quick review: HANCOCK
07/08/08 19:09
I'm trying
to reform. 9 days between my posts is pretty good.
So over the weekend we took in Will Smith's annual (it seems) Fourth of July blockbuster: HANCOCK. I have to say I liked it, for a couple reasons. First, I love it when people mess with stereotypes, and Hancock is NOT a stereotypical superhero. He's rude, crude, drunk, with a possible cocaine habit, plus he's mean to children. Show me more! Bring on the anti-hero superheroes! Granted, there are several out there that are anti-hero superheroes--Ben Grimm (the Thing) comes to mind, as does The Punisher (though is he really a superhero?), and to some extent Batman and Wolverine fit that role, as does the Tick, but he's weird all around. But Hancock is WAAAAAY out on the anti- side of the anti-hero role. He's a "fuck you" superhero, and I don't recall too many of those. And don't we all feel like that sometimes? Want me to grade your paper? #)$(*#)($* you, student. I never say it, but I feel like it sometimes. Should I even admit that? : \
Second, I like that Hancock never lost his . . . disdain? . . . for his abilities. So what if he mashed up the pavement when he landed? Part of the job. So what if went and wrote on the moon? Part of the job. It took him forever to be able to say thanks when the good guys helped him? Part of being an anti-hero.
The plot falls apart and gets stupid at several points, so the movie itself isn't the best, but Hancock as a character is pretty great. I think his brilliance was helped along by the writer Vince Gilligan, who used to write for the the world's best sci-fi series THE X-FILES. That show was full, and I do mean full, of characters who turned things upside down. Good job, Vince Gilligan.
Next up: a review of DEBBIE HARRY SINGS IN FRENCH. Love and cross-dressers--good combo.
So over the weekend we took in Will Smith's annual (it seems) Fourth of July blockbuster: HANCOCK. I have to say I liked it, for a couple reasons. First, I love it when people mess with stereotypes, and Hancock is NOT a stereotypical superhero. He's rude, crude, drunk, with a possible cocaine habit, plus he's mean to children. Show me more! Bring on the anti-hero superheroes! Granted, there are several out there that are anti-hero superheroes--Ben Grimm (the Thing) comes to mind, as does The Punisher (though is he really a superhero?), and to some extent Batman and Wolverine fit that role, as does the Tick, but he's weird all around. But Hancock is WAAAAAY out on the anti- side of the anti-hero role. He's a "fuck you" superhero, and I don't recall too many of those. And don't we all feel like that sometimes? Want me to grade your paper? #)$(*#)($* you, student. I never say it, but I feel like it sometimes. Should I even admit that? : \
Second, I like that Hancock never lost his . . . disdain? . . . for his abilities. So what if he mashed up the pavement when he landed? Part of the job. So what if went and wrote on the moon? Part of the job. It took him forever to be able to say thanks when the good guys helped him? Part of being an anti-hero.
The plot falls apart and gets stupid at several points, so the movie itself isn't the best, but Hancock as a character is pretty great. I think his brilliance was helped along by the writer Vince Gilligan, who used to write for the the world's best sci-fi series THE X-FILES. That show was full, and I do mean full, of characters who turned things upside down. Good job, Vince Gilligan.
Next up: a review of DEBBIE HARRY SINGS IN FRENCH. Love and cross-dressers--good combo.
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Judy Blume in person
06/29/08 20:08
Wow.
Remember I said I was going to get with the program?
Obviously not. It's been, what . . . six weeks?
So I got to see Judy Blume a few weeks ago. I don't think she does much publicity these days, but she's got new books coming out (early readers), so she can use the publicity, and she's a goddess of children's literature, and even though gas is $4 a gallon, I just bought a Prius, and what's wrong with driving all over hell & gone if you're getting 45 miles a gallon? : ) I would've driven farther than 90 miles to see her, that's for sure.
