Ah. You’re finally ready to do it. To jump into that other world of your own making. Your head is full of ideas. Your research done and things that you don’t know won’t show up until you actually WRITE the story. You sit down in a corner, and suddenly you notice that you’re missing your writing effects. Worst, you haven’t bought them. And you’ve got nothing of your liking since the last time you wrote.
For myself, I gotta have these:
1. Gel pens (black)
Slim gel pens, up to 5 of them. I write longhand for my first draft and I have this cursive penwomanship which I think is rather romantic and fast. Black gel ink make my words bolder in my mind, signifying that I am sure of what I’m writing about.
2. Automatic pencils
0.5 slim automatic pencil, my preference is the Sharplet. The pencil is for writing scenes which are very difficult to write, where everything wants to barge in into my head. Kasih Nan Agung’s difficult scene is the shooting in the jungle. Warisnya Kalbu's is the final battle episode. Impuls/Roh’s is Ahmad Fahim’s face-off with Seamus Conway. There are numerous difficult scenes for Merdekakan Cinta Ratna and Bukan Legasi Lalang. Odisi Tanah Kencana’s difficult scene is when Guruh broke the king-monster curse. Pencil allows me to rewrite without subjecting me to the pain all over again. That is what I have to do if I use the gel pens.
3. A bound 100 pages half an A4 notebook
My choice is the Camel notebook. I prefer a black cover. No spiral binding for me because I hate having to take care of loose paper getting out of the spiral. I prefer very small lines. My stories are short, so one book is enough.
4. Reference books
My must-haves are the Kamus Dewan, English-Malay dictionary (because sentences form in English in my head), baby names book.
5. Research folder
All through the year, I should have done my research. I cut articles, collect photo of muses, print out stuff from the Internet. All that are kept in a slim folder, ready for my perusal.
6. The Playlist
Music is very important. Every story has its own soundtrack. I will stack my Nokia cellphone with choice songs. This year’s songs are Owl City’s Fireflies, Daughtry’s Tennessee Line, Hayley William & B.O.B’s Aiplanes and anything Lee Dewyze. Sometimes the songs have no connection to the story but the melody must be just right to make the scenes play in my mind’s eye.
So, have I got all these? Mostly, but them gel pens, I have to get fresh ones.
Showing posts with label Creative Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Writing. Show all posts
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
FROZEN FIRE: GRAB YOUR READER
The moment I read the opening lines of Frozen Fire, I grabbed the book and paid for it, even it was after the financially taxing Aidilfitri and seven days away from payday. The opening lines are THAT good.
"I am dying," said the voice. Dusty clutched the phone.
And there's the suicidal boy. Who is as white as snow, hauntingly beautiful, possesses superhuman strengths and seemingly able to read minds. Ah, another damn vampire book, you say. But no! The origin of the suicidal boy is never reconciled and it was beautifully done as everyone involved in the story has seen and touched the boy but do not know what he really is. Which is the reason why the writer uses the third person point of view in a story which is perfect for a first person point of view, to signify that the main character is not making things up, but what she sees is seen by other people. The boy just disappeared from the story after his existence has served its purpose, which is to make Dusty (victim of loss) to know the truth and Angelica (victim of rape) to let go.
My guess about the boy: He is an alien, made of pure energy, who crashlanded on Earth and absorbs people's memory and all his actions are determined by the energy and thoughts of people he came in contact with. He has no purpose and his actions random. His gains existence through the meaning that people give to his form.
Absolutely worth breaking a fifty.
"I am dying," said the voice. Dusty clutched the phone.
 |
| Non-Bookish Man-of-the-House: Do you need that? Now? Bookish Woman-of-the-House: Yes. Now. Non-Bookish Man-of-the-House: Why? Bookish Woman-of-the-House: Because I'm worth it. |
And after that, the book just took me away from one rollercoaster ride after another. Cerebrally and emotionally. I am always intrigued by how the mind copes with loss of a loved one when there is no body to bury and how one reconciles that kind of missing and longing till the end of her days. This book rekindles that fear. There is this crazy chase scene that is real and grounded yet as dangerous as a Bourne movie chase.
