I've been asked to write a short article on the spiritual lessons I've gleaned from reading fantasy/sci-fi.
I thought about just writing about my experience with one series, but that whole series taught me so much there's no way I could cram it all into a 500 word article (or even a 5,000 word article).
I'm having a difficult time trying to condense all I've learned into a succinct piece that will hopefully enable people to think about what they learn from what they read.
What do I focus on? What do I save for another article? How should I begin? How should I end? Which books should I discuss?
And the scarier questions: What will people think? Will they laugh at me? Will they want to talk to me about their own personal journey through literature?
Really, though, I've boiled everything down to the following:
I can talk on something I'm passionate about. Someone is giving me the opportunity to share experiences that have changed my life.
It's an incredible opportunity and, while scary, ultimately worth the frenzied re-writes and ideas thrown out and the exhaustion (and relief) I'll feel once the article's submitted.
I might post some of it here once it's done, or at least post a link to the online version of the newsletter.
I'm almost done reading The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice, and I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone...so next time I should have something awesome to discuss.
Have you experienced a moment while reading a book where you suddenly felt enlightened?
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
4 Mini Reviews -- Graphic Novels
Review No. 1 -- Batman/Grendel by Matt Wagner
Thoroughly enjoyed this, mostly because I'd read a Grendel collection last year and found it fascinating. And Batman is my favorite superhero.
I don't want to spoil the story (told in three parts), so I won't delve into the details. But it's a solid read with beautiful artwork. This was probably my favorite of the ones reviewed in this post.
Review No. 2 -- Nightmares & Fairytales, Volume 3: 1140 Rue du Royale by Serena Valentino
Thoroughly despised this book. There is a way to revenge the death of poor souls who were cruelly mistreated, but a creepy comic book is not one of them. (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a much, MUCH better book that does something similar) This book was disturbing, but not because of the subject. It was more akin to a horror story (and I really don't like much horror), which didn't give value to the deaths, it just added grisly detail. Yuck.
Review No. 3 -- Catwoman, vol. 6, "It's Only A Movie" by Will Pfeiffer
Not bad. My favorite Catwoman story arc (the only one I really love, actually) is the six-issue mini series "When in Rome" which ties in with my favorite Batman story arc, "Dark Victory". This story has a fascinating villain, movie references (always a hit with me), and a surprise. Pretty good.
Review No. 4 -- Daredevil, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid
Probably my second favorite of the bunch. This had a solid story, an intriguing superhero, and great artwork. Also a suspenseful ending, which was awesome. Having only seen part of the lackluster Daredevil movie, this was surprisingly great. I'll have to read more.
More graphic novels to come, but I think my next review might be a book.
Also: Finished my ScriptFrenzy project this morning! Which means I've now won ScriptFrenzy three years in a row. Woohoo! Maybe after another three years I'll actually publish something. ;)
What are you reading these days? Do you have a list of books you ONLY read in the summer? Or do you read whatever strikes your fancy all year long?
Thoroughly enjoyed this, mostly because I'd read a Grendel collection last year and found it fascinating. And Batman is my favorite superhero.
I don't want to spoil the story (told in three parts), so I won't delve into the details. But it's a solid read with beautiful artwork. This was probably my favorite of the ones reviewed in this post.
Review No. 2 -- Nightmares & Fairytales, Volume 3: 1140 Rue du Royale by Serena Valentino
Thoroughly despised this book. There is a way to revenge the death of poor souls who were cruelly mistreated, but a creepy comic book is not one of them. (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a much, MUCH better book that does something similar) This book was disturbing, but not because of the subject. It was more akin to a horror story (and I really don't like much horror), which didn't give value to the deaths, it just added grisly detail. Yuck.
Review No. 3 -- Catwoman, vol. 6, "It's Only A Movie" by Will Pfeiffer
Not bad. My favorite Catwoman story arc (the only one I really love, actually) is the six-issue mini series "When in Rome" which ties in with my favorite Batman story arc, "Dark Victory". This story has a fascinating villain, movie references (always a hit with me), and a surprise. Pretty good.
