Happy Birthday to Robbie Coltrane, Warren Beatty, and John Astin!!!
So, I'm still coming down from the awesomeness of The Hunger Games. Despite the fact that I had to sit in the third row, all the way to the right, and in front of two chatterboxes (at least the girl was asking her guy questions about the story which led me to believe he had read the book), I still loved the movie! I only have two small criticisms, but they're not really worth mentioning.
I'd like to try something a little different today. I usually talk about up and coming fangirl events like new movies or books, but today I'd like to talk about some things that I feel every nerdgirl should know about. I wouldn't judge you if you didn't know about these things, of course. This article, On the Fake Geek Girl, from The Mary Sue got me to thinking about how wrong it is to look down on someone who calls themselves a geek, but doesn't seem to know the things they should. Geekdom is an all inclusive club! Anyone can join!
So, I'm a character girl. I love intriguing characters. A book, movie, TV show, or what have you could be set in a white void, and as long as the characters are great, I'll love it. Don't get me wrong, location is fun, too. Anne Rice is really good at location description, but once I got it, I got it, ya know? After reading Interview with the Vampire, I pretty much just skimmed the description in her other books. Some people say, "Location is a character, too," which can be true. Like in Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or The Shining or Firefly. Those examples might be more literal than what those people are meaning, though. But it seems easy to me (and I use the word "easy" very loosely here because writing, especially good writing, is never easy) to make a setting a character in say a fantasy or horror novel. I think I might be getting off track here...
Anyway, back to characters... Like I said on Friday, I've started watching Downton Abbey. What a wonderful example of great characters. I goofed up though. I started watching season 2 first and didn't realize it until I was almost done with the ones that are out so far. So, last night I started at the beginning with season 1 and something was revealed about a character that I didn't know even after watching 7 or 8 episodes of the second season (I won't give any spoilers, but for those who do watch DA, I will say this: THOMAS!).
Anyway, that one thing changed my view of that character, not in a decidedly good or bad way, but I now look at him just... differently. And that's why I consider this show a shining example of character building. The thing is, you never know what a character will do just like you never know what people will do. None of the characters so far are straight up good or bad. They're real people. They make mistakes, sometimes intentionally, and because of that, they are more human than almost any of the characters I've ever read or watched. I can only wish that someday I'll be able to write characters as good as these.
So, what about you guys? Are you a setting or a character person? Do you watch Downton Abbey and, if so, what do you think about it? What other stories can you think of where the setting was a character? Post in the comments!
Happy Birthday to Juliette Binoche! Happy one day early Birthday to Jon Hamm and Rick Rubin!
I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and man, have I struck gold. The first book that blew me away was:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (Click image for Goodreads page)
Such a lovely story. I will definitely be adding other books by this author to my TBR pile. This is exactly what it's supposed to be. A love story. The characters are deep and well-developed even though the story only happens in maybe 2 days. Worth the read if you're into love stories and cute British boys.
And just because it's fun to look at covers and especially those from other countries, here's a few for this book.
Happy Birthday to Billy Zane, Edward James Olmos, and Barry Bostwick!
So, I'm sure you've heard, but I must talk about this awesome news: J.K. Rowling will release a new adult book! Here's GalleyCat's announcment: http://t.co/DrMt9OHV
I mean, seriously people, I can't wait! I wonder if it will have any fantastical aspects. Or if it will just be straight up real things happening to real people. In my mind, J.K. can do no wrong. She could write about how to make haggis and I'd read it. And probably love it.
And there's your LOL for the day. You're welcome. I got this from my Pinterest. Harry Potter memes are my new obsession. Check it out :)
Oh yeah, and there's this:
AW YEAH! Are you kidding me?! How awesome does that look?!
And that's it. Post in the comments, tell me what you're fangirl/guy squealing about!
So, yeah, this is me right now. I even have the same hair style. Kind of.
I was chugging along the other day, writing away, when, all of a sudden, I felt that something was off. And then, I was stuck.
"What is wrong? Something is wrong! Where do I go from here?" Then came the downward spiral of "my book is crap and I can't fix it".
Thank goodness for writer buddies. I sent Stefanie what I had up to that point. By the end of the conversation, I realized something VERY important. It was time to beat my character up. I needed to kick her while she was down. Which sucks because I really like my main character and, just like any person I like, I don't want to see her do something stupid. I don't want her to be an idiot or have someone treat her badly. But, you know what, if I didn't do that, then what kind of story would this be.
Harry Potter is always my go to when I feel like I need to learn a lesson about writing. Remember when everyone and their momma thought Harry was the heir to Slytherin? Remember when Harry and Ron had a fight in Goblet of Fire? When those things happened, you felt for Harry, you wanted him to succeed despite all those hardships.
So, the moral of this blog is: Don't be afraid to kick the sh** out of your character! Plain and simple.
First off: Happy Birthday to Emma Watson, Seth Rogen, and Emma Thompson!!!
Oh, please. You know what I'm going to talk about today. Today is the DVD release of *trumpet fanfair* HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1!!! *cymbal crash*
I plan on not doing a darn thing other than sitting in front of the TV, perusing the bonus features. Mmmm, deleted scenes *drool*, behind the scenes interviews *double drool*, and, if I'm lucky, a sneak peek at Part 2 *catatonic drool*. I loved this movie! I did have one problem with it: the Dobby burial scene. I felt they left out one big aspect that made the whole scene. The part about everyone giving him pieces of clothing. Makes me ball every time.
Oh, and there's this:
Our little wizard is growing up *tear*. But, doesn't this look goooood?!
