Home.

I'm home for a few days this holiday season, and glad about it. I was home a few months ago to see my cousin off to LA, but it feels like much longer since I've visited for some reason. It's good to be back.

My dogs, who exist as the king and queen of this household, always pretend to be completely starved of attention when I wander home. I'll play with them, they'll pass out in exhaustion, then wake up thirty minutes later to start the process again. They consider a simple game of fetch to be the ultimate holiday present... the only problem being they'll have forgotten about it in an hour. Such is doggy life.

I hope to finish the Magic In Dogtown edits while here, and start The Next Thing. Research for the next project is going surprisingly, surprisingly well... when usually research always runs afoul for me. But more on that later.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Congratulations Thomas!

I just discovered that one of my friends from college got himself published! You can buy his book of short stories online here, from Amazon.

Thomas is a great guy. We lived on the same floor at a very large dormitory in college, and sometimes he would come out and read us pieces of his writing. Knowing how intelligent and talented he is, you can bet your ass I'll be ordering this book.

So congratulations, Thomas! I'll read this as soon as possible, and I hope this will lead to many more of your books being published!

VILLAINS

I found this utterly fantastic comic linked off of writer John August's twitter feed, which explores villain motivations. Read the comic here: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0763.html

John August has actually written a lot about "bad guys" and how to write them well. I highly recommend reading them if you're at all interested in writing a good villain or just find them fascinating in general. Here's a link to one of his entries on antagonists: http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/every-villain-is-a-hero

I haven't written a purely evil villain in quite awhile. Most of my antagonists are either simply doing their best to survive any way they can, are attempting to overcome a major obstacle or trauma that is blocking their way, or are just trying to live with their fundamental desires.

Someone had asked me about bad guys on a previous project of mine, and what they were like. I responded with: "There are none. No traditional ones, anyway."

But man, sometimes I have the simple desire of writing a true villain who simply embraces anarchy at its most chaotic. It can be a blast. As a reader or audience member, I usually like to root for the villains. If anything, because when they're featured in stories, there scenes have no fat in them. They really move the plot along. Plus it's easy to tell that actors have a grand time in performing the roles. Even the Academy likes a great villain.

An upcoming story of mine will have an antagonist who is a serial killer. A rather gruesome one, too, so I've been thinking about "bad guys" for the past few weeks, and how to make them fresh and engaging.

Who are your favorite villains? What bad guy scared you as a kid? Which antagonist truly challenged the main character in the story? What can we learn from these dark characters? Would Batman have been as popular a franchise without the Joker? What made Scar from The Lion King so different from other Disney villains? What made Tim Roth's character in Rob Roy such a memorable and sinister villain?

Something to think about.

The "Well... Crap" Moment

*Spoiler Alert Regarding The Novel What Dreams May Come*

I'm currently reading through What Dreams May Come by the legendary Richard Matheson. At first, I worried about the many pages of exposition used to introduce the afterlife. Then, catching me off guard, Matheson did something very rare:

He forced a tough decision upon his protagonist.

That may not seem so rare at first, but it is when you think about it for a bit. Most of the choices we're presented with in stories may appear tough at first glance, but more often than not, the right decision is obvious. Of course, the protagonist might have to slay a dragon or two in order to rescue his/her beloved, but it's apparent from the onset that this would be the good and right thing to do.

Real life choices, at least in my experience, are rarely so obvious. Many of the difficult decisions to be made are of the "fucked if you do and fucked if you don't" variety, where even inaction could have disastrous consequences. Most of the time we have to just pick one and hope for the best. Think of how many times you've read a story where that happens, or have watched it on TV or a movie. I'd wager that you'd have difficulty remembering enough instances to even count on one hand.

That, to me, is why actual tough choices in fiction -- the "Well... crap" Moment -- are very, very infrequent.

