate with a writing, play writing or film degree. If you are looking to enroll in a screenwriting program I would not take their classes in lieu of a degree. But if you want additional training to supplement your college education, then this is a good place to do that. If you don’t have a college degree, I recommend them as well just not as a replacement for a university education.

So again, every Friday at noon ScreenwritingU is doing a free screenwriting class and if you have the time while your riding out the Covid-19 wave, I recommend checking it out. Here is this the link for tomorrow’s class.

A lot of you may have this list already but I thought I would mention it anyway. The AFI has been featuring a movie a day with their Movies To Watch While We’re Apart series. Since half of these films are what I would call masterclass must see films that most people recognize or have seen, I would not list them in my STREAM OF THE WEEK section of my blog as I try to make that section for outstanding movies that might get overlooked. But if you haven’t seen some of these classic films (which you really should) give it a whirl.

While you are waiting for my next blog post you can check out my novel Chicane on Amazon.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: MOVIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUNNY DOUBLE FEATURE PART DEUX: SOAPDISH AND ARTHUR-Amazon

Last week I suggested a couple of comedies that are extremely funny and a little if not a lot on the raunchy side. This week I am offering up a couple of films streaming that are included with Amazon Prime that are also extremely funny but not raunchy. They are both romantic comedies and though a lot of romantic comedies are stupid at best, these two are whip smart.

Soapdish came out in 1991 and has an unbelievable cast: Sally Field, Kevin Klein, Whoopie Goldberg, Elisabeth Shue, Robert Downey Jr, Cathy Moriarty, Teri Hatcher, Kathy Najimy, Carrie Fisher, Ben Stein and Gary Marshall. The film is a spoof on television soap operas with Sally Field playing Celeste Talbert, the reigning queen of soap operas who’s younger boyfriend had dumped her and now she’s found out the producers have decided to bring her worst nightmare, old boyfriend Jeffery Anderson (Kevin Klein), from the dead to revise his roll. Thrown into the mix is newcomer Lori Cravin (Elizabeth Shue) who happens to be Celeste’s niece…or is she. The movie is a fresh take on the usual romantic comedy and brilliantly acted.

Arthur, the original from 1981, is a true highbrow delight. Perpetual playboy Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore in his terrific Oscar nominated performance) is a drunk. He is also extraordinarily rich and is set up by his family to marry equally rich Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry). If he doesn’t, he loses all his inheritance. But Arthur is about to do something none of his family thought possible. He’s going to fall in love…with a shoplifting waitress named Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli). Coming along for the ride is his fairy godfather and trusted butler Hobson (Sir John Guielgud in his much-deserved Oscar winning performance). An absolute must see that may end up on the AFI Movies To Watch While We’re Apart list.

 

Good Afternoon. Gigi the poodle here introducing another weekly blog entry. Today on our lovely walk we almost got hit by a van…the Maltese was also involved. You would think that with the raging outbreak there would be less cars on the road but alas individuals are getting restless. We see more of them venturing out every day. From what we have read Target, Costco and Walmart have apparently become theme parks for the bored. However, being mostly homebodies, we seem to have an endless list of jobs to get done. I for one had a bath this week. Dreadful! At least the Maltese had one too. And much to my joy it made him cold and miserable… Anyway, without further ado, here is my novelist.

As you may know I’ve been moving along getting my book series ready for copyright and publication. I am presently working on the fourth volume. I had been zipping along fine until I had to change a scene. I spent most of yesterday and the day before pounding my head trying to think out how to alter it and it came down to moving one item from one of the later books and implanting it in this book instead.

Without giving too much away, the reason I had to change the scene was to create balance between my characters. For the scene I was working on, two of the characters needed to be at a cospatial place point in their arc. From the time I originally wrote the scene it never felt quite right. Although it is not the most troublesome scene in my series (there is one in a later book that is going to be challenging) it always bugged me. But once I made that change the whole scene finally and immediately made sense. I will have to slightly alter the other book I had to lift the information from, but it will be far easier to change that than it would have been had I kept the information out of the scene I have now. My thought is a scene is never right until the writer knows its right.

