Gravity–Don’t Let Go

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the inner and outer journeys of characters. The methods to learn these journeys are out there. There is GMC (Goal, Motivation, and Conflict), Identity and Essence, Hero’s Journey/Character Arc. We’ve plotted out their skeletons. We’ve drawn their lives on snowflakes. We’ve interviewed them asking increasingly hard questions. I can’t stress enough how important it is to not only see a character move across the page, but we must know why they are moving.

I usually tout DreamWorks or Pixar for creating story lines that are so pure in their simplicity that they’re easy to pick apart and learn how to do all of the above. Who knew a complex movie, such as Gravity—that took the powers-that-be four years just to come up with the technology to film it—would also illustrate the outer and inner journeys so beautifully.

Beware. Major spoilers ahead. To see my safe movie review go to Theater Popcorn in my Teeth.

With only two characters on camera, and one of them George Clooney doing his trademark shallow loveable annoying guy shtick, it stands to reason that the other character would have depth. Clooney’s character, Matt Kowalski, is a veteran shuttle commander on his last mission. Sandra Bullock’s character is Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first mission. Bullock’s story is the one we’re interested in because it has depth.

I found it interesting that the tag line for the movie, Gravity, is “Don’t let go,” and one of the quotes as said by Clooney to Bullock is, “You have to learn to let go.” Opposite thoughts, yet they encompass Bullock’s character, Ryan, completely. One represents the outer journey, the other the inner journey.

First, the outer journey, or the actions of the character (movement on the page.) Ryan is on her first shuttle mission, servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. She, along with Matt and a third astronaut named Shariff, are spacewalking. Ryan and Shariff are working on panels while Matt is trying to break the spacewalking record by circling the shuttle in his jetted suit. The unthinkable happens and a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite creates a debris field and Houston aborts the mission. The debris hits, taking out Shariff first, and Ryan is flung into the darkness with nothing but Matt in her ear via the radio trying to calm her down. He manages to reach her and pull her back to the shuttle, but it has been destroyed. They decide to try to make it to the ISS (International Space Station,) using Matt’s thrusters, which run out of juice, but they are still able to drift toward their goal. The crew has evacuated in one of the modules, and the second module has apparently accidentally deployed its parachute and is useless for returning to earth. It can, however be used to reach the Chinese space station to retrieve another module. As the two astronauts pass by the ISS they must grab hold of it or they will miss it entirely. Ryan gets tangled in the tethers of the deployed parachute, but grabs Matt before he drifts away. Matt tells her she must let go to save herself as he is pulling her out with him. (Now, here is one of the goofs, one that my practical hubby jumped on right away. You can read about it at IMDb.) Matt unhooks from Ryan and quips about being assured of breaking the spacewalking record. The rest of the movie is about Ryan trying to stay alive and her physically demanding attempts to get back to earth. . .alone, because she is now the sole survivor.

Now for the internal journey, or the “why” of the character (why she does the things she does.) When Ryan and Matt are making their way slowly to the ISS, he gets her talking. All we know at this point is that she doesn’t like his country music and she seems hyper-serious. We also know that she’s a perfectionist because she had refused to abort the mission until her job was done. She tells Matt that she is named Ryan because her father wanted a boy. Could this be why she’s a perfectionist? Trying all her life to live up to Daddy’s expectations? Hmm… This drive is what helps her outer journey of not letting go. We also learn that she had a daughter who had died in a schoolyard accident. Now we know why she’s serious and why Matt’s charm falls flat. She’s still grieving, and she must learn to let go.

