I recently found an amazing eBook by CJ Lyons that talks about three-act structure. I was skeptical to check it out at first because I have not found many of the writing formulas to be very helpful in the past, but, boy, am I glad I gave this eBook a shot!
I love movies. I watch many of them. I also watch many television programs, mostly fictional, and I am always amazed when something hooks me. It's hard to figure out what really drags me along when I watch something like Downton Abbey, or Lord of the Rings - but it's undeniable that something catches me and gives me the desire to follow the episode or movie through to the end. I never thought it was the structure of the story. I always believed it had something to do with the plot, the setting, or any other myriad of things. But, the structure of the story? That sounds crazy!
But, I started a test outline of a novel using the three act structure the past two days, and I am blown away at how exciting it is to see the structure of a story as I come up with ideas for the plot and characters. It's like seeing the track of a roller coaster before actually zooming down the loops and curves. What I previously believed about fitting into a mold when it comes to story structure, that it would make me feel stuck and rigid - I am glad to say that the exact opposite has happened. Instead I feel like a million opportunities have laid themselves before me. Having a map before diving into a large project is essential for me.
If you have struggled with pacing, building tension, or any other novel-related issues in your own work, check out No Rules, Just Write! by CJ Lyons. It is well worth the time. I feel energized every time I read another section about the three-act structure. Now, for more time working with Scrivener...my new obsession!
Monday, July 29, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
The Conjuring (2013)
This movie is terrifying! I expected no less from director James Wan of Insidious and Saw fame. Based on the real cases investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring begins by introducing one of the most menacing characters to be put on film in the past decade.
A doll, cracked, dressed in a dirty outfit, and always staring with wide eyes and a mischievous smile, is turned in to Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (the fantastic Vera Farmiga) when the three college-age friends believe it to be possessed. In a genius piece of screenwriting, writers Chad and Carey Hayes lay the groundwork for the rest of the hauntings in the film. As with the Paranormal Activity movies, most of the scares and creatures stalking the Perron family later on are invisible - only seen when the tension has been ratcheted up so much that it feels like the audience is going to die of suffocation. Since what we imagine is more terrifying than what the filmmakers can actually portray on screen, we are given clues as to what the unseen forces in this world - our world, as the text on screen reminds us - look like. As Lorraine explains, these menacing beings are not ghosts at all.
They are demons, animalistic creatures that have never walked this earth in human form. They strive to possess and wreak havoc and death upon everyone with an impressionable mind. They will use objects to get our attention and break us down until we can be completely possessed by them.
Of course, things start out small for Carolyn and Roger Perron (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingson) who have just bought a house in the country by a tranquil river, bringing along their five young daughters with them. This film takes place in the 1970's and Wan makes great use of period costumes and hit singles from the day as he lulls the audience into a false sense of normality. But, when the lights go out, that's when we are treated to the doors moving on their own. Numerous series of three knocks are heard, constantly moving throughout the house, as if leading the Perrons on a wild goose chase when they see that there is "nothing" there and shrug it off.
But, this is horror, and as we all know, there is always something there, lurking in the shadows. I am particularly impressed by Joey King, recently seen this summer in White House Down. She is the first daughter to be terrorized at night after the family discovers a boarded-up cellar beneath the house, complete with cobweb-draped furnishings and an unnerving piano at the foot of the creaky stairs. King is nearly ripped from her bed and, in one of the most convincing pieces of acting I've seen from a young actress in a horror movie, King struggles to find her voice and wake her sister. She points to the dark corner by the open door, exclaiming that there is someone standing there. My hair stood on end as the family walked through the space to inspect what they believed was just an empty corner - but again, this is horror. Things take a turn for the worst as the malevolent spirits in the house delight in being found out.
Hats off to the writers for finding a way to tie together the cliche stories of a haunted country home and the team of renowned paranormal investigators who come to save them. Even though the film is based on actual events, however embellished for entertainment value, the old solution of calling an exorcist has been laughable of late. However, the Hayes create an emotional strand that connects the two families and forces them to work together to drive out the demons haunting their property. Are they successful? I won't spoil it here!
This is absolutely a film to be seen in cinemas. The sound design is unmatched by any recent horror film I've seen, and Joseph Bishara's music is hands down his best contribution to the genre to date. I was completely invested in the story of these two families and the horrors they come up against. There are some very sobering questions posed in this film that gave it weight for me, in that the characters acknowledge good and evil, as well as God and Satan. These topics create a moral dilemma on top of all the supernatural trickery going on and brings about a great moral struggle for the characters as they continue to witness things that shouldn't exist. When I got home later in the early morning, I looked twice whenever I heard an unexplained noise in my sleeping home.
Remember, it's all fun and games until demons are involved.
A doll, cracked, dressed in a dirty outfit, and always staring with wide eyes and a mischievous smile, is turned in to Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (the fantastic Vera Farmiga) when the three college-age friends believe it to be possessed. In a genius piece of screenwriting, writers Chad and Carey Hayes lay the groundwork for the rest of the hauntings in the film. As with the Paranormal Activity movies, most of the scares and creatures stalking the Perron family later on are invisible - only seen when the tension has been ratcheted up so much that it feels like the audience is going to die of suffocation. Since what we imagine is more terrifying than what the filmmakers can actually portray on screen, we are given clues as to what the unseen forces in this world - our world, as the text on screen reminds us - look like. As Lorraine explains, these menacing beings are not ghosts at all.
They are demons, animalistic creatures that have never walked this earth in human form. They strive to possess and wreak havoc and death upon everyone with an impressionable mind. They will use objects to get our attention and break us down until we can be completely possessed by them.
