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If it's Fiction it's Fair Game

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My other blog:

Daoine's Mischief

My favourite blogs:

Selma in the City

Ms Karen's Place

My latest articles:

Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make

Ice Sculpture

Creating derivative works

My latest reviews:

The Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda

Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie

His Dark Materials (2&3) by Philip Pullman

I'm watching Torchwood...

Thursday 13 November 2008
Lessons in Showing

I've been stuck on editing an important scene on the first page of my completed children's book, and eventually I decided to get some opinions from other writers (thanks Wendy, Lauri, and Sher).

Showing a scene allows the reader to own it, and therefore makes it more powerful and memorable. So it stands to reason that one would use the technique of showing for important scenes. I often advise writers and clients to let go of the control over every single aspect of their book. If a detail is not important to the plot - such as the colour of a character's hair - then let the reader choose. This doesn't mean cutting out all such description; it means knowing when extraneous description is slowing the pace of the story, or distracting the reader and breaking his concentration.

But there are times when you need the reader to be (cough) on the same page as you. In my efforts to let go of control over my reader's perceptions, I relinquished one detail too many in this vital scene. All three critiques contained the perception that the main character seems fearless, cheeky, and brave. In this scene, however, it is important plot-wise that the main character is afraid. I knew there was something wrong with this scene, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Thankfully others could, without even knowing what they were looking for. This is what makes beta readers so useful.

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Tuesday 4 November 2008
Genreflecting

The genre choices I've been deliberating have already been addressed in Lesson Two of Holly's Thinking Sideways course. It seems I can rest easily for the moment, and that my decision to put Breaking Point aside for a while is quite a good one. I should be able to use it to re-enter the market if and when my books start to suffer from the "ordering to the net" policies of the bookstores. (I'll have to write about this issue at some stage, too.)

I have two further ideas for thrillers up my sleeve - one is depressingly dark, though, but the other could be an intriguing conspiracy theory romp that I could put a futuristic spin on and thus segue into science fiction from there.

I'm still a little concerned about the leap from writing for children to writing for adults, although I don't consider myself a "children's author" at all. It just so happens that the books I'm currently writing are suitable for children; Breaking Point, however, most definitely is not. I can see that a pseudonym may be required (another one), but there doesn't seem to be an issue with working in this manner on the agent/publisher side (ie, having a plan to pick up and start again versus sitting and watching your career die). The issue arises with establishing a (new?) readership for a new line of books.

This is where I've begun to cause myself a slight problem. A clever writer would work this all out in advance and try to link the genres in some way, even under different names, so that loyal readers can follow that writer from one line of books to the other. This, in turn, means that instead of starting again from scratch, you start a new line with a ready-made readership. But it doesn't work like that when moving from children's books to adults'. (Unless I can stretch it out long enough for any fans to have grown up by the time of publication...)

But despite that, I'm in the right place. Now I need to finish Lesson Two so that I can figure out how I'm going to link my books together - produce a "brand", I suppose, although it's a lot more creative and fun than the marketing people make it sound (and far more subtle).

I'm really glad, now, that I've signed up for the lessons every fortnight instead of weekly. I'm already lagging behind (thanks to a schedule that has gone nuts) and according to the Sideways student forum it gets even more intense in upcoming lessons.

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Comments (2)

Selma -
That leap would be difficult for most people to traverse. I think your point about trying to link your two genres is an important one. If anyone can do it, you can.

Posted 7 November 2008

Elle -
I'm feeling much happier about it all. I've often wondered if Breaking Point is doomed to sit in my drawer unloved by anyone but me, but I think it's just a case that the time is not right. Now I think I can focus on the projects on my plate without worrying too much about what I'm getting myself into by choosing this particular route.

Posted 7 November 2008

Friday 17 October 2008
Buffet in the Dark

One of the major issues affecting my writing progress is the "stab in the dark" approach I've been taking over the past 13 years. I started off with two drafts of a silly mystery novel that I made a lot of mistakes on and eventually filed in my round file as my "training novel". I took the one element I still liked from that manuscript and developed my second novel as an adult crime thriller that needed several drafts before I was happy with my plot and my writing, although not both together. It still needs one more major rewrite to correct the sequencing of the plot.