Now, that said I am not a writer who likes to do excessive rewriting. I do not see the point. Isaac Asimov was that way too. And although I am not a science fiction writer per say (although I dabble in it), I believe he and I have a meeting of the minds. If something needs to be revised revise it. If not, why punish yourself? What is the point of writing something over and over if your original instinct was (as it often is) correct? As soon as I made the change in my story everything clicked and where the characters are in my story now finally makes sense. But did I need to completely trash the scene, rip it up ten times to make it work? Of course not!

Perhaps I dislike overt rewriting because, like Asimov, I am an intuitive thinking writer, not an intuitive feeling one. Intuitive thinkers are anomalies amongst writers. Most writers are intuitive feeling. Most, screenwriters are ENFJs and most novelists are INFJs. But there are exceptions. Some writers who are listed as intuitive thinking include Jane Austin, C.S. Lewis, Ayn Rand, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Chuck Palahniuk, Tina Fey, Christopher Nolan, Harper Lee, Lewis Carroll, Robert James Waller, and of course Isaac Asimov.

Intuitive thinking writers are strategic. We plan out what we are going to do before we execute it. A good example of how I work can be found in the thirteenth episode of season one of the television series LOST entitled Hearts and Minds where Locke delivers a monologue to Boone about Michelangelo. I think perhaps many thinking writers see a thorough vision mentally before they physically write it down. For me I never get far into a story I am working on before I know the ending. Once I know where I am going, I drive that direction. A feeling writer on the other hand might to want to indulge more in the journey and see where their story goes. They may not know their ending until they are further into their piece or maybe not until they get to the end. If I wrote that way, I would go insane. Neither way is right not wrong. Both are legitimate. They are simply different.

While you’re waiting for my next blog you can check out my novel Chicane available at Amazon.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: COMEDIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUNNY: KINGPIN AND THE HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE-Amazon Prime

Since I have listed serious films the past few weeks, I thought it would be good to pick out a couple of comedies. I think comedic films are the most difficult to find on streaming because a lot of them are not as funny as they should be. Or for that matter not funny at all. There are some, however that are brilliant, and I’ll focus on a handful of comedy double features over the next couple of weeks. To start with I thought I’d point out two of the funniest streaming on Amazon right now. I probably don’t have to tell you to watch The Hangover streaming on Netflix as you’ve probably seen that one. If you haven’t you really should. These are two more that are equally as funny but somewhat lesser known.

Kingpin is the ultimate bowling movie. And it is as hilarious as it is raunchy. It’s the story of a young up and coming bowling protégé (Woody Harrelson) in the 1970’s with a promising career ahead of him…that is until he meets The Big Ern (played wickedly by Bill Murray) and things go horribly and hysterically wrong. It was created by the Farley Brothers who also brought us the landmark comedy Something About Mary. It’s one of their best films and a must see. Kingpin is also available to stream on Netflix.

The Hollywood Shuffle is one of the smartest, funniest satires I’ve ever seen. Made in 1987, the film holds up great. Robert Townsend (who also co-wrote, directed, and produced the film) plays the lead and four other parts as his main character, a young actor trying to break into movies navigates and lampoons the absurdities of typecasting in Hollywood. Ahead of its time when it was released and an absolute classic. I highly recommend it.

Good afternoon. Gigi the parti poodle here once again introducing my novelist’s weekly blog post. The wonderful thing about social distancing is getting to spend more time with my writer. I have been thoroughly enjoying our (luckily) sunny afternoons outside where she reads, and I roam about. As my novelist is an introvert and I dare say a hermit I am even more lavished with her time lately. No pesky virtual happy hours for her let me tell you. Just lots of lap time and attention. This week my novelist is wrapping up her Anatomy of a Chapter for Chicane. In addition to her ongoing writing blog she will continue her Stream of the Week feature through the social distancing period.

Last week I left off where Shayla asked the boys, “Who is Mitch?” and she doesn’t receive an answer. Instead Bard uses alcohol as a diversion and says, “Let’s get you ladies a drink.” The boys are essentially trying to get the women to settle in, drink a little more alcohol and relax before they all pair up and head off to the bedrooms.

Not long into the scene Cody and Shayla are left alone. Shayla again asks Cody to show her his “trophies” which is her attempt at a sexual inuendo. Cody chugs his beer and leads her into the game room. The first thing she notices when they arrive is the arcade game Night Driver. This of course is not accident. I chose this game not just because Cody is a race car driver but because it provides a strong foreshadowing. At the time I wrote the book Gerald J. Buchko indeed held the world record for Night Driver. It was not just a cool name I picked at random.