But the evening was slightly disappointing. Her interviewer was more than a shade clueless, and she didn't give Judy a chance to shine (in my opinion). I was pissed. Judy lit up when it was time for Q&A, because then the kids in the audience got into the act. The audience itself was a study--grandmas, moms, daughters (mostly girls of many ages). How cool is it that books can touch so many generations in the author's lifetime? Damn cool, if you ask me.
At some point in the evening, Judy asked her husband something from the stage, so then we all knew who and where he was. After the Q&A, my friend Angie had the bright idea to get Judy's husband to sign a book, instead of waiting in the looooooong line for Judy to sign it (gotta love how Angie's mind works!). While she was doing that, I whipped out a trusty 3x5 card and wrote Judy a note: "Dear Judy: I just sold my first YA novel, and it's your fault. Thank you." I signed it and handed it to George, her hubby, who smiled and congratulated me. THEN I had the bright idea to write my website address on the back of the notecard.
So . . . wonder if Judy Blume has been to my web site? Wonder if he gave her my fan letter (well, notecard) in the first place? Even if he didn't, I don't care. The fact that my web address was one degree of separation from Judy Blume is enough for me.
Pretty silly, I know. But it's JUDY BLUME.
So I got to see Judy Blume a few weeks ago. I don't think she does much publicity these days, but she's got new books coming out (early readers), so she can use the publicity, and she's a goddess of children's literature, and even though gas is $4 a gallon, I just bought a Prius, and what's wrong with driving all over hell & gone if you're getting 45 miles a gallon? : ) I would've driven farther than 90 miles to see her, that's for sure.
But the evening was slightly disappointing. Her interviewer was more than a shade clueless, and she didn't give Judy a chance to shine (in my opinion). I was pissed. Judy lit up when it was time for Q&A, because then the kids in the audience got into the act. The audience itself was a study--grandmas, moms, daughters (mostly girls of many ages). How cool is it that books can touch so many generations in the author's lifetime? Damn cool, if you ask me.
At some point in the evening, Judy asked her husband something from the stage, so then we all knew who and where he was. After the Q&A, my friend Angie had the bright idea to get Judy's husband to sign a book, instead of waiting in the looooooong line for Judy to sign it (gotta love how Angie's mind works!). While she was doing that, I whipped out a trusty 3x5 card and wrote Judy a note: "Dear Judy: I just sold my first YA novel, and it's your fault. Thank you." I signed it and handed it to George, her hubby, who smiled and congratulated me. THEN I had the bright idea to write my website address on the back of the notecard.
So . . . wonder if Judy Blume has been to my web site? Wonder if he gave her my fan letter (well, notecard) in the first place? Even if he didn't, I don't care. The fact that my web address was one degree of separation from Judy Blume is enough for me.
Pretty silly, I know. But it's JUDY BLUME.
Link love and big news
05/15/08 19:50
I am
cartwheels-in-the-grass pleased to announce that
CONTENTS MAY EXPLODE UNDER PRESSURE will be published
by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn, in the fall of 2009!
This little morsel landed in my May Day basket, and I am woefully behind in posting it to my website. Yesterday I discovered that Flux's blog is linked to my site, and I realized I'd better get with the program. You gotta like link love! And when I saw that link, I realized that publishing this book is no longer a dream. Now we're into reality--someone wants it, someone will pay me for it, and someone is going to give it the chance to make it to Barnes & Noble. Holy freaking smokes. I get to meet Andrew Karre (editor extraordinare) tomorrow, so that will seal the "this is real" deal. Maybe.
I sold a book. *I* sold a book. I *sold* a book. I sold *a* book. I sold a *book*.
Nope. Still doesn't feel real.
This little morsel landed in my May Day basket, and I am woefully behind in posting it to my website. Yesterday I discovered that Flux's blog is linked to my site, and I realized I'd better get with the program. You gotta like link love! And when I saw that link, I realized that publishing this book is no longer a dream. Now we're into reality--someone wants it, someone will pay me for it, and someone is going to give it the chance to make it to Barnes & Noble. Holy freaking smokes. I get to meet Andrew Karre (editor extraordinare) tomorrow, so that will seal the "this is real" deal. Maybe.