Also, have ya'll seen this trailer?
I think it looks slightly campy, in a good way. Brandon Routh, as you all know, played Superman in Superman Returns... Don't get me started on that one. Anyway, I did like him as Superman, and in Scott Pilgrim, and in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and, well, in pretty much everything he's done. This movie also has someone I've talked about before here on Fangirl Friday: Sam Huntington.
Another huge thing, HBO will be adapting American Gods by Neil Gaiman into a series!!!..... I just plotzed.
Hehehehe, I love Fangirl Friday! It doesn't take me all day to figure out what I'm going to blog about.
Okay, so, let's start with *dun, dun, duuuunnn* American Idol!
I declare that Thursday night's epi was the best and worst one ever. The worst because... well... I lost a little faith in humanity when Casey Abrams was voted off by Americans.
Um, heelllooo, America?! What are you thinking? How could you not vote for this guy? He's talented, original, and cute as a button to boot!
I guess I can't bitch too much because I didn't vote. BUT you can be certain that I will be voting from here on out! Which brings me to why it was the best epi ever. The judges used their ONE save on him! His reaction was so genuine I just wanted to ball. I now officially like J-Lo.
Ok, topic #2: Will Ferrell will be replacing Steve Carell on The Office! Not permanently but for a few episodes at least.
I say "Huzzah!". Mr. Ferrell has made a few movies that I was not that impressed with, but his stuff on SNL was genius so I think a show like The Office will be a great vehicle for him. Although, Mr. Michael Scott will be sorely missed.
Let's see what else... Oh, Kevin Costner will play Pa Kent in the new Superman movie. I can see it. Maybe he'll get his film career going again and will leave the country music scene alone.
Oh, and then there's this!
Play games, look at extras, among other Harry Potter awesomeness. I haven't delved too far into it, but I've started my account. Its also on Twitter: @HPQuest. Click on the picture to go to the site :)
I am going to be in HEAVEN this weekend folks. ABC Family is doing a Harry Potter Marathon! So, before I huddle up in front of the television with my butterbeer, I thought I'd talk a little about the boy who lived and what he means to me.
Harry Potter has been a part of my life since 2000 when I picked up the first book. It has become one of those things that will never get old for me. It is something that everyone knows about me.
"Leah? Leah who?"
"You know, the Harry Potter nut."
"Oh, yeah. Her."
It has brought me comfort when very few things could. In 2002, my father was fighting Pancreatic cancer. I stayed with him in the hospital the whole time. One particular day (very near the end), a lot of the family was visiting. They told me to go home, take a break, get some rest, try to relax. What did I do the second I left? I went straight to Tinsel Town for the first showing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on opening day. When I saw that view of Little Surrey, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders for the first time since Daddy had gone into the hospital.
Of course, nothing could take away the pain and fear I was feeling then and now over losing my father, but, for those couple of hours, I was able to allow myself to try and not think about everything that was going on.
Bottom line: I love HP because the characters are wonderful and the story is fascinating, original, and sometimes heart-wrenching.
Here's a clip that I've watched at least five times today. I also paused on different frames. I know, I'm a nerd.
OH MY ALBUS! I mean, seriously! July, people. JU-LY! This is going to be so good. I mean, this is it. This is the end, the climax, the culmination of the whole shebang. At least, as far as we know (please, JK, write more). I loved the last book and Part 1 was great! Of course, I have my pet peeves with the movies (speaking of Peeves, I wish he was in the movies. Michael Palin would have been perfect), but I'll save those for another post.
Last night was a #YALITCHAT and I totally stalked it. It was about those voices that, as writers, we all hear in our head. Those little buggers that just won't let you finish washing the dishes so you have to stop and find a notebook and jot down the idea before you forget it and then you end up getting your notebook all wet and wrinkly pages make me bonkers... sorry... got carried away.
Anyway, the chat got me thinking about what I remember most about a good character and I realized something. Very rarely do I remember a character for their good points. I always focus on the flaws. Does this make me a pessimist?
J.K. Rowling is a master at creating flawed characters and then using those flaws to further the story, to make the reader relate to them and cheer them on. Hermione Granger is the first one that comes to mind. What if she hadn't been so bossy and such a know-it-all? Well, those three wouldn't have gotten a damn thing done. Then there's sweet, meek Nevile Longbottom. Would I have literally let out a whoop of joy at the end when he chopped Nagini in two if he hadn't been such a wet blanket for most of the books? That would be a "No way, Jose."
Now I'm reflecting on my own characters. They have flaws but I don't think I made them obvious in the first draft. I realize now that their flaws have to help drive the plot. I'm so glad I realized this here at the very beginning of editing. Thank you #YALITCHAT!
I was sitting here staring at the blank post thingy, trying to think of something writerly to post about. Though I'm sure there are a ton of things I could post about, I can't think of a darn thing. So, I'm just going to do something different.
It is Mardi Gras weekend down here on the bayou (I don't really live on a bayou but I have been to many). So, LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER! (hands out Mardi Gras beads. Seriously, take them. I have like 3 Wal-Mart bags full from previous years! Please take them!)
My brother is going and more power to him. I've never been to NOLA for Mardi Gras and I never intend to. It scares me...
To celebrate this four day weekend I'm going to indulge my inner Fangirl. Here are all the things I'm excited about that will be happening soon:
Mother, wife, and YA author living on a windy hill in Louisiana. I love fuzzy socks, comic books, cherry coke, and brand new office supplies. Represented by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency. Stay cool! Contact me at leahraewrites(at)gmail(dot)com
