Foreshadowing

I adore foreshadowing. Finding the perfect place to insert that little detail so crucial to the unfolding story is just...fun. Then there's inserting so it's not too obvious but not forgettable. I just really enjoy that kind of thing.

I'm working on a new screenplay that will require a lot of foreshadowing, but not so much as the thriller screenplay I have planned. Too bad I suck at clever twists.

Anyway, foreshadowing elements came into the forefront for me recently because I had judged a contest manuscript that was well written, contained compelling characters, and had a decent plot, but the author made a crucial mistake that stuck out like a sore thumb.

For two chapters the heroine bopped around her fictional world trying to convince the hero, a detective, that her uncle was a mobster bad guy. So she goes to a relative's house, and while she's in the bathroom she overhears the mobster bad guy talking with the relative. Out come the guns, and she reaches for the camera she "always carried around her neck," and snapped photos of the bad guy shooting the good guy.

Okay. That was the FIRST mention of the camera, and she didn't have a career that would require her to carry a camera. So for two chapters she zipped around the city talking to people and eating in restaurants and disguising herself as a man (don't ask,) but then all of a sudden she has a very LARGE camera around her neck? Later, at the police station, a cop asked how she got the pictures. She said that photography was a hobby. Well, THERE'S a piece of information I'd like to have known from the beginning! I wanted to scream.

Then, this weekend, I watched one of my favorite movies, Titanic, for about the 100th time. I usually turn it off before the end because it's just too hard to watch all those people die in the water, but this time I watched it straight through because of something James Cameron once said that I suddenly remembered.

See, I've always believed that Rose dies at the very end, that she joins Jack and the Titanic victims on the Other Side. Others disagree, saying that Rose is dreaming. In interviews James Cameron has always sort of hedged when asked the question, "Did Rose die or is she dreaming?" Cameron's answer has usually been something to the effect of, "Take it however you want."

But in one interview, he said that the answer is in the movie. It's foreshadowed. So when I watched Titanic this weekend I paid attention, and I still nearly missed what he was talking about. I expected the "answer," the foreshadowing, to be in the beginning where most foreshadowing is placed in novels and movies. But I found it near the very end in some words Jack speaks before he freezes to death. He talks about Rose surviving and having a full, happy life. And he also says, "You'll die warm in your bed."

I found it interesting that the foreshadowing came so late and so close to the event and yet a lot of people, myself included, didn't pick up on it, though I always did believe that Rose died. Is that because we are so used to paying close attention at the beginning of movies and novels that by the end our brains have shifted from "figure the story out," to "it's figured out, so sit back and enjoy the ride?"

I dunno. I just thought it was interesting that such an obvious bit of foreshadowing could be so overlooked--probably because of placement.

Oh, and in other news, Sarah Michelle Gellar will not make an appearance in the series finale of Angel. Apparently, Joss Whedon asked her to appear in the penultimate episode, but she was busy shooting a movie. She was available for the finale, but he didn't want the end of the series to revolve around a character who wasn't a regular part of the show. Probably a wise choice, but I'll still miss Buffy.

Monday, March 29, 2004 @ 09:53 AM CST [link]

This is just wrong...

Painted Iceberg

Thursday, March 25, 2004 @ 05:37 PM CST [link]

Political Rant

I have really, really tried to keep politics out of my blog. I hate reading blogs with political agendas, and I don't want to start any debates. But this rant ties in with movies (very loosely!,) so I'm going to go ahead and say what I'm thinking.

I'm getting sick of the blame game going on regarding the September 11th attacks. In hindsight, could the Clinton administration, the Bush administration, or the U.S. intelligence community have done anything to prevent 9/11? I have no idea. I'm not privy to the information that was available at the time. But even if Bin Laden himself had sent an email to Bush and said, "Hey, I'm going to hijack some planes and kill a whole bunch of Americans," would anyone have really thought that could happen? NO.

There used to be a lot of reviews at Amazon about a movie called Executive Decision, in which the authors went on and on about how unrealistic and cliched it was for Middle Eastern terrorists to hijack a plane and use it as bomb against American targets. They said nothing like that could ever happen. No way.