I sold a book. *I* sold a book. I *sold* a book. I sold *a* book. I sold a *book*.
Nope. Still doesn't feel real.
The longevity of story
04/27/08 21:58
My
9-year-old charmer comes home with a beat-up book in
his hand and promptly sits down to devour it. He's been
doing that lately, and it cheers me to no end.
"Whatcha readin', Child O Mine?"
"HENRY HUGGINS. Do you know him?"
"Yup."
When he's done, I check out the pub date. First copyright? 1950.
My next goal is to read HENRY HUGGINS and see why the story's so delicious after 58 years. If it can get through to my YouTube-loving, RUN'S HOUSE-watching child, I need to take lessons on storytelling from Beverly Cleary.
"Whatcha readin', Child O Mine?"
"HENRY HUGGINS. Do you know him?"
"Yup."
When he's done, I check out the pub date. First copyright? 1950.
My next goal is to read HENRY HUGGINS and see why the story's so delicious after 58 years. If it can get through to my YouTube-loving, RUN'S HOUSE-watching child, I need to take lessons on storytelling from Beverly Cleary.
Boy books
03/12/08 19:47
UPDATE:
Anton Chigurh is as brilliant on paper as he is on
screen. But I didn't have to imagine him much--the bad
thing about seeing the film before you read the book.
My next two projects have guy protagonists. It's a new thing for me. Well, that's not entirely true. Gabe, my protagonist in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, is a guy, but he's a different kind of guy. There's at least some girl culture in him (cultural influences for girls), because he was raised as a girl, even if he's got a guy brain. However, these next dudes have all the cultural training guys need (or don't, depending on who you ask). Could be tough.
But it will be as great as it will be tough. I love guys--as human beings, not just as a straight woman who loves guys (one guy these days). They appear simple, but their complexities are endless, and they're big fat chickens when it comes to sharing those complex minds/hearts. I like the stereotypical things--like when they fix and build, and when they watch sports (especially football, but I turn into a guy for football). I love their strength. I love their decisiveness. I love their tenderness. I love their action instead of talk. I even love their arrogance sometimes, because it's fun to watch them find out they're wrong. Was that mean? Probably so. I'll say it again--some of this is stereotypical, but there are truths contained in stereotypes.
These traits are even more endearing when they're exercised by 9- to 20-year-old guys trying to find their way in the world. It's a trick to teach a boy (like the one who lives in my house) when it's good to use the word "penis" instead of "doodle" (thank you Homer, Bart and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, you spider-pigs). It's more of a trick to teach him that's it's all right to cry. Culture is really mean to guys sometimes.
What's on my reading list, to absorb guy characters? THE SCHWA WAS HERE, Neil Schusterman (possibly the coolest title ever, especially if you're a nerd who knows what a schwa is). The YA by Nick Hornby, can't think of its title. A reread of THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, Sherman Alexie's National Book Award YA. BE MORE CHILL, Ned Vizzini. I'll probably reread John Green's LOOKING FOR ALASKA and AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES too. There will also be lots of sitting around and watching guys this summer, never a real hardship and always good for a laugh. Here's my favorite oveheard quotation from a twelve-year-old guy: "I stopped eating paper when I started eating more for breakfast."
Who wouldn't want to write for people like that?
My next two projects have guy protagonists. It's a new thing for me. Well, that's not entirely true. Gabe, my protagonist in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, is a guy, but he's a different kind of guy. There's at least some girl culture in him (cultural influences for girls), because he was raised as a girl, even if he's got a guy brain. However, these next dudes have all the cultural training guys need (or don't, depending on who you ask). Could be tough.
But it will be as great as it will be tough. I love guys--as human beings, not just as a straight woman who loves guys (one guy these days). They appear simple, but their complexities are endless, and they're big fat chickens when it comes to sharing those complex minds/hearts. I like the stereotypical things--like when they fix and build, and when they watch sports (especially football, but I turn into a guy for football). I love their strength. I love their decisiveness. I love their tenderness. I love their action instead of talk. I even love their arrogance sometimes, because it's fun to watch them find out they're wrong. Was that mean? Probably so. I'll say it again--some of this is stereotypical, but there are truths contained in stereotypes.