In What Dreams May Come, the main character dies in a horrible accident. Despite entering the afterlife and all the miraculous beauty it has to offer, he can't help but worry about his wife he left on Earth. The other members of the deceased tell him not to be bothered, as she'll join him soon enough, but they are all shocked to learn that, in her infinite grief of her husband's departure, she decided to take matters into her own hands and end her own life.

At this moment the choice comes: does the protagonist let his loved one endure close to a quarter century of Hell -- or the novel's version of Hell, anyway --, or attempt a one in a trillion chance of finding her and risk losing both of their souls forever.

I dunno. To me, at least, that is a pretty shitty choice to be presented with. In the first option, she's guaranteed (most likely) to rejoin her husband in heaven, but at the expense of enduring unimaginable torment for years upon years. In the second option, he can make the brazen and most-likely-to-fail attempt to reach her, at the risk of royally fucking them both over for all eternity.

What would you do, in the main character's position? Would you let someone you loved more than anything else endure hell for close to twenty five years, or make a worse-than-the-lottery chance at rescuing him/her, at the risk of damning you both forever?

See, that is what I think writers should strive for more often. Fucked-if-you-do-or-don't decisions force the readers/audience into the perspective of the characters, and allow more opportunity for empathy. The television series "The Shield" was spectacular with this during the final season, which allowed the audience to share identify with a less-than-savory character that they otherwise wouldn't want anything to do with.

So, strive for those decisions in your writing. Make it tough for your characters... and your readers. They'll thank you for it.

Flipping Out.

I would've simply posted this on my facebook page or other similar media-sharing page, but there is simply too much blargh-ness (there's really no other word that captures it) in these four minutes and fourteen seconds to safely do so.

Nope, it has nothing to do with writing. Well, one of the clips in the video does, but mainly it is pure "blargh". If only I could set this video as my alarm clock. If only.

Anyway, here it is.

This is interesting.

You know how after a movie wraps up and the credits scroll, for the "Written By" section, you usually see twelve or thirteen names listed? When I was a kid and saw this, I thought to myself, "Do they all just sit in a massive room and type it out together word by word?"

No. It's just that most movie scripts go through many, many, many re-writes before they end up on screen. If the filmmakers like the story but wish the dialogue had a little more snap to it, they'll hire a new writer that's known for witty dialogue to come in and work on it. If the story may benefit from a little more adrenaline, they'll hire a new writer who has a solid history of white-knuckle thrillers. And so on, and so on.

Very rarely do I hear about scripts that avoid that adventure, and go to appear on screen without having gone through rewrite after rewrite. However, there are currently two major movies out right now that, from what I've heard, were made from scripts that were for the most part left unchanged.

Those two movies are The Social Network and Hereafter. You've more than likely heard of them.

Here's a great interview on deadline.com with Peter Morgan, the screenwriter behind Hereafter, The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, and Frost/Nixon. He talks about the events that lead up to Hereafter being made, which even involved Steven Spielberg! Enjoy:

http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/oscar-qa-peter-morgan-talks-hereafter/

Simultaneous Submissions And Multiple Submissions... What's The Difference?

While submitting work to literary journals and magazines, it's always a good idea to read their guidelines and criteria. Every publication is different. Sometimes, though, you'll come across a few recurring terms.

"Simultaneous submissions" is one of them. Not to be confused with "multiple submissions."

When a magazine discourages "multiple submissions", that means that the editorial staff don't want you submitting all thirty of your short stories to them at once. Even if they accept multiple submissions, it's still not a good idea to bombard them like that. Be humane.

Simultaneous submissions, though, means something else entirely. If a journal requests "no simultaneous submissions," that means if you submit one story for a publication's consideration, you cannot submit it to any other publication until they decide upon the story's fate.

When starting out in this biz, a first compulsion might be to just formulate a list of attractive publications and send them all your stuff... all at once. This is a terrible, terrible idea, and a sure way to burn bridges. It's best to research each publication on an individual basis and formulate the appropriate strategy..

