As we discussed in class, Romeo and Juliet are sonneteers by any other name.  Download the powerpoint from class to review our discussion:  Romeo and Juliet Powerpoint

The Role of Music in Writing

Music can inspire you, influence you, and help your mood while writing a piece.  Despite your taste in music or writing style, you can use music to create a mood in a scene or a chapter of a novel.  Are you writing poetry or a Love affair?  Try some romantic music.  How about a dangerous scene?  Try some fast hard rock.  Keep your pen and your feet dancing - and your muse shaking.  Read on.

http://writinghood.com/writing/how-music-influences-your-writing/

In years past, science fiction was almost exclusively left to the hard-core fans: comic nerds, Trekkies, Tolkienites, and even the dreaded otakus.

In contrast, today’s average moviegoers flock to see sci-fi blockbusters. The genre has evolved from the esoteric to the mainstream.

Source:
http://blog.koldcast.tv/2009/koldcast-news/koldcast-tv-picks-17-seminal-moments-in-sci-fi-films/

Christmas Time Is Here Performed by Toni Braxton

Jumping high heels first into the Christmas genre, Toni Braxton has come up with a spectacular first effort. Teetering into smooth jazz territory, Braxton gives her sophisticated, breathy vocals a workout on this untraditional Yuletide collection. Instead of revamping old holiday standards, Braxton has co-written seven new songs–with husband Keri “Mint Condition” Lewis, her sister Tamar, David Foster, and Kenny “Baby Face” Edmonds–and has created what sounds more like a proper Toni Braxton album than a seasonal offering. When Braxton did decide to cover a classic, she choose more contemporary tunes such as perennial favorite “The Christmas Song,” which she revives with aplomb and crisp pacing, and the beloved “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which she doesn’t tinker with at all. Braxton also pulls Charlie Brown’s “Christmas Time Is Here” out of mothballs and gives it a contemplative, melancholy spin that serves the tune well.

Lyrics

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Christmas time is here
We’ll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year…

Hello again. This will be the last genre I am going to talk about. I think we have covered all the main genres. Hopefully, you now have a starting point for whatever part of the Bible you happen to be reading. In this final section I want to talk about wisdom literature. Basically, this is just Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs. These three books are unique among the rest of the books in their style and content. In a general sense these books are written to help make us wise. They bring up some big issues like why people suffer and God’s awesomeness. Although these three are all in the same genre, they are all unique and I want to talk about each one separately.

Job

The book of Job is primarily made up of speeches. Job and his friends give these long discourses all throughout the book. At the end God speaks and puts everything in perspective. Technically, the beginning and end of Job are made up of narrative sections and so need to be interpreted in light of that genre. But, for the most part this book is made up of lots of talking. Although this is in the “wisdom” genre, not everything that is said is wise. Job’s friends have their own perspective and view on why Job is suffering and give their opinions freely. For the most part what they say is more opinion than fact and they completely miss the point. It is important to read Job as a whole so that we can get the full picture. If we just open up to the middle and read one of the speeches out of the overall context it could lead to some false ideas of what is true.

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is made up of proverbs. These are short wise sayings that help us learn how to live better. As I have mentioned in a previous post, proverbs are generally true, but are not statements of fact. They should not be viewed as promises, but rather guidelines for better living. As we read the book as a whole, there are certain themes that develop. There is an emphasis on the foolish vs. the wise, cautions about money, advice on the tongue, the benefits of wisdom, and the ethics of working, among other things. Some of these ideas are intentionally repeated throughout the book in order that we would remember them and to show their importance. Each proverb is its own unique idea and so needs to be interpreted by itself. Then as we come across other proverbs with the similar ideas we can compare and contrast them.

Ecclesiastes

The book of Ecclesiastes is the final book in the wisdom literature. It is similar to Job in that some of the ideas portrayed are not necessarily “wise”. There are some things that are said that are somewhat cynical in nature. But, if you read the book in its entirety you will see that his final point is that we need to fear God and keep His commandments. That doesn’t mean that we should disregard the proverbial sayings within. There are a lot of truths to be found here, but we need to make sure that we come back to the overall point that ultimately the only thing worth pursuing is God.

Summary

When reading Job don’t believe everything Job’s friends say and read everything in light of the God’s response at the end of the book.

When reading Proverbs interpret each one individually and look for the repeated themes and big ideas of the book.

When reading Ecclesiastes look for the big picture and try to see what the author’s overall message is.

Reflection

If you saw someone suffering like Job did what would you say to them, or what advice would you give them?

Prov. 11:14 says: “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure”. What is the general principle this is trying to teach? How could it be dangerous to take this as a promise?

If you had unlimited resource and a desire to find the greatest thing ever, what would you do? Where would you go? What would you try? Would you come to the same conclusion that the author of Ecclesiastes did?

When I first began writing novels, I was not concerned with how they would be sold, or even whether they would sell at all. All I cared about was proving that I could string together 100,000 words into a coherent story. Which is tricky.

But over time, as my writing has improved, I have begun to focus more attention on the business aspects of writing fiction. To sell a book, it needs an audience, which needs to be acknowledged by booksellers and editors, which needs to be recognized by agents. So you probably need to think about that audience, too.

I have been a slow learner.

• My first book JUSTICE is a science fiction… western… fantasy… detective story. If you look carefully at that sentence, you may see the problem with selling that book. It doesn’t exactly have a clear audience.

• My second book WOLFSBANE is an old school fantasy novel, one that liberally ripped off the language and imagery of HP Lovecraft and RE Howard. It was an improvement, but not by much.

• My third book AFTERLIFE is a solid science fiction story with a strong focus on character, and it got real nibbles from agents. I was on the right track!

• My fourth book HALCYON is an alternate history steampunk adventure, and we will see in the next few months whether it generates any interest. Fingers crossed.

But now, as I begin work on MERIDIAN, I have done my homework. I have taken into consideration who reads books, who buys books, what genres they like, what characters they like, and so on. And from within the constellation of those factors, I have mapped out the sort of story I want to tell.

What factors, exactly? Reader age and gender, for starters. Best seller trends (but not short-term trends!). Genre volumes. Genre sub-categories. Narrative style and voice. Character POV. Plots, themes, and tropes.

