Angel Time
02/3/10 | Books, Reviews | 0 Comments
I’ve been hearing for years about how amazing Anne Rice is. She’d written the hugely successful Vampire Chronicles series, the Mayfair witches books, the Sleeping Beauty erotica trilogy… but I’d never read one of her stories. I’d always wanted to, but something always kept me away.
What’s funny is that I read her son Christopher Rice’s first three books before I ever picked one of hers up. He’s a talented writer himself and I think he has a long career ahead of him.
What about her turned me off so? To be honest, it was her very public return to the Catholic Church and her pledge to devote the rest of her life’s work to Him. Even though I’d never read a word of her writing, I somehow felt betrayed… mostly because of the knowledge that her son is gay and her decision seemed like a slap in the face. How could she rejoin a religion that is bent on condemning her son’s soul to hell?
Forgive me my rant, because that’s not how I feel now. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with religion for a long time, and it has taken many years to sort through my conflicting feelings towards it. I’m not a religious person by any means, but moreso in the sense that I despise organized religion. I don’t like the messages they preach and I think it is despicable that they use God as an excuse to spread their own bigotry and hatred.
Myself, I’m agnostic. You heard that right… I’m not an atheist. I’m a scientifically oriented person, but I believe there are things that can’t be explained by science, so my mind isn’t completely made up. Though I don’t go to mass or pray, I still believe in God in my own way and have my own respect for Him. I believe that Jesus was a real person who tried to change the world for the better and ended up pissing off the bigots of his time to his unfortunate end (which is why I don’t believe he would stand for the hateful things his followers claim to preach in his name…).
However, I now know that not everyone who is a Catholic follows all of the same beliefs. There are those who follow the rule of tolerance and love, and that’s where I now realize Anne Rice is. She has never stopped being supportive of her son, and is a strong advocate for Gay Rights. In a way, I saw in myself some of the same attitudes that some of His more fanatic followers have, and I wasn’t giving her a chance just because of her religion. There was something seriously wrong with that.
So one day I decided it was time to delve into her stories. I eased myself in with a viewing of the adaptation of her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, and instantly fell in love with her characters and their story. I bought the book that day and finished it within a week.
There are many things one can say about Anne’s writing, about her captivating stories, her lyrical prose… but what I found myself so absorbed in was her voice. It was one of my more magical reading experiences, and I couldn’t believe how she kept up such language on every page of the book, in every sentence, every word. There was nothing extraneous, every word was important and helped to paint the picture of this beautiful world. I’d enjoyed the storyline as a movie, but reading the novel was an experience on a whole different level. She’d found an instant fan, one who’d been writing her off unfairly for years.
All that being said, I received a copy of her newest novel, ANGEL TIME, for Christmas (note the irony in THAT), and it was the first book of the new year that I read.
Here’s a small description of the book from Publisher’s Weekly:
“[…] this kickoff to bestseller Rice’s new Songs of the Seraphim religious romance series centers on hired assassin Toby O’Dare, a one-time aspirant to the priesthood until personal tragedy unmoored his life. Guardian angel Malchiah visits Toby, who’s just consummated his latest kill, and offers him redemption for his sins. After accepting the offer, Toby is whisked away to 13th-century England, where, in the guise of a Dominican friar, he becomes the protector of a Jewish couple accused wrongly by the gentile populace of having murdered their young daughter for her conversion to Christianity.”
To be fair, the book started out slow. There’s a lot of exposition from Toby, who we only know as Lucky at this point, over his life as an assassin and his longing to believe in God. I love exposition (as a literary writer myself), so knew enough to give the book a chance. Again, I was amazed by Anne’s lyrical words, the way she could weave together sentences and paragraphs and pages as if from the finest silk. Though beautifully woven, she almost lost me in the second chapter after a lengthy description of a hotel. Even though I knew it had to be important, I wasn’t deep enough into the story to care just yet. But still I gave it a chance.
And that’s when Malchiah came into the picture. He’s an angel that has been following Toby for almost his entire life. He promises to absolve Toby of his sins, to get him back into God’s good graces. As a way of getting Toby to believe he was real, he recites Toby’s childhood in great detail, things Toby never revealed to anyone in his current life.
That’s where the story really started for me, hearing about poor but determined Toby as a young boy, oldest of three, trying to follow his faith and manage a corrupt father and alcoholic mother at the same time. His innocence and pure spirit are captivating, and it makes his loss all the more heartbreaking. Once he leaves home for New York City, circumstances lead him to his first kills, but you know that he is completely in the right for what he does.
The story takes an interesting turn there, as Toby gives himself over to His services and is transported back in time (because in Angel Time, time as we know it does not exist), and he has to protect the Jewish parents of a young girl who the town’s Catholics believe murdered her because she wanted to convert to Christianity. In this time, we get to hear from Fluria, the girl’s mother, about her own struggles with love and religion, because as a Jewess, she fell in love with a Christian, and people were killed in those times for much less.
In the end, this story is about love and Toby’s struggle to find faith and his place in the world. Again, I fell into the trap of believing the story would be preachy, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. It wasn’t in the slightest.
I’m fascinated with religion, by the characters and the stories they tell. Religion is a topic I bring into a lot of my own writings, in various ways, for that reason. And this is a story that anyone, of any religion or belief system, can enjoy.
I follow Anne on Twitter and was happy to learn that she recently finished edits on the next book in her new Songs of the Seraphim series, The Dybbuk, and it is scheduled for an October 2010 release. It’s definitely on my To Buy list… I’m even considering picking up her Life of Christ series. I figure I owe her the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Avatar
02/2/10 | Awesome, Movies, Making Of, Trailers, Reviews | 2 Comments
I’ve seen a few new movies in the months since my last post, but there’s really only one worth mentioning.
WATCHED
Being the movie fanatic that I am, I frequently prowl the back alleys of movie gossip sites and heard about this particular feature a number of years ago. After the success of Titanic, James Cameron basically fell off the face of the planet, and I figured he was suffering from the same fear that plagues all successful artists… how the hell is he going to follow THAT?
But that isn’t what really happened. He spent his time working on a couple of documentaries (low-key, of course), but he’d also started production on something he’d written almost a decade earlier, an idea that was too far ahead of the technology at the time. He wrote AVATAR and ended up putting it away in a drawer, only to pick it up many years later, blow off the dust, and think… Hey, this isn’t so bad!
And so it began. Production started and whispers of a new mega-budget Cameron project started to circulate (even now, no one really knows how much it cost, but many believe it is the most expensive movie ever made, so over $300 million!). People kept talking about the kind of technology being developed and pictures leaked of actors wearing strange costumes. Everyone in the industry was buzzing, and that buzzing eventually turned into a frenzy late last summer when the first trailer debuted.
I have to admit, when I first saw the trailer I thought it looked a bit… dumb. Well, not necessarily dumb, but I didn’t really know what to think of it. Not much of the story was explained (it was a TEASER trailer, after all!), and the visual effects didn’t look right. Little did I know that it was the limited viewing capabilities of our home computers (even though my monitor is high-def) that was the problem. BUT, even though I wasn’t overly impressed the first time I watched the trailer, I watched it again. And again. And many more times over the following months until the theatrical trailer was released, and by that time, I’d started to become a little, well, OBSESSED.
Cut to the week leading up to the release of the movie. Everyone is talking about it, critics are raving, and you can’t turn on your TV without seeing a dozen or so commercials every hour. I talked my friend Francine into seeing the movie in 3D with me on opening night, even though we expected a huge crowd, and I probably lost a good handful of Twitter and Facebook friends because I could talk of little else.
Now, I have a confession to make. I am a HUGE Titanic freak (sounds redundant when you think about it, doesn’t it?), and it is probably the worst kept secret that I am deeply in love with Kate Winslet… Couple that with the fact that the Terminator franchise is one of my all time favorite storylines (T2 is one of the most incredible movies ever, and I WAS named after Kyle Reese from T1 after all), and the fact that he also directed the hilarious True Lies, I was definitely a James Cameron fan. But now, my liking of him has escalated to an unhealthy level.
We went to the theater early (only about 2 hours), expecting to see a swarm of people (I was there for when people were lining up for the midnight release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon back in November, and was expecting similar lines), but was disappointed by the seeming lack of bodies. We didn’t even get in line right away, and opted to sit in the game room for a half hour or so because we weren’t really worried about getting bad seats at that point. All of this was an ominous sign. I knew AVATAR was the most expensive movie ever made, and I feared for Jim’s reputation if it didn’t open with smashing numbers. But then a queue started, and we diligently and patiently waited for it to snake its way into the theater.
I wear glasses, so having to wear 3D specs over them has always been difficult. I’ve never watched an entire feature length movie in 3D, but did see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in IMAX, and the last twenty minutes of the movie were in 3D (which was my first real experience with 3D where it wasn’t kitschy), and it was annoying for that short amount of time, so how would I feel after over two and a half hours?
Honestly? I forgot I was wearing them. Well, after the disconcerting sensation of depth perception for a MOVIE wore off! I was disoriented for maybe the first five minutes, but after…
For those of you who don’t know what AVATAR is about, it follows the story of ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is recruited by a company to fill in for his recently murdered twin brother. Jake’s brother was a scientist and worked closely with the avatar program, training for years to operate an avatar body and learning the native language of the Na’vi. His involvement meant millions of investment dollars, and because the avatar bodies are made from the DNA of their host mixed with the DNA of the Na’vi, Jake is literally able to step into his brother’s avatar, something no one else can do.
He is transported several light-years away to Pandora, where he is quickly recruited by the person in charge of security, another ex-Marine, Colonel Quaritch, to be his spy on the Na’vi, to learn their ways and feed him useful information on how they might eventually fight the native population.
But what Jake couldn’t have foreseen was the level of intelligence the “savages” have, or the peace loving and spiritual insight that is their very nature. He manages to get accepted (for the most part) into their tribe, thanks mostly to Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), who believes she can see his good heart and pure spirit. Jake falls in love with Neytiri and the Na’vi People, so when Quaritch decides it’s time to move and destroy the spirit of The People, Jake has a very tough decision to make: stand back and watch it happen, or abandon his own race and fight alongside the Na’vi.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. The visuals are unparalleled. I’ve never seen a movie with so much CGI work look so photorealistic. That’s thanks to the team over at Weta Workshop/Weta Digital in New Zealand (owned by my other favorite director, Peter Jackson, who’ve done visual effects work for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Chronicles of Narnia movies, King Kong, X-Men: The Last Stand, Jumper, The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), just to name a few). They were heralded for their work on Lord of the Rings, but they have progressed to GODS with AVATAR. The transition from real to CGI is seamless, and when you have a human standing next to a Na’vi, neither looks fake. What’s most impressive was the emotion they were able to capture from the actors, from small facial movements, to the depths of their eyes. If any digital effects company in the world could’ve pulled this off, it was always going to be Weta. When I saw LOTR for the first time, I was mesmerized. And if anyone has seen King Kong, pay special attention to the end of the movie when you can LITERALLY see the light go out of Kong’s eyes when he dies. Beautiful CG work. And, being the crazy movie fan that I am, I have watched ALL of the special features for the LOTR movies, King Kong, and The Chronicles of Narnia, so know the depth of detail they put into their designs that we can’t even SEE on screen.
Also, the 3D enhances your experience of the movie tenfold. I haven’t seen the movie in 2D. Hopefully they’ll find a way to release the DVD in 3D as well, because I can’t imagine watching it any other way. The way it just immerses you. Who would’ve thought that just adding depth perception to a movie could create such a difference!
The thing that I liked most about the movie is the thing people have spoken about least, and that’s the acting. Sam Worthington as the lead is great. This was the first movie I’d seen him in (he was previously in Terminator: Salvation, but I wouldn’t see that until after AVATAR), and I was impressed with him. He’s great with the action, but he could also be passionate and sensual when needed. He’s a commanding presence, so it takes no stretching of the imagination to see him leading a Na’vi army against The Sky People.
But the person who most impressed me, the performance that stayed with me long after the credits stopped rolling, was that of Zoe Saldana playing Neytiri. It’s a testament to her performance that I FORGOT I was watching a nearly naked, ten foot tall alien with yellow eyes and a zero waistline. The raw emotion that radiated from her, the sadness in her eyes, the joy on her face, the power of her voice… whatever the scene, she never gave less than her A-Game. AVATAR was just nominated for NINE Academy Awards, yet Zoe wasn’t nominated for best actress. I think this was a HUGE oversight. EVERY SINGLE SECOND of Neytiri’s performance was done by Zoe. They didn’t record voices for this movie and then Weta spent the next three years doing the animation, these actors suited up and motion-captured their entire performance. Meaning Zoe had to train for months beforehand so she was lithe enough to be a believable Na’vi, had to learn their native language, had to fight, to cry, to love. Every miniscule movement on their faces was captured and 100% reproduced on their Na’vi counterparts thanks to the amazing technology James Cameron and his crew invented. Don’t believe me? Check out this video:
All in all, a worthy movie of all the attention and money it is making. This was truly a magical experience for me, and if anyone hasn’t seen it in 3D in theaters yet, you cannot imagine what you are missing.
Film Score: 12 out of 10.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!
02/2/10 | General, My Writings | 0 Comments
Last December I did a recap of 2008. This year, I’m just ready to say goodbye to 2009, no rumination required.
Through all the hardships, I can honestly say I have high hopes for 2010. Things have been steadily happening, little signs that the unbearable will soon metamorphosize into the endurable, that we’ll all finally be able to take that deep breath of relief.
I finished my book in an epic journey that spanned the better part of eight years. I’m happy with it (for the most part), and finally feel like it’s TIME to move on. I’ve started my second book, which is an incredible departure from the literary style I’ve been immersed in for so long. It’s still literary in its own right (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to turn the literary switch OFF), but it’s a literary thriller, and the new voice excites me. I just need to work on giving myself more time to write, because I like what I’ve written so far.
It’s also has a BIG concept, which is something my literary novel is missing, and is therefore much more marketable. And then there’s my YA urban fantasy series I want to start. As well as a few other projects waiting in the wings (including an adaptation for one of my all-time favorite books as a spec script that I hope to present to the producers… if I ever get around to writing it!).
So again, high hopes. But it all rests on me to make it happen.
In other news, I’m planning a return to Boston. I came back to Pennsylvania after graduating college in May of 2008, wanting to be closer to my family and my friends from grade/high school. But the job opportunities have been nil, and I didn’t realize just how much I’d miss the city until I was gone (isn’t that the way it always works?). So, I’ve formulated a plan that should get me up there by May, June at the latest. Pay off as much of my immediate debt as possible (I’m working enough overtime to double my paychecks right now), start putting away as much into savings as I can, and then make the move. My closest Boston friend, Nikki, has already agreed to get an apartment with my, and my most recent roommate Jordan might come along as well if the move is worth his while. So, that’s what’s keeping me going right now, knowing that I’ll soon be back in the place I was happiest.
In the meantime, I’m going to work, and hopefully I’m going to write. My productivity is suffering in the wake of my lacking motivation, so I just need to get back into the habit of being creative. I’ve got a lot of ideas in my head, and they’re never going to come to life if I don’t take the initiative.
Just send some motivation my way… if you’ve got any to spare!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
I Have A Secret…
11/18/09 | General | 5 Comments
Remember this post I made a while ago? How I fervently decreed that Kindles (and all ebook readers alike) should be used as kindling and burned? Yeah, well, I kind of, maybe, more than quite possibly… erm, want… one.
I KNOW.
Okay, here’s my reasoning. I like to travel, and when I travel I like to bring 5-6 books with me (you never know when you’re going to have a chance to read, how much TIME you’ll have to read, and what you’ll be in the MOOD to read when/if you actually have time to, so you need to bring a variety!), and a Kindle will greatly reduce on my additional baggage fees—or weight overages, however I choose to pack for that particular trip. Also, if you go to the Kindle store, they give away a LOT of free books. And not just the classics. They’re giving away books as promotions from the likes of James Patterson and Steve Berry. And… it just looks to damn COOL.
Granted, the last one isn’t the best argument I have for wanting one, but any technophile will understand. I’ve looked at the Sony Reader and am not impressed with its interface OR its lack of wireless connectivity. Why would I want to connect it to my computer to download books when this is a free wireless service with Kindle? Barnes & Noble’s Nook has also been announced, but I have a problem with that one too. I don’t like the second color screen on the reader. It seems like a very clunky way to browse for books. And does my normal hardcover or paperback have something like that? No. And I’m looking for a book ALTERNATIVE. I don’t want to be distracted by anything while I’m reading.
Also, to be honest, I’ve been slacking in the reading department lately. I haven’t been allotting myself enough time to read books in a reasonable amount of time, so it’s been taking me a lot longer than usual. I think that this’ll help with my reading levels (hopefully).
What ultimately changed my mind? I don’t really know. When I first started looking at digital book readers, it was in the early stages of their development. Screen quality was terrible, prices ridiculous, and they (surprisingly) didn’t have much storage. My faith in them was minimal (or should I say nonexistent?), so I brushed them off. But now… liquid paper displays, 3G wireless connectivity, holds up to 1500 books, and weighs only 10.2 ounces! Think of all the money I’ll save in baggage fees!!!
It’s not going to replace my paper books if I get it, not by a long shot. Most likely I’ll own the paper AND e-versions of the books, because I’m crazy like that. But you never know, either. I swore up and down when MP3s first came onto the market that I would NEVER buy one. I wanted the physical CD! But now, a few years later, I exclusively buy MP3s. But there’s a big difference between music and books, and I don’t think I’m ever going to stop buying physical books the way I’ve stopped buying CDs. I like the way they look against my wall, and I love the feel of them in my hands. My ears can’t tell the difference, but my hands and eyes sure can. My Kindle would only be an accessory.
What does everyone else think about the craze? Just a fad or the future of publishing?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Planning For The Future
11/9/09 | Business | 2 Comments
I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but I’ve already started planning the marketing campaign for my first novel, Love, Simon. I don’t have an agent, and the book certainly doesn’t have a publisher, but I can’t help thinking about how it’s going to be presented to the world. How will everyone know what I’ve written?
The fact of the matter is that most publishing houses no longer have the resources to promote every book they release. It’s unfortunate, but in this climate we have to be grateful just being published.
This means that the brunt of the marketing will fall onto my shoulders. I don’t begrudge my future publisher this; I take on the mantle willingly! Besides, I’ve got a slight ace in the hole… my degree in Marketing.
Not that that’s going to help me IMMENSELY. I mean, the world is filled with a many and varied people. But hopefully it’ll give me an edge.
There are plenty of options for the marketing savvy. You have to have persistence, a little cash (for some things, unfortunately), and a lot of imagination. Not only can your book get lost in the bookstore with all the new releases coming out each year, but your voice can get drowned out in a sea of other writers in the same boat as you are, all trying to find those readers who’ll get them on the bestseller lists and on to their next book.
That’s where the imagination comes in.
The internet is the newest frontier in marketing. It’s called Viral Marketing. Websites, blogs, Facebook/Twitter pages. Everyone’s got one or all of these. I do. And you’d be stupid not to. Facebook is one of the most visited sites on the internet, and Twitter is growing rapidly (MySpace is SO 2000). In fact, my website blog, my FB page, and Twitter account are all linked. Whenever I post a Tweet, it updates my FB status. And the moment I hit SUBMIT on this Journal entry, it’ll be sent to both my Twitter AND FB accounts. This way, people can follow me in a number of ways, whichever way they’re most comfortable with. Twitter, FB, RSS feeds, and by email. I’m everywhere I can possibly be to get to more potential readers.
Right now it’s mostly friends, other writers, and family members who follow me, but I know one day I’ll have readers, and I’m building up my archives of content for when they come.
Make friends with other writers, both bestsellers and beginners. The more connections you make, the better you’ll be. Share your friends and your resources with one another. When one of you sells a book, do guest posts on the other’s blog. If you help your friends, they’ll help you in return. We’re all in this together!
Find ways to keep your readers involved. Hold contests (everyone likes freebies! Especially if they’re books!), answer questions, let them know you appreciate them. You can’t just post to your blog and not respond. They’ll keep coming back because they’ll feel involved, and you need to keep your name fresh in their mind over the year(s) it takes you to get out your next book.
But you have to think out of the box as well. Now, I’m not going to give out all of my ideas (sorry!), but you have to do things in ways that no one else has thought of yet, or at least in ways that haven’t been oversaturated yet. People remember interesting and new.
Finally, I’m going to say… THINK FREE.
Talk to your publishers about giving out free e-versions of your book. I’ve downloaded a number of these and, the ones I like (I usually only read a chapter or two), I buy. I’m not about to sit and read 80-100k word books on my computer, but it’s enough to get me hooked. AND, I can send it to my friends to try and get THEM hooked. Some people will be satisfied reading an entire book on their computer, but the majority that like it will buy it, and they’ll be more willing to spend money on it when they remember you tried to give it to them for free in the first place.
So, if you haven’t started thinking about your marketing plan, maybe it’s about time you did. It wouldn’t hurt to have some ideas in mind when you sit down with your future publisher. And it’s never too early to start recruiting readers.
And I’ll try to follow my own advice and keep the fresh content coming!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
I Suck
10/28/09 | Genius Mode, Movies, My Writings, Reviews | 2 Comments
It’s okay, you don’t have to try and convince me otherwise. I have been a HORRIBLE blogger these past few months. Not only have I not written, but I haven’t been keeping up with my blogroll, either. Sometimes you fall out of a habit and it’s hard to get back into the groove again. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start afresh and I won’t have to write another of these apologies for a long time…
What have I been up to since May? Well, as you saw, I finished my first novel, Love, Simon. I’m happy with where it is and have recently been sending out queries to agents. I know it’s a long and treacherous road to finding representation, but I have faith that when the right agent reads something of mine at the right time, magic will happen. So, enough about Simon for now.
I started writing my second novel, which is as different from my first as it’s possible to be. I didn’t start out to do that. Yes, I wanted to write something DIFFERENT for a change, but it hadn’t been my intention to start this particular book. There were (and still are) a few projects that I really wanted to start, but when it came down to putting fingers to keyboard, this is what I started writing. It’s a story that has been percolating in my brain for the last five or so years, and I initially envisioned it as a screenplay… but who am I kidding? When am I going to find the time to learn how to write a screenplay? I think it’ll work magnificently as a movie, but someone else will have to adapt what I’m writing now. It’s kind of an urban fantasy thriller, but with a literary twist (though hopefully the fantasy part will blend in so seamlessly it’ll read more like a literary thriller). Here’s the logline:
What if Jesus was never meant to be our Savior, but a warning? What if, 2000 years later, God fathered a daughter?
And that’s as much as you’re going to get until the book is published, whenever that may be! If you’re clever, you might be able to find an Easter Egg about it somewhere else on this site, but that’s all I’m saying right now!
I’m really enjoying the process of creating a new world. And, like I said in the past, I am no longer limiting myself to work on ONLY ONE project at a time. I have ideas for two YA series—one an urban fantasy and the other more commercial—as well as my next literary novel (which I’m going to give a little time before I start… I need a little BREAK). So, I’ll keep everyone updated to my progress.
In the meantime, I’ve also finished a new short story entitled “The Mommy Tree.” It’s currently making the rounds of my first readers, but early response has been positive. I’m planning on submitting it to a contest at the end of the month that I have no chance in hell of winning, but I’m not one to be intimidated by overwhelming odds—would I have chosen to be a writer if I was? Keep your fingers crossed for me just in case!
Work is still the same—work. I’m making strides and creating waves, in my usual fashion. Even the CEO of the company knows me by name. That’s just how I handle business.
I went to see the musical WICKED this past weekend in NYC. I read the book about a year or so ago and wasn’t overly impressed with it. I’d been expecting a fairytale told from a different POV, when all I got was a big political statement that I found BORING. I read to the end because I was curious, but it’s not something I’d recommend. And it’s already been made clear to me that I’m one of the only people in the world NOT to love this book, I understand this. It’s just hard for me to get into something when my expectations aren’t met. But the musical was INCREDIBLE, for lack of more clever verbiage. I was skeptical, because of my experience with the book, but they were able to draw the real story out of the novel and make the musical based on that. The overall plot is the same, but it had a more humanized quality to it—more literary, if you will. And the music was witty and sad all at the same time. I wish I could have recorded that performance to watch over and over again. I bought the original cast recording, but it pales in comparison to the experience of seeing it live and feeling the entire theater shake from the power of their voices. Definitely worth a see if you’ve got the time and money.
Over the summer I was able to watch a number of movies. I’ll list them below and give a short reaction to each (since there are quite a few, I won’t bore you with longer opinions):
After Wolverine, I saw—
Angels & Demons – Still the best of the Dan Brown novels, I was pleased with the adaptation. I read the book a number of years ago, so the plot wasn’t very fresh in my head (my mom, on the other hand, reread it for the showing and was disappointed by the changes made). And I’m so glad they didn’t have Langdon jump out of the helicopter at the end, which was the most unbelievable part of the whole book. Though, I have to admit, I did miss Silas from Code… But that might just be misplaced longing for my love of Paul Bettany. *shrug*
Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian – The first movie was cute, and I really only went to see this because a friend wanted to. But I was pleasantly surprised at how funny the movie was. Amy Adams is always refreshing, and my favorite part was with the singing Cherubs (voiced by The Jonas Brothers, I would find out later). Obviously, this was just a screwball flick, but worth your time if you’re looking for a laugh.
Up – I LOVE Pixar. I have never been disappointed with one of their movies, and this one fits in the same mold. It was witty, but also extremely heartfelt. Their animation only gets more incredible with each movie, and hopefully they’re only just hitting their stride.
My Sister’s Keeper – I had heard of this book, but never picked it up. But from the first trailer that premiered for this movie, I wanted to see it. Why would this young girl no longer want to help save her sister’s life? There had to be something more… and there was. My only complaint is for Cameron Diaz, someone I’m never much impressed with. You can take any role she’s ever played, exchange her out with another actress, and it wouldn’t make a difference. Not like Kate Winslet, where I can’t picture anyone else but her playing each of her roles. I also happened to miss the emotional climax of the movie. TMI, but I should have gone to the bathroom BEFORE the movie started, and I didn’t think anyone would appreciate me peeing in the theater. Oops.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – OMFG was this movie HILARIOUS. I loved the first Transformers for its amazing wit and breakneck action, and this was no different. Besides the fact that the theater put it on the smallest screen in the building, I was absorbed from the first minutes of film. Shia LaBeouf is extremely funny and a perfect fit for this role, and even though the story gets a little convoluted in places, it was definitely first-class entertainment. The guy in me drooled the entire film!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a Harry Potter freak. I’ve been to two midnight premieres (including this one), went to the midnight releases of the last THREE books, and reread the books once a year. So, it should come as no surprise that I LOVED this movie. Yes, hardcore fans, the plot and structure were rearranged to fit the 2 ½ hour movie format, but that’s been the case for all five previous movies as well, so get over it! One of the things I loved most about the movie was the humor. I still laugh every time I think about Ron climbing into bed with Harry to swoon over Ramilda Vane, whom he recently fell in love with due to an expired love potion. The special effects were flawless (save for the Inferi at the end, but that’s just me). All the kids have really come into their own. And we were introduced to some great new talent in the form of both Young Tom Riddles, who both gave very chilling performances. I’ll be first in line when this movie comes out on DVD, and I’ll be sure to be at the midnight premiere of DH Part 1 next November!
The Ugly Truth – Predictable, but enjoyable. Some of the best lines were in the trailer, but it wasn’t really lacking in the funny. I’ve liked Katherine Heigl since her Roswell days, so this was a no-brainer to see. Of course (and I hope I’m not ruining anything for you here), the guy gets the girl in the end, so it was satisfying. And Katherine playing off of Gerard Butler was great fun as well.
Julie and Julia – As I said above, Amy Adams is always refreshing. And seeing her try to cook her way through Julia Child’s cookbook was enjoyable, to say the least. And it’s amazing how Meryl Streep can so fully embody whatever character she plays. I fell in love with her in The Devil Wears Prada, and she really shone as Julie Child in this one. I’ll have to check out some of her earlier work!
The Informant! – Ever since the Bourne movies came out, I have really come to appreciate the raw talent that is Matt Damon. In this quirky comedy, he plays a professional turned informant when he disagrees with the way his company does business. He’s bumbling, almost moronic, and ends up getting himself in some real trouble in the end. Odd, but worth the watch. You won’t know where the movie is going until the last frame!