From the time Ryan begins her fight to stay alive, (her outer journey,) what is really happening on the inside is that she’d be just as fine dying to be with her daughter. Yes, she fights like crazy, making her way to the Chinese space station because her perfectionist nature is driving her. (The character has a reason—inner journey—for why she does the things she does—outer journey.) However, she is soon out of options. The module’s thrusters are out of fuel. She makes the decision to give up and turn off the oxygen so she can drift away into eternal sleep. Enter Matt knocking on the portal. He enters and gives her a pep talk using his witty charm. He also tells her of a trick to get the module going again. (This is what is referred to as “the help” where the character is helped by someone to make their final decision. This help can be an actual person, a voice from the past, or, as in this case, a near-death hallucination.) Ryan wakes up and realizes Matt isn’t really there, but his voice is still in her head. She rallies and manages to turn the oxygen back on. In doing so, she makes the decision to continue fighting for her own life (outer journey,) but to let her daughter go (inner journey.) She looks toward heaven and talks to Matt, asking him to find her daughter. She has now fully dedicated herself to healing, knowing that her trusted mentor will be with her daughter.

Note how simple Ryan’s journeys are. She’s a perfectionist because of her father, which helps her outer journey of “don’t let go.” She’s grieving, which dictates her inner journey of “learn to let go.” Director Alfonso Cuarón has said that the thematic element of the film is “the possibility of rebirth after adversity.” What better way to show this than to heal the inner journey through outer conflict?

As we watch movies and read books, we need to be aware of the outer and inner journeys. A good story will have both, and we need to be sure our own characters not only move on the page, but have a reason to do so.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Hits the Market!

Okay, I’m turning out to be a huge Marvel movie geek. Yes, I’ve seen every Marvel movie in the franchise for the last 150 years. Yes, I’ve had the debate over who makes the best Hulk: Bill Bixby (of TV fame,) Edward Norton, or Mark Ruffalo. Sorry, Hulk Hogan wasn’t even in the running. (By the way, Ruffalo wins with Bixby a close second.) Yes, I DVR’d Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and couldn’t wait to view it.

I have another reason, however, for desiring to watch the most anticipated new fall premier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I was so hoping it would erase every horrible memory of Heroes, the television series that freaked me out from 2006-2010. No, I didn’t watch all of the episodes. Even so, Zachary Quinto’s character, Sylar, often showed up in my nightmares with his X-Acto knife glare. Those nightmares stopped after he became Spock, much to my relief. I had great hopes that S.H.I.E.L.D would be the show I thought Heroes would be. With quippy lines and perfect puns, tongue-in-cheek references to super heroes and comic book action brought to life.

And it delivered.

Now, seven years after the Heroes debut, someone has listened to my whine. Thank you Joss Whedon, for creating a show for those of us who want to be entertained, not grossed out.

What does this have to do with the craft of writing? As popular as Heroes was, it missed a huge target market—the comic book fans. It created it’s own heroes and villains, and not one of them, in my opinion, were comic book worthy. Save the cheerleader? Seriously? (My apologies to the fans, but I’m sorry, I just didn’t get it.) S.H.I.E.L.D. opened to a 4.6 viewer rating, the highest debut show in nearly four years. True, Heroes opened in 2006 with the much higher rating of 6.09, but it steadily declined with each season, ending season four with a 2.27. I don’t think I was the only one disappointed.

When we write our stories, we must consider our target audience. I have written six sweet, safe romances for Barbour Publishing. I may have pushed against the cellophane wall a time or two, wanting to put a little more edge into my books, but I always knew that the Barbour audience wanted sweet, safe romances. So that’s what I gave them. However, my desire is to include more of life’s questions, hopefully with answers. I’m working on a fun mystery series with hopefully plenty of humor, but I plan to include some deep issues, as well. Hence my tag line, Spiritual Truth With A Giggle. This one will probably not be pitched to Barbour.

The take-away is this: Stay within your genre and know your target audience. Don’t put an abortion in a sweet prairie romance. Likewise, don’t make your edgy sci-fi something your grandmother would read, unless, of course, she’s into that sort of thing. Do your homework, and don’t fight your publisher when they say your story isn’t a good fit for them. They know who their market is.

