I am a pretty happy guy, because of that I think that I naturally gravitate towards shows that are happy. I like those that have a twist, but even though with suspense typically have a fairly happy streak in them.
An interesting contract between me and most people that are into Zombies and other stuff that I like is that I am not really into the Horror genre the way that they are. I am not really a big fan of scary movies, don't really watch them much. There are a few things that I like, like Zombie movies, but stuff that is designed 100% to simply make you jump and scare you really doesn't do it for me. Suspense is much more important than simply adding some tension inducing strings into the soundtrack and throwing in some loud noises randomly or flashing things on the screen.
I will watch something "horror" as long as it is more based on the story and actually has a real plot. It is also a plus if the end is actually happy rather than simply a resolution. I don't know if it is because the story sticks with me after the movie is over, or if I simply dwell on it afterwards, but it just isn't enjoyable.
An awesome contrast to this is the Walking Dead. Not only is it actually an awesome story, but it isn't afraid to push the limits. Every successive episode takes it even farther, showing that they really aren't afraid to make their point and tell their story at any cost.
I think that my favorite thing about it is simply its realism. It took the basis of the Zombie lore, and laid it over 100% reality. They don't have any weapons that aren't realistic, the stakes are real, even their control over the situation is realistic. I have some slight issues with the story, such as an unrealistic representation of the Undead vs. Living population. I think that if the Undead were to take over like they did in the show their numbers would be far greater than indicated. Literally every person that they killed would turn into a Zombie, there wouldn't hardly be any "dead." There would either be the "Undead" and the living, that's it. Considering the population of the Georgia alone, where the show takes place, if we only see a handful of people that are alive, that would mean that the millions of others that were in Atlanta would all be the "Undead."
So, that single point aside, it is awesome. Any show that started off showing its main character blowing away a little girl Zombie, means business. The second episode pushed it even farther, and 4 episodes in I watched a sister have to shoot her own infected sister in the head to spare her the agony of turning into the "Undead" fully on her own after being bitten.
It pushes the limits, but it is still entertaining. It isn't scary, but the reality that is being laid out on the screen is definitely frightening. It is this skirting of boundaries that makes me really consider writing something that is a different genre than what I typically think about. I know that I am not going to start writing just to scare, rather than entertain, but it does make me think that I can push the limits and subjects that I would normally think about to include things that are emotionally charged on a difficult level.
Tucker Max isn't a fiction writer, but the maxim that he clings to the most fiercely, the one that makes him so popular, is his unflinching honesty. He says everything he feels, everything he wants, and everything that he did; he does it regardless of how it makes him look or the impact that it has on everyone. Oddly enough, even though he talks of the repulsive things that he does with such blatant honesty, he seems to gain more respect for simply telling it exactly like it is than he loses for saying what he says. I think that same honesty can be applied on a fictional level in its dedication to the truth of the emotions of those involved. That is the feeling that I get when I watch the Walking Dead, and hopefully I can learn to apply those same principles and unwavering dedication can inspire others from my work the way that I have been inspired by those qualities in others.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
That Special Twist
I really enjoy movies, television, music, books, and whatever else that is out there, that makes me think. It doesn't need to be something deeply introspective or especially enlightened, just something that gets my brain going in a direction out of the ordinary.
I watched "Book of Eli" tonight and the ending really got me going. It was an original twist. I think that one of the main reasons that I found it so moving, and why it made me really step back and take notice, is because not only did I not see it coming at all, but it was original. I think that with most typical Hollywood influences, that the originality is really gone. There just don't seem to be that many independent and thoroughly different ideas out there.
It was grounded. It was rooted in an believable reality based on the movie, and it didn't ask for you to take some huge leap of faith or anything like that in order to believe it. It was thoughtful. It went beyond the norm of simply putting out the most convenient and understandable to the question that everyone is asking themselves. I felt like the movie not only didn't insult my intelligence, but it gave me an answer that deepened my respect for it. Something that doesn't happen often.
