+ advice, best, blog, Publishing, Uncategorized

Blogs of Importance

by Unknown's avatar

Hello Mr. Harrington,

I saw on one of your posts that you take questions. So here it is, how important is it to publishers that you have a blog with a lot of followers and how many followers do they want to see. Right now, I don’t see myself devoting time to acquiring followers. It seems very time consuming and I’d rather use that time to write my novel. Thank you for your time. I hope all is well.

Hi Marc,

On a scale of 1-10, ten being THE most important, and 1 being least… I’d say 1.5 at best. Publishers don’t typically look at blogs, at least not public ones. For example, if you have a blog for your local newspaper, it falls under their domain, and you’re paid to write for them, that’s huge! That’s definitely something you’ll want them to look at. However from my experience, when it comes to blogs like wordpress, given that anyone can get one, I’d say it makes very little difference at all. This is from my experience anyway. Publishing agents and publishers don’t really care all that much. They are more interested in things like articles you’ve had published, or other book publications.

Hope this helps.

Readers, how important do you think blogs are in getting your work published?

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 5 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, Inspiration, Music, Rock, Uncategorized

MORE Inspiration for you!

by Unknown's avatar

Today, I’d like to recommend a brand new album from my favorite concept group, Avantasia!

The Album is entitled ‘Ghostlights’ and is a brand new story from a man I consider a Master Storyteller; Tobias Sammet. The moment you pick up this album, you know that you’ve grabbed a hold of something special. No getting around this one, I LOVE the artwork on these albums.

Anyway, Avantasia is a unique group of singers performing a part in a Metal Opera. These singers are from various Metal bands, including Helloween, Within Temptation, Nightwish, and Magnum, just to name a few. One of the more unique things about Avantasia is that you can listen to the songs independently of the album and still get the gist of what’s going on, or you can listen to it straight through and pick up the whole story.

When writing, the songs I recommend are as follows:

Let the Storm Descend Upon You
Master of the Pendulum
and
Mystery of a Blood Red Rose

Anyway, take a listen and feel free to add a few recommendations of your own!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 5 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

 

+

+ advice, Anger, Author, create, Emotion, literature, Writing

Embracing the Dark Side…

by Unknown's avatar

“Dear Jim,

I’ve been writing a novel for some time now, but it’s been a struggle. I’ve come on hard times recently with a friend. I’ve felt betrayed and hurt. The problem is that I’m afraid to write while I feel that way. I’m worried that it will affect my writing and change how the story goes. Do you think I should keep going or put it on the back burner until I feel better?

Thanks for any help you could provide,
Jaclyn.

 

Okay… well obviously you’ve got a lot you’re dealing with right now. The best thing I would do right now is find someone to talk to and get your frustrations out. If all else fails, you have my email. I’d be happy to talk to you further if you just need to vent.

Anyway to answer your question; I know a lot of people would tell you to put your writing on hold and pull yourself back together first. Get all your ducks in a row and then get back to work. It’s sound advice for certain.

That said, I’m going to break the mold here. I think you should continue writing. If there is one thing I’ve found from my writing is that striking the keys and putting emotion on paper is EXTREMELY therapeutic. You say that you feel hurt and betrayed… what would you give to be able to just put all of your inhibitions aside and let loose on the world? How grand would it be to just let everyone know how you feel and not be judged for it or have your reputation damaged?

That’s where writing comes in. Writing, like painting or sculpting, is an art form. The best art is the kind where you can feel the creator’s emotion and see their heart put into it. Now consider, what are the strongest emotions? Love is certainly one of them, as is joy, but then anger, fear, and hatred are also very powerful.

These are all human emotions, when it comes to your art, don’t fight them, embrace them! I invite you to go into a dark room some where, shut the lights out, lock the door, power up your computer, bring up your book, and let your emotions come to a head. Bring out all the anger, the hatred, the sadness, and the feelings of betrayal. Push them all to the surface and then start typing. (You may want to buy a cheap, expendable keyboard for this).