Submission Process

Hello all. Still'm editing Magic In Dogtown. While doing so, I'm working on sending some of my short stories to some literary magazines and markets.

If no one has informed you that writing is a job, well, I'm telling you now. It is. It even comes with its own interview process of sorts. You know how when applying to jobs, you submit a cover letter, resume, and wait to hear back from the prospective employer or Human Resources department? Submitting written stories is kind of similar.

For literary journals, you have to shop around and do your research like any other job. A good resource is Writer's Market. It's a kind of yellow-pages like listing of different agents, markets, literary magazines, and journals. Read through it, find some items of interest, and then read the journals or information on agents that interest you. When it's time, you, erm, "apply" for the job, and by that I mean submit your work.

Submission can be as easy as an online entry form, or can involve going through a routine of cover letters, query letters, and partial manuscripts even before the entire manuscript is considered. And, even after all of that, you can still get rejected. In fact, it's a pretty good idea to count on getting rejected. It's a part of the life.

I've heard that keeping a spreadsheet of your submissions is good practice, and I completely agree. Whether it be a spreadsheet you keep in Google Docs, or an Excel spreadsheet you save on your personal computer... a record of what you sent to which agencies or magazines is essential. Personally, I highlight all entries that I'm waiting to hear back from in yellow; all rejected entries in red; and all accepted entries in green. (Like a traffic light: yellow for wait, red for no, and green for go).

Problem is, like regular employment, experience matters. In cover letters and query letters, it makes a big difference if you can list past publishing credits.

But what if you're unpublished, like me and most of Earth's population? How does one get published when it helps to already be published? Therein lies the conundrum.

At this point, I don't really know what to tell you, since I'm currently fighting the same battle. Just... don't give up. The fight to get there is half the fun... I think.

D'oh!

Didn't quite make the cut on The Silver Screenwriting Competition. Still, I'm honored for even being considered. Good luck to all the Semi-finalists!

Misc.

Hello there.

First, before I get into anything else, I'll steer you in the direction of my cousin's website, as he recently posted a new short story and blog entry. Check them out when you get the chance:

-My Cousin's New Blog Entry

-My Cousin's New Short Story

Also, a script of mine is currently in the Quarterfinals round in the Silver Screenwriting Competition (Quarterfinalist List here). I hadn't entered a writing competition in awhile, so why this one? Two words:

Shane Black.

For those who aren't familiar with the name, it's almost a given that you're familiar with his work. If titles like Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, are for some reason unknown to you, go and watch them now. Right now. I'll wait...

Back yet? Yes, they're awesome. Shane Black has been a screenwriting hero of mine long before I even knew I wanted to write screenplays. They're always thrilling, hilarious, and always full of instantly quotable dialogue.

Anyway, the winner of the grand prize of the Silver Screenwriting Competition, along with a slew of other cool things, gets to have lunch with him. Winning the grand prize is a long shot, but I'd be silly not to enter for a chance to meet the man. I'm psyched and honored at the chance.

Distractions

Distractions.

With sites like Youtube and Hulu in existence, distractions are a part of life nowadays. Now that I utilize Google Reader to filter hundreds of sites into easily searchable feeds, I've become a master at scouring the internet for strange, silly oddities. Do I spend lots of time on facebook or online games? No. But are all of my internet searches relevant to what I'm writing? Of course not.

However, do I completely discourage distractions? No, not completely.

As long as I'm writing often and consistently, I don't mind a silly Youtube clip now and then. If it makes me smile and brightens my day for a few minutes, then I don't consider it unhealthy.

I've often proclaimed that boredom is the ultimate creative force in the universe. The best ideas come when we aren't actively looking for them (historical examples of this include stories about how Sir Isaac Newton and Archimedes came up with some of their most famous ideas). So, even if I'm really busy, I'll try to let my mind go blank while walking outside to run down an errand, or stay in the shower a little longer than necessary. Sometimes it helps.

