JE Gurley

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Archives for July 2017

A little science in my fiction, please.

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I thought I might not have given thew new Ghostbusters a fair shake. I quit watching after 30 minutes and thought it was not funny at all, boring in fact. recently, I watched the entire movie, and if anything, it got worse. I didn’t like the trite humor, the over-worked sight gags, and really hated the old Ghostbuster cast member cameos, especially the ghosts. It just reminded me how good the original was.  There were a few good moments, but too few and too far between to save it.  I won’t say much about the science, but the reverse the polarity and everything returns to normal bit was disappointing.

I watched Ghost in the Shell. I loved the anime version, but this one had lackluster acting. She was a reconstruct with no memory, but she was human. She didn’t act like it. The sensory overload almost killed me. I’m sure the cityscape was great, but there was so much holographic imagery and special effects it was difficult to focus on any one thing. I probably missed a lot. They stayed true to many of the scenes from the anime, but veered away at the wrong times. I hated the ‘Luke, I’m your father’ plot. It is over used. They could have done much better. All in all, I did like it, but it fell way short of my expectations. I’ll take the anime version any time.

It seems far too many movies that claim a strong science background blow it. Martian came closest. Gravity was ridiculous. Life was a rehash of so many sci-fi horror movies it was difficult to keep my mind on the movie.  I kept thinking of similar plots. That little sucker got around that space station like he had the schematics in his head. Passengers sucked. I can’t say anything good about it, except I guess it’s okay to fall in love with the guy who condemned you to death because he was lonely. I guess I’m jaded. I’ve read all the classic sci-fi and watched the classic movies. Old movies had lousy special effects but usually better acting. Remakes rarely outshine the original.

I like to see real science in sci-fi movies. Most of the science is easy to double-check. Please, Hollywood, get it right.

Pitfalls of Writing

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Writing is a solitary sport. No teams, no fans waving foam fingers, no waves, or hurrahs. No sexy cheerleaders fawn over you, and no one pours Gatorade over your head if you win. If you’re lucky, you as an author like what you produce, and people will agree and buy your book. Again, if you’re lucky, 1 in 100 will leave a review, good or bad. Few writers earn a living. Some, like me, earn enough to make it worth the time and effort. I would write even if I made no money. I did it for years. You have to love writing to write.

I meet people all the time who want to give me ideas (Think really bad Scy Fy channel movies) or say they’ve always wanted to write. It’s difficult not to laugh in their faces. It’s like saying I’ve always wanted to be a basketball player, but I can’t shoot and I’m, 5’2″. If you want to write, you will find a way. I know writers with family, jobs, and kids who write when they find the time, but they still write. It takes willpower.

I know writers who suffer from depression. I image it has to be rough. I’ve never been clinically depressed, just bummed out, but they suffer through the hard times and grasp tightly to the good ones. If they can continue to write, how can I complain. How can anyone? Writing isn’t a hobby for most; it’s a way of life.

There are always pitfalls. Life gets in the way. It’s difficult to keep a good mood in a story when life falls apart around you. I’m lucky. My life is good. Well, less luck than planning, but luck helps. Family and friends die, pets die, illnesses pop up, bills come due – This is life and it can bring you down. I write horror, future apocalyptic Young Adult sci-fi, and dark military sci-fi. I can use bad moods or a flaming funk to power my words to push the story forward. It helps burn out the rage.

I’ve never had writer’s block. There maybe were times I should have, but I kept writing anyway. I tossed a lot of it, but I wrote. It’s therapy. The art of writing – grammar, story arc, character building, world building – can be a pitfall. I study writing books constantly and review my writing to make sure I avoid cliches and tired verbs and adverbs. Story arc and building is done with Pick-Up Sticks. (Anyone remember those). They sway and tumble, scatter and clutter, but with practice and perseverance you can pick them up and reassemble them in the proper order.

Most Pitfalls can’t be avoided, other than people who tell you to stop writing. Them you have to kill. (Well, ignore anyway) The challenge is to turn a bottomless pit into a shallow depression, climb out, and keep writing.

This philosophy also works for non-writers, I think. No guarantees. I just know when life hands you limes, you throw those suckers at people you don’t like as hard as you can. Then you laugh like a fool, pick them up, and make margaritas for everyone.

Keep writing. Keep reading.http://www.jamesgurley.com