Pound away at the keys, Jaclyn. Take your characters in whatever direction your emotions take you. Don’t let up, don’t be merciful, DO IT! As a favor to me, do this. Then email me and tell me how you feel. I don’t care if you like what you’ve written, that’s what the ‘cut’ command is for, though I think you may be surprised with what you come up with. Regardless of whether or not you use what you’ve written, trust me, you’ll feel worlds better.

My other piece of advice would be to keep what you’ve written. Don’t delete it!!!!! Save it to another file if you choose not to use it and if those feelings come back to haunt you later, refer back to it. Read it again and use it as a release.

My thoughts and prayers for you today, Jaclyn. It will be all right, eventually, everything will be all right.

Best,
Jim

Readers, do you have any other words of wisdom for Jaclyn? Do you agree with my advice? Leave a comment below!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 5 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+ advice, Artist, Author, Uncategorized, Update, Urban Fantasy

Soul Siphon Update

by Unknown's avatar

Less than a Month to go…

We’re more than half way through the edits! The cover design is complete and just being finished up! All legal documentation is out of the way, and we’re good to go!

With any luck, our release date of April 1 will be a reality!

Thank you all for your support and patients!

-Jim

 

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

 

+ advice, Author, Book, Uncategorized, writer

Why do we care about word count?

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

Just wanted to know how important you think word count is when writing a book?

Appreciate it,
John.”

 

Well John, the short answer is that it is not important. It shouldn’t be a factor when you’re writing… usually.

If you have your heart set on writing a novel and getting it published as a stand-alone book, then… yes word count may be important. Let me put it this way, you or your agent will have a hard time convincing book stores to put your book on the shelf if it’s so small, that it barely has a spine.

That said…

I really would strongly caution you against worrying about it when you’re writing a story. The only time that you should truly be concerned with word count is when you’re doing a paper for class and the professor has a minimum requirement. Other than that, turn the auto word count off. Let the story flow the way you want it to and see where it goes.

 

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ art, Artist, Model, Photography, Uncategorized

Boston Film Family Photography

by Unknown's avatar

Never let it be said that I forget about the talent that helped bring my writing to life.

This is the photographer who helped make this a reality:
Featured Image -- 679

When I started out, I told him that I needed an image of a dark, war-torn angel, and this is what he came up with:
DSC06376

 

I’m happy to see that this is becoming a real business for him. He’s very talented. So if you need some work done, he knows his stuff, and he has both the tools and connections to accommodate… well pretty much any request I’ve seen thus far.

Thanks Friends,

Catch you on the flip-side,

Jim

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Characters, fantasy, Fiction, Plot, Star Wars, Theory, Uncategorized

Star Wars: Deciphering Rey’s Identity…

by Unknown's avatar

Since the day that the movie came out, people have been clamoring to try to explain who their new leading lady is, who her parents are, the missing pieces of her past, and decipher the hints from the movie itself.

… And since I’ve never been one to back away from a good theory war… Let’s explore the most popular theories, why they may or may not work, and which ones are the most likely.

  1. Luke Skywalker is her father…
    In my opinion, this is the most likely. The story pretty much hands this theory to us on a silver platter. It would explain why her father and grandfather’s lightsaber called to her. Upon touching it she’s haunted by visions of Kylo Ren, Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. The saber also obeys her over the known Luke relative.

    Her back story is also very similar to Luke’s; abandoned on a desert world in the middle of nowhere with no real knowledge of her parents. She a natural pilot and strong with the force.

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Well for starters, it could open the door to one of the most badass female antagonists turned protagonist in the Star Wars Universe; Mara Jade. Also though, it just makes the most sense!

    Why it might not be?
    It’s obvious. Yeah that’s pretty much the main argument. It’s the most obvious course the writers could take. In this age of plot twists and short attention spans, that may not be the way they want to go to keep fan attention.