And there's the suicidal boy. Who is as white as snow, hauntingly beautiful, possesses superhuman strengths and seemingly able to read minds. Ah, another damn vampire book, you say. But no! The origin of the suicidal boy is never reconciled and it was beautifully done as everyone involved in the story has seen and touched the boy but do not know what he really is. Which is the reason why the writer uses the third person point of view in a story which is perfect for a first person point of view, to signify that the main character is not making things up, but what she sees is seen by other people. The boy just disappeared from the story after his existence has served its purpose, which is to make Dusty (victim of loss) to know the truth and Angelica (victim of rape) to let go.
My guess about the boy: He is an alien, made of pure energy, who crashlanded on Earth and absorbs people's memory and all his actions are determined by the energy and thoughts of people he came in contact with. He has no purpose and his actions random. His gains existence through the meaning that people give to his form.
Absolutely worth breaking a fifty.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
BEASTLY: READ IT BEFORE YOU SEE IT!
That is what the cover of the Harperteen’s novel Beastly says. I approached the novel with caution. Any novel with a black cover and a movie adaptation out soon is worth the suspicion.
The novel turns out to be an amusing read. Reasons I loved the novel to bits:
1. The spot on references to the relevant literature texts.
As the novel deals with the evils of vanity, it made references to works like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Phantom of the Opera. That clues me in to the importance of making teenage students connect their reading experience to their private lives, not so much about the beauty of the prose, though that can be led on to later once the students are hooked. There are references to sonnets as well!
2. The excellent use of roses-and-everything-about-growing-roses symbol.
The novel works beautifully with the symbol of roses. The single white rose corsage. Growing roses. Growing roses in a greenhouse to ensure an all year-round availability of roses. The lives and deaths of roses. And it connects with the theme of physical beauty excellently.
3. The first person narration.
It’s weird listening to the story in my head from the narration of a character I hate but that’s what the author put me through and it was addictive. The main character in the earlier part of the story is narcissistic, vain and a total douchebag. Then, things started to change...
And right at the climax until the end, and the ensuing final chapters, I hate the novel. Reasons being:
1. Magic without stakes/ risks/ consequences has no value.
The climax where everything turns out fine just won’t do. Especially when at the beginning of the story, there are so many rules of magic stated – the witch can’t turn the beast back into a human but the beast’s action is going to break the spell itself, there is going to be a kiss involved, there are some margin for bargains, the witch didn’t say that the beast will be invincible once the curse is lifted, bla bla. It was ambiguous but specific. Bottomline: The reader was led to believe that there is always a price to pay from the very beginning. But then at the cllmax, after such harrowing ordeal from the start, everything was erased, and wiped clean like nothing ever happened. Sure, it was happily ever after, but there is only too much magic that I can take.
2. The main character is still a douchebag at the end of the story.
Because the curse had became something just like a nightmare which one can wake up from, the main character remains the douchebag he is. It’s just like a bad dream you go through. In that nightmare you promised yourself “I’ll be a good person if I make it out of this alive” suddenly you wake up from it and you just continue being the careless person that you are. This is what the story is at the end. No stakes, no scars, nothing. The character Kyle is still vain, snobbish and worse, he is rude to his tutor, teacher and friend, Will Fratalli. As this is a story about character-building, such ending fails the purpose of the text.
I hope the film will do better.
 |
| Wait. Black cover, a flower, a movie out soon - oh no... |
The novel turns out to be an amusing read. Reasons I loved the novel to bits:
1. The spot on references to the relevant literature texts.
As the novel deals with the evils of vanity, it made references to works like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Phantom of the Opera. That clues me in to the importance of making teenage students connect their reading experience to their private lives, not so much about the beauty of the prose, though that can be led on to later once the students are hooked. There are references to sonnets as well!
2. The excellent use of roses-and-everything-about-growing-roses symbol.
The novel works beautifully with the symbol of roses. The single white rose corsage. Growing roses. Growing roses in a greenhouse to ensure an all year-round availability of roses. The lives and deaths of roses. And it connects with the theme of physical beauty excellently.
3. The first person narration.
It’s weird listening to the story in my head from the narration of a character I hate but that’s what the author put me through and it was addictive. The main character in the earlier part of the story is narcissistic, vain and a total douchebag. Then, things started to change...