Shayla inquiries about the trophies in the case. To show the deterioration of Cody’s interest in racing, I have him keep his marijuana in one of the trophy’s cups. She asks him as they are rolling joints “Which is the biggest trophy you’ve ever won?” To which Cody replies, “The silver one.” The case has several silver trophies in it. Cody doesn’t specify which one. This is Cody’s way of saying to her to take your pick because none of them matter anymore. In Cody’s backstory they would have been quite valuable. But because of what’s locked in the room upstairs they have diminished in value.

Shayla punctuates this point by following up her “Who’s Mitch?” question with “You never said why you quit racing.” Again, her inquiry is ignored. Much like Bard used alcohol Cody uses seduction to prevent her from opening Pandora’s Box. But in truth her question is profound and important. Why did Cody quit racing? Why does he have piles of boxes sealed up in Mitch’s room? Why is he selling his cabin?

I like to use the names of products to convey to the reader the social status of characters. Cody’s pool table is an Olhausen and he’s wearing a red Moncler shirt. Shayla is wearing L’Agent Provocateur underwear and a Narcisco Rodriguez dress. Again, these are expensive items which let the reader know these are wealthy, educated people with taste. They are also cold and detached.

Your next question is probably why the explicit sex scene and how come it is so early in the story? The reason the sex scene is in the game room with all of Cody’s trophies is because Shayla herself is a trophy. Essentially, Cody isn’t distinguishing women from inanimate objects. The sex scene even takes place on the pool table. Shayla is lying on her back while Cody plays her like a game.  Bedding her is the same to him as winning a race. She’s just another trophy to add to his collection. Therefore, this is not a love scene. It’s meant to be a scene of debauchery as detached as the two characters engaging in it and as cold as the snowy frozen world around them. My goal here was to make their fornication (hopefully) both titillating and repulsive to the reader.

That wraps up my anatomy of my novel’s first chapter.  While your waiting for next week’s blog check out my book Chicane on Amazon.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: DOUBLE FEATURE DELIGHT: TRAIN TO BUSAN & SNOWPIERCER– Netflix

If you stream no other film this week make sure you see Train to Busan on Netflix. One of the most taunt, tense edge of your seat thrillers in recent years, Train to Busan is nail biting to the very last extraordinary shot. Many films fail to stick their dismounts but this one scores a perfect ten. Not just another zombie movie Yeon Sang-ho’s first live action film is fantastically played out in the claustrophobic confines of a modern-day bullet train. It’s the story of a little girl who lives with her father and on her birthday wants nothing else than to go visit her mother in Busan. Deeper and more profound than most horror movies and reminiscent of Hitchcock, the movie’s premise “love thy neighbor as thyself” is pivotal at every turn of the track.

You can watch it as a double feature with the original 2014 Snowpiercer another dazzlingly executed train movie from Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho also streaming on Netflix. Snowpiercer is a science fiction piece about the world being so damaged by global warming everyone must remain on a train called Snowpiercer. How much money you paid to ride said train determines which car you get to reside in. And let me tell you, you get what you pay for. Chris Evans is a tour de force as Curtis who rebelliously uncovers the ugly secrets of coach vs business class while tenaciously working his way up to the motor unit.

 

Good afternoon.  It is Gigi your resident parti poodle.  Today my author will be continuing her Anatomy of a Chapter.  There was an emergency this week.  I was down to my last few treats.  Luckily my novelist timed the treat order so it arrived yesterday.  It was like receiving beluga caviar in the mail.  I wanted her to order my delightful sandwich cookies as well but alas they can only be ordered sixteen and a half pounds at a time.  As I weigh around five pounds you can imagine my novelist was not willing to make the purchase.  Without further ado here is my novelist.

Today I’m going to continue my anatomy of chapter one of Chicane. As the ladies perform their pole dance, Bard, the biggest and brainiest of Cody’s friends leans over and whispers to Cody, “We should drive the girls back to the cabin tonight.” A defensive Cody says, “Why? The rooms these girls have at the Mountain Thunder Lodge are dope.” But Bard argues, “That’s the point. They’re their rooms. If we get them on our turf, they’re our rooms.”