  2. Rey is Obi Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter
    This is a more recent theory and granted, it’s probably one of the more unlikely ones, but it does have a few things going for it. Perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence is her accent. Yes, I know it’s a little tripe, but ask yourself this question: How many primary good guys had British Accents in Star Wars? Pretty much only Kenobi. She also wears white Robes, like he did. She’s quite skilled in the Jedi Mind trick, just as he was!
    I know what everyone’s thinking, Jedi are celibate. Well… apparently that rule isn’t strictly enforced as it was fairly obvious who Padme’ was with. Also in the Clone Wars cartoon, we see a few women that Kenobi has a ‘history’ with. Keeping in mind that we know very little about his padawan days.

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Good storytelling? It would be a nice twist to have a Skywalker train a Kenobi given that it’s been the other way around for 6 movies.

    Why it might not be?
    Evidence? Well… there really isn’t much else connecting her to Kenobi. It would be an unexpected twist, but there would be some retconing that would be needed.

  3. Rey is Anakin Skywalker Reincarnated.
    Okay no! No no no no no no!!! All though… #$%& it actually kind of makes sense. Her story matches Anakin’s just as it does Luke’s. She’s naturally gifted, her lightsaber called to her and responded to her command. Perhaps the most compelling evidence of this is Maz’s words; “I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people. I see your eyes . . . I know your eyes!”
    … Anakin’s eyes?

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Do we want this one to be true? Readers, can someone explain that to me?

    Why it might not be?
    This would really stretch the fans’ suspension of disbelief to the limit. There is no precedence for this and it’s not even something that’s been established as possible in the Star Wars Universe.

  4. Rey is not related to anybody, at most she’s a former Skywalker apprentice and you’re all just insane conspiracy theorists.
    All right, perhaps this one is another logical one. Perhaps we’re all thinking way too much into this. Perhaps her connection to Luke is in her early training and nothing genetic at all. In fact, the images she sees in Luke’s saber are the Knights of Ren standing over bodies… which could be the former apprentices.

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Star Wars fans don’t typically like story lines that are unnecessarily complicated. This direction would keep things linear and keep the story going.

    Why it might not be?
    Ehhh… It would be a major letdown and I have a feeling that you’d be pissing off a lot of fans who are expecting something a little more.

  5. Rey is another Solo child.
    Okay… this is another popular theory. This would add a rival sibling dynamic to the movies and bring back the family feud theme. The evidence here works the same as it did with the idea that she’s a child of Luke.

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Again, the family dynamic, this time being sibling rivalry instead of Father vs. Son.

    Why it might not be?
    Where do I start? There’s no mention of another Solo child, Leia and Han split after what happened with Ren, and neither of them recognized her later. This one would strain credulity at best! Also, why wasn’t it the Millennium Falcon flying away in her flashback.

  6. Rey is a descendant of Emperor Palpatine.
    … Okay words cannot describe how badly I want this, admittedly far-fetched theory to be the one they go with. Like you do not even know how badly I want this to be the story. The evidence here is her unbelievable strength in the force and the fact that her vision contained Palpatine’s voice. It also makes sense that after the fall of the Empire, any relation to Palpatine might need to go into hiding. Which would explain Rey being abandoned. Plus we don’t really know much about Palpatine’s pre-senate days.

    Why we want this one to be true?
    Um… because it would be awesome? This would add a whole new dark aspect to Rey’s character. It would also present a grave danger for Luke, training someone as a Jedi with such a dark past and so much raw power.

    Why it might not be?
    Complete lack of evidence? This would be out of the blue, but it is doable and I’d love to see it.

  7. Rey is Anakin’s… really late force twin.
    … I’m not even touching this one. Take your midi-chlorian, counting butts and SHOVE IT!!!

 

Anyway, did I miss any thing? Let me know about any wild theory I may have missed above! Thanks everyone!!!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

 

 

 

+

+ fantasy, Fiction, Movies, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Stories, Writing

Can’t We All Just Enjoy Star Wars?

by Unknown's avatar

The answer, of course, is no! No we can’t. Because Star Wars is a major phenomenon, it was the first blockbuster, and we can’t tolerate any mistakes discrepancies, or anything being out of place from how we view Star Wars to be.