And right at the climax until the end, and the ensuing final chapters, I hate the novel. Reasons being:
1. Magic without stakes/ risks/ consequences has no value.
The climax where everything turns out fine just won’t do. Especially when at the beginning of the story, there are so many rules of magic stated – the witch can’t turn the beast back into a human but the beast’s action is going to break the spell itself, there is going to be a kiss involved, there are some margin for bargains, the witch didn’t say that the beast will be invincible once the curse is lifted, bla bla. It was ambiguous but specific. Bottomline: The reader was led to believe that there is always a price to pay from the very beginning. But then at the cllmax, after such harrowing ordeal from the start, everything was erased, and wiped clean like nothing ever happened. Sure, it was happily ever after, but there is only too much magic that I can take.
2. The main character is still a douchebag at the end of the story.
Because the curse had became something just like a nightmare which one can wake up from, the main character remains the douchebag he is. It’s just like a bad dream you go through. In that nightmare you promised yourself “I’ll be a good person if I make it out of this alive” suddenly you wake up from it and you just continue being the careless person that you are. This is what the story is at the end. No stakes, no scars, nothing. The character Kyle is still vain, snobbish and worse, he is rude to his tutor, teacher and friend, Will Fratalli. As this is a story about character-building, such ending fails the purpose of the text.
I hope the film will do better.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
DAYBREAKERS: WRITING POINTERS
The vampire genre is a tired genre. But the vampire film Daybreakers spins it a little differently. I am not going to comment on how good or bad the film is, but there are some useful writing pointers in it:
1. There is always a new angle to an old theme.
Vampires are done to death. We’ve had mafia vampires, romantic vampires, clannish vampires, monster vampires. Daybreakers introduced virus vampires. Vampirism in this text is not a magical advantage but a plague/ disease caused by a virus. (The Underworld series had that idea too, but didn’t follow up the idea on a grand scale) This allows the old theme a science fictionish angle eventhough it is not totally legit. And it is a complicated disease. One who gets infected, will experience body shut down but retains his capacity to think and act. The body having no further biological activities will not deteriorate, will not get other diseases, will not age. The body is dead but preserved and retains its soul. As bizarre as it is, the writer calls this ‘immortality’. The body will continue operating this way as long as it is fed with human blood. Deprivation will cause the body to turn into giant bats (I know it is lame.)
2. Moral dilemmas always make a story more interesting.
Now, as the story has taken the turn mentioned above, the writer puts in moral dilemma to give the hilarious theme weight/ substance.
a. Once there are too many people turning into vampires, the rest of humanity which is not infected is left with two choices – turn voluntarily into vampires or to resist. If they turn, they’ll become the ‘immortal’ undead, dependant on human blood. If they resist, they’ll be fed to the growing vampire population.
b. Once a cure is found, the vampires face two options – to turn back into humans and gave up their ‘immortality’ or to remain vampires and live miserably.
There are a host of other dilemmas too, on the personal level:
a. Will you turn your own family to save them from being killed even if it is against their wish?
b. Is suicide an option if you cannot accept living as a vampire?
c. What happens when there are more vampires and there are less and less humans to feed on while blood substitute is not yet found?
3. When dealing with an overdone genre, find a point where you can reverse an aspect of the genre:
Many modern vampire films picture vampires as superior – they’re beautiful, do not age, have unnatural long lifespan that can only be cut short with violent accidents, stronger, have special abilities. The humans are the ones pining for the vampires or pining to be vampires.
In Daybreakers, the humans look more beautiful than the vampires (But then, I was looking at Ethan Hawke). The vampires are pasty-looking and have strange jaw structure (I was looking at Sam Neill, who isn't much of a looker these days).
4. Writing with conviction will help strengthen even the most outlandish idea.
Daybreakers thinks of the situation on a large scale. No more little vampire covens and rogue vampire running around solo. Cars are built with daytime viewing apparatus. Subways are subwalks. Blood is the new sugar. The society comes alive only at night – schools, offices, all open at night only.
As a conclusion, Daybreakers writes about the dilemma of mortality versus immortality, while the truth is nothing can be immortal in fiction and become interesting. Death is too interesting to be put aside in fiction, or anywhere else.