Couples Retreat – I’m not a big Vince Vaughn fan. To be honest, I think he plays the same character in ever movie he’s in (which I believe is just a caricature of himself), and it’s getting old. This movie is no different in that respect, but he isn’t the only main character, so he sort of gets blended in with the rest of the cast. That being said, I really enjoyed this movie. It was funny and unpredictable at times (though I think the ending was a little too easily wrapped up).
Where the Wild Things Are – This is another book I never got around to reading. Funny, considering I went to B&N after watching the movie and was able to read through the book in about 2 minutes flat (I think there’s, what, 20 words total in the book?). Based on that, you can imagine how much of a creative leap the filmmakers had to make in order to draw the story out for two hours. The movie, if you haven’t seen it already, is very dark and depressing. Max “runs away” from home (and into his imagination) because he is lonely and believes everyone thinks he’s bad. But, like the old saying, life isn’t always greener. He stumbles upon the Wild Things, who are a bunch of lonely, depressed creatures themselves. They make Max their king in hopes that he will cure their loneliness and bring them closer together. But nothing Max does seems to help, and eventually he discovers that he misses the very people he was trying to escape. Exceedingly beautiful and poignant film, even if it is a little sad. Great performance by young actor Max Records.
Movies I wanted to see but missed and will have to catch on DVD: Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, The Hangover, The Proposal, Year One, Public Enemies, Bruno, (500) Days of Summer, Funny People, District 9 (!), The Time Traveler’s Wife, Inglourious Basterds, Gamer, and Surrogates.
Movies either out now or coming out that I want to see: Law Abiding Citizen, Amelia, Astro Boy, 2012, The Blind Side, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Road, The Princess and the Frog, The Lovely Bones (!!!), Avatar, and Sherlock Holmes.
I’ll have to talk about books, TV shows and music in another post! 
What has everyone else been up to all summer? I know a little if I follow you on Twitter or Facebook, but like I said, I haven’t been keeping up with my blogroll.
I’m much better at updating Twitter (and consequently Facebook, since my Tweets are my Status Updated on FB). So, if you haven’t already, please follow me on TWITTER!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Finally…
05/22/09 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 3 Comments
...finished.
I have been writing this novel in one form or another since I was 15. It doesn’t have any of the original plotline left - in fact, I think the only thing that’s the same is my protagonist’s name, Simon - and there have been months and even years in between periods of working on it.
I finished it at 12:44AM this morning. Well, I REALLY finished it two days ago, but I didn’t realize it until yesterday. I was planning on adding more to the chapter I was rewriting, but I noticed it had a perfect ending where I’d left off, so that’s where I left it! You probably would’ve laughed at me, because I almost started hyperventilating when the realization struck. It’s DONE!
It’s now 133,700 words, which is about 13,000 words less than my last count, and that’s actually a good thing! It was a little long and I didn’t really want to admit it, but where it’s at now I can’t shave any more off. There was a lot in this last round I deemed unnecessary, including most of a subplot for one of the minor characters, and it all got the ax! You have to be ruthless with your baby, sometimes.
Now, it’s up to Dawn, Francine and Nikki to tell me how it reads! I’m getting copies printed this weekend at Staples, and they’ll get shipped out shortly after.
YAY!
Okay, enough squealing on my part! Just wanted to let everyone know why I dropped off the face of the earth for the past couple of weeks… I WAS FINISHING MY BOOK.
I like the sound of that.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
X-Men Origins: Wolverine And Neil Gaiman
05/13/09 | Awesome, Movies, Reviews | 2 Comments
What do the two of these have in common? Nothing, apart from the fact that I’m going to discuss both of them in this blog post.
WATCHED
I never read the comics when I was younger, but I did watch the cartoon, so there was definitely a certain level of anticipation on my part when the first of the X-Men franchise was originally slated for release. Though I’ve deemed the X-Men films as the movies where good actors go to get a break from acting, they’ve served their entertainment purposes and I’ve liked all three of them.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is supposed to be about the—er—origins of, well, Wolverine, if the title wasn’t obvious enough. It starts off when he’s a kid and he finds out he’s half-brothers with Victor Creed (aka Sabretooth), goes through a choppy montage of clips with the two of them fighting in every war imaginable in recent history, to the point where they’re both recruited to become part of William Stryker’s personal SWAT team of mutants. That’s all in the first five minutes. To say that this film is roughly edited and moves at too quick of a pace is an understatement. I had a connection with Wolverine because I’ve already been through three other movies with him, but it didn’t leave me enough time to bond with the other characters.
One of my favorites has always been Gambit, but the eight minutes of screen time he had wasn’t nearly enough for me (though they were probably the BEST eight minutes of the movie!). The whole storyline was a bit contrived and I left feeling disappointed. It was entertaining, don’t get me wrong, with some decent action and a look at a bunch of new mutants we hadn’t been privy to in the earlier films in the franchise (and some of them, like Gambit and Deadpool, already have Origins spin-offs of their own in the works), which was cool. But the acting in this installment was particularly bad, even on Hugh Jackman’s part, which pains me to say.
And there’s also the fact that they CHANGED Wolverine’s origins for this movie! Like I said previously, I didn’t read the comics, but even I know that Logan didn’t have his claws UNTIL the metal was added to his bones… they were a sort of perk of the operation. In the movie, young Jimmy (I don’t know WHY he’s called Jimmy in the beginning and throughout the film by Sabretooth and is now Logan, but whatever) gets mad and the claws come out of his hands as bone, and he goes through all the wars and most of his life with the bone claws (which I actually found kind of disgusting for some reason) that turn into metal during the operation. And since when does Sabretooth have long life like Wolverine? He also seemed to have healing powers of some sort, because he never seemed to be hurt, no matter how he was shot, stabbed, cut or impaled. Anyone know anything about X-Men that can let me know about this?
Basically, it’s a pretty mindless movie with some decent action and cool special effects. Hopefully the Wolverine 2 movie that is already being planned will be a little better in the story and acting departments, because this one was definitely lacking in both. Go to see it in theatres if you like (mostly because the SFX will look better), but it’s not really necessary.
Score: Not great, but didn’t want to throw myself on Wolverine’s claws… 6/10.
READ
Neil’s name has popped up over the past few years, but I never picked up one of his books. Most recently (if you call two years ago recently), I saw the movie Stardust, which is based off of one of his novels, and I really liked it! Now, I still haven’t read any of his books, but I subscribe to his Journal on his official website and I also just followed him on Twitter.
There are some authors that I love to read but who can be fairly boring people. There are others that I don’t particularly like their books but I LOVE to read them talk (meaning, anything BUT their fiction, ie. blog posts, interviews, etc…). Stephen King is one of the latter. I HAVE eighteen of his books and I’ve read exactly four of them. They’re okay, but don’t have me itching to pick up the next one (then why do I have eighteen of them? I have mentioned my compulsive book buying before, haven’t I?), but his On Writing book is incredible, I read every Entertainment Weekly column he writes, and every time I see an interview or anything with him I have to read it. He’s just an incredibly interesting and intelligent person whose brain I love to get a glimpse into.
This is my problem with Neil. Not a problem, per-se, but definitely a predicament. I love reading him talk so much that I’m afraid to pick up one of his books! Take his latest Journal entry for instance (read it here… trust me, you’ll enjoy it!). A very well thought out response to a question that plagues most published authors, but also an answer to an email from a fan! As a heavy reader myself, I like to see instances where authors take the time to communicate with their fans, and Neil does that on a daily basis through email, his Journal, and on Twitter. It’s very frustrating when some of your favorite authors don’t even have a WEBSITE, let alone a blog or Twitter account or Facebook page. A great amount of interaction isn’t necessary (they do have to have time to actually write the books we so love!), but a little would be nice, and a bit more is always appreciated.
Are we too connected? Only time will tell, but I enjoy the communication and is something I plan to do myself when I finally get published. I mean, how else would I have known that Christopher Rice finished his fifth book last week if I weren’t friends with him on Facebook? I know he has no clue who I am, but it’s nice to have that little connection.
But back to Neil. I have been enjoying his Journal entries for months now and think it’s finally time to venture into his world of fiction. Are there any fans out there who could recommend a first read?
And if you haven’t checked out his Journal, definitely take some time to do so!
Until next…
P.S. Follow me on Twitter if you haven’t already!
Kyle W. Kerr
An Update On The Update And A Bunch Of Random
04/27/09 | Books, Genius Mode, Movies, My Writings, Reviews | 4 Comments
For those of you who follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you’ll know all about the new love of my life, my iPhone! You’ll also know that I spent an hour typing out a blog post on my new iBlogger application… which promptly crashed as I was trying to post it. So, I’m going to try and retype as much of it as I can remember and try to post it again (I’m at work, so hopefully it doesn’t get lost again!).
It’s been a month since I started my last set of updates and I’ve written upwards of 18,000+ new words! My productivity has slowed dramatically now that I’m back at work (I’d taken a week of vacation to try and finish), but I’m still trucking along. I’ve only got one more chapter to rewrite and four others to revise! This is the closest to FINISHED my book has ever been. I’ve been plotting out my next books too, so all around the writing is going well! Cross your fingers for me that I can finish soon...
And now to the random:
THE READER came out on DVD, and it was just as amazing this time around as it was in theaters. Kate Winslet is extraordinary and no one has deserved their Academy Award more. I’m totally not biased.
I’m reading a book called BATTLE ROYALE, about a bunch of Asian students put on an island with various weapons and ordered to kill one another until only one survives. It’s a translation from either Japanese or Chinese, so the writing isn’t that good, but the story is good enough to keep me reading anyway!
The summer movie season is gearing up, starting with WOLVERINE this Friday. Be ready for my reviews coming in as I see them! I did just see 17 AGAIN and it was actually really good. Semi-predictable, but funny enough to make it worth it.
ThrillerFest is coming up in July, which I’m really excited about. It looks like it’s going to be as good or even BETTER than last year! And it’s nice to see all my friends who I only get to see once or twice a year, not to mention all of the writer eye candy! And don’t forget about all the free books! I think I got upwards of 30 last year. Let’s see if I can break that this time around! I’m going with my friend Dawn (whose wedding I’m going to in August!), which is who I went with last year and had a lot of fun! Should be a great time. And this time I get to go for the entire week versus just the long weekend. Fun!
I think that’s enough for now. Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been having (except Dawn, who lives where it’s still SNOWING!)...!!!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
An Update On The End
03/26/09 | My Writings | 7 Comments
For the past week I have been holed up at a friend’s house. There, I have no internet, no bed, no television, and a very poor cell phone signal. All I have is my computer.
In the past four days I have written over 12,000 words, completed the third part of my book, and I am now working on finishing some things for part two. When I finish that later on today, I will start going through the book chapter by chapter and updating old passages for my current voice.
Once this is completed, my book will be finished, and then it is up to three of my closest friends to tell me how it reads. After eight years of working on it, it will be the first time anyone is going to get to read it in its entirety.
If they like it, or after I’ve made any suggested changes, then it’s time to send it out to agents, some of whom have actually asked to see it upon completion.
I’m reading through this post as I’m writing it, and I know it sounds so matter-of-fact, but I’m honestly having a hard time believing what I’m typing. I’ve been working on this project for so long… it’s hard to think that it soon might be over.
Oh, I could edit this thing for the rest of my life, thinking of new and different things to write or have them do, but after eight years and falling in at about 145,000 words (which I think is just perfect for a literary novel), it’s time to let it go.
*deep breaths*
And now, I plunge into the deep end.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Finishing What I Started
03/9/09 | My Writings, On Writing, The Industry | 7 Comments
I think I’ve lost most of my “readers” by not updating as often as I used to, so I’m here after only two weeks instead of my usual month, which has been the norm for a while now…
I’ve finished writing new chapters for the second part of my book, and I’ve now started on Part 3. It’s going to be a relatively short PART, about 10,000 words, not including the Epilogue, which is already written. Hopefully, I can get it done in the next week. Then I need to go back to Part 2 and rearrange/edit/splice what’s there and write some new scenes. All-in-all, not much more work until it’s finished. I’ve even given myself a deadline of March 31st (which I hope to stick to… this time), and have scheduled a week of vacation at the end of the month so that it can be done. Anyone have any goats we can sacrifice… or better yet, any virgins?
The baby is being kicked out of the nest after this last edit. When I’m done with it (by the end of the month!), I plan on sending it to three of my friends (you already know who you are), so that I can get an even analysis of the book. From that, I’ll make spot edits/changes, and then it’s off to literary agent purgatory to await judgment. Hopefully my book will be able to ascend, rather than going the h-e-double-hockey-sticks route, if you catch my drift.
I know I keep saying it’s time, but ya’ll, it’s time! Other characters for other projects are whispering sweet nothings in my ears, tempting me away. And I am SO temptable at this point. At least if they were real people I might be getting laid right now. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? If I move on to these other stories, I’ll feel like I’m cheating on the current one. This one will be scorned, bitter and abandoned, and the one I cheated on it with will be the dirty, resentful mistress, because of course I wouldn’t have TOLD either of them what I was doing, but they always find out about one another at some point! See my dilemma?
For my next set of novels, I’ve already decided to go into them as open relationships (sorry to continue with the sex analogy here, it just seemed to work so I’m running with it). I know my writing pace, so know I can work on multiple projects at once and finish two to three per year (if my life goes according to plan and I’m able to write full-time). I can do one a year for each of my YA novels, possibly another random commercial novel, and a literary novel every two years. This is something I KNOW I can do, if only I have the time.
You’ve probably noticed that I have a lot of confidence in my writing and my writing ability. I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s there, so I go with it. Now, the thing is, I have ZERO confidence that what I’m writing will sell, or that it’ll make me any money. We have had it ingrained in us how hard it is to make it in this business. Talent plays a big part (I’m not saying I’m talented, I just have confidence… I could be confident in crap, I don’t know, but I think every writer has confidence in their writing, or else they wouldn’t be doing it! Hear that, D?), but it’s also luck and timing and an amalgamation of other factors that all need to align at the same time as the planets do (meaning, rarely). I also know they say most writers never sell their first books. Well, that’s not really an option for me. I’ve spent FAR too much time on this book to never get it published… Even if I sell the rest of the books I write and make millions doing so, I’ll always be pushing this book, too.
That was a whole bunch of rambling, wasn’t it? Well, have you ever paid attention to what I call my blog on here?
Hopefully I’m doing you proud, Simon, and you’ll be satisfied enough to leave in peace. I love you, but eight years is a long time. We’ll still be friends, okay? And I’ll probably see you again in a few years, if I actually go ahead and decide to write the book from the POV of another character like I’ve been thinking about. DAMN IT! Shouldn’t have said that!
Until next…
(Oh, if you subscribe to my Journal through either an RSS feed or through Email, let me know if you’re having trouble getting it when I publish… The site I use to send out the updates was recently acquired by Google, and I haven’t gone into it since then. Please let me know!)
Kyle W. Kerr
The One With A Confession And A Question
02/24/09 | Genius Mode, My Writings, On Writing, Reviews | 3 Comments
This seems to be the time I’ve subsciously chosen to blog every month, so I couldn’t disappoint the three of you who actually read this!
Okay, I’ve been a little hush-hush about this in the last couple of blog posts, but I guess it’s okay to talk about now. I have a confession to make: I’ve been writing. Yes, I KNOW. I don’t know what brought it on, so didn’t want to say anything in case it decided to go away again. But I’ve actually written more in the last month than I have in the last YEAR. Literally. I’ve gotten a few more new chapters written, and rewrote a section of another chapter I’d been dreading working on (and it was actually REALLY easy to do, to my surprise!). All-in-all, about 18,000 or so words.
I love my book, I really do, but I need to move on. I’ve been working on it in one form or another since I was in 10th grade. That’s over EIGHT years, folks. Eight years is a long time to have the same voices in your head, to live with the same people day in and day out. That’s why I’m hoping I can finish this one within the coming month and move on to some other projects. I’ve already mentioned that I won’t allow myself to work on any other (novel length) projects until this one is done, because I’ll never finish it if I do, and that’s still very much the rule. Though, IF I’m able to keep up this pace, finishing it within the coming month shouldn’t be a problem. I HOPE. I PRAY. Please, God, just let me finish. I don’t ask you for much, and all the jokes you like to play on me should warrant me some favors. At least one. I’m calling it in.
I’ve already decided on my next two projects, which are actually two beginnings to two young adult series’. The first is a fantasy series, and the other is an absolute bitch-fest. Did I talk about this in my last post? I’m not going back to read it, so I hope not. Ah well, you’re not getting any more information than that, so I guess you can hear it as many times as I want and it doesn’t matter, does it?!
Oh, did anyone happen to see a certain show this past Sunday, one featuring a flawless, bald, gold man who just so happens to be missing his genitals? THE OSCARS. So… KATE WON! I’M SO EFFING HAPPY FOR HER!! SHE SO DESERVES IT!!! I made a vow a while ago that, by the time I’m established in the world of Hollywood, if Kate hadn’t won an Oscar, I’d write a movie that would get her said deserved Oscar. Well, someone has spared me the trouble. Not that I would have minded writing it for her, but I don’t know how long it’ll be until I’m there, and I couldn’t bear seeing her Oscarless any longer! I love you, Kate! Can I have your babies?!
I’ve seen the movie TAKEN, starring Liam Neeson, twice now. It’s the one about an ex-CIA agent whose daughter gets kidnapped in Paris and sold into sex trafficking. The trailers for the movie looked amazing, so I was really excited about it. Honestly, the first time I saw it I was a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it was a really good movie, but I was hoping for/expecting something a little DEEPER, considering who the star was. But it was exactly the kind of movie you’d expect it to be. The second time I saw it I left those hopes at the door and just enjoyed the movie for what it was, and that time walked out much more satisfied! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something with a few well-placed shocks and Liam Neeson kicking ass along the way!
Now, I need to pose a question to all of my writer friends out there, and I would really appreciate an answer from all who have the time! A little backstory first, though…
I hate editing. Editing in the general sense of the word, anyway. When I write, I edit as I go, fleshing out sentences and paragraphs and pages, reworking dialogue until it has a natural sounding flow, making sure words aren’t repeated too often or too close together. In starting a new day of work, I always reread what I’ve already written in that chapter, checking my flow and rhythm, wording, and so on. By the time I’m done with my “first draft,” I’d say it’s akin to most other writer’s third or fourth drafts. Depending on the length, it may have been “edited” twenty-thirty times already. That being said, I hate having to go back over work I’ve already written and deemed finished, because I’m a picker. I could pick and pick at words and sentences until the earth dies, and I could pick some more after, too. I feel like I’ve already done the work and shouldn’t trouble going over it again. It’s finished. Most of my short stories—oh, who am I kidding? ALL of my short stories are technically “first drafts.”
My question is, do you actually ENJOY editing/revising? I’ve heard both arguments, but am curious to what you think. Some say revising brings out the TRUE story, while others say you’re just moving around words and beating the dead horse more dead. You know what I mean. What’s your opinion on editing/revising?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
On Caving In And Getting Over It
01/25/09 | Books, Genius Mode, My Writings, Reviews | 4 Comments
First, the caving in part: We all know how much I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. It’s about the worst kept secret in the world that I worship the ground Jo walks on (yes, we’re on a first name basis, Jo and I), and would like nothing more than to have her babies. Might be a little complicated, but with the help of some magic, I think we can get it done.
Well, something’s been happening in the last few years: another phenomenon was born. I’ve been mostly ignoring it, somewhat because I was already so involved with the characters of too many series’ (Harry Potter, The Sword of Truth, the Inheritance Cycle, etc…), but mainly because the author is being hailed as “The New JK Rowling”, which is simply heresy as far as I’m concerned.
The author in question? Stephenie Meyer. The books she wrote? The Twilight Saga.
I said I would never read these books. I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon, and I felt like I would be cheating on Jo and Harry if I did. Seriously, I felt that strongly about it. But, as the title of this post states, I finally caved in, having asked for and received all four novels in the Twilight series for Christmas.
Let’s just say that I started reading the books about two weeks ago, and I’m already on book four. I have REALLY been enjoying them. They’re absolutely nothing like Harry Potter, obviously, but they’re just as easy a read. I’ve never been a HUGE fan of the vampire stuff, but there’s something about this new mythology that Stephenie has created that is, for lack of a better word, fascinating. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’m just going to say that she takes all of our ideas about vampires and their culture and completely turns it on its ear. She has new answers for everything, including but not limited to why they don’t go out in the sun, and it’s all proof of a really clever and talented writer.
The thing I like most about the books, and it’s something I imagine most of the readers really respond to, is the love between the story’s main characters, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. The forbidden love between vampire and human, “the lion falling in love with the lamb” as Stephenie so eloquently puts it, is both beautiful, heartbreaking, and completely hot. Can’t believe I’m swooning over a YA fantasy novel! If you’ve read the books, you’ll know what I mean.
The stories are full of passion, love, fierce rivalry, betrayal, and suspense. I’m kind of disappointed that I didn’t start reading the books while the movie was still in theaters, because you all know I think every movie should be viewed in a theater environment, but it’s something I’ll definitely check out on DVD when it comes out. I’m only at the beginning of the fourth book, but I’m sure it’s going to be a doozy, at least from what I’ve heard.
Now, for the second part: I’m not saying that I’ve broken through whatever barrier has been keeping me from writing, but I completed the chapter I began back in October and have also written a completely new chapter in the last week alone. This part is going to be very short, because I don’t want to jinx whatever is going on, and I don’t want to put any false hope behind my sudden writing spurt. However, I will say that it felt nice to finish something again, and then to write something completely new in such a short amount of time. For instance, yesterday alone I wrote over 2200 words, which was the completion of the new chapter. I haven’t been giving myself the time to write so much, which is part of the reason why it’s been going so slow. I just need to prioritize, then everything will be okay.
Thanks again to everyone who commented on my last post, or wrote to me personally. It’s not easy admitting one’s faults, but the support you have all shown me has truly helped. Hopefully you won’t have to read anymore of the woe-is-me posts for a very long time, if ever again, but I hold no promises. Sometimes it just helps to get it all off your chest.
For those of my writer friends who also have blogs, don’t take it personally that I haven’t commented on your sites in so long. It’s hard to explain, but when things become stressful, even seeing a buildup of RSS reeds can feel like overwhelming pressure. So, I have gone through and cleared all of the backlogs, and plan on coming back to them anew. I’ll be back at your next new post and hopefully I won’t disappear like that again, stress permitting. I love you guys!
Now, to end this post on a lighter note, I’ve also recently discovered David Sedaris. For those of you who know me, you’ll know that David has exactly my sense of humor. I’ve listen to two of his CDs, one a live recording of him at Carnegie Hall, and the other the audio version of his book Holidays On Ice, both of which were completely hilarious. Below, you’ll find a clip of him on David Letterman, reading one of his most humorous essays. Enjoy!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Two Thousand And Eight
12/24/08 | General, On Writing | 6 Comments
Okay. So, I know I suck. I have been a very, very naughty blogger this year. That sounds dirty, but I was talking about naughty in the Santa Clause sense, not in the Mistress Paulie sense. Right.
It’s December 24th, almost 2009, and I’ve been thinking about the past year a lot lately. What have I accomplished? Personally, I feel like nothing… but that’s not really true, is it? I mean, I did manage to graduate college with respectable marks. Not summa cum laude or anything, but with a B average (slightly over a 3.0), which is nothing to shake a stick at. It was always hard for me to commit fully to classes in which the subject or the professor were less than desirable, so all of the really good grades I got were equaled out by some, erm, really bad ones. Ah well, hakuna matata.
I also went to two writers conferences: ThrillerFest in NYC in July, and the Maui Writers Conference and Retreat in Honolulu in August/September. In Maui, I even managed to get some really great compliments from a huge bestselling author about my work. Again, not too shabby.
Other than that? The year’s basically been a dud. Yeah, I graduated, but then I was unemployed for a few months, got a job that I was forced to quit after 5 weeks, unemployed for a few MORE months (racking up some nice credit card bills in the process… eating is EXPENSIVE, ya’ll!), and then finally landed my current, low paying job in October. I owe almost everybody under the sun some money, and it doesn’t look like it is going to get better anytime soon.
On top of all of that, I’ve hardly written anything this year. I wrote one short story back in March, two chapters of my novel since I’ve been back from Hawaii, and I’ve recently started a new short story. That’s pretty much it. I haven’t had the urge to write and, despite my proclamation of a few months ago to say fuck-all to inspiration, you still need a little. It feels like I’ve got some form of writer’s mono. Like, I know that there’s this thing I want to do, need to do, but I just can’t seem to get myself to do it. Oh yes, it does come in spurts, which is why I’ve managed to write what I have, but they usually don’t last for very long.
I’m being oddly frank here, internet. But I figure, why lie? Why paint a rosy picture on what I have been feeling? Surely some of you have felt the same at some point or another. I feel pressured to write for some reason, like I SHOULD be doing it, and that thought is very paralyzing. I’ve tended to do relaxing things as of late, to keep my mind off of bills and writing… which means avoiding the blog, other writers’ blogs, email, and often the internet/computer altogether. Honestly, if I didn’t use iTunes on a nightly basis, I probably wouldn’t have used my computer these past couple of months.
It would be all well and good to make some kind of New Year’s resolution, to stand up, pump my fist in the air, and say I WILL WRITE THIS YEAR! I WILL FINISH MY NOVEL AND SUBMIT IT TO AGENTS! I WILL NOT LET MY DEPRESSION GET THE BETTER OF MY WRITING! (It’s not really depression… glumness? Is that a word? It is now.) But what good would it do? I can’t lie to myself, so why make the resolution if I can’t make myself do it?
At this point, all I can really hope is that my finances level out, that I can start paying back all of the money I owe to creditors and my friends/family, and that some of the stresses of my life lift so that I may once again concentrate on my love, my writing.
The passion is still there, the love I so fondly speak about… I can feel it in me. I keep getting ideas for novels and series’ and movies and stories. My mind is always working through plot holes and other points, creating dialogue and scenes and conflict. But how to get it out?
That, my friends, is the question of the year.
I hope everyone has a brilliant Christmas and that the New Year brings joy and success for us all.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Burn After Reading
09/26/08 | Movies, Reviews | 9 Comments
You’re either going to love this movie, or loathe it. It definitely takes a certain type of humor to get this movie. Luckily, I have said sense of humor, so I didn’t leave disappointed, but I can’t claim the same for everyone.
This story starts with Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) as he gets fired from his job at the CIA for being an alcoholic. He’s in a rocky marriage with uptight Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton), who is having an affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). She wants to divorce Osbourne and marry Harry, though she doesn’t realize that Harry is a sex addict—and slightly neurotic!—and their relationship doesn’t mean as much to him as it does to her. With me so far? In the meantime, Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) wants to get plastic surgery to improve her looks and hook a man. She works at a gym with happy-go-lucky Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), where they find a CD containing information about CIA agent Osbourne Cox. They decide to try and blackmail Cox into paying to get the information back, and it basically blows up in their faces.
And that’s really only the half of it! Basically, this is the Coen Brothers’ idea of a Soap Opera, though much more entertaining, and with MUCH better acting!
There are a lot of big names in this movie (most of whom are listed above), and it’s nice to see most of them taking themselves not so seriously. One of the biggest scene stealers in this flick is Brad Pitt, whose blond streaked coif and tight gym shorts only add to the slightly dimwitted character. He is able to portray this almost childlike enthusiasm and innocence that gets caught up in something more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.
Some of the most hilarious scenes in the movie were between J.K. Simmons (as the CIA Supervisor) and another CIA officer, as they try to understand the situation from their end. The story is so ridiculous that the Coen’s brought in these characters just point that fact out to us and make sure we knew THEY knew the movie’s ridiculous.
Now, this movie isn’t all sunshine and dildos (you’ll get that if you’ve seen the movie). Some people actually die, and in some not so nice ways. BUT, they were shown in such a way that they’re actually kind of funny (or, at least I think so!). Just be prepared for it when you sit down with your garbage bag of popcorn and three liters of soda.
I didn’t see There Will Be Blood, but I’m guessing this isn’t the kind of movies the Coen’s are expecting to get Oscar noms for, and they certainly won’t. It was entertaining, it was funny, and I didn’t feel like I had wasted $10. That’s a big plus!
Like I said, not everyone is going to like this movie, but some of you will. I’d recommend it to friends of mine who share my sense of humor. For me: 7/10.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Inspiration, You Devil!