Sigh…

Okay look, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but to all of your Star Wars purists (snobs) out there: Star Wars IS NOT PERFECT! It’s admittedly a better story than anything that I’ve been able to come up with, but it is not perfect. Let’s take a look at ‘A New Hope’ for a second, I mean really take a look at it. There are plot holes all over the place and much of the acting has not aged well at all. (I still want to know why, if the Princess knew that they were being tracked, they still proceeded immediately back to Yavin  and the main base.)

The Empire Strikes Back was arguably better even though I find open plots at the end of movies to be a VERY dangerous move, but it worked out for them.

Return of the Jedi… well people really hated the Ewoks for some unknown reason, but whatever.

So there you have it. The original trilogy is not perfect. Come after me with all the pitchforks and torches you want, it changes nothing.

Now just because it’s not perfect, doesn’t mean that it’s not a good set of movies. It actually is. I love Star Wars so much that I’m able to overlook what I view as minor flaws and really take away a lot from these movies. I know there are a lot of people out there who actually have fun pointing out and attempting to explain away the plot flaws with fan fiction or just debate forums, and if you enjoy that, great. All power to you! You’ve found a way to enjoy Star Wars in your own right, I have no issue with that.

My issue comes from something different. It seems like whenever a new Star Wars movie comes out, there’s a huge controversy surrounding it. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get Started…

If you’ve watched the prequels, no doubt you’ve found something to complain about, just like every other Star Wars fan… and believe me, there is a LOT to complain about. They’re far from perfect. Even I’ll admit that, though they do have their enjoyable aspects… some more than others, but anyway, let’s keep focus.

When Episode 1 came out, there were several complaints that were arguably legitimate; the overuse of CG, poor casting choices, plot holes that took away from the original trilogy, wasted talents like Christopher Lee… just to name a few.

For the most part, these were pretty mild. They were annoyances, but for the most part, people were able to live with them.

Then the controversies started. Suddenly people who usually didn’t bat their eyes at Star Wars movies, were now inserting social and political issues into the fold that in my opinion… well… okay, let;s go through a few shall we?

When the prequels came out:

Jar Jar Binks: Okay, everyone hates this character. I’ll just say that right up front. However, there is a particular crowd (we’ll call them the offense crowd) that has a more underlying issue with this character. Apparently, they think he’s supposed to be some sort of mockery of gay blacks, former slaves, or both. Apparently ‘Missa’ was too close to ‘Master’ or something like that.

Watto: You like him, you hate him. He’s a typical entrepreneur in  a lawless land. However, then the offense crowd comes in and sees something similar to Jar Jar Binks. Based on his accent and his behavior, he’s a mockery of Jewish people… okay…

Viceroy Gunray: Same thing as the other two, except in this case, it’s Japanese people.

There are other examples, but for the sake of space, let’s move on to the newest movie in the Star Wars lineup…

The Force Awakens came out in December… and it was AWESOME!! Some argued that it was basically a retelling of the original movie and to a point I can see that. However, it did introduce new ideas, new possibilities, and all around told a great story. In my opinion, this is how they needed to go about it. This would be the first Star Wars movie in a while, under new direction, and being released to fans who had lived through arguably the worst Star Wars had to offer. This was a way for the new writers and companies to really show what they could do and pull the audience back in, and it succeeded.

But that didn’t get rid of the offense crowd. As with the other movies, they took issue with this one as well. This time, it’s all new stuff!

Fin: Oh man, now we’re getting diversity forced on us as one of the main characters is now black and there are no main white male main cast members…. except you know, Po Dameron and Han Solo! Also, did someone forget who James Earl Jones and Billy Dee Williams are.

Rey: ‘Oh she’s the new Mary Sue.’ Yeah, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

People, grow up.

I’m not kidding. Sorry to be blunt about it, but there is no way around it. It’s a MOVIE! Yes I understand it’s a big cultural phenomenon, blah blah blah blah! It’s someone doing the best they can to tell a story. Who cares what one character is compared to another. Does anyone have any proof of intent in the cases of the insinuated mockeries? Do the writers have a history of doing any of this? Do you have any evidence other than your perceived notions? I highly doubt it.