Tara hates it when we are watching a show like "CSI" or something along those lines, and I tell her who the bad guy is half way through. Or when I jokingly make a "guess" of how it is going to end, and I am 100% right on the money. I did it with Murder She Wrote last week and she thought that I did it to make fun of the show. I wasn't making fun of the show as much as I was making fun of the writing, and how the staff really didn't try too hard. They phoned it in. I understand that they had a lot of episodes to work on and that originality probably wasn't everything that they were going for, but still. If it is going to be a murder mystery, the only rule that you have to follow as a writer is to make sure that you don't give away who the killer is to the audience before the main character figures it out. It is supposed to be a challenge. That question, the "who is the killer" is the impetus for the audience to keep participating in the story; it is all that they care about. That is what keeps people turning the page, and watching through the bad acting. They want to know "who done it." If you give away that answer half way through, why not just change the channel or put down the book.
The funny thing is that as much as I go on about the importance of this one fact, I am guilty of it myself. The final paper that I wrote for my English 192 "Detective Fiction" class had this same issue. At the time, I really didn't think outside the box enough, or deep enough, about how to disguise and misdirect my audience. I think that is really the mark of the best writer of this genre. The writer that only makes you ask more questions, rather than giving you answers, all the way to the end. It is a formula, an equation that they follow time and time again, and even though the format is always the same, the interchangeable parts in the story never allow it to become dull.
Every Clive Cussler book starts the same. First it gives you some historical context, something from way back that is a foundation for the story at hand. This foundation is always different from previous stories, and really distinguishes one from the other. Then it is a light character introduction of some of the supporting roles, before finally introducing the recurring main character. From then on, the format moves around a little bit, but it always starts, and ends exactly the same. The best part is that even though you know right from the get go, how it will end, it is all that stuff in between that keeps you going and coming back for more.
With "Book of Eli," I saw a blurry vision of where the road was going, but not only was I surprised by the road itself before my final destination, but the destination itself really surpassed everything that had led me there.
That is the best formula for success.
I watched "Book of Eli" tonight and the ending really got me going. It was an original twist. I think that one of the main reasons that I found it so moving, and why it made me really step back and take notice, is because not only did I not see it coming at all, but it was original. I think that with most typical Hollywood influences, that the originality is really gone. There just don't seem to be that many independent and thoroughly different ideas out there.
It was grounded. It was rooted in an believable reality based on the movie, and it didn't ask for you to take some huge leap of faith or anything like that in order to believe it. It was thoughtful. It went beyond the norm of simply putting out the most convenient and understandable to the question that everyone is asking themselves. I felt like the movie not only didn't insult my intelligence, but it gave me an answer that deepened my respect for it. Something that doesn't happen often.
Tara hates it when we are watching a show like "CSI" or something along those lines, and I tell her who the bad guy is half way through. Or when I jokingly make a "guess" of how it is going to end, and I am 100% right on the money. I did it with Murder She Wrote last week and she thought that I did it to make fun of the show. I wasn't making fun of the show as much as I was making fun of the writing, and how the staff really didn't try too hard. They phoned it in. I understand that they had a lot of episodes to work on and that originality probably wasn't everything that they were going for, but still. If it is going to be a murder mystery, the only rule that you have to follow as a writer is to make sure that you don't give away who the killer is to the audience before the main character figures it out. It is supposed to be a challenge. That question, the "who is the killer" is the impetus for the audience to keep participating in the story; it is all that they care about. That is what keeps people turning the page, and watching through the bad acting. They want to know "who done it." If you give away that answer half way through, why not just change the channel or put down the book.
The funny thing is that as much as I go on about the importance of this one fact, I am guilty of it myself. The final paper that I wrote for my English 192 "Detective Fiction" class had this same issue. At the time, I really didn't think outside the box enough, or deep enough, about how to disguise and misdirect my audience. I think that is really the mark of the best writer of this genre. The writer that only makes you ask more questions, rather than giving you answers, all the way to the end. It is a formula, an equation that they follow time and time again, and even though the format is always the same, the interchangeable parts in the story never allow it to become dull.