Yeah, there are a lot of people with egg on their faces.

But my point is that before September 11th, Americans simply did not believe that such a thing could happen. Had Clinton or Bush launched a full-scale anti-terrorism war before then, Americans--and probably the entire world--would have thought the actions were unnecessary. I don't think Americans would argue that terrorism isn't bad, but in the pre-9/11 minds, terrorism happens to someone else. If it happens to Americans, it happens in other countries. It doesn't happen on American soil.

I'm not saying that the inquiries going on right now are completely pointless. If they can help see where we went wrong so that it won't happen again, then that's wonderful. But to actually BLAME an administration or intelligence agency for something that in our minds at the time was incomprehensible, is idiotic.

Thing is, even after 9/11, people are still in denial about our vulnerability. They think it can't happen again. They are whining about lengthy security procedures at airports. They are whining about invasion of privacy by the government. They are whining about the loss of freedom. And these will be the same people who, when another September 11th happens again (by way of water, I predict,) will cry, "Why didn't you do anything about it?" Grr.

Wednesday, March 24, 2004 @ 10:49 AM CST [link]

A Day in the Life of a Romance Writer

On what planet? Apparently, this author has gotten plenty of hate mail since the article went to print. Although she's hardly deserving of hate mail, I can see how a lot of romance writers might be jealous and/or annoyed that this woman is helping to push the idea that romance authors are wine-swilling airheads who sit around eating bonbons and caviar with their rich husbands until the muse strikes.

A Day in the Life Of Melanie Craft

Must suck to be her.

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 @ 02:36 PM CST [link]

Jeff Foxworthy on Oregon

Over the weekend I got two slightly different versions of a Jeff Foxworthy routine about Oregon, my home state. I have no idea if he really performed the routine, but everything on this list is true anyway. Oregonians and people who have visited Oregon (pronounced OR-uh-gun, NOT OR-uh-gone) will understand. Everyone else will think Oregonians are nuts.

My husband lived there for 3 years, and I remember him coming home from work one day and saying, "Oregonians are SO weird. They won't cross the street, even if it's deserted, if the sign says 'Don't Walk.' I walked. People glared. Oregonians are weird."

He still gets mad at me when I won't cross against a light in other states. "You aren't in Oregon anymore, you freak!" Maybe not, but I still feel guilty...

Anyway, I combined the two slightly different lists into one. Bekke, you'll appreciate #33!

You might be from Oregon if:

01. You know the state flower (mildew).
02. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
03. You use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
04. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
05. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
06. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
07. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain without an umbrella waiting for the "Walk" signal.
08. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
09. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.
11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon and Willamette.
12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.
13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working 8 hour shifts.
15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
17. You cannot wait for a day with "showers and sun breaks".
18. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
19. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
20. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
21. You notice "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
22. You put on your shorts and fire up the barbecue when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
23. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
24. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
25. You think people who use umbrellas are wimps, tourists or women with a good hair day going.
26. You knew immediately that the view out of Frasier's window was a fake.
27. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you can't find the old ones after such a long time. Or better yet, you continue to wear your sunglasses on cloudy and rainy days.
28. You measure distance in drive time.
29. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
30. You use a down comforter in the summer.
31. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.
32. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
33. You don't know how to pump your own gas and that's the way you like it.
34. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter (Winter), Still raining(Spring) Road construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).

Monday, March 22, 2004 @ 09:09 AM CST [link]

Sad

I find some of these statistics to be really disturbing--especially the first two.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance.
70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.

Source: Parapub.com

Thursday, March 18, 2004 @ 12:02 PM CST [link]

Getting Back to Normal

It feels like it’s been forever since I last posted. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve done anything—including sleep!

Friday afternoon my six-year-old son, Brennan, came home from school with a tummy ache. Tummy aches in children are normal, so we didn’t worry. He gets them from time to time. Then the ache turned to pain. Again, not worried since he gets abdominal pain that goes away after a bowel movement.

He fell asleep on the couch, and at 11:30 p.m., he vomited in his sleep. At that point I knew he needed to go to the hospital. Abdominal pain and vomiting is bad. So I woke him and discovered that the pain had moved from his belly to his lower right side.