1. There is always a new angle to an old theme.
Vampires are done to death. We’ve had mafia vampires, romantic vampires, clannish vampires, monster vampires. Daybreakers introduced virus vampires. Vampirism in this text is not a magical advantage but a plague/ disease caused by a virus. (The Underworld series had that idea too, but didn’t follow up the idea on a grand scale) This allows the old theme a science fictionish angle eventhough it is not totally legit. And it is a complicated disease. One who gets infected, will experience body shut down but retains his capacity to think and act. The body having no further biological activities will not deteriorate, will not get other diseases, will not age. The body is dead but preserved and retains its soul. As bizarre as it is, the writer calls this ‘immortality’. The body will continue operating this way as long as it is fed with human blood. Deprivation will cause the body to turn into giant bats (I know it is lame.)
 |
| Look out, Michael Jackson! |
2. Moral dilemmas always make a story more interesting.
Now, as the story has taken the turn mentioned above, the writer puts in moral dilemma to give the hilarious theme weight/ substance.
a. Once there are too many people turning into vampires, the rest of humanity which is not infected is left with two choices – turn voluntarily into vampires or to resist. If they turn, they’ll become the ‘immortal’ undead, dependant on human blood. If they resist, they’ll be fed to the growing vampire population.
b. Once a cure is found, the vampires face two options – to turn back into humans and gave up their ‘immortality’ or to remain vampires and live miserably.
There are a host of other dilemmas too, on the personal level:
a. Will you turn your own family to save them from being killed even if it is against their wish?
b. Is suicide an option if you cannot accept living as a vampire?
c. What happens when there are more vampires and there are less and less humans to feed on while blood substitute is not yet found?
 |
| "Just because I am using a microscope that doesn't mean I'm in a legit sci-fi" |
3. When dealing with an overdone genre, find a point where you can reverse an aspect of the genre:
Many modern vampire films picture vampires as superior – they’re beautiful, do not age, have unnatural long lifespan that can only be cut short with violent accidents, stronger, have special abilities. The humans are the ones pining for the vampires or pining to be vampires.
In Daybreakers, the humans look more beautiful than the vampires (But then, I was looking at Ethan Hawke). The vampires are pasty-looking and have strange jaw structure (I was looking at Sam Neill, who isn't much of a looker these days).
 |
| What is this? A Harper's Bizarre photoshoot? |
4. Writing with conviction will help strengthen even the most outlandish idea.
Daybreakers thinks of the situation on a large scale. No more little vampire covens and rogue vampire running around solo. Cars are built with daytime viewing apparatus. Subways are subwalks. Blood is the new sugar. The society comes alive only at night – schools, offices, all open at night only.
As a conclusion, Daybreakers writes about the dilemma of mortality versus immortality, while the truth is nothing can be immortal in fiction and become interesting. Death is too interesting to be put aside in fiction, or anywhere else.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Goodreads & lain-lain: Pengurusan (Hidup di Internet) Asas
Alhamdulliah,setelah menerima emel bertalu-talu dari Najibah, Jualiana Es, pengarang Nisah Haron, Aina Dayana, saya telah mendaftar masuk ke dalam GOODREADS. Bukannya kesombongan atau ketidakeprihatinan yang membuatkan saya lewat menyertai laman ini yang telah pun memuatnaikkan gambar kulit buku dan komentari buku yang begitu banyak (pada pandangan saya itu sudah cukup banyak), tetapi ialah ketidakcukupan waktu dan kejahilan menggunakan Internet. Jadi ia menjadikan proses menyertai sesuatu laman itu tersekat-sekat. Kadang-kadang jika subjek terlalu lama untuk dimuatnaik dan sesuatu yang lebih penting mendatang, saya akan tinggalkan begitu saja. Dan apabila saya kembali ke komputer beberapa hari kemudian, saya akan memulakan proses yang telah ditinggalkan dari mula.
