October 2005 Archives

I just finished a rough draft of the beat sheet for the third episode of the TV series I'm developing. It's pretty ugly and very much a first draft, but at least I was able to get all the ideas from my head to paper. Now I can step back and take a look at what works and what doesn't. The key is to get a little breathing space between writing the draft and looking at it. Whenever I just finish writing something I always think it's perfect. But when I come back a day or so later (or even an hour later) I can see all the mistakes I've made.

Last night, I attended the 40th Anniversary Gala for Edmonton's Citadel Theatre. Wow! What a great party. Everyone was elegantly dressed, and I felt like I was rubbing elbows with Edmonton's elite. There were a few actors performing musical numbers from some of the theatre's previous and upcoming productions. But what blew me away more than anything else was the performance of Gretha Boston, the Tony Award winning actress who is in town to perform in Cookin' at the Cookery (which runs at the Citadel). This woman has serious talent. She brought the house down with her amazing voice. I can't wait to see her show! Anyway, I'm so thrilled to have been a part of the gala. It was a fantastic way to celebrate 40 years in the city, and to top things off, Mayor Stephen Mandel declared this week Citadel Theatre week in Edmonton.

I finished reading Avi's Mayor of Central Park, which was a fun book for grades 4 - 6. He recreates the turn of the century New York through the eyes of a bunch of rodents. There's a lot of shady deals throughout the book, and I had fun reading the story.

Also, I had the pleasure of reading Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo, a British author who recounts a boy's adventures on an island. He's shipwrecked with his dog, and discovers that he isn't alone on the island. It's a gentle and touching story that is told from the perspective of the narrator when he's older. I quite enjoyed it.

Finally, I finished Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which was a joy to read. The pursuit of Dracula made up the plot, but the real fun was reading the details of real history to piece together the reign of Vlad the Impaler, the real life historic figure who inspired the vampire in literature. It's definitely a book for adults, and the first 100 pages are a bit dry, but once the story gets going, it's a blast to read.

Yesterday, I learned that my play, Nearly Normal, may not be produced. After working 6 months on the play and finishing a workshop, there's a chance that the show won't be produced in Edmonton. To be honest, it's tough to hear this kind of news, but the reality is that it's part of the job. I wished that everything I wrote would be accepted, but sometimes people say no.

In this case, the rejection isn't even because the people don't like the play. It's because they're trying to figure out if they can get enough people out to see it. The play is meant for students grade 3 through 6, but the company is looking for plays for kindergarten to grade 6. They're trying to figure out a way to make things work, so the play might still have a chance, but they had to let me know there is a possibility that the play won't be done.

All I can do in times like this is move on with the play and try to find another producer. It's a good lesson to remember. If I stopped writing or if I gave up every time someone told me that didn't want my work, I never would have lasted this long as a writer. Part of being a writer is learning to accept rejection without taking it personally. When someone doesn't like my writing, it doesn't mean they hate me. It just means my idea didn't work for them. As long as you can keep that in mind, rejection may sting, but it'll never leave a scar.

Hi to all the students at Minchau and Mount Pleasant schools. I had the pleasure of reading to and meeting the students at both elementary schools. You were all amazing listeners. I hope you enjoyed the stories. Thanks very much for being such great hosts! And to the students at Minchau, thank you so much for the drawings. They were amazing.

This afternoon, I had a reading/workshop of my kids' play, Nearly Normal. It always amazes the transition from page to performance. My script read really well on page, but once my actor started reading, I heard all sorts of clunky bits. A lot of the play is overwritten and some of the story is unclear as a result of too much dialogue. While I don't have to do a major overhaul to the script, there are some major cuts and trims that I have to do. And there's one reshuffle of a section from middle to end that I may try out.

If you're a fiction writer working in theatre, film or television, this is a perfect lesson in being open to changes. If the page is the final product, you can fight for your vision and way of telling the story, but when the work is meant to be performed, you have to be ready and willing to accept that page versus stage are two different media with different needs, strengths and weaknesses.

I'm so grateful for the workshop process. Since I'm not an actor, the workshop is really informative about what can work and what can't. The key is not to be too precious about the script.