Cody faces a conundrum. On the one hand his plan is to get lucky. But on the other hand, he wants to get lucky in Breckenridge. He doesn’t want strangers in his cabin and no one including Bard, Klaus and Shaun is allowed in Mitch’s room.

Then Shaun, the jerk of the group weasels his way into the conversation. He agrees with Bard and pressures Cody. “They’ll totally put out at your crib!” he says. Here I slip in another clue: Cody’s Audi RS6 Avant. This would be a desired car amongst wealthy Denver skiers. Both Bard and Shaun offer to drive Cody’s car which Cody adamantly refuses. I make a point to repeat “Audi RS6 Avant” a few more times to make sure the reader takes notice. In making his friends the first ones to pressure him I also show whatever it is about that room it is Cody’s problem exclusively and not his buddies.

Shaun describes Cody’s cabin to Bianca. “Cody has a sweet cabin in Nederland,” he tells her. “It’s got like five bedrooms, yo.” An impressed Bianca then relays the information to Miyuki, Nevada and Shayla. And then Klaus takes Bard and Shaun’s side of the argument to head back to Nederland. Cody loses the fight and is pressured to relent. The motley crew heads for Cody’s cabin.

As Cody, Bard and Klaus arrive in Cody’s Audi RS6 Avant, Cody tells Bard, “I’m locking Mitch’s room. I don’t want anyone in there.” Bard knowing why Cody is on edge says, “Let’s just enjoy the girls’ company for a few nights and call it good.” Cody becoming agitated taps his finger on the steering wheel (another clue) and warns, “Keep them out of Mitch’s room.” Before the boys go inside, I introduce one of Cody’s quirks: he never gets out of a car on the driver’s side. He always climbs over and exits out the passenger’s side instead. The reason I do this is partly because race car drivers can be superstitious. It’s also a foreshadowing.

Cody’s cabin is based on the interior of actual cabins in the Boulder, Colorado area and so once the group arrives and heads inside, I take time to describe it. I want to give the ambiance of a warm, expensive, comfortable place which feels safe. In addition, I want to point out the game room where Cody keeps his trophies: “Over to the right side was a game room which contained a pool table, a poker table, a chess and checkers table and a couple of vintage video arcade games.” I did not put “a couple of vintage video arcade games” last in the list for no reason. It is put there to catch the reader’s attention.

After they enter the cabin Cody whispers to Bard that he’s going upstairs to lock Mitch’s room. And again, his private conversation is overheard this time by Shayla, the woman Cody is interested in. She flirtatiously asks if she can come. But even her charms cannot steer Cody off his course. He must lock the room. As Cody goes up the stairs alone, everyone watches him. Shaun tells the women, “He’s got like dead bodies in that room.” Although Shaun is being snarky it reminds the reader once again this is a story about death. This is shortly followed up with Shayla’s line, “Who’s Mitch?” and her question is ignored.

Next week I’ll continue my anatomy of Chicane’s first chapter.

 
STREAM OF THE WEEK: HBO’S MINISERIES CHERNOBYL
Chernobyl is not an easy watch. But everyone sixteen years and older should be required to see it anyway.  A remarkable if not landmark piece of filmmaking, the drama Chernobyl  brilliantly chronicles through five episodes the terrifying April 1986 accident. What should have been a routine night at the infamous nuclear powerplant goes horrifically wrong due to two pivotal human errors.  The psychology involved surrounding the event bears eerie relevance to the psychology surrounding Covid-19.  A lot of viewers out there are watching Outbreak and Contagion, but I think this one captures the mindset of human beings at the time of a monumental crisis far better.  An absolute five star must see.

Good Afternoon.  My name is Gigi and I am a parti poodle.  I am the owner of the novelist who writes this post.  Today you are in for a treat.  My novelist is going to begin doing an anatomy of the first chapter in her book Chicane.  I am patiently waiting for her to finish so we can go outside and romp about in the sunshine.  My novelist is rather unhappy with me because last night I got into a scrap with the Maltese…but because I am a good owner all is forgiven and we are looking forward to a pleasant afternoon.  Also, because the Corona virus has all of us staying at home and watching movies, she is going to do a new feature called Stream of the Week at the end of this post.  