Every Clive Cussler book starts the same. First it gives you some historical context, something from way back that is a foundation for the story at hand. This foundation is always different from previous stories, and really distinguishes one from the other. Then it is a light character introduction of some of the supporting roles, before finally introducing the recurring main character. From then on, the format moves around a little bit, but it always starts, and ends exactly the same. The best part is that even though you know right from the get go, how it will end, it is all that stuff in between that keeps you going and coming back for more.
With "Book of Eli," I saw a blurry vision of where the road was going, but not only was I surprised by the road itself before my final destination, but the destination itself really surpassed everything that had led me there.
That is the best formula for success.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Price of Fame
I went to Matt's Birthday Party last night at Fillipis. It was Mafia Themed, and it was awesome. They were talking about their web series, "Matt and Wes Vs. the Zombie Apocalypse," and they were talking about scripts that they have for upcoming episodes.
I was pleased to hear that not all of the episodes are going to go in any particular order, or with any particular storyline involved. This is somewhat lame because I am a fan of really involved and deep stories, but I think that it is a really good thing considering the scope of the project. An involved story really needs more than about 4 minutes an episode, and more than just a few episodes to really carry the flag.
But, some of the scripts that they were talking about really got me thinking. Thinking about writing one for them.
Although I am a confident guy, I simultaneously don't like being judged. I know, it's a catch 22. Still, if I am going to be a writer I am going to have to put myself out there sometime, and I think that this is as good a time as any. I like the subject material a lot, and I know a lot about it. I also know the characters that are involved fairly well, so I think that I would be a good candidate for doing a script for them.
Laying in bed after the party, I had a lot of idea running through my head. The one that I think is the best so far is "The Price of Fame." The idea is that Matt and Wes' exploits start to be known better and better in the zombie killing world. This starts to get them noticed by the media. The idea is that overnight they basically turn into Lindsay Lohan. They are surrounded by the paparazzi everywhere they go, they can't eat, sleep, take a dump, drink a beer, anything like that. It can basically be their lives under a microscope, just like it is for moviestars and other people, only it is with Zombie killers.
The cool think about the idea is that it can at first be a satire against why the paparazzi and other hollywood fame mongers are stupid, but simultaneously we can also talk about the desire for fame of Matt and Wes. We can show them in a lot of different lights, between getting surrounded by cameras while they are simultaneously killing zombies, to being behind the desk at a press conference, I think that there are a lot of different avenues that I could explore with it. We can show how their egos expand exponentially in only a matter of days, how the fame effects them and the way that they go about their zombie killing, and in the end what happens when the spotlight isn't thrust upon them anymore.
I will see what can pan out with this... at least I have a cool starting point.
Stay tuned...same Zombie time... same Zombie channel.
I was pleased to hear that not all of the episodes are going to go in any particular order, or with any particular storyline involved. This is somewhat lame because I am a fan of really involved and deep stories, but I think that it is a really good thing considering the scope of the project. An involved story really needs more than about 4 minutes an episode, and more than just a few episodes to really carry the flag.
But, some of the scripts that they were talking about really got me thinking. Thinking about writing one for them.
Although I am a confident guy, I simultaneously don't like being judged. I know, it's a catch 22. Still, if I am going to be a writer I am going to have to put myself out there sometime, and I think that this is as good a time as any. I like the subject material a lot, and I know a lot about it. I also know the characters that are involved fairly well, so I think that I would be a good candidate for doing a script for them.
Laying in bed after the party, I had a lot of idea running through my head. The one that I think is the best so far is "The Price of Fame." The idea is that Matt and Wes' exploits start to be known better and better in the zombie killing world. This starts to get them noticed by the media. The idea is that overnight they basically turn into Lindsay Lohan. They are surrounded by the paparazzi everywhere they go, they can't eat, sleep, take a dump, drink a beer, anything like that. It can basically be their lives under a microscope, just like it is for moviestars and other people, only it is with Zombie killers.