09/18/08 | On Writing | 8 Comments
My world got all kinds of busted up the other day. Well, the one in my head, that is. You all know which one I’m talking about, right? The little world all of us writers live in? Yeah, that one!
Here I’ve been, bitching and moaning that I haven’t written anything in months, that I just don’t have the urge. Apparently, all I needed to do was go FUCK THE URGE, I’m writing anyway. And you know what? I did just that. Two days ago, for the first time in over four months, I sat down and just wrote. For about an hour and a half. And spat out over 1,100 words. Not bad, I say!
I found that writing without inspiration is very much like writing WITH it… except I don’t have that doofy grin on my face. The voice of my main character was still there, ready to talk. I just had to let him. What came as the biggest shock was that it was up to my usual standard of writing. Its quality wasn’t diminished because I lacked the usual inspiration. Granted, it may have been a little harder to get the words out, but they still came. So, apparently, inspiration can suck it.
There, I said it!
At the height of my productivity, I can write a 10,000 word story in three days, so about 3,300 words a day is the best I’ve done (to memory… could have been more without me realizing it). In theory, I should be able to write a decently sized first draft (100-120k words) in about 30-36 days. BUT, considering that pace is RIDICULOUS for the long term, I’d say something like three months would be far more likely, if I wrote between 1-1.5k words per day. Which is an extremely doable pace for me! Then take the next three months for revisions and editing. At which rate I could potentially write two books a year, which I think is INSANE (though it is a slightly exciting revelation!).
What I’ve got to do is work on my discipline. I’m a very lazy writer, and I’m the first to admit to that. I’ve mostly been relying on “inspiration” for the past few years, writing in bursts when the urge hits me, but I know now that I can’t do that if I ever want to realize my dreams of becoming a fulltime writer. Writing is work, and if all anyone ever did was rely on inspiration, then there wouldn’t be so many books out there now.
I never wanted writing to become work, because I thought I wouldn’t want to do it then. Kind of like when I was younger and discovered the pleasures of cooking for the first time. I really enjoyed it at first, but then my parents turned it into a chore for me, and it lost its appeal. Surely the same would happen with writing, no? But then another realization struck: there are people all over the world who LOVE their jobs. They’re still doing work, technically, but they’re enjoying doing it. Who says that writing would be any less fun if I had to do it to make a living?
A friend pointed something out to me after reading my last blog post… in the same entry, I basically declare how brilliant I am and simultaneously knock myself down by saying I suck and haven’t written in four months. Now, I never meant for that bit about Steve saying I was a good writer to sound narcissistic, but to note my shock that he would say so (and there was a little pride in there as well, I admit). She then said something that really got me thinking: “If Steve knew you weren’t writing, he’d lose all respect for you.”
And she’s absolutely right.
I’m unemployed at the moment, as I’ve noted. Yes, I have a few stresses, but no real excuse about why I can’t write. Did Stephen King stop writing after being hit by a car? Did Anne Rice stop writing after her daughter died at a young age? Did Jo Rowling stop writing when she was so close to being homeless? No. And look what’s happened for all of them! (I’m not comparing myself to them at all, but they are the most tragic writer scenarios I could think of to prove my point! And yes, I know SK got hit AFTER he was already über successful… but he’s bounced back almost tenfold!)
A new declaration: Writing is now my job. Regardless of what happens in the near future as a means to make money, any other “job” I get will be part-time in comparison to my writing. I’m not setting any goals right now as far as daily productivity, though I still have a personal deadline of finishing all revisions on my novel by October 31. I’m going to need everyone’s help to remind me of this deadline, and make me feel guilty if I’m not doing my job. Local friends and family: if you see me watching TV or a movie I’ve seen a bajillion times, ask me why I’m not writing. Distant friends and family: occasional reminders that I should be writing or inquiries into how it’s all going would be appreciated!
As soon as this entry is posted, I’m packing up my laptop and going back to the local diner where I managed my last successful writing day. No internet, no TV, no couch/bed to nap on… just my computer and my imagination!
To writing!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
On Conferences And Procrastination
09/12/08 | Genius Mode, Idiot Mode, Maui, My Writings, Procrastination | 3 Comments
[Please note that there is ANOTHER new post under this one as well!]
I suck. Honestly, I’m not kidding. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get published if I don’t write, and I haven’t been. Not for months now. I could talk about all of the stresses I’ve been having in my life lately, but they’d all sound oddly like excuses, which is exactly what they’d be. There have been many writers before who have kept going through tough times (*cough*Jo Rowling*cough*), so what do I have to say for myself? I suck.
Three weeks ago I made the 12 hour trip from Philadelphia to Honolulu for the Maui Writers Conference and Retreat (which was obviously on hiatus from Maui!). It was my second time attending the conference and retreat, and I just have to say… it was weird. I didn’t like having it in Honolulu. It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced the retreat in Maui, but there’s this sort of spiritual ambiance about that island, not to mention the fact that you are so secluded and are almost forced to interact with all of the other retreaters (which is a DEFINITE plus!). But that didn’t happen this year. Yes, I walked away with new friends (hi Edna, Kim, Ryan, Tracy and Linda!), but I don’t think we were around each other enough. Last year, I ate with someone new almost every meal, and had drinks every night. This year (as much as I love them!), I spent most of my time with my roommates, who I’d met last year. It was just off…
Besides that, the retreat itself was amazing. I studied alongside five other hand-picked students in a Masters Class with NYT bestselling author Steve Berry, who is a master craftsman himself. I had heard horror stories about him teaching a previous retreat in Fiji—something about half the class winding up in tears?—but I have to say that I welcomed the criticism. As he likes to put it, you don’t become a better writer by people telling you how amazing you are all the time. And Steve was nothing but honest, definitely giving compliments when necessary, but always keeping it real. Surprisingly, there were no tears (at least not IN class, anyway!), and I believe that we have all walked away better writers.
I was sort of shocked that Steve was fairly complimentary of my work. Keep in mind my abovementioned statement of him being a hard-ass when I say… I was the only writer in the class that he complimented TO THE CLASS. We were sitting there, going over my writing sample, when he actually said “This boy can write.” (I almost added an exclamation mark there, but Steve doesn’t really talk in exclamation marks and he would probably die if I ever used one in my writing, anyway… and yes, I can see the four I’ve already used! Five… Damn.) His biggest criticism of my writing was that I need to work on structure, something I wholeheartedly agree with. He even wrote a special dedication in the book of his I had him sign: “You’re going to make it.”
I hope so!
The thing is, I need to get back into the swing of things. I still need to rewrite the entire second half of my book (about 40 pages worth… it’s a short second half), and add three or four new chapters to the first half, which will help with pacing and character development. Plus, the general editing that needs to be done for tightening and strengthening my prose. I’ve got a bit of work to do, obviously, and it needs to be done soon. I’ve even given myself a deadline to finish all rewrites and edits by the end of October, which is 49 days from now. Now, I’ve just got to sit down and DO IT!
It was nice being able to see so many amazing writers. Not only did I get to sit in the presence of Steve Berry for hours a day, but I got to be around David Morrell (the father of RAMBO), John Lescroart, William Broadbent, William Martin, Ann Hood, and my retreat teacher from last year and personal friend, Gary Braver. I was hoping to get to see James Rollins again, who I met last year in Maui and actually had drinks with at ThrillerFest in July, but he had to pull out at the last minute because of an unfortunate family emergency. He and his family are on my mind every day.
Now, for any of you who know me, this next bit may come as a shock: I WENT SURFING. Yes, me, in the ocean, on a little board. I’ll let you get the laughs out before we proceed.
Not only did I go surfing, but I went surfing with THREE BESTSELLING AUTHORS! Steve, John Lescroart and Bill Broadbent joined me with Steve’s wife, Liz, a friend of hers and the woman’s husband, and another member of my retreat class, Kim, who organized our little expedition. That’s a pretty cool story to be able to tell, right?
(I’ll save the embarrassing pictures for myself!
From far left: Liz, her friend, me, Liz’s friend’s husband, Bill, John, Steve, and Kim… muscle guy with no shirt is our instructor, obviously)
Okay, let’s just say that having long hair does not help in the slightest. And, being a rather bigger boy (*sigh*), I got tired REAL fast. I didn’t realize how much energy it would take just to paddle out to the surfing point! I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in such a short period of time. Did it help that I was in cold water? Not really. While all of the skinny people were having a blast, I was ready to just die. I fell off the board a couple of times (five), and it’s very hard to get back onto it when you’re not allowed to put your feet on the ocean floor. Why weren’t we, you ask? Because it was covered with such wonderful things as coral, broken shells, sea urchins, and all manner of lovely things that you can cut your feet on and attract our little friends, the sharks. There was one instance when I was having a particularly difficult time getting back on the board, when the instructor pulled up beside me for encouragement. I had my arms stretched across the board and the top of my chest on, but couldn’t manage more than that. “One chest at a time!” was his helpful tip. I could only look at him with an expression I’m sure would have killed puppies. Then he said, “One tit at a time!” Ah, now I got you, thanks.
By the time we were heading into shore, I was so exhausted that I could hardly move, let alone paddle. So, our instructor pulled up next to me, put his foot on my board, and literally “toe’d” me into shore.
Let’s just say that it will be a while until I get back on a surfboard again. Maybe next year, if I’ve lost 100 pounds and can bench-press a small whale.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
A Whole Lot Of Random
09/12/08 | Awesome, Books, Movies, Trailers, Music, Samples, Reviews, TV Shows | 2 Comments
Apologies in advance for how LONG this post is going to be. I haven’t updated in a while, so this is going to be a bit of a ramble. But, considering the title of this blog is A Writer’s Ramblings, I guess I’m allowed.
It appears that I am unemployable. I got a job sometime in June, but that basically ended in flames and I was forced to quit. Of course, that was two weeks before I headed to Honolulu, so let’s just say I’m a bit strapped for cash at the moment. (I had to sell my soul to three people in order to even GET to the conference and retreat! Thank God I have such great friends!) I’ve currently got my resume out to a number of places, and am even applying to some less-than-ideal jobs in the area (the dreaded retail). Please, pray for me.
MOVIES
I’ve seen a few new ones, three of which I saw on the two 8 hour trips between Minnesota and Honolulu. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Okay, I’ll admit that I haven’t seen the first three Indy movies in their entirety yet, but I just have to say that this movie was REALLY hokey. I mean, I love Cate Blanchett, and I’ve recently come to appreciate Shia LaBeouf, but the acting was just BAD. And that ending. Really? I’m usually really good with my suspension of disbelief (I AM a writer, after all!), but that ending was just completely ridiculous. Good lord! Kung Fu Panda: Not much to say about this one. Cute, cuddly, adorable. Jack Black is awesome as usual. I’d watch it again. Skadoosh! Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day: I have to say that I really LOVE Focus Features lately. Atonement. In Bruges. And now, Miss Pettigrew. I really, really liked this movie. It’s about a nanny who’s hard on her luck and having trouble finding a job (maybe THAT’S why I connected with her so well! She’s ME!), and ends up stealing a lead from her placement agency after they deem her unemployable. The movie follows her through one day, and it was simply amazing. Plus, I love Amy Adams, too! The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Awful. It was nowhere near as good as the first two. The amazingness of Rachel Weisz was noticeably absent, the portrayal of the once adorable son (who is magically in his mid-twenties after only a 7 year time gap between films) is that of an arrogant jackass, and the storyline was just WAY too out there! What, you couldn’t find a way to bring back Imhotep for a third round? Whatever. The Dark Knight: Anyone who has seen this movie already knows how amazing it was, so I don’t need to add to everything that has already been said about it. I will say that I believe director Chris Nolan, and actors Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart all deserve Oscars.
SONGS
I’m currently obsessed with the following three songs (note my seemingly erratic choices! Blame the stress…):
Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns
I am apparently not allowed to embed the music video for this song (WHY?!), so you can listen to it HERE. This song was offered as a “Single of the Week” through iTunes, so I was able to get it for free. It has such a catchy tune that I haven’t been able to stop listening to it!
Creator by Santagold
I first heard this song on episode 2x02 of Gossip Girl (I LOVE that show!), and instantly downloaded it. It’s been less than a week, but I must have listened to it over 50 times!
An Angel by Declan
This song came to my attention while I was searching for someone else on YouTube (which I talk about below). I don’t know how old this kid is, but I can’t get enough of this song! Just ignore some of the bad lyrics (rhyming “hives” with “hives”, for instance… and using “eyes” at the end of two consecutive lines!) and concentrate on his voice and the music. He reminds me of Billy Gilman, though obviously not singing Country. He has two albums out in the US right now (I think there’s one import available in the UK that isn’t available here), and has such an adorable voice! It’s funny though, because it drops about THREE OCTAVES between this album and his next one.
BOOKS
I’m currently reading The Venetian Betrayal by my new favorite person, Steve Berry! I hadn’t read any of his books prior to having him as a teacher in Honolulu, so I thought it might be a good idea to check him out. I’m just beginning part four of five parts, and I’m really enjoying it so far! He’s definitely a talented writer, and it’s good to know the lessons he taught us can actually be put to good use! I’ll definitely be buying more of his books in the future.
Some books that I’m really looking forward to their releases are Christopher Paolini’s Brisingr and JK Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard...! Brisingr is the third book in Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, formerly the Inheritance Trilogy because he decided to make the series four books instead of three (which I’m not complaining about!). I absolutely loved the first book in the series, Eragon. The second book, Eldest, I didn’t think was as good as the first, but was still very good (enough to get me to want the rest of the series!). That book comes out in about a week, which I’m really excited about. The Tales of Beedle the Bard was mentioned in Jo’s last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was a present from the recently deceased Dumbledore to Hermione as a clue for Harry on how to defeat Voldemort. Only one story from the book was mentioned in Hallows, but Jo created a set of seven copies of this book, each handwritten by herself and bound in beautiful leather and encrusted with precious stones. Six of them were given away to people who were intricate to the success of Potter (I’m guessing her agent, editors, etc), and one was auctioned for charity. Amazon.com bought the book for a reported $4 million, and teased us with pictures of the book and reviews of all the stories within. We thought we’d never get to see inside, when they announced that they were going to publish the book and give all the proceeds to charity! They have a standard paperback of the book available, but I’m interested in THIS one! A replica of the one Amazon won, which is selling for a mere $100. Well worth it, I say!
TV SHOWS
There are a bunch of things I’m watching nowadays. We’re halfway through the fifth season of Project Runway. I have to say I’m really disappointed with this season. I don’t care for any of the designers. Every time someone gets voted off the show, I’m not particularly bothered. And there’s no one I’m really rooting for to win, either. In fact, most of the contestants annoy me. Suede, with his referring to himself in third person; Blayne, who can only think about tanning; Keith, who’s only capable of sewing together strips of fabric and calling it fashion forward… the list goes on. Gossip Girl season two just started recently, and I’m happy to report that it’s as scandalicous as last year, and hopefully the ante gets upped even more! The Sarah Connor Chronicles had its season two premiere on Monday, and it was amazing. You all know how much of a Terminator fan I am (I’m named after Kyle Reese from the first movie, after all!), and this show has not disappointed (too much). John Connor finally has some of his balls back, Cameron could have been bad but ended the episode on the side of good, and they’ve brought in a female version of the T-1000 (the guy from T-2 who was basically liquid metal)!!! It’s going to be an amazing year. Now, I just have to wait for the premiere’s of Grey’s Anatomy and Heroes…!!! TV JOYGASM!
Some NEW shows that I’ve been watching include Skins and Fringe. Skins is basically Dawson’s Creek on CRACK! It centers on a group of 7 British teen friends, and involves a whole bunch of drugs, sex, swearing, eating disorders, manipulation, fights, suicide attempts, a possible sexual relationship between one of the friends and a teacher, parental abandonment, and that’s only in the FIRST FIVE EPISODES! It airs on the BBC America channel on Sundays at 10PM, but an unedited/uncensored version of the show is available on iTunes. I don’t know what it is about this show, but it is completely addicting. The kids are really great actors, and the storylines are simply explosive! Love it. The other show, Fringe, just premiered on Fox the other day, and stars Dawson’s Creek alum Joshua Jackson. It’s an X-Files-like show that centers on the unnatural, but doesn’t involve aliens (at least, I don’t think it does) and actually revolves around science. The first episode started a little slow, but I was completely hooked by the end of it! Now I’ve got another show to set up on my DVR!
MOVIE TRAILERS
I’m only going to put two on here, and it’s a complete coincidence that the main actors for each movie are schtupping one another.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I first heard about this movie about a year ago, and it’s been on my mind ever since. When I finally got to see the teaser trailer above, my first reaction was HOLY FUCKING GOD! It looks really incredible! And, it brings together a number of my favorite actors, including Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. This movie is definitely on my list to see this winter.
Changeling
After seeing what he could do with Million Dollar Baby, I can’t pass up the chance to see another Clint Eastwood drama. Not only is the concept completely horrifying, but it’s actually a TRUE STORY. Besides, it doesn’t hurt that Angelina Jolie is in it.
MISCELLANEOUS
The following video I first saw on an episode of Oprah. This is the video I mentioned earlier, the one I was searching for on YouTube when I came across Declan’s song. This is of a boy named Andrew Johnston trying out for Britain’s Got Talent, which is exactly like its American counterpart. You MUST watch the entire video, from the start, or else the song and his voice won’t be AS powerful (though, they’re powerful on their own as well!). I would suggest turning up the volume as loud as you can, preferably using a set of good headphones if you’ve got them around. I swear on all that is good and holy that I actually teared up listening to his voice, and he hits a note right in the middle of the song that sent a jolt right through my body.
I would also highly suggest listening to this in hi-def, which you can see HERE. The faces on the judges say it all. Absolutely stunning, and I can imagine him singing for movie soundtracks in the very near future (they have used boys choirs in recordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc… LOTS of work for these kids!)…!
And the last thing I want to talk about is the lawsuit of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. vs. RDR Books, a company who wanted to publish a Harry Potter Encyclopedia based on the website The Harry Potter Lexicon. I’m not going to go into the reasons behind the lawsuit—you can read about it HERE—but just comment on the outcome. Thank GOD the judge sided with Jo and WB, or else we might not have seen the comprehensive Harry Potter Encyclopedia that Jo herself is writing. We’ve been hearing about this book ever since the publication of Deathly Hallows last summer, and it would have been a real travesty had she felt forced to give it up. Justice sides with good once more, and hopefully we get our hands on that book sometime soon!
I’ve made a vow to keep up with my blogging from now on, so you won’t have these ridiculously long posts to sort through anymore. Thanks for listening, though!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
How Long Has It Been?
06/22/08 | Awesome, Books, My Writings | 3 Comments
It’s been a month since my last update. Why? Because I don’t really have anything to say. The writing honestly hasn’t been going very well, and I just haven’t wanted to talk about it. It’s not that what I’m writing is bad, but the fact that I’m NOT WRITING. I’ve tried to figure out what my problem is, but the truth alludes me. I don’t know what’s wrong. Hopefully, it’ll correct itself soon, and I can finish my book at some point.
One of the things keeping me sane in my little bout of no writing is my work on the film news site, Filmonic. It was actually an outlet I never knew I needed, not until I had it. I love movies, more than any person I know. I’d go to the movies several times a week if I could afford it. I’ve even watched the special features on some movies MORE TIMES THAN I’VE WATCHED THE ACTUAL MOVIE. Anyone who knows me knows that I have ambitions of writing a screenplay. It sounds hokey, but I love everything about writing, and most forms of it. I’ve written a novel, many short stories, and even a short screenplay. They are all satisfying to write, and immensely challenging in their own rights. With a novel, you have to have a good storyline, intriguing characters, and sustainability for 80,000+ words. A short story needs the same first two characteristics, but you need to do it in a much more condensed form. Screenplays, along with all of the characteristics of a novel, coupled with a little shorter format (about 90-110 pages) and more of a visual impact, has its own challenges. Challenges I’m very much willing—and eager!—to undertake…!
All of that being said, I love movies. I love finding out little tidbits about movies in production, all of that behind-the-scenes stuff, and I’m a self proclaimed Movie Trailer Whore. The day I set foot on a movie set is the day my life is complete. (Well, I’m assuming that I would have already published a novel by that point! )
What’s cool is that the site has already been recognized by IMDb and PerezHilton.com (whose plug sent so many viewers to the site that it crashed our server!). It’s on its way to becoming a great site, and that’s a good thing. I’m hoping that, once the site gets big enough, that I can apply to the Broadcast Film Critics Association (since I do all of the movie reviews for the site), which would bring a great credibility to the site! We just have to hope that the site continues to grow as rapidly as it has been!
IN OTHER NEWS:
On July 10, I’m heading to NYC to attend ThrillerFest. NO, it’s not a Michael Jackson gathering, but a convention for thriller writers! Now, I’m not a thriller writer, but I do read thrillers. Plus, why would I give up the chance to rub elbows with some of the best known authors in the world? Some of the people I’ll be meeting? Maybe you’ve heard of them: JAMES PATTERSON, SANDRA BROWN, JAMES ROLLINS, STEVE BERRY, DAVID MORRELL, LEE CHILD… the list goes on. If I don’t die on the spot, I’ll have to work on my vocal skills… ie, making sure I can talk, and not simply squeak or drool at them. I’m sure they’re used to that reaction, but I’d rather avoid it if I could!
There are going to be two days of sessions, ranging in all topics about writing, storytelling, and publishing, and then an awards banquet at the end of the second night (which I’ll also be attending)! I’m super excited about it!
I’m actually reading my first ever James Patterson book right now, and it’s really good! It’s called When the Wind Blows, and it’s about genetic experiments on children that turn them into super smart halfbreeds. You heard right, they’re half human, half bird (they have wings). About 100 pages in and it’s got me hooked. And, it’s a pretty quick read!
Also, Entertainment Weekly has released a list of 100 Best Books Published Since 1983. You’ll find that list below, but I have to say… I’ve only read EIGHT of the books! Well, eight and a half (I never finished William Gibson’s Neuromancer). I’ll highlight my pitiful reading list in bold. How many have you read?
1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984) (never did get to the mancer part! LOL)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000) (This is technically THREE books!)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak!, Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
05/22/08 | Awesome, Movies, Reviews | 2 Comments
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe took the world by surprise. Not many thought that the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Harry Potter series could be repeated, yet it happened again with The Chronicles of Narnia. The first movie went on to gross over $730 million worldwide and left audiences all over the globe wanting MORE.
In Prince Caspian, the world of Narnia has been ravaged by time and the harsh rule of a race of humans called the Telmarines, a people who do not believe in magic. In the 1300 years since the Pevensie siblings left Narnia after serving for years as Kings and Queens, the Telmarines invaded and managed to drive Narnians almost to extinction.
The King of the Telmarines is dead and his son, Prince Caspian, is waiting for a time when he can take the throne. In the meantime, Caspian’s uncle, Miraz, serves as Regent of the realm. However, when Miraz’s wife gives birth to a son, Caspian’s life is suddenly in danger and he is forced to flee in order to survive. In the throes of his escape, he blows a horn with a mysterious past, and in doing so summons the Kings and Queens of old to help in his plight.
It has only been a year for the Pevensies, yet the transition from royal adults back to ordinary “children” hasn’t been easy for all of them. Peter, for one, hates being treated for his age and starts fights with other school-aged boys just to prove his manhood. Yet one day they feel an strange pinching in their stomachs as they’re waiting for the train to school, a pinch that feels oddly like magic. In the blink of an eye, the children are back in Narnia and they are faced with fighting two battles: the advancing Talmarine army, and their waning faith in Aslan and in themselves.
From the moment I stepped out of the theater after watching the first Narnia installment, I instantly wanted to watch the next one. It has been two and a half years, and six months longer than the original release date, and I’m very pleased to say that the wait has been well worth it. Through most of the two and a half hour movie, I literally had chills running up my spine. This movie, in my opinion, is even better than the first.
What makes it so great is that director Andrew Adamson didn’t try to recreate the look and feel of the first movie. This is a much darker movie, one with severe moral undertones about acceptance and prejudice, and it shouldn’t feel as fluffy as the first one was. A number of reviews I read about the movie complained that there wasn’t enough magic in this one, yet what did they expect? The Pevensies come back in an age where magic is all but gone, so there naturally wouldn’t be any magic to see. There are still a number of Narnians left: from centaurs and minotaurs, to talking badgers and mice to dwarves. There was plenty of magic in that respect, and certainly enough action, to let the audience leave feeling satisfied.
Another interesting element of this movie is the level of emotion that the young actors were able to bring to their roles, as well as the feelings the characters themselves were feeling. In the first Narnia, it’s obvious that it was their first real acting job. Yes, they did the best they could at the time, but they have all grown as actors, resulting in much more three dimensional characters this time around. They actually FELT like they were the Kings and Queens of Narnia past stuck in the bodies of teenagers and children. It was something in their eyes, a sense of knowledge far beyond their years, and the very way they held themselves that made it so believable. They have all grown, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
My favorite transition was in the character of Edmund who, in the first movie, betrayed his family for his own gain. In Prince Caspian, you can tell he is still trying to make up for this betrayal and will do anything for his family. Not only does he defend his brother, stick up for Lucy when no one believes that she’s been seeing Aslan when none of the rest of them has, but he’s turned into a calculated, badass warrior. He’s very confident in his position as a King, gets right into the thick of battles, and even slides down a roof to kick a Talmerine soldier over a balcony. He is able to stand in front of the Telmarine usurper, surrounded by enemies, and shoot off a witty sort of banter that lets Miraz know exactly who Edmund is: a Narnian King. Not to mention how much older he seems, considering actor Skandar Keynes’ voice dropped about three octaves!
Newcomer Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian only added to the great cast. The only thing I was confused about was his accent. He’s British, yet he had some sort of Italian accent in the movie, which didn’t exactly match up with the rest of the Telmarines. Other than that, I’m glad we’ll be seeing more of him in the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie in 2010.
Overall, really incredible movie. The action is enough to keep anyone’s eyes glued to the screen, but the sarcasm and wit will keep you in your seat, and the emotion will leave you longing for more. This is one of those movies that you really need to see in theaters, and one you’re likely to see multiple times (like I’m surely going to do myself!): 10/10.
GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Moving Forward
05/12/08 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 11 Comments
Bad news first: My screenplay didn’t get chosen for the ‘Locker 13” competition. Damn. What else is new? Moving on.
I haven’t written anything for my novel in over a month. (In keeping with bad news.) But, I’m looking to change that, and soon. Like, now. I’m moving back to Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks, so am in this sort of limbo… I can’t get a job to have something to do, because I’m leaving, so I basically sit around my apartment, surf the internet, read, watch TV and movies, and generally putz around. Not very productive.
I need to write, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Starting today, I will be a writing machine. Or, I’ll try to be anyway. A number of my blogging writer friends have been talking about goals and such lately, and that’s what I need to focus on. I’ve already broken down the book into individual chapters, so that it is far less daunting to go through and edit each chapter instead of going in to edit the entire book at once. It’s a lot more reassuring to see that you have edited 10 pages and you have 15 to go instead of having edited 10 pages and you have 325 to go. Right?
Well, the screenplay thing worked in the way I’d hoped it would, though, giving me the confidence to move on to bigger projects. My friend Dawn and I will be working on a screenplay soon, which is all very exciting… AND, I’ve decided that I want to start writing a TV show. (Yes, Pam, some other writers ARE that ambitious!)
Surprised to hear that? It’s only a natural progression of thought, honestly, and I’m not going to be creating something from scratch. The show will be based on the characters of my novel, Love, Simon (hey, I’ve spent almost 8 years with these characters… you can’t blame me for not wanting to give them up!), though with a different storyline. I mean, one of the main characters dies in the book (I’m not ruining anything, you learn about it in the first paragraph of the book! Go to the Writing section of my website to check it out…!), and we obviously wouldn’t want that to happen in the show. At least not right away… And I have some ideas that would make the show really dramatic and witty at the same time, which I think would be perfect material for a network like The CW. Teen drama… takes me back to my Dawson’s Creek days!
I’m hoping to have the pilot script written in the next couple of months, after I’ve plotted out a little of the first season. No, I’m not crazy. I know how hard these industries are. BUT, you have to be prepared when you go in. All I’m doing is planning and preparing.