However, coming towards the end of the draft I have now, I realised that I no longer wanted to write realism. And certainly not crime. Somewhere between eagerly starting a detective novel because of my love of mystery books and picking up my first fantasy novel, I fell hopelessly out of love with the detective genre. I can no longer even bring myself to read even those authors I know I used to enjoy. I suspect the problem arose while doing research into authors who wrote books that were "similar" to what I was writing. I read a lot of rubbish doing that research - published rubbish. And there is nothing more demoralising than working your butt off on a novel and opening a similar book in a bookstore when the poor quality of the writing on the first page makes you want to hurl the book across the store.

So while I was half-heartedly submitting a novel I would eventually realise still needed more work, I began writing a science fiction novel, which stalled for a reason I'll get into in another post. But my muse decided we wanted to write a children's fantasy story, and since I was making no progress on the science fiction book anyway, I decided to comply. Now I'm on book two of what has become a trilogy, but I'm wondering how on earth I will manage to sell three books when it is hard enough to get anyone interested in just one. On top of that, my muse has come up with a new children's story that covers a series of five books. And the science fiction novel has also spawned three prequels - just for fun.

So here I am with a lot of ideas I really want to get working on, and yet I'm demotivated because their very nature makes them unlikely to be wanted. I feel like I'm at a buffet in the dark, going by touch and smell and enjoying what I'm tasting. But in the back of my mind I wonder if I'm at the right table, or even on the right side of the room. I fear someone will turn on the lights and I will find that all the chocolate is on the other side and I've missed out. And now the buffet is closed - I have to stick with what I have on my plate.

So I've signed up for the Think Sideways course I mentioned earlier in the hope that it will help me figure out which side of the buffet I need to be on, and perhaps how I can move around and grab some dessert as well as mains.

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Comments (4)

Edie Dykeman -
Sounds like you are at the same buffet as many of us creatives. We have many great ideas, but need that funnel vision people talk about to help us narrow down what project we should focus on. Sounds like signing up for the class may help you clarify your thoughts and direction. I've favorited this blog and wish you lots of luck.

Posted 18 October 2008

Elle -
It's good to know I'm not alone. Thanks so much for your good wishes Edie.

Posted 18 October 2008

Selma -
I think you should just go for it regardless of whether or not you think a trilogy or series will sell. I do believe we should write about what we are driven to write about. I think the end result is much more satisfying both for the writer and the reader. Go for it, my dear. I have faith in you!

Posted 20 October 2008

Elle -
You're a dear Selma. Thank you.

Posted 21 October 2008

Friday 3 October 2008
Think Sideways Week 1

It's no secret that I keep stalling on my fiction every time I have a major non-fiction project in the works. I can't seem to concentrate on reality and unreality, and put in the work on both, at the same time. The first quarter of this year I was commissioned to create 40 brain teaser puzzles. The middle of the year saw a challenge to produce 100 Squidoo lenses.

Writing about writing also has its downside, and I finally decided to call it a day at BellaOnline where I have been the Fiction Writing Editor for two years, overlapping with a two-year stint as the Creativity Editor.

And there's a baby on the way, which gives me something else I want to spend part of my limited time writing about.

I decided I needed something to help me focus on my fiction career - not just the writing part of it, but the development and publication side of it too. I've started a year-long course which I think will help me do exactly this, and also keep me on track and writing at least something during those messy and exciting months when we have a newborn on our hands.

I'm going to occasionally write about how I'm going with this course and whether it's working for me, not just because it's relevant to my blog, but also because I'm promoting it as a course for other writers who need mentorship in building a writing career. This course is not for everyone, so this is a good way for others to find out if it is right for them. Further details are here.

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Comments (2)

Selma -
I will be very interested to see what you think of it. Happy writing!

Posted 20 October 2008

Elle -
Thanks Selma. I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it.

Posted 21 October 2008

Monday 24 September 2008
Grow Up

A friend or relative of an author, entrusted with a draft copy of her manuscript, somehow released said manuscript onto the Internet - whether intentionally or unintentionally, is unclear.

Now, while having an unedited draft distributed publicly without your knowledge and permission is devastating, The author's reaction to this situation is downright childish. Instead of taking the issue up with the person who violated her copyright, the author took her fit of pique out on her fans, declaring that she will no longer finish the book in question.

She puts it this way on her blog: "...I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution. [But] it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control."

