Thought I’d share this handy (short!) tutorial on writing for the camera from Jake Jarvi, the guy behind Platoon of Power Squadron, one of my favorite YouTube series.
Tag: fiction
Archives for the Holidays: Show, don’t tell: what it means
I’m feeling better for the first time in five days! How are you?
To stay on top of the Christmas cheer, I’m posting some of my favorite posts from the archives. This one was originally posted on October 7, 2011.
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It’s the first rule of writing. We hear it all the time. In fact, it’s almost all we hear. Over and over again, they tell us…
Show, don’t tell.
Show; don’t tell.
Show! Don’t tell!
In the name of all that’s good, what the heck does that mean???
Archives for the Holidays: How to control people’s thoughts with words
Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it! While I stay on top of holiday cheer, I’m posting some of my favorite posts from the archives. This one was originally posted last year on December 10.
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How to control people’s thoughts with words
I’m almost afraid to publish this post.
It feels like passing out a loaded gun to every random stranger that passes by.
In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous.
But when I think about it, it’s already in the wrong hands. The hands of con artists and cult leaders and politicians. And there is no way to take that power from them except to make everyone else aware of it.
Have you ever thought—I mean really thought—about the power of language? Keep reading >>
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Pride & Prejudice & Vlogging: Lizzie Bennett Diaries challenges us to think outside the book
Yesterday, Mr. Darcy blew up the Internet.
Since the modern-day Lizzie Bennett uploaded her first video diary on YouTube six months ago, tens of thousands of Austen fans have been holding their figurative breaths in anticipation of seeing the one, the only, the Darcy. Dubbed “Darcy Day” (as if it needed any more hype!) it was, despite my worries, not a disappointment.
So…time for a review of the entire show up to this point!
(The show is a creation of Bernie Su and Hank Green. Read more about them here.)
Let’s start with the limitations and end with the best parts!
Limitations of Vlogging.
Most of the 21st-century Pride & Prejudice adaptation takes place through Lizzie’s video diaries, and through off-shoots with other characters. This means only the parts of the story Lizzie rants about, or parts her sisters and friends mention while bursting into the room, are going to make it on screen. So:
- We don’t see all the characters. The first episodes introduce us to a core cast of Lizzie, Jane, Lydia and Charlotte. Added characters have brought it up to about a dozen now, and we meet the rest through Lizzie’s hilarious costumed dramatizations. But Lizzie’s father is rarely even mentioned, and I miss him. Though this does illustrate his laziness as a father, his closeness to Lizzie and his eventually letting her down are important points too. But writer Bernie Su aptly noted that, as people rarely rant about the stable things in their lives, Lizzie’s not likely to talk about him in her videos…yet.
- We get a slanted view. Because the video diary format lends itself chiefly to ranting, we see lots of the “I hate Darcy” Lizzie but little of the cool and composed wit Lizzie is when she’s meeting people in daily life. Fortunately, the other characters’ differing personalities and opinions—and the brilliantly-written hypocrisy of Lizzie’s prejudice—give us a fuller understanding of the truth.
Limitations of Modern Society.
Morals, prudence and good breeding, all major themes in the novel, don’t carry the weight today they did then, which makes parts of the story difficult to adapt:
- Mr. Collin’s proposal and the entailing of the Bennett estate to him don’t apply in today’s world, and the writers’ solution SPOILER ALERT to change the marriage proposal into a job offer only has about 50% of the moral/emotional conflict as the original—choosing a business partner and choosing a life partner are two very different things, whether or not dropping out of college is a factor.
- Wickham’s sin of stealing Lydia’s maidenhood means little to a society that largely accepts sex outside of marriage, with a Lydia who obviously lost her virginity long ago. One must assume his racket is more on the level of pornography, prostitution, and/or sex trafficking, but we have yet to find out.
- The trickiest adaptation is Lizzie herself. Book Lizzie is a mixture of morals, prudence and spunk. How is that transposed for 2012? Vlog Lizzie occasionally uses language and expresses views that I don’t think even a modern Lizzie would. But I am more conservative than most people—and considered through the worldview of the writers, they have created quite an accurate picture of Lizzie Bennett.
Why Lizzie Bennett Diaries is so much fun
A million reasons! I’ll restrict myself to seven.
- It’s a story I have loved for years, but it’s like I get to experience it all for the first time again.
- I love seeing how closely even some of the dialogue matches the book.
- I love trying to guess how they’ll adapt the next plot twist.
- I love following the story across multiple mediums (media?): not just on YouTube, but through the characters’ Tumblrs and Twitter pages.
- I love seeing new depth in secondary characters:
- Lydia – the first adaptation I’ve seen that explores why Lydia acts the way she does. It doesn’t make her behavior excusable, but makes it understandable. We can feel for her, and even like her.
- Mary – cousin instead of sister, is cool and together and becomes more of a positive influence on Lydia than Book Mary ever was. She’s probably the least faithful adaptation of all the characters, but we like her tremendously.
- Maria – Charlotte’s sister—remember her?—has a brief but memorable role in her own short vlog series. She’s a refreshingly normal Doctor Who-loving nerd, and we get the feeling she’s just as excited by the story going on around her as we are. She’s the one we can relate to when Jane is too perfect, Lydia is too crazy, and Lizzie too angry—and all of them too iconic. Maria is us.
- Jane imitating Darcy. Priceless.
- I love connecting to a community that’s even crazier about it all than I am.
In short, Lizzie Bennett Diaries is a smart, moving, and funny adaptation, and a fascinatingly clever use of modern technology to tell an old story in a new way. I don’t believe the traditional novel will ever go out of style, but heads up: there are new outlets for storytelling. Don’t tie yourself down to traditional. Think outside the book.
