![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
I finished NaNoWriMo successfully, with a half hour to spare.
I'm not proud of what I've done.
Aside from the uninspired writing of most of it - although once again I have three great, polished chapters -- I also have many, many chapters of straightforward prose directly affected by whatever I was reading that day. Also some musings on the genre in general, and a few pages of me cussing myself out. Finally I just started typing about the novel, instead of actually writing the novel.
"Here's where she'll discover the secret path. Put in some description of the area, mention how gloomy it is, prolly add some mental argument as she tries to decide if its worth it.
"Peter will try to jolly her along but she's still mad about the romantic overtones he's started using (assuming) so she'll fight his suggestions even when they're good, like this one. They'll argue, again, and not notice the demonbeast that has crept up behind them, interested."
"Describe the demonbeast. Be creative and witty, you bastard."
I got my words in, but they're going to need a lot of work to be presentable.
A lot of work. Maybe a flamethrower.
“I want to marry Saffron!
I want to be her man.
One of those she’s hitched
and then left ditched.
We are a mighty clan!
I want to marry Saffron!
I want her for my bride.
Even though my tale
will end in jail
You know it’s worth the ride!
You know it’s worth the ride.”
OK, you could do better. And you really, really should.
Over the years fans have written beautiful, funny, emotional songs about Mal, and the crew, and the ship, and the ‘verse. But we’ve never heard any original songs about my favorite character, Saffron. As far as I can tell, there are exactly two: Saffron’s wedding song from the soundtrack (later covered by The Bedlam Bards on their “On the Drift” CD) and “Saffron,” a filk to the tune of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” by the immortal Lux Lucre.
That’s it? I can’t understand this. YoSaffBridge is definitely someone who would inspire songs. Cautionary ones, at least. We’ve seen stories, poems, even limericks, but where are the ballads about this beautiful, deceitful redhead?
Well, they’re here. During June, anyway. I’m announcing “Sing a Song of Saffron,” a month-long contest for great prizes, to be judged by me, The Bedlam Bards, and Saffron herself, actress Christina Hendricks! Send in your best original song or filk and win autographed "Firefly" soundtracks, a Jason Palmer Saffron portrait, copies of the "Out in the Black" RPG, "Serenity" money packs, t-shirts, an autographed picture of the lady in question, even a custom-made Saffron Barbie!
Songs will be posted at http://www.myspace.com/singasongofsaffro
And everyone who enters will get a pack of 5 different marriage certificates from around the 'verse (with the bride's part helpfully filled in already)!
So get to singing! Go to http://www.serenitystuff.com for more details and submission guidelines.
Ready?
Up till the ending, I would change only two things.
DL is lying, dying, in Linderman's office while NIKI urges him up, as before. Make this bigger, he has to get up and get them out, the guards will be there any second, so he finally drags himself up and PUSHES her through the WALL. NIKI turns, exhuberant, to see that it was his last act to get her safe. Only half of him made it through before he died.
And in the Sylar/Hiro standoff earlier on, I would do this:
==================
SYLAR
So we'll just have to see if you can go through time faster than--
HIRO disappears. SYLAR whips back around to see ANDO gone.
==================
The way it was done, Sylar had all the time he needed and more to kill Ando. The director is showing us too much, it gets harder to accept that the other people in the shot don't have the same time to react.
And then the final scene, with as few changes to the original as possible:
- Mood:
disappointed
Originally published at ChrisBridges.com. You can comment here or there.
I’m now on Twitter, Flickr, MySpace, LiveJournal, SerenityStuff, and I have my column at News-Journal Online. I’m not sure there’s enough of me to go around.
I've gone back to weekly columns at news-journalonline.com, after I realized that while I greatly enjoy many blogs myself, I didn't have the discipline necessary to continually update my own.
Either that or I'm not interesting in little chunks. Make of it what you will.
Anyway, my first new column is up and awaiting your eager perusal.