A big thank you goes out to the students at Vanier School in Edson. Grade 5s and 6s came out to listen to my readings. Some came in costume, which were totally awesome. I loved seeing the tin foil hats. Great questions from both groups, and I wish I had more time to read more of the second book. My thanks to the teachers and the library staff for making time for me in their busy schedules. Edson is excellent!

With the first outline off to the producers for notes I have time now to brainstorm the next outline for the tv series. At this point of the process I like to sit down with pen and paper and brainstorm. I find that if I go to the computer to early I just end up spinning my wheels. I can't explain it, but there's something more tangible about a story when it's created on paper. The ideas generated directly on the computer seem too easy to delete and change, while the ideas on paper have weight. I feel like I put more thought into the ideas on the page rather than the screen. I know it sounds strange, but it's similar to proofreading on page versus the computer screen. See how many mistakes you catch when you proofread on computer versus on the page. You'll be amazed at how much you catch when you've got something in your hands as opposed to the text on the screen. And no, spell checkers don't catch everything.

Two more books from the YRCA list. They sure know how to pick good books. I guess that's because they're librarians. Anyway, I highly recommend Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, which is great for younger readers. It's more of a character novel than a plot novel. Sharon Creech finds some beautiful details about her characters, which are all very cool and three-dimensional. I particularly liked the Grandmother's stories of growing up in Italy.

Kevin Henkes offers up another character novel in Olive's Ocean. I could see Martha's world so clearly. This author has a gift for using words to paint pictures. I was so impressed with his characters. It's a touching story, but not melodramatic by any means.

Late last night I finished the outline of my television pilot. Now the real writing begins... revisions! I will go over the outline and make sure all the story beats are working. Once I'm happy, I'll send off the outline for feedback and get ready to write the first draft. I just hope the other two episodes I have to write come as easily as this first one. I had a big hand in brainstorming the beats of the pilot with the producer. I'm going solo on the other two, but he'll still be giving me feedback.

Now that I have the outline for the first episode (pilot) of the television series, I feel like I'm just fleshing out the details. It's like drawing a picture and then colouring in between the lines. I know where each scene starts and where it should end, so I don't stray outside the lines. Sometimes, the colouring of the scene doesn't work and I have to erase the lines and re-sketch the scene. If it weren't for the outline I'd just have a bunch of random thoughts and ideas. The outline keeps me from straying too far from the point of the episode.

I'm starting to really enjoy writing first thing in the morning. I'm getting up at six o' clock and I'm at the computer by 6:30ish. The great thing is that there are no phone calls, and very few e-mails to answer, so I can actually concentrate on writing. I have to remind myself that the best time to write is when I have the fewest distractions, and right now that seems to be early. But I also have to remember not to fall into a rut, and keep changing the routine so that I don't start seeing the act of writing as a chore.

Great day today. I met some amazing students at this St. Albert school. What touched me more than anything else was meeting two students who told me they wanted to be writers. One girl said she was writing since she was four. I hope that she keeps writing and reading. The other girl wanted to be a writer and a soccer player. Maybe she can combine the two talents and write a book about a soccer player. Anyway, the kids were awesome. If any student from Leo Nickerson is reading this, you guys rock!

Remember, to check out my book signing at St. Albert Chapters on Sunday, October 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

I just finished reading the third in the Eoin Colfer series, featuring criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. I really liked this book, because there were consequences for Artemis' actions. I won't give away the consequence, but it's a big loss for team Fowl. I can see seeds of conflict between Artemis and Julie Butler. The characters are just so wonderful, and I'm glad that the major players keep coming back series after series. It makes me feel good about my series and my cast of characters to know that other authors have recurring characters.

With all the readings I've been doing this month for the Chrysalis Festival my writing schedule has been thrown out of whack. But my deadline to deliver three first drafts of a one-hour television episodes by the end of November hasn't changed. I can't just wait for inspiration to hit me. I'm getting up earlier to peck away at the outline for the first episode before I run off to a reading. Or when I come back from a reading I flick on the computer and work on the script. Instead of looking for a 5 - 10 page output per day, I'm looking at 1 - 3 pages per sitting. The great thing about writing is that I can adjust my schedule accordingly. In some ways, I feel like I did when I had a full-time job at the government and wrote at night and on the weekends. The trick is to find a little time each day to write. A project can be finished in bite-sized pieces. It just takes a little longer.