It’s odd. I find I have more ideas than I know what to do with. At the pace I’m writing, I wonder if I’ll ever get to all of the other projects I have planned. Not only do I have to finish my current novel-in-progress, but I have three more literary novels in mind, all of which have some plotting done on them. I also have a fantasy trilogy that is halfway plotted out, which I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to write… On top of that, I have another screenplay that’s been fully plotted out for a while now and I just need to sit down and write the damn thing. Throw on the screenplay that Dawn and I will be starting soon and the TV show I want to start, and I’m exhausted just thinking about it. That’s about EIGHT projects I have in various stages of development and production.
Which is why I need to learn to write faster.
And now I leave you to do just that.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
My Screenplay
04/25/08 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 10 Comments
I finished the rewrite of my script!
(I’m also rewriting this POST, because, apparently, you have to hit submit BEFORE you close the window!)
Just for a little background on the competition, here’s a little information from their site:
Locker 13 will be an anthology feature film comprised of 6 vignettes along the lines of “Four Rooms”, “Short Cuts”, “The Red Violin”, or “A Night on Earth”. 6 award-winning directors will take the top six 10-15 page scripts submitted to this site, shoot them and then combine them to make one feature length film.
We are currently looking for quality scripts with the following criteria:
1. Answer the question, what’s in Locker 13? Locker 13 can be anywhere, a school, a bus station, an airport...a locker room. Anywhere, all that matters is that a Locker with the number 13 is part of the story. What is your story?
2. Genre is open.
3. The Rating can be left open right now, but we may ask the scripts be toned down so that we can shoot for a PG or PG-13 rating.
4. Limit the script to 1-3 locations.
5. Limit the script to 1-6 main characters, no crowd scenes.
6. The script has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.
7. No explosions, little to no special FX.
8. Think LOW BUDGET.
9. 10-15 pages in length.
Okay, there IS a crowd scene in the script, but I assure you it’s necessary!
Be aware that it has some disturbing content. YOU WERE WARNED.
For those of you who wish to read it, click here.
Keep in mind that this is my first attempt at writing a screenplay, so constructive criticism is welcome if you wish to give it!
Enjoy!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Sneak Peek At New Potter Movie!
04/23/08 | Awesome, Movies, Making Of | 3 Comments
As I was looking at new trailers, I stumbled across these! Behind-the-Scenes featurettes for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Anyone else looking forward to this as much as I am?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
New Narnia Trailer!
04/23/08 | Awesome, Movies, Trailers | 1 Comments
I haven’t posted any trailers in a while, and what better one to restart with than Narnia?!
Enjoy!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Competitions Are Fun
04/15/08 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 7 Comments
Just a quick update to show I haven’t died.
Today, April 15, is my official last day of classes. All that I have left to do is a final next Friday and I’m DONE with this infernal business program FOREVER. I will finally be able to concentrate on my writing, which should hopefully benefit from a jump in productivity once I don’t have tests and papers to worry about!
Lately, I haven’t been working on my novel, but I have been working… on my first screenplay!
For anyone who knows me, you know I’m fairly proficient at writing short stories (which don’t normally turn out very short, but what can I say?), so I figured I would try my hand at a short film (ie. a short screenplay). Right now it’s a 10 page completed first draft. After I finish the second draft, which includes an almost complete rewrite of the pivotal scene to incorporate a plot change, it’s going to be upwards of 13-15 pages.
This is actually for a competition to have my screenplay turned into a short film, which would be included in a short film anthology. If they choose my script, an award winning director (which, honestly, could mean anything!) will shoot my script, which will hopefully then be shown at Cannes (that’s their plan, anyway!). Not only will it be filmed, but I would also get 2% of the gross profits from the movie… that would be a great bonus, but the honor would be in having the script made and being able to say my script was chosen for this project and actually filmed, which would (hopefully) give me an in when moving on to feature length scripts.
I will be posting the entire script once I have finalized it, which has to be by the end of the month (but will likely happen within a week!). Keep a lookout for it!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Life After Graduation
04/3/08 | General | 0 Comments
Now that I know I’m not going to Emerson, I have post-graduation life to think about. What do I want to do with my life? Well, obviously I want to be able to write full time, but it’s not something I can count on happening anytime soon. Many writers aren’t able to do that EVER, so I’ve got to have another plan.
I love books, which is probably the biggest duh statement ever, but it’s true. If I weren’t able to read, I’d probably go insane. So, what does that mean? I’m going to look for jobs in the publishing industry. What else does that mean? A potential migration to New York City.
Now, I love Boston, so the idea of leaving is not one I particularly enjoy. If only there were some of the big NYC publishers up here! If I do end up getting offered a job in NYC, I’ll go there until I’m able to write full time, then come back to Boston (unless I really enjoy the job I get and the life I build, and then I’d have some decisions to make!). I just have to go where the money is right now, and if I stay in Boston, I’d have to get some sort of marketing job that I won’t particularly like. Yeah, it’s money, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take for me to get published, and I’d rather ensure I was moderately happy during that time. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to work retail or something as equally suicide inducing.
Plus, it would be nice to be closer to my family down in Pennsylvania.
I’ve found a number of jobs in publishing that nicely incorporate my skills as a marketer and a writer, so I’m preparing my resume and cover letters to send to those companies. I’m interested to see if any of them respond!
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
A Moment In Time
03/31/08 | My Writings | 3 Comments
Starting out with the bad news here: I didn’t get into Grad School. I don’t really know why (I was rejected through the use of a form letter). Understandably, I’m sad, but I’m not really devastated. I sort of have this mantra of “hope for the best, plan for the worst,” so I had been setting myself up for a loss from the word go. I do wish that I could have had some feedback, though, and can only hope that there was an exceptionally high number of well qualified applicants this year and yes, they regret not being able to take me, but they just couldn’t fit in everybody and I lost out by one spot. Or something like that.
But, sadly enough, as a writer I’m used to rejections. This is a business where “no” is heard way more often than “yes”, and we’re warned of that right from the off (at least I was; I can’t speak for everyone. O, but to live in ignorance!). It’s just one more piece of shit to throw into the inferno that is my life, or should I say career…? The odds are against us from the very beginning, and it’s to the point where I have to hope that others fail so that I might have better chances at success. With the advent of self-publishing and the internet, everyone thinks they can write a book (Paris Hilton, anyone?), and, even though there have never been so many people on earth, there have also never been so many would-be writers, either. Think about it. Even if one half of one percent of people wanted to be writers, that’s still 30 MILLION people I have to compete with.
The keys are persistence and—hopefully—talent. As awful as it is, I’ve come to the point where rejection seems to roll off my back. I opened the rejection letter from Emerson and, after a slight pang, it was more Eh. Really. I expect to fail, and every acceptance is somewhat of a shock. Yet I continue to write. Why? Because I love it, and I wouldn’t be able to stop even if I wanted to. It’s ingrained in me, and it doesn’t look like it’s ever going to leave, so I keep going. I’m aim to persevere. And I’m a stubborn little bastard (just ask my mother).
I try to write every day. It’s been hard working on my novel lately, so I write in other ways. Not only do I have the novel in the works, but I work on short stories, I write for three different blogs (this one, Yeah, Great Blog..., and Filmonic), and I’ve even done a little work on my second novel (not much… mostly planning, but I have started the first chapter). And, as always, I continue to read, ever broadening my mind, ever absorbing new words and voices and writing styles.
There are as number of things going for me, I think. I discovered my passion relatively early. No, I didn’t start writing little kid stories when I was 7, but I did start when I was 14, and that’s pretty good. I’ve had all of those years to write crap, and I feel that I’ve reached a point where I write in my own voice and don’t emulate my favorite authors/books. I have a great support system of family and friends and other writers, people I trust to tell me that my shit doesn’t smell like the roses I thought it did. I’m widely read, and read as often as humanly possible (taking schoolwork into consideration, as always!). I like to think I understand what constitutes a good story, and have the ability to provide/create one. And, most importantly, I still have many years left to fail. As much as I would like to have been published yesterday already, I know it’ll happen in due time. Sounds oddly optimistic for a writer (and for me especially), but I have faith in myself and in my talents as a writer. I know something is just around the corner, and I can’t wait to see what it is.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
A Year In The Life
03/29/08 | Awesome, Books | 1 Comments
It’s probably one of the worst kept secrets that I love all things Harry Potter, and the author herself is not exempt from this. The last book in the series came out last July and, for the year preceding that day, Jo was followed around by a camera and a documentarian (is that a word?). It was shown on ITV in the UK, but hasn’t found its way State-side yet, though has recently popped up online. I found it really interesting, so I figured I would share with all of you. Below are five videos, each about 10 minutes long, documenting a year in the life of JK Rowling (including the moment she writes the last line of the book!). Enjoy!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Michael Cunningham
03/27/08 | Awesome, General | 0 Comments
I had one of the most amazing nights of my life last night. For about two hours, I was in the presence of one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the country: Michael Cunningham.
Michael has written some truly amazing books, two of which I have read, including The Hours, which was made into an Academy Award-winning movie starring Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, Specimen Days, Flesh and Blood, and At Home at the End of the World, which was also made into a movie, this one starring Colin Farrell.
We started planning for this event about six months ago, originally intending to bring in either Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones, The Almost Moon) or Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), but both of them had to decline because of conflicts with their touring… which actually turned out to be a blessing.
How is one supposed to act around someone like that? I mean, here I am, 22, working on finishing my first novel, pretty much trying to stay sane in my last few weeks of college, and I’m supposed to interview a PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING NOVELIST?! How cruel is fate? But he was more than generous, and it was an immense pleasure to even be in his presence. He was kind, he was surprisingly humble, and he was an all around nice person. Never before have I seen an author take so much time to talk to his fans during a signing.
Probably the most amazing part of the night was when, right after Michael and I had left the stage, he asked me how my novel was going. Like, he was genuinely interested! And there’s me, and the first word out of my mouth sounded something like, flablneble. What could I POSSIBLY have said to him?! It was all I could do to, you know, not pass out.
Definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Back In The Bo…
03/17/08 | My Writings | 0 Comments
London was amazing, and it was such a creatively invigorating place to be that I would love to be there on a more permanent basis. I have always said that, once I am well off enough to afford it, I am going to buy a flat in London, and this trip only helped to cement that thought. There was this little pub I found right near my hotel that seemed to have the perfect balance of synergy and charm/ambiance that made it a veritable melting pot for my imagination. If only there was a way of transporting that place, as well as its employees and clientele (which added to the overall effectiveness of the place), to Boston, I would only be too happy…! I guess I’m just going to have to find a similar place here. Ah well.
While I was over there, I didn’t get as much writing done as I would have liked. I mean, it was ridiculous of me to think that I wouldn’t be distracted by the lure of the city to have any significant amount of time to concentrate on writing. (I guess I’ll have to go for an extended stay next time!) I was able to finish a short story I had been working on called Frozen Innocence, which is told from the point-of-view of a pedophile (who refuses to believe he IS one). Now, before you start thinking weird and disgusting things about me, there was a point behind delving into such a character: one of the characters in my novel is abused as a child, and I wanted to see what would go into such abuse. It was necessary for me to see what happens on the other side of abuse before I could effectively write it from the victim’s side of things, and I think this really helped.
As far as Simon goes, though, I haven’t had much time to work on him, unfortunately. I think I just really hate the revision process. If I sit down and start writing fresh, stuff flows, but when I go about revising something I wrote three years ago, the flow is more sludge than water. I have heard many writers talk about the joys of revision, and how it’s their favorite part of the process. Well, if only that were true for me. When I write something, I usually edit as I go, so that the end result is usually fairly polished. I put so much effort into THAT, that the thought of going back over it is often too much to handle. I think I just need to get over it. I mean, there are times when I enjoy it, but then there are other times…
School is going to end within the next month and a half, and I will never have to worry about going to classes again, and this excites me to no end. I have always been about work, and school was only a means to that end. I love to work; it’s when I’m happiest. It is also a time of high productivity where my writing is concerned, because I don’t have tests and projects and papers looming over my head. Work is work, and it stays in the office (at least for most people it does… but I’m not intending to be a lawyer any time soon), so I get a lot of ‘me’ time to work on my writing. I know this is true because of past experiences… those two times I was on co-op (6-month full-time working periods during my four years at this school) were my best writing times in years. It’s the schooling that bogs me down, and that’s going to end in May. Thank god.
So, as ever I keep plodding along. Hopefully I get some time to write soon, because Simon is getting restless.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Hopping The Pond
02/29/08 | My Writings | 0 Comments
It’s now the end of February, and ONCE AGAIN I have missed one of my own personal writing deadlines. I was on a real kick for a while there, but it seems to have fallen off again as of late. I haven’t done anything for Simon in about two weeks.
What happened? It was going so well! I don’t really know, but I need a recharge. Maybe it’s the monotony of life anymore, just waiting for school to be over so life can begin. Who knows.
In an attempt to break up the drudgery of life, I have decided a change of scenery is in order to reinvigorate my mojo (since Dawn won’t share him!). So, I’m hopping the pond to Simon’s hometown, actually… a little place called London. Maybe you’ve heard of it?
I will be there for about nine days, with a day trip to Edinburgh (maybe I’ll see Jo Rowling!). Guys, I’m SO excited! I love London. I’ve only been there once before, and only for a couple of days, but it was so wonderful that it has been engrained into my very being. The moment I have some extra income, the first thing I’m going to do (after doing the responsible things and paying down my school loans and other debt… boo) is buying a flat in London. It’s always been a dream of mine!
Anyway, that aside… I am going to spend the next nine days relaxing in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and concentrating on my writing. Hopefully, Simon will come to me more naturally in his home town than ever before. He’s got a lot to tell me, that boy has. I’m the only one that’ll listen to him right now, and his story needs to be told to the world. With any luck, a good chunk of it will be ready when I get back, and the book can be finished not too long after.
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to update while I’m away… I’m sure I’ll find an internet connection somewhere. But, if I don’t, I’ll see you all in a couple weeks!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Oscar Recap
02/25/08 | Movies | 0 Comments
The 80th Annual Academy Awards was on last night, and it was… okay. You could tell that the show was kind of thrown together at the last minute. Almost every few minutes, it felt like they were showing another clips montage. I can’t imagine how awful that would have been if the writers HADN’T been there! Clips galore! PLUS, they showed these awful montages, yet they were rushing the winners off the stage! Poor Marketa Irglova (who won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once with Glen Hansard) got cut off right as she was about to speak! Thankfully, host Jon Stewart was kind enough to bring her back out after the commercial break and let her give her Thank Yous… which was very kind of him!
Also, did anyone notice some things...? Like, recently deceased actor Brad Renfro was mysteriously absent from the In Memory Of montage? Also, they seemed to snub Whoopi Goldberg, who they only showed as an Oscar winner… but excluded her from the hosts’ clips, even though she was the first woman host, the first black host, and the first host who was also an Oscar winner… Not cool, guys!
But, in case you missed the show, here are the nominees and winners for each category (*’s are next to the nominees who I THOUGHT should have won!):
PICTURE
Atonement*
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno*
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd*
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age*
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War*
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement*
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno*
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Christopher Hampton, Atonement*
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Beaufort, Israel
The Counterfeiters, Austria
Katyn, Poland
Mongol, Kazakhstan
12, Russia
ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille*
Surf’s Up
ORIGINAL SCORE
Dario Marianelli, Atonement*
Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner
James Newton Howard, Michael Clayton
Michael Giacchino, Ratatouille
Marco Beltrami, 3:10 to Yuma
ORIGINAL SONG
“Falling Slowly,” Once*
“Happy Working Song,” Enchanted
“Raise It Up,” August Rush
“So Close,” Enchanted
“That’s How You Know,” Enchanted
ART DIRECTION
Arthur Max, Beth A. Rubino, American Gangster
Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer, Atonement*
Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock, The Golden Compass
Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo, Sweeney Todd
Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson, There Will Be Blood
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Seamus McGarvey, Atonement*
Janusz Kaminski, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood
COSTUME DESIGN
Albert Wolsky, Across the Universe
Jacqueline Durran, Atonement*
Alexandra Byrne, Elizabeth: The Golden Age*
Marit Allen, La Vie en Rose
Colleen Atwood, Sweeney Todd*
(This one was a major tie for me… They all did a great job!)
MAKEUP
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald, La Vie en Rose
Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji, Norbit
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End*
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance
SOUND MIXING
Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis, The Bourne Ultimatum*
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland, No Country for Old Men
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane, Ratatouille
Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe, 3:10 to Yuma
Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin, Transformers*
(Both had really great sound mixing.)
SOUND EDITING
Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg, The Bourne Ultimatum*
Skip Lievsay, No Country for Old Men
Randy Thom and Michael Silvers, Ratatouille
Christopher Scarabosio and Matthew Wood, There Will Be Blood
Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins, Transformers*
(Same as above.)
VISUAL EFFECTS
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood, The Golden Compass
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier, Transformers*
FILM EDITING
Christopher Rouse, The Bourne Ultimatum
Juliette Welfling, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jay Cassidy, Into the Wild
Roderick Jaynes, No Country for Old Men
Dylan Tichenor, There Will Be Blood
SHORT FILM - ANIMATED
“I Met the Walrus”
“Madame Tutli-Putli”
“Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)”
“My Love (Moya Lyubov)”
“Peter & the Wolf”
SHORT FILM - LIVE ACTION
“At Night”
“Il Supplente (The Substitute)”
“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)”
“Tanghi Argentini”
“The Tonto Woman”
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“Freeheld”
“La Corona (The Crown)”
“Salim Baba”
“Sari’s Mother”
I was not happy with most of the winners, actually. I’m sure No Country for Old Men was a good movie, but I didn’t see it. My vote has always been for Atonement, and they all got gypped. The movie lost Best Picture, Saoirse lost Best Supporting Actress, Christopher Hampton lost Best Adapted Screenplay, they lost Best Set and Costume Design, and Kiera, James, and director Joe Wright weren’t even nominated for Oscars! What is wrong with these people? I swear, when I’m finally part of the Academy, I’m going to make sure the GOOD movies win. Seriously.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
I Retracted It, Didn’t I?
02/17/08 | Movies, Reviews | 1 Comments
Movie reviews!
WATCHED
I am really starting to love Focus Features. Not only have they produced my most recent favorite movie, Atonement, but they have also brought us such movies as Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, Pride and Prejudice, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Constant Gardner, The Pianist, Billy Elliot, and Eastern Promises, just to name a few. To add to that list of amazing movies (and cult classics), they now bring us In Bruges.
This movie is not for the conservative at heart. In fact, it takes a really good sense of humor and a very un-politically correct mindset… both of which I have. Not only is every other work ‘fuck’, but they manage to throw in the C word about 10 times, and they make fun of blacks, gays, fat people, midgets, Belgians, and just about everything you can think of, while throwing in a mixture of sex (almost), drugs, violence and crudity. They were able to get away with a LOT in this movie. And I couldn’t have loved it more.
Behind everything listed above is some truly remarkable acting, a incredibly witty and well written script, and some surprisingly serious moral undertones. I’m not really a Colin Farrell fan, but he really won me over in this movie. He’s a hired hit man, he’s just killed a priest, and yet you’re pulling for him almost from the word go.
Here are some examples of the witty (and crude) dialogue in the movie (not work appropriate):
Ray (Colin Farrell): If I’d grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn’t, so… it doesn’t.
Ray: They’re filming midgets!
Ken (Brendan Gleeson): Harry, let’s face it. You’ve always been a cunt. The only thing that’s gonna change, is that you’re gonna be an even bigger cunt. Maybe have some more cunt kids.
Harry (Ralph Fiennes): You fuckin’ retract that bit about my cunt fucking kids!
Ken: I retract that bit about your cunt fucking kids.
Harry: Insulting my fucking kids?! That’s goin’ overboard man!
Ken: I retracted it, didn’t I?
In the context of the movie, it really isn’t offensive at all. By the time you reach the conversation between Ken and Harry, the language of the movie is already well established, and it only adds to the humor of the moment.
Definitely worth a watch (if you meet the above mentioned requirements for viewing, that is!)...!
I was actually somewhat disappointed with this movie. It has a really great premise (people who can jump through space and can pretty much go anywhere they want to go), some phenomenal actors had signed on (Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell), and some great special effects to back the sci-fi themes of the movie.
Yet, somewhere it fell short. Yes, the special effects were really great, and some of the action was thrilling… and, there was a semi-good twist at the end, though most people could probably have guessed it. But, there were a lot of things that were off-putting about the storyline, such as characters not being surprised to see someone they thought had been dead for eight or so years, and the main character’s flippantly nonchalant attitude to being attacked by a man who was able to keep him from jumping with some strange electronic device. Not to mention the girl who gets on a plane to Rome with the guy she thought had been dead for eight years without even a second thought. It also had some really cheesy dialogue at times (to the point where audience members were laughing during “serious” moments).
I don’t know; I’m all about suspension of disbelief in the name of moving the storyline forward. I mean, you can’t really have twenty minute exposition scenes where you explain everything that’s happening, but there has to be a sense of realism to what you’re doing, too. I was able to believe the jumping, and the circumstances behind how his first jump happens, and even the war that’s brewing between the Jumpers and the religious zealots who think that no one but God should be able to do what they are able to do (though, I would have liked a little more back-story on them, too…). But you need to back it up with something, and that something was definitely missing.
See it in theatres if you want, but only for the cool special effects. This one is probably better left for your Netflix queue.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Indy Kicks Some Serious Butt!
02/14/08 | Movies, Trailers | 3 Comments
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cyrstal Skull is set for release on May 22. As my Valentine’s treat to you, here’s your first look at the movie:
Looks sooo good you guys! And Cate Blanchett looks FIERCE.
What do you think?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Writers’ Strike Officially Over!
02/13/08 | Awesome, Business, Movies, The Industry, TV Shows | 1 Comments
Hot news straight from the WGAe website:
Members of WGA Vote by 92.5% to Lift Strike
To Our Fellow Members:
On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guilds East and West voted by a 92.5% margin to lift the restraining order that was invoked on November 5th. The strike is over.
Writing can resume immediately. If you were employed when the strike began, you should plan to report to work on Wednesday. If you’re not employed at an office or other work site, call or e-mail your employer that you are resuming work. If you have been told not to report to work or resume your services, we recommend that you still notify your employer in writing of your availability to do so. Questions concerning return-to-work issues should be directed to [...].
The decision to begin this strike was not taken lightly and was only made after no other reasonable alternative was possible. We are profoundly aware of the economic loss these fourteen weeks have created not only for our members but so many other colleagues who work in the television and motion picture industries. Nonetheless, with the establishment of the WGA jurisdiction over new media and residual formulas based on distributor’s gross revenue (among other gains) we are confident that the results are a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future.
We hope to build upon the extraordinary energy, ingenuity, and solidarity that were generated by your hard work during the strike.
Over the next weeks and months, we will be in touch with you to discuss and develop ways we can use our unprecedented unity to make our two guilds stronger and more effective than ever.
Now that the strike has ended, there remains the vote to ratify the new contract. Ballots and information on the new deal, both pro and con, will be mailed to you shortly. You will be able to return those ballots via mail or at a membership meeting to be held Monday, February 25th, 2008, at times and locations to be determined.
Thank you for making it possible. As ever, we are all in this together.
Best,
Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, EastPatric M. Verrone
President
Writers Guild of America, West
Thank GOD that’s finally over and done with! Writers prevail!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Possible End To The Writers’ Strike?
02/8/08 | Awesome, Business, Movies, The Industry, TV Shows | 1 Comments
According to an article from CNBC.com, a deal has finally been reached between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
According to Disney CEO Michael Eisner: “A deal had been made, and [the writers] will be back to work very soon. I know a deal’s been made. I know it’s over.”
The proposed deal will be revealed to WGA members on Saturday, with both coasts holding conferences for their regional members: one in NYC, and the other in LA.
If the deal is approved over the weekend, the writers may be back to work as early as Monday.
What does this mean for us?
New episodes of all of our favorite TV shows, and a less likely chance that the Fall 2008 TV season and 2009 movie season will be affected! This is GREAT news.
And, according to sources, the two groups were able to come to amicable terms over such hot button issues as New Media and online advertising revenue royalties! This means more money for the writers, who, as we’ve seen, are the backbone of the industry!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Back In The Habit
02/5/08 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 2 Comments
So, I had a new Journal entry all prepared to post the other day establishing my failure as a writer… meaning, I was lacking some serious motivation.
I knew exactly where the story needed to go, how I was going to get there, and what I needed to do to get it done… yet, for the life of me I couldn’t do it. It just wasn’t working for some reason. I would open a file and just stare at it, get frustrated, and end up closing it without making any progress (unless you count the frustration… I had succeeded at that!).
A lot of people were telling me how promising the story was, how promising I was as a writer… and I had an agent interested in the book! What was wrong with me?!
Well, the only thing I can think of to account for my lack of motivation is that fact that I’m sort of stuck in a place I really don’t want to be anymore. Over the years, writing has become more and more of a driving force in my life, yet here I am, trying to finish my business degree. I don’t want to be in business anymore, but, with only four months until I graduate, it would be a grade-A stupid decision to drop out, or even to switch my major. So, I’ve trekked on. But I think it took a serious mental toll; it was sucking the soul right out of me, and it got to be a cold and frightening place.
Yet, I realize now that it’s all going to be over VERY SOON. I won’t have to deal with business classes anymore, and hopefully I’ll be heading straight into the Creative Writing Graduate Program at Emerson College in the Fall.
Plus, I also realized… I just love to write. That seems like such a DUH statement, but it really hadn’t occurred to me to think of it like that. Yes, I’m stuck in these business classes right now, but there’s an escape! When I don’t want to be in that mindset, I can switch to Writer-Kyle, and everything is okay again.
So, I’m happy to say that, in the last week alone, I have finalized three more chapters of my novel, and I’m in the process of getting the fourth one going. It has been going REALLY well, and I think Simon is once again talking through me, as he was doing in the beginning. Now, I just have to be there and be ready for when he starts talking.
All-in-all, it’s been a good week. Let’s hope that the momentum (and the motivation, for GOD sakes!) keeps on the up and up.
With any luck, Love, Simon will be done by the end of February, and be ready to send out to agents.
Keep me in your prayers!
Genius Mode!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Raise Your Hopeful Voice
02/1/08 | Movies, Clips, Trailers | 3 Comments
Don’t you love hearing amazing success stories? Here’s one for you:
WATCHED
This is the independent movie to beat all other independents. It was made for a measly $150,000 (no, I didn’t forget any zeroes), and went on to make $10M in limited release in the Unites States alone…
Numbers aside, this movie is incredible. It’s pegged as a modern day musical, but I wouldn’t go that far. No one breaks out into random song and choreographed dance, but there is a lot of singing in the movie; about 60% of screen time, as a matter of fact!
This is the story of an Irish Guy, stuck in a rut and wanting nothing more than to earn a living as a musician. Enter an immigrant Girl with an affinity for the piano and a voice to match. Together, they make stunning music, and make you fall in love with them all at the same time.
I have watched this movie three times in the last two weeks, downloaded its soundtrack about ten minutes after watching it for the first time (and listened to it a minimum of 60 times since then, some songs more than others), and plan to watch and sing along to it for years to come.
What’s really extraordinary about this movie is that these are not actors, but real musicians. The director (John Carney) was setting up to make this movie and asked his friend, Glen Hansard, to write some music for it. After John heard the music, he realized that no one was going to be able to pull those songs off like Glen; he’d rather have a great musician who was an okay actor, than a great actor who was an okay singer. And it really paid off. After that came Marketa Irglova, a friend of Glen’s, and a fellow musician. Together, they are able to wend one of the most heartwarming and beautiful movies I have seen in a long time.
Here is the song Falling Slowly, sung by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova:
Definitely worth a watch… and believe me, once you hear the soundtrack, you’ll never get it out of your head...!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
How Far Is Too Far?
01/28/08 | General, Idiot Mode, The Industry, TV Shows | 5 Comments
(This post is a prime example of why “Rambling” is in my Journal’s title… so be prepared for a little rant!)
I just read this article. It talks about the FCC fining ABC $1.43 MILLION for airing a “woman’s naked backside.” Oh, did I mention that this was from an episode of NYPD Blue… from 2003?
The episode in question depicts “a nude woman [who] is surprised by a young boy as she prepares to shower.”
FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate had this to say about the fine:
“Our action today should serve as a reminder to all broadcasters that Congress and American families continue to be concerned about protecting children from harmful material and that the FCC will enforce the laws of the land vigilantly.”