Of course, things start out small for Carolyn and Roger Perron (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingson) who have just bought a house in the country by a tranquil river, bringing along their five young daughters with them. This film takes place in the 1970's and Wan makes great use of period costumes and hit singles from the day as he lulls the audience into a false sense of normality. But, when the lights go out, that's when we are treated to the doors moving on their own. Numerous series of three knocks are heard, constantly moving throughout the house, as if leading the Perrons on a wild goose chase when they see that there is "nothing" there and shrug it off.
But, this is horror, and as we all know, there is always something there, lurking in the shadows. I am particularly impressed by Joey King, recently seen this summer in White House Down. She is the first daughter to be terrorized at night after the family discovers a boarded-up cellar beneath the house, complete with cobweb-draped furnishings and an unnerving piano at the foot of the creaky stairs. King is nearly ripped from her bed and, in one of the most convincing pieces of acting I've seen from a young actress in a horror movie, King struggles to find her voice and wake her sister. She points to the dark corner by the open door, exclaiming that there is someone standing there. My hair stood on end as the family walked through the space to inspect what they believed was just an empty corner - but again, this is horror. Things take a turn for the worst as the malevolent spirits in the house delight in being found out.
Hats off to the writers for finding a way to tie together the cliche stories of a haunted country home and the team of renowned paranormal investigators who come to save them. Even though the film is based on actual events, however embellished for entertainment value, the old solution of calling an exorcist has been laughable of late. However, the Hayes create an emotional strand that connects the two families and forces them to work together to drive out the demons haunting their property. Are they successful? I won't spoil it here!
This is absolutely a film to be seen in cinemas. The sound design is unmatched by any recent horror film I've seen, and Joseph Bishara's music is hands down his best contribution to the genre to date. I was completely invested in the story of these two families and the horrors they come up against. There are some very sobering questions posed in this film that gave it weight for me, in that the characters acknowledge good and evil, as well as God and Satan. These topics create a moral dilemma on top of all the supernatural trickery going on and brings about a great moral struggle for the characters as they continue to witness things that shouldn't exist. When I got home later in the early morning, I looked twice whenever I heard an unexplained noise in my sleeping home.
Remember, it's all fun and games until demons are involved.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Dream A Little Dream
I have heard this argument many times in the past week, conveniently in the wake of reaching another milestone in my first draft that has been a long time coming: 50,000 words.
A few people have listened to me talking about my plans to eventually publish my first novel independently, and they have all expressed doubt that it will be a success. "That's nice," they say, "but, you aren't exactly getting paid now for writing your book. Don't you have something else that you're doing? What about your career now?"
Of course, I do have two jobs. This is the reality of writing as an unknown. They are not related to writing, but I do show up to them seven days a week. I've done it all my life. During high school and college I wrote relentlessly, filling boxes of paper with my thoughts and ideas. However, I didn't have anything publishable back then, and I was still trying to find my own writing voice. Now that I have that, nothing has really changed in the job department. I am still working to pay the bills and writing in the evenings when I am not overwhelmed by my jobs. If I am generating income to "keep the lights on," why do I still run into the idea that I should also be doing a day job that involves writing? Must those two things be connected when I am just starting out? I wonder if other authors have come across this.
I know this question is not asked to be mean. The people who have asked about what I plan on doing for my "career" are looking out for my well being. But, I just want to tell them - this is what I want to do for my career! I want to write many things, especially fiction. These characters can't stay hidden forever in my mind. With every success story I read, my determination gets stronger. I know I can do it. Whether there are readers out there who would be interested in my particular novel remains to be seen. Still, it was (and is) fun to write as I continue onwards towards the completion of my first draft. With a second draft, I know that the story itself will be stronger. It's like a sketch, being refined until it ends up as the drawing that you see hanging on display.
Everything is possible in this age of digital technology and connectivity through the internet. Planning my publication is a huge responsibility - but for the time being, I simply need to focus on finishing the book and making sure that I balance my creative time with my actual nine-to-five job time. I do know that every time I write it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can head home with my head high and a smile on my face.
With that, now time to finish another chapter!
A few people have listened to me talking about my plans to eventually publish my first novel independently, and they have all expressed doubt that it will be a success. "That's nice," they say, "but, you aren't exactly getting paid now for writing your book. Don't you have something else that you're doing? What about your career now?"
Of course, I do have two jobs. This is the reality of writing as an unknown. They are not related to writing, but I do show up to them seven days a week. I've done it all my life. During high school and college I wrote relentlessly, filling boxes of paper with my thoughts and ideas. However, I didn't have anything publishable back then, and I was still trying to find my own writing voice. Now that I have that, nothing has really changed in the job department. I am still working to pay the bills and writing in the evenings when I am not overwhelmed by my jobs. If I am generating income to "keep the lights on," why do I still run into the idea that I should also be doing a day job that involves writing? Must those two things be connected when I am just starting out? I wonder if other authors have come across this.
I know this question is not asked to be mean. The people who have asked about what I plan on doing for my "career" are looking out for my well being. But, I just want to tell them - this is what I want to do for my career! I want to write many things, especially fiction. These characters can't stay hidden forever in my mind. With every success story I read, my determination gets stronger. I know I can do it. Whether there are readers out there who would be interested in my particular novel remains to be seen. Still, it was (and is) fun to write as I continue onwards towards the completion of my first draft. With a second draft, I know that the story itself will be stronger. It's like a sketch, being refined until it ends up as the drawing that you see hanging on display.
Everything is possible in this age of digital technology and connectivity through the internet. Planning my publication is a huge responsibility - but for the time being, I simply need to focus on finishing the book and making sure that I balance my creative time with my actual nine-to-five job time. I do know that every time I write it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can head home with my head high and a smile on my face.
With that, now time to finish another chapter!
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