Moving and Stress

My new workspace 

I'm still in the middle of this move, which is keeping my writing from being written, my blog from being blogged, and my laundry from being laundered... okay, you didn't need to know that.

After a physically grueling weekend of carrying heavy things to and from a truck I managed to translate a small article this morning that tells me of the benefits of stress. It had some well-reasoned arguments about how stress boosts certain hormones that then help you have a burst of creativity, or how it can help you find solutions more easily. Though it did warn that there should be balance with that stress so you don't overload on that cortisone hormone that's released. Endorphins sound much more fun right about now.

Anyway, in a bit of good news, my screenplay client is very happy with two-thirds of the screenplay. He admits that perhaps he rushed me a tad toward the end there.... and there was that move, too!

Now we can get to work on polishing it up to the point where he can go out and pitch it, which is what he really wants to do.

And in other news, I have received some very good and useful editorial feedback on that first chapter of "Out in the Dark". Maybe next week I'll post chapter 2.

The cat is helping with my work

Out in the Dark, chapter 1

After much thinking, soul searching, research and asking other writers, I've decided to try an experiment. I will self-publish this dark, young adult novel 'Out in the Dark'. Below I've included the first chapter and I welcome comments or inquiries. A previous post on this book can be found here along with a synopsis: Out in the Dark

A friend of mine is probably going to do the cover art, so stay tuned for that as well. She's the very talented artist Karin who did the lovely pen and ink drawing of Sydney in the post on 'Tales of Sydney'.

Let me know what you think and stay tuned for updates on the process of self-publishing. I hope it won't cost a fortune, or I may need to start a Kickstarter campaign!

OUT IN THE DARK

Nicola Adams

Chapter 1.

The image flashed across his brain again and Jake rubbed his eyes to make it go away. He knew what it was and why he was seeing it, but he didn’t want to deal with it. He shouldn’t have to, not at his age. He should be having a normal life, going to baseball practice, sneaking a smoke behind his mother’s back and cutting the occasional class to prove he was a normal teen, except that he wasn’t. 

It was all his father’s fault. 

His father had taught him to see; to see what nobody else could see. To see far away and see what was hidden. His father had taught him to read people, events and places from afar. And now his father was sending him images. Things Jake didn’t want to see. 

There was nothing especially terrible about them, except that they were an unwelcome intrusion and made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to see where his father was; the man had left. 

“Hey, you listening?” Jessica nudged him in the ribs, hard. The school bus bounced across  the potholes like it had lost all suspension. It was the oldest bus in the fleet, used to pick up the rowdiest kids along the rural routes in Washington. The seat covers were torn and the windows covered in permanent marker graffiti; some good, most terrible and just about all of it lewd. 

“Yeah, I’m listening,” Jake grumbled. She might be his girlfriend, but he was getting tired of her constant chatter about clothes and parties and celebrities. “When’s the party and where?” he said in his customary gruff voice, the one he’d adopted after his father left for one last mission. It had only been a year since his dad got called up for a special and highly secret project, but it felt so much longer. Jake’s mother could barely cope and Jake felt sure she would start something with Mr. Caruthers, the high school football coach. He’d been hanging around for weeks now, supposedly helping her out with chores around the house, but acting as if he was about to own the place. 

Why did Dad have to go away? Jake was mad at him and wanted him to come home to make everything right again, but that was little-kid dreaming. Life didn’t work that way. 

“Now that you have your driver’s license you can pick me up in your mom’s car and maybe we can go somewhere afterwards.” Jessica leaned suggestively against his shoulder and looked up at him with eager and expectant eyes. Her eyes were her best feature, big and round and deep blue. Aside from that she had an okay body, it was shapelier than most girls in his class. He wished she wouldn’t bleach her hair, though, it made it look unnatural, almost like straw. 

Everyone said he was lucky to be with her. His friends all thought they would marry after high school graduation. He could keep his job at Ramon’s garage and be all set. Why bother with college? 

If they only knew. Jake had very different plans. He was determined to get out of this small town. Rural Pacific Northwest was not his scene. Any place had to be better than this. 

The bus squealed to a stop in front of James Madison High. A standard one-story, sprawling school building that every day reminded Jake more and more of a prison. Throngs of teens in flannel, fleece and jeans shuffled into the building. The new principal stood at the door greeting each kid who walked past. It was his way of showing that the kids mattered, but Jake knew better. If each kid mattered then why had nobody suggested to him he try for a top science college or even just community college? His math scores were off the charts and the only thing keeping the school scores from being at rock bottom. 

Yeah, he was ready to get out. The sooner the better since it was obvious that nobody cared about him. 

“Ah...” Jake doubled over at the searing pain in his head. This was not supposed to happen. His dad said that only on rare occasions could you feel the pain of others. What was happening to his dad? This was not like before.