Or maybe I'll look up something silly on the internet, like Merton serenading people on Chatroulette. After all, it made me smile and forget the business of life for a few minutes. Sometimes, that helps too.

Advice From a Bestselling Author

Found these links over at mediabistro.com, in which bestselling author David Baldacci lays out some advice to those who wish to write for a living. Enjoy.

Getting through 15 years of rejections.

&

Advice for aspiring writers.

---

Have a great Memorial Day, everyone.

Someone Walked Over My Grave

Or at least that's what it felt like.

Any of you out there who create or make things up for a living have probably had a similar experience. It's happened to me a few times, but the most recent occurrence -- a few days ago -- was the spookiest. And I never saw it coming.

I was at my computer when it happened, killing some time while my dinner brewed on the stove. I think. I'm not exactly sure what I as doing, to be honest. The situation blew everything else out of my memory. I could've been skydiving for all I know, and would've been so shocked that it'd be miraculous if I was aware enough to remember to pull the parachute.

What situation am I talking about? I saw a piece of my imagination displayed on the computer screen. In movie trailer form, no less.

It was a wild idea I'd had when I was an undergraduate. I wrote it as a high concept script, made it an ensemble piece with a lot of characters and plot-lines intersecting, and submitted it as a final project for a professor of mine. It was a challenge, and I worked my ass off on it, but in the end was only mildly moved by the result. There were some okay scenes in there, and the class had a fun time reading parts of it, but the end result was lacking. It needed serious work. I knew it, and my professor knew it too.

But the concept, the main clutch of the story, was one I was proud of. I figured I would put it to rest for a few years and rewrite it completely after coming back fresh.

That is, until I saw a movie trailer for it.

This was not an issue of plagiarism. Let's be clear on that. No one stole my idea. It's just an amazing coincidence that happened... and probably will happen again.

Whatever tree we pluck our ideas from, is something that apparently we can all share and visit. I don't understand how it really occurs in the first place, but it does, and is completely unavoidable. In some way, it's kind of cool that there is a connective tissue among all of our imaginations.

My advice if this happens to you? Write often. Create more. If and when such a coincidence happens, there will be other ideas to explore. Have faith in your own imagination, and, if you can, root for the other artist(s) who coincidentally shared a dream with you. If anything, it's a sign that we're all facing the same obstacles.

Invisible

In the drafts of the novel I'm writing, I describe a sort of rift in reality between people with and without homes. A rift which renders those who are homeless nearly invisible to those who are not. There are some fantasy elements to such a description, but sadly it seems that this invisibility actually exists in real life:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/multiple-passersby-ignore-dying-new-york-hero-hugo-alfredo-tale-yax/19452892

This is so sad and awful.

Excellent article on drafts and the studio system.

This was just so good and timely that I had to link it. It's a brilliant examination on first drafts, rewriting, and the journey of a script though a studio system. Read it:

http://livingromcom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/first-thought-best-or-worst-thought.html

New Website To Check Out

My cousin, whom I've mentioned in previous posts, built a new website that will serve as the home for his art and writing. Check it out:

http://www.onlythecontentmatters.com

If you click through the links, you'll be able to find some of the previous short stories he's written. As an avid short story reader myself, I hope he adds more!

I also laughed when I read the "About" section. His humor always gets to me.

Artwork Update

The Artist kicks an epic amount of ass. I'm not even sure planet Earth contains the sufficient amount of asses to meet her quota of asskickery. She might have to branch off into other solar systems and start kicking alien-life-form-ass, just to satiate and balance the amount of awesomeness she radiates. That's just how it is.

So why am I singing the praises of The Artist again? Well, as of today I have seen two versions of in-progress art for Magic In Dogtown. I'm blown away by them. She's pure talent.