Seriously. Earth to Author! It is the "trusted individual" to whom you gave a draft copy of your manuscript who is initially at fault here, not your fans. It is not illegal to read something that violates someone's copyright. It is not illegal to link to something that violates copyright. It is illegal to copy it and distribute it to others, but consider what your fans may have been thinking: it happens, sometimes, that authors die before completing an important book in a series. It happened to Douglas Adams and it nearly happened to Stephen King. A favourite author's latest book in a series is available, early and free, on the Internet and you expect die-hard fans NOT to read it? Let me repeat that point: You're punishing your fans for reading your books - for loving your books. And you've justified their rationale by pulling the plug on the book after all.

In a final little twist to this sordid tale, the author, herself, has posted a pdf file of the violated book on her blog. Again, she says: "I'd rather my fans not read this version of [the book]." What a challenge! She concludes by saying: "I cannot begin to tell [my wonderful fans] how much each of you means to me." Really? It doesn't show.

Does anyone else think this smells awfully like a very tacky, manipulative, and badly handled publicity stunt?

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Comments (2)

Selma -
Oh, absolutely a publicity stunt. Goodness me, she should modify her behaviour. How childish.

I haven't been getting your blog updates via my feed reader and feel bad I've missed so many of your posts. Am I doing something wrong? I'm using Google Reader. When I press the subscribe button your three recent posts don't appear. Thought I should tell you.

Posted 20 October 2008

Elle -
Sorry, that's my fault Selma. I haven't updated the RSS feed in ages; it's such a pain that I usually wait until I have a bunch of articles up before I bother with it. I must get back into the habit of making it part of the blog posting procedure.

Posted 21 October 2008

Monday 11 August 2008
un-Bonding on a Dark Knight

I'm not certain I want to watch the movie The Dark Knight, so I've decided to write this post, and make the points I want to make, before I get roped into seeing it. I've heard the rave reviews, so I'm wondering if I'll be retracting my words. I guess we'll see. On with my rant.

I can't understand why the Nolan brothers decided to start remaking Batman movies that have already been done, and done well (with the exception of the glitch that saw the seriously misguided casting of Val Kilmer in one of them).

Batman Begins was such a good attempt by the Nolan brothers to put their stamp on this franchise, and it was a really original take on the Batman story. Why would they spoil what they've begun by settling for a remake when they could make a second movie just as original. There are plenty of villains in the Batman comic books, and I'm sure the writers could come up with others.

Much as I enjoyed Christian Bale in Batman Begins, he will never replace Michael Keaton as the best of the Batmen. And I cannot even imagine how Heath Ledger will attempt to take over from Jack Nicholson as the iconic Joker. And therein the main issue. So much hype has gone into this movie due to the death of Heath Ledger, that I am worried it has swayed viewers' opinions. They're talking about a possible Oscar-winning performance... for a comic-book movie! That's just as insane as the hopelessly bad make-up job.

Having said that, I must admit that a recent couple of rumours have me slightly excited about upcoming Batman remakes: that Johnny Depp may be cast as The Riddler, and Angelina Jolie as Catwoman. Wow. Now that I can actually imagine working. Michelle Pfeiffer was awesome, but I have to admit that Angelina was born for that role. But what's wrong with developing an entirely new storyline involving Catwoman?

The most worrying development, however, is the deviance of this latest Batman movie from the essence of the genre. Like everything else we're being spoon-fed these days, it looks like The Dark Knight is jumping onto the reality- based story-telling bandwagon, and straying too far from the comic-book-style urban fantasy genre.

From what I've heard - and the words "terrorism" and "torture" were in there somewhere - it reminds me too much of the massive disappointment that was the Daniel Craig Bond movie Casino Royale. As far as I'm concerned, Casino Royale was not a Bond movie, no matter what the main character was called. Bond has always before been the invincible spy - he hardly ever gets caught, and, if he does, he escapes without sustaining much more than a few body punches and dishing out far more than he gets. Casino Royale was too close to the bone, and I hated it. I fear the same for The Dark Knight.

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Comments (5)

David Mascellani -
Hi, I haven't gone to see The Dark Knight as yet. But friends (whose opinions I tend I agree) had mixed reactions to the movie-but most agreed that Heath was pretty phenomenal as the Joker. I'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD.

Regards,
David Mascellani

Aquaman is a Pescepublican

Posted 19 August 2008

Selma -
I haven't seen it yet either, which is a surprise as I am madly in love with Christian Bale. I have heard it is very dark. Maybe I'll catch it tomorrow. Batman is my fave superhero.

Posted 24 August 2008

Elle -
Let us know what you think of it, Selma. We'll probably rent it on DVD - hubby picks up our Friday night DVD on his way home, and he's said he wants to see it, so he will bring it home at some stage, I'm sure.