These traits are even more endearing when they're exercised by 9- to 20-year-old guys trying to find their way in the world. It's a trick to teach a boy (like the one who lives in my house) when it's good to use the word "penis" instead of "doodle" (thank you Homer, Bart and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, you spider-pigs). It's more of a trick to teach him that's it's all right to cry. Culture is really mean to guys sometimes.
What's on my reading list, to absorb guy characters? THE SCHWA WAS HERE, Neil Schusterman (possibly the coolest title ever, especially if you're a nerd who knows what a schwa is). The YA by Nick Hornby, can't think of its title. A reread of THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, Sherman Alexie's National Book Award YA. BE MORE CHILL, Ned Vizzini. I'll probably reread John Green's LOOKING FOR ALASKA and AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES too. There will also be lots of sitting around and watching guys this summer, never a real hardship and always good for a laugh. Here's my favorite oveheard quotation from a twelve-year-old guy: "I stopped eating paper when I started eating more for breakfast."
Who wouldn't want to write for people like that?
Plain old-fashioned dislike
02/13/08 19:58
An
update--I thought for a long time about Anton Chigurh
and Sweeney Todd, and despite what I said about
violence and what I'm teaching my kid, I eventually
came to the conclusion that I just plain didn't like
Sweeney Todd, at least Johnny Depp/Tim Burton's
version. Anton Chigurh is my dude. I haven't liked an
on-screen character that much since Ralph Fiennes
became Voldemort.
I'm going to read NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN this summer, to see if Chigurh is as brilliant on the page as he is on screen. I'm betting so.
Does this mean I'm not still wondering about violence and what I'm teaching my kid? Of course I am--but I've decided to own my likes and dislikes as well. Then the question arises: is it bad to like a killer? A very elegant, eloquent, simple but badass character who happens to be a killer? I don't know the answer to that question.
But I still don't think I can go for Dexter the serial killer. That's too far, good character or not.
I'm going to read NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN this summer, to see if Chigurh is as brilliant on the page as he is on screen. I'm betting so.
Does this mean I'm not still wondering about violence and what I'm teaching my kid? Of course I am--but I've decided to own my likes and dislikes as well. Then the question arises: is it bad to like a killer? A very elegant, eloquent, simple but badass character who happens to be a killer? I don't know the answer to that question.
But I still don't think I can go for Dexter the serial killer. That's too far, good character or not.
SCBWI--the personal gets national
02/13/08 18:36
So I just
got back from a national SCBWI conference . . . Society
for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, for those
of you who are neither . . . and I was more than
happily surprised. Before I wrote YA and before my
Ph.D., I was a poet for grown-ups. In that particular
time of my writing life, I hung out with some really
cool people who wanted to help each other get better at
their work. I also knew some highly competitive and
crabby people who saw everyone as a threat. I was
expecting a few more threatened people at SCBWI, but
what I got was about 1000 people who were supporting
each other all the way. WOW. Who knew?
I also got all sorts of good info, wonderful speeches from Susan Patron (the Newbery Queen of Scrotums, if you don't know what I mean, go find out), Richard Peck (omg, what a speech!), and Carolyn Mackler, and invites to submit from 2 publishers, which I will do if my current deals fall through. I got to trip Carolyn Mackler, eek, but then I got to tell her my favorite line from THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHRE BIG ROUND THINGS was Shannon's insult of "onion-loving fuckers." Oh man, I laughed. Go read the book if you want to know.
Other bonuses of the weekend: marvelous Thai food, NY-style pizza, amazing pumpkin ravioli, and a couple bagels. Yum. PLUS I got to travel with two of my favorite people (who are also in my writing group) and hang out with other writer friends from here. All in all, a stellar weekend.