The cool think about the idea is that it can at first be a satire against why the paparazzi and other hollywood fame mongers are stupid, but simultaneously we can also talk about the desire for fame of Matt and Wes. We can show them in a lot of different lights, between getting surrounded by cameras while they are simultaneously killing zombies, to being behind the desk at a press conference, I think that there are a lot of different avenues that I could explore with it. We can show how their egos expand exponentially in only a matter of days, how the fame effects them and the way that they go about their zombie killing, and in the end what happens when the spotlight isn't thrust upon them anymore.
I will see what can pan out with this... at least I have a cool starting point.
Stay tuned...same Zombie time... same Zombie channel.
Friday, September 17, 2010
How Does This Happen?
As I sit at my desk and eat lunch, I watch TV on Hulu. I have found a lot of interesting shows on there so far, and it gives me a chance to test drive a lot of new programming. Some things are good, some aren't, and then there are those that almost defy explanation.
"Outlaw" is a new Law based show on NBC. I say "law based" simply because within 10 minutes of the beginning of the pilot episode, it was clear that the actual laws and procedures which are supposedly discussed and practiced on this show was not a law of our land, but more like the law of Candy Land.
The premise is that the most politically conservative justice (yes NBC your overwhelming political bias is already showing) decides that due to the death of his father who thought he was doing things wrong, decides to resign his lifetime appointment from the Supreme Court (like that is ever going to happen) and embrace his inner liberal. Seriously? That is already implausible on a number of counts, but the fun doesn't stop there folks, not by a long shot. He makes a ruling on a Death Penalty case which is precedent creating (another political statement being made within the first 10 minutes.... seriously?) based on 100% non-constitutional bounds, then resigns and proceeds to go out and defend the person on death row who was the focus of his ruling. He doesn't even focus on the law once this happens either.
Basically... from every legal standpoint the show is 100% make believe.
I don't have a problem with Fiction, I love fiction. I love the creative leeway that a writer is given, their freedom to create from nothing something that is truly astounding. But I have a huge problem when that creative license is applied to concepts that are very much rooted in reality.
This is like a show about doctors, where when performing surgery they just start making up different organs that they are fixing. "Well it looks like the lower gastrolung was punctured by the bullet, but I believe that we can simply get a transplant organ from the Amazonian Land Badger and he should be right as rain." The premise is as likely to happen as the head of Brain Surgery at Johns Hopkins resigning his position because he wants to be an ambulance driver. "To better serve the people."
Seriously people, is this the best that we can do? How many people had to read this screenplay and give it the green light? Did none of those people ever ask the question "could this actually happen?" "Does this actually work like this?" This is the Jar Jar Binks of television people. How does this happen?
"Outlaw" is a new Law based show on NBC. I say "law based" simply because within 10 minutes of the beginning of the pilot episode, it was clear that the actual laws and procedures which are supposedly discussed and practiced on this show was not a law of our land, but more like the law of Candy Land.
The premise is that the most politically conservative justice (yes NBC your overwhelming political bias is already showing) decides that due to the death of his father who thought he was doing things wrong, decides to resign his lifetime appointment from the Supreme Court (like that is ever going to happen) and embrace his inner liberal. Seriously? That is already implausible on a number of counts, but the fun doesn't stop there folks, not by a long shot. He makes a ruling on a Death Penalty case which is precedent creating (another political statement being made within the first 10 minutes.... seriously?) based on 100% non-constitutional bounds, then resigns and proceeds to go out and defend the person on death row who was the focus of his ruling. He doesn't even focus on the law once this happens either.
Basically... from every legal standpoint the show is 100% make believe.