Posted 25 August 2008

SusanVillasLewis -
Interesting thought there on Casino Royale. Because that movie was so much closer to the original story in the book than any of the other movies, torture scene and all. Bond as created by Fleming isn't quite as smooth and perfect as he is in the movies. First time I've heard a complaint about stuff that took the movie closer to the book. :-)

(BTW, I hate the Bond books. Just horrid writing, IMO. Love the movies. Was OK with this new take on Bond. Not OK with dropping the iconic line in the next one, though. One must have standards.)

Posted 21 October 2008

Elle -
Actually I can think of a few movies that have been an improvement on their books. One series in particular springs immediately to mind, but I've already caused a ruckus once because of my unpopular opinion of a certain author, and I'm not keen to do that again.

I'd forgotten about the books' version of Bond, though, now that you mention it. I only read a few Bond books as a teenager, and I couldn't get hold of Casino Royale. I was referring more to the branding of the Bond (movie) franchise as an easy-to-watch adventure. They broke their brand in the latest movie because they're trying to attach themselves to the latest proverbial musical go-kart instead. Bad move.

Posted 22 October 2008

Tuesday 15 July 2008
Reality Opts Out

I did a jump for joy when I read that the reality TV show Big Brother is finally being cancelled due to lack of interest. Thank every fictional god there is for that small miracle.

Channel Ten apparently now has 120 hours of their 2009 schedule to refill. Although the author of the Herald Sun article seems to think this will be a "programming challenge", I think it's simple. Let's get back to escapist fantasy. Ten, I have some suggestions for you:

Current shows (writers' strike (or lack thereof) dependent):

Torchwood (I've been moaning about this one for ages.)
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Stargate Atlantis
Battlestar Galactica
Dollhouse

Reruns (new and older shows):

Stargate SG-1
Star Trek : Voyager, Next Generation, Deep Space 9
Battlestar Galactica (because your erratic programming means we've missed so much of this show)
Charmed
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel
Sliders
Airwolf
McGyver
The A-Team
Highlander
Firefly (thanks Ms. Karen)

Wouldn't you love to see some of these old shows make a come back? I don't think a single teenager or pre-teen today even knows what Airwolf is all about, but I'm sure they'll still find it at least as cool and cheesy as Doctor Who.

What old favourites would you bring back?

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Comments (7)

Ms. Karen - You and I have pretty much the same taste in television, including the oldie-but-goodies. Oh how I miss Firefly...

Posted 15 July 2008

Elle - Ah, there's one I forgot to add: Firefly!

Posted 15 July 2008

Selma - Yes, yes and yes. Nothing is worse than Big Bloomin' Brother - so glad it's gone. YAY!

Posted 18 July 2008

David Mascellani - Wouldn't be nice if they filled in a couple of those 120 hours with fresh new Aussie talent? But probably won't happen but it would be good.

Posted 6 August 2008

Elle - Absolutely, David. Did you catch Little Oberon? It was a movie that was going to be the pilot of a series if it was popular enough, but nothing seems to have come of that. It was really very good. And Rain Shadow was another good quality series I'd like to see again.

Posted 7 August 2008

Moe - The amount of reality television infecting the airways is just ridiculous. I refuse to believe that so many people prefer to watch that crap over quality television like Jericho, Veronica Mars and Firefly (and so many more).

Posted 9 August 2008

Elle - Hi Moe, thanks for stopping by. I agree - sadly, I think many people just watch Reality TV because it is the only thing that is on, or even put the TV on in the background as "white noise", and they don't realise that they are endorsing the show in a small way. It adds up.

Posted 10 August 2008

Friday 11 July 2008
My Story is...

The Aussie TV channel SBS has a new promo/slogan running called "Six billion stories and counting". One of the advertisements has a number of people summing up their story in one word. I love this idea. Get down to the really simple essence of you. What single word describes your life and who you are?

My story is imagination.

What's yours?

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Comments (3)

Sam - yes u r right story is imagination me also used to write story

Posted 12 July 2008

Selma - One word is hard but I'll go for persistence.

Posted 18 July 2008

Ms. Karen - Mine would probably be, "What?"

Posted 18 July 2008

Wednesday 2 July 2008
The Death of the Plot

We’re in danger of losing the plot.