I have high hopes that S.H.I.E.L.D. will stay tops in the ratings as long as it stays true to its genre. With a tagline of “Not all heroes are super,” I imagine it will highlight those in the support field of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) But if they’re smart, they’ll remember their target audience and give them plenty of Marvel-ous wit, charm, and super heroes.

How Sylvester Stallone Got His Spirituality Back

I’m often asked how I can weave the spiritual thread into my stories. For me, it’s easy because I write for a Christian publisher. I can get away with conversion scenes and church settings. But, how does one put a spiritual theme into a story not intended for a spiritual audience?

In the following interview with Pat Roberson of CBN, Sylvester Stallone explains why he wanted to make the final installment of the Rocky franchise, Rocky Balboa. CBN TV - Sylvester Stallone on Faith, Integrity, and Rocky. It goes down to Sly’s roots, his personal journey, his failures, his triumphs. In short, the best way to include a spiritual thread is to draw on your own worldview. (I define the Christian worldview as believing in Biblical moral truth. God is real. Satan is real. Redemption is needed.) This is true for stories targeting the Christian market as well as those that are not.

When my friend and writing partner, Paula Moldenhauer, and I decided to write Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal, we made a conscious decision to not write it solely for the Christian market. We wanted people of all faiths, including atheism, to be able to read it and not feel preached at. Inside the pages, we have included a character trying to find her way, a character who knows who he is but has lost his purpose, and a character who is full of pride to the point of destruction. Our worldview is all over these characters. Blatant? I hope not.

Look closely to any movie and you will no doubt see the author’s and/or director’s worldview. I’ve been confused about director, M. Night Shyamalan’s worldview. His movie, Signs, however bizarre, suggested there was a God in the universe and Mel Gibson’s character needed to get back to Him quickly. Upon researching Shyamalan, I discovered that he was born into a Hindu household, but “he attended the private Roman Catholic grammar school Waldron Mercy Academy, followed by the Episcopal Academy, a private Episcopal high school located at the time in Merion, Pennsylvania.” No wonder I was confused. He tends to put everything he believes into his stories.

I challenge you to find other books and movies that include the Christian worldview without claiming to be a full-on spiritual movie. Find those that probably won’t be viewed in the church basement. There are those out there, and they are perfectly fine. Movies like Courageous, Blind Side, and Les Miserable come to mind. But what about less obvious films? Captain America, Man of Steel, The Green Mile?

Another article on Sylvester Stallone’s faith can be read here. I encourage us all to pray for individuals in Hollywood. It’s a tough place to maintain their Christian worldview, but once they fully embrace it, what a difference they will be able to make!

Pixar Easter Eggs–An Interesting (and Geeky) Explanation

I love Easter eggs! And not just the boiled variety. Wikipedia defines an Easter egg as “an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or feature in a work such as a computer program, movie, book, or crossword.” The Pixar franchise is full of ‘em. I gotta hand it to the folks at Pixar. They have a lot of fun weaving these things into their stories. Case in point, my favorite of what I’ve seen so far:

The first image is a dilapidated abandoned trailer in a Bug’s Life. The second is from Monsters Inc. where Randall, the chameleon-like monster is sent through one of his doors. Note also the vehicle to the left of the trailer. It’s the Pizza Planet delivery truck from Toy Story.

Way cool, huh?

A quick Google search of Pixar Easter eggs brings up a few sites by people dedicated to all things…um…Pixar. Apparently they have nothing better to do. However, look at me reporting on them when I should be writing my next novel!

I have attempted to plant an Easter egg myself. (Which begs the question, does one plant an Easter egg or lay it?)  In my fifth novel, Fine, Feathered Friend, Glenys, my actress heroine, has a best friend, Trista Farentino. Trista was in the movie in which my actor hero in my first novel, Merely Players, starred. When I introduce the hero, Brick, in Merely Players, I do it through a scene of a movie. We find out later that he’s screening the movie in it’s premier. In this scene, Brick’s spy character (a la Bond) jumps into the ocean. Here’s that scene:

“No! No! No!” The woman’s scream came from inside a helicopter as it lifted from the roof of the building. Dan ran to it, grabbing the skid just in time. He dangled over the Pacific Ocean as his black tuxedo jacket flapped in the gust of wind caused by the chopper blades. In two fluid motions, he was inside. His nemesis, the pock-faced Shark Finlay, grinned at him with sharp, crooked teeth, then leered at the woman, tied up in the back of the bubble.