- Mood:cautiously optimistic
Dave's many creationsâ”including some of the X-Men's staple charactersâ”brought tremendous joy to his legion of fans. For three decades, he was a beloved fixture at comics conventions across the country where he would sketch for a pittance and encourage would-be creators. Those of us who knew Dave personally will remember him as one of the sweetest, jovial, most generous individuals in the comics industry. I'll miss my friend very much.
There are no details of services at this time. Dave asked to be cremated, and his widow Paty is burdened with the news, so well-wishers are asked not to call. Email can be sent to magnetorampant@yahoo.com.
I was never a big Legion fan, but I was watching intently as he helped Len Wein and Chris Claremont redefine a sagging team book into a powerhouse. RIP Dave.
| Rupert Giles 54% amorality, 45% passion, 63% spirituality, 63% selflessness |
| Utterly calm and resolute in the face of danger, utterly devoted to his loved ones and comrades in arms, and utterly willing to do what is necessary to ensure that good overcomes evil. Giles knows the score, he knows that sometimes virtue relies on good men getting a little messy, and he's willing to take that on himself, largely so that others don't have to. You might share some of that. You most closely resemble one of the most popular heroes in the Buffy universe. Congratulations! If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in the following: Nerds, Geeks & Dorks Professional Wrestling Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE 4-VARIABLE BUFFY PERSONALITY TEST |
 |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The 4-Variable Buffy Personality Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Why, oh why, you may ask. And well you should, although maybe not as whiny. You deserve some straight answers, I think as a reader of Twenty-Four/Seven youâ™ve come to expect them, and theyâ™ll help fill up my blog.
1. No deadline. My weekly deadline for Wednesday publication has previously been âœsometime Tuesdayâ and I have maintained that rigid discipline except for when I havenâ™t. But âœsometimeâ has been getting later and later, until Iâ™ve been seen sneaking into the building at 11:59 p.m. to slide hastily scrawled copy under the office door. Now, at last, I am blessedly free of that crushing pressure.
Of course, since I prefer blogs that update regularly, Iâ™ve just traded my weekly deadline for a constant and never-ending one that demands attention every hour of the day until I can no longer hear of an event, no matter how inconsequential, without obsessively typing it out even if there is no keyboard in front of me.
More...
(Yes, I know this makes three science fiction columns from me in a row, but when you get science fiction you get trilogies. It just happens.)
Paramount is celebrating 40 years of relatively successful franchising by having all 79 episodes -- even the bad ones -- of the iconic 1960s sci-fi series digitally remastered to bring back the color, fix some of the more embarrassing FX gaffes, punch up the music, add some depth to the planet scenes (so horizons no longer look like they're 20 feet away), and CG the space scenes so they look more like, you know, space. Purists gave a half-hearted outcry for the unsullied versions, but since the originals are still easily available -- unlike the original theatrical Star Wars movies, which Lucas finally released yesterday under gunpoint -- it hasn't been that big a deal.
Early reviews say that the new episodes are cleaner and brighter, with Enterprise flybys more suited to a high-def widescreen TV, although Paramount has said they have no immediate plans to release the remastered versions on DVD. (Pause now for a hearty laugh.) But will there be any other changes besides the purely cosmetic? One or two, one or two. . .
In the credits, the name "William Shatner" has been replaced with "Emmy AwardTM-winning William Shatner, best-selling author and star of stage, screen, and recording studio, now on Boston Legal, Tuesday nights on ABC." The other credits will be reduced accordingly, to make room.
More...
But, as happens whenever work of such brilliance is treated disgracefully by the networks and unheeded by the reality-show-gulping public, "Hiatus" is now attracting a growing number of fans who are clamoring for its return. The fact that the show lacks a plot, characters, or, technically, existence is entirely beside the point. The love of an obsessive fan knows no bounds, and the Snakes-on-a-Plane people need something to keep them busy now anyway.
So for all you devoted "Hiatus" fans out there, I offer you these behind-the-scenes tidbits.
12 Things You Never Knew About "Hiatus"
1. The idea for ship's communications to be in Esperanto was the suggestion of child actress and cast member Julia Twee ('Arcus') Bohammin. It wasn't discovered until after the voiceovers had already been recorded that she had been kidding.
More...
