Tuesday, January 31, 2012
JK Rowling chuffed Harry Potter's sold 30,000 copies
An early TV interview with JK Rowling talking about Harry Potter. She's chuffed to bits her novel has sold 30,000. Bless. [Via @cat_clarke and Keris Stainton.]
Save Ferris: The first rule of Ferris Club is...
With the Matthew Broderick Superbowl ad reviving Ferris Bueller as a pop culture icon, here's another look at a YouTube I featured on Vicious Imagery two years ago. Enjoy!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Your characters shouldn't know everything you know
As a writer, you learn something from every draft of every story you write. The trick is remembering that lesson for the next time that situation arises. Otherwise, you find yourself having to re-learn the lesson again. And again. A good trick to avoid this is always write from the character's state of knowledge, not your own.
What am I talking about? Let me give you a [non-spoilery] example. In my latest ep of Doctors, one of the regulars investigates a medical mystery. They find a key piece of evidence mid-way through the script, which ultimately leads to them resolving the mystery. So far, so good - and it all worked fine as a scene by scene.
But when I started writing actual script drafts, I forgot that my protagonist didn't know who or what was causing the medical mystery. So when they found the first clue, I was writing them as if they'd seen the end of the story and thus already knew who or what was causing the medical mystery. A case of the protagonist who knew too much.
It's vital to keep a clear, conscious distinction between what you as the writer know [hopefully, everything] and what your characters knew at any given point in a narrative. You have total knowledge, they only know what they have already seen, heard or inferred. It's a tricky distinction to maintain, but ultimately crucial.
Took me a couple of drafts [and helpful notes from the production team] before I diagnosed what was going wrong. That led to some careful unpicking and reworking of the plot to reinstate the character's correct level of knowledge. That had a ripple effect on events, but the end result was worth all the hard work required.
A related thought I always try to keep in mind: everyone is the hero of their own life story. Everyone of us is pursuing their own quest to be get ahead, get rich, get laid, get happy, get better, etc. So should it be with every character in every story you write. Each character should be chasing their own goals, their own agenda.
Nobody wants to be the sidekick, the supporting character. That means all characters have their own unique attitude to events and the world. And that attitude should be evident in all their scenes, all their actions. They might help the hero, but only if it aids their own agenda and goals [or they've been coerced into helping].
When I'm writing the first draft of any scene now, the first thing I have to decide is from whose point of view am I writing it? What are they striving to achieve? Then I interrogate every other character in the scene to figure out their attitude to that goal. Will they help or hinder - and why do they feel that way?
Nailing my characters' individual attitudes - and state of knowledge - is crucial. Once I know that, I find it easier to write their dialogue, to know what subtext is hidden beneath their words. Agendas, attitudes, knowledge - all add richness and depth to characterisation, in my humble opinion. Your mileage may vary. Onwards!
What am I talking about? Let me give you a [non-spoilery] example. In my latest ep of Doctors, one of the regulars investigates a medical mystery. They find a key piece of evidence mid-way through the script, which ultimately leads to them resolving the mystery. So far, so good - and it all worked fine as a scene by scene.
But when I started writing actual script drafts, I forgot that my protagonist didn't know who or what was causing the medical mystery. So when they found the first clue, I was writing them as if they'd seen the end of the story and thus already knew who or what was causing the medical mystery. A case of the protagonist who knew too much.
It's vital to keep a clear, conscious distinction between what you as the writer know [hopefully, everything] and what your characters knew at any given point in a narrative. You have total knowledge, they only know what they have already seen, heard or inferred. It's a tricky distinction to maintain, but ultimately crucial.
Took me a couple of drafts [and helpful notes from the production team] before I diagnosed what was going wrong. That led to some careful unpicking and reworking of the plot to reinstate the character's correct level of knowledge. That had a ripple effect on events, but the end result was worth all the hard work required.
A related thought I always try to keep in mind: everyone is the hero of their own life story. Everyone of us is pursuing their own quest to be get ahead, get rich, get laid, get happy, get better, etc. So should it be with every character in every story you write. Each character should be chasing their own goals, their own agenda.
