What to do, What to Do?

 Yesterday we took the kidlet to Girl Scout camp. The set up was totally different than in previous years as a new camp director was making a few changes to how they checked everyone in.

Some ideas were good and successful. Some were not.

After all the girls headed to their cabins. and my hubby helped the kidlet make her bed--on the top bunk--we were 'dismissed' by the kidlet. Like any other parent we. . . well, okay, ME. . . are embarrassing to have around, plus we tend to cramp the kid's style, so we were 'dismissed' with a kiss and a hug.

She should have a good camp. The title of it is 'Wet & Wild'. They should be in the water numerous times a day, along with going to a local water park in the middle of the week. And it's a good thing she's doing a water camp, because the heat is ON! This week the expected highs are in the low 90s with no rain.

--Hey, it's better than tornadoes, right?

As soon as we got home and fed the dog, we hightailed (Did you know this term is a reference to white-tailed deer? When they scamper away, their tail is up high showing the underside, which is white. Well, this might not be the only reference, but it was how it was told to me. . . . hmm, one of my brothers told me this many, many years ago, so it could be a lie. A good lie, but a lie none-the-less) it to the movie theater and saw STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS.

We saw the 2-D version, simply because of the time we could see the movie. Excellent, of course. I cried. I'm not a big crier in real life, but put me in front of  a Disney movie or another touching scene and I turn on the water works. If you have seen any of the Star Trek movies or watched any of the shows, you will find references to some of them.

There. That's all you get. No teasers. No review. No nothing.

Sometime this week, we want to see Ironman 3.

And no, we aren't being mean and dissing the kidlet. She said she wasn't interested in those two movies.

Besides, last week I attended a local SCBWI meeting and bought her a book by Tara Hudson, titled HEREAFTER.

I will say right now that she really isn't much of a reader. Oh, she'll read a book here or there, but I have yet to figure out her reading preferences, and they certainly don't mirror mine. And though I had the author sign the book with the kidlet's name, I honestly didn't think she'd read it.

She finished it in less than a day.

On Saturday, we had to make a mad dash to Barnes & Noble to find the next two books in the trilogy, ARISE and ELEGY. When we couldn't find the books, I suggested the kidlet find another book to take to camp. No, she didn't want to look at any other books, she wanted those books.

Okay.

Which we did find after we found a clerk to help us.

An aside to B & N: Look, you're starting to get a little too sub-categorized on your books. Having New Teen, Teen, New Paranormal Teen, and Paranormal Teen, etc. is a bit much. That makes the reader have to look in numerous places for one book. I had a title and I had an author, you would have thought it would be easy to find the book--not any more. We almost gave up in frustration. And that would have been a $33 sale (the 3rd book just came out in hardback, of course) lost to AMAZON.

Just saying.

I know publishers want writers to be able to categorize their books, but as a reader sometimes it's very confusing when some books are faced out as "new", but then the rest of the books seem to be jumbled in a not so orderly fashion with gaping holes. Plus in the Romance section, the category romances are totally in a different row.

Your shelving system leaves a lot to be desired.

So with the kidlet safely at camp, I am at a loss with what to do with my time.

Should I write?

I do need to write PIPER AND THE EVERBERRY SOCCER GAME. Plus I need to get back into DRAGON DAYS OF SUMMER and finish that book.

Or should I work on my garden beds?

With my husband's help, I finished one bed . . . ONE. We ended up with two large bags of plant material. I need to finish the beds before he mows on Wednesday.

Maybe I'll find a way to do both.

Later, Peeps!

The Many Layers of STAR TREK--the movie

On Friday, we watched STAR TREK for about the gazillionth time.  I simply LOVE this movie.  True, many die-hard trekkies will disagree with me, but I think the screenwriters and JJ Abrams did a fantastic job.  So many novels and movies miss out on what makes a story memorable.  But I think Abrams nailed it. 

So what does it take to make a movie or novel to go from 'meh' to a 'blockbuster'?

Characters.

This was the reason LOST was such a powerful show.  It wasn't about the logistics of a plane breaking apart with possible survivors, or even the idea that it was some form of purgatory.  It was about the individuals and how they related to each other, both with their weaknesses and their strengths. 

So,  Abrams had a huge problem of making a STAR TREK 'pre-quel' of a VERY popular series.  How do you write a realistic story of how the cast of characters found each other?  All the characters came from very diverse backgrounds, but as a team they meshed into a true working unit of personalities, foibles, and quirks to the table and all Abrams did was mix and shake well. And it wasn't just cut and dry cardboard characters, but layers of humor and nuance added to the mix that made this movie one I will watch over and over again. 

What about your keeper books versus the books you read and said, "meh"?  What did they have in common with Star Trek? 

I don't know about you, but I'd have to go with MANY LAYERED CHARACTERS.  And the best thing you can do for your stories is to give your characters layers--like SHREK when he was describing an ogre and talking about the layers of an onion.

This is why a first draft isn't a final draft.  Most writers don't truly know their characters until they finish the story.  I don't care how many character charts or arcs or whatever the you diddle with, it isn't until you throw disastrous stuff at your characters and write their reactions do you really know who they are.

If you haven't seen STAR TREK, watch it.  If you aren't a trekkie, who cares?  But study the characters, their personalities, and their interactions with each other.  I bet you can add character layering to your writing arsenal, too.

Write on!