I have not compromised what I want to do as a writer. I have simply positioned myself to write what I want within the boundaries of what others want to read. Have you?

The best way to improve your writing is to read other books in your genre. If you are writing fantasy, such as myself, it helps to read books in the fantasy section. By doing this, you can get different points of view, ideas for places or settings, how to write in a different time period, types of writing styles, etc. There are many things you can learn from picking up a book. 

You can also learn a lot from informational books too. If you are writing about a certain point in history, an object, a place, etc, you can pick up books with that topic for information you might have missed in your writing. Sure, you can use the internet, but books are just as useful, and they are the perfect resource especially if you are writing a book.

You need to get the feel of how a book is set up, the size of the font, the type of spacing or font, the synopsis, the covers, the inside pages, the dedication page, etc. Determine whether you prefer reading paperback books, or hardcover. This way you get an idea of how you’ll want your book to look like when  it comes out.

Take a look at illustrations. Are they in color? Black and white? Only on the Chapter page? Full page? Half page? No illustrations? You have to determine that as well.

What audience does the book attract? What was its goal? What is the goal of your book?

Asking yourself questions like these, while reading, or while checking out other books, will help you determine what a book should be, and could possibly be like for you, when its published.

Quatermass and the Pit and 28 Days Later primarily fit into the SF-Horror genre, 28 Days Later mostly fits into horror, whilst Quatermass and thr Pit is mostly science fiction. But as genre films there is usually a certin degree of narrative predictability, however with these films, there are exceptions.

As a ‘zombie’ film, 28 Days Later follows the typical zombie narrative tropes; it is about a small group of survivors escaping from the threat of Rage infected people which makes them act like zombies. As a survival horror from the outset we can make certain assumptions about what is to come. In Quatermass and the Pit the narrative type is a little harder to identify as a horror, for the first half of the film you probably wouldn’t guess that it was a horror. In terms of narrative for the first half it follows a more SF style narrative, focused on the scientists uncovering a spaceship but towards the end, it turns into a full blown horror, as we see the devil as well as ‘zombies’. So in this way the narrative of Quatermass is not predictable as it doesn’t follow a horror narrative up until the final scenes, so we don’t know what direction the narrative is heading.

However while the narrative repertoire maybe hard to pin down, the structure of situation, disruption and resolution is much clearer. Situation: ordinary London life, Disruption: discovery of spacecraft OR intervention of the military, Resolution: destruction of the aliens, which returns us to the situation. As a typical and slightly formulaic structure it is predictable.

In comparison, the structures of 28 Days Later is a lot less predictable and also slightly unconventional. There is not a clear structure; the situation, disruption and resolution are fairly hidden. The situation is the same as Quatermass and the Pit: ordinary London life. However this is not something we see in 28 Days Later, this makes the resolution unclear as we cannot predict if we will return to the situation or not, and because we don’t have this reassurance at the beginning of the film of seeing the situation, the rest of the narrative is unpredictable. We also hardly see a disruption, this comes at the opening of the film and we assume this disruption is the outbreak of the Rage virus or the infection of the people. Again this ambiguity in the disruption and what it is leaves the audience unsure and making the narrative less predictable.

In terms of the hero/villain style structure there is a definite predictability in Quatermass and the Pit. The scientist Roney is the hero, he is the sacrificial hero who does what he can to save London. He is also a typical British hero, a figure who rather interested in physique and looks is more interested in cleverness and this is how he saves the world. This would have given audiences at the time a bankable hero who they could place their faith into. There are also definite villains, one is the aliens who are the major threat at the end and who Roney defeats, but the other antagonist in the film is Colonel Breen who is part of the disruption and is a villain throughout is also defeated at the end of the film but not by Roney.

Again when looking at the Hero/Villain structure 28 Days Later is a lot less predictable than Quatermass and the Pit. In 28 Days Later our hero is Jim and, unlike Roney, he is an unconventional hero in that he isn’t very heroic up until the end of the film. For most of the film he is very submissive and does not get readily involved, in fact the audience could assume that our hero is Selena who is more active, foreward thinking and violent than Jim is. What’s also interesting is that in the end when Jim does become heroic he isn’t what we’d usually see as a hero in someone like James Bond, but in the way Danny Boyle directs the scenes where Jim effectively becomes a zombie in order to save the female characters. This makes Jim a very unconventional hero, in that he has to become villainous in order to save the day, and because he doesn’t show heroic qualities through the former parts of the film, the film is very unpredictable. 28 Days Later also has no discernable villain, whilst we can identify the villains as the aliens and Colonel Breen, here the villain is more ambiguous. In fact the only villain who kicks off the disruption is scienctists or the science created virus Rage. This is unpredictable as it is impossible in the end for the hero to defeat the villain, this makes the narrative very unpredictable.

Science and scientists play a big part in both films adding to their predictability. In Quatermass and the Pit, the scientist (Roney) was the hero, in 28 Days Later however the presence of the virus which symbolises science as a whole is the villain. This change in attitudes for both films captures the zeitgeist. In the 60’s we were more optimistic about science, whilst now due to various upsets over the years we as a country are more skeptical about what science can do. These two films which are both very contemporary and in that capturing of the zeitgeist it makes the narratives more predictable as to an audience those attitudes will have been familiar.

In conclusion, I think as a genre film Quatermass and the Pit is more predictable, mainly because it has clearer narrative structures. 28 Days later however has much more hidden narrative structures that don’t open up to an audience as much as Quatermass and the Pit, thus making the film a lot less conventional and a lot more unpredictable.

Flamenco dancing is one of the top attractions for tourists to Spain. It is a flamboyant visual feast involving a dramatic explosion of noise and colour. Featuring hand-clapping, foot-stomping and swirling long dresses all accompanied by skilful, finger-plucking guitar, it is a very exciting visual experience. However, there is a degree of uncertainty and argument surrounding its exact origin and development.

Flamenco is a musical genre generally acknowledged to have its origins in nomadic tribes in Andalucia, Spain. Indeed the word Flamenco has become synonymous with gypsies. It is believed to have developed from a mix of native and gypsy musical styles in Andalucia as far back as 700 A.D. although there is still some quite heated debate about this in Spain. The reason that the history of Flamenco is so clouded in mystery is because it was a music and dance form stemming from the lower levels of Andalucian society. Largely ignored by the affluent upper classes for centuries the tradition was passed on by word of mouth and example from father to son and mother to daughter by the largely illiterate Andalucians singing of their desperation, the struggle to survive and their pride.

