General Update

I haven't written anything on here for the past couple days, my apologies. Tomorrow I'll try and get some content up, especially The Star Wars review I've been promising. I also finished The Book Thief and watched Pale Rider, so I'll talk about those.

In other news, Breaking Bad just finished. Here's the final song of a great series, "Baby Blue" by Badfinger.

Empire Falls Review

Just yesterday I finally finished Empire Falls by Richard Russo. For whatever reason, it took me forever to finish--mostly my fault, my laziness and all.

Empire Falls follows Miles Roby, his family, his friends, and his enemies through a delicate web of small town drama, larger than life characters, and big town dreams. The story truly begins before Miles is even alive, but he finds himself square in the middle of problems years in the making as well as quite a few he's hand a hand in. I'm not going to get very detailed because I would rather people go out and read it rather than get a synopsis and call it good. That's how most of my reviews will be on this blog--I figure there's plenty of explanations out there already, but if you're reading my review, you probably want my opinion, not my explanation of what happened.

Even though I'm in no means a Russo expert, I can tell from just this read that he's a master at character development and complexity. Even the less significant characters, say, Father Tom, are well known to the reader. This wealth of personality makes the plot less important. Not that it isn't important, but strong characters can carry a weak plot. Luckily enough, Empire Falls doesn't have a weak plot at all. As I mentioned, the story arc begins well before Miles Roby is even alive.

Something I was really impressed with was Russo's ability to create humor in what seems to be an almost lifeless situation. Besides from Timmy the cat, a ravenous feline that always has it out for Miles, Max Roby is often the comic relief. Even with the old man's great comebacks and careless personality, the humor behind his character also pushes conflicts forward. The best example of this is when Miles is speaking to Jimmy Minty, a police officer determined to be Miles' friend despite Miles' best efforts. Max throws the insults out as if he had planned them years in advance, making any sensible reader laugh while also showcasing the growing conflict between Jimmy and Miles. Here's the scene from the HBO movie version, although I can't speak for the film, since I haven't seen it yet.

There's also quite a bit of human nature philosophy under the outer layers of the novel. A couple common themes I noticed were: the tendency for characters to return to what they despise; stay depressed because it's easier; poor parental guidance and its shockwave effect; and how many people have pre-determined destinies based off from their family history and financial situation. Almost all the characters exhibited at least one of these traits or at least had it change them in some way or another.

Being from Maine, I have the special connection to the novel, as it is based in a fictional town in central Maine. I don't live in a mill dependent town, as Empire Falls is, but I can say one thing; Russo had the overall vibe completely correct. Most Mainers aren't well off, and when their main source of employment calls it quits, so does most of the townsfolk. That's the case just about anywhere. The difference with Maine is that, given that you're born in the easternmost state in the country, you're raised with an incredible amount of resilience to all things tough. The weather is perhaps the most obvious challenge that Maine people have to face, but there's a plethora of other things that don't make it an easy life, especially the farther north you go. This resilience equates to stubbornness, and even a willingness to struggle, which I think characters like Miles Roby possess, as well as the people who hung on to hope that the Whiting family would make a sale on the closed mill. Unfortunately, this frustrating stubbornness becomes alcoholism, domestic violence, and an increasingly small amount of youth (who get out before they are old enough to be stubborn). In fact, Maine is the oldest state in the country, and has been for awhile--and it's only getting worse.

One small complaint I have is that the first chunk of the novel moves a little slow. In a way, this slowness made the characters and the ending even more worthwhile, but I think some moments could have been moved along a little quicker. Then again, if you asked me what moments, or how to go about speeding it up, I'm not sure I'd be able to answer.

I think I'll write more about Empire Falls as time goes on, especially certain characters, like Jimmy Minty and John Voss. At any rate, I definitely recommend the novel.

Empire Falls

I'm currently reading Richard Russo's Empire Falls. It's taking me quite awhile to finish, but things are really starting to heat up with the small-town drama dynamics.

I'll admit that I'm going to steal a couple things that I've learned from the small Maine town of Empire Falls and put them in Bass Harbor, which is essentially another fictional town with how much I'm molding it for The Quietside. This is an example of something I'm "borrowing:"

"See, I cared who won that football game today. Maybe people like you think that makes me a nobody, but you know what? I don't give a fuck. Mr. Empire Falls? That's me. Last one to leave, turn out the lights, right? This town is me, and I'm it. I'm not one of those that left and then came back. I been here all along. Right here is where I been, and it's where I'll be when the sun comes up tomorrow..."