You have to understand, I had a vastly different idea for the artwork when I first approached her with the prospect of creating something for the novel. At that point I'd seen the CD cover she designed, and a series of intricate studies posted on her website. They were very detailed and had an indescribable type of mathematical precision to them that was instantly appealing.

So when I met with her the first time, I handed her a few ideas I had for what the artwork could entail. I envisioned a series of small, quick sketches, (the main one being of a solitary vagrant under a dirty street light) which I described to her the best I could.

That was last year. Since then The Artist has read sections of the story to get a sense of the mood, and has come up with a portrait of a gritty, urban cityscape that, even in her preliminary drafting stages, completely bowled me over. I've stared at them for hours and my eyes still pick up new cool details and secrets. If I could, I would post them up here, but I want them to remain hers and not the property of "The Internet". Thus, their reveal shall have to wait.

In the meantime, I can say this though: The Artist totally kicks ass.

My Moments of Madness Sometimes Amuse Me

So I'm reading through my rough draft for the first time, marking all the things I want to change with pen, when I stumbled upon something towards the end of the book. It was just one word, but it caught my attention:

blarg

Written just like that, in a paragraph entirely of its own. No capitalization or punctuation. It had nothing to do with the story or dialogue or... anything, really. But it's in there, and I definitely wrote it. It's also in the first printed draft that I packaged for the girl the book's dedicated to, who's probably scratching her head over it just like I am.

Thing is, I have no memory of writing it, nor do I have any idea as to what idea I was trying to convey.

You have to understand... by that point, the birthday deadline was looming, and I was up writing around 5,000 words a night on top of a full-time job. I was hip-deep in madness and exhaustion. I was probably seeing leprechauns dance across my computer screen at the time. Playing the bagpipes while dancing naked in the streets were most likely distinct possibilities to my fried brain that night.

Still, when I read it just now in my first read-through of the rough draft, I burst out laughing. It's definite proof that writing and insanity are one and the same. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

First Draft Done

Yup.

The past few months have been insane in the push to get it finished in time, "in time" being the birthday of the person the novel's dedicated to. To write it by the deadline, I had to kiss instant messaging, facebook, and a few of my other favorite distractions goodbye for a little while. This decision, in turn, positioned me to take the brunt of a few "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" rants. My apologies go out to those people! It wasn't personal!

Also, because the girl who the book is dedicated to reads this blog, my online writing got pretty slim there for awhile, because I know she would be smart enough to pick up any hint or slip whatsoever that would reveal my intentions. I wanted it to be a surprise, and luckily I was successful in that respect.

So, was it worth it? Most definitely, because she is worth it. If it weren't for her, the novel wouldn't exist in the first place. She deserves all of it and more. I'm so happy and relieved it all worked out.

So now that the rough draft is done... what now? Well, for starters, a MASSIVE amount of editing and rewriting. First drafts are always shitty, and I will be spending a lot of time, erm... de-shitifying the story as much as possible. The first draft is about getting the damn thing written, now I can concentrate on the voice, flow, pacing, and detail of the story. As much as I love writing, I enjoy this part of the process as well.

Also, since the secret's out, I'll be updating this site more often. I'm sure all of the two or three people who actually read this are overjoyed.

Stay tuned. More updates soon.

The Saint of Fort Washington

Homelessness being a reoccurring topic on here, I thought I'd bring up an excellent film centering on the topic that recently got a huge boost in availability via Netflix.

I'm talking, of course, about The Saint of Fort Washington.

Talk about an under-appreciated gem. I heard about it from a friend through facebook who saw it outside of the U.S., but when I went to look for copies of it... there were none to be found. Try looking it up on Amazon sometime. The only copies you'll find (if there are any left to be found) of the movie are non-USA import discs. I had to buy one of the import DVDs and play it on a multi-region player. The Portuguese subtitles and picture quality were a little distracting, but the movie blew me away regardless of those minor nuisances.