As Flamenco developed it did so alongside Spanish history. Notable movers and shakers in the early development of Flamenco; the Moors, Gitanos and Jews, were all persecuted during the religious Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century, and it is their struggles that are reflected in Flamenco songs. The Gitanos in particular have been largely responsible for ensuring that their folk songs were passed down the generations.

Flamenco performers began to distinguish themselves as highly skilled artistes in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The genre began to grow apart from the simple folk music which had forged its centuries-old development. From a largely Andalucian activity Flamenco developed into a national pastime. Flamenco performers achieved a previously unseen level of technical excellence as they evolved into professional musicians and dancers. Those performers also started to draw on songs originally derived from outside Flamenco influences but included them and their styles. From 1760 onwards Flamenco has been highly documented, not only the historical development and traditions of the genre, but also for the first time songbooks, musical scores and even highly technical dance instructions were produced. This has enabled Flamenco to spread as an art form throughout mainland Spain and even Europe.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Flamenco progressed to music cafes and Flamenco operas. Here the highly stylised music and dance genre developed even further. Both guitarists and dancers became established stars. At the same time gypsies exported and performed Flamenco throughout Europe to places as far afield as Russia. Visitors to Spain sought out Flamenco performers, which often turned out not to be Andalucians, the originators of the genre, but regular Spaniards who had learned the art-form; much to the chagrin of native Andalucians!

Like any art-form Flamenco has developed, often in ways not favoured by Andalucians. Performers throughout the years have added their unique interpretations, which in turn have been adopted by those who followed them. Today’s Flamenco bears only a passing resemblance to the folk dances of old. However it is undeniably popular to both Spaniards and visitors alike, and continues to be a colourful, loud and impressive experience.

Chick Lit.

Immediately there are opinions.

Love it or hate it?

“Soft porn for the modern woman” or a “humorous and lighthearted reflection of modern day life and love”?

Love it or hate it, it hasn’t lent itself well to transmedia storytelling (so far!)   Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner has said of genres in transmedia that, “any genre would work, but some would be more challenging than others.”  My research has highlighted that sci fi, thrillers, detective & crime stories, such as Girl Number 9 and Level 26 work extremely well transmedially as the very nature of these types of stories draw you in and make you want to dig down and find out more – the mental thought process of ‘investigation’ is a natural one.  As quoted by Henry Jenkins, “Transmedia represents the integration of entertainment experiences across a range of different media platforms,” and for me the key word here is ‘experiences’.  I am now writing a transmedia chick lit/romcom with the aim of deepening and enhancing those ‘experiences’.

My initial hurdle is, that contemporary women’s fiction comes from a completely different mindset to what is currently working in transmedia storytelling and to write for this savvy-audience requires respect and awareness.  When I began writing Staying Single for my MA in 2007 I spent the first few weeks exhausting myself in the forums as I tried to force-feed conversation and interaction.  I spent hours working on EA Games SIMS 2 trying to video-capture ‘Sophie’ ice-skating.  It took me 8 hours to create a 3 minute Machinima clip for the ‘Sophie Dilemma’ channel for little more than a sprinkling of interaction from my thousands of readers!  (OK, I’ll admit it – about 20 responses..  My idea was great, but my tech skills were terrible…)

So what did I learn?  Women read this type of story to escape. Not to interact, decision-make or get involved.  They made their decision when they chose to buy your book or ebook or read your blog.  Leave it there!  These women readers might be constantly (and possibly even subconsciously) making decisions and coordinating families and social lives on a daily basis and they don’t want to make decisions in their ‘chillaxing’ time.  Women are multi-tasking every day and want to be told the story – and it seems, they considered that was my job!  Over the weeks it became clear that my readers enjoyed discussing the story dynamics between themselves on the forums that I’d set up and I found that they were very opinionated in the forum space about who Sophie should choose as her ‘Mr Right’, but comments directly on the Staying Single blog or YouTube channel were minimal. The readers had spoken and I’d climbed a massive learning curve…

In terms of community-building for women’s fiction, Harlequin Mills & Boon are front-runners and are focussing on listening to what women want and to forging and nurturing online communities (the Staying Single forum worked as a community, right?)  Carina press are offering non DRM ebooks, which is placing trust in their readers and nurturing their sense of loyalty to brand. 

At Tools of Change last year I felt that a huge chunk of the conversation was about publishers immersing themselves in existing online communities, embedding themselves within genre-focussed communities of readers/audience and to have their ‘ear to the ground’ on what the readers want.  This bottom-up, rather than top-down approach is to listen rather than dictate and predict, which is a huge shakeup for publishers who were always gatekeepers of story and the distribution of, based on track records and market experience. 

So, two years on I’ve begun to write my 5^th novel which I’m hoping will be one of the first chick lit/romcom digi-novels and will be a transmedia story where every mode of delivery is completely relevant to the story.  Which got me thinking about the sticky topic of genre, how women like to read and the escapist nature of chick lit – a sub genre which has already been overly-fragmented.  Wikipedia states, “Over time the genre diversified into other experiences women have. Such as Ethnic chick lit, Brit chick lit (also known as Singleton Lit), Lad lit, Workplace tell-all, Bride lit, Mommy lit, Widow lit, Christian chick lit, Mystery chick lit and Hen lit. Ethnic chick lit also has sub genres, such as Indian chick lit, Asian chick lit and Black chick lit.”  I think this becoming ridiculous!  I can see that these sub genres exist to indicate genre style and target audience, but they’re also extremely restrictive.  Are there such ‘organisation charts’ for other genres?  Ethnic Crime? Singleton Crime?  Lad Thriller? (oh yes, there probably IS that!), Widow Sci Fi?  Is it me, or does this type of diversification make the strong heart of chick lit into a parody of itself?  Harlequin Mills & Boon are the ‘Queens’ of women’s fiction and have elegantly broken down their genres by brand – Spice, Nocturne, Blaze – giving a hint at the content and genre but without the ridiculous titles! 

