Category Archives: Writing

Nothing like a martini to get the night rolling

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I’ve been writing too much to post anything recently, but in honor of the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, I thought I’d post the following, straight from the 1953 novel Casino Royale. A few simple lines, very well written, by Ian Fleming (who wrote the short story for which the new movie is loosely based). From the wiki:

“The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. Origin: The drink was invented and named by fictional secret agent James Bond.”

” “A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Oui, monsieur.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.

Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained, “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.”

-Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

Michael Crichton’s ‘Eaters of the Dead’

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The publishing, television and film universe lost an amazing and talented writer/producer yesterday when 66-year-old Michael Crichton lost his battle to cancer.

Off all his dozen bestsellers, I was wowed by the tension and creativity he managed in his 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, and was captivated by the emotionally engaging Amy, the signing gorilla from his novel Congo. I’ll never forget either and I still draw on his craft when I write.

Of all his books, I was personally loved Eaters of the Dead. There were two reasons for this, one: I dig anything with Vikings. Two: The fact that Crichton wrote the book on a bet.

Crichton made a bet that Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic in British literature, could be successfully turned into a modern story. The novel itself is interesting, written from the point of view of a Persian poet warrior who is sent out of Iran around 921 a.d. and ends up adventuring with Vikings. Creatively, Crichton even writes his own footnotes to try and make the novel feel like a true historical account. A great risk, but one that gives the novel a unique depth. If you haven’t read the book, below is an embedded version via Scribd.com. Enjoy.

Michael Crichton- Eaters of the Dead

Of theme and Word of the Day

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Happy Election Day.

While I set down the Xbox controller (Anyone else taking a shot at Dead Space?), I thought I’d take a second to write about the current MS’s progress.

I’ve gone back to the drawing board just slightly, and am working on the theme for the latest manuscript before I try to plow ahead. I have an idea that my past theme was a bit too watered down and needed some tweaking. Fyi, there is a great book on breaking down the subconscious and locating the theme. It’s actually written by my mentor, S.L. Stebel: Double Your Creative Power.

As far as the latest MS, the main concept of hive mind or solidarity helped me redefine the theme, which takes me to the Word of the Day: Zeitgeist.

From MW online:

zeitgeist
One entry found.

Main Entry:
zeit·geist
Pronunciation:
ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt-
Function:
noun
Usage:
often capitalized
Etymology:
German, from Zeit + Geist spirit
Date:
1835
: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

Here is the word’s Wiki.

On a side note, we’ve made good progress on the maps for the book. I’ll post a few versions as we work through them. Now go vote.

How vampire novels can influence local economies

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Another reason why vampire novels are good for you and me. Even in this day and age of financial hardships, one Washington town is getting a boost in their economy from Stephanie Meyer‘s Twilight series. Forks, Washington is reporting a 48 percent increase in lodging tax revenue. The town is settled in the Olympic Peninsula, not too far from Seattle. Kinda. Here’s a map:


View Larger Map

Travel industry officials told the Peninsula Daily News that fans of the vampire novels have been making the drive to the Forks to get a bats-eye view of the haunts of Isabella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard a rumor that Meyer’s picked Forks after goggling the city in the US with the highest rain totals. A trailer is now available for the first movie taken from the books, with a release date of 11/21/08. Here’s a gander:

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

‘I Am Legend’ prequel in the works

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WB is working on a sequel to the movie I Am Legend, will Will Smith returning as Robert Neville (I can’t type that name without thinking of Neville’s pot-bellied neighbor Ben Cortman standing in the street, hungrily shouting out “Come out, Neville!” Don’t remember Cortman? Then go read Matheson’s 1954 classic novel so you too can squirm at the memory of Neville’s ex-coworker turned nightly vampire visitor. Great character.).

Back to point, Variety is reporting that D.B Weiss is writing the first version of the script, from a story created by Smith, producers Akiva Goldsman and James Lassiter, and director Francis Lawrence. As Variety says:

“The prequel will chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.”

According to Variety, I Am Legend grossed $584 million worldwide for Warner Bros. Weiss, you may remember, was one of the screenwriters for Peter Jackson’s Halo movie, adapted from the superb Bungie video game.