Dan kicked at his enemy in an effort to gain control of the aircraft. Shark snapped at his foot with broad jaws.

“You scuffed my shoe, Sharky. You’ll pay for that.”

“No worries, Mate.” With a gleam in his eye, Shark tipped the helicopter, causing the woman to tumble out the open door.

Dan’s head swiveled from Shark to where the woman had just disappeared. “You’ve left me in a quandary, Sharky. Should I stay and bring you to justice, or save a damsel in distress?” He made a quick decision, grabbed the sides of the door, and placed his feet on the skid. “See you in Sidney.”

After a graceful swan dive, he swam to the woman. With a single swish of the hidden titanium blade in his watch, he released her before she drowned.

She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Agent Danger, you saved my life.”

“You know who I am. Who are you?” They bobbed in the water, a fishing boat already chugging up to them.

“I’m Agent Risk, the rookie.”

With a swarthy raise of his brow, he said, “I wish I knew the Risk before I jumped in.”

The scene faded with a long shot of Australia, and the words:

SEE AGENT DAN DANGER

IN HIS NEXT ADVENTURE

DANGER DOWN UNDER

Wild applause thundered in the auditorium where the premiere of the third movie in the series, Danger on the High Seas, had just played. Brick Connor sulked in his seat and turned to the man who had played the villain, his best friend and mentor, Vince Galloway. He leaned in, speaking for Vince’s ears only, “And for this we get paid the big bucks?”

Skip forward to Fine, Feathered Friend. It’s no secret that I kinda like movies, so it’s natural for me to put actors in my books. (Side note: My son, Joey Kovach, is a stage actor currently preparing for his first cabaret in New York, NY called I Changed the Rules . Chip off the old block!) Enter Glenys who introduces her friend to Tim (the hero in Fine, Feathered Friend.)  Incidentally, Fine, Feathered Friend is about an actress afraid of birds who enlists the help of a bird trainer afraid of actresses. Here is the Easter egg scene:

As he replaced the sheet over the cage, Glenys entered the clinic with a woman in tow. By her expensive-looking gold hoop earrings, leather jacket, and designer jeans, he wondered if she was an investor. “Tim, this is my friend, Trista Farentino. Mandy showed her around yesterday. She’s going to take over my duties.”

Wearing that?

“You look familiar.” He searched his memory.

She tittered and struck a paparazzi pose. “Did you see my latest movie, Love Stinks? It was a romantic comedy.”

Another actress. He shook his head. Lord, what are you doing to me?

She placed a manicured finger on her chin. “Hm. You don’t look like the romantic comedy type. I was also in several adventure movies, including Danger Down Under, the third in that franchise. I played Agent Risk. Did you see that one?”

“No. I don’t have time to go to the movies.” Two actresses. Two thorns in his side. Suddenly remembering where he saw her, he snapped his fingers. “You were on the news last night.”

These books were published four years apart. Did I get a bunch of fan mail telling me how clever I was? Um…no. But that’s not why I did it. It was simply fun to revisit my first story and give a little nod to the book that helped me realize the desire of my heart.

Back to Pixar. Follow this link to see an article on 50 Best Pixar Easter Eggs. But the title of my blog article, “Pixar Easter Eggs–An Interesting (and Geeky) Explanation,”  actually alludes to the blog article by Jon Negroni at this link. Talk about too much time on your hands! Negroni strings together an amazing conspiracy theory on how Pixar animals can talk, how time travel is possible, and how machines are taking over the world. It’s a fun tribute and not meant to be taken seriously, but really, I wish this guy was investigating our government. Wow! The article is longish, but well worth it if you love Pixar as much as I do.