Which leads me to Henry Jenkins (again!)  His blog post about ‘The Pleasures of Not Belonging’, discusses Interstitial Art (which I Googled, only to find lots of references to cystitis, but then went on to find out also means ‘inbetween’..  phew!)..  Jenkins states that, “most current academic thinking dismisses the idea that genres are stable and essential categories, that we can determine what genre a work belongs to once and for all, and that doing so tells us all we need to know about the example in question. Instead, this new scholarship talks about what genres do rather than what genres are and describes the processes by which works get classified and reclassified over time,” and what genres do is exactly what I’m trying to tap into with my transmedia chicklit project.  I believe that chick lit as a transmedia story will need to offer ‘experiences’ and because of this might fall into one of those ‘inbetween’ genres that fall between two posts. 

Digital and ‘e’ is bringing an inevitable shake up of all business models and modus operandi of entertainment industries and, whilst I could see Doris Day as a chick lit Miss Marple (investigating Rock Hudson as to who he’s colluding with) or an offshoot story all about Princess Leia and her daily struggles in the sci fi world, I can’t see Carrie Bradshaw or Bridget Jones in a Martina Cole novel. 

‘Without a Trace’s’ Samantha Spade, Special Agent in the New York City FBI, however would be a great character to draw away from Without a Trace and create a women’s fiction which delves more into her love/personal life.  I believe the key to creating the successful transmedia chick lit/romcom ‘digi novel’ experience will be to retain the structure and storyworld of the romcom environment, whilst adding choice, options for ‘drilling-down’ into a more immersive/interactive experience, a thriving community to discuss and support the story, and a series of platforms completely and totally relevant to the story.  (women won’t want to move between devices unnecessarily – they are too busy, too multi-tasking and will not be bothered to stick with it!) Women want choice, accessibility and value, and I’ll be posting soon about how to tick these three boxes and more, so stay tuned…

300
Law Abiding Citizen
Gamer

This is part of a letter I wrote to a client and friend last night that I thought a few of you might benefit from. It concerns writing in the fantasy genre and how one ought to maneuver in order to find success.

**

I was thinking about your project this evening and came to a question that should have an answer: What does your project say that your audience needs and wants to hear? The closest answer is a given, that you speak to a child’s sense of wonder. However, that’s genre-broad and won’t on its own seize a publishing deal, no matter how successfully you fulfill that objective. The fantasy genre is so flooded with books that in order to succeed one much find a niche, much like an sponge grabbing onto a crevice in the ocean floor. Otherwise any book is just a floating homeless thing waiting for an opportunity to root, which necessarily comes before flourishing.

Take the Harry Potter series, which I know you like, as a case study. The popularity of the series did not start with the first book nor the second. Both were fairly run-of-the-mill stories that were lucky to find a publisher; they had symptoms of something larger, such as Harry’s distrust of authority via Snape, but the driving force of the series was wholly undeveloped and ephemeral.

The third book held the foundations for what really made the series work later on. Larger branches of authority than school administrators were offered; real-world weight became attached to the consequences of Harry’s failure or success. The Prizoner of Azkaban stepped beyond the scope of the schoolyard into the world at large, and a fairly metropolitan world at that, offering students what they so long for in an age whose marketing and art are so overly focused on them: importance and a place in the world’s troubles. Children can sense, in my opinion, that the world is shrinking before them, and even if they can’t, it’s certainly a message that their parents would want them to hear.

After the development of the Ministry of Magic and the mythology behind the characters, stepping into problems of the culture became the order of the day, such as Hermoine broaching classism (or perhaps slavery, depending on which side of the pond you’re addressing the question to), awkward social dynamics, and tools through which one can challenge authority. That all of these structures were well developed and paralleled feasibly actual-world problems simply heightened the draw of readers of all ages into the story.

The problem is not one of artistry but of thoughtfulness. If you see how your world connects with the real world, you can exploit it in your writing to the delight of your fans; nobody how poorly this is done, your readership will appreciate the effort and the depth.

For another example of this same point, take Terry Goodkind, a favorite of my adolescence (alongside Heinlein and Barnes) whose books have been mentioned as offering one of the best-developed fantasy worlds since Tolkien. To whatever extent that claim may be true (his world, perhaps in the beginning, was seen to a limited extent, but by the fifth book had grown too large and unwieldy), I would argue that his success hinged on his ethical messages inside the text. Indeed, the title of the first book in the series was The Wizard’s First Rule, clearly outlining that the books would focus on a series of rules dictating how one ought to live ones life. This caught my attention easily according to my nature, but I suspect that many adolescent boys just like me clung to the masculine figure of Richard Cypher and the short, too-the-point rules he came into contact with. That this episodic tool failed Goodkind in the end by becoming too demanding and dogmatic seems inevitable in hindsight, but it’s just the sort of depth that the audience will be looking for, hence that an editor will be looking for. It is that well-discussed but seldom hit-upon force called the niche.

In keeping with this week’s topic, Punkbox-Screen’s first post is looking at winter sports, and how they are portrayed on the big screen. We chose five films to look at, ranging from contact to stylish in their adversity, while maintaining the added spark of numb fingers and a slippery surface.

Cool Runnings

The phrase “based on a true story” is always a good place to start with a film like this one. Following the desperate struggle of Jamaica’s first bobsled team into the winter olympics, Cool Runnings is a delightfully engaging film, full of amusing accents, dialogue and the odd uplifting song. And, on top of this, the realistic hardships of the life-threatening sport are addressed with stark clarity. We hear in detail what each of the members of a team is for, and right to the end we see the values of teamwork. It might be cheesy, but it’s light, amusing and great fun to watch, as well as addressing the dangers of the sport. And don’t forget… you walk Jamaican, talk Jamaican and IS Jamaican, you sure as hell better bobsled Jamaican!

Vertical Limit

Does mountain climbing count as a sport? Maybe not for some, but this driven thriller does vividly explore the limits of endurance athletes have to face. Add to this the dangers and unpredictability of mother nature and you’ve got something even more treacherous. Cracking ice, thinned air, maybe even the odd wild animal to contend with. When you’re several thousand feet in the air and trapped in a tomb of snow, suddenly snowboarding doesn’t seem so dangerous…

Ice Princess

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Must be a dreadful film with a name like that. But far from being the wishy-washy dribble of a teenage girl’s anguish, the issues in Ice Princess have some depth, and so does the skating. Buffy’s Michelle Trachtenberg and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere flawlessly portray the disastrous world of competitive skating, from the bruises and blisters to the sacrifices and social politics that go with such an intense sport. The skating may be the platform for a diverse and engaging story, but it’s a hell of a stable platform.