This passion and even the notion behind it fits Nate Kennedy to the point. Definitely expect a review once I'm finished. Speaking of reviews, I'm talking to friends tonight and Breaking Bad is on, so The Star Wars might have to wait another day. I want to write something helpful and insightful, not just a couple quick thoughts and call it good.

William Shakespeare's Star Wars

Before reviewing The Star Wars, I thought I'd throw up an old review I did for William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher.

Source: geeksofdoom.com

No, William Shakespeare's Star Wars isn't a masterpiece, or a new, groundbreaking story, but for Star Wars fans and Shakespeare fans alike, it's a lot of fun. Doescher manages to re-create the Star Wars sense of adventure and destiny while maintaining extremely solid iambic pentameter. He also adds dialogue not found in the film that either strengthens the plot and characters or makes for a good laugh. As a pretty big Star Wars fan who has seen all the films more times than I can count, I could easily follow the action and recognized how Doescher modified the dialogue, which was generally spot on and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Someone who hasn't seen the fourth (well, first) Star Wars may have a harder time following the action and plot and probably won't get anywhere near the enjoyment I got from the read, but alas, who hasn't seen Star Wars? This also makes for a great opportunity for teachers to teach students Shakespearean-style writing without having to explain the plot. It would make for a perfect lead-in to Shakespeare's plays that are more difficult to read and understand. I was tempted to give it four stars based simply on a couple errors found throughout the book (one appearing as soon as page 11) but I enjoyed it too much to have a star missing. It's a rather quick read, but of course, when something is so fun, it's hard to stop turning the pages.

The Walking Dead's New Villain

I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead, both the comic series and the show. I think the characters in both versions are, for the most part, extremely well developed and even lovable. Proof of just how strong they are is how large of a reaction there was to this photo:

Now, before you freak, this picture has since been identified as a set photo from the film Pandorum. Still, before the truth was known, the whole community went up in arms, saying things like "If Daryl dies, we riot." So people care about the characters.

Obviously, I'm a sucker (or biter) for anything zombie, but most attempts at zombie-centered stories fall flat to me. It's because they're just that--zombie-centered, focusing on the gore and violence that comes with the zombie craze. With a show and comic series like The Walking Dead, they're more about the people than the zombies, which is why I think they're so popular. But something has me worried lately.

While we wait for the new season, I've been working on getting caught up with the comic series, which is totally different from the show at this point, especially after a certain character died in season 3 on the show. Some people don't like that, but I do. It allows me to read ahead and not worry about spoiling anything on the show. But I'm getting off topic.

Just this past week, I was finally able to find all the issues I needed to catch up, and I'm certainly still hooked, but...

If you're a little behind, as in, you have no idea who Negan is, wait until you get caught up. There are no plot spoilers, but you may want to meet Negan without my opinion. 

Negan. He's an interesting character. I like him because he's unpredictable and how challenging he is to Rick and the gang--more formidable than the Governor even--but his personality bugs me.

Credit: The Weekly-Crisis

He just doesn't feel as "real" as the other characters. Even Ezekiel, who has an interesting and somewhat unlikely companion and pretends to be a king, is more real to me after a "grounding" conversation with Michonne.

What do I mean by real? Well, a character who's real is believable, consistent in dealing with people and situations (or always inconsistent) and original; even in similar genres and stories, no two characters should be exactly alike, or even similar enough that you stop reading/watching and think, "boy, they're a lot like this other character." Tp put it plainly, if a character takes you out of the story, something's wrong.

My problem with Negan is that he feels contrived and over-the-top, aka unbelievable. The main trait that makes me feel this way is the amount of swearing he does. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people who speak like he does, but it just doesn't feel right with him. Maybe that's Kirkman's point, and we'll eventually see Negan crack and become "normal." But as of right now, I think Kirkman's trying too hard to have a badass villain that's crazy, even a psychopath. People can be insane and be eloquent, though, and I personally would find that more frightening. They also don't need to have a special relationship with their weapon. Negan comes off more as a bad action movie villain that a person who would still be alive in The Walking Dead universe. Basically, Negan just seems like a cliché right now, in my opinion.