The “indecent” video is below:
(If ABC can get sued for this, I’m guessing you shouldn’t watch it at work… just saying!)
I don’t know about you, but there is nothing sexual in nature about this clip. It’s an embarrassing situation that happens all the time, and they were just using it for comedic effect. Besides, NYPD Blue had been on the air for ten years prior to this episode airing, and the show was known for its racy scenes… scenes that depicted naked people (women AND men) either having sex or in some sort of erotic scenario. This was tame compared to other scenes they’ve aired.
Am I the only one who thinks this is completely ridiculous? What’s with the “save the children” routine? Why do we even care if our kids see a little skin now and again? The kid didn’t walk in on two people having sex (which, I can assure you, happens all the time, too). Go to France and you see naked billboards and soap commercials. It’s not harmful for children to see these things, but the media and ultra-conservative parents make is seem that way.
Has the American culture become overly sexualized?
(I felt like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City as I wrote that line just now.)
How have we somehow become more prudish? I just watched the original 1963 adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and couldn’t help thinking that the same movie would never be made the same way today. Not only are there scenes depicting the usually angelic creatures that are little boys as pure demons, but they run around naked for half of the movie as well (and you see everything).
(I hope this picture doesn’t offend anyone… I was just posting it to prove a point! Me having to add this disclaimer is sort of a point maker on its own, if you think about it...)
Back then, the boys being naked would have been out of innocence and a need to free themselves in a world where adults couldn’t rule over their existance. The saying “Boys will be boys” didn’t come from nowhere, you know. Today, this would be seen as gay or indecent… but you tell me of a little boy who likes having his clothes on. I know I didn’t when I was younger, and I have seen more little boys pull down their pants in front of a crowd than I can count (and little girls pulling up their skirts, for that matter). It’s what kids do.
The 1963 rating of this movie was:
Now, it wouldn’t get anything less than PG-13, or even R, for extreme violence and nudity. The boys kill animals, they kill two of the boys (one in a way that still gives me shivers as an adult), they chant and dance in a ritualistic fashion (as shown in the first image above), they are volitile, they are dangerous, and they have a taste for blood. What parent would take their child to see such a movie today?
In the first season of the ABC Family hit Kyle XY, Kyle gets an erection at the public swimming pool and doesn’t understand what it is, or how to get rid of it. He later talks to Josh, the younger child in the family (who I’d put at 15-years-old during that season), who explains masturbation to Kyle and even proffers a porno magazine for Kyle to use. Why wasn’t the FCC all over that? Was it because they only talk about sex and didn’t show it, or is it because you never actually saw any skin?
I really don’t know, but I think some people are taking this a little too far. Seeing a couple seconds of a naked woman is not going to scar America’s children for life. They know what nudity is, they have seen people naked before. As long as you’re not exposing them to actual sex, I think they’ll be just fine.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Heath Ledger: 1979 – 2008
01/24/08 | General, Movies | 6 Comments
As I’m sure you have all heard, actor Heath Ledger was found dead this past Tuesday at the age of 28.
Instead of going through the motions of saying how brilliant of an actor he was (which is true), or saying how shocked I am that he’s really dead (which I am), I’m going to talk a little about why people are reacting so passionately about the whole situation.
There was a comment to a blog post talking about Heath’s death that read something like this:
“I tried to kill myself and nobody noticed. Why does anyone care about him?”
You’d think it was about America’s obsession with celebrity, to think that there was a bump in their picture perfect lives. But you know what? I don’t agree at all.
I could really care less about what they write about in gossip magazines/websites. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read about it, but I don’t take it to heart where that person’s work is involved. Tom Cruise is a brilliant actor, and Britney Spears is an amazing entertainer (yes, don’t lie… you, too, sing along to her in your car).
When you think about it, we spend a lot of time with our favorite artists—be them actors, musicians or writers—and invest so much of our emotions in them, that sometimes we feel that we know them on a personal level. No, you’re not the only one; it happens to all of us. When something like this happens, this kind of tragic death, we can’t help but feel personally connected to the person, and so we feel like we’ve lost someone close to us.
One of my friends was really happy to find out that The Dark Knight was still going to come out, but immediately felt guilty for thinking that in the wake of Heath’s death. I have to admit that that was one of my first thoughts as well.
But I don’t feel sorry for thinking it.
I actually think it’s a tribute to his memory and his legacy as an actor for us to have those kinds of thoughts. Keep thinking them. Is it so wrong that we want just that last little piece of our favorite artists?
Think of the singer Selena, comedian Mitch Hedberg, and actress Marilyn Monroe… wouldn’t you have liked just one more song, one more joke, or one more movie? As much as we would like these people to live forever, that’s just a wild dream… everyone dies, but we always hope it’s when they’re old and have had full use of their careers and their lives. Yet, when someone dies even before their prime, that’s when it hurts the most.
So, yes, people are upset that Heath Ledger died, and they have every right to be. It really is a tragic loss, and we’d be equally as emotional were it any of our other favorite artists.
I know I said I wouldn’t talk about how amazing an actor Heath was, but I really am truly saddened by his death. He hadn’t even scratched the surface of his potential, and Hollywood has been struck a serious blow to their talent pool… It’s rare that you find someone with genuine talent without all of the modern day superficiality attached to them.
My well wishes go out to his family, especially Michelle Williams and their 2-year-old daughter Matilda, who will never get to know her father.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Kindle: Read It, Or Set It On Fire?
01/18/08 | Books, General | 4 Comments
I’m a pretty technologically appreciative person; I couldn’t live without my laptop, my BlackBerry, or my iPod, not to mention my new digital camera, and all of the cool new entertainment products out there (flat panel HDTVs, Blu-Ray players and DVDs, and new 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, none of which I have but hope to at some point soon). I have been buying music online ever since I got an iPod three years ago, when iTunes was just starting to get big, and I have also purchased just shy of 70 TV shows and 4 movies online (haven’t gotten into movie downloads too much yet… I still prefer DVDs).
But, taking all of that into consideration, there is one thing that I have yet to purchase. Something that has been around for a while, but has been making a little bigger splash now that technology is catching up to the concept: eBooks.
Up to this point, you would have to download a PDF of the book to read on your computer, or some sort of PDA version (which, I would think, would be a real pain in the patookus to read). Reading a book on your computer is the equivalent of watching TEN movies on your computer in a row (considering a good sized book is about 20 hours on an audiobook, and an average movie is about 2 hours). I have never wanted to be restricted to my computer for that length of time. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons why I haven’t downloaded more movies on my computer. Two hours is long enough to lie in bed, or sit at a table to watch a movie, so I could never imagine sitting there for the inexorable amount of time it would take to read a novel. I even have a tendency to print out longer websites, because I prefer paper to screen.
But, like I said, technology has caught up with the concept of the eBook. Not only has Sony come out with their E-reader, but Amazon.com has recently released the Kindle, a wireless version of the E-reader (meaning, you can connect to WiFi and download new eBooks without connecting to your computer).
I have to admit that the second I first saw the E-reader… I HATED it! I hated the very idea of that little device of the devil. Who would ever want to replace a book, something that has been around for millennia, with a black and white screen? You could never replicate the feel of a book in your hands, nor the smell of a fresh book from the store—or an old one off your bookshelf, for that matter!—not unless they put a little scent emitter into the machines (which I wouldn’t put past them). And they just look so damn good lining my walls. If you know me, you know that I live in the smallest apartment known to man, yet half of my wall-space is devoted to shelf-space. In fact, I have recently run out of room, and have an ever increasing stack of books piling up on my desk! And, as a writer, the thought of an eBook, or Kindle for that matter, appalls me.
Yet, Uncle Stevie (Stephen King, people, keep up with me!) recently reviewed the Kindle in his monthly Entertainment Weekly column. Shockingly, he likes it. He argues that “the story means more than the delivery systems involved.” He’s also referencing audiobooks in that statement (which I don’t have a problem with, because stories were spoken even before they were being written down).
I’d honestly like to see one of these machines in action, to see if they really live up to the hype. Is it at least easier to read than I think it is? How does it feel in my hand? Would I instinctively want to chuck it across the room?
But, I think I can safely say that they will never replace books (certainly not with me), at least not in my lifetime. It saddens me to think that physical books may one day be obsolete, but they will always hold a special place in my heart, and they will always add some color to my white walls. And, who knows, if all my worldly dreams come true, I may very well get the Beauty and the Beast library I’ve wanted since I was a kid.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
The Connors Are Back!
01/16/08 | Awesome, TV Shows | 2 Comments
So, did anyone see the premiere of the new Terminator series on Sunday and Monday?
I did!
WATCHED
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Guys, wow. It was truly amazing. From the opening sequence, which shows headlights traveling along a road at night (which was the last scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day), I was completely hooked. It transitioned into an apocalyptic dream sequence, which was absolutely perfect, and drew you right into the storyline.
I have to admit, though, it took a little bit for me to get used to the new Sarah and John Connor. I mean, how could you ever get better than Linda Hamilton and Eddie Furlong? You can’t, but obviously they couldn’t do it (Eddie Furlong is in his 30s now, and even though I know people play below their actual age all the time, that would have been a bit ridiculous). But after a few minutes, once the action starts, you forget all about it and just go with it. Seriously, it’s that good.
And, with 34 million viewers in two days, we know we’ve got a hit on our hands!
The story starts off about two-three years after T2 leaves off, when John is 15. They’re in hiding, with Terminators and government agencies searching for them. The government actually thinks that Sarah killed Miles Dyson, the original creator of Skynet, who died in the second movie (because the police shot him, by the way). When they move to a new town, all hell breaks loose.
Along as the “good” Terminator is Cameron (named after James Cameron, the creator of the Terminator storyline), played by Summer Glau. I’ve liked her ever since seeing her in Joss Weadon’s Firefly series, and subsequent Serenity movie. She makes the perfect robot. She may look tiny, but she packs a serious punch, and can take one hell of a beating. The new “bad” Terminator is no Arnold, but still menacing.
At the end of the first episode, Sarah, John and Cameron transport themselves from the 90s to 2007, two years after Sarah is supposed to die of cancer (which we found out in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). And, you know what that means! You can’t time travel with anything, including clothes… booty shots!
My only slight complaint is John Connor, but I can understand what they were trying to do. He’s such a little smartass in T2, and I loved that about him. He cursed, he talked back, he had an attitude, you know? But this John is a little too passive and nice. I know that the John in T3 is nice and honorable and all that, so they’re trying to show the transition from smartass to hero, but I kind of miss all of the one-liners and talk-backs. I’m sure I’ll get over it, though.
If you haven’t seen the first two episodes, definitely check them out before the next episode, which airs Monday, January 21st, at 9PM on Fox.
I don’t know if it’s true of not, but my parents told me I was named after the character Kyle Reese in the first Terminator movie. That movie came out in 1984, and I was born in ’85, so I go with it. That may be why I’m so in love with the series… it’s been engrained in me since birth. T2 is one of my favorite movies of all time (probably number two or three, definitely in the Top 5).
Now, a new trilogy is in the works. Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is slated for release in June 2009, with Christian Bale taking up the role of John Connor after the apocalypse. I am so psyched that this franchise is going to continue for a good long time.
I am making a prediction and a statement to you all, here and now: I WILL write the screenplay for T5 or T6, one way or another. Katie Holmes said she would marry Tom Cruise when she was younger, and look how that turned out for her. This will happen, and it will be one of the highlights of my life. Remember this day.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
You Talkin’ To Me?!
01/14/08 | Awesome, General | 2 Comments
I’m really excited to announce that the comments have been enabled for all of my Journal entries! Finally, you can tell me what you think about the topics I post...! And I would LOVE to hear what you have to say about them…
All you have to do is click on the title, or the word “Comments” in the post heading, scroll down to the bottom and fill out the form! For those of you who read my posts through an RSS feed, just click on the title of the post and you will be brought to the appropriate page… Simple!
Anyone and everyone is welcome to comment…! According to FeedBurner, my RSS service provider, there are at least 216 people who subscribe to this Journal, so I hope to hear from some of you!!! Use this post to introduce yourselves! And be sure to check back often for updates (I make several a week)!
I am working with my web developer to implement a more convenient way of posting, but how it is now will work for the interim.
Just remember, if you do comment, this is something that agents and editors may see, so be professional (ie. try to stay on topic, no cursing, etc…)!
I hope you are all doing well and that I see some comments from you soon!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Cloverfield “Monster”?
01/10/08 | Idiot Mode, Movies, Making Of | 2 Comments
This picture has been making the internet rounds, and I just HAD to share it with you guys.
It appears to be a production sketch of the monster from the upcoming movie Cloverfield, showing a scale measurement of the “beasts” as compared to the Statue of Liberty and a person.
This is almost as “scary” as the “alien” from Signs.
A mutated humpback whale? Really?
Do you guys find this scary at all? I mean, if it were real, yeah, but as a movie monster?
I think that the parasites (also shown) are way scarier than the whale.
Tell me what you think!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
There Are Times I Can’t Breathe…
01/8/08 | Music, Samples | 2 Comments
I’ve been doing something lately that I haven’t done in a long time… buying random CDs because they just look good. This is something I used to do when I was younger, when I didn’t have rent and credit card payments to worry about. But, thanks to a few generous people over Christmas, I got a nice chunk of change in iTunes gift cards, which has allowed me to experiment and have a little fun. In the past, I have discovered some of my favorite artists in this fashion… and, I have to say, it happened again.
LISTENED
Various Artists – Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan
This album is the work of composer and lyricist Scott Alan. Listening to a 30 second sample of one song on iTunes was enough to get me to buy the entire album. It’s put together sort of like a musical, with each song telling its own amazing story… which fits, because Scott grew up with musicals. He’s even written two critically acclaimed musicals himself: Detour and Piece. Dreaming Wide Awake is a sampling of his music through the years, sung by some of Broadway’s best musical talent, including Baby‘s Liz Callaway, The Pirate Queen‘s Stephanie J. Block, Wicked‘s Shoshana Bean, Brooklyn‘s Eden Espinosa, Xanadu‘s Cheyenne Jackson and many more.
This really is an amazing album. I clicked on the first song, I am a Star, sung by Eden Espinosa, and I was immediately hooked.
My favorite song on the album is Now, sung by Jonathan Groff. It’s a really haunting piece about a man who loses the love of his life, and the pain he’s feeling is almost unbearable. I’ve listened to it about 110 times… and I bought the album about a week ago. Here is a sample of that song:
At only 29, Scott has accomplished something incredible. He’s young, and hopefully he’s going to have a very, very long career. Check out samples of the rest of the songs off his debut album, Dreaming Wide Awake:
I’m a Star - Sung by Eden Espinosa
Surrender - Sung by Cheyenne Jackson
Magic - Sung by Adriane Lenox
Let Love Begin - Sung by Tracie Thoms
Home - Sung by Shoshana Bean
Never Neverland (Fly Away) - Sung by Stephanie J. Block
At Seventeen - Sung by Carly Jibson and Jackie Hoffman
If I Own Today - Sung by Shayna Steele featuring Michael McElroy and Capathia Jenkins with guest Pianist Dave Cook
Kiss the Air - Sung by Danny Calvert
Say Goodbye - Sung by Katie Thompson
The Journey - Sung by Josh Strickland and Jill Zadeh
Goodnight - Sung by Liz Callaway
There are two easy ways to purchase the album: iTunes and CD Baby.
Check it out… you won’t regret it!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Amazing Shot
01/7/08 | Awesome, Movies, Clips, Making Of | 1 Comments
It’s probably the worst kept secret these days that I am in love with the movie Atonement.
In the movie, there is one of the most amazing tracking shots I have every seen; a five minute long shot through complete and utter chaos… there are soldiers marching, singing, fighting, shooting horses (obviously, they didn’t really shot them… but it looks incredibly realistic!), and pretty much just going stir crazy all over the place. It’s a right miracle that they were able to pull it off in one go.
I am posting two clips below. The first is the actual scene from the movie. I honestly don’t know how long this clip will be up for, so you should check it out while you have the chance. The second clip is a little piece on how they created the shot.
(The behind-the-scenes Dunkirk footage runs the first five minutes of this video.)
Again, I can’t stress how amazing a movie this is. It is being released in more theatres every day, so check your local theatre for show times.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Did I Really Just…
01/6/08 | General, Genius Mode, My Writings | 0 Comments
…apply to Grad School? Yes. Yes I did.
As of midnight on Saturday, January 5th, 2008, I am officially an applicant for the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing at Emerson College here in Boston.
Whew.
Aaahhh!!!
Okay, now that I got that out… I can say that I’m really excited. It has been really difficult finishing my degree in Business Administration, knowing that my life if going to be devoted to writing. If I get in, I’ll be around people like me for a change. You have no idea how utterly boring it is to be in a room full of people who have nothing but business on the brain. It’s a miracle I’ve been able to last as long as I have. Seriously, I’m going to need some serious detox come May.
So, because I had to go through the process of writing it, I’m going to include my admissions essay in this post. Also, if you’d like to read my writing sample, click here.
Enjoy!
The essay question asks us to talk about our short- and long-term goals. Well, you can’t really talk about the future without first mentioning the past.
You’re going to receive a lot of letters from applicants who loudly proclaim that their destiny as a writer began when they were seven years old; they can’t remember a time when they didn’t have a pen in their hand and a story on the page. For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. What’s more, there was actually a time when I gave up reading for pleasure altogether. It’s a thought that sends shudders through my body now, but it happened nonetheless.
In fact, I always thought I was destined for a life as a high-powered executive. I started working odd jobs under the table by the age of ten and opened my first business three years later. In high school, I was vice-president of our local chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America, Bill Gates was my idol, and I was a huge fan of The Donald. And there was no hesitation when I filled out my application for an undergraduate degree in Business Administration. All of this aided in my eventual plan of becoming a millionaire by the time I was twenty-five.
Yet the more I imagined my life, the more those dreams of boardroom domination started to depict me scribbling away in my steno notepad instead of listening to the latest income statement reports. Characters and plot started to invade my consciousness during classes, making it even more difficult to focus on learning about product cannibalization and sales forecasting. My blue ballpoint pen slowly evolved into a feather quill and inkwell, and, with only a few short months until I graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in business, I can think of nothing but finishing my book.
The change actually started to take root when I was in eighth grade. My English teacher had us keep a little journal with even littler stories in it. Those tiny paragraph- and page-sized stories grew to be several pages long, to ten thousand word novelettes, and eventually to a 100,000 word novel, of which I am currently writing the second draft.
My vision of future life now consists entirely of writing. I have become one of those above mentioned applicants, and I can’t imagine a future without a pen in my hand and a story on the page.
At the moment, the most important thing is to finish my novel. After attending the 2007 Maui Writers Conference and Retreat, I have an even greater understanding of where the story needs to go, and it has even garnered the attention of an agent. The first inklings of the novel actually began when I was fifteen and, several hundred thousand words later, it has evolved into its current form.
Once the novel is completed—which, God willing, will be in the next couple months—I plan on starting work on a screenplay. Movies have always been a big part of my life. Even when books momentarily fell off the radar, my love of film never faltered. It is another dream of mine to be able to write major motion pictures, to be a part of the movie making process, and eventually see my work on the big screen.
Even though I have never had any formal training in writing—aside from basic English courses—I have learned my craft through reading other works and the act of writing itself. However, I have reached the crossroads in my life and wish to pursue writing as a career; I feel a more in-depth knowledge of the language and the craft is necessary. I love everything to do with the written word, and everything so far has been based on instinct. Though my instinct has served me well thus far, writing is an ever evolving craft, and I would never be so naïve to say I have nothing left to learn. This is why I’m pursuing an education in one of the greatest Creative Writing programs in the country.
Not only will I gain from an Emerson education, but there is a lot I can contribute in return. For the last three years, I have been a member of a student writers group here at Northeastern University, and have been on the executive board the last two. Through this group, and through my experiences at the Maui Writers Retreat, I have learned to work closely with other writers and have mastered the form of constructive criticism. I am fully prepared to help my fellow students in any way I can, as I try to do in all aspects of my life.
I am also very open to trying new things. New mediums and experimental genres excite me to no end, and I have even dabbled in a few of them already. Flash fiction, column writing, screenplays, novels, novellas, memoirs, stage plays, and short stories; to all these I bring my enthusiasm and my willingness to experiment and learn. Writing has become my life—it is my life, will always be my life—and it would be forever enhanced with an Emerson education.
Thank you for considering my application for admission.
Wish me luck…! I’ll let everyone know the outcome as soon as I do!!!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Good, You Got It!
01/3/08 | Movies, Clips, Trailers | 0 Comments
So, this weekend I…
WATCHED
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I was intrigued when I first learned that they were making this movie. Ever since Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl came out a few years ago, I have liked most of the roles that Johnny Depp has taken on… Willy Wonka, J.M. Barrie, Jack Sparrow, and now Sweeney Todd. So, I knew I had to see it when it came out. And I wasn’t disappointed, at ALL.
I have only recently gotten into musicals, and have enjoyed the likes of Rent and Hairspray, and Sweeney Todd was well up to par. It has such a singable soundtrack, and the cinematography and acting were definitely grade A all around. I’ve also come to appreciate the brilliance that is Helena Bonham Carter since her role as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix earlier this year. (Other Potter alum who make an appearance in Todd include Alan Rickman, who plays Severus Snape, and Timothy Spall, who plays Wormtail.) Newcomer Ed Sanders as Toby is delectably adorable, with one of the cutest little kid British accents ever!
There is almost no way I can do any justice to this movie with a simple review; just know that it was amazing and you should see it. Make sure you see it while it’s in theatres, though, because it’s really a sight to see. You need to experience it twenty feet high with theatre surround sound. Stephen Sondheim’s score and lyrics are some of the juiciest I’ve heard in a long time, as well as some of the funniest. I’m including the lyrics to my favorite song on the soundtrack, A Little Priest, below.
Enjoy!
A Little Priest
Mrs. Lovett
That’s all very well, but what are we going to do about him?
Todd
Later on, when it’s dark, we’ll take him to some secret place and bury him.
Mrs. Lovett
Oh yeah, of course we could do that. I don’t suppose he’s got any relatives going to come poking around looking for him.
Seems a downright shame…
Todd
Shame?
Mrs. Lovett
Seems an awful waste…
Such a nice plump frame
Wot’s-his-name
Has…
Had…
Has…
Nor it can’t be traced.
Business needs a lift,
Debts to be erased,
Think of it as thrift,
As a gift …
If you get my drift …
Seems an awful waste.
I mean,
With the price of meat what it is,
When you get it,
If you get it—
Todd
Ah!
Mrs. Lovett
Good, you got it.
Take, for instance,
Mrs. Mooney and her pie shop.
Business never better, using only
Pussy cats and toast.
Now a pussy’s good for maybe six or
Seven at the most.
And I’m sure they can’t compare,
As far as taste—
Todd
Mrs. Lovett,
What a charming notion,
Eminently practical and yet
Appropriate, as always.
Mrs. Lovett
How I did without you
All these years I’ll never know!
How delectable!
Also undetectable.
How choice!
How rare!
Mrs. Lovett
Think about it.
Lots of other gentlemen’ll
Soon be coming for a shave,
Won’t they?
Think of
All them
Pies!
Todd
For what’s the sound of the world out there?
Mrs. Lovett
What, Mr. Todd,
What, Mr. Todd,
What is that sound?
Todd
Those crunching noises pervading the air?
Mrs. Lovett
Yes, Mr. Todd,
Yes, Mr. Todd,
Yes, all around—
Todd
It’s man devouring man, my dear,
Both
And who are we
To deny it in here?
Todd
These are desperate times, Mrs. Lovett,
and desperate measures are called for.
Mrs. Lovett
Here we are, hot out of the oven.
Todd
What is that?
Mrs. Lovett
It’s priest.
Have a little priest.
Todd
Is it really good?
Mrs. Lovett
Sir, it’s too good,
At least.
Then again, they don’t commit sins of the flesh,
So it’s pretty fresh.
Todd
Awful lot of fat.
Mrs. Lovett
Only where it sat.
Todd
Haven’t you got poet
Or something like that?
Mrs. Lovett
No, you see the trouble with poet
Is, how do you know it’s
Deceased?
Try the priest.
Lawyer’s rather nice.
Todd
If it’s for a price.
Mrs. Lovett
Order something else, though, to follow,
Since no one should swallow
It twice.
Todd
Anything that’s lean.
Mrs. Lovett
Well, then, if you’re British and loyal,
You might enjoy Royal
Marine.
Anyway, it’s clean.
Though, of course, it tastes of wherever it’s been.
Todd
Is that squire
On the fire?
Mrs. Lovett
Mercy no, sir,
Look closer,
You’ll notice it’s grocer.
Todd
Looks thicker.
More like vicar.
Mrs. Lovett
No, it has to be grocer—it’s green.
Todd
The history of the world, my love—
Mrs. Lovett
Save a lot of graves,
Do a lot of relatives favors…
Todd
—Is those below serving those up above.
Mrs. Lovett
Everybody shaves,
So there should be plenty of flavors…
Todd
How gratifying for once to know—
Both
—that those above will serve those down below!
Todd
What is that?
Mrs. Lovett
It’s fop.
Finest in the shop.
Or we have some shepherd’s pie peppered
With actual shepherd
On top.
And I’ve just begun.
Here’s a politician—so oily
It’s served with a doily—
Have one?
Todd
Put it on a bun.
Well, you never know if it’s going to run.
Mrs. Lovett
Try the friar.
Fried, it’s drier.
Todd
No, the clergy is really
Too coarse and too mealy.
Mrs. Lovett
Then actor—
It’s compacter.
Todd
Yes, and always arrives overdone.
I’ll come again when you
Have Judge on the menu.
Have charity toward the world, my pet—
Mrs. Lovett
Yes, yes, I know, my love—
Todd
We’ll take the customers that we can get.
Mrs. Lovett
High-born and low, my love.
Todd
We’ll not discriminate great from small.
No, we’ll serve anyone—
Meaning anyone—
Mrs. Lovett
We’ll serve anyone—
Both
And to anyone
At all!
Here’s the song in the movie… I don’t know how long these will be up for, so definitely take a look at them while you can! Almost all of the song sung by Johnny and Helena...!
Definitely take the time and see the movie. And download the soundtrack while you’re at it… you’ll be singing it for years to come. Already five days later and I can’t get it out of my head (not that I really mind)…!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Come With Me If You Want To Live!
01/3/08 | Awesome, TV Shows | 0 Comments
How awesome is this?
There is a TWO NIGHT premiere on Sunday, January 13th and Monday, January 14th on Fox!
I’m soo there.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
2008: Year Of The Book
12/27/07 | Awesome, Genius Mode, My Writings | 0 Comments
I have declared 2008 to be the Year of the Book…!
(Feel free to post this on your own site! Just click on the picture for links.)
This is the year I will finally finish my book. I will finish it, get an agent, and sell it to a major publisher. I also want to start my second book, which has been percolating in my mind for years.
This is not a New Year’s resolution, because those are useless and never work. Think of it as if I’m from the future, coming back to write this post for things that I have already done (because I will).
May all of my Ohana have a similarly successful year. The same goes for all of my favorite writers as well. Remember, this has already happened, so I’m just reporting the truth! (I swear I’m not crazy...!)
2008, I’m coming. Watch out!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Happy Christmas!
12/25/07 | General | 0 Comments
I just wanted to take a moment out of the hectic Christmas season to wish you all a Happy Holiday and a Healthy New Year! May 2008 be the year of the novel (okay, I’m making that wish more for myself than for you--unless you, too, are writing a book… then by all means, wish away)...!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Ain’t It Excitin’?
12/20/07 | Awesome, Books, Genius Mode, Movies, Trailers | 0 Comments
This post is all about some BIG NEWS… Some really amazing things that I thought I should share with you all… Of course, none of it is about me, but all of it excites me to no end!
The first thing is about my friend Dawn, who I have mentioned in the past. She recently finished her first book and sent it off to an agent who expressed interest in it back at the Maui Writers Conference… Well, she just got an email from said agent that was very encouraging! I’m not going to go into it until Dawn gets some definite answers, because I don’t want to jinx it… I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you Iusey!