Appendicitis.

So we rush to the hospital, where the doctors immediately thought “constipation,” because of Brennan’s age. Most appendix problems don’t appear until at least the age of ten. I insisted that this was not constipation, and Brennan’s white blood cell count confirmed. Definite infection of something.

The problem was that the pain had spread. They suspected that the appendix had burst or that it wasn’t the appendix at all. And it took forever for the surgical team to arrive because they were on call and had to drive from up to 40 miles away—on snowy roads.

Finally, at almost 3:00 a.m., Brennan underwent surgery. I was a wreck. Anesthesia is scary. To top it off, they had to do an open appendectomy rather that a laparoscopic one (which I keep calling arthroscopic for some reason) because of his odd symptoms. Good thing they did that. The appendix was something for the record books. Three times longer than normal, which is why the pain had spread from the lower right side. The pain had extended through the appendix across Brennan’s abdomen. The abnormality also probably predisposed the organ to problems, which may be why Brennan was struck with appendicitis so young.

So anyway, Brennan is fine (though he did lose a tooth from intubation,) and the doctors are excited about a good story. “Man, you shoulda seen the huge-ass appendix I pulled from this little tiny kid.”

All you medical people out there…here’s to you. You went through a bazillion years of school, racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans, and you get up in the middle of the night to help people. It’s easy to see why so many heroes and heroines in romance novels are in the medical field. There’s nothing more heroic than saving lives!

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 @ 10:30 AM CST [link]

Historical Names

I read a lot of straight historical fiction and historical romance. I've also written historical romance. One of the things I've noticed is that names are often anachronistic or just plain fantasy, but this has never bothered me, and in fact, I do it myself--take a name I found in the Domesday Book and alter it to make it sound or look the way I want it. I guess I just figure that there is no way to know what variations of a name truly existed back then. There are records, yes, but they aren't completely accurate, nor have they all been found.

For example, Researchers at Britain's National Archives recently found records of a girl named Diot Coke born in 1379 Yorkshire.

Her first name is believed by several historians to be a variation of a name that was on its way to becoming today's "Denise." Coke is thought to be an early form of Cook.

Researchers have also found that male names like Philip and Thomas were once used for girls in the 14th century.

And there is the exact reason I'm not picky about historical detail. Even historians don't yet know everything. So as long as the hero of the medieval story isn't driving a Jeep to save the heroine, I'm cool with it!

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 @ 07:53 AM CST [link]

Rant

It's appropriate that I call this my Soapbox, because I'm going to climb up on it for a little while.

Why is it that people can't seem to grasp the concept of being responsible pet owners? Why own a pet if you aren't going to take care of it properly?

I have two happily spoiled-rotten indoor cats. The female is a shelter rescue and is spayed. The male is a purebred Bengal who is neutered. Because my cats are "fixed," they are much more likely to live happy, healthy lives than cats that aren't neutered or spayed. My cats won't suffer reproductive cancers like unaltered cats do. My cats won't die while giving birth. My cats won't get run over by cars or killed by dogs or wild animals while in search of mates.

I am a responsible pet owner.

My neighbors are not. My neighbors allow their unaltered tomcats to run free outside. A year ago these tomcats began to mark their territory all over the neighborhood, and apparently they considered my front door to be their territory. So I had stinky cat urine all over my front door and porch. Stinky cat urine that set my neutered, previously well-behaved male cat, Felicks, into a spraying frenzy of his own.

So Felicks sprayed all over my house. It wasn't his fault; he was simply responding to the aggressive males outside who thought they needed to mark our front door. Still, it wasn't pleasant for me. I spent a lot of money and time to correct the behavior. I even talked one of the neighbors into neutering his cat, which was the worst offender.

Anyway, after a couple of months of expensive kenneling, medication, and pheromone therapy, Felicks went back to normal.

Until a few days ago.

Mild weather has brought the tomcats out again. So because inconsiderate people haven't learned to take care of their pets, MY pet and MY family have to suffer until I can bring Felicks' behavior under control again.