Nobody wants to be the sidekick, the supporting character. That means all characters have their own unique attitude to events and the world. And that attitude should be evident in all their scenes, all their actions. They might help the hero, but only if it aids their own agenda and goals [or they've been coerced into helping].
When I'm writing the first draft of any scene now, the first thing I have to decide is from whose point of view am I writing it? What are they striving to achieve? Then I interrogate every other character in the scene to figure out their attitude to that goal. Will they help or hinder - and why do they feel that way?
Nailing my characters' individual attitudes - and state of knowledge - is crucial. Once I know that, I find it easier to write their dialogue, to know what subtext is hidden beneath their words. Agendas, attitudes, knowledge - all add richness and depth to characterisation, in my humble opinion. Your mileage may vary. Onwards!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Something to cheer up a glum Sunday afternoon
Watch the intensity on the wee boy's face. Classic! [Via Steve Roberts on Facebook]
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Australian politician plagiarises Aaron Sorkin
An Australian politician has been caught out, shamelessly stealing a speech from Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for The American President. Wonder if the local press corps had to ask each other how to spell erudite afterwards?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Another almost Animal from The Muppets clip
Liam Finn and Greg Saunier compete for the role of Animal the drummer in any future [non-puppet] version of The Muppets.
Dead moody: The Glove - A Blues in Drag
Robert Smith from The Cure and Steve Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees teamed up for a side project called The Glove in the early 1980s. Among my favourite tracks on their album was this swirly, late night instrumental, A Blues in Drag. Here's a promo clip for that track which I'd never seen before today. [I heart YouTube.] Enjoy...
1978 Canadian cartoon inspires odd Bauhaus track
There's a track by Goth pioneers Bauhaus that I always loved, but which always left me scratching my head. Party of the First Part has this weird dialogue that tells a story about a singer's Faustian quest for fame. Turns out the words come from The Devil and Daniel Mouse, a Canadian animated Halloween TV special from 1978. See for yourself...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Star Wars Uncut: made by thousands in tiny wee bits
Love the Homer Simpson cameo just before the 12 minute mark.
Raw, rough and righteous: The Jam - Beat Surrender
Probably my favourite song by The Jam [and their last single I think], Beat Surrender seems to have been ignored ever since. This is a cracking live performance from The Tube. Some rough edges, but plenty of power and passion. Love it.
Friday, January 20, 2012
US president Obama sings a few lines of Al Green
What the Republican challengers would sing? Mitt Romney - King of Bain by The Police. Newt Gingrinch - Let My Love Open [Marriage] the Door. Ron Paul - The Man Who Would Be King by the Libertines. And Papa Don't Preach for Rick Santorum.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Movie Posters From an Alternate Universe
Love these film posters re-imagining recent movies as if they'd been made at a different time, with different cast and crew - almost as if they were movie posters from a different dimension. See more of these gems by going here.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
My PLR Top Ten, July 2010 - June 2011
More than 23,000 authors will get payments for the most recent PLR period [July 2010-June 2011], with just over 360 on the maximum amount. I’m a minnow in such matters, but can look forward to a wee three-figure payment next month. My total's way down from last year as I've been concentrating on screenwriting, not prose.
That's despite the fact I've been concentrating on screenwriting rather than novels and non-fiction books. Shifting my focus elsewhere means my top ten tomes bear a startling resemblance to what they were this time last year. But some of my old comics work has been reprinted in graphic novels, rewriting my usual PLR Top 10.
Straight in at number one is a Judge Dredd comics album, Heavy Metal Dredd, while third place goes to the Fiends of the Eastern Front strip compilation featuring Stalingrad, a story I wrote with art by Colin MacNeil. Beyond that, the usual suspects from my fiction backlist continue to dominate the library borrowings.
My four Fiends novels and the omnibus edition of the Eastern Front trilogy continue to attract readers, as do my Nikolai Dante tales and the Dante novel omnibus. Last time my long forgotten Michael Caine non-fiction tome made a sudden reappearance. Well, it's back again, along with one edition of The Complete Inspector Morse.