Any Peter Jackson fans out there? Of COURSE there are! For any of you who don’t personally know me, I am a HUGE PJ fan, and have loved all of the movies of his I’ve seen (including the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, Heavenly Creatures, and The Frighteners, and I’m sooo looking forward to The Lovely Bones)… Well, Pete and New Line were having a little tiff… to the tune of about $100 million! That’s how much money in royalties NL tried to swindle PJ out of for the Rings trilogy. Because of the success of the trilogy, NL wanted to immediately put into production the film version of The Hobbit, the prequel to the trilogy, though both sides refused to work with each other while the dispute was going on. I don’t blame them… Personally, I don’t see what the problem was. Give him the damn $100M, because you have the potential to make another BILLION dollars if you team up for another movie (that’s the amount each of the first three made on average in box office receipts alone!). Well, they’ve finally settled their dispute, and PJ is back on board for The Hobbit (which, from what I can tell, is going to be TWO movies, shot consecutively and released in 2010 and 2011), but only in a producer role! He’s not going to direct! What the eff?! They’re looking at Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to fill Pete’s shoes… As long as PJ’s there to make sure things stay on track, it should still be good… I hope!
Also, for those of you who enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s vision of Bruce Wayne and Gotham City in Batman Begins, the next installment is coming out next summer! Enjoy the trailer for The Dark Knight below!
It looks even BETTER than Begins! Anyone else notice that Katie Holmes was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal? Katie had scheduling difficulties. Yeah, she decided to film the ridiculous looking Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah. I’m not even going to put the trailer on my site, because it looks sooo bad… But you can view it here if you so choose… Good choice, Katie!
Focus Features has become one of my new favorite movie studios, after their release of the brilliant Atonement. Here are two new movies coming out by the studio that look really hilarious!
In Bruges (January 17, 2008) - This trailer actually has cursing in it, so you probably shouldn’t watch it at work...!
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (March 7 2008)
Until Next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Come Back To Me
12/13/07 | Movies, Trailers, My Writings | 0 Comments
Well, I’m back in Pennsylvania for about three-ish weeks… Meaning, I should have that amount of time to work on my novel. Considering I don’t have a car, and everyone else works, I guess I’m going to have a lot of time in front of my computer screen. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Besides that, I’m excited to report that I have been seeing movies at a rate of about two a week (which is just fine with me!). What does that mean to you? Reviews!
WATCHED
It’s one of the perks of living in a major city, being able to see movies in limited release. Atonement was actually playing in this little theater in the middle of Cambridge, one that I would have never found had I not gone with someone who knew the way.
If you’re a writer, you’ll understand what I’m about to say. Have you ever walked out of a movie and just been filled with an overwhelming will to write? This was one of those movies. It was simply stunning, a truly amazing movie. The movie is about two hours long, but I wish it would have been three more. The images were stunning, the story so engaging, that I didn’t want it to end. My friend summed it up nicely by saying (the first words out of his mouth as the credits started to roll), “That movie is going to win so many awards.” I really hope it does; it so deserves it.
Based on the novel by bestselling author Ian McEwan, the story starts as 13-year-old Briony Tallis, a fledgling writer herself (with quite the imagination), witnesses certain things that she doesn’t quite understand but thinks she does. Through a series of extremely unfortunate circumstances, she ends up accusing Robbie (James McAvoy), her sister Cecilia’s (Kiera Knightly) lover, of raping her cousin. This results in him going to jail, and ultimately ending up in the army. Briony grows up to realize her mistake, and makes amends in the only way she can…
Breathtaking movie that had my heart pounding right until the very end…! And this movie has one of the best twists I have seen in many years; totally unexpected. A must-see once it opens in wide release… and keep a look out for it during Oscar season! I’m definitely going to have to read the book now!
Plus, I have just found out (a day after I initially wrote this post, by the way… notice the prediction of future awards above?), the movie has been nominated for an astounding SEVEN Golden Globe awards, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Actress (Kiera Knightly), Best Actor (James McAvoy), Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan, who plays the 13yo Briony), Best Director (Joe Wright), Best Screenplay (Christopher Hampton), and Best Original Score (Dario Marianelli)! Congratulations and good luck! (Click here to see the rest of the nominations…)
Please, if you haven’t seen it already, watch the trailer for the movie…
Philip Pullman wrote an amazing trilogy of books called His Dark Materials, set in another dimension of our world, where everyone has a daemon (a corporeal part of their soul in the shape of an animal). I read these books a number of years ago, and have been waiting for the movies to be made. Well, after a number of production issues, they finally did it.
The movie is visually stunning, newcomer Dakota Blue Richards is the perfect Lyra (seriously, exactly how I pictured her), and they were incredibly faithful to the book. If there was one problem I had with the movie, it’s that they cut the last 40 pages of the book out of the movie. And, from the trailers, I know that they actually filmed and finished the shots, yet director Chris Weitz decided to cut them from the movie to end it on a happier, more optimistic note. Yeah, well, it kind of ruined it for anyone who read the book, because we were all expecting about thirty more minutes of action. Plus, if you’ve read the book, you know it ends with the perfect cliffhanger, one that would have driven audiences to see the second movie. What annoys me most, I think, is that (if they even make the second movie, which is up in the air right now) they’re going to have to spend the first 20 or so minutes of the next movie going through what was supposed to be at the end of Compass, which means less time to dedicate to an even more complicated plot of The Subtle Knife. I hope Chris knows what he’s doing.
For anyone who follows it, you know The Golden Compass was #1 at the boxoffice this past weekend, but made a very modest $25 million. (Atonement, by contrast, made an astounding $800,459 in just 32 theaters, an average of over $25,000 per theater!) Hopefully they’ll still make the second movie if this one doesn’t perform as expected (which I honestly don’t think it will).
I was never a huge fan of Steve Carell (I actually don’t like The Office), but have become intrigued with him recently after seeing Little Miss Sunshine (which was a really fantastic movie on its own). He’s actually a really great actor when he isn’t overacting! This movie is about a single dad, trying his hardest to raise three girls on his own and manage his career as the local “Dear Abby”-esque advice columnist. They go to his family’s house for the holidays, where he meets and spends the day with a woman he meets at a bookstore. It’s the first woman he’s been interested in since his wife died, but she turns out to be his brother’s girlfriend. Uh-oh! Well, it makes for some really hilarious moments. I think it’s on its way out of theaters, so definitely put it on your list of movies to rent when it comes out on DVD.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Ink Of My Heart
12/9/07 | Awesome, Movies, Trailers | 0 Comments
I know this is the third trailer I’m posting in a week, but these are all movies that I have been waiting a long time for and am very excited about.
Now, here’s the trailer for Inkheart...!
You should check out the book by Cornelia Funke… here!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Open Letter To Nick Counter
12/7/07 | Business, The Industry | 0 Comments
TO: Nick Counter, chief negotiator for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
FROM: Kyle Kerr, concerned citizen and future WGA member
SUBJECT: The AMPTP should agree to the Writers Guild of America’s contract terms
For the past four weeks, over 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike because their contracts expired. You have been in negotiations with the WGA since July of this year, yet no agreement on new contract terms has been made.
As you know, the writers are seeking two things: higher residuals for DVD sales and payment for movies and TV shows sold and aired over the internet. The WGA is seeking to double residuals for DVD sales from $0.04 to $0.08 per DVD, which have an average retail price of $19.99-34.99. Writers are also not currently compensated for sales and revenue generated from New Media (which refers to newer ways of displaying video, such as the internet, cell phones and mobile devices like iPods).
In 2007, consumers are expected to spend about $16.4 billion on DVDs, and studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows online. In such a volatile industry, where there is often no job security and where writers can go through months of unemployment between projects, residuals are an extremely important part of their income. There is no other cushion for them.
By agreeing to the WGA contract terms quickly and amicably, you will be able to 1) avoid a potential industry loss in the billions, and 2) retain a strong public image.
1. Reduce the chances of a potential billion dollar industry loss
The last writers strike lasted for months, and cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars in only that short amount of time. Think of what a similar loss would equate to in today’s economy. It will not be millions, or even hundreds of millions of dollars; it will be in the billions, especially if the strike were to last longer than its predecessor. The majority of losses will be in the form of advertising dollars companies will no longer want to spend on shows that have entered into reruns, though, in the future, box office receipts and DVD sales will be affected as well.
1.1 Learn from the past
The last WGA strike was in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks (just over five months), resulting in a staggering $500 million loss for the entertainment industry. Considering inflation, a similar strike in 2007 could result in over $1 billion in economic losses, according to Los Angeles economist Jack Kyser. These losses would be the result of television shows being forced into reruns, which, for many networks, will happen in early 2008 (power hitters such as ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and NBC’s Heroes have already aired all possible episodes without the return or their writers). Talk-shows such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart, which rely heavily on current news events, were affected immediately and have already gone into reruns.
As viewership begins to decline due to the use of reruns, companies will be less and less willing to spend any significant portion of their advertising dollars on these shows, which is where the majority of the industry losses will stem from. If an agreement is not reached within the next few months, TV shows will not complete their current seasons and pilots for the 2008 fall season will not be shot, resulting in a complete lack in new programming for the entire 2008 year—save for reality television shows, which have a strong hit-or-miss relationship with fickle viewers.
1.2 What you are missing
The first paragraph of the official 2007 strike rules, a document you are surely familiar with, states that all WGA members…
…must immediately stop writing for any and all struck companies. [Members] may not continue to write or complete writing started before the strike for a struck company. [Members] may not start writing on a new project during a strike. [Members] may not perform writing services even if [s/he] work[s] at home or at [his/her] own office rather than at the company’s premises. This Rule also prohibits [members] from attending meetings, or engaging in conversations, as a writer concerning new, pending or future projects or writing assignments with producers, directors or other representatives of any struck company. [Members] may not attend pitch meetings or communicate with a company representative to receive notes on literary material even if [s/he] intend[s] to wait until the strike ends to make any requested changes.
Meaning that, until the matter is resolved, no WGA member is to work—or even make contact with—one of the above mentioned “struck companies” in any way. These companies comprise all of Hollywood’s major studios, including the Big Five: News Corp. (Fox), Universal (NBC), Viacom (Paramount, CBS), Time Warner (WB, New Line Cinema, CW) and Disney (Pixar, ABC). This amounts to an entire industry shutdown in the very near future if negotiations are not successful. Not only will the talk-shows be affected, but regular television programming, and, eventually, major motion pictures.
2. Begin to mend an already broken public image
Everyone is being affected by the continuation of this strike. Without writers, production on all late-night talk-shows and a number of prime-time television shows has been suspended, and their non-WGA member employees along with them. Some have been entirely laid-off, while others were lucky enough to get suspended with a 50% pay cut. This is no longer about writers and producers; not only are the above mentioned staff members being affected, but your viewers as well. The audiences—the very people who provide the ratings from which you are able to charge advertising dollars for—are unhappy and siding with the writers.
2.1 The innocence at stake
Since the talk-shows have gone off the air over a month ago, nearly all of the non-WGA members staffed by production companies and television studios have been laid off (anywhere from 50-80 staff members per show). Because most of the talk-show hosts are also card-carrying WGA members (including Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson), they are not allowed to cross the picket lines, so their shows have not resumed production. Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien are paying these staff members out of their own pockets.
Also suspended (for five weeks with a 50% pay cut) because of the writers strike are the NBC and Sci-Fi Channel regular casts of 30 Rock, The Office, Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica. Sony Pictures TV has suspended regulars of ‘Til Death and Rules of Engagement without pay. Warner Bros. TV has warned that layoffs are in the future if the strike continues.
2.2 Audience patience is beginning to wane
We all remember the ratings slump that welcomed NBC’s Heroes after its six-week extended “spring break” during the show’s first season. The writers strike has been in effect for four weeks to date, with all late-night talk-shows already in reruns and most prime-time television shows not far behind; how long do you think it will take for fans to start losing interest in these shows?
A recent poll, conducted by the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University, states that 63% of Americans are in favor of the striking writers, with only 4% in favor of networks and studios. 33% said that they were unsure. Another poll, carried out by SurveyUSA in Los Angeles, reported that 69% of adults familiar with the strike supported the writers.
There has also been an online petition created in support of the WGA strike. As of December 6, 2007, there have been over 61,350 signatures collected. The petition states: “We, the undersigned, fully support the strike of the Writers Guild of America, and agree with the WGA’s stated goals of obtaining just and fair compensation regarding revenues generated through ‘new media’. Sincerely, The Undersigned.”
Not only are viewers upset about the hoards of industry employees being laid off, but about their loss of programming as well. Besides the above mentioned affected television shows, a number of studios have announced the delay of several major motion pictures. One victim of such delays is the much anticipated prequel to the 2006 blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, staring Tom Hanks and Naomi Watts, and helmed by Da Vinci director Ron Howard. Release of the picture has been pushed from winter 2008 to summer 2009. Also postponed is Columbia Picture’s Edwin A. Salt, a spy thriller featuring Tom Cruise. NBC has also cancelled its planned Heroes spin-off series, Heroes: Origins, which was supposed to air for six episodes starting in April 2008.
I think you can agree that this strike has gone on long enough, and we can only hope that an end is very near in sight. If you agree to the WGA’s terms for fair compensation, then you and the rest of the industry will be able to avoid the catastrophic consequences I have outlined above. Your producers and studios will benefit from an increase in advertising revenue and a higher public image; writers guild members will benefit from a fair and just compensation package; actors, directors and non-union workers will benefit from reinstated production of their programs; and, most importantly, the audience will benefit from an increase in new programming. All you have to do is give a little in order to do a lot of good. Please feel free to get in contact with me at any time for further encouragement.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and I hope that the AMPTP and WGA will be able to find a solution soon.
Sincerely yours,
Kyle W. Kerr
Aslan’s Back!
12/7/07 | Awesome, Movies, Trailers | 0 Comments
Here’s another surprise!
The trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...!!!
Looks amazing! I can’t wait...!!!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Carrie And The Gals
12/6/07 | Awesome, Movies, Trailers | 0 Comments
Surprise!
Here’s the trailer for Sex and the City: The Movie!!!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Favorite Debut Novels
12/5/07 | Awesome, Books | 0 Comments
I would love to say that my favorite debut novels are mine and all of my friends’ who are writers… but, considering you can’t read those (yet), I’ll go with some books that are actually in print. In no particular order…
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This book looked intriguing to me; the cover had a bunch of books on it, so it caught my attention, and I knew from the blurb that it was about writing, and writers and books in some way. But I never bought it. I would walk by it, stop, pick it up, and ultimately put it back down again. Yet, one day, I received it in the mail (I’m part of the Literary Guild book club, and they send you books every month), and decided to keep it. Again, I didn’t read it straight away, but let it sit for a few weeks, always picking it up when it came time to read a new book, and, again, always putting it back down. You see a pattern?
Well, I finally picked it up. And let me tell you something… I couldn’t put it back down for the life of me. There is mention of an enchanted book in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that, once you pick it up, you can never stop reading it. Well, I’m pretty sure this was the book Ron was talking about.
It’s the story of a woman named Margaret, whose father owns a bookshop and deals in antique and rare books. She has always associated with this life, and probably gets along better with the fictional characters in her books than people in real life. She gets a letter from a very famous old writer named Vida Winter (someone on the level of, I don’t know, a mixture of Nora Roberts and JK Rowling… in level of fame and skill, not storylines), who wants Margaret to write her biography. The story of this woman’s life, I have to admit, is kind of like following Alice down the rabbit hole. With every new thing Vida tells her, the story gets weirder and crazier, but, at the same time, so very interesting. A truly amazing first novel; her second one can’t come out soon enough.
Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Okay, this book has been out since July of 1995, but it was still Terry’s debut novel. This is the first book in his Sword of Truth series, which just ended with its 11th book, Confessor (which debuted at #2 on the NYT bestseller list!), last month. As you can tell by the title, this is a fantasy series, which is truly a remarkable feat that Terry got on the NYT bestseller list.
This may come as a shock to some of you, but this is actually my favorite fantasy series of all time, NOT Harry Potter. (I’m just much, MUCH more obsessed with HP… there’s a difference!)
I have to admit that I bought WFR on a whim because I saw a special $2.99 paperback version of the book, and figured it couldn’t hurt.
Richard is a simple woods guide, when he stumbles upon a woman in the woods who is being chased by four men. He helps her get away, and ends up aiding in killing the four men (who ambush them, so it was self-defense). Kahlan (pronounces Kay-lin), is in search of the First Wizard from her own land, which is blocked off from Richard’s by a magic boundary (not going to get into how she got through). Then they go on a perilous journey back through the boundary, almost get killed a million times, and drama, drama, drama. Richard, Kahlan, and everyone he comes into contact with are all destined for great things, and are powerful and wonderful (in their own ways, good and bad) beyond reason. SO good, you guys.
Terry’s books are anywhere from 650-1000 pages each, and they are ALL page-turners. If you are a fantasy fan, or if you are just a fan of unbelievable fiction and superb writing, you should check out this book—and the rest of the series as well!
This book got a lot of attention when it came out a few years ago. Like The Thirteenth Tale, I would walk past it in the bookstores and never buy it. That is, until I went on a book-buying spree one day (which isn’t as unusual as it sounds… these sprees happen quite often).
Lee Fiora realizes that she doesn’t like the public school she’s going to—she doesn’t fit in—and decides that she is a much better fit at a prep school in Massachusetts (—on a side note, it has taken me 3 years to be able to spell MA in one shot… go me—). She comes from a lower, middle class family, and is only able to attend the school because she is granted a scholarship, in a place where “money was everywhere on campus, but it was usually invisible.”
Many people want to liken this novel to The Catcher in the Rye, and I can see why they would want to; Lee is an outcast and doesn’t seem to understand the basic norms of socialization (she never hires a prostitute just to talk, but does other, equally as awkward things). After reading the memoir Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison, it almost seems like Lee has Asperger’s Syndrome, which would make absolute sense.
Diane is able to get teen angst down to a science, and this was a very enjoyable read.
Has anyone not heard of this boy’s story? Well, in case you haven’t, here it is: He was home schooled and ended up graduating from high school at 15. Then, having nothing to do, he decided to see if he could write a book. (What 15-year-old wouldn’t come to the same decision faced with free-time?) So, he plotted out the storyline to what would eventually become the Inheritance Cycle (four books), the first of which was Eragon. It was first self-published for Christopher by his parents, and they went on a marketing frenzy. Eventually, it garnered the attention of Random House, who purchased the series for their Knopf imprint. The rest is kinda history.
This book, honestly, isn’t the most well written in the world, but the ideas and storyline are first class all the way. Eragon is a poor farm boy who stumbles upon, what he thinks is a precious stone, but actually turns out to be a dragon egg. It is one of only three left in the world, all others having been exterminated by the evil king. The egg hatches for him, and Eragon becomes the first Dragon Rider in a century. Now, he is being hunted by the king and his minions, and must flee to the Varden, a group of rebels fighting to overthrow the king and free the land of Alagaesia.
This was one of those books that leaves you speechless. And, for all those who have seen the god-awful movie version, it is no comparison to the book (which is better a thousand times over).
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Sounds kind of boring, doesn’t it? It’s about a historian? Well, sort of. This story is actually about vampires, and one very famous one at that (Dracula… what other famous vampires are there?).
Most of the story follows Paul, a young historian, who gets tangled in the mysterious past of one of his professors. We find out his story as he reveals it to his daughter, who has always been interested in his stories from the past and about her mother, who Paul met on this adventure to find Dracula and his missing professor. The story is also a romp through an ancient Europe, as the story goes far back in time to when Dracula was born.
I actually had the immense pleasure of meeting Elizabeth. It turns out that she worked on this book for about ten years (which makes me feel slightly better about my current six years), since she had to do so much research for the book. Plus, she’s anal, just like me. This book was amazing, and not what you would think upon hearing about it. Just like all of my blurbs in this post (and any other post where I talk about books or movies), my description does not do it justice. Just read it and see for yourself.
Duchess of Nothing by Heather McGowan
So, it’s poll time… who’s heard of this book? In all likeliness, probably none of you. I saw this book one day while perusing Barnes & Noble, and I’m usually wont to do. And there it was, just sitting there, staring at me. It was actually the cover that caught my attention, because I thought it was a really cute picture (the paperback cover is really ugly, though, by the way). So, I bought it, and didn’t regret it. This book is existentialism at its finest, and contains a lot of very dark humor.
The unnamed narrator lives with her boyfriend, Edmund, and Edmund’s 7-year-old younger brother in Rome. The narrator is never named (hence me saying “unnamed narrator”), and Edmund’s younger brother is lovingly referred to as “Edmund’s brother” throughout the text. After the first few chapters, Edmund leaves the two of them, and she is forced to look after the boy. She insists on giving Edmund’s brother an education (of sorts), and brings him around the city teaching him about life (while he looks longingly at a group of school children on a field trip to the zoo). At times she is very juvenile, and 7-year-old Edmund’s brother acts the adult in the relationship.
Through the course of the novel, you find out about the narrator’s past, and exactly how she became the way she is. The story is told from the narrator’s point of view, in a very stream-of-consciousness sort of way (with no differentiation between inner monologue, narration, and speech, which is all combined in large paragraphs). However, as chaotic as it sounds, none of these techniques diminish the book in any way, but only serve to strengthen it. Really great book and, at only 224 pages, a really fast read. And believe me, once you start reading, the narrator’s voice will suck you in so fast you won’t believe you’re reading anything, but having the thoughts yourself.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite debut novels. Do me a favor and check some of them out, and let me know how you like them! Each of the novel titles is conveniently linked to their respective pages on Amazon.com, so what are you waiting for?!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Moviepalooza
11/29/07 | Genius Mode, Movies, My Writings | 0 Comments
In the past two weeks, I have seen a LOT of movies. Some were good, some okay, some amazing, some a bore. Yes, I experienced at least one of each.
But before I talk about these movies, I wanted to say two things:
1) My classes end on December 4th, which means that I will have an ENTIRE MONTH to work on my novel! I’m going to bunker down and work my widdle fingers raw, so help me god! It has been driving me absolutely mad not being able to write, to the point where it’s all I can think about lately. Thank god I only have five more days of this crap to deal with!
-AND-
2) My friend Dawn finished her first novel, Absolution…!!! Congratulations Iusey! From what I’ve read and heard about it, it’s going to be amazing… I’ll be first in line (though, of course, I’m really expecting a free, signed copy… I’ll buy one and give it to someone to spread the love!). If any members of our Ohana read this, please send out some positive energy that the book gets picked up by an agent soon!
WATCHED
I am notoriously easy to impress when it comes to movies. As long as I felt mildly entertained during its duration, I feel the movie did its job and am relatively pleased with it. So, my method of rating movies is rather simple. Meaning, I like the majority of movies I see. However, it is rare that I walk out of a movie completely speechless, yet it does happen occasionally (most recently with V for Vendetta). Well, it happened again.
This was, quite literally, quite amazingly, one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life (and in a very long time). It is almost impossible to pinpoint my criteria for favorite movies, because each of them is so different from the others. Some of my favorites are (in no particular order): Michael J. Fox’s The Secret of My Success, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Powder, Finding Neverland, The Bourne Supremacy, Pay It Forward, and Love Actually. A comedy, sci-fi action, drama, comedic drama (I say it like that because there’s way more drama than comedy), action/suspense, family drama, and romantic comedy, respectively. Any relation? No. I’m just crazy. Now, I can add August as one of my Top 10 Favorite Movies.
I know that one of my favorite adjectives is “amazing,” but it’s a really versatile word. This time around, I’m going to use a different word: extraordinary. I have liked Freddie Highmore since I first saw him in Finding Neverland. There’s something about him that most adult actors can’t emulate, a sort of sadness and deep, penetrating gaze. I knew that he was destined for great things, and I wasn’t wrong. Freddie plays a boy who has lived at an orphanage for the first eleven years of his life. He has an intrinsic passion for music, a passion he runs away to New York to pursue in the hopes that it will help him find his parents.
In NYC, the eccentric Wizard (Robin Williams, who was perfectly cast for the role… watch the movie and you’ll see why) gives him shelter and provides the musical knowledge and instruments August needs to broaden his talent.
Lyla Novacek (Kerri Russell) is an acclaimed orchestral cellist, who even headlines the New York Symphony at a young age. One night she meets Louis Connelly (Jon Rhys Meyers), a charming, Irish rock singer. They spend the night together, fall in love, but are kept apart by Kerri’s father (played by Roswell alum, William Sadler).
I wish I could just tell you all about the movie and its amazingness, but that would give away too much and ruin the movie for you (something I HATE… I once overheard a conversation where someone said, “But then you find out that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time!”… NOT cool). So, please, go and see it. And, because of the musical score and how important it is to the plotline, you should really see it in theaters. You won’t regret it one bit.
You know what? This movie was a lot better than it looked. It looked so stupid from the commercials and trailers, but it actually turned out to be really funny (and, of course, adorable). The beginning of the movie is done in the classic Disney animated fashion, but the plot twists when the wicked Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) pushes the unsuspecting and naive Giselle (Amy Adams) down a well, where she ends up in New York City. There, she meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter, Morgan, who take her in (though reluctantly). Prince Edward (James Marsden), the queen’s loyal servant Nathanial (Timothy Spall, who played Wormtail in the third and fourth Harry Potter movies), and Pip the Chipmunk follow, and hilarity ensues. Worth a watch.
I have great respect for George Clooney and Tilda Swinton (the White Witch in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, and Gabriel in Constantine), and this movie got such great reviews that I had some high hopes for it… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Oh, sorry, did I just doze off right there? Right, well, this movie had a really cool premise, and some amazing actors, but… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
This movie has been out for a while, but I watched it for the first time last weekend. It was surprisingly good. Edward Norton plays an illusionist (well, duh), who falls in love with a childhood friend, Sophie (Jessica Biel), but they are kept apart because of their different social classes. They are reunited later in life, when Sophie is betrothed to Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell… why does this guy always play bad guys? I’m starting to hate him as a person). With one of the best plot twists I’ve seen in a long time, drama ensues. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.
There are actually a couple more movies, but I think this post has gone on long enough.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
First Movie Casualty Of Strike
11/20/07 | Business, Movies, The Industry | 0 Comments
The following is an article from IMDb Pro:
“‘Angels’ wings clipped
19 Nov 2007 11:25am EST - By Borys Kit and Leslie Simmons
Sony has postponed production on Columbia Pictures’ Angels and Demons, the latest major film project to be derailed by the writers strike.
Tom Hanks is set to reprise his role as symbologist Robert Langdon in Angels, a prequel to The Da Vinci Code, with Ron Howard again directing. The studio said Friday the screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel, was not ready to go before the cameras.
But Angels isn’t alone. Several other projects are in limbo and might be heading towards postponement, even with the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers returning to the table next week. The shifting schedules are causing some directors to leave projects and others to pick up projects as the labor drama plays out.
Columbia’s Edwin A. Salt, a spy thriller with Tom Cruise attached, has been pushed back due to director Terry George is stepping off the project. Michael Mann wants to pick up the directing reins but only will step in if there’s a rewrite, which can’t be done while the strike is on. Visit HollywoodReporter.com for more ...”
That makes me sad. Settle with the WGA already! They’re not asking for much…!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Full Moon
11/16/07 | Books, My Writings | 0 Comments
I have been talking to a friend of mine who is going to school for psychology. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about how certain people react to abuse, and she’s helping me get a realistic portrayal of young people in the situations I’m putting some of my characters through. It probably sounds horrible to say this, but it’s really a fascinating subject, something I plan to study more in the future.
Writing’s been going slow. For those of you who know the plot of the story, I’m beginning the complete rewrite of Pat’s journal, which is a central plot piece. It needs to be right (which is why I’m talking to my therapist friend). Because classes are over on December 4th, and new classes (my last semester as an undergrad!) won’t begin until the second week of January, I’m literally going to have a month off, which I’m going to dedicate to writing. I missed my personal deadline for finishing the novel by October 31st, so I need to pick up the pace. I know that an agent will wait a little for a novel they requested to read, but I don’t want to keep her waiting much longer. As I said in a previous post, being asked to send the entire manuscript is an amazing request (something all writers want to hear), and I don’t plan on losing the opportunity.
If you noticed, I said that it’s going to be my last semester “as an undergrad”. Well, that’s because I’ve decided to apply for grad school. Yup. And this time I’m going for creative writing! I’m going to apply for the Creative Writing MFA from Emerson College here in Boston, which is one of the best schools for creative writing in the country. There are only 47 spots, and they receive over 250 applications a year, so I’ve got some work ahead of me. Wish me luck!