I'm just on a break between readings at Barrhead Public Library, and I'm having a great time talking about The Mystery of the Frozen Brains. The kids were very curious about the cow brains that I avoided when I was a kid. I'll be running a writing workshop in the afternoon, and I hope the grade 5 students will be ready with their own stories.

I was pretty wiped last night, after flying out to Fort McMurray for Litfest readings and then coming back bright and early to teach a storytelling/drama workshop with Tollolwa Mollel. So instead of working last night on my tv series, I decided to take it easy and read the next instalment of the Artemis Fowl series.

Eoin Colfer has a great imagination and very cool character. The harsh edge of Artemis is blunted a bit, but he's still a clever criminal mastermind. In this book, he has to make a deal to help the LEPrecon officers find a human who is helping Goblins get contraband batteries in exchange for their help in rescuing his kidnapped father. The action is great and I started to really like Artemis in this book. If you're a fan of the series, this book won't disappoint. I'm intrigued by some of the new characters, and I hope to see them again in future books.

I know it may seem like I'm doing no work with all my book reviews, but I'm actually trying to relax by reading instead of watching TV. The only shows I watch now are Lost and the Daily Show (if I can stay up that late).

Anyway, I read Carl Hiaasen's Hoot, and it really was a hoot. Great book for boys. It's about a kid who helps this almost wild child runaway protect some owls on a construction site in a Florida neighbourhood. It's wickedly funny and satirical. I read it in two sittings because the writing was so effortless. I love the main character, Roy, and the trouble he gets into. He is an outcast, but he doesn't feel sorry for himself. And his run-ins and revenge on the school bully are hilarious. There's also some humour at the expense of adults, which I loved.

Oh, and I moved on to Allies of the Night, the next instalment of the Darren Shan series. I just realised I'm either going to have to buy the next two books or wait a very long time for the library hold to come in. This latest offering was cool and it seems like the author will tie up all the loose ends by the series' conclusion. No character is ever introduced randomly. I won't say more for fear of spoiling the twists.

I'm writing from a beautiful bed and breakfast called Chez Dube, which is more a country inn than a B & B. Just finished a presentation at Sister Mary Philips School with grade 8 students. They were a very attentive bunch, and they loved hearing about The Bone House. The more I talk about the show the more I feel like it's almost time to remount the play. I just hope that the hype hasn't become bigger than the play. Anyway, there's an opening night event tonight and I'm totally zonked. Going to grab some sleep and then be up for the a reading in the evening then it's an early flight back to Edmonton.

As I'm working in the first episode of the television series I realise how important the beat sheet has become in my writing process. It's like a mini-map that gives me a general direction to go. Each summary of the major events tells me what the objective is, what the obstacle is and what the outcome is, but still gives me the freedom to play around. Within the three major elements of each beat there is a lot of creative decisions to make. And the great thing about a beat sheet is that I can abandon an idea without bringing down the entire structure. When time is a factor (as it is in this project), the beat sheet is the best way to organise my ideas. The only down side is I don't get the thrill of discovery as I write, but that will probably happen when I get to draft stage.

I just finished two more books in the Darren Shan series. Trials of Death and Hunters of the Dark. It's a bit surreal, because I skipped Vampire Prince. The library had the first two books in but not the third. I had to rely on the plot summary to figure out what happened in the Vampire Prince. It was a pretty good exercise to read the series out of order, because it allowed me to see how to keep the existing fans, but still put enough information for a new reader to follow along. I'm sure that if I started the series 8 books in, I'd be totally lost in all the background, but the author did a very good job of feeding the reader enough back story to keep us interested.

The Trials of Death was pretty good. As I said before about this series, it's not for the weak of stomach. There are gruesome descriptions, but now that we're into the vampire mountain there is more action and story, which I love. The Hunters of the Dark put our heroes Darren and Mr. Crepsley on a quest to find the Vampaneze Lord, a creature who will destroy the vampire race if not stopped. There's so much momentum in the series that I just have to get to the end and find out what happens. I think that's a sign of great storytelling. But I'll have to wait until the library holds come in.

