Today I’m visiting Belle at Ms Bookish, who asked about my writing process. (And until now, I didn’t realize I had one.) So stop by her site and leave a comment. Or snark. Either one!
Yesterday was my blog’s one year anniversary. Wow, a whole year of blogging! I had no idea what to expect when I began, either. Now, 219 posts and 420 plus followers later, I think it’s damned cool! Thanks everyone for keeping me going.
And NaNo is going well. I'm right about on target. I'm not a fast typer and I'm taking my time, composing my words with care. Hit 14,881 last night.
I do miss everyone though...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Top Ten Films They Should Have Made Blogfest
First, a big congratulations to Jessica at The Alliterative Allomorph - she landed a publisher!
Today’s fest is hosted by Ellie Garratt - Top Ten Films They Should Have Made Blogfest. We were to name some of our favorite actors and actresses and the roles they should’ve landed.
I decided to have some fun with this one. My list isn’t my necessarily favorite actors, just some interesting role twists, starting with the serious and degenerating into the hilarious. Enjoy!
Today’s fest is hosted by Ellie Garratt - Top Ten Films They Should Have Made Blogfest. We were to name some of our favorite actors and actresses and the roles they should’ve landed.
I decided to have some fun with this one. My list isn’t my necessarily favorite actors, just some interesting role twists, starting with the serious and degenerating into the hilarious. Enjoy!
1 – Alec Baldwin should’ve been in all of the Jack Ryan roles.
(Because the switch to Harrison Ford sucked.)
2 – Chris Pine would’ve made a far better Perseus in the Clash of the Titans remake. Actually, dead wood couldn’t done a better job than Sam Worthington.
(Because the switch to Harrison Ford sucked.)
2 – Chris Pine would’ve made a far better Perseus in the Clash of the Titans remake. Actually, dead wood couldn’t done a better job than Sam Worthington.
3 – Kate Beckinsale should’ve been in any role that required nudity. Period!
4 – Claire Danes and Nick Stahl should’ve reprised their roles from T3 for Terminator Salvation. John Conner is NOT Batman!
5 – Ryan Reynolds should’ve had Shia LaBeouf’s role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Not that it would’ve helped the movie any…
6 – Schwarzenegger and Stallone should’ve been in Room with a View. It would’ve been a whole different film…
7 – Mel Gibson should’ve been in Schindler’s List. (As a Jew of course.)
8 – Will Ferrell should’ve been in Hamlet.
(Shakespeare might’ve come back from the grave for that one!)
9 – Charlie Sheen should’ve been in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He could’ve phoned in that performance.
10 – Lindsay Lohan should’ve played Ghandi.
“I’m drunk – look at my boobs!”
(With an Indian accent of course.)
There you have it! Any roles you’d like to see differently? Be sure to visit Ellie Garratt’s site for other blogfest participants.
4 – Claire Danes and Nick Stahl should’ve reprised their roles from T3 for Terminator Salvation. John Conner is NOT Batman!
5 – Ryan Reynolds should’ve had Shia LaBeouf’s role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Not that it would’ve helped the movie any…
6 – Schwarzenegger and Stallone should’ve been in Room with a View. It would’ve been a whole different film…
7 – Mel Gibson should’ve been in Schindler’s List. (As a Jew of course.)
8 – Will Ferrell should’ve been in Hamlet.
(Shakespeare might’ve come back from the grave for that one!)
9 – Charlie Sheen should’ve been in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He could’ve phoned in that performance.
10 – Lindsay Lohan should’ve played Ghandi.
“I’m drunk – look at my boobs!”
(With an Indian accent of course.)
There you have it! Any roles you’d like to see differently? Be sure to visit Ellie Garratt’s site for other blogfest participants.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Writing Near-Future Science Fiction
Today I welcome author Stephen Tremp on tour for the re-release of his novel, Breakthrough. Take it, Stephen!
The Information Age is moving at breakneck speed. Discoveries in areas of science that were once fodder for science fiction are now becoming part of our everyday life. Due to the explosion of technology, access to real-time information, and an ever-changing geo-political landscape, our immediate future is unforeseen. We live in an exciting and certainly unpredictable world. There is no shortage of inspiration for near-future science fiction.
What is Near-Future Science Fiction: Near-future science fiction is set in the present day or in the next few years. Elements of the setting should be familiar to the reader, and the technology may be current or in development. Stories about theoretical physics, nanotechnology or genetics often fall into this category.
Is it any wonder weaving elements of sci-fi into a present day action thrillers is so popular with mainstream America? Perhaps, sci-fi writers are merely prophets, proclaiming in advance what we will see and use in the future, or the very near future.
Problem: Science fiction is fun, but often unrealistic. Solution: Near future sci-fi can use theoretical physics, what some physicists believe may be reality, but have yet to confirm through rigorous testing. To write a realistic near sci-fi story, it’s as important to identify and eliminate certain elements as it is to include them. Example: light sabres used in Star Wars. Cool, but not very realistic. In reality, the laser would beam for miles and slice through the spaceship or building the fighters may be in and everything else in their path.
Where Can A Writer Gain Inspiration: one way to gain inspiration is to follow what the government is doing. According to an article by David Montgomery in The Washington Post titled U.S. Mission for Sci-Fi Writers , Homeland Security is boldly going where few government bureaucracies have gone before and is enlisting the expertise of science-fiction writers.