The performances all knock it out of the park. The cinematography is extremely effective. Some of the shots of the homeless shelter are a hit in the gut; both amazing in scope and heart-wrenchingly sad. The story is both grim and inspiring. It really should've got more attention than it did. I get frustrated whenever I think about all the awards it should've received.

It's still not available on Region 1 USA DVD, but recently Netflix was awesome enough to make it available on Instant Watch, which means if you're a subscriber, you can view the film directly from your computer.

So yep... go and watch it. You won't regret it. Here's the trailer if you want a taste.

Still Alive

Yep, still here. My goal has been to write around 2,000 words per day, and I'm actually not doing so bad! I saw this quote from the 2005 movie adaptation of Factotum, and found it particularly inspiring:

Henry Chinaski: If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods. And the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.
- Factotum - (quote found here)
So try. Write and create with fire and endurance. I'll be over here attempting to do the same.

Challenge

Hi Everyone,

I've been told by the author of How Many Licks? to spread the word on an online contest he's holding. Details found here:

http://diaryofnumbers.blogspot.com/2010/02/fermi-contest-ii.html

I'm also curious as to what kind of solutions people come up with. Seriously, how many times has the video game character Mario died in his adventures?

---

Congratulations to a friend of mine for getting her articles on David Bowie and Eleanor of Aquitaine published! The more people click on these links, the more she gets paid, so get to it:

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/186/innovation-or-desperation-david-bowies-little-wonder

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/187/the-uncommon-commonality-of-eleanor-of-aquitaine

---

I've been reading up on typical work-output of some authors, as in how much and how fast they write.

Neil Gaiman wrote in a tweet:

"@tesharasox an okay writing day on a novel is 1000 words plus. 2000 is an excellent day. More is a great day. 1:21 PM Feb 21st via TweetDeck in reply to tesharasox"

Similarly, dailywritingtips.com, quoted Stephen King's On Writing in this article:
"Stephen King (in On Writing) tells fiction writers to aim for a target of 1,000 words a day, six days a week."

In this article, Hemingway was recorded as saying:
“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit,” Hemingway confided to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934. “I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”

The second paragraph of Charles Bukowski's Women (page one) reads:
"I'm not sure when I first saw Lydia Vance. It was about 6 years ago and I had just quit a twelve year job as a postal clerk and was trying to be a writer. I was terrified and drank more than ever. I was attempting my first novel. I drank a pint of whiskey and two six packs of beer each night while writing. I smoked cheap cigars and typed and drank and listened to classical music on the radio until dawn. I set a goal of ten pages a night but I never knew until the next day how many pages I had written. I'd get up in the morning, vomit, then walk to the front room and look on the couch to see how many pages were there. I always exceeded my ten. Sometimes there were 17, 18, 23, 25 pages. Of course, the work of each night had to be cleaned up or thrown away. It took me twenty-one nights to write my first novel."

*Granted, Bukowski is writing as reoccurring character Henry Chinaski. Still, if it's even remotely based on fact, I find it to be amazing.*

---

So, writers out there. How much do you challenge yourself to write each day?

Time Machine

Hi All. Some good links this week:

Chapter Five from my cousin's online novel is now up. It somehow gets even better with every chapter, so if you haven't started it, be sure to take a look.

If you have any interest in reading, writing, art, or just awesomeness in general, you should really check out author Neil Gaiman's Online Journal. In yesterday's entry, he posted two great links that list writing advice from some fabulous authors. Here they are:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/10-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-two

Similarly, if I had some sort of time-traveling power where I could go back and have a chat with my high school honors English class, here are the ten things I would impart upon the aspiring writers -- including the 18 year old version of myself -- of that class:

1. Familiarize yourself with madness, but don't succumb to it; chances are you're most of the way there already if you want to be a writer.

2. Don't envy the success of other artists. Instead, network with them. It's a much more rewarding course of action.

3. Disregarding a work of art due to the genre it's lumped in, the age group it's intended for, or the medium in which it's conveyed is never a good idea. Brilliance can be found everywhere. Have an open mind.

