From Oscar to March

From Oscar...

Big night last night!  I am relieved that the two films, The Kids Are Alright and 127 Hours, I did not get a chance to see  before the Oscars began didn't win anything.  Not because of any reason other than I hadn't had a chance to see them; I just ran out of time. Now I look forward to watching them without the time constraints. 

I am very pleased with how the results unfolded.  I was worried that Social Network might win big after Sorkin took the stage.  To judge the audience reaction to titles being named in the categories in which it competed, one would think Social Network was going to win everything.  But it didn't, and for that I am glad.  I liked the movie, don't get me wrong, it's just that I was concerned that fans of the website, and all it means to the world right now, might put the "cool kid" ahead of the others.  And that is why I am glad that sanity reigned at the Oscars last night.

...To March

Two months have passed in this new year and the rewrite of Monarch is gathering steam.  I am taking things wide this month, thinking big picture, instead of "best picture".  The past two months I had targeted lamppost scenes – game changing moments. Now it is time to move on to the next phase: the BIG PICTURE.

The Big Picture Phase may be the last time to make any changes that will affect the overall structure of the story.  It is the research of my research and then further research point in the game.  If I am to remain true to my goal of self-publishing the first of four parts to my book in July, I have to solidify the whole story to then focus on the first part.  And there are numerous possibilities that I must vet before locking things into the structure:

-Continuity: Does time mesh? Do details remain consistent throughout?
-Flow: Readability; Likeability; Plausibility; etc.
- CUTS: Good and Bad
-Paste: Only the necessary parts
-Imagine: Some other ways the story could develop; ratchet up what is already there
- ETC…

 If I can get far along enough in the “Big Picture” part of the rewrite process, I hope to then start in on revising the first section before April.    

* On a side note: I had an idea last night in regards to the release of the other three parts of Monarch.  It's interesting to think about the process of creating this novel.  (I have talked about it in other posts already and will try not to repeat myself.)  The Time element in all of this has been so curious. Having written the story-within-a-story part of Monarch almost a decade ago, and to now be working on properly presenting it within a vision of a future that is fast approaching, has been quite a ride.  And I want to bring her into port in the best shape I can. 

So, I must rethink the release of the other stages of Monarch.  While I will continue to try and have the first part available by July, the other parts may not begin to be released until October or November.  I don’t want to rush it – not only for quality sake, but just in case there is any sort of anticipation after the first part is released.  We’ll see.  I’ll keep updating.

-aap

***Update: Toy Story 3*** "And then some..... (My take on the Best Picture Category come Oscar NIght)

 Toy Story 3

Having not seen the second of the three films in the series, I cannot compare the current edition to its immediate predecessor.  Although, having seen the original when it came out, and absolutely loving it, I was skeptical of a sequel's worthiness in the over-saturated Best Picture category at the Oscars. They had to be padding the category with a Pixar film, right? 

Wrong. 

I am not a big fan of animated films running neck and neck with live action for Oscar glory.  That is why there is already a category for Animation.  Besides, by giving Toy Story 3 a nod in Best Picture, doesn’t that mean that the Academy has to give it Best Animation?  It ruins the Animation category. 

Toy Story 3 is a great Animated Movie.  No doubt.  It again touches on the human need to be needed – but with toys – as the first did.  The whole Daycare element of the film is what drives the middle of the film, and therefore the movie.  What a great villain!   His voice reminded me of one of the characters from an old animated film, that has now been banned, Song of the South.

The movie balances the hilarious chaos of the Daycare along with the sentimental aspects between Andy and his Toys to perfection.  But it is the perfection that can be obtained in an animated film that keeps me from liking them more than a movie like Black Swan, where imperfections make it seem all that more real.

And therefore, even though I loved this movie, I cannot see this movie winning Best Picture.  Not that I don’t think there might one day be an animated film to win Best Picture, I do.  It will probably be soon, too.  It will touch a nerve and seem more real than its competition.   Toy Story 3 is not that movie, but it is definitely worth watching. 

