actually, it's not; i just thought i'd say that.
The quote of the day:
When you hear somebody say, 'This is not about money,' it's about money.
Last night we had writing group, and I discovered something interesting. Or terrifying, depending on one's perspective.
When I write something that gets its genesis from my life--and only its genesis; I couldn't write a script about something that really happened to me if my life depended on it, because I tend to think my life's just too damn boring--people seem to respond to it. A lot more than something that I've made up out of whole cloth.
Last night we discussed both first Acts that I'd handed out last week. One is the new one, the horror script; the other is the rewrite of my thesis script. And what came through, loud and clear (though no one put it like this), is: we really, really like the horror script; we could do without this other one.
I am crushed.
I want everyone to love everything I write. And they don't.
The body language was remarkable: when we talked about the thesis script, heads were down, voices were subdued, people leaned back. When we talked about the horror script, people sat up, they had energetic voices, they had things to discuss.
It was pretty darn clear.
On the one hand, I feel energized about getting back to work on the horror script. On the other hand...I guess this is a sign that it's time to tuck my thesis script to bed for a while--maybe several months--until I can come up with something as clear and straightforward as I've done in the horror script and in my first script, the Irish one.
At least they liked one of them.
We had a long discussion about how I was going to handle the POV of the horror script. Essentially, all these scripts stand on one of two sides of a coin: it's either conspiracy and all these terrible things are happening, or it's paranoia and your main character is slowly going insane.
Guess which one they thought was better. Guess which way I was going.
I think the group's right: I don't need to bite off more than I can chew at this stage. The easiest way to do it is to do so in a straightforward manner and not try to screw with the audience's perceptions of what's going on. I can do that later. Right now, keep it simple, stupid.
I've spent the past 3 days cursing the day I ever exchanged innocuous e-mail with Lucy about, "So, whatcha reading?" Because she highly recommended some novels, and I bought all 4 in the series.
And I read all 4 in 3 days. Evidently the author has died; there are no more forthcoming. I am heartsick. I am desolate. I am disconsolate.
Because I'm totally in love with the main character of these novels. If this guy ever shows up at the front door, I am leaving Darin.
I had to put down the fourth novel in order to go to writing group last night, and I had that fluttering in my chest you get when you're infatuated with someone. Despite being on the rack, I could barely concentrate: I wanted to get back to my darling.
The homewrecker I speak of is Julian Kestrel, the well-known dandy featured in Kate Ross's mystery novels set in Regency England. I don't even want to point you to them, I want them all to myself. I want him all to myself.
Okay, you've convinced me:
- Cut to the Quick -- the first book in the series.
- A Broken Vessel -- I want to scratch Sally's eyes out. That's all I'm saying.
- Whom Gods Love -- a very strange hodgepodge.
- The Devil In Music -- the last, and richest, book. You definitely get a feel for what post-Napoleonic Italy was like. Wonderful. Lyrical. A taste of what might have been to come.
Kate Ross had an amazing talent for making a time and place come alive. I love these books. Oftentimes I have to decide: goes on the shelf, or goes in the recycle box? These books I want in hardcover, that's how much I loved them.
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Copyright 1999 Diane Patterson
Send comments and questions to diane@spies.com