4. Every person is entitled to speak his or her own thoughts, but remember that your dreams are some of your most important possessions. If something foul, condescending, or rude is said about your dreams, smile and continue your course. But don't let go of them.

5. Recognize fear, and know that you aren't immune to it.

6. Write as if each story is your last memento to the world. You never know, it very well could be.

7. Celebrate the fact that you are capable of horrible writing. We learn through revision and chopping away at the words our stories don't need.

8. Treat writing like a job you really enjoy. Just like other jobs, you will advance through experience, putting in lots of hours, hard work, and by being friendly and professional to your colleagues.

9. Trying to publish something that you would be embarrassed to read aloud probably isn't the greatest of strategies.

10. Thank people for their suggestions about your work, even if you don't agree with them.

---

If you could go back and tell your younger self ten things, what would they be?

It's All In An Ending

"Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. Ends."

-Six Feet Under

As I near closer to the end of my story, I can't help but feel the pressure. You know, THAT one. Tying it all together. Trying to leave the reader with a sense of happiness. I mean, they spent all that time with your words, don't you want them to be more than just a little bit glad that they've done as much? Out of everything in a story, the ending is what's carried with the reader or audience after all is said and done. At least that's how it is for me.

Whenever I feel pressured, I look to the masters. Artists who've ended their projects with style and aplomb to spare. What follows are examples of some of my favorite endings in various mediums (spoilers beware):

*The "Six Feet Under" Series Finale -- TV series can't be an easy thing to end, given the immense history and fan base they build, but this show did it right. Sweeping and elegant, the viewers can't help but feel a sense of elation and wonderment, which is miraculous considering it is a show about death.

*The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- "Graceful" is a word that comes to mind when reading the final chapter of this celebrated novel. I'm a huge fan of this author already, but still I was floored at how well-written the ending to this story was. He really is a talent to be treasured.

*"The Shield" Series Finale -- I really didn't think the creators of the show would be able to pull it off. Each year, audiences clamored and gossiped (at least me and the people I watched it with did) with theories on what type of fate was in store for should-we-root-for-him-or-not badass Vic Mackey. Well, the creators were successful in crafting an appropriate ending. And trust me, you'll never in a million years predict what actually happens to Vic.

*"Space-Time For Springers" by Fritz Leiber -- One of my favorite short stories of all time. Google it sometime if you've never read it, it's marvelous. The sacrifice at the end is so poignant it's palpable.

* The "Cowboy Bebop" Series Finale -- If you haven't watched the entirety of this series, shame on you. Yes, it's an anime. Don't judge. Just watch it. The ending (and ending song) are brilliant.

And finally... my favorite ending:

*Survive Style 5+ -- Best. Ending. Ever. Best use of a Cake song too, I might add. Yes, it's a weird ending, but then again the entire movie is strange. It's also absolutely perfect. If you can watch it without smiling, I will be amazed. The fact that it hasn't been released on R1 DVD or blue ray is a crime. Also more pressing... when are director Gen Sekiguchi and screenwriter Taku Tada going to collaborate on another film?

My living space is now complete with a writing... erm, nook?

It's just as the title indicates: I now have a place to write in my apartment after so many years! What I'd been working on previously consisted of a metal folding chair, and my laptop resting upon a TV dinner tray stand. That's it. There wasn't room for much more in my old living space, which was about the size of a can of peas. Nevertheless, I managed a lot of writing on that set-up, so I can't knock it too badly.

My new apartment has some wiggle room, though, and that metal chair and low tray were infuriating some old back injuries. When my mom was in town for a few days, she helped me pick out some new furniture (she's much much better at that stuff than me, and actually has... what's it called? Oh yeah, good taste), and I am forever grateful. It's amazing how much difference comfort makes to my work output.