READ
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
You know what? She was damned if she did, and she was damned if she didn’t. Almost everyone has heard of Alice’s debut novel, the internationally bestselling The Lovely Bones. It has sold millions of copies worldwide, and is currently being filmed by acclaimed director Peter Jackson for a feature release next year. So many people loved this book that any book following it would let people down. If she wrote a book like TLB, everyone would have said that she’s a one-trick-pony. If she didn’t write a book like TLB, everyone would be all Where’s Susie? Well, she opted for the latter, and her new book has gotten some VERY mixed reviews. It currently has a 2.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. People say it’s too depressing. Depressing? Did they even read TLB? Susie is a 14-year-old girl who gets raped and murdered in the first chapter, then looks down from Heaven as her family and friends fall apart. That sounds pretty depressing to me.
Personally, I loved it. It was amazing. Alice is such a brilliant writer and deserves some more respect. This book was about a woman in her 50s who is caring for her elderly mother. The mother is so far gone, that Helen (the main character) ends up suffocating her with a pillow during the first chapter. The remainder of the novel takes place over the next 24 hours, as Helen tries to figure out what to do and reminisces about the past. There is a lot of dark humor in the novel, and Helen is deeply moving.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Okay, so I haven’t read this book yet, but I went to an event of his at Harvard and had the opportunity to attend a personal meet-and-greet with the man himself. This book is about his life’s ambition to build schools in needing countries (such as Pakistan and Afghanistan). He really is an amazing person, and is so passionate about promoting education abroad. The subtitle for the book is “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time”. His reasoning behind this is that educated people are less likely to participate in acts of violence in the name of peace. One reason in particular (something that I didn’t know and find quite intriguing, considering their usual view of women) is that men going on missions actually need the blessing of their mothers, who usually approve because they are not educated enough to make the proper decision. With a proper education (or any education for that matter, considering that they usually don’t have one at all), they would know the true ramifications of their sons’ actions.
Not only is this an amazing man, but he’s apparently written an amazing book. Out of the 424 customer reviews on Amazon.com, 390 of them were 5 stars. Now that’s saying something.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
WGA Strike
11/9/07 | Awesome, Business, Movies, The Industry, TV Shows | 0 Comments
Something has been going on this week that will affect my future (at some point). The Writers Guild of America is on strike. I had to put together some information on this topic for one of my classes, so I’m going to put that here now (so you’ll know the facts):
As of 12:01AM on November 5th, 2007, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for the first time in almost 20 years. Writers had been in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP, which represents studios) since July of the same year, though terms for a new three-year contract were unable to be reached. The WGA ordered all of its 12,000 members to put down their pens and take up their picket signs.
Two of the biggest issues are as follows: higher residuals for DVD and New Media sales. The WGA is seeking to double residuals for DVD sales, which are currently at $0.04 per DVD (average retail price $19.99-34.99). Also under negotiation is the percentage of revenue from New Media, which refers to newer ways of displaying video, such as the internet, cell phones and mobile (iPods). The current residual for New Media is 1.2% of revenue, which the WGA is looking to increase to 2.5%.
“It’s an extremely volatile industry,” said Diana Son, a writer for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”. “There’s no job security. Residuals are an important part of our income. There’s no cushion.” The battle also has big repercussions for the way Hollywood does business, since whatever deal is struck by writers will likely be used as a template for talks with actors and directors (whose contracts expire June 2008), one of the reasons why the AMPTP is being so cautious.
In 2007, consumers are expected to spend about $16.4 billion on DVDs, and studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows online.
According to several sources, the AMPTP does not want to agree to the increase in New Media residuals because the market is untested, and they unsure how profitable or unprofitable the new ventures will be. Producers say that they want “the economic flexibility to experiment as consumer habits change in reaction to technology,” which they would not be able to do with the added burden of increased residuals.
The first paragraph of the official 2007 strike rules, as laid out by the WGAe (east region), states that all members “…must immediately stop writing for any and all struck companies. [Members] may not continue to write or complete writing started before the strike for a struck company. [Members] may not start writing on a new project during a strike. [Members] may not perform writing services even if [s/he] work[s] at home or at [his/her] own office rather than at the company’s premises. This Rule also prohibits [members] from attending meetings, or engaging in conversations, as a writer concerning new, pending or future projects or writing assignments with producers, directors or other representatives of any struck company. [Members] may not attend pitch meetings or communicate with a company representative to receive notes on literary material even if [s/he] intend[s] to wait until the strike ends to make any requested changes.”
The above mentioned “struck companies” include all of Hollywood’s major studios, including the “Big Five”: News Corp (Fox), Universal (NBC), Viacom (Paramount, CBS), Time Warner (WB, New Line Cinema) and Disney (Pixar, ABC). The strike will not immediately impact production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
The last WGA strike was in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks (five months), resulting in a reported $500 million loss for the entertainment industry. A similar strike in 2007, according to Los Angeles economist Jack Kyser, could result in over $1 billion in economic losses. These losses would be the result of television shows being forced into reruns, which, for many networks, will happen in early 2008. Talk shows (such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart), which rely on current news events, will be affected immediately [and they were, all are off the air as of now]. Losses will be in the form of advertising dollars, which will shrink due to declining viewership due to the reruns.
Here’s a short video to explain all that to you:
As of right now, five days after the strike started, negotiations have not restarted. Bill Clinton has even offered to mediate the process to try and resolve the issue.
People seen on the picket line with the writers: Robin Williams, Jay Leno, the casts of Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, and Desperate Housewives, Julianne Moore, Tina Fey, Tim Robbins, David Duchovny, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria and Julia Louis Dreyfous. Jon Stewart is paying his writers for the next two weeks… out of his own pocket.
According to an article from The Hollywood Reporter, democratic Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are also behind the writers:
Said Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York: “I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pay them for their work in all mediums. I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table.”
“I stand with the writers,” Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said from his campaign headquarters in Chicago. “The guild’s demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives… I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work.”
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards also backs the strikers.
“These writers deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and I commend their courage in standing up to big media conglomerates,” he said. “As someone who has walked picket lines with workers all across America and as a strong believer in collective bargaining, I hope that both sides are able to quickly reach a just settlement.”
I completely agree. It is ridiculous that studios are not paying writers adequately for their work. Did you know that they are not compensated for episodes of TV shows aired online? The same goes for the actors and directors of the shows as well, not just the writers. Studios are screwing everyone. It’s disgusting, it’s amoral, and it’s about time that it stopped.
If it were feasible, I would be on the line with them. As many of you know, it is one of my dreams to write screenplays as well as books. This is my future at stake here, too.
I wish all of you the best of luck, and hope that the studios will see sense. Stay brave and stay strong.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Still Chugging Along
11/6/07 | Books, Movies, My Writings, Procrastination | 0 Comments
Still writing, I’m chugging along as usual. It’s going well, and with the help of two of my friends I found another problem that was holding the narrative back (which I am now working to fix). I can only hope the novel will be finished by the end of the year. Keep praying!
I got the opportunity to see NYT and Internationally bestselling author Matthew Pearl for the second time. The first time I saw him was at an event, but this time he was generous enough to come to my writers group on campus! It was an amazing time. It’s rare that young authors get face-time with someone who’s “made it.” And he was very open about his experiences and he was an immense fountain of knowledge for our members.
READ
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
In honor of Matthew Pearl coming, I bunkered down with his first book. Guys, it was really good. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I couldn’t put this book down. It was based around a group of leading literary figures in 1865 Boston (who are all real people, by the way), who are trying to create the first American translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. However, some of the leading members of society are being murdered, and they realize that the killer is reenacting the tortures found in Dante’s Inferno. So, in order to protect themselves, as well as the work they are trying to create, the group members become overnight sleuths. It was amazing, and it will honestly keep you guessing right to the very end. It’s kind of hard to get into because of the language (it’s written in 19th century prose), but once you get past the first few pages, it flows in a way you can’t imagine unless you experience it. Now I definitely have to pick up his second book, The Poe Shadow.
WATCHED
This was a really cute movie. David (played by John Cusack) is a widower sci-fi novelist who adopts a young boy named Dennis… who thinks he’s from Mars. Sounds like a perfect match, right? David and Dennis are both lonely and need to be loved, and to love in return, and David should understand the boy’s fascination with thinking he’s otherworldly. However, it’s not always a match made in heaven, and David soon finds himself overwhelmed with the prospect of raising a “different” child all on his own. Really beautiful acting and a great storyline. Worth a watch!
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Okay, this movie sounded… weird, to say the least. But, it also sounded intriguing. So, I rented it. I’m so glad that I did. As the title suggests, it’s the story about a murderer who’s obsessed with scent, and preserving scent… particularly, the scent of women. He finds these women with unforgettable scents, and harvests them (which usually includes killing the women; a small price to pay when you think about it, wouldn’t you agree?). It sounds insane at first glance, but it was really an amazing story. The director also did a beautiful job portraying scent visually, which is just as hard has it sounds. The main character is the anti-hero (he’s the one doing the killin’s), but he is played with such compassion and honesty that you can’t help pulling for him! Fantastic movie, and it has an ending you’ll NEVER see coming. Now I have to go and read the book…
Oh, and here’s a little treat.
Anyone else excited?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Revealing
10/29/07 | Genius Mode, My Writings, On Writing | 0 Comments
This weekend was actually quite productive. I was able to work my way through TWO chapters, bringing me closer to the finish line. I’m really happy with them. It’s interesting, too… with this second draft, my antagonist is revealing much more about himself than ever before, and he’s becoming a much deeper and troubled person. I hope he continues to be as candid with me as the novel moves forward, and also that I get the same level of cooperation from the rest of the characters…!
Though, the more I write this book, the less I think it’s a YA novel… Everyone keeps telling me it’s YA because the characters are all in high school, yet the graphic nature of some of the scenes (which are too necessary to cut) suggests it will be hard to sell as YA. I’m constantly reminded on A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, because the majority of the novel is based in a time when the two main characters are young (beginning even younger than high school, in fact), yet that is not at all a YA novel. Come to think of it, you’d be hard pressed to find a high-schooler willing to read a John Irving book. (Not that I’m comparing myself to him, of course!) Would any of you read a book whose main characters are in high school if the plot intrigued you? Let me know your thoughts on this…
On a fun note, I’ve been quoted in a blog! The topic of Tess Gerritsen’s October 20th blog post was “Are Anxious Writers More Successful?” Meaning, if published authors harbor the fear of losing their market, they will work harder to improve with each and every book they write. However, it is not good to become complacent and not strive for betterment, because you just might become the old lion that way, toothless and forgotten, reminiscing of better days when you were the king of the jungle. This is my reply to her:
“During the Maui Writers Retreat, John Lescroart made a really great speech… He says that, during the writing process, there are two different modes an author goes into. When she’s writing the first draft, the author is in “Genius Mode,” where everything she writes is flecked with gold and diamonds. Then, when it comes time for editing and revision, she enters “Idiot Mode,” where the author realizes that what she had first taken for gold and diamonds is actually pyrite and kitty litter. It’s the worst thing she’s ever seen, let alone written herself.
I think there is a vast difference between cockiness and confidence. I think that people SHOULD have confidence in their own work and ability, but confidence does not beget anxiety. We all know how fickle this market is, and it’s not a good idea to become complacent. Plus, I would much rather read a book that an author has thrown themselves fully into, than one that they just threw out the door because they could.
I know I go into Genius Mode whenever I write something. But, as I look over it, revise it, and give it to someone to read for the first time, I’m always thinking it’s the worst thing I have ever written. There’s no plot, the characters are all one-dimensional, etc. I think you’re right, though… that thought does make me work just as hard (or harder) on the next piece.”
(If you look carefully, you’ll discover the origin of two of my Journal categories!)
Well, UK writer Ray-Anne Leutner liked what I had to say so much that she asked to quote me in her own blog, to which I happily obliged. So, if any of you are interested to hear what she’s got to say, a hop across the pond is only a click away!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Me Write Pretty One Day
10/21/07 | Books, Idiot Mode, Movies, Trailers, Procrastination | 0 Comments
My personal deadline for finishing revisions on my book is fast approaching. When I got back from Maui, I told myself that I would write a page-a-day (or whatever the revision equivalent is), and that it would all be done by the end of October at the latest! It is now October 21st, and I have only worked on four chapters… So, I’m no where near done, no where near where I should be at this point (considering my deadline), and have no possibility of finishing on time (unless I forego everything else in my life, including going to class, sleeping, and possibly even eating). There are ten days left. It’s not going to happen, and I’m disappointed in myself.
Since making certain decisions about the book, I have come to love it again. Yes, there was a time when I thought it was the worst thing ever and hardly considered showing it the light of day, let alone to friends, family or, god forbid, literary agents. I would have died of embarrassment. Now, I think it’s a story worthy of being read. I just have to finish it, and therein lies the problem. I can’t seem to motivate myself to finish, and it’s exceedingly frustrating. What I wouldn’t give to just go away, away from the world, from school, from interruptions like TV and movies, out of contact with everyone, no internet, nothing; just me, my computer, and possibly some books (show me a writer who doesn’t read, and I’ll punch them in the nose).
So, as I wallow in my reverie, here are some things that have kept me from writing…
READ
Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison
This is a memoir about a boy who grew up with Asperger’s Syndrome and didn’t know it. Asperger’s is a type of autism, but generally mild—considering most autistics live in their heads. Aspergians, as JER calls himself and others like him, seem outwardly rude and misfit-like, while generally being very smart (savants). Yet it is their incomprehension of certain social rules and guidelines that is their true downfall. JER talks about his struggles to make friends and socialize, about his abusive and sometimes downright terrifying childhood, and about learning to live with his condition and making the best of a life that seemed set to fail right from the off. JER is the older brother of National and Internationally acclaimed memoirist Augusten Burroughs, who wrote the incredible memoir Running with Scissors. Here is a short clip of Augusten interviewing his brother (notice how very different the two are):
And, yes, John Elder Robison DOES in fact “Woof!” at the camera! This is one of his mechanisms for awkward silence (which he explains in the book).
WATCHED
If you remember, I have been waiting to see this movie since I first heard about it a year and a half ago. Besides a problem the theater was having with the sound (which isn’t a reflection of the movie), it was absolutely AMAZING. I am thrilled that I liked it so much, that it was able to live up to the epic movie I had been building it up to be in my head. Cate Blanchett is in her element, and Clive Owen lives up to his name, and Jordi Mollà (as King Philip II of Spain) is almost terrifying. Geoffrey Rush, unfortunately, wasn’t in the movie as much as I would have liked. Excellent movie, with some definite twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until the end of the movie. Sadly, it has had a poor box office run these past two weekends, only grossing $11.2M in 10 days. Not good! Go see this movie!
This is a documentary about how the MPAA rates movies. For those of you who haven’t heard of this, the board that rates movies is consisted of 8 “normal parents” who rate movies based on what they think is appropriate for children to see (which is why the ratings are all age based… G – General Audiences, PG – Parental Guidance suggested, PG-13 – Suggests parents should accompany any children under 13-years-old, R – Children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult, and NC-17 – No Child under the age of 17 under ANY circumstances). However, this board is secret, just like the CIA. No one knows who they are… until now. Director Kirby Dick hires a personal investigator to find out the identities of these mysterious and all powerful 8, and they do, and they tell you exactly who they are. Kirby also delves into the biases these people show towards studio made movies versus independents, scenes with violence versus scenes with sex, and straight sex versus gay sex. Very eye opening view into the inner workings of the MPAA. Worth a watch!
Oh, and for anyone as excited as I am by the upcoming The Golden Compass movie, here’s an extended 5 MINUTE preview of the movie!
Looks amazing!
Now, back to writing (hopefully).
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Wow!
10/16/07 | General, Genius Mode, My Writings | 0 Comments
This is just a short one, but I wanted to give you guys an update on something exciting…!
No, I don’t have an agent and my book isn’t finished (though I’m working on it!)… My website has only been open for a little over TWO months and I’ve already had over 1000 VISITORS! Combined page hits (for every page on my site) is well over 12,000! Thank you guys so much! It’s nice to know that this website is getting some good use…
On a side note, my revisions have been going slow, but extremely well. I’m getting to the point where I can read through entire chapters and hardly want to make any changes! That means that things are finally coming together. The structure reformatting is proving to be 100% the correct choice, and now I’m going through and making corrections based on that. I’ve also got some new ideas about certain plot elements in the novel, which I think will add a whole new level to the reading.
Keep me in your prayers that I get this all done sometime soon!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Movies Galore!
10/13/07 | Awesome, Movies, Trailers | 0 Comments
I am going to see Elizabeth: The Golden Age today, which I am VERY excited about. In the interim, before I can post a review, here is a movie trailer that got me a little tingly…
IRON MAN
Also, some movies coming out/in the works that you just might not know about yet… (Sorry, some of the links won’t provide any information unless you sign up for IMDb Pro, but hopefully that information will be up soon. Some of the movies don’t have links because they aren’t even showing up on regular IMDb.) The movies I am really looking forward to are in italics.
COMPLETED
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Beowulf
Bee Movie
10,000 B.C.
The Bucket List
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Martian Child
In POST-PRODUCTION
Speed Racer
Harold & Kumar 2
Horton Hears a Who!
Inkheart
Where the Wild Things Are
Currently FILMING
The Dark Knight*
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Sex and the City: The Movie
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (sadly, Rachel Weisz will not be returning)
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Dead Like Me
In PRE-PRODUCTION
Star Trek
Wolverine*
Bond 22
The Lovely Bones
A Christmas Carol (with Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all three ghosts, Tom Hanks as Bob Cratchit, and Michael J. Fox as Tiny Tim… no lie)
Witch Mountain
Untitled X-Files Sequel
Imperial Life in the Emerald City (I don’t know what this is about, but it has Matt Damon and is being helmed by Bourne director Paul Greengrass, so I’m intrigued)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Beverly Hills Cop IV
The Birds (remake)
The Power of the Dark Crystal (from Jim Henson Productions)
Constantine 2*
In DEVELOPMENT
Spider-Man 4*
Sin City 2*
Jurassic Park IV
Transformers 2
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (no Arnold!)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Superman: Man of Steel*
Knight Rider
Wonder Woman*
The Hobbit (possibly with Peter Jackson directing!)
Fahrenheit 451 (with Tom Hanks)
Captain America*
Silver Surfer*
Angels & Demons
Stephen King Movies: Cell, Dark Tower, From a Buick 8, Black House, Creepshow, Dolan’s Cadillac, Pet Sematary
The Flash*
Magneto*
Toy Story 3
Life of Pi
Thundercats
Labyrinth (looks like another Oscar for Hilary Swank)
Footloose (remake)
The Giver
1984
The Subtle Knife
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
The Secret Life of Bees
A Song of Ice and Fire
Little Fockers
Red Sonja (remake?)
I, Robot 2
A Spell for Chameleon
The Historian
Anyone notice the overabundance of Comic Books* being put into production?
Okay, I think that list is quite long enough! Hope some of these got you as excited as they got me (Note: not ALL of these sent me reeling, but most I thought were interesting… again, the ones in italics are the ones I wet myself a little when I saw them, I won’t lie).
Off to see Cate as Elizabeth!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Imagine
10/9/07 | Books, Genius Mode, Movies, Music, My Writings, TV Shows | 0 Comments
The rewrites have been going really well. So well, in fact, that I expect to crash and burn any time now… I finally realized what my problem was, and now it’s almost like the book is correcting itself, with minimal effort on my part. (Not saying I’m not putting effort into it! Just saying the work isn’t really work.) And I’m really excited about some new developments that have recently been revealed to me. If you’re a writer, I can’t stress how important it is to LISTEN to your characters! They will never lead you in the wrong direction (unless you have an unreliable narrator, and that’s a whole different tin of biscuits).
In the past few weeks I’ve…
READ
Excavation by James Rollins
I had a conversation with Jim about why his books aren’t classified as Science Fiction. In Excavation, a band of archaeologists stumble upon a lost Incan temple, get stuck in it because someone is trying to steal the treasurers within and causes it to collapse, trapping some of said archaeologists and forcing them to find a way out… and they encounter albino tarantulas and mutated, cannibalistic ape-like beasts (that turn out not to be apes at all!), as well as discover a substance that is some form of nano-biology that is able to bring people back from the dead and regrow human bodies from nothing but a severed head. Sounds pretty far fetched, right? Science Fiction-like, even? Well, to put it bluntly, his publishers said “We can market it as a Sci-Fi novel and sell okay, or we can market it as a thriller and sell 10x as many copies.” Yeah, not a tough decision there. Point being, this book was very, very good. Just be willing to extend your suspension of disbelief a bit more for this one than regular thrillers.
LISTENED TO
The Shade of Poison Trees by Dashboard Confessional
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. What the hell am I listening to this emo crap for? Because I love it, I can’t lie. I LOVED DC’s album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, and have listened to it religiously since I bought it six years ago… Nothing DC has made before or since has really lived up to that CD, because Chris Carrabba’s vocals and lyrics, coupled with the acoustic instrumentation, just completely took me over. And there are even a few tracks when he gets so into the music that his voice breaks (one of my favorite things in the world… really). Everything else has been more rocker-ish, and less intimate. Until now. In The Shade of Poison Trees, Chris returns to the acoustic songs he does so well, and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s on repeat right now.
WATCHED
This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I was going through a low point and needed to take my mind off things, so I watched all 60 or so hours of the first three seasons of Grey’s Anatomy… in 4 days. That’s right, I watched disc after disc of that show, and couldn’t have been happier to do so. As sad as it is that I did that, I don’t regret it. And now I’m obsessed. This is one of the best shows I’ve seen in years, and has the kind of characters I can care enough about to WANT to watch new episodes live (I don’t have cable, so anything I watch is either on DVD or I download it from iTunes… I don’t like commercials). Bailey is my favorite (“O’Malley, stop looking at my VA-JAY-JAY!”), I’m totally shipping George and Izzie, Meredith and Derek need to get over their issues, and Christina is just fun. Totally hooked. Though, I have to say, I am totally disappointed that they created the spin-off for Addison. I loved her, and now she isn’t even Addison anymore. Did anyone else notice that her hair doesn’t even look red? Hopefully, when that show fails, they’ll bring her back to Seattle!
Okay, this movie was absolutely insane… Fantastic, intriguing and immensely well put together, but insane nonetheless. Talk about your unreliable narrator! You think this movie is just about a teacher schtooping one of her students, but NO, it has a completely other level of crazy! When they say “A Story of Two Obsessions,” they’re not kidding. It’s one of the worst kept secrets in the world that Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actors (second only to another Kate!), and what she is able to pull off in Notes is nothing short of brilliant. My love for her grows with every movie I see her in, and the emotion she was able to bring to this role was so tortured, so vulnerable, you couldn’t help but feel for her pain. Is it crazy on my part that I could understand why she did what she did (the character)? Not deflowering a 15-year-old, of course, but her need for something more than the life she was dealt, her need for escape? And Judi Dench’s character is… terrifying is probably the best word. I may just have to pick up the book now.
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
This movie was produced by Walden Media, the same folks who brought us The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and Bridge to Terabithia (they like the whole making-a-movie-out-of-popular-children’s-books thing). It had a lot of promise, and the trailer made it look really good. To me, it didn’t disappoint. It has a really great premise, the foundations of which were lain down by Susan Cooper, who wrote the book back in the 70s (I say foundation because the book and movie apparently have very little in common. I’m reading the first book in the series—the movie was based on the second book, which has different characters than the first—but I have found a website that lists all of the changes, and they are extensive. If any of you loved the book Eragon and saw the movie based on that book, you’ll get a sense of what I’m talking about with this one. BUT, because the movie was my introduction to the world, and not the book, I was able to enjoy the movie for what it was). Definitely worth a buy when it comes out on DVD, though I don’t know how happy the studio is with it at the moment. Opening weekend on the purportedly $60M movie was a measly $3.75M… Ouch!
A sad side note…
If you remember my excitement about the new TV show The Sarah Connor Chronicles, you’ll know how disappointed I am to find out that Fox has decided to hold off on launching the show until mid-season. Why? Because God hates me.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Hello Mojo!
10/2/07 | Genius Mode, My Writings | 0 Comments
Okay, it’s back. My mojo, that is. I finished the rewrite of chapter 2 of my novel. And I’ve begun editing chapter 3.
What brought about the change? I wish I knew. But I just know that something clicked, and the writing is flowing (as it usually does). I just hope that the funk stays away. Somehow I angered the gods and got some bad juju. Bad juju be gone, I say! If you’re missing a virgin, or a goat, I sacrificed them. Both of them.
So, like I said, I finished rewriting chapter 2, and have once again posted it under Love, Simon in the novel section. This is all that I am going to be putting up for you to read, so I hope you enjoy it. Now I just have to finish the novel, sell it, and then you can read the rest.
Enjoy!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Where’d My Mojo Go?
09/26/07 | General, My Writings | 0 Comments
My university has all 4-credit classes, and we usually take four at a time, for a total of 16 credits a semester. This semester I’m overloading and taking 20 credits so that I can graduate on time (my credits got screwed up because I transferred here after going to school for a year in PA). And, besides the additional class, there seems to be an unusual amount of work due for each class every week, much more than normal. I’ve been working. I’ve also been having money issues, where I was owed money from three different sources and none were paying up, to the point where I was almost in the red for most of the month, sometimes not eating or eating very little to get by. I also haven’t had a weekend to myself or a day off for about three weeks.
Why am I telling you this? To try and give some sort of background to my next statement: I haven’t written anything in about three weeks.
Well, that’s not exactly true. I’ve written, but for classes, or for this Journal (which I guess is better than nothing). But I haven’t written any short stories, and I certainly haven’t written anything for my novel.
What the hell is wrong with me? I love to write, it should be a time I covet for myself. I have an agent who is interested in seeing my book when it’s done! All I have to do is finish the second draft and send it out to her, and hopefully I’ll get a good response back. I have a new support system from a number of my fellow Maui writers, who keep asking me how my writing is going, and making me feel guilty when I have to be honest and say, “Nothing new to report” (which they should continue to do!).
I don’t know, I’ve been in some sort of funk. I get into them every once and a while, where I can’t dredge up the will to write. It’s not writer’s block; I have plenty of stuff to write about, and I know exactly how to do it. There’s just no push for some reason.
Sometimes I impress myself and write a 10,000 word story in one week, averaging about 2,000 words a day. I’ve had 5,000 word days before. I like those days.
Hopefully it has just been the things on my mind keeping me from writing. It’s definitely not a lack of passion. I just need to reinvigorate my mojo.
I have made a conscious decision to take more time for myself. Usually I read 3 books a month, and I haven’t even finished one in the month I’ve been back from Maui. In the past couple of days, I’ve read about 200 pages of that James Rollins novel I mentioned in a previous post. I watched the first season of Grey’s Anatomy last night (it was only nine episodes, but I couldn’t stop for anything!). So, hopefully, writing will come next.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Is Anyone Else Excited?
09/21/07 | Awesome, TV Shows | 0 Comments
Okay, so I heard about this a while ago and never thought it would ever come into being. I was wrong. And I’m glad I was.
Terminator 2 is one of my favorite movies of all time. In fact, it is one of my favorite stories from my parents: they claim they named me after the character “Kyle Reese” from T1. I don’t know if that’s true (the dates match up, but they could still be lying), but it’s just cool to be able to say!
The show is scheduled to air on Fox, and according to IMDb, they have already filmed 12 episodes. Included in the cast is Lena Headey as Sarah Connor, who played Queen Gorgo in 300; Thomas Dekker as John Connor, who played Claire’s friend Zach in last year’s hit TV show Heroes; and Summer Glau as Cameron (a good cyborg sent to help them, named in honor of James Cameron, who directed the first two Terminator movies), who played River Tam in Joss Whedon’s short-lived but brilliant TV show Firefly and subsequent film Serenity.
It looks like it’s going to be a wild ride. I’m definitely going to be on board!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Some Great Resources For Writers
09/20/07 | Books, General, Genius Mode, Maui, On Writing | 0 Comments
Throughout the years I have looked for help in many different places: books, magazines, websites, from authors, workshops, the list goes on and on. I’m going to list a few of the things that really help(ed) me.