I watched Cloverfield sometime last month, and sat through two hours of film footage waiting for the plot. I waited so long I let the credits run through, thinking this might be one of those movies that sneaks the final twist in right at the end of the credit roll. (Yes, I saw the water scene, although I had to rewind to find it. I don’t know how anyone managed to pick that up in the movie theatre. But, frankly, at that stage, who cares?)

Cloverfield has no plot. It is simply footage of an event and the reactions of characters to the situation they find themselves in. Theoretically there’s nothing wrong with a story having no plot – many literary works dump the plot in favour of allowing (hopefully) well-rounded characters to meander around the book until they run out of something important to gripe about (although probably well after that point).

However, I’m concerned about what appears to be a trend in entertainment. Stories without a plot used to be fringe; Cloverfield grossed the biggest profit at the box office so far this year. What is this doing to our storytelling ability when everything is becoming more news centric and journalistically written? We’ve come to this point because of 24-hour news coverage where we are used to seeing news footage and documentary-style reporting, followed by Reality TV as our main source of entertainment. None of this involves plotting, and a continuation of this trend could see a deficiency in the important skill of creating good plots.

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Comments (4)

Selma - I haven't seen Cloverfield, but a friend did complain about the lack of plot after she saw it. Seems good scriptwriters are in short supply in the film industry these days. Gives me hope. Better get writing!

Posted 9 July 2008

Elle - Selma, I know you're capable of a really worthwhile story. It would be great on film. Better get that son of yours producing some of your work...

Posted 10 July 2008

Ms. Karen - You know, I thought I was the only one thinking there was a lack of plots in movies and television. And some books.

You're right when you tie it in with our addiction to reality TV and all news, all the time kinds of shows. Some folks are just more interested in seeing how other people live instead of doing some living of their own.

Um, guilty of that at times as well...

Posted 11 July 2008

Elle - Karen, I've been neglecting you terribly. I must stop by your blogs. Thanks so much for your visit.

Posted 11 July 2008

Wednesday 9 April 2008
Deathly Hallows

I've recently finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - yes, I know, I may very well be the last (interested) person in the world to get around to reading it and I've been surfing the web on tenterhooks for months hoping to avoid spoilers. And now I'm surfing trying to find all the spoilers I tried to avoid to see what other people had to say when they finished it.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the wrap up of the series - books 6 and 7. It took me a little while to put my finger on exactly what was bugging me about it, and then I realised it was the very same thing I try to drum into my critique clients - Rowling held the reins too tightly. (Okay, so now you have a perfect excuse not to listen to me on that one, because JK Rowling does it too!)

Here's why: Rowling controlled every aspect of the story for seven books, which forced readers outside into observer mode, rather than allowing readers in to experience the story for themselves. There is no room in the final wrap up for the reader to read between the lines anymore.

The clearest example of this is in the epilogue, where every main character's life is mapped out for the next 19 years and beyond. This is the part of the book where the reader usually gets to let their imagination go based on the possibility hinted at in the final pages, rather than being left with everything so firmly tied up that the only thought remaining is: "Well, that really is the end."

I know Rowling wanted (and in some ways was forced, by fans, by the popularity of the books, and by scammers) to conclude the book in such a way that there would be no doubt that it had ended to avoid fan/scam fiction follow ups and people being caught out by "another Harry Potter book after all". It's unfortunate, though, because it dents an otherwise good story.

I would have liked to see Rowling end this series with Book 5. And while I'm on critique mode (and I know I'll get flamed for this), I would've suggested combining Books 1 and 2 together, and Books 3 and 4 together - much of Book 1 and Book 4 could've been cut, in my opinion, leaving room to combine the important backstory aspects of Books 5, 6, and 7, but ending with the battle at the Ministry.

But that's just my take on it. It's still a great story.

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Comments (5)

Selma - I haven't read the final book yet. I just can't seem to bring myself to do it but I know what you mean about Rowling being a control freak. Epilogue, you say? Bleh. I am not a fan of the epilogue. I'd rather imagine.... Now you have made me realise that I am probably the only person in the world who hasn't read the final book. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow after work?

Posted 15 April 2008

DavidM - I was watching Oprah once and one of her guests was the woman (I can’t remember name) who was instrumental in getting Rowlands published. The first Potter was in the slush pile (it had been rejected by other publishers.) This woman read it and persuaded the powers to publish it. I can’t remember the exact wording of the interview but it went something like this:

Oprah: Did JK ever thank you?

Woman: (Great big beaming smile) Oh yes, she sent me a thank you note and an autographed copy of the book.