Anyway, here's my top ten tomes for July 2010 - June 2011 (with previous year's placing in brackets):-
1. (-) Heavy Metal Dredd (Apr 09)
2. (1) Fiends of the Rising Sun (Jul 07)
3. (-) Fiends of the Eastern Front (graphic novel, Oct 10)
4. (2) A Massacre in Marienburg (published Dec 08)
5. (5) Fiends of the Eastern Front: The Blood Red Army (Apr 06)
6. (-) The Complete Inspector Morse (first edition, 2002)
7. (9) Starring Michael Caine (Aug 03)
8. (3) Fiends of the Eastern Front: Operation Vampyr (Oct 05)
9. (10) Nikolai Dante: Imperial Black (Sep 05)
10. (6) From Russia With Lust: Nikolai Dante omnibus (Apr 07)
Bubbling under - Fiends of the Eastern Front omnibus (down from 4th last year); Fiends of the Eastern Front: Twilight of the Dead (down from 8th); and A Nightmare on Elm Street (wasn't even bubbling under last year).
Monday, January 16, 2012
Mitt the Ripper: satirical ad from faux contender
Comedian Stephen Colbert has launched a quixotic campaign to be selected as Republican candidate for the 2012 US presidential election. A political action committee [Super PAC] supporting Colbert has issued the daft attack ad featured above. Frankly, its Mitt the Ripper is a touch saner than some of the real candidate's Super PAC ads... [Nice voice over by John Lithgow aka serial killer Trinity in Dexter season 4.]
Why writers don't discuss getting fired: it sucks
Most writers don't talk about getting fired - at least, not in public. Writers are happy to share war stories with other writers, but announcing you're been booted off a script is like saying you admire the wit and wisdom of Michael Gove: rare, not well-advised, and possibly the sign of a psychotic break on your part.
The reality is most every professional writer will be fired off a gig at some point in their career. It's a rite of passage, if not an enjoyable one. Everyone will tell you not to take it personally, that it happens to all of us, that you simply have to suck it up and move on. That's all true - but doesn't actually help much at the time.
For a writer, getting fired to akin to being dumped by someone you really fancy while you're in the middle of having sex with them. You may've spent weeks, months, even years getting to this. But halfway through, they decide it's over. You're not satisfying them. Seemed like a good idea but you're not doing it the way they'd hoped. Goodbye.
Unsurprisingly, this news is never welcome. Being rejected isn't much fun, but you can comfort yourself with the thought they made a mistake by not picking you. Getting fired is more personal, because it feels like a condemnation of your performance. You couldn't make them happy, and now it's over. Don't call us. Etc, etc, etc.
I've been on both sides of this situation. When I took over as editor of 2000AD, I booted several creators who didn't match my creative vision for the comic. Whether or not I liked them personally was irrelevant, it was simply about the work. So that was some [tiny] comfort when I got booted from a job last year. It wasn't personal.
But your confidence still takes a hit. You question yourself, your ability, your ambitions as a writer - it's only natural. You try to pick yourself, move on, find a new path forward. Slowly but surely, you rediscover your writing mojo. The wound heals over, forms into scar tissue. With time comes distance, and objectivity.
The worst case scenario is getting booted off your very first commission. That has the potential to crush an emerging writer. If the boot comes after that a few successes, at least you know you can make it as a writer - just not on that particular job. Most important thing you can do? Learn from the experience. Onwards!
The reality is most every professional writer will be fired off a gig at some point in their career. It's a rite of passage, if not an enjoyable one. Everyone will tell you not to take it personally, that it happens to all of us, that you simply have to suck it up and move on. That's all true - but doesn't actually help much at the time.
For a writer, getting fired to akin to being dumped by someone you really fancy while you're in the middle of having sex with them. You may've spent weeks, months, even years getting to this. But halfway through, they decide it's over. You're not satisfying them. Seemed like a good idea but you're not doing it the way they'd hoped. Goodbye.
Unsurprisingly, this news is never welcome. Being rejected isn't much fun, but you can comfort yourself with the thought they made a mistake by not picking you. Getting fired is more personal, because it feels like a condemnation of your performance. You couldn't make them happy, and now it's over. Don't call us. Etc, etc, etc.