In Fin’s case so he’s black, so what? Does it hurt the story? Does it affect anything negatively? No? All right then. For those who want white cast members, your bad guy is white, and so is the best pilot in the resistance. So there you go.

(But in a previous topic, you talked about how diversity was killing story lines in Marvel Comics.)

Okay, yes, I did say something like that  in a previous post, but not exactly. My issue with Marvel stemmed from the fact that they were taking well know, time-honored, characters and altering their identities, orientations, races, and other aspects with little to no explanation and for frivolous reasons (Let’s make Spiderman black because we elected a black president.). That’s just poor storytelling.

This is different. Fin is a new character. If Lucasfilms had re-cast Luke or Han as a difference race, gender, etc. then you may have something, but this is not the same thing.

Rey being a Mary Sue… okay, who cares? Really, is this that big a deal? She is one, she isn’t one, does it really take away from the story that much? In the grand scheme of Star Wars, is it really that big a deal?

Like I said people, grow up. It’s a movie. It’s someone trying to tell a story. That’s all. Are we really going to get that twisted up over it? Can’t we just all enjoy Star Wars for what it is, a really enjoyable flick?

I mean, if you want to spend time debating who shot first between Han and Greedo (it was Han by the way), that’s fine. You’re enjoying Star Wars in your own way. However when you start getting offended by some preconceived notion about what you think someone is trying to say when they write a character a certain way, I think it’s you who need to do some soul searching.

As a writer, I can honestly say that when I create characters, I don’t think about this sort of thing. I try to create them in a manner in which I’d find them likable, realistic, and relevant to my plot-line. I neither consider nor care about some underlying meaning someone could pull from how a character acts and I can assure, the writers of Star Wars don’t either.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but after seeing article after article show up about this on my news feed, I had to get this off of my chest.

Thanks for listening!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+ Artist, Author, Book, Cover, Fairy Tale, fantasy, Fiction, Uncategorized

Soul Siphon Update!

by Unknown's avatar

Ugh! It’s so difficult to keep up on my blog while working on my book. I’m not even kidding!

That said… we do have an update! First off, I’d like to give a special shout out to a truly skilled writer that has taken on the dubious task of editing my book, you all know him as Eric, or Eric79. Eric has been a great help and, though we’re an Ocean apart, I’ve come to call him friend. So thanks for all your help Eric, your edits have turned a good story (your critique) into something that I’m hoping my readers will find great.

Another piece of good news on the development front is that we’ve found and hired a new illustrator to take on the cover, Jabari Weathers. Some of his dark imagery caught my eye and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with. He has been both understanding a very professional.

The book is slated for an April 2nd release date, but we’ll see if we can keep to that.

Synopsis reminder:
“A starved child, an assassinated soviet soldier, a woman abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong, a victim of history’s most mysterious killer, and a young man who never asked to be thrown into the middle of a spiritual war.

They reside in the shadows and other dark places, waiting for those who would inflict pain and suffering on the innocent. An unlikely group, with one thing in common; death. Each with powers that reflect the way they died. Corban found himself thrust into the fray with this group of anti-heroes.

Cursed with unstable powers stemming from a fatal demonic possession, Corban must unravel the mystery behind his death. As more information comes to light, Corban begins to realize that nothing in his life was what it appeared to be and the price of victory may be his own soul.”

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+ Author, Book, Comic art, fantasy, Uncategorized

Soul Siphon Update!

by Unknown's avatar

I have been neglecting my readers… for that, I apologize. It’s been a busy Christmas and so on for a few months now. However a lot of positive headway has been made on the book!

A big thanks to my friend Eric for spearheading the Beta reading. He’s been a HUGE help.

On a bad note… I’ve been forced to look for a new cover artist. My original pick for an illustrator has gone dark and has not been responding to my emails, so I’m still working on that part.

Anyway, just know that there is a lot more good stuff to come very soon!!!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Disney, Fairy Tale, fantasy, Fiction, Movies, review, Uncategorized, Walt Disney

Cinderella 2015

by Unknown's avatar

So… my wife rented this last night and then fell asleep. So I continued watching it alone. I don’t usually do movie reviews, but since this is a fairly recent fantasy film that has gotten a lot of praise… and I mean a LOT, I thought I’d give my take on it.