I don't have a problem with Fiction, I love fiction. I love the creative leeway that a writer is given, their freedom to create from nothing something that is truly astounding. But I have a huge problem when that creative license is applied to concepts that are very much rooted in reality.
This is like a show about doctors, where when performing surgery they just start making up different organs that they are fixing. "Well it looks like the lower gastrolung was punctured by the bullet, but I believe that we can simply get a transplant organ from the Amazonian Land Badger and he should be right as rain." The premise is as likely to happen as the head of Brain Surgery at Johns Hopkins resigning his position because he wants to be an ambulance driver. "To better serve the people."
Seriously people, is this the best that we can do? How many people had to read this screenplay and give it the green light? Did none of those people ever ask the question "could this actually happen?" "Does this actually work like this?" This is the Jar Jar Binks of television people. How does this happen?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Outside the Box
I consider myself a fairly creative person. Now I am not saying that what comes streaming out of my head is on the level of Blade Runner or Star Wars, but it isn't bad either I don't think.
There is a saying, "write what you know." I think that I can do that. I have a few of the characteristics that writers are supposed to have. I am observant, I am good at empathy, and I can pick apart what makes people tick. That is all good if I am writing love stories or teenage high school comedies, but the downside is that I don't really care about that stuff. The stuff that I do care about requires those talents, but it also requires thinking outside the box.
In a big way, science fiction has paved the way for the future. There are tons of ideas that had their origins in science fiction, but we now call reality. The hand held tablets held by everyone on Star Trek used to be supremely futuristic. Today we call it the iPad. Their insignia on their chest that they touch to talk to one another... yeah that's a bluetooth headset. I think that I am pretty good at coming up with cool ideas for stories and things of that nature, but it is the ideas that are on the lines of these now modern inventions that really pushed some people to the next level.
I have come to the conclusion that all of these projects that I appreciate, weren't just created by one person. They are a combined effort from people with different talents and skillsets, working together to create one unified and genuinely creative vision.
I have some ideas of where I want a story to go, I think that now I just need to find the right people to help me expand my mind enough in things both rooted in realism, and fiction to help me get it there.
There is a saying, "write what you know." I think that I can do that. I have a few of the characteristics that writers are supposed to have. I am observant, I am good at empathy, and I can pick apart what makes people tick. That is all good if I am writing love stories or teenage high school comedies, but the downside is that I don't really care about that stuff. The stuff that I do care about requires those talents, but it also requires thinking outside the box.
In a big way, science fiction has paved the way for the future. There are tons of ideas that had their origins in science fiction, but we now call reality. The hand held tablets held by everyone on Star Trek used to be supremely futuristic. Today we call it the iPad. Their insignia on their chest that they touch to talk to one another... yeah that's a bluetooth headset. I think that I am pretty good at coming up with cool ideas for stories and things of that nature, but it is the ideas that are on the lines of these now modern inventions that really pushed some people to the next level.
I have come to the conclusion that all of these projects that I appreciate, weren't just created by one person. They are a combined effort from people with different talents and skillsets, working together to create one unified and genuinely creative vision.
I have some ideas of where I want a story to go, I think that now I just need to find the right people to help me expand my mind enough in things both rooted in realism, and fiction to help me get it there.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Predictability of Unpredictability
"Hackneyed" is one of my favorite words. It is an adjective meaning, "lacking in significance through being overused." It's awesome because it is a single word that sums up what sucks about being trendy. I'm not saying that popularity is a bad thing, because it isn't. I am saying that when the wrong people get their hands on something good, they tend to ruin it.
There are lots of things that are fine for the mainstream. Ford F-150s, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Budweiser. All of these things are good, and perfectly suitable to be liked by just about everyone. It is when you get into some fringe things that have a somewhat cult following, that mainstream exposure and general favor are a bad thing. "Fat Tire" used to be awesome because it was not just a good beer, but a sign of someone who took their time to find a good bear out of the morass of available stuff at BevMo to get something that was simultaneously drinkable and enjoyable. Now, it still has that great taste, but it has lost that additional meaning. Comic Books are next sadly.