I also got to see (though not talk to) Arthur Levine, the man who brought Harry Potter to America. Bless you, Arthur Levine! He's bald and very emotive, which doesn't surprise me on either count
But now I've got a cold. : ( Thank you, airplane air, and the germs of nine bazillion people in NYC. However, despite the hangover of work, tiredness, and germs, I came home reinvigorated to write and renewed in my commitment 1) to this group of people, and 2) to writing for kids, big or small. I've never been to a conference where every single panel was worth my money, but it was true at SCBWI.
One more time: wow.
I also got all sorts of good info, wonderful speeches from Susan Patron (the Newbery Queen of Scrotums, if you don't know what I mean, go find out), Richard Peck (omg, what a speech!), and Carolyn Mackler, and invites to submit from 2 publishers, which I will do if my current deals fall through. I got to trip Carolyn Mackler, eek, but then I got to tell her my favorite line from THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHRE BIG ROUND THINGS was Shannon's insult of "onion-loving fuckers." Oh man, I laughed. Go read the book if you want to know.
Other bonuses of the weekend: marvelous Thai food, NY-style pizza, amazing pumpkin ravioli, and a couple bagels. Yum. PLUS I got to travel with two of my favorite people (who are also in my writing group) and hang out with other writer friends from here. All in all, a stellar weekend.
I also got to see (though not talk to) Arthur Levine, the man who brought Harry Potter to America. Bless you, Arthur Levine! He's bald and very emotive, which doesn't surprise me on either count
But now I've got a cold. : ( Thank you, airplane air, and the germs of nine bazillion people in NYC. However, despite the hangover of work, tiredness, and germs, I came home reinvigorated to write and renewed in my commitment 1) to this group of people, and 2) to writing for kids, big or small. I've never been to a conference where every single panel was worth my money, but it was true at SCBWI.
One more time: wow.
Whose story should be told?
01/21/08 13:15
Now that I
know how to jack with my web site, I'll be doing it all
the time . . . the ego of having a forum!
I went to see SWEENEY TODD on Saturday night, and I was left with a few questions. I'll spare you the summary and attendant criticism (what a lot of blood!) except to say it was worth about $5 of my $7.50. When I did some research, I discovered Sweeney Todd is a historical figure (first appearing in literature around the mid-nineteenth century, which seems obvious from the film), and there are people who believe a real person did what the movie says he did. Thank you, Wikipedia.
So here's my question: do all people deserve to have their stories told? Is it worth it to tell the story of a revenge-obsessed man who butchers people so that his downstairs neighbor can feed them to the unsuspecting public? What's the moral of the story--don't get sucked in by revenge? You can't go home again? Don't serve people in pies? There's a series on Showtime called DEXTER, about a serial killer. My friend Royce. and many critics, say it's excellent--you want him to succeed. Excuse me? Isn't our society screwed up enough without glorifying people like Dexter and Sweeney Todd?
I sound like a complete square. Essentially, this is a fiction question, but it does have moral implications, because how do I teach my kid not to be violent and/or like violence when these characters are all over? And I paid to see them? I need to turn in my role model badge. The most excellent movie recently? NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN--and killing abounds in that film. If I adored that film, and the character of Anton Chigurh, who am I to dislike Sweeney Todd? Who am I to use Stephen King (his writing and his writing advice) in my creative writing classes? All of this is his fault, isn't it (I know it's not, but there are people who probably blame him instead of Poe and his ilk)?
There's a scene in SWEENEY TODD where he runs his fingers over photos of his wife and baby daughter, leaving streaks of blood on the glass. And I thought, "this won't end well." And it didn't. I know that one of the purposes of tragedy is to say "There but for the grace of God go I," but . . . . people like Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett? It's so over the top that we KNOW we won't have it happen to us.
Maybe I'm not questioning society, just myself. My spiritual side says to love all, serve all, and not glorify gratuitous violence--and that's what I'm trying to teach my kid. Then here I am, loving NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. What does that say about me? Do I really want to know? Maybe I'm just keeping the alligators fed, as King says. We all have to take care of the alligators in the basement, so they don't escape.