I think most of it is personal preference. There's a good chance I don't like Negan, simple as that. We're not supposed to like Negan, of course, since he's the current antagonist, but that title doesn't stop people from liking other villains, like Darth Vader, Magneto, The Joker, and the Terminator, to name a few. Perhaps with more backstory, there could be some sympathy for Negan, like there is for Vader and Magneto. The Joker's literally insane, and the Terminator is ruthless to another level. Negan is just, well, vulgar. I'm worried that future characters are going to fall into the same "eh" category.

Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree.

Now, if we want to talk about a real badass...

Cover art on issue #114. Photo credit: dailydead.com

But that'll be another time. Stay tuned for a review of The Star Wars sometime tomorrow.

Here's the source for the Daryl photo and information about the "scandal," if you're curious.

Grails Concert

I'm back home from my quick trip down to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I had to get the transmission pan replaced on my car yesterday on top of getting a nasty headache.

The Grails, along with Lilacs & Champagne, rocked. L&C are made up mostly of Grails. It's interesting to hear L&C live compared to the album versions of their songs. Their albums almost have a Hip-Hop style, while live they are defiantly rock. Here's one of their songs from the show I was at:

The Grails took the show. Their musicianship is incredible. Being somewhat musically talented myself, as well as trying some songwriting here and there, I'm amazed at how many melodies and riffs they can intertwine and still produce an awesome product. They're great to listen to if you're writing something mysterious and/or apocalyptic. Here's one of my favorite songs that I was lucky enough to hear live. For whatever reason, the video upload feature can't find the video.

I also took some pictures and thought I'd share them. Nothing fancy.

Pre-show.

Post-show.

Outside Saint Vitus, post-show.

Overall, I'd really suggest going and seeing your favorite band live. It's totally worth it, as long as they're actually talented.

Road Trippin'

So, here it is, almost the end of the day and no character bio. My apologies. I spent today packing and getting ready for my travels to New Jersey tomorrow to see my ex-roommate and farternity (yes I spelled it wrong on purpose) brother.

One of the things we'll be doing that I'm quite excited for is comic shopping--something I've only gotten into recently and haven't discussed on this blog. I'm disappointed I didn't start reading them sooner. They get a bad reputation, for whatever reason, but they're essentially the book version of television shows, and as long as you find a good series, they're a lot of fun. I'm also a sucker for all things collectable, so maybe I'm bias. Anyways, I'll start posting some stuff about comics soon, focusing on both the vast amount of Star Wars series and The Walking Dead series.

The Star Wars, a recent buy of mine. Image from news.com.au

The main event of the visit is a concert we're going to in New York City. One of the bands is Grails, a post-rock band that both my friend and I find very talented and great to write to.

Give 'em a listen. Of course, if you're writing a comedy, they might not be great to listen to, and trust me, don't fall asleep with them on repeat. I don't really have a particular favorite song, but I think this album, Deep Politics, is their best. I'm pumped to see them live. I know it will be an experience, to say the least.

Since I have a fancy phone now, I'll try to keep updating the blog even while I'm on the road, but the posts won't be incredibly long or detailed, since I can only handle the iPhone keypad for so long before getting angry.

The Quietside and Broadchurch

Like many fans from "across the pond" and even here in the U.S., I've been thoroughly enjoying Broadchuch on BBC America. Tonight's episode just wrapped up, and I couldn't help but write a little about the similarities I've been noticing between the novel I'm working on, The Quietside, and the highly-rated drama series.

The skilled cast of Broadchurch. Photo from The Independent.

Now, don't get me wrong. Every story has bits and pieces from another story, and that story another, and so on. It's impossible to have a 100% original idea because, well, humans are all quite alike in regards to storytelling. In fact, it's one of the few things all of us have in common, in my opinion, that isn't considered "human nature," like the "fight or flight" response, a mother's love for her young--you get the point. If someone were to drastically change our accepted method of storytelling, few would like it or even recognize it as a story. In a film class of mine at school, we watched Man With a Movie Camera, a film from 1929 Soviet Russia directed by Dziga Vertov. Here's my initial response, written after the class:

Within the first several minutes of this film, I realized that I was watching something extraordinarily different than any other film I had seen before. Prior to watching the film, we talked about how it’s essentially an extremely long music video or montage, and also how many believe that it doesn’t have any narrative form. There is no doubt that it includes many montage elements, primarily the quick passage of time and showing a multitude of scenes without showing how the camera (which, in a way, acts as the main character in this film) got there. It reminded me of a short film the popular musician Deadmau5 did along with one of his songs, “Bleed.”