Oprah: Anything else?

Woman: (still smiling) No.

The expression on Oprah’s face when she asked “anything else: was priceless because from it I believe I could tell that she was thinking what I was thinking: “This woman is now one the richest women in the world because of you and ALL she sent was a measley thank you note and an autographed book’?

Man, if the day comes that somebody makes me one the richest men in the world, that person will be set for life. I mean, c’mon, even if Rowlands had given the woman something like ½ of one percent of the net profits of one book, and it would have been a good bonus. James Brown gave his sound engineer the rights/royalities to one song “Sex Machine” and the guy never had to work again

I haven’t, as yet ,read ANY of the Potter books or seen any of the films. From discussions I have had with friends and rellos, I get feeling that when I do I will feel as if I already have.

Cheers, David

Posted 17 April 2008

Elle - Hi David - thanks for dropping by!

I saw that Oprah show and I remember her reaction too. I'm not sure where I stand on whether Rowling owes that woman anything more. I do know that Rowling was very lucky to have her manuscript read because she broke every rule in the book for submissions (it was ring bound, and I think it was printed on both sides of the paper). So maybe she does owe the slush pile reader a lot - and maybe a grand gesture would encourage other slush readers to take a chance on a manuscript that "breaks the rules" but they feel something intuitive about it anyway. If there's a greater chance that they could become rich off a decision like that, who knows who might get a lucky break.

But on the other hand, all she did was read the manuscript and pass it on to someone higher up who made the real decision. The publishing company who said yes (Bloomsbury) has already been rewarded extensively by being part of the Harry Potter phenomenon, and maybe it is the publishing company who should be making a grand gesture towards the slush pile reader who put them in that position. Perhaps they have already.

Selma, my dear, I'm so glad I'm not last! Email me when you finish, I want to know what you think!

Posted 18 April 2008

Inspired Writing Research blogger - Hi Elsa, this is an interesting 'out of the box' angle on JK's writing. I must admit her books have never attracted me as a reader - although my sons did love the films. Later I read that critics didn't rate the actual quality of her writing. I suppose you have to admire someone who does have the writing skill to tie up a plot so rigidly.

Posted 20 April 2008

Elle - Thanks for visiting, Inspired Writing. JK Rowling is a fairly good writer (although one who suffers from bloated writing syndrome), but even she admits that she could've done with some more editing assistance. One of the biggest problems with writers who make it big with their first major project is that they lose the introspective time to develop a second (usually more critical) perspective on their work. Rowling battles with letting go of control of her work, and she battles to trust the reader. It's not a good combination when you're hoping readers will escape into your story.

Posted 20 April 2008

Wednesday 23 January 2008
Heath Ledger

The death of Heath Ledger is a stark reminder of how fragile life is. It seems to me that he was simply a happy father, stressed and over-worked, and battling to get some sleep after playing two intense roles in a row - Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, and The Joker in The Dark Knight. He took sleeping pills to try and sleep. He may have been ill with pneumonia at the same time. And, instead of waking up after a nap one afternoon, he simply slipped away.

Rest in Peace, Heath.

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Comments (1)

Selma - It is such a tragedy about Heath. I've been feeling sad about it all day. it is awful that so much pressure is placed on these actors that their health becomes compromised. Every time I saw one of Heath's movies I felt he was getting better and better. It's heartbreaking to think he is gone.

Posted 24 January 2008

Monday 14 January 2008
The Misogyny of Shrek the Third

I love children's movies, and I thoroughly enjoyed Shrek 1 and 2, but I have a serious problem with the misogynistic message being passed on to children in this third movie.

Fiona’s father, the Frog King, dies after telling Shrek that he is next in line for the throne – or Shrek can find a boy called Arthur Pendragon, a cousin who could also fulfil the role. That scene nearly caused me to turn the movie off in disgust.

Firstly, there is a perfectly fit, intelligent, and capable queen standing at the king’s bedside – in every way the ideal person to take over as monarch of Far, Far Away. And if you want to argue that the spouse of the heir to a throne cannot be the monarch, that is exactly my next argument.

Fiona is the princess and the heir to the throne, but it is her commoner husband who is made king. Or the other option is the next male heir down the line – anyone other than the legitimate child of the current king, as long as that person is male. We don’t even do that in the real world where every excuse for misogyny is used to the full extent possible. No one in England licks stamps with the profile of “King Philip” on them, nor is there a “King Henrik of Denmark”.

