I'm taking part in National Novel Writting Month and I find myself falling into the same trap I did last year...
I came up with a story and a character that I really like then in the course of the month I invent another character who is so zany and outragious I want two write that character instead!
Last year my story was a sci-fi mystery/thriller about a girl named Rebecca Wong and how the Lizard People are out to get her. I invented a character named Alejandro Sanchez to be the main villian/lizard person and he was just such a two-faced diabolical character I suddenly found I wanted to write the story from his perspective so I could show how he really gets what's comming to him.
Fortunately I was able to resist and the book is still about Rebecca. This year however, I started telling an Alejandro story and the same thing happened. A while ago I wrote a poem about about and person named "Morbid Thotts" (I am so creative with character names! Jk) And while the poem is nothing special, I came to really love this almost comically negative character.
It was really cool to come up with a backstory for this character and explain why he is the way he is. I actually almost cried when I wrote one part of it.
This fake person is such a gem! I know I can't keep this character as negative as he is forever so I wrote him as a love-interest for Garnet!
(Spoilers: Yes she does actually die in last years book, but don't worry she's a Lizard person so it will all work out) Yay for odd couples!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
How to Enjoy a Movie You Don't Like
I really liked the movie Thor. So when the statement "Thor will return in The Avengers" popped up at the end of the credits I was thinking "Oh, cool. Now I have to see all of those other superhero movies to find out who the avengers are." I like superheroes, so I thought I'd enjoy the other "Avenger-prequel" movies.
Not so...
Greatfully, I did not buy the movie "Iron Man", I rented it. I found that the main character is witty and funny and a smart aleck. However, every funny thing he says in the movie is underscored by the thought "Wow, I really don't like this guy, he is not a nice guy."
Oddly enough, IRON MAN basically has the same plot as Thor but, in my opinion, it has poorer acting/directing and poorer character development.
Tony Stark (Iron Man) should have been having this transformational journey, but I just couldn't feel for him because they never showed any real substance to him. It's like all the material was there; the father issues, the traumatic hostage situation, the death of his friend, and his resolve to live a better life...but when he says "I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason." I don't buy it. Maybe it's just supposed to convey the type of man he is; the kind who doesn't express or understand true emotion well, but I don't feel they presented this idea well either.
SO....
While my sisters and I were watching this movie that we didn't really like we noticed something interesting:
One of the characters is named "Obadiah"
...........................................
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?????
IT MEANS HE WAS NAMED AFTER A VEGGITALES CHARACTER!!!!
We started shouting out Veggitale lines at every plot twist...including:
"Obadiah Bumbly"
and
"Oh, Brother, Obadiah, thou art so...up tight. Prethee, let the brotheren playeth a little checkers."
Eventually we likened most of the main cast with his/her veggie counterpart here is what we came up with
'Tony Stark vs. Larry the Cucumber.'
Both have big egos and BIGGER alter egos. They dress up in suits as superheroes.
'Agent Coleson vs Bob the Tomato'
Both seem intelligent are not taken seriously. Bob is a bit more of a character, but they both are trying to keep control under difficult circumstances and don't get much respect. We haven't seen a whole lot of Agent Coleson as a person yet (I hope we do). But honestly, I could see Agent Coleson's full name being "Robert Coleson".
'Pepper Potts vs. Petunia Rhubarb'
I noticed their voices are pretty similar and both are kind. But Petunia actually has a backbone (metaphorically speaking), while Pepper's heart and will belong to a guy who doesn't respect her.
Obadiah Stane vs Mr. Nezzer
Both are cuddly, old villans and slightly insane.
Stan Lee vs Pa Grape
I just saw the Stan Lee cameo and thought of him saying: "And for this I missed taco night?"
This made the movie much more enjoyable.
Bottom line: Veggietales characters are funnier and have more substance then some live action characters.
Not so...
Greatfully, I did not buy the movie "Iron Man", I rented it. I found that the main character is witty and funny and a smart aleck. However, every funny thing he says in the movie is underscored by the thought "Wow, I really don't like this guy, he is not a nice guy."
Oddly enough, IRON MAN basically has the same plot as Thor but, in my opinion, it has poorer acting/directing and poorer character development.