At last, I'm hitting the keyboard for some serious writing. I had a two-day story meeting with the television producers, and we've mapped out the first three episodes in broad strokes. We have major character beats and a sense of where they should end up by the end of the first three episodes. We also have a detailed beat sheet, which is a pre-outline, for the first episode (also known as the pilot). I'm going to build on the beat sheet to create the outline, which is basically a list of all the scenes that need to be shot for the story to make sense. Yay! I'm off to work.

I don't know why I'm hooked on this series, but now I'm at a point where I just have to get through all the books to find out what happens to Darren Shan. This latest instalment seems more like a travelogue, getting Darren and Mr. Crepsley to the vampires' main lair so that Darren can be initiated further. While the first three books had an independent story that was resolved by the end, this book seems more like a set up for the rest of the series. Still, I'm hooked and I have to move on to the Trials of Death.

Maybe I have a vampire fixation (or it's just close to Halloween), but the other book I'm reading is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's been billed as the thinking person's Da Vinci Code. So far I'm enjoying the read. I'll talk more when I finish it.

My thanks to the students and staff at Edith Rogers School and Lawton Jr. High. I very much enjoyed visiting both schools, and I hope my embarrassing stories brought a little humour to everyone's day.

The third instalment of the Darren Shan series is as exciting and full of plot twists as the first book. It's still pretty gruesome, and what troubles me is how it becomes morally ambiguous. Even the protagonists cross the line. But that is the world that the author has created and my reaction to the theme is purely subjective and not a criticism of the craft.

My only complaint about this book is that Darren is too quick to jump to conclusions about his mentor. By this time, the pair have been together long enough that Darren should have a better sense of his vampire master. I don't mind a main character having a blind spot, or being just plain dumb for comic effect, but when that vulnerability has a major impact on the plot then I wonder why I'm cheering for the main character in the first place. I just think Darren is conveniently dumb in this book, when the author has really made him into a pretty crafty and smart protagonist. I wished Darren was consistently smart throughout the book and not just when he needs to be.

However, this complaint is going to stop me from finishing the series. I'm hooked now and I have to get to Vampire Mountain next.

I finished Don Trembath's The Popsicle Journal, a y/a book about a teenage newspaper reporter in a small town with a problem family. It was a pretty good read. The story was tight and the writing effortless. I liked the characters and their problems. This book is a good example of how a writer can engage a reader without having to resort to fantasy. It's just a good story with cool characters, and that's all a reader really needs.

I had the pleasure of catching "No Direction Home," the closing night screening of the Edmonton International Film Festival. This Bob Dylan documentary was directed by Martin Scorcese, but the footage was all archival. Nothing new was shot. To be honest, I didn't really know anything about Bob Dylan, mainly because he was before my time. I wasn't even born when he was touring the folk fest circuit, and I was barely walking when the "folkies" booed him for turning electric.

The documentary gave me great insight into the artist, but not much about the man. It's obvious that Bob Dylan was an incredibly songwriter, but he's also a man who was uncomfortable by people thrusting the mantle of protest singer on him. Even though he may have written anthems of the protest movement, I don't think he deliberately sat down and said I'm pro-civil rights or I'm anti-war. He merely observed what was going on his world and wrote about it. When he lost interest in that subject, he moved on. Unfortunately, his fans refused to let him move on, booing him when he formed a band and played music that was in their eyes commercial.

I can empathize with his predicament. What responsibility does an artist have to the public? And at what point does he decide to be true to his artist ideas and what point does he pander to the audience? I've tried really hard in my writing career to tell stories that interest me. Sometimes, the experiments I conduct pay off (ie. The Bone House) and become commercial successes. Other times, they fail (Repose) and no one wants to see them. I should point out that there were people who followed my career up until The Bone House and then turned away because I didn't deliver what they expected, so even success doesn't guarantee that everyone will be satisfied. Knowing that, then the only thing I can do is try to satisfy myself and challenge my sensibilities. If I took anything away from "No Direction Home" it's that an artist can only be true to himself. After that, the world does whatever they want to do with their impression of the artist and his work.

I had the wonderful opportunity to present at McCauley School and Castledowns Library today. The students in all the sessions were exceptional. I wish all my presentations had audiences who were as good at listening as the students I talked to today.