“Dude, you okay?” A hulking figure stood over him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, no worries,” Jake said to the prize offense-player of the football team. “Hangover, sunlight’s too bright,” he said, knowing that was the right answer. Besides, Brandon would never in a million years understand what was going on in Jake’s head, or his life. 

“Awesome, dude.” Brandon slapped him companionably on the shoulder, which nearly sent Jake sprawling. At six feet, 2 inches he wasn’t exactly small, but his slender frame was no match for the over 200-pound mass of Brandon.  

All through calculus Jake was plagued by the images his father sent him telepathically, no matter how hard he tried to shut them out. 

An idea started to form and by lunchtime he knew what he had to do. 

April Book Review

Siddhartha 

By: Hermann Hesse

Quickly before I dash off to St. Louis for the robotics world championships, I thought I’d put together a book review. For a thin book. 

I read it some time ago and planned to do a book review of it all along, but I didn't feel ready to write it until now. There is something about the book, that simple story which at its heart explains Buddhism, that stays with you. Regardless of your own spiritual persuasions. 

We can all identify with the seeking the main character goes through. First pursuing fortune and pleasure only to learn that those offer little fulfillment or peace. Then struggling to quiet the ego in a simple life and finally, hardest of all, learning to let go of the struggle we all face of letting go of expectations for others. This is particularly poignant when you have kids because you want to guide them and show them the right way, but only they can find the path that’s right for them. 

Where the book truly excels is in the simple telling of a universal story. In some ways it is the story of the Buddha, but in other ways it is the story of each and every one of us as we traverse this shiny blue bauble out in the middle of a vast universe. 

The book also shows the intense seeking the author, Herman Hesse, went through in his life. A writer whose life was not without struggle and pain. He started writing at a time when romanticism was very much in vogue in Germany and Austria, he at first embraced that style and direction of thinking, wanting to find the harmony with nature and the balance in the natural world. World War II changed all that and he retreated deep within himself and away from the world for a long time. 

Siddhartha is a book that lets you step back, for a moment joining the author in his quest, and reflect.  At least that is what it did for me. 

Screenwriting Week 14

I had this wonderful blog post almost all written about my progress on the screenwriting project; how we had worked together, talked almost daily on the phone, researched, reworked, added new characters and deleted other characters, and then I got a phone call from my client … Let’s change it! he said. 

So close. 

The old post is now crumpled up in a ball in the virtual laptop trashcan. I can still see it in there, and I wonder if there’s anything I can salvage from it, along with what I might be able to salvage from the screenplay I had almost completed. 

To change direction I spent a good portion of the day researching and watching old movies. Not a bad way to spend the day, especially not since I really enjoy those old movies. The ones with Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell, or Spencer Tracy & Kathryn Hepburn. 

Surprisingly, I’m not bothered by the change or the fact that I will basically have to start from scratch again. This is part of the collaborative process and will - hopefully - yield a better product. It also means we keep the story fresh and sharp, instead of slipping into an already set pattern, which is very easy. You start writing something and it seems ok, so you keep going only to realize you’re not stellar. Sometimes - often - a total rewrite is what’s required to produce a truly outstanding story. 

While I’m working on this I’m also continuing translation work which remains interesting. And then there are those robotics competitions to attend. Lots of travel, lots of excitement, but at least at the bigger competitions they set up mentor lounges so I can work there between matches. It’s a nice, quiet place with lots of tired looking adults with laptops. I’m in good company. 

Back to work, I’ve watched my movies, downloaded the scripts to read through, and fired up the laptop. I have a few days before we fly off again for the world championships in St. Louis, and I intend to get a lot of writing done. Oh, and I need to pack boxes since we’ll be moving soon too. 

Proofreading

I’ll start off by apologizing for not blogging more regularly this month. I still feel like it’s only the first week of March, everything is a blur of driving, robots and work … lots of work. 

But enough about that. You came here to read about my proofreading methods - and yes, I’ll admit mistakes still slip through. It’s not a foolproof process, especially not when reading my own work. I hear that from many writers. But there is one trick a very sharp, and very good proofreader taught me. 

Actually it’s two tricks. The first one is to read the text more than once; at least three times. The second trick is to use a different color piece of paper, folded over and use it as a reading guide.

Let me explain further with an example of a translation job: 

After I finish a job I’ll often let it sit for a day - don’t tell my client or they’ll shorten my deadlines! - so the text will have a chance to fade a little from my mind. Then the next day I’ll read through a printout with a colored pen or pencil and start marking the glaring errors and punctuation I may have missed. 