Tidak semua penulis itu mahir selok-belok di Internet walaupun penulis itu rapat dengan komputer/ internet. Saya selalu menganggap Internet itu bagai perpustakaan yang besar. Saya datang dan saya baca. Jika saya mahu anggap Internet seperti suatu tempat sosial atau tempat berkawan, cara saya membawa diri juga perlu berubah.Saya akan jadi mesra dan terbuka. Melayari wikipedia itu mudah, tapi bila mula bersembang, saya agak kekok (kerana itu tiada akaun facebook).
Seorang kawan dunia fizikal yang bernama Siti Yusriza Abdullah berasal dari Alor Setar ("You can take a woman out of Otago, but you cannot take Otago out of the woman") pernah merungut, "Anda telah tulis 6 buku cerita, tapi kenapa nak emel pun terlalu susah?" Saya menjawab dalam hati: 6 buku cerita ditulis dengan tangan di dalam 2 buah diari ketika menghadiri mesyuarat-mesyuarat dan ceramah yang biasanya off-tangent, dan juga ketika menunggu ikan yang digoreng jadi rangup dalam minyak panas, sebab itu ialah lebih mudah, berbanding dengan menulis di hadapan komputer dengan Internet terpasang dengan hanya beberapa minit terluang. Dan apabila 2 diari yang telah penuh ditulis ini saya taipkan ke dalam komputer dalam microsoft word, ia sebenarnya suatu proses yang pantas.
(Jam 6.55 pagi, Ahad, selepas sahur & Subuh, ketika SEMUA ORANG sedang tidur)
Tidak semua penulis itu mahir selok-belok di Internet walaupun penulis itu rapat dengan komputer/ internet. Saya selalu menganggap Internet itu bagai perpustakaan yang besar. Saya datang dan saya baca. Jika saya mahu anggap Internet seperti suatu tempat sosial atau tempat berkawan, cara saya membawa diri juga perlu berubah.Saya akan jadi mesra dan terbuka. Melayari wikipedia itu mudah, tapi bila mula bersembang, saya agak kekok (kerana itu tiada akaun facebook).
Seorang kawan dunia fizikal yang bernama Siti Yusriza Abdullah berasal dari Alor Setar ("You can take a woman out of Otago, but you cannot take Otago out of the woman") pernah merungut, "Anda telah tulis 6 buku cerita, tapi kenapa nak emel pun terlalu susah?" Saya menjawab dalam hati: 6 buku cerita ditulis dengan tangan di dalam 2 buah diari ketika menghadiri mesyuarat-mesyuarat dan ceramah yang biasanya off-tangent, dan juga ketika menunggu ikan yang digoreng jadi rangup dalam minyak panas, sebab itu ialah lebih mudah, berbanding dengan menulis di hadapan komputer dengan Internet terpasang dengan hanya beberapa minit terluang. Dan apabila 2 diari yang telah penuh ditulis ini saya taipkan ke dalam komputer dalam microsoft word, ia sebenarnya suatu proses yang pantas.
(Jam 6.55 pagi, Ahad, selepas sahur & Subuh, ketika SEMUA ORANG sedang tidur)
Friday, July 30, 2010
PUBLISHING: NO REWIND, NO LOOKING BACK
As a writer, you can never comprehend how your readers hunger for your words, your sense of poetry, your plot and your bloody end. Until they tell you. They get angry at your carelessness because they have grown to love the worlds that you have created out of liveless and arbitrary words. And that knowledge will tear you apart.
Publishing a book, just like posting an entry in a blog, is not like reversing a boat (terlanjak perahu boleh ditarik, terlajak kata buruk padahnya). Words, words, words. How much bad feeling had been generated by the Internet just because you think you have the right to judge people of their morals? You can write them a private e-mail telling your grievances about her attitude, but not go public while the poor sap did not have a clue of what happened in your alternate universe. And a novel, you cannot just RECALL a novel, like you would a faulty product. And your reader has every right to critique your novel in public.
So before you send that manuscript for publication, make sure:
• You get it right it the first time. Make sure everything is spelled correctly. Make sure the terms are used correctly. Make sure name of characters are spelled correctly and consistently. Make sure your SENTENCES MAKE SENSE.
• The hurried pace is not because you are racing to reach a cursed deadline. Give urgency to the story because the story deserves it. Not because your 3 year old is wailing from the bedroom at 4 a.m. when he realized his mother is not with him and he wants milk! You can give all the excuses in the world but your reader spends money to get that measley novel of yours.