Tony Stark (Iron Man) should have been having this transformational journey, but I just couldn't feel for him because they never showed any real substance to him. It's like all the material was there; the father issues, the traumatic hostage situation, the death of his friend, and his resolve to live a better life...but when he says "I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason." I don't buy it. Maybe it's just supposed to convey the type of man he is; the kind who doesn't express or understand true emotion well, but I don't feel they presented this idea well either.
SO....
While my sisters and I were watching this movie that we didn't really like we noticed something interesting:
One of the characters is named "Obadiah"
...........................................
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?????
IT MEANS HE WAS NAMED AFTER A VEGGITALES CHARACTER!!!!
We started shouting out Veggitale lines at every plot twist...including:
"Obadiah Bumbly"
and
"Oh, Brother, Obadiah, thou art so...up tight. Prethee, let the brotheren playeth a little checkers."
Eventually we likened most of the main cast with his/her veggie counterpart here is what we came up with
'Tony Stark vs. Larry the Cucumber.'
Both have big egos and BIGGER alter egos. They dress up in suits as superheroes.
'Agent Coleson vs Bob the Tomato'
Both seem intelligent are not taken seriously. Bob is a bit more of a character, but they both are trying to keep control under difficult circumstances and don't get much respect. We haven't seen a whole lot of Agent Coleson as a person yet (I hope we do). But honestly, I could see Agent Coleson's full name being "Robert Coleson".
'Pepper Potts vs. Petunia Rhubarb'
I noticed their voices are pretty similar and both are kind. But Petunia actually has a backbone (metaphorically speaking), while Pepper's heart and will belong to a guy who doesn't respect her.
Obadiah Stane vs Mr. Nezzer
Both are cuddly, old villans and slightly insane.
Stan Lee vs Pa Grape
I just saw the Stan Lee cameo and thought of him saying: "And for this I missed taco night?"
This made the movie much more enjoyable.
Bottom line: Veggietales characters are funnier and have more substance then some live action characters.
Scripture Study
Confession time:
Typically, I don't enjoy reading the scriptures. I know part of this dislike stems from the way I read: I 'spect all the information I want and need to be given to me on demand. Unfortunately that's not how scripture study works.
Most of the time I make the mistake of taking everything at face value, but it sure makes it irritating every time there is a David, Paul and Sarah. (ie. Biblical figure who irritates me).
It's difficult because teachers (particularly seminary teachers) represent these people like heroes when, in fact, they were very flawed people... tragically flawed (at least some of them were) and at times their insecurities, their passions, their prideful tendencies led them to do and say horrible things to/about people!
Lately I've been trying to look deeper into scripture study, and treat the scriptures more like a manual then a novel. I read almost every night now, and even though my old prejudices still invade my study once in a while (King David...'a man after God's own heart'?...Wow, way to go, Dave!) Having the Joseph Smith Translation of the King James version of the Bible really helps, it's like having a study guide built in to the source material (I wish more books came like this!)
Moral of the story: If you take things at face value, you'll miss a lot.
Up next:
"How to Enjoy a Movie You Don't Like"...
Typically, I don't enjoy reading the scriptures. I know part of this dislike stems from the way I read: I 'spect all the information I want and need to be given to me on demand. Unfortunately that's not how scripture study works.
Most of the time I make the mistake of taking everything at face value, but it sure makes it irritating every time there is a David, Paul and Sarah. (ie. Biblical figure who irritates me).
It's difficult because teachers (particularly seminary teachers) represent these people like heroes when, in fact, they were very flawed people... tragically flawed (at least some of them were) and at times their insecurities, their passions, their prideful tendencies led them to do and say horrible things to/about people!
Lately I've been trying to look deeper into scripture study, and treat the scriptures more like a manual then a novel. I read almost every night now, and even though my old prejudices still invade my study once in a while (King David...'a man after God's own heart'?...Wow, way to go, Dave!) Having the Joseph Smith Translation of the King James version of the Bible really helps, it's like having a study guide built in to the source material (I wish more books came like this!)
Moral of the story: If you take things at face value, you'll miss a lot.
Up next:
"How to Enjoy a Movie You Don't Like"...
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