I've been on both sides of this situation. When I took over as editor of 2000AD, I booted several creators who didn't match my creative vision for the comic. Whether or not I liked them personally was irrelevant, it was simply about the work. So that was some [tiny] comfort when I got booted from a job last year. It wasn't personal.
But your confidence still takes a hit. You question yourself, your ability, your ambitions as a writer - it's only natural. You try to pick yourself, move on, find a new path forward. Slowly but surely, you rediscover your writing mojo. The wound heals over, forms into scar tissue. With time comes distance, and objectivity.
The worst case scenario is getting booted off your very first commission. That has the potential to crush an emerging writer. If the boot comes after that a few successes, at least you know you can make it as a writer - just not on that particular job. Most important thing you can do? Learn from the experience. Onwards!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Vote George W Bush or wolves will eat your family
Went on holiday to the Florida Keys in October 2004, just before the US Presidential election. TV was swamped with attack ads, but this was my favourite for its bizarre subtext [see above].
Attack ads from the US Republican Primaries January 2012
These make party political broadcasts look pretty tame.
NSFW: Hürda Gürda Mürder
One for fans of The Killing, Wallander, Dragon Tattoo - and Midsommer Murders.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Clock Opera tug the heart strings: Once and For All
Lovely video for Clock Opera's Once and For All starring Dudley Sutton [aka Tinker from Lovejoy, soon to be seen in Cockneys vs Zombies written by James Moran]. Been a fan since Clock Opera remixed You Are a Lover by Tracey Thorn. Seize the day. Onwards!
Monday, January 09, 2012
Play to your strengths: medical dramas & mysteries
Suspect my subconscious is telling me something. Just submitted the fourth draft of my fourth episode for the BBC1 medical drama series Doctors and - yet again - I've written a detective story. My second ep of Doctors featured a series regular solving a mystery. So did my third ep. And now, so does my fourth ep [due to broadcast in May].
Why do I keep writing mystery stories for Doctors? Because I love crime narratives. When I go on holiday and have the rare opportunity to read for pleasure, not research, crime fiction is always my first choice. Deciding what TV drama series to watch next on DVD or Blu-Ray? Shows involving crime and mysteries will tend to be chosen first.
It's an abiding sadness for me that I never got to write for The Bill before it was cancelled by ITV. The show wouldn't entertain pitches from new writers who had less than two hours of TV drama credits. My current ep of Doctors brings me up to that magical two hour mark - but too late to write for the cops and criminals of Sun Hill.
The joy of Doctors is the show's immensely flexible format. You can have high farce one day, soul-searing emotional drama the next. Want to write detective stories? You can, especially as the show has a police sergeant and a police surgeon among its regulars. Suits me down to the ground, so I should probably play to that strength.
Some writers want to be great at everything. By all means strive to keep learning, to improve all aspects of your writing - that's the only way to get better. But I believe it's smart to recognise the styles and genres for which you have a natural enthusiasm and affinity. Playing to your strengths makes sense to me. Onwards!
Why do I keep writing mystery stories for Doctors? Because I love crime narratives. When I go on holiday and have the rare opportunity to read for pleasure, not research, crime fiction is always my first choice. Deciding what TV drama series to watch next on DVD or Blu-Ray? Shows involving crime and mysteries will tend to be chosen first.
It's an abiding sadness for me that I never got to write for The Bill before it was cancelled by ITV. The show wouldn't entertain pitches from new writers who had less than two hours of TV drama credits. My current ep of Doctors brings me up to that magical two hour mark - but too late to write for the cops and criminals of Sun Hill.
The joy of Doctors is the show's immensely flexible format. You can have high farce one day, soul-searing emotional drama the next. Want to write detective stories? You can, especially as the show has a police sergeant and a police surgeon among its regulars. Suits me down to the ground, so I should probably play to that strength.
Some writers want to be great at everything. By all means strive to keep learning, to improve all aspects of your writing - that's the only way to get better. But I believe it's smart to recognise the styles and genres for which you have a natural enthusiasm and affinity. Playing to your strengths makes sense to me. Onwards!