I tend to shy away from remakes, which let’s face it, that’s what this is. When a studio makes a second version of a movie they’ve already made, its a remake, plain and simple. I don’t care if it’s a different style or medium, it’s a remake.

That being said, I’ve recently revised that policy after seeing Angelina Jolie’s performance as Maleficent. When I first heard about this movie and listened to Jolie sing ‘Once Upon a Dream,’ I rolled my eyes. Maleficent is the best of the Disney villains and no way could Jolie do her credit. Having Jolie stand in for Eleanor Audley could NOT go well. I’m happy to say that I was 100% wrong. Jolie could not replace Audley’s dignified voice and performance, but she shouldn’t be expected to. This was a different take a on a time-honored character that told a story from her perspective. It was done incredibly well and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, that I’ve added this movie to my collection. (Just cover your ears during the end credits).

Back on topic. So I spent last night watching this movie. What were my initial impressions? Well… it was a beautiful looking movie. The sets were breath-taking and clearly someone spent a lot of time on them, the outfits were beautiful and appropriate and the cast… I think that would be my biggest compliment to the movie. This was a cast where I didn’t recognize a single person. Making this a cast of fresh faces, which you don’t see much in Hollywood anymore. Usually there is at least one big name to give a movie some street cred.

The soundtrack was beautifully done, both the singing parts and the instrumentals. I especially liked the homages to the original animated film that were passively added in. Movies often try to make a big deal out of things like that to show it’s attachment. This movie seemed like it was trying really hard to keep itself separate… did it do that successfully? Well, we’ll get to that.

So with all that said, did I enjoy this movie? Actually, yes, but not as much as you might think. As I said, it was a beautiful looking movie with great costumes and scenery, but other than that… it really didn’t bring anything new to the table. For all it’s efforts, it really didn’t break away from the classic animated film . It did explain a few plot points, like what happened to Cinderella’s real family, and why she put up with everything from her step sisters, but other than that, there really weren’t any profound changes.

It really didn’t bring anything major to the table. The how and why of the villain really wasn’t explained and the evil step mother was played as just that, a straight villain. The movie had a real opportunity here to explain the Lady Tremane better, especially when Cinderella outright asked her, but that fell flat on it’s face.

The other thing that did kind of bug me is the ‘Love at first sight’ set up. Disney, amid much criticism, has tried to shy away from that type of theme. One has to wonder why so many of their movies that do successfully get away from it fail so badly, yet a movie like this that reinforces it does so well. It almost kind of seems like we as the audience need to be careful what we wish for. Perhaps that fantasy element to story-telling should remain intact? Or perhaps new strides need to be made on the story-telling side of things.
I really don’t know, I’m not a princess story or fairy tale writer, so I’m not qualified to speak to that.

Moving on…

My other criticism is that the step-sisters were extremely under-played. They’re supposed to be over the top and I grant you that they were snobbish and mean, but that was really it. In the original, they were downright abusive, not only of Cinderella, but also of each other to an almost comical point.

Another point that was extremely underplayed in this version compared to the original was the dress destruction. In this one, it was a few tears. In the original… I think the Cinema Snob said it best when he said that it was the closest thing Disney has gotten to a rape scene in its classic films. Now I’m usually against that type of thing in movies… especially kids movies, but in this case, the way Disney did it, yes it was violent, but it gave the movie an edge that made it stand out in the endless flow of animated films.
In this movie… as with so many other things that made the original what it was, was really underplayed.

Compare the two scenes:

vs.

Now ask yourself, which are you more likely to remember?

All right… so with all that said, here is my overall take on the movie…

This movie was a remake, not a re-imagining like with the a fore mentioned Maleficent. A very well-made remake, but a remake none-the-less. It really didn’t bring anything new to the table. There was no twist, no behind the scenes story to explain why certain things happened the way that they did, and no real twist on the original characters.

