It must have been a month or so ago that I saw my first commercial for SyFy’s new miniseries, Alice. I was intrigued from the beginning, but unable to catch it live on SyFy for the big debut. Luckily for me it was put up online. I fell in love.
Not right away mind you. It wasn’t until Andrew Lee Potts came on as Hatter that I finally decided I would watch all of it. The beginning was a little odd, and I had issues with Alice for a bit. But then wonder of all wonders, Hatter with his cute smile and delectable accent came on and I decided to like this.
Everything went uphill from there. Turns out this particular SyFy movie has everything I tend to love in a movie. Complicated plot twists, touches of Fantasy but not overwhelmingly so, and of course that tool of all ages a love triangle.
Not to mention not once did I catch a production accident. Not one reflection, shadow, or bad editing cut throughout the entire three hours. Mind you I have only watched it three times from front to back, but this is still a remarkable feat in my mind. Even Serenity has a few minor issues with reflections.
Now, Alice does have a few minor plot holes, but I love them! Its always fun to have a few things to poke your finger through in the fabric of the story.
The details in this particular fabric are amazing! From the little old lady with the gun, to Hatter’s hairdo, everything is not quite what it seems and at the same time points to something else. I was surprised everyway that the movie found another way to tip it’s hat to the original Alice in Wonderland.
KMP
Monday, December 14
Thursday, December 10
Alice
This ^ is all 18 parts of SyFy's Alice. I recommend it.
Whenever I find something that I enjoyed I promote it, either on Facebook, twitter, or here on my blog. Well, its Alice's turn.
I heard about Alice a while ago and marked it in my head to watch. Unfortunetly I missed the airings on SyFy, but I did manadge to catch it on youtube. I have to say that I immensly enjoyed it and have since watched it again. Its a two part miniseries that totals to three hours.
KMP
Wednesday, December 9
Sunday, November 29
Thoughts from the other end of the NaNo line
Well, I have officially been done with NaNo for four days. And like in the middle of the month I have a few insights into NaNo, things I have done, and other random thoughts.
1. Brackets are AMAZGING! If you know what has to happen but don't know how exactly it happens or really want to get to the next scene these are KEY.
2. Write-ins are not necessary. Next to none of my novel was actually written away from home, unless you count the four thousand written at my grandparents cabin in the first Week of NaNo.
3. Just turn the spell checker off. Those annoying red lines will only make your inner editor go beserk.
4. If you are in the mood to write, or have a good idea, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU STOP! This happened for me where I wrote 8,000 words in five hours to finish up my novel. Yes, I am bragging just a little bit there :-)
5. If you arn't going anywhere personal hygine only needs to be taken care of to the point where you do not care. Personally I do not have to shower every day, or even every other day and since I was not going anywhere I gave up alot of shower time to write. Do not worry, that habit will not continue ;-)
6. Clementines when they are not in season are good if you roll them in sugar. After peeling of course.
7. Its better to just put one good song on repeat for hours than to come up with a complicated play-list. I went from song to song with FiveOhFirst, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Projected Twin, Hans Zimmer, and of course Owl City being my main artists.
8. Use the word sprints through twitter. These always boosted my count to where I could write 1200 words in half an hour at times.
9. DO NOT think about what others will think when they read this. I have a few scenes that I will never show the world, or anyone beyond a few VERY close friends. Thinking about this gets you off track and your inner editor comes back.
10. I have eaten over two dozen Candy Canes. They are very yummy and the peppermint is good for creativity.
11. Use a few personal experiances. I was able to incorperate the high-ropes course from my fall retreat in October into the final act of my novel and it made for a great scene!
12. Go ahead and dress like a writer on occasion, not only does it make you feel cool but you just feel like you can take a pen and create something that will be spectacular. Even if it is just a doodle. Personally I like to wear gloves with the fingers cut out, black nail polish, a black hat, and an unbuttoned, oversize black button up over a T-shirt.
13. Even when all your buddies quit, keep going! None of my writing buddies made it past the half-way mark. Yes they all fail ;-)
14. Use your support system! I would not have made it if it weren't for FB friends and of course my delightful Squirrels who were always ready with hugs and cheers.
15. I went through all of my halloween candy.
16. I had to stop and wonder a few times just how demented I was, especially when I wrote Jules (My Main Character) flashbacks.
17. I learned that it is okay to totally screw the plot that you spent a week working on the last week of October. It will work out.
18. And finally I became a novelist. I own bragging writes to writing a novel in twenty-five days and being one of the first one-hundred people done with NaNoWriMo.