I hope the students enjoyed The Mystery of the Frozen Brains and the preview of the second book. For the kids who visit this site, I should tell you that if you want your own copy of Frozen Brains, I'll be doing a book signing at the St. Albert Chapters on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 2:00 pm. Come out with your parents for a pre-Halloween book treat!

With all the readings I've had to do this week I haven't had a real chance to write, and I'm itching to get back to the keyboard. I've got an all-day brainstorming session this Saturday for the television show, which should give me the fodder to work on the episodes. People either love or hate story meetings. There's no middle ground. In a lot of ways, a story meeting is like a mosh pit. You throw yourself into the mix and shove, get shoved, bounce around until you come out the other side dizzy, confused, but invigorated by the experience. I'm hoping to come out with three good story ideas so I can generate outlines.

The first day of workshops for Redwater School were pretty wild. I spoke to a wide range of students about everything from The Mystery of the Frozen Brains to The Bone House. By the end of the day, my voice was pretty hoarse but I felt good about the sessions. I'm in a gym, the only space large enough to accommodate the students, and I not a big fan of working with a microphone and sound system because it corrals me into one space. Tomorrow, I'll have to do a vocal warm up before I head into the second set of sessions in Redwater. Great students. The staff are very nice as well. I can't wait for tomorrow's sessions, because I'll be a little more relaxed.

I had the pleasure this morning of reading to students at the Alberta School for the Deaf/Tevie Miller School. The kids were so excellent. So many questions, so little time. I wished I had more time to answer everyone's questions, but maybe next time. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome. And watch out for those nasty tasting cow brains!

In the afternoon, I popped into Glendale School to read from The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul. I'm still trying to find my legs for the reading, but I'm getting good feedback from the kids. Thanks to the students for their attention and questions. You guys were great!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Redwater for an all-day session. I'm looking forward to it.

I kicked off Read In Week in Edmonton with three readings at Sherwood School, Youngstown School and Hazeldean School. Wow, is my voice hoarse now. I'll have to conserve my energy for the rest of the week as I still have many presentations to give throughout the week (and the rest of the month).

Anyway, the kids at Sherwood School were awesome. So attentive. I remember one boy was looking down through the reading, but when I started telling my clothes nightmare story, he laughed up a storm. Everyone seems to identify with the horrors of having a parent humiliate them.

Youngstown was a larger group of about 110 students, and boy were they vocal and enthusiastic. We set up in the library, and the kids peppered me with a ton of questions. Some asked me to speak Chinese, but since the librarian was Chinese I was afraid to say something wrong. Anyway, the kids were great.

Finally, I read to grade four students at Hazeldean. This are the same bunch who will be participating in my writing workshops in November. They were so eager to ask questions that hands starting popping up even before I sat down. I had to stop several times when I read a sneak peek of The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul because the kids laughed at places I didn't expect. It was so cool. I love reading a new chapter for kids and finding out where the laughs are.

Overall, this was a great start to Read In Week. And yes, after four months, I finally was asked if I was related to Jackie Chan. I had been wondering what happened to that question.

Every once in a while I come across a book, movie or play that I instantly love from the first sentence, shot or scene. It's like discovering my favourite food for the very first time. The last time I remember having this kind of feeling of joy in reading or viewing was the night I rented Finding Neverland. I just couldn't get enough of that movie.

Now, I'm happy to add Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion to the list of books that I love. This is a young adult book targeted at older readers and deals with a bleak future where clones are harvested for spare parts and a drug lord controls his empire with brain implants. Matt, a clone, comes of age and tries to escape the horrible world that hates him only to find a worse world waiting for him outside. I started the book about 11:00 pm last night and I finished the rest of it this morning.

Incredible characters. Great world. I think Nancy Farmer was inspired a bit by the Chinese Cultural Revolution for one section of the book. The only thing that I'd like to observe (and it's a general observation of most y/a fiction and not a complaint) is that the archetype of the protagonist is usually an orphan of some sort. Has Oliver Twist set the standard for all works of fiction. Why do writers gravitate so much to the orphaned hero/heroine?

Anyway, the book is great. I'd highly recommend it for older readers. There's nothing like reading a good book or seeing a great play to inspire me to write.