People. Spay and neuter your pets! Keep your cats indoors. If you must put your cat out, make sure your cat has an identification implant or an identifying tag on his collar. Make sure the collar is reflective to car headlights AND is a breakaway type to prevent strangulation. Put a bell on the collar to warn innocent wildlife of the cat's approach. Make sure your cat is up-to-date on its shots and worming. Make sure your cat always has access to shelter, food, and fresh water.

And please, neuter or spay your cat!

Rant over.

Monday, March 08, 2004 @ 05:28 PM CST [link]

Gross Story of the Day

I really hope this woman wasn't a vegetarian... Ohio Salad Arrives With Piece of a Thumb

Friday, March 05, 2004 @ 11:31 AM CST [link]

Bad Romance

Okay, I know I just said that romance fiction is misunderstood, that it is more than muscle-bound dolts rescuing virgin airheads. And for the most part, romance IS more than that. But I recently read a story that honestly frightened me simply because apparently a lot of women LIKE this kind of stuff.

A few months ago, I posted my first one-star review at Amazon because a certain well-known author had written what I found to be a really awful novel. It was easily the worst romance I'd ever read.

So when another of this author's stories came into my hands, I thought I'd give her another chance. Maybe that other novel was a fluke. Everyone writes one novel that probably could have used more work, right? And I want to be fair. So I read this new story.

And I was stunned. Stunned. It made that one-star story look good. The story wasn't just awful, it bordered on frightening. Why? Because of the characters. The "hero" was a muscle-bound alpha jerk, and the heroine was a TSTL (too stupid to live) virgin, which this particular author seems to specialize in.

I don't have anything against alpha males--in fact, I prefer them. And I don't have anything against virgin heroines. What I have a problem with is how these two very different types of people come together in this type of story. The alpha guy sees this shy, innocent thing who must be taught how to respond to him in bed. Oh, gag. These types of stories are bad enough (and yes, there ARE authors who can pull it off so it isn't gaggy,) but this particular story was extra horrible.

The hero treats the heroine like she's a child. The heroine behaves like a child. "Oh, it...it...is hard. Will it stay that way? I don't think it'll fit." Oh, puh-leese. So the hero naturally laughs and thinks it's cute and then has to say a bunch of manly things that wouldn't shock any normal person, but naturally shocks Miss Raised In Victorian Times. He then proceeds to "gentle" her, get her used to his disgusting touch. It was creepy. What kind of adult "manly man," wants to sleep with an innocent, childlike virgin?

I'm thinking someone who should be in jail.

Even more disturbing...why do women like to read about this kind of thing?

Thursday, March 04, 2004 @ 11:31 AM CST [link]

Romance Gets a Boost!

It seems that bestselling author James Patterson has joined Romance Writers of America because many of his books contain romantic elements.

What a terrific boost for the romance genre, which is often thought of as inferior fiction. Only those who actually write romance know how difficult it is to write. Balancing an external plot as well as romantic plot is practically an art form and is a lot less formulaic than people assume.

I've been working on a straight fantasy novel full of subplots and several POV characters, and I've still found that romance is much more difficult to write. Perhaps James Patterson's membership in romance's most well-known organization will go a long way in helping people realize that romance is more than muscle-bound alpha males chasing after too-stupid-to-live virgins. (Okay, there ARE novels like that, but most aren't!)

Wednesday, March 03, 2004 @ 11:03 AM CST [link]

Political Compass

I just took a test in which the results really surprised me. Growing up, I considered myself to be on the liberal and libertarian side. In the last few years, I've switched over, becoming more conservative and probably authoritarian.

But according to this test, The Political Compass, I'm just a couple blocks left of center and smack dab on the line between authoritarian and libertarian.

It might be because most of my political, social, and economic views are not strong--I tend to see both sides and am usually torn on most issues. But the ones I do feel VERY strongly about are more leftist issues that have to do with the environment, church and state, and animal and human rights. So looking at it that way, and thinking back on the answers I gave that were not simply "agree/disagree," and were more of the "strongly agree/disagree" type, I suppose I can see how I would be more left on the scale than right.

Still freaky, since for the most part, I do consider myself a bit right on the scale!

Tuesday, March 02, 2004 @ 10:33 AM CST [link]