Other takes on Cinderella like Ever After and (to a lesser extent) Into the Woods did this rather nicely. They added new dynamics to the story and in the case of Ever After, they even had the Queen tell the Brother’s Grimm that they got it wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good movie and I highly recommend seeing it, the problem is that we’ve already seen this movie. Unfortunately it failed to break out of the shadow of the Disney Classic, which is really too bad given how much effort was clearly put into the film. Again, if you like the story, please DO see this movie. It is a beautiful remake that was surprisingly well done. You just need to curb your expectations in that you’re really not going to be seeing anything new.

 

Anyway, that’s my take on it. If you don’t agree, no problem. We are all entitled to opinions and I’m perfectly open to someone having a different view from mine.

(Even if you are completely wrong.) 🙂

Thanks friends, catch you on the flip-side!
-Jim

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+ fantasy, Fiction, Movies, Original, Stories, TV

Is Hollywood Truly Out of Original Ideas?

by Unknown's avatar

Statement: Hollywood is out of original ideas.

MYTH!!!

I hear this one all the time whenever ANOTHER transformers, or ANOTHER desperate attempt to make a good Fantastic 4 movie comes out. With all the hype and advertising, it seems like Hollywood is completely out of original ideas. These days, everything is based on something, be it a book, another movie, or a real life event that has been cannibalized beyond recognition, but does that mean that there are no decent original movies coming out?

Honestly, no, no it does not. There are original movies coming out all the time. I looked on a couple of showtimes websites today and, lo and behold, there were at least THREE original movies that were completely original scripts. Seriously, go check it out, they’re there, and they’re waiting to be discovered.

So if that’s true, then why do people think that Hollywood is out of original ideas? Well… that’s a tougher question to answer. Let’s go back in time a little, shall we?

In 1977 Star Wars came out… and it was AWESOME! Yes, the movie became something that not even Lucas himself could have foreseen. This was a movie that broke records and became one of, if not THE FIRST Blockbuster movie. You know the type, high budget, huge effects, all the stops pulled out along the way.

Now, as awesome as that sounds, it came with its own set of consequences… From that moment onward, Hollywood began its quest for the next big blockbuster hit… and the search was not pretty. Dragonslayer, Krull, Legend, The NeverEnding Story (unfortunately in the U.S.), among other high-budget films turned out to be box office nightmares that didn’t make back their original budget. Hollywood producers began to notice a pattern and slowly began to shy away from original scripts. Suddenly anything that wasn’t based on a book or something that people were familiar with, were shied away from.

Does that mean that Hollywood stopped making original films? Hell no. They still do, we just don’t see the same amount of marketing put into them. As I said, Hollywood shies away from original scripts for the above reason, so when an original script get’s green-lit, it’s unlikely that a lot of advertising will be put into it by the studio. The exceptions being if a well-known screenwriter put’s the script forward, as was the case with Avatar. The next time you decide to take a loved one to the movies, or just decide to go… just because, take a look at what’s being offered. You’ll see two or three movies listed that, chances are, you’ve never heard of. You’ll stand there like, ‘I’ve never heard of that… what the heck?’ and most likely won’t even give it a second glance.

Well… THAT WAS YOUR ORIGINAL MOVIE! That’s right, in most cases, those are the original scripted movies that Hollywood put’s out, but sort of hopes you won’t notice that they exist. I encourage you to give them another look. Maybe not see it right then and there, but research it. Look at what it’s about and maybe go see it next time or rent it. 

Obviously, there is going to be some risk. These movies are really hit or miss, arguably more so than the big blockbusters…. (Fantastic 4 not withstanding), we still have original scripts like the previously mentioned Dragonslayer and Legend, but if we don’t go see these movies and send the message to Hollywood that we are engaged and interested in original ideas… then nothing is ever going to change.

Again, I encourage you, take a look at the movies listed the next time you decide to go. Check out the titles you don’t recognize and see if the plot is something you find interesting. You may surprise yourself.

… Just please, do me a favor and stay FAR FAR away from The Age of Adaline. No, I’m not even kidding… and if you don’t know why, go read my book, Divinity and you’ll understand. Seriously AVOID!!!

🙂

Anyway, thanks friends, and enjoy!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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