Comics used to be awesome, because they contained cool art, awesome stories that actually had depth and intellectual meaning, and they happened to be kick ass at the same time. Now that the movie industry has pushed "Spider-Man" and "Iron Man" into the everyday vernacular, comics are still cool to read but they don't mean that much anymore. Before they were enjoyed by people who refused to grow up, people who remember the first time that they saw Star Wars and how supremely awesome Batman the Animated Series was. Its cool for the guys that make these movies, because they are cashing unbelievably huge checks to themselves for bring the things that they are passionate about to the forefront. So that money that lines their pockets is unfortunately the blood money of the nerds who never gave up on the medium in the first place. I am afraid that genre that I am a big fan of is next, and I don't like it.
I already gave up on the Spy Novel. I love them, love to read them and to watch them, but they don't have that cool mystique to them anymore. Watching something like "Covert Affairs" where they have to make a main character that has to act stupid and disobey orders just to make the show interesting is a sad waste. Rather than create a character that can simultaneously be entertaining and engaging and conflicted is too difficult. That conflict is a lot easier to create when it simply disobeys logic and the way that things should work. James Bond is awesome, but if the bad guys really wanted to kill the spy, it wouldn't have been to hard. Just shoot the only guy in the fancy restaurant wearing the white dinner jacket. Reading something like Robert Ludlum, I know that it can be done better. Much better. I enjoy finding the good stuff through the stuff that isn't good, and trying to come up with ways on my own that would make it better. I like that. But when the cool Zombie genre comes under attack by the people that know how to mainstream a product rather than actually improve it, I don't like that.
I believe there are at least 4 different shows currently filming and scheduled to come out that revolve around Zombies. World War Z is in production, and although I know it is based on the supremely excellent Max Brooks novel, I don't have hope that Hollywood is going to follow the line that has been drawn in the sand about what makes a Zombie a Zombie. It is too easy to give into the paycheck when it is forced upon you by Pepsi saying that Zombies should only drink their beverage. "Maybe this is what allows them to ward off infection and decay?" the marketers are going to say. Or producers who think that Zombies should be allowed to sprint after people, because they don't understand the unwavering suspense that can come from a slow moving, yet seemingly unstoppable force. The slow burn is a good thing.
Trying to buck the trend by going way off the reservation isn't fresh or new. Deciding that only a momentary lapse of the laws of physics or common sense isn't forgivable if it is the simplest solution to solving a complex problem. Sometimes people need to really think things through, because in every good show, in every good book it is those little twists and turns which are obvious only after they are revealed which make it worth while. Not the BS of simply phoning it in like "Lost" saying "well maybe it was all a dream" or like the "Matrix" where "maybe it was just an alternate reality within an alternate reality." Really? That's the best that you can come up with? People pay you by continuing to pay attention, follow the ungodly complex story to the end because they want that payoff. They want how it is all going to come together and make sense. Do them a favor and don't simply be predictably unpredictable. If you don't have what it takes to really put out a product, go produce records for Ke$ha or Lady GaGa, their fans only want the mainstream anyway without the added through that goes into it.
There are lots of things that are fine for the mainstream. Ford F-150s, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Budweiser. All of these things are good, and perfectly suitable to be liked by just about everyone. It is when you get into some fringe things that have a somewhat cult following, that mainstream exposure and general favor are a bad thing. "Fat Tire" used to be awesome because it was not just a good beer, but a sign of someone who took their time to find a good bear out of the morass of available stuff at BevMo to get something that was simultaneously drinkable and enjoyable. Now, it still has that great taste, but it has lost that additional meaning. Comic Books are next sadly.