Eeek.
I went to see SWEENEY TODD on Saturday night, and I was left with a few questions. I'll spare you the summary and attendant criticism (what a lot of blood!) except to say it was worth about $5 of my $7.50. When I did some research, I discovered Sweeney Todd is a historical figure (first appearing in literature around the mid-nineteenth century, which seems obvious from the film), and there are people who believe a real person did what the movie says he did. Thank you, Wikipedia.
So here's my question: do all people deserve to have their stories told? Is it worth it to tell the story of a revenge-obsessed man who butchers people so that his downstairs neighbor can feed them to the unsuspecting public? What's the moral of the story--don't get sucked in by revenge? You can't go home again? Don't serve people in pies? There's a series on Showtime called DEXTER, about a serial killer. My friend Royce. and many critics, say it's excellent--you want him to succeed. Excuse me? Isn't our society screwed up enough without glorifying people like Dexter and Sweeney Todd?
I sound like a complete square. Essentially, this is a fiction question, but it does have moral implications, because how do I teach my kid not to be violent and/or like violence when these characters are all over? And I paid to see them? I need to turn in my role model badge. The most excellent movie recently? NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN--and killing abounds in that film. If I adored that film, and the character of Anton Chigurh, who am I to dislike Sweeney Todd? Who am I to use Stephen King (his writing and his writing advice) in my creative writing classes? All of this is his fault, isn't it (I know it's not, but there are people who probably blame him instead of Poe and his ilk)?
There's a scene in SWEENEY TODD where he runs his fingers over photos of his wife and baby daughter, leaving streaks of blood on the glass. And I thought, "this won't end well." And it didn't. I know that one of the purposes of tragedy is to say "There but for the grace of God go I," but . . . . people like Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett? It's so over the top that we KNOW we won't have it happen to us.
Maybe I'm not questioning society, just myself. My spiritual side says to love all, serve all, and not glorify gratuitous violence--and that's what I'm trying to teach my kid. Then here I am, loving NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. What does that say about me? Do I really want to know? Maybe I'm just keeping the alligators fed, as King says. We all have to take care of the alligators in the basement, so they don't escape.
Eeek.
A lesson in audience
01/16/08 15:57
So . . . I
got my first hate mail. I'm being extreme, to say it's
hate mail, but it's certainly not love mail. It's more
like nasty mail. It's the first negative public comment
about the topics of my book(s)--I'm guessing it was
spurred on by my trans character, Gabe. I had hoped to
wait until the books are in print!
My friends & family have been very supportive of this web site, and its address has gotten passed around, even sent out in Christmas letters. Not long after the first occurrence of distribution, a negative comment showed up in my blog. The comment is anonymous, of course, and you can find it in the comments of the first blog entry, if you're curious. But I continually wonder: was it a family member? A friend of a friend? Someone who stumbled on the site accidentally? A student who Googled my name? And why, if this person felt my prose is "absolutely terrible," wouldn't s/he stand by that judgment and name themselves? They didn't want to hurt my feelings?
The main lesson, for me, is one of audience. Obviously, the comment-leaver wasn't part of my audience. I still wish they would have been brave enough to claim their comment.
But hey--all exposure is good exposure, right? I hope so.
My friends & family have been very supportive of this web site, and its address has gotten passed around, even sent out in Christmas letters. Not long after the first occurrence of distribution, a negative comment showed up in my blog. The comment is anonymous, of course, and you can find it in the comments of the first blog entry, if you're curious. But I continually wonder: was it a family member? A friend of a friend? Someone who stumbled on the site accidentally? A student who Googled my name? And why, if this person felt my prose is "absolutely terrible," wouldn't s/he stand by that judgment and name themselves? They didn't want to hurt my feelings?
The main lesson, for me, is one of audience. Obviously, the comment-leaver wasn't part of my audience. I still wish they would have been brave enough to claim their comment.
But hey--all exposure is good exposure, right? I hope so.
Hello and welcome!
11/20/07 16:03