Balto

It might be an animated film shot from the perspective of a dog, but it’s a great insight into the world of competitive sport from what was once a less noticeable area. Sure, nowadays we have Snow Dogs and Eight Below, but these focus more on the humour and the tragedy behind a relationship with the pack. On the other hand, Balto gives a more accurate insight into the reliance on dogs in more remote areas of the planet. The races are intense, often driving the communities they are held in, and beyond that there is a real sense of culture, dependance and a different perspective on survival than most of us see. Who wouldn’t want a dog as loyal and strong as Balto? If you like dogs, anyway.

Happy Gilmore

Okay, so technically by the end of the film it’s more about golf than ice hockey, but this film does look at a variety of sporting values, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, having the determination to succeed, and even at how you need to practice to become better. Happy’s skills are intense enough for him to leave the world of hockey behind, but he only has to do so because he is a weak skater, highlighting how important it is to be good at every aspect of a sport to be as successful as he is. He eventually accepts this himself, of course, but not before a decent slanging match with the golf ball when it stubbornly refuses to be putted.

Sport can be approached in many different ways, be it serious or light, realistic or exaggerated, there’s something about it that gives depth to a film. And when it’s a snow sport like skating or skiing, all the more exotic. It’s not every day you can pop out for a quick snowboard around the block. This is probably why we are so fascinated with it. Besides, with winter setting in, it’s a topical choice for a film to watch. Though watching it under a thick blanket with a steaming mug of hot chocolate is definitely permitted.

Kirsty Watkinson
Punkbox@mail.com

It’s officially Day 1 of The Benedictionary Project

It’s a bit after midnight now – time to hit the sheets. If I am going to have any hope of completing this project there is no time to waste. I’m going to go survey my bookshelf and pick out a book to get the ball rolling and read myself to sleep. I’ll let you know tomorrow what delicious morsel of literary goodness I have selected to consume first.

While I don’t know all of what I intend to read during this project, I do have a few ideas. As I mentioned, I want this project to not only be challenging but engaging and an opportunity for personal growth. In those interests, I want to try and create a good balance with the books I select – various genres and even themes. Why not have a little fun with it?

Till tomorrow, bookies … sweet dreams.

These are the only and official sub-genres of metal.

• Black (Gorgoroth, Venom, Dimmu Borgir)
• Death (Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel)
• Doom (Katatonia, Empyrium, Cathedral)
• Industrial/Electronic (Ministry, Godflesh)
• Folk/Viking (Folkearth, Finntroll, Eluvietie)
• Gothic (Tristania, Sirenia, Therion)
• Heavy/Traditional (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple)
• Symphonic/Orchestral (Epica, After Forever, Nightwish)
• Power (Helloween, Dragonforce, Rhapsody of Fire)
• Progressive (Dream Theatre, Symphony X)
• Thrash/Speed (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer)

Often adjectives are put in front of these genres so create so called sub-sub-genres. Some words can include:

• Brutal
• Blackened
• Fantasy
• Medieval
• Epic

etc etc etc

Often mistaken for metal…unfortunately…are:

• Metalcore
• Deathcore
• Grunge
• Grind

These are the genres ruining metal, most prominently in the United States.

I’ll soon take the time to dive deeper into all the forms of metal and give history, example, and sound.

The Aspie's hero? You be the judge.

One interesting corollary of your ‘otherness’ may be your strong attraction to certain movies.

The sort of films with an eccentric, fringe-dwelling protagonist who wages an unconventional battle against forces infinitely more potent than himself.

Murphy’s War, starring Peter O’Toole, is the epitome of this genre.

The reasons for your attraction will naturally differ according to your experience and personality.

However, you may be particularly drawn to the hero’s ability to:

1. Build, repair and use things.
2. Garner loyalty and support from subordinates.
3. Learn new skills.
4. Carry on despite setbacks.
5. Articulate and remain steadfastly true to a vision.
6. Conquer fear of injury and failure.
7. Subvert ‘the system’ with impunity.
8. Earn the grudging respect of those whose rules you break.

I’d be fascinated to know if other Aspies share my deep affection for this movie.

Check it out and let me know!

The novel is also very good. Descriptions of the river (a character in its own right) are particularly impressive.

I’m reading Story by Robert McKee, a screenwriting book. It’s fascinating in contrast to its prose counterparts. For example, 25 genres.

“Genres are not static or rigid, but evolving and flexible, yet firm and stable enough to be identified and worked with, much as a composer plays with the malleable movements of musical genres.”

Lee, J. Y. K. (2008). The piano teacher: A novel. New York: Viking Penguin. 978-0-00-728638-6

I noticed The Piano Teacher numerous times while flipping through Publisher’s Weekly while at work. However, I didn’t have enough interest in it until I saw the book on Amazon’s “People who bought this also bought. . .” for another book I recently read (see Marie Arana’s Lima Nights) . Sure enough, this book was on the shelf at the library where I work.

Lee tells at least two stories. Initially, she begins with young English wife Claire Pendleton in 1952. She and her husband, Martin, come to Hong Kong due to his job. With nothing else better to do, Claire seeks employment as a piano teacher. When she’s hired by the wealthy Chen family to teach their daughter Locket to play piano, Claire becomes infatuated with the Hong Kong expatriate scene as well as developing kleptomania. Through all of this, she becomes the paramour of Will Truesdale, an English expatriate with numerous skeletons in the closet.

The other story Lee tells begins in 1941 Hong Kong with the dashing newcomer Will Truesdale and his tempestuous affair with Trudy Liang, an exquisite daughter of a wealthy Chinese man and a Portuguese beauty. Will sinks into Trudy’s glib  lifestyle – parties, dinners with her efeet cousin Dominick, parties with her cousin Melody Chen, going to the beach, etc. When there are nervous rumblings on the eve of World War II, Trudy appears ambivalent and Will plays along until Japan invades.