Thanks to all for reading my random thoughts,
KMP
P.S. I did not win the EIP fanvideo contest. Oh well, I knew some of the winners and congrats to them!
1. Brackets are AMAZGING! If you know what has to happen but don't know how exactly it happens or really want to get to the next scene these are KEY.
2. Write-ins are not necessary. Next to none of my novel was actually written away from home, unless you count the four thousand written at my grandparents cabin in the first Week of NaNo.
3. Just turn the spell checker off. Those annoying red lines will only make your inner editor go beserk.
4. If you are in the mood to write, or have a good idea, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU STOP! This happened for me where I wrote 8,000 words in five hours to finish up my novel. Yes, I am bragging just a little bit there :-)
5. If you arn't going anywhere personal hygine only needs to be taken care of to the point where you do not care. Personally I do not have to shower every day, or even every other day and since I was not going anywhere I gave up alot of shower time to write. Do not worry, that habit will not continue ;-)
6. Clementines when they are not in season are good if you roll them in sugar. After peeling of course.
7. Its better to just put one good song on repeat for hours than to come up with a complicated play-list. I went from song to song with FiveOhFirst, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Projected Twin, Hans Zimmer, and of course Owl City being my main artists.
8. Use the word sprints through twitter. These always boosted my count to where I could write 1200 words in half an hour at times.
9. DO NOT think about what others will think when they read this. I have a few scenes that I will never show the world, or anyone beyond a few VERY close friends. Thinking about this gets you off track and your inner editor comes back.
10. I have eaten over two dozen Candy Canes. They are very yummy and the peppermint is good for creativity.
11. Use a few personal experiances. I was able to incorperate the high-ropes course from my fall retreat in October into the final act of my novel and it made for a great scene!
12. Go ahead and dress like a writer on occasion, not only does it make you feel cool but you just feel like you can take a pen and create something that will be spectacular. Even if it is just a doodle. Personally I like to wear gloves with the fingers cut out, black nail polish, a black hat, and an unbuttoned, oversize black button up over a T-shirt.
13. Even when all your buddies quit, keep going! None of my writing buddies made it past the half-way mark. Yes they all fail ;-)
14. Use your support system! I would not have made it if it weren't for FB friends and of course my delightful Squirrels who were always ready with hugs and cheers.
15. I went through all of my halloween candy.
16. I had to stop and wonder a few times just how demented I was, especially when I wrote Jules (My Main Character) flashbacks.
17. I learned that it is okay to totally screw the plot that you spent a week working on the last week of October. It will work out.
18. And finally I became a novelist. I own bragging writes to writing a novel in twenty-five days and being one of the first one-hundred people done with NaNoWriMo.
Thanks to all for reading my random thoughts,
KMP
P.S. I did not win the EIP fanvideo contest. Oh well, I knew some of the winners and congrats to them!
Friday, November 27
I am done!!
Whew! 50,000 words in not thirty, but twenty-five days. What a rush!
For those you math geniuses, yes that was two days ago. At 4:21 A.M. on November 25th I finished my novel, who's working title is, "The Witnesses".
Now everyone is asking me, "When can I read it?!?" My answer to you. Not for a while. A few choice people might receive a digital copy before 2009 ends, but most of you probably will not see it until after I turn 16. Why? You ask. Because I have to edit. How many of you write a ten page paper and then immediately turn it in? Well, I have written fifteen ten page papers. And if you have ever written a few different size papers you know that the longer the paper, the longer it will take to edit.
My plans for the novel... Well at the moment they consist of simply editing. Because I 'won' NaNoWriMo, I have recieved a free coupon for a free 'proof copy' of my novel from CreateSpace. Essentially it is a paperback volume of my novel, which expires in six months. So I have six months to really edit it.
Depending on feedback and how I feel about the novel I might then look into publishing it. Maybe.
That is all for now!
KMPeterson, official novel writer.
P.S. Who wants to see James Cameron's Avatar with me next month?
For those you math geniuses, yes that was two days ago. At 4:21 A.M. on November 25th I finished my novel, who's working title is, "The Witnesses".
Now everyone is asking me, "When can I read it?!?" My answer to you. Not for a while. A few choice people might receive a digital copy before 2009 ends, but most of you probably will not see it until after I turn 16. Why? You ask. Because I have to edit. How many of you write a ten page paper and then immediately turn it in? Well, I have written fifteen ten page papers. And if you have ever written a few different size papers you know that the longer the paper, the longer it will take to edit.