BOOKS
Half autobiography, half book on style, Stephen mixes up one of the best books on writing available today. Why is there a section where he talks about himself? Because you need to know where he’s coming from in order to know why he does what he does best. The story of his life, his vices, and the success of his first book, Carrie, are inspirational (something all of us novice writers need!), and the man knows what he’s talking about when it comes to writing. Read through the book, do the samples, and watch your talent soar.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Okay, who the hell would ever read a book on punctuation, let along write one? You guys, this is an amazing book. I don’t claim to be the end all of punctuation knowledge (in fact, I tell everyone who will listen that most of my knowledge is actually instinct based… which usually works, but not always). You couldn’t find a more boring topic, but Lynne handles it with grace and—dare I say it?—a little wit as well. (Also, if you’re in the mood to laugh, check out her book on rudeness, Talk to the Hand).
MAGAZINES
There are two magazines that I swear by, and because they cover the same information, I’m going to lump them both together here: Writer’s Digest and The Writer.
Both are monthly magazines, and both cover a wide array of writerly topics: from how to get an agent, to writing better emotion, to lessons on column writing, and so on. Also included in many of the issues are current markets out there searching for new material, information about contests and competitions (including some of their own), as well as first-time novelists’ success stories (which are always great to read).
AUTHORS
I have had the privilege of meeting and talking to Tess on two occasions, but more importantly I am able to connect with her on a much more regular basis through the blog on her website. She actually reads every comment, and personally responds to them when necessary. Not only is she an immensely gracious author by taking the time to connect with her readers in such a way, but her blog is actually a very useful tool to novice writers like myself. Tess gives us the inside scoop on the publishing industry, both the ups AND the downs. Most importantly, she brings herself down to our level, reassuring us that we all have doubts and worries, and even she, after 20+ books and a level of über-success most of us only dream of, still gets nervous whenever she begins a new project or when her books go on sale. And, as shown by this entry, she really cares about us beginners.
WEBSITES
This is a peer-to-peer critiquing site. Basically, in order to have someone critique your work, you need to do the same for someone else. Once you read and review one story (you write up an actual review for the author, as well as scoring the piece on several categories, including plot, theme, characters, language, etc.), then you are able to put your own piece up for review. This is a great tool for anyone who gets nervous presenting their work to groups, and it works out fairly well. The only problem I really have with this is that you can’t regulate who reads your story. It could be sent to someone who doesn’t like your genre/theme, and your rating and review will reflect that. Also, you lose a little when you’re not able to actually talk to the person about what they thought. All you get is a little snippet. Still very enlightening and useful.
CONFERENCES
Maui Writers Conference and Retreat
Okay, I know I’ve talked about this a little in previous posts (considering I was just there!), but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate all of this. The conference is nice because you get to go to seminars and hear from some of the best authors in the world, including NYT and internationally bestselling and Pulitzer winning authors. They tell you their stories and insights about what has worked for them, including some tips and tricks they’ve picked up along the way.
BUT, the best thing about the whole experience is if you go to the week long retreat before the conference. This is where you are able to learn, this is where you are able to delve into the depths of your writing and uncover what lies beneath. I can honestly say that the retreat changed my life—and my novel—forever and for the better. You learn about your weaknesses and try to improve upon them. You learn about your strengths and try to broaden them. You learn by doing, by writing, and rewriting, and rewriting again, because there’s no better way to learn than by doing.
EVERY BOOK I’VE EVER READ
This is something I can’t stress enough. Every time you read a book you are learning how to write; plot, structure, interesting and realistic characters, dialogue, theme, everything you would ever need to know about writing has been laid out for you for centuries, all you have to do is pick one up and read it. I am flabbergasted when wannabe writers tell me that they do not have time to read—they’re too busy! Well, how are you supposed to know how to tell a story if you never read one? Don’t know what to read? Go to the library, go to Barnes & Noble and browse, or even email me if you need some suggestions; I’ve read hundreds of great books.
Hopefully some of this information will help you can write one (and me, too!).
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
More On Procrastination
09/16/07 | Books, Movies, My Writings, Procrastination | 0 Comments
This weekend, I saw two new movies… one new, and one a little older. Plus, a little on a book I’m currently reading.
Okay, I don’t know where to begin on this movie. We all know that Jodie Foster is a brilliant actress. Terrance Howard is good as well. This movie was freaking amazing. Though very brutal at times (you see about a two minute long beating scene, as well as a number of murders on Jodie’s part), there is such raw emotion behind it all. I don’t know if that is the work of the three writers behind the script (two of them are credited just for “story”, so I don’t know if they did any of the actual writing or not), or because Jodie and Terrance are in their element, but it is surely a sight to see. AND, it has one of the most satisfying endings to a movie than I have seen in a good long time. Our ENTIRE theater was in an uproar by the end, which only shows how quickly and deeply you get attached to these characters. Definitely a must-see.
I wanted to see this movie since I first saw the trailer (however long ago it came out). Renée Zellweger hasn’t been one of my favorite actresses, but she has grown on me as of late (I recently saw the first Bridget Jones’s Diary movie, which was cute… and I have liked the ever classic Empire Records since it came out on video), and the movie looked like I might enjoy it. Not to mention the recommendations I got from people telling me to see it (including the writer of Frida). So, I caved and bought it. I think I have to give it a 4 out of 5. This movie was so engaging, and to touching, that I was totally prepared to love it. And I did, but only up to a certain point. The last half hour of the movie completely dragged. For some reason, they (the filmmaker and writers) felt it was necessary to showcase her purchasing 4000 acres of land, working said land, and doing little, if any, writing or drawing/painting. I know this movie is supposed to be about her life, but the main pulls were her books and her love; I didn’t need to know that she was responsible for conserving 4000 acres of apparently prime English real estate property (though highly noble on her part, it doesn’t make for very interesting movie watching!). They should have cut that last 20-30 minutes and expanded the other sections instead. Still worth the watch, though.
I’m actually in the middle of this right now. I decided to read this because, well, I bought it in Maui so he could sign it and I needed something to read on the 14 hour trip back to Boston. Not that I got much reading done on the plane (I actually SLEPT, which is something I rarely do on planes… I like being on planes too much to sleep!), but I have made a slight effort to read it now that I am back. It’s actually quite good so far, and he’s freaking me out by having albino tarantulas attacking a group of archaeologists. Again, only halfway through, but it’s good so far. I’ll let you know if I like the ending!
(Note to self: Come up with some sort of cool rating system.)
So, now it’s time to get back to writing. It’s amazing that I have been back for two weeks already, and I’ve only worked on ONE chapter of my novel. I need to finish the rewrite of said chapter later today, and then start moving on to the next ones. My October 31st deadline for completion is approaching more rapidly than I could have ever expected, so I need to buckle down and WRITE! I am very excited about all of the changes, though, and I can’t wait to be able to read through the whole manuscript at the end (and to hear what everyone thinks about it!). GENIUS MODE!
Oh, for any of you who are interested:
Subscribe to my Journal’s RSS feed!Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Jump Back To Reality
09/11/07 | General, Maui, My Writings | 0 Comments
I’ll admit that it’s been hard these past seven days without my ‘Ohana of writers. I think it’s hard for anyone who hasn’t gone through a similar experience to understand the depth of the relationships that were formed over our week-and-a-half in Maui. At the beginning of the Retreat, the organizers spoke of this bond that grows amongst the groups and I remember scoffing at the idea. Boy do I sure have a big foot, let me tell you.
Over the eleven days that I was there, I got a lot of encouragement and praise from the group, almost to the point of embarrassment. The writer in me still doesn’t know how to take compliments, and they were being thrown at me left and right. Oh, it wasn’t all praise, you know. My group absolutely hated the ending of my book, as well as a few other crucial scenes (I was going for a modern day tragedy, and they want something a little more satisfying!), and I’m not even going to mention the title…! But it’s the compliments that I remember, because they were unexpected.
Don’t get me wrong, I have great faith in my work and my ability as a writer. As you may remember, though, I wasn’t feeling all too happy about my novel when I went into Maui. Yeah, I had decided on a restructure, but there was still something nagging at me. The group definitely showed me what was lacking in the plot, but they considerably boosted my feelings for the project by recognizing the work I put into creating a truly genuine voice for the main character. They really got what I was going for, and that thrilled me to no end. In part, mission accomplished.
Now on to the rest of the edits. There are a number of chapters that need to get completely rewritten, but I’m not scared of them anymore. I know that I have a solid foundation to build on and a strong support system in my fellow writers (who will make sure I never lose sight of my vision… As one of them put it, talking about the theme, “This is a huge book!”). I’m not scared anymore.
I’d like to thank all of my fellow group members, who I really do consider my ‘Ohana. (I’m going to go around the table so I don’t miss anyone!) So, to Dawn, Ginny, Carol M., Carol C., Jon, Roland (and Kathleen!), Rocky, Millie and Charles, thank you for all of your support and encouragement. You are all talented and brilliant, and I can’t wait to see your books alongside mine in Barnes & Noble someday. And a special Mahalo to Gary, our leader and mentor, and wish him all of the success he deserves and a thousand times over. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.
Back to writing...!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
And So It Ends…
09/5/07 | Genius Mode, Maui, My Writings | 0 Comments
...or should I say begins? The Maui Writers Retreat and MW Conference are officially over, but now the work truly begins.
I’ll start off with the great news, and you can decide if you want to read more or not. An agent requested my novel…! The bad news? It’s not finished… *smacks self on forehead*
Okay, here’s the deal… I “finished” the book about two years ago, and it’s sat since then. Recently, I picked it up again and decided to fix all of the things that bothered me about the original draft. A whole restructuring was going to happen, things were to be rewritten or cut, and everything was to be updated. That’s definitely still the case, but after talking it over (a LOT) during the retreat with my teacher (Gary Braver) and my fellow students, I decided to rework the ending of the novel. So, the book is no longer as complete as it once was. I’m not simply updating anymore, but writing brand new scenes.
That being said, I told the agent I could have it done in two months. Oy. I will get it done in two months or die in the process, whichever comes first (hopefully the former!).
BUT, that also being said, the agent sounded genuinely intrigued by the work. A couple of the other retreat students (who stayed for the conference as well) and I noticed that a lot of people were having what looked like successes with various agents and editors. However, we realized something else. Those people were only asked to send the first 3 chapters, or the first fifty pages, or the first chapter and the synopsis, things like that. These are very general submission guidelines for any agency, things they tell everyone to send them for consideration. Few people seemed to be getting much more than that.
So, how do I know that the agent I talked to is actually interested in the work and not just trying to placate me? She asked me to send her the whole book. That’s the difference, and something I am very proud to be able to say for myself. Oh, I got one of the above requests, too, but it only takes one person to take special interest to get your foot in the door. And I’m proud to say that most of my Retreat ʻOhana (that’s Hawiian for ‘family’) have had similar successes. Hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana, ʻōlelo hoʻomaikaʻi! (I don’t really know if that means ‘congratulations’ or not, but the dictionary website told me it was!)
I don’t want this entry to be insanely long, so I’m not going to talk about everything I WANT to talk about in just one post. So, I’m going to talk about my week and a half on Maui over the next few entries, and I’ll go into further detail about my experiences during the retreat, and even share some really important information I picked up along the way.
The bottom line, though… would I ever come to Maui again? Absolutely. It was the best investment I’ve ever made, and I can’t wait to be back next year (which I will).
One note before the end of this post… You’ll notice that I have ONCE AGAIN changed the name of my book. It started out as A Life, Less Living, but I decided to change it once the overhaul began. It became A Song of Sad Lamentation. Guys, my group absolutely HATED that title! I could have died laughing (and not even to keep from crying… I thought it was really funny!)… They said it sounded too sad, and real life is sad enough. No one would ever pick up a book that said it was going to be sad right in the title! Two people in the group (I say two because they literally blurted out the title at exactly the same time) suggested Simon’s Song… which—erm—I hated. Did not like it at all…! (Sorry Carol and Charles!) So, after a lot of soul searching, I have finally come up with a title I think fits perfectly with the plot of the book, and has a double meaning to me as well (which I love doing). The new title of my book is:
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
One More Day In Paradise
09/5/07 | General, Idiot Mode, Maui | 0 Comments
This was my Monday:
Woke up around 7AM Maui-time, took a shower, and packed up my hotel room. This included going through a weeks’ worth of retreat papers (copies of my chapters and synopsis with notes on them), and attempting to stuff all of my clothes into the suitcase without it dying. Then I met a few friends who were doing last minute agent/editor consultations to show some moral support (what can I say, I’m a good guy that way!)… From 11-12 we attend the closing ceremonies for the Maui Writers Conference, where my friend Dawn won third place in the Rupert Hughes Writing Competition (which is a big deal, because it is judged by some very big name authors, agents and editors, not to mention the $500 prize money [add another 0 to that for first place!]).
Noon rolls around and it’s time to check out of the hotel. I’m supposed to get a 1:45PM shuttle to the airport for a 4:30PM flight.
As I’m checking out, the girl behind the counter says, “Are you sure you’re checking out today? We have you scheduled until tomorrow.”
To which I reply, “Of course I’m leaving today. I have a 4:30 flight!”
She nods to placate me, though was surely inwardly scoffing (it’s all in the eyes!)… She checks me out anyway, being sure to radio someone to say something about an “unexpected departure.”
I go to lunch with my friends Dawn, Jamie and Rocky, where we end up inviting big wig St. Martin’s Press editor Charles Spicer to eat with us, since he was going to eat alone. The conversation was really great (I wasn’t nervous to be around him because he doesn’t represent my genre… I didn’t have to worry about impressing him), and the food was good (though expensive! $18 for a cheeseburger, fries and can of Coke!).
Finally, we realize it’s 1:30 and almost time for me to leave. No one’s really talking because we’re so sad that we’re not going to be together anymore.
The shuttle comes at 1:45 on the dot, but the driver says he doesn’t have my name on his list. “What do you mean, you don’t have my name on your list?!” I say. “I have the voucher right here… It’s already paid for!”
He calls his dispatcher, asking about my reservation. I hear her voice come over the cell’s speakerphone.
“Pick-up for Kerr is scheduled for the 4th.”
“Today’s the 4th,” I exclaim.
“They’re saying it’s the 4th,” the guy says into the phone.
I really hope you’re laughing, because I still wasn’t getting it at that point.
Thinking quick, I look at my phone. It’s September 3rd. Guys, I checked out of my hotel a day early! I packed up my room, defied the girl behind the counter, and was close to yelling at the driver for losing my reservation. Can anyone say dumbass…?
As I shuffled back up to the front counter with my best impression of a puppy dog grin on my face, I could see the I-told-you-so smile the girl behind the counter was wearing. I try and laugh it off, and in the process learn that I am the first person to EVER do that at the Wailea Marriot Resort in Maui. Go me. Oy vey.
(For those who care, Wailea is pronounced Why-Uh-Lay-Uh.)
This is what I make of the situation, though: Had I not been a complete moron, then we would never have had such a great lunch with über-editor Charlie. So, I’m not that miffed about it. (Who am I kidding? I was mortified when it happened! Charles is just the nice spin I like to put on the situation to make me feel better.)
Oh, and here’s a taste of what I saw in Maui…
And, yes, I did take them myself!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Aloha!
08/26/07 | Maui | 0 Comments
I just wanted to throw out a quick word to say that I made it to Maui in one piece (though I think I left my butt in Fort Worth, Texas!)...!!!
It’s the end of my second day on the island, and I couldn’t be having more fun. Yesterday was a traveling day (like I said in another entry, about 14 hours!), and settling into my room. Maui is SIX hours behind Boston, so you can imagine how tired I was. I actually wasn’t able to fall asleep until about 9:30 Maui time, which is about 3:30AM Boston time… Ouch! But, that meant I was able to wake up at 7AM this morning and enjoy a full day. I’ll definitely have to post some pictures when I get back, because the ocean here is absolutely stunning. I’m not a sun guy, at ALL, and yet I laid on a beach chair for about an hour and a half today, just watching the waves. Sounds sort of cliche, but it was so relaxing.
At about 5:30 we had our Retreat Orientation, where the organizers told us about the retreat and introduced us to all of the “teachers”. They even had a native Hawiian come in and bless the retreat for us with some beautiful chanting. Then they served us dinner up on the roof of one of the sections of the resort, and Gary actually invited me to eat at his table. I had (surprisingly) already made friends with two other writers by that point and brought them over to Gary’s table as well, where he had assembled a number of people who are going to be in his class. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I had. Being writers, it was a little awkward at first, but then the wine started to flow and everybody opened up real nice!
So, tomorrow begins the retreat, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Gary was complimenting my work at dinner, and made me blush considerably (which was an accomplishment, considering my cheeks were already red from the sun and the wine!). The other writers seem like a really enjoyable bunch, and I can’t wait to get started.
I’d love to write more, but it’s costing me $.65/minute to write this, so I have to go...!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
I Should Be Packing…
08/23/07 | Maui, Movies, Procrastination | 0 Comments
There’s about 20 hours left until I leave for Maui (7AM flight, 14 hour trip, oy). I have so much stuff to do before I leave, too. Do you guys know that I haven’t started packing yet? Do you know that I still have laundry to do before I CAN pack? I also have to go to the bank, to the post office, the store, start rereading The Silence of the Lambs at Gary Braver’s request for the retreat portion of the trip, and call a cab company to make sure I have a way to get TO the airport at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Fun… Yeah, yeah, I know. Does “Professional Procrastinator” not mean anything these days? I’ll get everything done. I hope.
One thing to keep me in high spirits on my long flight (besides the booze, that is)? This message by Gary Braver:
I’m looking forward to working with you on your story, which I think has potential. You have a smooth and engaging narrative style.
Can you feel the heat coming off my face right now? I’ve gotten compliments before (as well as scathing reviews), but to hear that from a bestselling author?
On a side note I went to see the movie Stardust yesterday.
It was surprisingly well done (not that I had any notion of what to expect… I just knew it hasn’t been doing too well at the box office). Claire Danes is glowing as usual, and relative newcomer Charlie Cox plays an all around good performance as well. One of the real surprises of the movie was Robert De Niro’s cross dressing, tea making, piano playing (and swashbuckling?) Captain Shakespeare. Totally unexpected, totally hilarious. Pretty good special effects (though sometimes a little cheesy, but always worth it), and I wish the witch duel could have lasted a little longer (you’ll have to watch it to know what I mean!). Definitely worth the time and money to see.
Okay, I must get back to my Maui checklist. Next time you hear from me I’ll be roasting!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Professional Procrastinator At Work
08/21/07 | Books, General, Movies, Procrastination | 0 Comments
I’ve been procrastinating again. All of my ‘worry’ voices keep telling me to get more work done on editing my novel, but I can’t even seem to force myself to do it the past week or so. I actually got through a nice chunk yesterday, but a whole helluvalot of procrastination happened before that. What have I been doing instead? Why don’t I tell you…?
READ:
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
It was actually an interesting read. It’s about a demon from Hell who takes over this boy’s body, hell-bent on, well, destroying the universe. It is Sam’s first novel, and is written for the young adult crowd (which is fine, because I think there’s a bit too much violence for the children’s crowd!). Bit dark, but a lot of humor is brought in with the character of Jack.
Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim
This story begins during the summer of ’81, when two boys from a Little League are molested by their coach. One of them likes it, believing it to be love, and goes on to be a hustler when he gets older. The other blacks out the experience and, later in life, is convinced that those five hours are missing from his life because he was abducted by aliens. He’s not too far off, actually. Stunningly written, though I would extend a word of caution if you don’t have the stomach for a bit of violence.
REWATCHED:
Director Alfonso Cuarón impresses again. I’m not shy about my love of all things Harry Potter, and I was first introduced to his work with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the most visually stunning of all five HP movies so far, I think). Here, he does it again, and with seeming ease. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should definitely check it out. But, if you HAVE seen it, you should take a second look, and pay attention to the three or four scenes in the movie that are actually ONE CUT. The opening scene with the coffee shop, the scene where they are attacked in the car, as well as the final battle scene are ALL done in one shot. Amazing. Alfonso is one of the top directors I would choose for my screenplay Bethanine if I were able to pick the director myself.
I get more and more amazed by this movie with each viewing. Everything is so subtle. Nothing is thrown into your face. From Clint Eastwood’s quiet struggles, to Hilary Swank’s determination (even at the end) to go out a champ, and rounded off nicely with Morgan Freeman’s soft narration, you get sucked in and just nestled in the flow of the movie. Throw in Paul Haggis’s superb writing, and it’s no wonder this movie won the Best Picture Oscar. Paul Haggis is another person who intrigues me… To have written TWO Best Pictures in a row (MDB and Crash), as well as being versatile enough to take on projects like the recent Casino Royale, he’s the kind of screenwriter I want to be. (Oh, and try HUNDRED MILLION Dollar Baby… That’s right, this little movie brought in BIG bank!)
WANT TO SEE:
Since it came out almost 10 years ago, Elizabeth has been one of my favorite movies. Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses. So, you can imagine my joy when I learned they were making a sequel! I first heard about Elizabeth: The Golden Age about a year and a half ago, and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival since. Now, the trailer has finally been released, stating an October release date (!!!). So, if you have a moment, why don’t you bask in the gloriousness that is Elizabeth: The Golden Age…
A line that gives me the chills every time I hear it?
Queen Elizabeth I: Tell your king I fear neither him nor his armies.
Spanish Minister: There is a wind coming that will sweep away your pride.
Queen Elizabeth I: I too can command the wind, sir! I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!
What was that line of Jim Carrey’s? Joygasm?
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
On Agents And Conferences
08/16/07 | Maui, My Writings | 0 Comments
Okay, there are roughly 7 billion people in the world, right? Now, even if one half of one percent of those people are trying to be writers, that still equates to about 35 MILLION people.
I want to be published. Now you know the odds.
It may not be nearly that many people, but the numbers are definitely up there. You look at publisher or agency statistics, and they reject an average of 99% of the unsolicited submissions they get a year (meaning, people who send stuff in without the agent/publisher/editor requesting it first). And publishers are even worse than literary agencies. In fact, most publishers now REQUIRE submissions to be sent via an agent; they won’t even look at it if it’s sent directly from you, the writer.
Think of agents as St. Peter; they are the Guardians of the Gates, Keepers of the Keys… and rightly so, if you think about it. Would books ever get published if publishers had to sift through all of those submissions themselves (remember my above statistics?)…? So, agents are necessary in today’s publishing world. (Not to mention that they are able to negotiate the best deal possible for you.)
Agents HAVE to be very picky about the clients they take on. They have to really love the work if they are going to spend their time trying to get your manuscript into the hands of the right people. They also have to like YOU if they plan on working with you for however long your relationship lasts (I know of authors who have had the same agent for 20+ years!).
So, how do you get to one of these elusive agents? Well, there’s the most common way of sending them a query letter, possibly with a few sample chapters and a synopsis of the piece (about 1 page per every 25 manuscript pages). But, if you want to get some actual face time with these people, you need to go to a writers’ conference.
That’s what I’ve decided to do. So, in one weeks’ time, I will be boarding a plane and flying out to Maui. First, I will be attending the Maui Writers Retreat, a 6-day Skulls session with me, about 10 other writers, and one bestselling author (Gary Braver). All of us are working on novels, so Gary will be facilitating a roundtable discussion about our pieces, which the other group members will offer critiques on, we will revise our work, and then go for a second round. At the end of those six days, we are supposed to walk away with first (and possibly second) chapters worthy of bestsellerdom. Should be interesting.
However, when the retreat is over, that’s when the real work begins. The next three days will be the Maui Writers Conference, attended by us (published author wannabes), actual published authors, and agents, editors and producers alike. This is where the all important face time comes in. We actually get to sign up for sessions with these industry professionals, pitch our ideas, and hope for the best. Talk about skipping the slush pile!
Even before the conference has begun, I’ve already had two agents get in contact with me about my work. One is interested in my novel, A Song of Sad Lamentation, and the other is interested in my story collection, The Price of Innocence (look for stories that say: “Part of a collection of stories, The Price of Innocence."). They have both received my samples (believe me, I sent them out the SECOND I knew they wanted the samples!), and so now I pray.
Then, during the conference, it’s important to mingle and make contacts. Talk about your ideas and projects with people. All you need is your toe in the door, for them to say the all powerful words “Why don’t you send me a sample,” and then the whole trip has been worth it. It was so empowering to be able to write “Requested Material” on the envelopes I sent to those two agents. It’s some vindication that people are at least interested in seeing a sample of the work, it’s at least good enough to get out of the slush pile.
I will be making some Journal updates as the retreat and conference go on, so you can get an insider’s look into the Maui Writers Conference!
Hopefully the conference and retreat will be worth it. But hey, like everyone has been saying to me, if I don’t get an agent out of this, at least I’ll have been to Maui.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Time For A Change
08/13/07 | My Writings | 0 Comments
For those of you who haven’t read about it in my About Me section, I started writing my novel in 10th grade. My English teacher asked us to do a writing exercise, to write out a couple examples of what makes a great opening for a novel. Stuff like “I couldn’t remember how the pen got stuck in my eye…” and “They didn’t know if they would make it to the hospital in time…” I know. It’s a real loss that I didn’t pursue those, right? Well, then I wrote something about a character contemplating suicide, and that really intrigued me. Why would he be having these thoughts? So, I started to dig, and ultimately began work on a novel without even realizing it.
What I started then and what I have now are, thankfully, nothing alike. (Never bothering to plot out the novel had the unforeseen side effect of me having to rewrite the whole thing twice.) I began work on the novel with its current plot in 12th grade, and finished it my second year of college. Now, two more years later, I find that I’m unhappy with it.
I’ve actually been unhappy with it for a while now, though I was too scared/nervous to do anything about it. The novel was finished, wasn’t it? There was a beginning, middle and end, interesting characters, conflict, love, friendship, murder… all the things for a great novel, right? Well, yes, but something was missing.
Something kept nagging at the back of my mind all those years. One of the people I asked to read my novel when it was first finished was my 11th grade English teacher, someone who I trusted for her brutal honesty. Her first comment on the piece? It was juvenile. Juvenile? What the hell does that mean? Well, through an unfortunate set of circumstances, I never got to find out, so that comment was stuck in my head without any explanation.
Now, two years and a lot more writing experience under my belt, I finally realized what she was talking about. But I was still scared to proceed. The novel’s been locked down for two years already! I was so used to how everything was that I couldn’t even picture it happening any other way.
Well, not any more. I’ve decided on a change. Things are being rewritten, rearranged, and removed or improved. The first thing to go? The title.
If you happened to catch it, the title of the novel used to be A Life, Less Living. It was referencing a line of dialogue from one of the characters, Becky:
Like I said before, he was basically a life, less living; he was already dead, and you would have thought he was if you had seen him there.
Okay, not the best bit of writing I’ve ever done, but that’s where the title originated from. It refers to the main character, Simon, after seeing his partner Damen dead for the first time.
However, the title was always obscure, and more than one person asked me what it meant. Great, I thought, they’re curious! Read the book to find out! Well, I’ve found out that people don’t waste their time with things they don’t understand, so the title was actually a hindrance.
To get the ball rolling (physically on the page as well as mentally for me), the title has become A Song of Sad Lamentation. There actually is a poem in the novel that the title refers to, but this time you really ARE going to have to read the novel to see it!
And so, a major rearrangement has already taken place, the first chapter has been rewritten (check it out here), and I am going through the rest of the novel as we speak.
What prompted this sudden urge to make changes/improvements? I had an agent request some samples… More to come on that later, though.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Up And (Hopefully) Running!
08/9/07 | General | 0 Comments
So, as my first Journal entry, I thought I should talk a little about what the purpose of this feature is.
Many writers will stick to just that, talking about writing. I, on the other hand, will extend that to talk about all things creative. My writing will definitely take the foreground, but I will also talk about books I’m reading/have read, movies I’ve seen, art exhibits I’ve perused, etc. Anything and everything creative (and maybe a couple ramblings as well… I can’t promise I’ll always stick to topic!).
Hopefully, by the time you read this, my website will be completely up and running (and updated!). It has been an interesting ride with Reese and Jason, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with the home they have created for me. (And I do consider it a home. This is the place where my most precious possessions are housed and displayed for the world to see, and a sense of welcome and warmth was paramount.) There were times when I thought Jason would strangle me, if only his hands could do so through email, but he always stayed calm, even as I became more anal. Simply saying ‘thank you’ seems hardly adequate, but I think they’ll appreciate it all the same!
I hope that you enjoy the writing samples sprinkled throughout the site, as well the ramblings you’ll undoubtedly read in this Journal. If you want to get in contact with me, do so through my contact page!
Until next…
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