And then we turn to the other women of this movie. Sure, the princesses get to fight a bit (and Snow White has one of the coolest scenes in the movie), but for a great length of the movie they contribute to the image of the stupid princess who needs to be rescued. When they do escape, they just get themselves captured again.

What happened to great reversals that Shrek 1 introduced? Not only was the beautiful Princess Fiona able to rescue herself, thank you very much, she also happened to be an ogre with a great deal of intelligence and spunk. Now she's shoved into the submissive-wife-and-mother role.

Is this Andrew Adamson's doing? The first Shrek was the work of William Steig (book) and the Ted Elliot/Terry Rossio combo (screenplay). Elliot and Rossio (best known for co-writing the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) were dropped on Shrek 2 and 3.

Were the writers/directors/producers just not thinking, or is there something more sinister going on here?

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Comments (3)

Selma - You have summed up so well what I also had trouble with in the third Shrek movie. I found it an odd direction for the movie to go in. And it didn't fool anyone. I took a group of 11 year olds to see it and they all complained about Fiona not being able to inherit the throne. Did the writer intend to be misognystic (did I spell that right?) or was he just being unimaginative? Get with the program, mate, Princess Fiona could run the world if she wanted to!

Posted 21 January 2008

Elle - That's why I love writing for children - they call you on any shortcuts you try and take. You have to put far more thought and work into your story, but it's so worth it. Good on those kids for picking up on the Shrek cop out!

Posted 22 January 2008

Violette - I thought it was more a showing that Shrek was being accepted since he had been an outcast originally for marrying Fiona.

Great Blog...popped over from Bella

Posted 21 April 2008

Friday 7 December 2007
5 Question Meme

I was tagged by my good mate Karen, author of one of the funniest blogs on the Internet, and here (finally!) are my answers. (See, not worth holding your breath after all.)

1. How long have you been blogging?

I started my website in late 2004 and I started the blog half-way through 2005.

2. What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?

It was one of those moments of madness when every so-called Internet expert claimed that all their (so-called) research pointed in the direction of blogs being the most important tool on the Internet, and anyone not blogging would be left behind.

They were wrong. There are other ways to get left behind, and none of them really affect your credibility and search engine ranking. Besides, according to the expert of experts, Jakob Nielson (the only person I will ever listen to on such matters), we’ve come full circle already and all the splash out there just makes real, solid written content even more important and valuable.

And although I wouldn't call them mentors as such, I'm paying attention to what Seth Godin and Sonia Simone have to say at the moment.

3. Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

*Polite cough* I do make money online. And yes, I do put a lot of effort into it, and it has paid off. Some of it has been fun.

4. What 3 things do you struggle with online?

Email harvesters, domain name spoofers, and spammers.

5. What 3 things do you love about being online?

The brilliant opportunities I’ve been able to grab by being active online. The wonderful community of friends I’ve built up over the years. The stuff I’ve learnt by having my own website and diving into the online experience – everything from html coding and search engine optimisation to people management skills.

Now... I'm tagging

- Ms Karen

- Selma

- Ele

- and Groovy Old Lady

with a Reading Meme:

What have you just read?
What are you reading now?
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
Do you read books while you eat?
While you bath?
While you watch movies or TV?
While you listen to music?
While you're on the computer?
When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Have any books made you cry?

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Comments (2)

groovyoldlady - And it continues... I tried to copy and paste the questions from your blog to my WP so I could faithfully play the tag game, but it keeps showing up blank. I tried it again and again and started mumbling to myself and grumbling about stupid computers and marvelling over technology on your site that would protect you from from having your words lifted. Suddenly a groovy lightbulb goes on (darn near blinded me!) and I realized it's because your print is white. AHA! I just went to the page on my WP, hit "select all" and chose "black". I now safely have the survey questions 57 times on one document. Now I shall put on Alvin (NOT) and see what I can do to thoughtfully answer said questions so I can post 'em on my blog. You do realize that I haven't even READ the questions yet and I've already used about 15 minutes dealing with this? Efficient I am not!

Posted 10 December 2007

Elle - LOL Groovy! Okay, it's black on white now to avoid further confusion. Consider yourself the guinea pig... (or hamster rather).

Posted 11 December 2007

Selma - I'm going to do this right now. Sorry for tackling it so late. I am so glad you are doing well with your writing and editing. You deserve it, you really know your stuff!

Posted 17 December 2007

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