-aap

  

***Update*** "And then some..... (My take on the Best Picture Category come Oscar NIght)

Well, I have now seen Winter's Bone.  It is a slow-boiled mystery set in the gritty, live-by-the-land Ozarks.  The story paints a very dark picture of how a criminal brotherhood has ties into the lives of everyone who lives there -- for bad and for good.  The got-your-back nature of the hill people reminded me of a screenplay I wrote several years ago entitled Millers Ridge (A story about a young man who is wrongly accused of murdering his girlfriend, but finds support from the people of the town.)

Winter's Bone is a well made film worthy of being viewed, but I am afraid it is just too emotionally dour to have a chance come Oscar night.  Though the young star in this film, Jennifer Lawrence, is sure to have nothing but good things happen in her career for some time.

                                    CLICK to read the original post.

                                   -aap

When three is four

Over the past week I have been working on the muddle of Monarch.  You will find the crux of any story in the muddle (or middle).  Set between the beginning and the end, muddles can bring a story to a halt.  It can leave a writer languishing through details and pleading for an escape.  But make no mistake; if one plans to write or read a story, you’ll need to make your way through the muddle. 

 When I sat down to begin writing I saw the novel in three distinct parts – each part running approximately 200 pages.  This way I could then release each part separate from one another as individual e-books.  But as I have worked my way further into the rewrite I’ve become aware that I may actually have four parts instead of three.  After making the necessary changes, the four parts are still similar in length to one another (now from around 100 -150 pages each), yet with each subsequent part longer than the last, like an ascending staircase.

This way might actually work out better. Thinking back to what my original paradigm looked like, having four parts now makes more sense.  It originally had three parts, but each part was preceded by a stage, the first part with two stages.  This way, I simply shift the stages, ever so slightly, and voila – four stages or parts.   Three is now four. 

Later in the week I will be updating last week’s post about the Oscar’s Best Picture race after watching Winter’s Bone.   Until then, Happy Valentine’s Day!

-aap     

And then some.... (My take on the Best Picture Category come Oscar NIght)

I have a little extra time this week, due to a neck injury, to impart a few more words.  Don't worry it's nothing I haven't dealt with before.  If anything it allows me to do something other than yammer on about what stories I'm working on.

Since I have a background in the performing arts, and seeing as it is awards season, I guess I could give a few opinions on the Oscar nominated movies from last year.  I have only seen the following six, as of yet:  True Grit, The Social Network, Black Swan, Inception, The King's Speech and The Fighter.  First let me say that I love Hollywood.  I love all the great films it has turned out over the years.  I love the fact that no matter how many garbage remakes come through the pipeline, there are still those that stand above the original.  I love the fact that one of our greatest exports to the world is entertainment.  Well, kind of.  It does mean that there are more opportunities for dreamers such as myself.  The negative aspect of that I won't bother going into without chapters. 

I will say this: I saw a couple of these films after the Globes, so my opinions might be a little skewed based on those results.  But then again maybe you will agree.

True Grit -  As I mentioned before, I am not a big fan of remakes.  As a writer I'd like to say that I would never want to tackle what another has already done so well.  Though when you mention the Cohen Brothers and Jeff Bridges, I had to admit I was excited.  And the movie did not disappoint.  Admittedly, it has been a long time since I saw the original on Ted's TBS, but the updating did this particular remake a lot of justice.   

The Social Network - With this particular movie I had my doubts about it going in.  While I am not the biggest fan of Facebook, I did want to see this - even if it was after its Globes win for best picture.  Going in I didn't want to believe that it could be better than the other four that I had already seen ( True Grit, Inception, Black Swan or the Fighter).  And it wasn't.  While it is captivating to see how the famous social website came to be, I never felt anything for the main character.  And as a writer, if you don't have a likable main character, a hero, you better have an interesting anti-hero.  In this particular story the only likable character is a secondary character; he is the only one with a character arch.  It was as if the main character was devoid of emotion.  Needless to say this is not my pick for best picture.  Good but definitely not great. 

Black Swan - Other than the one similarity to The Wrestler, my favorite movie of the year.  If I had never seen that movie, this might well be one of my favorites of all time. All I can say is that Natalie Portman should win best actress, and thank you everyone else for showing up.  