Next, after another cup of tea, I’ll enter the changes in the computer. Then I take a folded letter-size piece of paper and go through the piece, line by line. By holding the paper over the other text, I read it no longer as a whole story, but I’m reading it line by line. And when reading it line by line it’s easier to see mistakes our brain would normally correct for. Yes, it is time consuming, but it leads to a better finished product.    

After that I let it sit for a few hours, or maybe just an hour depending on my deadline, and then read it through one more time. You might think that’s redundant, but there have been many times when I’ve caught mistakes or just found clumsy sentences that could be better. Only then will I sent it off to my client. 

Now to apply that rigorous methodology to my novels! 

The Open Road

Ah, the open road, have laptop, will travel. The romance of driving where ever you want, plugging in the laptop and writing about all you see and experience...

Okay, it sounds good, but the reality is you’re trying to see the road in the driving rain. And where is that exit anyway? 

Who has the laptop charger and where is the mobile hotspot? What do you mean you don’t know? Does the hotel have wifi? Will it be any good? I’ve got clients waiting for stuff. 

Is that the street we need? Why don’t they put up legible street signs in this town? Turn left! Are you sure? Oh, you meant the second street, not the first. I’m glad your phone knows the way, because the map got wet at the Starbucks drive-thru. 

What? No cell service? Wait, we’re coming up on an other town... they’re bound to have at least one cell tower. 

We can’t park in the lot? Well, how about if I just park way at the back of the lot, where they can’t see me or even get close enough to try and tow me. Thanks, glad we agree on that. Now, where’s the rest of the team? And, more importantly, where is the bathroom in this place? 

Phew, we made it. Part of our team is in the stands, the rest are building the pit and setting up the robot. I’ve got coffee, not that I need any more, and a print out to work on for now. Nothing like having a stack of papers, poorly stapled together, and only your lap as a desk. But I’m working while the competition field is being set up and the PA systems is doing, ever louder!! , sound checks. 

Other bleary eyed, coffee toting, excited mentors are joining me and we’re start to talk strategy. This is going to be an exciting weekend. 

So did I get much work done? Not really, but it was worth every minute of sitting on those hard bleachers, watching the competitions and watching the crowds. It will only enrich my writing. I’m home and once again able to plug in my laptop, connect to reliable wifi, and work twice as hard and twice as fast to get caught up. Hey, a freelancer can work any 24 hours of the day she chooses. It will mean a few late nights working, but it’s all worth it. 

By the way, our robotics team won the district championship! 

February 2014 Book Review

As you know I’ve been busy reading film scripts and books on crafting a good screenplay, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to squeeze in some fun reading where I can. 

I’m slowly working my way through an excellent English translation of the novel “The Time Regulation Institute”  by Turkish author Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar. However that’s not ready for review yet. In recent months I’ve also discovered some new comic books. Well, new to me as they are only just now coming out in English translations.

These are the “Blake and Mortimer” comic books and the reason I was drawn to trying them out is because the author was a close relation - and collaborator - to famed Tintin author Hergé. Tintin has been read and reread many times in my house. There is something about those stories that makes them very compelling. 

So, I thought I’d give Mr. Edgar P. Jacobs and his books a try. I wasn’t disappointed. Though he’s a little more serious than Hergé, and a bit more wordy, his stories do appeal in a way similar to Tintin. 

Our main characters are Captain Blake, dashing British agent of MI5, and his best friend, nuclear physicist, Professor Mortimer. They are intelligent, open minded and up for any adventure. Where Hergé just stays within the realm of reality, Jacobs takes us in a different direction. Some of his stories accept magical realism more readily, such as in “The Mystery of the Great Pyramid” or “The Atlantis Mystery”, where others show us a world with an alternate history where the conflict of World War II is different. In the trilogy “The Secret of the Swordfish” we’re shown what the world might look like if China had been the main aggressor in WWII, seeking and claiming world domination. 

It’s an interesting premise and alternative exploration of war and peace. In particular too the designs for the swordfish weapon show that Jacobs learned much from his mentor. 

The drawings are very reminiscent of Tintin and show Jacobs to be an accomplished artist. The story lines are imaginative and suspenseful, though some of the relationships show the time they were written in. There is a truly villainous bad guy, in the form of adventurer and soldier of fortune, Olrik, which adds imaginative complications to each story. The only negatives I find is that the stories are a bit wordy, with extraneous explanations, but I’m not sure if that’s true for the originals as well or if it’s caused by the translator needing more words. In general the translations could do with a bit of polishing and some of the words chosen seem archaic, and could have been updated without loss of context. Maybe some day I’ll look for a few in the original French to see how Jacobs actually wrote them.

All in all, I recommend these books for a lazy Sunday afternoon when you’re in the mood for some adventure, but don’t want to leave your comfy couch.