Chicane was not my first novel.  The book series I am getting ready for publication was my novel.  But Chicane was my shortest novel and so I chose to publish it first. When I did publish it, I saw that Amazon put the entire first chapter up for the “look inside” feature. I decided this wasn’t a bad thing necessarily…except for the explicit adult content. Although I like to keep my blog to a G or PG rating, my books, alas are R to NC-17.  That aside, it makes it possible for me to do an anatomy of a chapter for the next few blog entries which everyone can view provided they’re 17 or older.

For me the first couple sentences of a novel are crucial, so I had to think about what I wanted to convey right off. The first lines of Chicane are, “He’d decided to sell the cabin. It was final.” Now why did I choose those words? Why didn’t I say something more like “After putting his cabin up for sale, he and his buddies headed for Breckenridge.” It’s because saying it that way doesn’t tell you anything.  Chicane is a story about the pursuit of redemption.  But it’s also a story about death.

The word “decide” means to kill off all other choices. Cide from Latin means “killer” or “act of killing”.  The protagonist, Cody, has chosen to kill his options.  Using these words provides the reader insight into Cody’s character.  The second line “It was final.” also alludes to death. To emphasize death further I wrote “All the remains, knickknacks, personal mementos, and small valuables were taped up in moving boxes and stacked methodically in Mitch’s room.”  Remains of course refers to a dead body.  The idea of the remains being taped up in moving boxes implies coffins.  Having them methodically packaged and put into one room implies a tomb.

But then I switch gears and write, “But today was about the powder. The pure white virgin snow generously blanketing the ski resort up in the Colorado Rockies.” With pure white virgin snow, I altered the tone from death to innocence and life. The dark stuff is buried in the cabin and youthful innocence is celebrated in Breckenridge. Now we’re in the opulent and youthful world of a premier ski resort. It’s Christmas time and the young rich are at a hook up bar living like Romans, drinking, dancing and on the prowl. Macallan Scotch, which Shaun, one of the protagonist’s friends is drinking, is not cheap.

Then I decide to weave into the dialogue a hint. “Did you check out those custom-made ones Klaus had on today?” Cody asks his buddy Bard in reference to Klaus’s skis. To which Bard respond, “I thought he was going to come out of them and break his fucking leg.” The conversation is a foreshadowing. But I wrote it to seem like a segment of casual conversation between two buddies at a bar about their third buddy.

I provide another foreshadowing  in reference to the Japanese woman the drunk Klaus is dancing with.  Bard points out Miyuki means “snow”. In fact, all four of the women the boys are dancing with refer to winter and the weather. Bianca means “white” and relates to snow. Nevada means “snow covered”. Shayla is a variant of the name Shaila which means “mountain”. This becomes important when another character is introduced later in the story.

When Shayla and Nevada first hit on Cody and Bard and we quickly find out Cody is a good negotiator.  The women want Cody to buy them drinks but he wants something for his money:  a pole dance out on the floor. The reason I picked this bar as the setting for the scene is because it actually has a dancing pole out on the floor…or at least it did when I wrote the story.  I liked the masculine element of the pole and also the best position in a car race is pole position.

Cody’s a winner. He’s a winner on the track and a winner with women. He collects trophies and the women at the bar are in his mind just that. Of course, I picked the song “Little Red Corvette” by Prince for the ladies to dance to because Cody is a racecar driver. I love picking out songs for my books. It sets the tone for what’s going on. Lyrics are especially important in songs even if you cannot print them in a book.  Every novel I write has a reference to songs and that means research. I don’t just pick the song because I like it. I pick it because it works in the story.   I’ll continue on with my anatomy of the first chapter of Chicane next week.

STREAM OF THE WEEK: It Takes a Lunatic  

Since everyone is staying home because of Covid-19 I thought it might be fun to do a weekly movie recommendation for a film you may have passed over that is presently streaming on either on Netflix, Amazon, HBO or Showtime.  This week I’m picking the Netflix documentary It Takes A Lunatic.  If you are into acting it’s an interesting biography about one of the top acting teachers in New York City named Wynn Handman who established The American Place Theatre.  He was instrumental in launching the careers of Richard Gere, Sam Shepard, Frank Langella, Lauren Graham, Eric Bogosian, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo, Chris Cooper, Bill Irwin to name just a few. The film says he’s still teaching today at the age of 97. The documentary is more for theatre buffs (not musicals) but I enjoyed it and thought I’d mention it.

