It wasn’t until last June that I started watching DVD’s special bonus features. What’s wrong with me? Why did it take me so long? I’m addicted to the director’s commentary. I learn so much about a movie that I otherwise wouldn’t have been privy to.
I watched The Brothers McMullen the other day and was surprised to learn that the budget for that movie was only $25,000. So of course, my mind starts working overtime. Knowing that I was a chapter away from completing Mija, I started to think about how I could write the screenplay for Mija and finance the film.
Sometimes I dream big. And I’m fine with that. But I notice that once I complete a project, I want to move on and learn how to create something new. I get bored easily with things I mastered. This is not to suggest that I have mastered the art of writing. I’m far from that, believe me. But once a novel I have written is published, I can see myself trying my hand into another activity that requires a new skill set.
I also found out that one of my favorite songs, I Will Remember You, was written for The Brothers McMullen movie.
I Will Remember You
(by Sarah McLachlan, Seamus Egan, and Dave Merenda)
I will remember you Will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories
Remember the good times that we had? I let them slip away from us when things got bad How clearly I first saw you smilin’ in the sun Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one
I will remember you Will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories
I’m so tired but I can’t sleep Standin’ on the edge of something much too deep It’s funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word We are screaming inside, but we can’t be heard
But I will remember you Will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories
I’m so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose Clinging to a past that doesn’t let me choose Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light
And I will remember you Will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories
And I will remember you Will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories Weep not for the memories
The Starter Wife was a television miniseries. It’s a campy, quirky movie that was an endless binge of brain candy. The kind of movie you watch to forget your daily struggles. At least that was my initial take on the movie. Then somewhere along the way I became emotionally involved in the characters. The two characters I wanted to see fall in love and get married, didn’t. I was heartbroken. Here I invested time and emotions and the end wasn’t what I hoped for. For a while after the movie finished, I felt cheated (though I have since come around)
As writers, what is our responsibility to our audience’s expectations? Oh, I can hear you now: Write for yourself, not your audience.In theory, I understand that sentiment. I truly do. But as a business, and for me writing is a business, there should be a balance of what you want your ending to be and what will satisfy the buying marketing.
Garnering public interest in your book is a major feat, but if we want our readers to do more than shell out a few bucks for our book then we need to respect their tastes, their expectations. Not only because we want them to enjoy our book, but also because we want them to buy our next book.
In the past, I’ve mentioned the importance of a writer’s voice. I’m convinced that it’s a writer’s voice that sells a manuscript. It’s not the plot or the story. That isn’t to suggest that plots aren’t important. Of course they are. But the technically sound book with all the twist and turns isn’t compelling on its own.
So what exactly is a writer’s voice? For me, it’s the signature of an author. Recall the works of your favorite author. Notice how the words, phrasing, pacing, and character development are distinct (among other attributes).
In fact, if you had to, you would be able to pick out her writing from a pile of unnamed works.
Though different stories will carry a varied style of the same voice, the author’s stamp is always embedded in the writing.
The Friday night movie for this week is Evita. I chose it because I believe Madonna has a signature sound. When you hear her sing, you know it’s her. Instantly.
Listen to the embedded video and listen to her version of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.
Now listen to Sinead O’Connor’s version.
Each woman is singing the same song, but because each has a different style the song takes on a different flavor. Their interpretation of the song changes the listener’s perception.
I’ve mentioned before that all stories are basically recycled. It’s our own spin that makes a story “reader worthy.” Our voice gives us that edge.
I was introduced to Frida Kahlo’s art when I was in my early twenties. In an instant, I felt comfortable in my own skin. Her life is so interesting. When I paint, I listen to the Frida soundtrack. She’s an inspiration.
So, here we go again. Another false memoir. The New York Times reports the following: is time the
InLove and Consequences,a critically acclaimed memoir published last week, Margaret B. Jones wrote about her life as a half-white, half-Native American girl growing up in South-Central Los Angeles as a foster child among gang-bangers, running drugs for the Bloods. The problem is that none of it is true.
As I mentioned in the past, false memoirs upsets me because publishers will be reluctant to publish memoirs. In fact, someone I know just received a rejection from an agent indicating that he was will stay away from memoirs because of the recent events.
Another reason this is tragic is because a true memoir or novel was turned down in favor of In Love and Consequences - an aspiring writer’s dream was crushed or put on hold. Shameful.
If you want a real-life story about struggling teens that make it, rent Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change inspired the movie. The book description is as follows:
As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.” (Source)
Most of the movies I watch are independent films. Life is Beautiful is my all time favorite. For months, I insisted everyone call me Principessa (that’s princess in Italian).
This is a beautiful love story. I’m not much of a romantic so for me to give kiddos for a movie based on its love story is unusual. But more than being a man-women love story, this is a story of a father’s love for his son. To top it all off, the movie sends a strong social message.
Life is Beautiful reminds me how important it is for me to write a literary novel. One that is based on characters the readers can relate to beyond a superficial level. It’s not important that I just “get published.” Not at all. I want to be proud of the book. This is something I find is lacking in first time authors. Their focus is on seeing their name on the cover of a book. Of course, I’m speaking in generalities here. But this has been my observation.
I realize motivation doesn’t matter as long as the end result is what we want. However, I have a sneaky suspicion that those writers who just want to see their name on a book cover will find that isn’t enough. In the end, we want readers. People who will connect to the story we have to tell.