Review No. 4 -- Daredevil, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid
Probably my second favorite of the bunch. This had a solid story, an intriguing superhero, and great artwork. Also a suspenseful ending, which was awesome. Having only seen part of the lackluster Daredevil movie, this was surprisingly great. I'll have to read more.
More graphic novels to come, but I think my next review might be a book.
Also: Finished my ScriptFrenzy project this morning! Which means I've now won ScriptFrenzy three years in a row. Woohoo! Maybe after another three years I'll actually publish something. ;)
What are you reading these days? Do you have a list of books you ONLY read in the summer? Or do you read whatever strikes your fancy all year long?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Breakthrough
It just dawned on me why my character is so messed up. Her back story flashed into my mind today, and the whole story made SO MUCH SENSE.
I can't wait for this draft to be complete.
I'm writing 10 pages tonight and 10 tomorrow and I will be DONE.
And then I can re-visit and make it a million times better. Hopefully.
Next post will be a review, I promise.
I can't wait for this draft to be complete.
I'm writing 10 pages tonight and 10 tomorrow and I will be DONE.
And then I can re-visit and make it a million times better. Hopefully.
Next post will be a review, I promise.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
ScriptFrenzy Update: So Close and Yet So Far...
I'm on page 76 of my 100 page script for ScriptFrenzy -- I can almost see the finish line. I wanted to be done by tomorrow but I'm not sure how many pages I can crank out in between play practice (and performance this weekend) and work (and normal things, like feeding my husband and doing laundry).
I'm a bit disappointed with my script. I was going along fine until I thought up some ways to make the script better and then my momentum just sunk. So I'm yanking these pages out like individual hairs and it is PAINFUL.
But I really, really, really need to remember that this is a first draft.
And next month I will be less busy and can re-structure and re-write to my heart's content.
and the next month I'll be even freer, with a lighter work schedule and no commitments aside from a few weddings and church activities.
Writing is re-writing, as my husband reminds me.
I do have some good stuff -- there's a scene that just makes me laugh when I picture it. There are even little symbolic things popping up here and there. And while the dialogue and theme will need some work, I have a partial structure and sense of where I want to go.
Which is vastly different from the usual plunge into the deep end that a writing project is for me.
Writing this script has also made me want to go back to writing books. So maybe my NaNoWriMo novel will be more planned out this year.
Progress has been made, even if I don't feel like it. Baby steps.
Also: I am reading a ton more graphic novels, a book on stop-motion animation, an art therapy book, and the other 8 books I'm supposedly reading right now...so there will be more reviews coming up after this week.
Question: What do you do to amp up your creative juices? Something visual (like drawing/photography)? Something kinesthetic (gardening)? Something auditory (listening to music, talking)? Something mundane (walking, folding laundry)? Tell me in the comments.
I'm a bit disappointed with my script. I was going along fine until I thought up some ways to make the script better and then my momentum just sunk. So I'm yanking these pages out like individual hairs and it is PAINFUL.
But I really, really, really need to remember that this is a first draft.
And next month I will be less busy and can re-structure and re-write to my heart's content.
and the next month I'll be even freer, with a lighter work schedule and no commitments aside from a few weddings and church activities.
Writing is re-writing, as my husband reminds me.
I do have some good stuff -- there's a scene that just makes me laugh when I picture it. There are even little symbolic things popping up here and there. And while the dialogue and theme will need some work, I have a partial structure and sense of where I want to go.
Which is vastly different from the usual plunge into the deep end that a writing project is for me.
Writing this script has also made me want to go back to writing books. So maybe my NaNoWriMo novel will be more planned out this year.
Progress has been made, even if I don't feel like it. Baby steps.
Also: I am reading a ton more graphic novels, a book on stop-motion animation, an art therapy book, and the other 8 books I'm supposedly reading right now...so there will be more reviews coming up after this week.
Question: What do you do to amp up your creative juices? Something visual (like drawing/photography)? Something kinesthetic (gardening)? Something auditory (listening to music, talking)? Something mundane (walking, folding laundry)? Tell me in the comments.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
“Without death,' he answered, 'life is meaningless. It is a story that can never be told. A song that can never be sung. For how would one finish it?”
-Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Whatever I was expecting from this book (which honestly wasn't a whole lot), I received 3,000% percent more than I thought possible (and that really isn't exaggeration).
What I thought would be a silly re-imagining of some aspects of a past president's life instead became a socio-political and philosophical commentary on the past and the present.
-Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Whatever I was expecting from this book (which honestly wasn't a whole lot), I received 3,000% percent more than I thought possible (and that really isn't exaggeration).
What I thought would be a silly re-imagining of some aspects of a past president's life instead became a socio-political and philosophical commentary on the past and the present.
Talk about something you can really sink your teeth into.
...
Upon finishing the book, I attempted to broach the subject with some of my friends, who either didn't get it or disapproved upon hearing the title. (Which is entirely fair -- I get why some people will not enjoy this book) The thing that seemed to upset them was that the title led them to believe that the president was not being properly respected. As in, the book was making light of President Lincoln's life and experience.
All I can say is, "Not so!" Instead, this story is a post-modern attempt to recognize that President Lincoln was a strong and heroic character, a light in one of the darkest periods of our history, and who, frankly, was a badass.
The post-modern shift has led to an almost universal belief that there is no absolute truth (and therefore nothing is sacred). History? Written by people with a bias -- those who won, and those who lost. Therefore, we can change it to something more endurable -- we can revive a man who was assassinated for (among other things) his fight against inequality.
While being half historically accurate, AL:VH relies on the fantastic to give a purpose behind Lincoln's political agenda. His stance on slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation and even his physique are (at least in this story) all for one purpose: to rid America of vampires.
The vehicle of vampirism brings about an entirely different side of slavery. Are we blame-shifting in order to deal with our past?
Or is the author, instead of blame-shifting, interested in pointing out just how much blood and sweat we poured out in order to satisfy our economic cravings? After all, if we can't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
While the book is highly entertaining, there is also a seriousness to it. The facts of Lincoln's life are put plainly here. He was a man of little education, who rose above his background to serve a country fraught with tension. His guidance created a New Era, which, sadly, had to leave him to the ages. The heightened stakes only serve to highlight the President's tragic yet awe-inspiring history.
In the words of "Henry Sturges" (per S. Grahame-Smith): “Most men have no purpose but to exist, Abraham; to pass quietly through history as minor characters upon a stage they cannot even see"; but "...some men are just too interesting to die."
...
Upon finishing the book, I attempted to broach the subject with some of my friends, who either didn't get it or disapproved upon hearing the title. (Which is entirely fair -- I get why some people will not enjoy this book) The thing that seemed to upset them was that the title led them to believe that the president was not being properly respected. As in, the book was making light of President Lincoln's life and experience.
All I can say is, "Not so!" Instead, this story is a post-modern attempt to recognize that President Lincoln was a strong and heroic character, a light in one of the darkest periods of our history, and who, frankly, was a badass.
The post-modern shift has led to an almost universal belief that there is no absolute truth (and therefore nothing is sacred). History? Written by people with a bias -- those who won, and those who lost. Therefore, we can change it to something more endurable -- we can revive a man who was assassinated for (among other things) his fight against inequality.
While being half historically accurate, AL:VH relies on the fantastic to give a purpose behind Lincoln's political agenda. His stance on slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation and even his physique are (at least in this story) all for one purpose: to rid America of vampires.
The vehicle of vampirism brings about an entirely different side of slavery. Are we blame-shifting in order to deal with our past?
Or is the author, instead of blame-shifting, interested in pointing out just how much blood and sweat we poured out in order to satisfy our economic cravings? After all, if we can't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
While the book is highly entertaining, there is also a seriousness to it. The facts of Lincoln's life are put plainly here. He was a man of little education, who rose above his background to serve a country fraught with tension. His guidance created a New Era, which, sadly, had to leave him to the ages. The heightened stakes only serve to highlight the President's tragic yet awe-inspiring history.
In the words of "Henry Sturges" (per S. Grahame-Smith): “Most men have no purpose but to exist, Abraham; to pass quietly through history as minor characters upon a stage they cannot even see"; but "...some men are just too interesting to die."