Not in real life, although I'd be up for it. No, we need more spaceships on TV. For as long as I can remember there have been shows about hardy humans on elegant crafts slipping through the icy vastness of space, encountering alien races and dealing with scientific dilemmas while revealing something about the human condition, especially the human condition of crewmen in red shirts.
But not this stardate. There are no Star Trek series on the air right now. No funky time travel shows. No alternate dimension realities. No black holes. "Stargate Atlantis" remains, but SG1 has just been shut down. Instead we have a plentitude of normal-situations-with-one-sf-element shows such as "The 4400" and "Eureka," with just "Battlestar Galactica" and "Dr. Who" to sustain we proud space opera freaks. Where are the gadgets? Where are our alien invasions? Where are our defiant captains, charging through the galaxies chin-first to bring American values to the rubbery bug-eyed monsters? Where are our ray guns?
More...
Weird Al has a new album coming out September 26th, and he's released a song from it for free download. It's titled, appropriately, "Don't Download This Song."www.myspace.com/weirdal - The song, and the place it'll be premiered tonight at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern.
DontDownloadThisSong.com - Send the song as an e-card
ddts.mp3 - direct download.
"You don't wanna mess with me on this one, because I WILL come after you!" he said.
After I hung up I did not cry, change pants, or call my lawyer and demand police protection from the popular ex-Jedi. Instead I went online to gleefully send personalized Samuel L. Jackson threats to all of my friends and co-workers, and therein lies the magic of "Snakes on a Plane."
More...
I was sitting in an exotic night spot, watching brightly dressed dancers gyrate to the pounding beat of whatever the latest pop tune was. And, as usual in these situations, I was sitting off to the side and talking to the other non-dancer. The part that wasn't usual was that I was actually sitting at my computer, watching a 3D avatar of myself talk to another 3D avatar in the online game Second Life. The look and feel of the place was much as if I had been playing Grand Theft Auto but decided to abandon my stolen car and just go clubbing for awhile. My new buddy, Schnorkie, was a pleasant-looking 20-ish blonde woman, apparently.
"Hey, welcome to SL. It's the next big thing, you know?"
"How could it be the next big thing when it's been around for three years," I asked.
More...
For, as you know, they descended into wedded bliss once already in a yacht off St. Tropez last Saturday, the long awaited culmination of their on-again, off-again engagement and the beginning of their new life together. But, in as much as this hard-rocking couple has expressed their undying love for each other, as well as their desire to proclaim this love with additional ceremonies in Malibu, Nashville, and Detroit over the next month, with likely press coverage and star-studded parties each time, we honor their commitment.
Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage this time, please speak now or leak it to Defamer.com after the ceremony.
More...
For most moviegoers the position of producer is a fuzzy one. What does a producer produce, anyway? How many does it take to build an executive producer? What about the co-producer? Is that the littlest producer, or the one that always rides shotgun?
The quick answer used to be that a director makes a movie happen, but a producer makes a movie possible. The producer initiates the project, hires and coordinates the key staff, raises the cash, arranges for distributors, sucks up to studios, bails the more interesting stars out of jail, that sort of thing.
Now there's an even quicker answer: the producer is the person who sends in a dollar. Welcome to "The 1 Second Film."
More...
If you've never lost a hard drive, the comparison isn't as odd as you might think. You're caught by surprise, shocked at the suddenness and unfairness of it. The feeling of loss, of frustration, of not being able to do everything you once took for granted; all that crashes down on you and you're left with a pounding headache and an unanswered plea to the deity of your choice.
Although in my experience, with a computer crash you tend to kick things more.
More...
It's touching, really. The little notes, the shy reminders, the e-mails. Perhaps I've forgotten? Maybe I didn't notice? They are so sorry for the intrusion but they know, with every fiber in their pages, the unbearable anguish I would surely feel were I to miss even a single issue and so they chide me, gently, affectionately, with discreet letters and whispered notices and great big honking wraparound covers with 72-point type that let people know from across the street my subscription will wither and die in just six more painfully short weeks.
I just laugh heartily and put it off another month, because that's the kind of guy I am.
More...
Syndicate