I post every Thursday.  In the meantime you can check out my novel Chicane on Amazon.

 

 

 

Good evening. I am happy to announce my treats arrived this week and I am now stocked up on my favorite goodies. Unfortunately, I must share them with the Maltese…but sacrifices must be made. Tonight, my novelist is going to elaborate a bit more on writing ensemble casts. Next week she is going to focus on analyzing the first chapter of her novel Chicane. Without further ado here’s my novelist.

So far, the lockdown for Covid-19 has been a productive time for me. I’ve gotten more writing done than usual and not found it difficult to stick to a routine. Like twenty to twenty-five percent of the population stuck at home, we’re loving this because we’re introverts. We don’t need people in the same way extroverts do. We don’t need to shake hands. We don’t need mindless chitchat. We don’t need to crush against each other at clubs with badly penned music blaring out of steroid induced electronic funnels. We embrace social distancing. If they say six feet, we say twenty-four.  If we can see you, you’re too close. This world is our oyster right now. If only there wasn’t a microscopic psychopathic Terminator at the root of it all. Why can’t the world be more like this every day without a deadly disease pulling the societal puppet strings?

On a completely different note I thought before I analyze the first chapter of Chicane, I’d talk a bit more about writing an ensemble story.  So again, unless someone is paying you to write a piece, always write the story you love. That’s how you can keep several characters in your head. You love being with them and the world they inhabit. Remember, a novel is like a marriage. If you don’t want to be with a certain story for the long haul, if you don’t want said story haunting you day and night, if you don’t want to wake up in the morning thinking about it and going to bed at night thinking about it even more, you had better find a different tale to get hitched to.

Now, if you do need something to assist you in organizing your nest of characters in your mind, a great way to curb confusion is to do character maps. Character maps are basically a list of attributes which define a character. Keep in mind the more you work with your characters the more you get to know them, and I find I refer to these lists less and less as I go along.   Here is one example.  Here is another.

Another good tool is to write out a one-page backstory.  Where was the character born, what was their inciting incident that happened to them before the curtain went up on the story and what does their closet look like? What kind of clothes do they wear, how do they arrange them, what shoes do they put on every day etc. A good book for some of these exercises is this The Weekend Novelist.

Yet another great way to familiarize yourself with your characters is to use an exercise I learned in a class once.  Provide the character three traits and then add a fourth trait which is wildly different from the other three.  Let’s say I have this guy who’s a computer programmer, he’s never had sex and lives at home with his parents. Okay, that’s three traits. But let’s add to that list that he’s moonlighting as a nude model for a college art class. That’s a little different, now isn’t it? Maybe he’s falling for one of the artists in the class who would never have anything to do with a computer programmer. Maybe his parents are ministers for a church. Maybe someone is secretly taking pictures of him naked and posting them on the internet and he’s getting a lot of hits. You see where I’m going with this.

Another option is to base your characters on someone you know.  This way you already have some of their traits committed to memory. You don’t have to make them exactly like said person but you can borrow things from them such as the way they style their hair, the color of their eyes, the type of clothes they wear, the way their voice sounds, the hobbies they love, the mannerisms they have. One thing I was taught in writing class was if you do base a character on someone you know, give that character a trait the real person would never want to have.

Also, don’t forget the location you choose is a character in the story as well. For instance, in my novel Chicane, the Colorado Rockies are integral to the plot. Without them there’s no tension, no ticking clock and no force with which to catapult the protagonist through his journey. I spent hour upon hour watching video footage online of the area where my story takes place. I had to know what the homes looked like, what the stores were like, what the roads were like to travel on, what the inhabitants were like, what type of trees grew there, etc.  In contrast, the book series I am getting ready for publication is set in Burbank, California which is a completely different type of landscape.  But it too is integral to the plot of my series.

But even after doing all these things the point is still to form a deep bond with your characters and enjoy doing it. Whether they are good or bad or somewhere in between if you couldn’t describe your character to someone without looking at a list on a screen or piece of paper you don’t know them well enough.  Be proficient in your knowledge of your characters so you can fully and enthusiastically describe them to someone you know…or don’t know.

I post every Thursday.   That’s my schedule.  In the meantime you can check out my novel Chicane on Amazon.