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Tubular Bells - Brooklyn Organ Synth Orchestra
This is genius: Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells [a.k.a. that odd, creepy music from The Exorcist] as you've never heard it before, played on at least twenty different instruments by keyboardists from numerous Brooklyn bands. Film directed by Amy Hobby. Stick around right to the end for a post-credits gag featuring Peter Sellars. Class. In a glass. UPDATE: this track is available on iTunes UK for 79p, I've just discovered. Bargain!
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Endeavour: Barrington Pheloung's new Morse score
Here's a clip of composer Barrington Pheloung and orchestra at Abbey Road Studios recording the opening scene score for Endeavour, the Inspector Morse prequel that aired earlier this week. Pheloung has been a constant on the various TV incarnations of Morse and Lewis for 25 years, making his music an intrinsic part of the shows.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Review - Endeavour: The Origins of Inspector Morse
John Thaw would have celebrated his 70th birthday today, if cancer hadn't claimed him ten years ago. He played many great roles during his career, but it was his portrayal of grumpy Oxford detective Inspector Morse that earned Thaw two BAFTA awards. Last night Morse lived again on TV, with a new actor in the iconic role.
Endeavour told the story of Morse's first case as a policeman in Oxford during 1965. [I won't spoil any plot details, the show's out on DVD next Monday if you missed it.] Creating a prequel to such a beloved TV series was a big ask. Many Morse enthusiasts were vocal in their online protests before the one-off special aired.
So, did Endeavour do justice to Morse? My snap judgement is a resounding yes. Shaun Evans was a revelation as the young DC Morse, capturing the essence of Thaw's portrayal without attempting to mimic it. It's a terrible cliche, but he really did make the part his own, an utterly convincing performance at every level.
The supporting cast was just as strong, with Roger Allam gruff yet warm as Morse's new boss. DI Fred Thursday was an intriguing character, rooting out corruption and graft while ready to administer rough justice and break the law to get a result. You could imagine how his unorthodox methods would influence Morse's future attitudes.
The Russell Lewis script was a winner for me, full of red herrings and misdirection. Having enjoyed the Morse spin-off Lewis, I felt the writing on Endeavour was better. Perhaps it was the halo effect of rediscovering Morse afresh, with the added novelty of a period setting, but the result was more compelling than recent eps of Lewis.
Production values were lush, as you'd expect from the Morse stable, with Barrington Pheloung's achingly poignant score providing one of many threads from the original TV incarnation to this new upstart. The period detail was exquisite throughout, and Colm McCarthy's direction brought the best out of both places and performers.
I've no idea what John Thaw would make of Endeavour, either as an idea or in its execution. The moment when DC Morse looked in the rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of Thaw looking back at him was risky. It could have been mawkish and crass, but didn't feel that way - at least, not to me. A worthy salute.
UPDATE: Overnight ratings for Endeavour are out. According to Digital Spy, ITV1's Endeavour guided the channel to primetime victory, averaging 6.51 million viewers (26.9% of the viewing audience) from 9pm (including more than quarter of a million views watching it on the time-delay channel ITV+1. That's not a huge number, but it trounced perennial favourite David Jason in part 2 of The Royal Bodyguard on BBC1, which lost more than 2.5 million viewers thanks to competition from Endeavour. I've little doubt the final, consolidated ratings for Endeavour will be much higher when they're released in a fortnight. I'd be utterly amazed if the show does not get commissioned for a series of three or four new stories to be shot this year for broadcast early in 2013. On the strength of this one-off special, Endeavour thoroughly deserves a longer run on our TV screens.
David Bishop, author of The Complete Inspector Morse
New edition [including Endeavour preview] on sale now in the UK and in the US.
Kiwi music: Greenpeace single - Anchor Me
Having had the Mutton Birds yesterday, seems only fair to showcase this classy cover version of the band's anthemic Anchor Me. It features numerous contemporary Kiwi music figures and was recorded to make the anniversary of French agents blowing up the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, back in 1985.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Sunday, January 01, 2012
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