Lee alternates between these two story lines, ultimately showing us how the past transgressions color Claire’s present. Characters face all sorts of trials and decisions, costing them all in the end.

I found Lee’s writing quite colorful and even transcendent. I especially wanted to climb into my time machine and check out pre-World War II Hong Kong.  While I didn’t like most of the characters, I found them very human and multidimensional.

I also liked how Lee confronts issues of race, class, and gender. Through Trudy, she presents us with the reality of being “not Asian”, “not Caucasian,” but simply both. Her wealthy Chinese father’s status opens doors for his daughter. I was impressed also by Claire’s awakening to this as well. Here we have 2008 values quelled in a novel about 1940s-1950s Hong Kong.

Still, I didn’t like the construction of the story much. I felt as though I was bounced around in the beginning, stuck in the middle, and rolled around like a pingpong ball in the end.  I do recall that this is Lee’s first novel and I’m sure she’ll overcome this in future novels.

As a grammar geek, I must comment on my chagrin upon reading Trudy utter the non-word “anyways.”

Two out of Five Pearls

Places: Hong Kong, Macau, China, Japan, The United Kingdom, India

Word Bank: ablution, Amah, anodyne, avuncular, collusive, consular, gendarmerie, guipure, inculcated, lissome, OBE, qipao, prescient, sotto voce, Tai Tais, venal,

For more on Janice Y.K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher:

• The New York Times
• Roman Review – YouTube
• YouTube – The Piano Teacher: Janice Y.K. Lee

silahkan klik di bawah ini untuk mendownload

CONVERSATION GAMBITS

CONVERSATION GAMBITS

Berikut ini daftar ungkapan-ungkapan (gambits) yang lazim digunakan dalam bahasa Inggris yang bersumber dari Keller (1988). Ungkapanungkapan tersebut dapat dikembangkan menjadi wacana sebagai bahan untuk keterampilan berbicara.

1. Asking for Information

I’d like to know…

I’m interested in…

Could you tell me…?

Do you know…?

Could you find out …?

Could I ask …?

‘Do you happen to know …?

2. Breaking in

‘Excuse me.

Sorry.

Excuse me for interrupting, but….

May I interrupt for a moment?

…, ‘ please.

‘Certainly

3. Interrupting Game

Sorry, but…

Excuse me for interrupting, but…

Can I add here that…?

I’d like to comment on that.

Can I add something?

Can I say something here?

I’d like to say something if I may.

Can I ask a question?

‘May I ask something?

To return to the topic

Anyway,…

In any case,…

To get back to what I was saying,…

Where was I?

4. Getting Information on the Phone

I’m calling to find out…

I’d like to ask…

Could you tell me…?

I’m calling about…

I was wondering if you could tell me…

I wonder if you could help me…

If you go through a switchboard, say first:

I’d like to talk to somebody about…

5. Actions in Order

First of all,

Then,

Next,

After that,

Finally,

Make sure you…

Be careful not to…

Remember to…

Don’t forget to…

6. Telling a Story

First,…

First of all,…

To begin with,…

Then,…

After that,…

So,…

So then,…

At the end,…

Finally,…

7. Listing Excuses

First of all,…

The main reason is…

Secondly,…

With two:

The other reason is…

With several:

Another reason is…

Besides that,…

And on top of that,…

And finally,…

8. The Main Thing

First of all,…

The main thing is…

The most important thing is…

9. The Main Problem

The trouble is…

The problem is…

The real problem is…

The point is…

The ‘awful thing is…

Don’t forget that…

10. A surprising Fact

Start:

Do you realize that…

Believe it or not,…

You may not believe it, but…

It may sound strange, but…

‘The surprising thing is…

‘Surprisingly,…

‘Oddly enough,…

‘Funnily enough,…

End with:

Generally…

By and Large…

As a rule…

Normally…

Usually…

On the whole,…

11. Surprising News

Guess what!

Surprise!

I’ve got news for you!

Do you know what!

Are you sitting down?

You’d better sit down!

You won’t believe this, but…

12. An Unpleasant Thought

Actually,…

The only thing is…

To tell you the truth,…

To be honest,…

‘Frankly,…

13. The Hidden Truth

Frankly, I doubt if…

Let’s face it!

The catch is…

The truth of the matter is…

The real question is…

‘Come on now!

Let’s be realistic.

14. Changing the Subject

Talking of…

That reminds me…

‘By the way,

Oh, before I forget,…

15. Current Affairs

I think …

I suppose …

I suspect that …

I’m pretty sure that …

I’m fairly certain that…

It’s my opinion that…

I’m convinced that…

I wonder if…

16. Guessing

I’d say…

Could it be…

Perhaps it’s…

I think it’s…

It looks like…

It’s difficult to say, but I’d guess…….

17. A Conviction

I honestly feel that…

I ‘strongly believe that…

I’m convinced that…

Without a doubt,…

I’m positive …

I’m ‘absolutely certain that…

18. Personal Opinions

In my ‘opinion,…

I personally believe…

I personally think…

I personally feel…

Not everyone will agree me, but…

To ‘my mind…

19. How Something Affects You

In my opinion,…

From my point of view,…

Well, personally,…

If I had ‘my way,…

What ‘I’m more concerned with is…

In ‘my case…

20. Sharing a Confidence

I’ve heard…

‘They say…

Just between you and me,

I heard ‘on the grapevine

This shouldn’t be passed around, but…

Have you heard…

Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but…

21. How to Get the Money

Why not…

Why don’t you…

You could always…

One way would be to…

Perhaps you could…

If I were you, I’d…

What about…ing.

Try …ing.

22. Offering a Suggestion

Why don’t you…

Why not…

Perhaps you could…

Have you thought about…

I have an idea.

‘Let’s…

23. The Great Escape

Our plan is to…

We’re thinking of…

What we have in mind is…

What we plan to do is…

I’ll tell you what we’ll do.

What about this for an idea…

24. Plan and Counterplan

Why don’t you…

You could always…

If I were you, I’d…

Why not…

How about …

Try …ing.

25. Thinking about a Problem

In a case like this,…

In a situation like this,…

In this sort of situation,…

26. Emphasizing a Point

That’s just the point.

But the question is…

But the real question is…

This raises the problem of…

But can’t you see…?