            I would argue against the film not having narrative form. It’s definitely not your typical narrative, but there are elements that link the seemingly random shots together, some general themes that could be applied for scenes and the overall film, and the several shots of the camera man walking while holding the camera that make it more narrative than not.

A Man With a Movie Camera, photo credit wikimedia.

            I found that each “act” or “chapter” had a general theme, and that all the shots within that chapter were related to a degree. An example within one of the “chapters” was the shot of the window shutters, then the camera shutter, then a shot of eyelids. Overall themes included the industry segment, the transportation segment, and the life segment.

            Personally, I think his true goal was to show the human experience. At first, I thought it might have been about what our eyes can see, then the intricacies of life, then I finally decided that it was more of a documentary on life in the particular area the film was placed. Really, the only thing that the film is missing from the human experience is sex. There was plenty of day-to-day life captured, weddings, death, sickness, science, technology, beauty, love, sports, friendship—you name it, it’s pretty much all there.

Reading the response again, I realize that I was trying my hardest to find something like a plot, narrative, theme, or concept that I could latch onto so that it felt like something Hollywood would produce rather than what somebody decided to do on a Sunday afternoon (not to say that Vertov wasn't an extremely visionary man). This was my response, but many in the class didn't like the film, or were annoyed at how random it was, or (granted, there were a lot of these) just didn't care enough to formulate a position. So I'm using that as proof for my argument--people expect something they can understand and have heard, read or seen before.

That may have seemed like a rant, but my point is that it isn't a bad thing to be similar to another story. In fact, I would say that it's better to "steal" from everywhere you can, as long as it fits the story and is a good snatch (duh). So even though I feel gross seeing characters like Beth Latimer run to get away from things, just like Cole does, or Rev. Paul Coates attempt to lead the community in a way Roger will attempt to do, or even the different but similar medical problems both Cole and Alec Hardy face, I know that as long as the characters are different enough--which they have to be since no one is exactly the same--I can pull it off without getting angry editors and fans. If I ever have those.

Since the plots are similar, both Broadchuch and The Quietside fall into the crime drama pit that many paperback crime novels are helplessly trapped. You have the detective with something to hide; the multiple murder suspects; all dirty in their own way; the innocent victim, who might not have been innocent after all; the grieving loved ones who eventually come into question; I could go on. People expect these things from crime drama. If each item, or at least most of them, isn't present, then something doesn't feel right. 

From the real Quietside, aka Bass Harbor, Maine. You can tell I took it because of the silly date in the corner.

Or then again, something could feel new, fresh, and exhilarating. Broadchurch separates itself from the rest with, in my opinion, excellent acting and directing. Also important in Broadchurch's success is the setting--something I'm very excited about. Since Steven King is essentially the only author that has 1)written anything like crime drama set in Maine and 2)is well-known, it's nice to think that even if my characters aren't different and new enough for publishers, that maybe the setting will be.

To wrap it up, if you haven't watched Broadchurch, you should. It's not that hard to find online (shh you didn't hear it from me). Here's iMDB's page on Broadchurch here and the main website here.  

I know I said I'd have a character bio up, but it's late and I got stuck working on some additions to the first six chapters last night that I might otherwise forget. Expect one very soon--it will probably be a new character, one that hasn't appeared yet.

Progress on The Quietside and Staying True to Keeping an Active Blog

The good news is that I've made a lot of progress on The Quietside recently--no words in the novel itself, but lots and lots of ideas for the overall plot. I've always known how I wanted to start and end The Quietside, but I've been unsure about the middle for quite some time, until this past week or so.

The bad news is that I've been not updating this blog at all. It's bad for me because I think it's a useful tool in staying active writing on a daily basis, but it's worse for anyone who might actually be interested in what I have to say.

Last night I thought up an idea that would help me get back into updating the blog and also keep the progress going on The Quietside. Starting either tonight or tomorrow, I'll be posting character bios on (hopefully) a daily basis. These won't be incredibly long, but they might be interesting for anyone who's been keeping up with the story.

I also plan to become more active with my other ideas, specifically The Days After and The Caretaker. Ideally, I'll work on at least one of the ideas each day. I'd also like to start posting some film reviews, because I'm an avid film fan but also because it might bring some more traffic to the site. There's always book reviews and music as well.

On a slightly related topic, I'm considering making a tumblr account for The Quietside. I think that's a slightly more active community.

Stay tuned.

PS I also just realized that I haven't updated the blog on the title change from Hard Fall to The Days After. Same story, just different title.