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The 100 Cupboard Series (books 1-3) by N.D. Wilson
I started reading the 100 Cupboard series earlier this year (back in January?!).
Book 1 -- 100 Cupboards
Book 2 -- Dandelion Fire
Book 3 -- The Chestnut King
(All three on my Kindle from the local library. Have I said how much I LOVE that?!)
The first book was, in one word, INTRIGUING. I loved that it began in Kansas (a nod to Frank L. Baum?), that there were several things going on (space/time travel, an evil plot, a lost child, magic, and relationships) and that there was enough going on in Kansas and the magic space-time travel storyline to keep everyone busy and things moving along at a great pace.
The second book, in a word, was THRILLING. You have scary situations, fights, curses, reveals, enchantments, a new magic and more background. I think my heart was racing during parts of it.
The third book, in a word, was...CLUNKY. I felt like there were too many words crowding out the main theme. It wasn't bad, but it felt like I was sifting the text for the threads of the story. The ending was unexpected (in a good way), with the redemption of a character I was fond of. I love when that happens. I think it was just too long, which ended up inhibiting the theme from being portrayed very strongly. I'm not exactly clear on what the theme was (the first book's seemed to be BELONGING, the second might be DISCOVERY or IDENTITY) which always lessens my enjoyment of a tale.
All in all, a highly enjoyable read. The book covers are some of the best I've seen in a while, which make the books themselves feel better to me. I'm big on book covers (I think they communicate the quality of story sometimes).
Next up: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Have any of you seen the movie trailer or read the book? If so, what are your thoughts? I think there's a lot going on philosophically, specifically from a post-modern viewpoint.
Book 1 -- 100 Cupboards
Book 2 -- Dandelion Fire
Book 3 -- The Chestnut King
(All three on my Kindle from the local library. Have I said how much I LOVE that?!)
The first book was, in one word, INTRIGUING. I loved that it began in Kansas (a nod to Frank L. Baum?), that there were several things going on (space/time travel, an evil plot, a lost child, magic, and relationships) and that there was enough going on in Kansas and the magic space-time travel storyline to keep everyone busy and things moving along at a great pace.
The second book, in a word, was THRILLING. You have scary situations, fights, curses, reveals, enchantments, a new magic and more background. I think my heart was racing during parts of it.
The third book, in a word, was...CLUNKY. I felt like there were too many words crowding out the main theme. It wasn't bad, but it felt like I was sifting the text for the threads of the story. The ending was unexpected (in a good way), with the redemption of a character I was fond of. I love when that happens. I think it was just too long, which ended up inhibiting the theme from being portrayed very strongly. I'm not exactly clear on what the theme was (the first book's seemed to be BELONGING, the second might be DISCOVERY or IDENTITY) which always lessens my enjoyment of a tale.
All in all, a highly enjoyable read. The book covers are some of the best I've seen in a while, which make the books themselves feel better to me. I'm big on book covers (I think they communicate the quality of story sometimes).
Next up: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Have any of you seen the movie trailer or read the book? If so, what are your thoughts? I think there's a lot going on philosophically, specifically from a post-modern viewpoint.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Leave Me A Comment!
I'm on page 48 of my script -- meaning I'm still behind. I'm writing in large spurts, about 9-10 pages at a time. I can write 8 pages well, which is super, so I need to just stick with that instead of trying to cram in the exact page count needed.
I even got in some funny bits as homages to my favorite screwball comedies (What's Up, Doc? and Oscar). And I made my husband laugh, which is a good sign.
And I'm reading even more books --
The Books of Elsewhere: Book 2
Dune
The Wolf Gift
I'm halfway through The Chestnut King and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Batman/Grendel so maybe I'll get those finished up today.
My question is:
What do you think I should read next? Got any recommendations for me? I eagerly await your response.
I even got in some funny bits as homages to my favorite screwball comedies (What's Up, Doc? and Oscar). And I made my husband laugh, which is a good sign.
And I'm reading even more books --
The Books of Elsewhere: Book 2
Dune
The Wolf Gift
I'm halfway through The Chestnut King and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Batman/Grendel so maybe I'll get those finished up today.
My question is:
What do you think I should read next? Got any recommendations for me? I eagerly await your response.
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