27. Adding Things

To start with,…

And another thing,…

What’s more,…

Just a small point,…

Perhaps I should mention…

Oh, I almost forgot…

28. Give a Reason

And besides,…

Also,…

‘In addition,…

What’s more,…

And another thing,…

Not to mention the fact that…

Plus the fact that…

Not only ‘that, but…

29. Have you got a Good Reason?

Starting.

The reason why…

Because…

Continuing

Because of that…

That’s why…

That’s the reason why…

‘For this reason…

30. Thinking Ahead

If…

If ever…

When…

Whenever…

As soon as…

By the time…

Unless…

31. Correcting Yourself

What I mean is…

What I meant was…

Let me put it another way.

What I’m saying is…

What I’m trying to say is…

Don’t’ misunderstand me,

If I said that, I didn’t mean to…

‘Let me rephrase what I just said.

32. Putting the Record Straight

That’s not what I said at all.

I’ve no idea who told you that.

Goodness, where did you get that

idea from?

‘I’m afraid that just isn’t true.

The fact of the matter is…

‘Look, let’s get this straight,…

33. Popular Misconceptions

Introducing

Many people think…

Some people say…

You’ve probably heard that…

It may seem…

Linking

But in fact,

But actually,

The truth of the matter is…

34.We Take It for Granted

At first glance, it looks as if…

Many people think that…

We take it for granted that…

It seems as if…

It looks like…

But in fact,

In reality,

The fact of the matter is…

But actually,

35. Saying, ‘no’. Tactfully

Saying no

I’m not keen on…

I don’t particularly like…

I can’t stand…

It’s not my idea of…

I’d really rather not…

A preference

I’d prefer…

I’d really much rather…

I’d rather…

36. Door-to-door Salespeople

I’m not really interested in…

But I’m not worried about…

I’ve got no use for…

I’m perfectly happy with…

37. Demanding Explanations

Can you explain why…

Do you mean to say…

I don’t understand why…

Why is it that…

How come…

Does this mean…

38. Expressing Your Reservations

‘I’m afraid…

I don’t see how…

But the problem is…

Yes, but…

I doubt…

Possibly, but…

Yes, but the problem really is…

What I’m worried about is…

What bothers me is…

39. Taking Things into Consideration

Bearing in mind…

Considering…

If you remember…

Allowing for the fact that…

When you consider that…

Responding to a compliment

Oh, thank you very much.

That’s very kind of you.

Do you really think so?

40. Arguments and Counter-arguments

Reservation

Yes, but …

Yes, but don’t forget…

That would be great, except…

That’s good idea, but…

Counter-arguments

Even so,…

Even if that is so,…

That may be so, but..

That’s probably true, but…

Possibly, but…

41. Seeing the Good Side

On the other hand …

But then again,…

Look at it this way,…

Anyway,…

Even so, …

Ok, but…

But in the long run,…

Very true, but…

To make up for it, ….

42. Generalizing

Generalizing

As a rule,…

Generally,…

Usually,…

Frequent

Most of the time…

Again and again…

Time and again…

Less frequent

Every so often…

From time to time…

Every now and then…

43. Exceptions

Generalizing

In general,…

Generally speaking,…

As a rule,…

By and large,…

In my experience,…

In most cases,…

Exceptions

There are exceptions, of course,

One exception is…

But what about…

But don’t forget…

44. The Generalization Game

Generalizing

In general,…

Generally speaking,…

As a rule,…

By and large,…

In my experience,…

Exceptions

There are exceptions of course.

One exception is…

But what about…

But don’t forget…

Let’s not forget…

45. Illustrating your Point

For example,…

For instance,…

Take the way (he)…

Take for example…

For one thing…

To give you an idea…

Look at the way…

‘By way of illustration…

46. What You Really Mean

Hesitation Phrases:

Well, um…

Well, let’s see.

Mmm, I’ll have to think about that.

Re-stating:

So, what you’re saying is…

So, what you’re really saying is…

In other words,

If I understand you correctly,

So you mean that…

47. Finishing Your Story

To cut a long story short,…

So in the end,…

So, in short,…

So,…

To sum up,…

All in all,…

To put the whole thing in a nutshell,…

48. Right or Wrong

Correct

That’s right.

Right.

OK.

Yes.

Exactly!

Wrong

No, I’m afraid not.

Not quite.

You’re close.

I don’t know.

I’m not sure.

49. Crowd Reactions

Agreeing

Hear! Hear!

You’re absolutely right!

‘You said it!

I agree!

‘So do I!

‘Neither can I!

Disagreeing

That’s just not true!

Oh, come on!

Rubbish!

Don’t give us that!

50. Getting to Know Someone

Agreeing

That’s (very) true.

I agree with you there.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean.

Disagreeing

Yes, but don’t you think…

I agree with you, but…

Yes, but on the other hand…

‘I don’t see it quite like that.

51. Can I help you?

‘I’m afraid I don’t know.

I’m afraid I can’t decide.

I’m afraid I can’t make up my mind.

I’ll have to think about it.

I’m really not sure.

‘I think I’ll leave it, thank you.

52. The Love Test

Strong agreement

Of course I would!

I certainly would!

Mild agreement

I think I would.

I might.

I might consider it.

I think so.

Indecision

I don’t know.

I can’t decide.

I can’t make up my mind.

I’m not sure.

Mild disagreement

Probably not.

I don’t think so.

I doubt it.

Strong disagreement

Never in a million years!

Not on your life!

Not (even) if you paid me!

Not for all the tea in China!

53. I haven’t a Clue!

I’m afraid I don’t know.

I’m sorry I don’t know.

I haven’t a clue.

I couldn’t tell you.

I’m not sure.

Oh, it’s slipped my mind.

I’ve forgotten.

It’s no good. I can’t remember.

54. It serves you right

It serves you right.

It’s your own fault.

What did you expect?

Perhaps that’ll teach you

55. Analyze your Handwriting

Agreeing

I’m not surprised.

That doesn’t surprise me.

Yes, that sounds like me.

I knew it!

I thought so.

Just what I’ve always thought.

Absolutely!

Disagreeing

You’re joking!

You must be joking!

I don’t believe it!

No, definitely not!

Come on!

I don’t think so.