What I Follow And Research: as a writer, I doesn’t have to build a particle accelerator in my garage or my Mom’s basement in order to perform research in physics. Rather, there is so much free, real time information available at our finger tips. The Internet and the Science, Discovery, and History channels all give us a more information, in layman’s terms, that we can ever hope to use. One can also follow leading physicists who make information readily available like Dr. Brian Cox , Prof. Stephen W. Hawking , Dr. Michio Kaku , and Prof. Brian Greene among many others. Even YouTube has hundreds of informative and interesting clips.
I also follow events coming out of CERN and Fermilab . What else could be exciting is a breakthrough someone discovers in their garage or their mom’s basement. Think of revolutionary ideas and companies started this way. Hewlitt Packard, Apple, and Atari among others.
Please join me tomorrow as I visit Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out as we talk a little about Hyperspace and Hyperbings.
Stephen Tremp is author of the action thriller Breakthrough . You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs .
The Information Age is moving at breakneck speed. Discoveries in areas of science that were once fodder for science fiction are now becoming part of our everyday life. Due to the explosion of technology, access to real-time information, and an ever-changing geo-political landscape, our immediate future is unforeseen. We live in an exciting and certainly unpredictable world. There is no shortage of inspiration for near-future science fiction.
What is Near-Future Science Fiction: Near-future science fiction is set in the present day or in the next few years. Elements of the setting should be familiar to the reader, and the technology may be current or in development. Stories about theoretical physics, nanotechnology or genetics often fall into this category.Is it any wonder weaving elements of sci-fi into a present day action thrillers is so popular with mainstream America? Perhaps, sci-fi writers are merely prophets, proclaiming in advance what we will see and use in the future, or the very near future.
Problem: Science fiction is fun, but often unrealistic. Solution: Near future sci-fi can use theoretical physics, what some physicists believe may be reality, but have yet to confirm through rigorous testing. To write a realistic near sci-fi story, it’s as important to identify and eliminate certain elements as it is to include them. Example: light sabres used in Star Wars. Cool, but not very realistic. In reality, the laser would beam for miles and slice through the spaceship or building the fighters may be in and everything else in their path.
Where Can A Writer Gain Inspiration: one way to gain inspiration is to follow what the government is doing. According to an article by David Montgomery in The Washington Post titled U.S. Mission for Sci-Fi Writers , Homeland Security is boldly going where few government bureaucracies have gone before and is enlisting the expertise of science-fiction writers.What I Follow And Research: as a writer, I doesn’t have to build a particle accelerator in my garage or my Mom’s basement in order to perform research in physics. Rather, there is so much free, real time information available at our finger tips. The Internet and the Science, Discovery, and History channels all give us a more information, in layman’s terms, that we can ever hope to use. One can also follow leading physicists who make information readily available like Dr. Brian Cox , Prof. Stephen W. Hawking , Dr. Michio Kaku , and Prof. Brian Greene among many others. Even YouTube has hundreds of informative and interesting clips.
I also follow events coming out of CERN and Fermilab . What else could be exciting is a breakthrough someone discovers in their garage or their mom’s basement. Think of revolutionary ideas and companies started this way. Hewlitt Packard, Apple, and Atari among others.
Please join me tomorrow as I visit Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out as we talk a little about Hyperspace and Hyperbings.
Stephen Tremp is author of the action thriller Breakthrough . You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs .
And Diane had asked me some questions about my blog tour - my answers are up today at her site, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips
Saturday, November 6, 2010
I Saw RED!
And no, I'm not referring to the old Warrent song.
Yes, I finally saw the movie RED. Megamind's reviews continued to plummet and Due Date looked more like a NetFlix rental.
RED
From the IMDB: When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.
RED is a very funny movie. The characters are great and had their own humorous lines. The gang pulls off some clever stunts, not slick and cool like in the Ocean movies, but smart and sometimes desperate tricks.
There's some great action scenes, especially one at an airport that involves Malkovich taking down a woman with a bazooka. (She called him old man!) The pacing is slower than an out-and-out action flick, though. Sometimes it's a little too slow. But overall, RED is a fun ride with a lot of laughs.
I also read an interview with Monsters writer-director-effects-film crew, Gareth Edwards. Did you know that movie was filmed for only $15,000? Edwards took a small crew on location and filmed the whole thing for $15,000. (Another $500,000 was racked up during editing and processing.) The stars often ad-libbed their own lines and were a real life couple, now married. Many of the extras didn't even know they were being filmed for a movie, which added to the realism. I am now really impressed with the movie!!
I'm still on target with NaNo. And now I must get back to screwing with Byron's life. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure!
How's everyone else doing with NaNo? Anybody see Megamind or Due Date?
Yes, I finally saw the movie RED. Megamind's reviews continued to plummet and Due Date looked more like a NetFlix rental.
REDFrom the IMDB: When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.
RED is a very funny movie. The characters are great and had their own humorous lines. The gang pulls off some clever stunts, not slick and cool like in the Ocean movies, but smart and sometimes desperate tricks.
There's some great action scenes, especially one at an airport that involves Malkovich taking down a woman with a bazooka. (She called him old man!) The pacing is slower than an out-and-out action flick, though. Sometimes it's a little too slow. But overall, RED is a fun ride with a lot of laughs.
I also read an interview with Monsters writer-director-effects-film crew, Gareth Edwards. Did you know that movie was filmed for only $15,000? Edwards took a small crew on location and filmed the whole thing for $15,000. (Another $500,000 was racked up during editing and processing.) The stars often ad-libbed their own lines and were a real life couple, now married. Many of the extras didn't even know they were being filmed for a movie, which added to the realism. I am now really impressed with the movie!!
I'm still on target with NaNo. And now I must get back to screwing with Byron's life. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure!
How's everyone else doing with NaNo? Anybody see Megamind or Due Date?
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