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Watch Lizzie Bennett from the beginning! (recommended)
Watch Mr. Darcy’s first scene!
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Short Fiction: Fraternization
A little piece of fiction that’s been hanging in my head for awhile. It’s too long and too schmaltzy, but I don’t have time to shorten it – and we’ll just chalk it up to the self-indulgence of the hopeless romantic, eh? Constructive criticism welcome.
Photo by Chris Costes
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It’s the first day of my dream job. Everything is perfect. I sit at my mahogany desk and try not to cry.
I didn’t even apply for this job. The offer came out of the blue, on the heels of seven other unsolicited offers. Higher salaries, better benefits, but I turned them all down. I didn’t want to leave him.
But I couldn’t turn down this one.
The worst part was telling him. I was shaking that morning as I rode the elevator to the fourth floor. No amount of daisy-petal pulling could compare to this moment.
I was finally going to find out if he loved me.
I imagined how it would go – you know, best case scenario fairy-tale ending.
I’ve received an offer for the editor position at the Times, I’d say, You know how much I love working here, but this is the job I’ve dreamed about for as long as—are you alright?
I’d interrupt myself at this point because I’d notice how crestfallen he had become.
Christy… he’d stammer, I just…don’t think I’m ready to lose you. I know I’ve never told you how I felt—but I’ve always loved you.
Of course that wouldn’t happen. But I was hoping at least for a hint of disappointment. Something that would tell me he cared. Well, I knew he cared. He cared about everyone—treated us all like royalty Monday through Friday for the two years I’d worked for him—but he’d never shown a hint of anything more, and neither had I. I’d been so careful not to.
I arrived at his office. His door was open, as usual, but he was hunched over his address book. I knocked. He looked up. He looked tired, sad, nigh despairing! I wondered if he’d already heard. If he was already grieving for me. He welcomed me in, his eyes searching my face. I sat down across from him, took a deep breath.
“I’ve received an offer,” I began. His expression froze. “For a job,” I dropped my gaze to my fingers, twisted in my lap. “As an editor. At the Times. It’s um—”
“Christy, that’s fantastic!”
I looked up, surprised at his tone. His whole face was suddenly brighter.
“That’s the job you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes. I—”
“You deserve it, you know. You’ll be the best editor that paper’s ever had.”
“You’re not…upset?”
“Upset? Of course not. I’m happy for you. Aren’t you happy?”
He looked doubtful for a moment, but I couldn’t disappoint him.
“I’m thrilled,” I forced a smile, “Just a little sad to leave this place.”
“We are going to miss you around here.”
We. Not I.
It’s replaying that part of the conversation that makes me finally break down.
And here in my new office, I don’t even know where the tissues are. I’ll have to make a break for the bathroom to bawl my eyes out on a roll of toilet paper.
I collide with my new boss as I’m bursting into the hallway.
I apologize and offer a fake laugh, but it’s too late. She’s seen my red eyes and runny nose.
“Oh, dear,” and she pulls me back into my office and shuts the door, producing a pack of tissues from a drawer. “What’s happened?”
I consider making up a story about a dead aunt, but one glance at her concerned expression and I decide I can’t lie to her.
“He doesn’t love me!” I blurt before hiding my face in my hands.
“Wha…who?”
“My boss. My last boss. When I told him…” quivering breath, “I was leaving,” sob, “he even looked h-h-h-appy. And now I’ll never s-s-s-see him again.” Involuntary wail. Oh, gravy. I haven’t been on the job four hours yet and I’m going to get fired for blubbering like a preteen over a crush. “I’ll get over it!” I gasp, raising my head to look her in the eye and nod—repeatedly, because I have to convince myself as well as her. “Please, I’ll get over it. I’ll be the best editor you’ve ever had, I’ve just got to—” quiver, sob, “Compose myself.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t you know how you got this job?” Her voice is high and constricted, like she’s about to laugh. “Your boss called to recommend you.”
“He…” heart drops to gut. “What?”
But I already understand.
He knew I was in love with him. I hadn’t hidden it as well as I thought. And rather than hurt my feelings, he found a better position for me elsewhere. All those offers. He must have been calling in favors all over town.
More wailing, sobbing, nose blowing. Where are Ben & Jerry when you need them?
“Christy!”
I snap back to attention and realize my new boss—or new ex-boss?—has been trying to tell me something.
“When he called,” she said again, her voice steady, “And told me you were perfect for the job, I asked him why, then, was he letting you go? And do you know what he said?”
I sniffed, shaking my head.
“Because—and these were his exact words—‘I constantly have to remind myself not to kiss her.’ You see?”
I stare at her.
“He couldn’t make a move while you still worked there. He didn’t want you to feel like your job depended on a relationship.”
“He…he didn’t say that…”
“Are you calling me a liar?” she planted her hands on her hips.
“I…” I’m floundering now, lightheaded. Maybe I’ll faint like a woman in an old movie. “That’s not…”
“And now here he comes to take you to lunch, and I’ve ruined the surprise.”
She’s looking out the window down at the parking lot. I lean forward to see. It’s him. Heading for the door like he’s on a mission. A bunch of flowers in his hand.
I look at my new boss. She looks at me and grins. “Told you.”
I smile. I forget to breathe. This must be what giddy means.
“You have about twenty seconds to get that eyeliner cleaned up. You look like a zebra.”
She turns on a heel and walks out. I scramble for more tissues.
First day of my dream job. Everything is perfect.
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UPDATE: The second draft of Fraternization is now posted!
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