My plans for the novel... Well at the moment they consist of simply editing. Because I 'won' NaNoWriMo, I have recieved a free coupon for a free 'proof copy' of my novel from CreateSpace. Essentially it is a paperback volume of my novel, which expires in six months. So I have six months to really edit it.
Depending on feedback and how I feel about the novel I might then look into publishing it. Maybe.
That is all for now!
KMPeterson, official novel writer.
P.S. Who wants to see James Cameron's Avatar with me next month?
Thursday, November 19
What is NaNoWriMo?
What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2008, we had over 119,000 participants. More than 21,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Taken from the NaNoWriMo website. In otherwords aside from these two sentences I did nothing but copy and paste this entire blog ;-)
KMP
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2008, we had over 119,000 participants. More than 21,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Taken from the NaNoWriMo website. In otherwords aside from these two sentences I did nothing but copy and paste this entire blog ;-)
KMP
Sunday, November 15
A few things I have done and learned this month
Now officially halfway through my novel, I can just barely see the end of my novel. I actually have two plots, not sure which is the B plot exactly since they are so intertwined. Currently I have 25,416 words 108,100 characters (as in letters and such) 3558 lines, 78 pages, and 1,317 paragraphs. My spell and grammar checker has been turned off, and I have only showered three times in the past fifteen days. I have managed one Vlog, possibly another to come soon, have dyed my hair a very dark brown, worn black nail polish, and had far too much coffee.
I've been up until at least one everynight, not just because I write late, but because I then stay up thinking about what to do next. I have gone through about five songs where I listened to one song for several hours on repeat. And I have written more in the past fifteen days then I did all summer on "Crash" (In an unrelated not my most popular youtube video [ma ya hi allen and craig show] also hit three thousand hits!)
Things I have learned, the second week is pure pain. You think that all you have is crap, but already on week three I am starting to love my novel again :-) I have also learned that when a bunch of your friends have your back you know that even if you fail they will make fun but still love you for trying. I have learned that its ok to change your plot within the first ten pages. It works out better. I learned that sometimes characters you thought were important really arn't. I learned that while I might really want to kill a character they are vital to the story and can't die until the sequal. And Finally I have learned that without God I wouldn't have the ability or hope to even get where I have gotton.
That is all my readers! Rest assured you will get a copy of my manuscript eventually. Some earlier than others depending on if you are in it and how much I like you :-)
KMP
I've been up until at least one everynight, not just because I write late, but because I then stay up thinking about what to do next. I have gone through about five songs where I listened to one song for several hours on repeat. And I have written more in the past fifteen days then I did all summer on "Crash" (In an unrelated not my most popular youtube video [ma ya hi allen and craig show] also hit three thousand hits!)
Things I have learned, the second week is pure pain. You think that all you have is crap, but already on week three I am starting to love my novel again :-) I have also learned that when a bunch of your friends have your back you know that even if you fail they will make fun but still love you for trying. I have learned that its ok to change your plot within the first ten pages. It works out better. I learned that sometimes characters you thought were important really arn't. I learned that while I might really want to kill a character they are vital to the story and can't die until the sequal. And Finally I have learned that without God I wouldn't have the ability or hope to even get where I have gotton.
That is all my readers! Rest assured you will get a copy of my manuscript eventually. Some earlier than others depending on if you are in it and how much I like you :-)
KMP
Tuesday, November 10
A few insights from NaNoWriMo land
Hello all! I offer you bright greetings from the NaNoWriMo world and would like to offer some character insights that none of you will understand.
I based a character on one of my Youth Group leaders, Scott. Full name; Scott Strunk, Character Name; Scott Knurts. First person to comment on how the character name releates to the real name gets bonus points.
But anyways, I would like to share a few funny facts. All I really borrowed from the real Scott was his name, general looks, and exact opposite. See, Scott S. is generally the person that will always make you laugh, where as Scott K. is totally serious faced all the time. I also generally find Scott S. easy to read, where as Scott K. is totally solid faced all the time and you can never figure out what is really going on up there. Oh wait- that’s a similarity ;-)
That is all, thank you
KM
I based a character on one of my Youth Group leaders, Scott. Full name; Scott Strunk, Character Name; Scott Knurts. First person to comment on how the character name releates to the real name gets bonus points.
But anyways, I would like to share a few funny facts. All I really borrowed from the real Scott was his name, general looks, and exact opposite. See, Scott S. is generally the person that will always make you laugh, where as Scott K. is totally serious faced all the time. I also generally find Scott S. easy to read, where as Scott K. is totally solid faced all the time and you can never figure out what is really going on up there. Oh wait- that’s a similarity ;-)
That is all, thank you
KM
Friday, November 6
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