I don’t think that’s very fair.

Are you pulling my leg?

That’s news to me!

56. Inkblots

When you are surprised

Really!

Are you joking?

Oh?

Where? Show me.

I can’t see that.

Goodness!

What?

When you agree

So do I.

Me too!

That’s what I thought too!

But that’s what I was going to say.

57. Being Sympathetic

Less serious news

Oh no!

What a pity!

What a shame.

What a nuisance.

Poor you.

Very sad news

How awful!

How terrible!

I’m really sorry to hear that.

That must’ve been awful!

58. The Interview

Well, let me see.

Well, let me think.

I’ll have to think about that.

That’s a good question.

How shall I put it?

Let’s put it this way.

The best way I can answer that is…

Mm, that’s a difficult question. Let me see.

59. Showing Interest

Right.

OK.

Yes?

And?

Really?

And then?

Auxiliaries:

‘Did you?

Have you?

Are you?

Were you?

Was it?

60. Are you following me?

Repetition Gambits

Would you mind repeating that?

Sorry, I didn’t catch the last part.

Sorry, you’ve lost me.

Sorry, I don’t follow you.

What was that again?

Checking Gambits

Are you with me?

Are you still with me?

Is that clear?

OK so far?

Have you got it?

Do you understand so far?

61. Communication Problems

Sorry, what did you say?

‘Sorry?

I didn’t get the bit about…

I’m sorry I can’t hear you. It’s a very bad line.

Would you mind saying that again?

Could you repeat your address, please?

Could you spell it, please?

62. Accepting a Compliment

Oh, thank you.

That’s very kind of you.

It’s very kind of you to say that.

Do you really think so?

Thanks, I needed that.

You’ve made my day!

CONVERSATION GAMBITS

An unexpected boon from this year’s NaNo.  No, my NaNo project is not something I will complete or publish (at least, that’s my thinking at the moment, but you never know in life). But something tranformative is taking place within the writing-me. I learned that I can write chick lit/contemporary romance, but it is not my forte or even my genre of interest. But paranormal/fantasy is. I try to write other genres, but paranormal/fantasy keeps calling me back. I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s just me.

So, last week, this fantasy story idea hit me (the “X” story listed out to the side), and the “Scout” in me started writing it up to over 8,000 words before the Strategist in me took over yesterday morning. We have been researching the Fantasy genre and elements of the X story yesterday and this morning, and I have learned so much about the genre and the elements of this story idea. I am totally loving the experience, and I think I am hanging up my attempts at writing romantic comedies, chick lit, dick lit, and historicals (and even Romance) while I concentrate  on the genre that is not just becoming a part of my life but may be entering the realm of “Passion.”

The more I read about Fantasy worldbuilding, for instance, I keep connecting the definitions to examples of stories, and I’m like, “Yeah, yeah!  That’s it!”  And I’m so into it, it’s kinda scary, LOL.    Here are some pithy parts of my recent writing journey (mostly from Wikipedia reading):

• I found it interesting to learn that the Fantasy genre has shifted over the decades from a solitary individual in a world where quests are of a personal significance to characters in a social web where actions are to save (i.e., transform) the world and those in peril.
• I made a mental note that fantasy writers must persuade their readers to believe in the world they build, particularly via meticulous detail that deeply convinces readers that they are in a magical place.
• Worldbuilding is essential to the Fantasy genre, and a work of Fantasy fiction will suffer if the worldbuilding is neglected, unconvincing, or inconsistent.  (Uh-oh.  I’ve been slammed on inconsistency before, so I need to be careful on this element of the genre.)
• I love the idea that “Magic carries a price equal to its value.”
• As I was reading all this information, I started equating genre-specific elements to some of my WIPs.  As a result, I will be removing all the WIPs from my page that do not fit in this genre and limit the focus of my writing only on my stories that are Fantasy (Paranormal) in nature.  I was beginning to get embarrassed by my many WIPs, but I think now that I was writing as an experiment to find my natural genre/voice.  I am ever convinced it is in Fantasy/Paranormal after reading all this info.  For example, just look at my characters — all are Fantasy archetypes:  I have a knight-errant in my Ancient Greek epic who becomes a stranger in a strange land; I have a heroine of “royal blood” and a “Dark Lord” in Rubedo; and I have a pair of “crowned” protagonists in Pyramus Lost, one of whom travels between worlds.  (Duhhh…!  I think it’s more than safe to say I am a Fantasy writer, LOL.) 
• Another idea I loved was that Fantasy is “the romantic imagination working,” filling in the holes Science has yet to answer (quote from Michael Moorcock).
• I realized that the settings of mine that I love the most are in the category of pantheism solipsism, or World as Myth, where myth and fiction merge with reality.  I want a deeper understanding of this term, but if it means what I think it means, then my Fantasy WIPs have mythological gods leaving their worlds to interact with my Ancient Greek protagonists, vampires and werewolves living in secret in Ireland and Germany in Rubedo, and the colliding of Heaven and Hell on Earth in my X story idea.  (Second Duhhh…I’m a Fantasy writer of the day.)
• My conclusion at the moment is that the truest classification of my genre is Mythopoeia, where I infuse mythology (characters, quests, themes, structure, archetypes) into my work.

I wish you all could see me right now.  I am ALL smiles.    So, next on my writing agenda is to work on my X story idea (X because I have no title for it at the moment, not because it’s some great big secret), and fight off the temptation to delve back into my previous Fantasy WIPs. 

A sexy new music video from Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

The song is called ‘Video Phone’.

I love how provocative the outfits are….this is Beyoncé on fire…and we already know Lady Gaga likes to literally set the stage on fire.

Tangkuban Perahu

Tangkuban Perahu, or Tangkuban Parahu in local Sundanese dialect, is an active volcano 30 km north of the city of Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. It is a popular tourist attraction where tourists can hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs up-close, and buy eggs cooked on its hot surface. This stratovolcano is on the island of Java and last erupted in 1983.

In April 2005 the Directorate of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised an alert, forbidding visitors from going up the volcano. “Sensors on the slopes of the two mountains – Anak Krakatoa on the southern tip of Sumatra Island and Tangkuban Perahu in Java – picked up an increase in volcanic activity and a build up of gases, said government volcanologist Syamsul Rizal.”