Inception - This was the one movie from last year that I had to see.  It was truly something to behold in IMAX.  It amazes me how little love Nolan gets from his peers.  At the time this came out I had it in the race for Best Picture.  Of course, then all the Oscar bait came out at the end of the year, killing any chance for this film to win.  But in truth, it is the slow pace and excessive exposition that keeps this film from going toe to toe with its competition.  But there wasn't another film that I saw this past year that was half as cool. 

The King's Speech - This was the last of the six that I have seen, and I may have saved the best for last.  The performances in this movie are top notch.  The writing is first class.  If you like classics, you'll love this.  The Social Network crowd might find this a bit too stuffy.  If I were betting with your money, I'd say this will win best picture.  It fits the mold. 

The Fighter - The film that might shock the world!  While there are some establishing moments that may linger a bit too long, this movie has it all, and then some.  Bale is a lock for best supporting actor.  He and Natalie are the only two sure things in all the races.  This movie might be the little big picture that could come awards night.

So, sure there are four other films that are up for Best Picture but these are the six that have a chance -- maybe 127 Hours, I haven't seen it yet.  The writer in me wants to see Black Swan or Inception win, but I believe the night will either belong to The King's Speech or The Fighter, or maybe both, seeing as one might win Best Picture and the other Best Director.  

-aap

The steps we take define us

It's hard to believe that in having spent over three decades on this earth, I still consider fictitious things just as interesting and as important as real life; maybe it's because of my roots in performing and the love I have for make-believe; maybe it’s because life is not always easy and creating realities similar yet different from this one is a great means of keeping my sanity; or, maybe I should just get out more. 

Nevertheless, I consider myself very fortunate to be doing what I am doing today.  The times we live in are unbelievably eventful; and there is such a rich history to dig into for today’s storytellers that I hope to be bringing you new tales for as long as I am able.  But, for me, none of this would be possible if I hadn’t made some tough decisions over the years, decisions that put me in the position to be doing what I am doing today.  I won’t go into detail and bore you all to tears – I’ll leave that for a memoir some twenty years from now.   

So let’s move on to where we left off last week:  Possibly trying to publish something shorter before taking the leap with the first part of Monarch.  I agree with Acacia that it could be a very good means of testing the process.  But I don’t want to take away too much time from Monarch either.  The whole reason I chose to write this novel was because of “time.”  I had this ten-year-old screenplay in Cipher, a story that, at the time of writing it, seemed to parallel my own life as I dealt with the passing of my father.  A strange time filled with perceived coincidences and rapid change in the world.  It was a labor of love that I couldn’t just let slip into obscurity.  I wanted desperately to do something with it, but by 2009 I realized there wasn’t enough time before 2012 to get it made into the movie that it deserved to be.  It meant so much to me that I made it mean so much to, Ginger Reed, my main character in Monarch.  And with less than two years till “that” day, I intend to get this story into people’s hands as soon as possible. 

I’m not saying that I won't try and get something a bit shorter out there before part one of Monarch, it’s just that my priority is to the novel.  If I can share time between them both, then maybe it will happen.  Ideally, I’d like to e-publish not only the novel and a short story but also my screenplay Garage Sale.  It was the story that spawned the short story, In the Wake of Newton, which is the same short story that I may try and e-publish sooner rather than later. 

Garage Sale is best described by its logline:   When several foolish customers at a Garage Sale up in the Hollywood Hills attempt to cheat the mysterious homeowners running it, they each meet a fate appropriate to their actions in this horrifying, multi-chaptered thriller.  

I haven’t really written a logline for ITWON, but it is probably best described as the creation story for all the goodies that wind up at that particular garage sale.   I wrote ITWON because I felt the opening to Garage Sale was too abrupt, and much of what happens in the screenplay seemed almost unjustified; and I wrote it as a short story because I wasn’t sure, at the time, if I even wanted to write screenplays anymore. Granted, I may need to make it adhere to the screenplay format at some point, but I’m not worried about that now. 

I don’t want to get anybody’s hopes up to high and then not be able to deliver this all to you by year’s end, but e-publishing a short story, a screenplay and a novel are my goal.  And I pledge to do my best not to let you or myself down.  Now, I got to get to work.  Until next week… thanks for reading.

-aap