Comics used to be awesome, because they contained cool art, awesome stories that actually had depth and intellectual meaning, and they happened to be kick ass at the same time. Now that the movie industry has pushed "Spider-Man" and "Iron Man" into the everyday vernacular, comics are still cool to read but they don't mean that much anymore. Before they were enjoyed by people who refused to grow up, people who remember the first time that they saw Star Wars and how supremely awesome Batman the Animated Series was. Its cool for the guys that make these movies, because they are cashing unbelievably huge checks to themselves for bring the things that they are passionate about to the forefront. So that money that lines their pockets is unfortunately the blood money of the nerds who never gave up on the medium in the first place. I am afraid that genre that I am a big fan of is next, and I don't like it.
I already gave up on the Spy Novel. I love them, love to read them and to watch them, but they don't have that cool mystique to them anymore. Watching something like "Covert Affairs" where they have to make a main character that has to act stupid and disobey orders just to make the show interesting is a sad waste. Rather than create a character that can simultaneously be entertaining and engaging and conflicted is too difficult. That conflict is a lot easier to create when it simply disobeys logic and the way that things should work. James Bond is awesome, but if the bad guys really wanted to kill the spy, it wouldn't have been to hard. Just shoot the only guy in the fancy restaurant wearing the white dinner jacket. Reading something like Robert Ludlum, I know that it can be done better. Much better. I enjoy finding the good stuff through the stuff that isn't good, and trying to come up with ways on my own that would make it better. I like that. But when the cool Zombie genre comes under attack by the people that know how to mainstream a product rather than actually improve it, I don't like that.
I believe there are at least 4 different shows currently filming and scheduled to come out that revolve around Zombies. World War Z is in production, and although I know it is based on the supremely excellent Max Brooks novel, I don't have hope that Hollywood is going to follow the line that has been drawn in the sand about what makes a Zombie a Zombie. It is too easy to give into the paycheck when it is forced upon you by Pepsi saying that Zombies should only drink their beverage. "Maybe this is what allows them to ward off infection and decay?" the marketers are going to say. Or producers who think that Zombies should be allowed to sprint after people, because they don't understand the unwavering suspense that can come from a slow moving, yet seemingly unstoppable force. The slow burn is a good thing.
Trying to buck the trend by going way off the reservation isn't fresh or new. Deciding that only a momentary lapse of the laws of physics or common sense isn't forgivable if it is the simplest solution to solving a complex problem. Sometimes people need to really think things through, because in every good show, in every good book it is those little twists and turns which are obvious only after they are revealed which make it worth while. Not the BS of simply phoning it in like "Lost" saying "well maybe it was all a dream" or like the "Matrix" where "maybe it was just an alternate reality within an alternate reality." Really? That's the best that you can come up with? People pay you by continuing to pay attention, follow the ungodly complex story to the end because they want that payoff. They want how it is all going to come together and make sense. Do them a favor and don't simply be predictably unpredictable. If you don't have what it takes to really put out a product, go produce records for Ke$ha or Lady GaGa, their fans only want the mainstream anyway without the added through that goes into it.
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Followthrough
In golf they say that your followthrough doesn't matter, that it is everything that you do before you hit the ball that matters. Life is a little bit different.
In life there really isn't a followthrough, there isn't really a before and after. In golf the idea is to hit the ball, everything that comes after that is just a result. In life, you live out your result. It doesn't just stop, there isn't a conclusion, just whatever comes next.
I used to be in pretty good shape. When I moved from Santa Barbara to here I weighed 185. I remember thinking then that I had a long way to go to get where I wanted; I look back on that now and wish that I could be so lucky as to have such aspirations.
I look at where I was and the goals that I had for myself, and see that I kind of gave up. I came up with other goals, realized that I wasn't in a bad place, and moved on. I didn't follow through though, and I fell down a lot further than I wanted to.
I find myself now heartily determined to claw myself back to where I was, and further.
So in life we may not have goals as clear as hitting a golf ball, but we do have waypoints. Goals that are met and then simultaneously re-established. Well I have set a few for myself and I am determined to be well on my way.
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