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You can find Fine, Feathered Friend on my Amazon page. It has also been bundled into Oregon Weddings, which includes two more fun stories. Or click on the image to be taken directly to the order page.

Merely Players is now available on Kindle on Amazon.

Dustin Hoffman Rejects “Suspension of Disbelief” (Tootsie)

There’s a video going viral. It was first published on December 17, 2012 and is a clip from the American Film Institute (AFI) archives. You can see the three minute interview on YouTube. Dustin Hoffman accounts his discussion with the producers of Tootsie. Regarding his character, Dorothy Michaels, if he was going to make the movie he’d have to be the best woman he could be. He would not want to suspend the audience’s believability (in the writer’s vernacular, suspension of disbelief,) and he would have to know that if he walked down the street, no one would say, “Look at that guy in drag.”

I love that dedication. We, as authors, too often want to take the easy way and employ the plot trick “suspension of disbelief.” Sometimes it’s called for, such as when aliens attacked cowboys in the Harrison Ford Sci-Fi Cowboys & Aliens. Or anything having to do with zombies or other-worldly characters. I get that. But at times, we would rather manipulate our research to fit our story than to go the extra mile and make it as true as we possibly can. This, in a sense, is what Hoffman was wanting to avoid.

A well-known editor once told a group of us in her workshop that she had to reject a story because the author had put a “winding and treacherous highway” between Denver and Colorado Springs. Um…they were talking about Interstate 25, and it’s no more winding and treacherous than my driveway. However, they “needed” a winding and treacherous road to fit their story. Anyone living in Colorado or who has visited that area would have been completely thrown out of the story. I, for one, would have lost all respect for that author.

Having said that, (yes, here comes my disclaimer,) when I wrote Fine, Feathered Friend, which is one of three books included in Oregon Weddings, I wanted to set my story in the Crater Lake area. The major setting was a Raptor Rescue Center. There is no such place in the Crater Lake area. I had to use the one in Eugene, Oregon as my template and move it to where I needed it. This, to me, is similar to watching Dustin Hoffman put on the character of Dorothy Michaels. I knew he was a man. The writers never wanted the audience to believe otherwise. But everyone in the story (aside from his friend and sidekick, Bill Murray,) believed he was a woman. I made sure I mentioned in my acknowledgements that it was the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene that I used as research so my readers wouldn’t go flocking (sorry for the pun) to Crater Lake to visit the center. Since I never received hate mail, I believe this worked.

So, basically, know when it’s okay to break the rules, but don’t cheat your reader. Or your editor, because if it doesn’t get past her, it won’t even make it to a reader.

But the above lesson isn’t why the video is going viral. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take the time. Hoffman becomes emotional as he explains how becoming a less desirable woman affected him, and females around the Webiverse are rejoicing. I hope they show it to the men in their lives, as well.

Despicable Me 2–A Review

I found Despicable Me 2 a fun nod to my favorite spy movies with a twist of single parenthood. Imagine, if you will, James Bond with kids. . .and minions. Well, it wasn’t quite as intense as a James Bond movie, but really, the fact that Gru is a reformed villain recruited to save the world is only a secondary plot.

There are three things going on, and Pixar weaves them beautifully. First, the afore-mentioned spy plot. Second, Gru’s attempt to run a home-based business while raising. . .

To read full review: http://theaterpopcorninmyteeth.blogspot.com/2013/07/despicable-me-2.html

Monsters University–A Review

Went to see Monsters University with the grandkiddos the other day. It held everyone’s attention except the three-year-old. However, that was mostly in the slower moments when she wanted to practice her gymnastics on the bar in front of us. We sat in the first row of the raised seats. Apologies to the family behind us. . .

To see the full review, please visit Theater Popcorn in my Teeth.