The new desk was a breeze to set up, which is saying something because I'm the least mechanically inclined person you've never heard of. I ordered it cheaply online, and thankfully all the bolts and screws I needed were included with the packaging. If they weren't, I could just picture myself at the hardware store: "Umm... I'm looking for a bolt, uh, thing. It looks kinda like, well, I don't even know how to describe it, but can I have one?"

So anyway, do you have any idea what this means??? I do. It means that I can now write from my apartment, sans back pain, whenever I'm home. Usually I would have to find a computer lab or office space to write from, but most of my ideas come late at night. Disregarding the usual distractions of writing at my living space, I'm extremely pleased with this development.

Granted, I like doing some writing outside of my apartment, which I've mentioned previously, but whenever I look over and see that desk there, it looks... inviting. Like it's daring me to finish what I'm working on.

And that's a dare I'll definitely take.

Yargh!

Missed my Christmas deadline, which I half expected. I figured if I set a crazy deadline, it would urge me to write faster, even if I didn't make the cut. The plan actually worked, since I figure I only have about 1/3rd of the novel left to write. I'm still frustrated with myself but not entirely upset.

Wrote some short stories, too. Did my very first story involving a superhero, which was a lot of fun (I always thought it would be wild to work on a comic one day). I also wrote a short horror bit, and then a few pages involving a break-up between two people. I have no idea what I'm going to do with all these short stories. I'm trying to figure out how to make some money off them if possible. Not the reason why I write, but it would still be nice to get some cash out of the deal, eh?

---

During a meeting with "The Artist" -- who is doing the cover art for Magic In Dogtown -- she offered to make me a personalized soup mug. I forget exactly how this was brought up, but our conversations are usually bizarre like that anyway, so it's no surprise. I was just recently told, however, that the mug has been completed! I have no idea what it looks like or how it's painted. When I brought it up to her, she just laughed mysteriously. Knowing her, that could mean anything. I wouldn't be surprised if I were presented with my gruesome demise depicted across the exterior each time I used it for a meal. If it does, I will find a way to make sure it's on permanent display in my apartment somehow.

It would be external motivation, for sure.

My 2009 List

Happy New Year everyone. I'm sure you've been seeing a lot of "best of" and "worst of" lists for the year just passed. In most cases I would follow suit and list my favorite books and movies I've seen from this year.

Who wants more of that, though?

Instead, I thought I would take the time to reveal my admiration for a cool art form: the movie trailer.

Yes, film trailers are works of art. Done right, they can build excitement for an upcoming film, give audiences a taste of what to expect... yet not reveal crucial parts of the movie. The last bit is where most trailers fail. Don't you hate it when you feel like you've seen the entire movie after watching a preview? I certainly do.

So, to show my appreciation for the talented artists who put together these mini gems, I'm posting some of my favorite trailers from 2009. They excite. They rock. But most importantly, they DON'T GIVE AWAY THE WHOLE DAMN MOVIE.

The Third Terminator Salvation Trailer: Say what you want about the movie, but you have to admit the trailer is simply fantastic. I practically grew up on Terminator 2, and wasn't necessarily excited about a movie in the franchise that didn't involve Cameron or Schwarzenneger. This trailer changed that.

Where The Wild Things Are: It certainly is beautiful to watch. Some people told me watching it made them cry (yes, really). Others told me that they actually liked it better than the movie. Whichever way you put it, you really can't deny how marvelous this preview really is.

Inception: With a movie cloaked in so much secrecy (seriously, does anyone even know any general details about the plot?), how can an effective trailer be made without giving away, well, anything? This trailer managed it somehow. Looks awesome.

Up In The Air: People started talking Oscar potential even before the movie was released. Some would say buzz from festivals and pre-screenings are to blame. I suspect, though, that this graceful trailer might've had something to do with it as well.

... And, for my favorite movie trailer of 2009:

Babies: Try to watch this preview without smiling. Bet ya can't.