• Do not depend on anybody to make your story good. You are the one who make it good. The whole process stops at you. Period. No glittering cover, no prejudiced review can make your terrible story better. You are solely and wholly responsible for your story.
• The ending of the story is the one the hero deserves. You should not write a happy ending because you believe everything ends happily in your make-believe world while you try compensate for your ruined life. You should not write a sad, unredeemable, no-salvation ending just because you are bitter and broken.
So, here's another look at your sense of time.
Publishing a book, just like posting an entry in a blog, is not like reversing a boat (terlanjak perahu boleh ditarik, terlajak kata buruk padahnya). Words, words, words. How much bad feeling had been generated by the Internet just because you think you have the right to judge people of their morals? You can write them a private e-mail telling your grievances about her attitude, but not go public while the poor sap did not have a clue of what happened in your alternate universe. And a novel, you cannot just RECALL a novel, like you would a faulty product. And your reader has every right to critique your novel in public.
So before you send that manuscript for publication, make sure:
• You get it right it the first time. Make sure everything is spelled correctly. Make sure the terms are used correctly. Make sure name of characters are spelled correctly and consistently. Make sure your SENTENCES MAKE SENSE.
• The hurried pace is not because you are racing to reach a cursed deadline. Give urgency to the story because the story deserves it. Not because your 3 year old is wailing from the bedroom at 4 a.m. when he realized his mother is not with him and he wants milk! You can give all the excuses in the world but your reader spends money to get that measley novel of yours.
• Do not depend on anybody to make your story good. You are the one who make it good. The whole process stops at you. Period. No glittering cover, no prejudiced review can make your terrible story better. You are solely and wholly responsible for your story.
• The ending of the story is the one the hero deserves. You should not write a happy ending because you believe everything ends happily in your make-believe world while you try compensate for your ruined life. You should not write a sad, unredeemable, no-salvation ending just because you are bitter and broken.
So, here's another look at your sense of time.
Tamina: So, how much of the sands of time, um, sense of time do you need?
Dastan: To recall a novel? Each and every bit of them which has ever existed.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Ancestor Texts
I'm not the most original person in the world, mainly because things I've seen and read (even the flimsy ones) will somehow cling to my consciousness when they have struck a emotional chord in my mind. (Thus I've been having '_______ Month' for as long as I can remember, put anything/ anyone able to be googled in the blank). So, I operate optimally using somekind of ancestor texts. Mainly these texts are books and films, sometimes they are songs/ music.
So, I'm celebrating my ancestor texts. And in the process, reminding you to dig up your ancestor texts!
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So, I'm celebrating my ancestor texts. And in the process, reminding you to dig up your ancestor texts!
Work: Bukan Legasi Lalang (2001)
Place of birth: My degree's final year apartment, Cheras
Ancestor Texts (Books) :
Hikayat Hang Tuah
Sejarah Melayu
Ancestor Text (Film):
Secret Battle of the Majesty 1 & 2 (actually it is a Chinese drama serial)
Ancestor Text (Music):
Dolphin's Cry (LIVE)
Work: Merdekakan Cinta Ratna (2003)
Place of birth: Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house in Tanjung Karang (oh, those dark days of my life, not it was my aunt & uncle's fault!)
Ancestor Texts (Books):
Hikayat Hang Tuah
Sejarah Melayu
Ancestor Text (Film): Shakespeare In Love (2001)
Ancestor Text (Music): Break the Cycle (Staind)
Work: Odisi Tanah Kencana (2006)
Place of birth: Mother-in-law's house in Kg. Bukit Baru, in good ol' Malacca
Ancestor Texts (Books): Sejarah Melayu
Macbeth (William Shakespeare)
Ancestor Text (Film): Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
Ancestor Texts (Music): Seroja (Hussein Bawafi/Said Effendi)
Work: Warisnya Kalbu (2007)
Place of Birth: Mother-in-law's house
Ancestor Texts (Books): Karya Agung: Pantun Melayu
Ancestor Text (Film): Lagaan (2001)
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Work: Kasih Nan Agung (2008)
Place of Birth: Mother-in-law's house
Ancestor Texts (Books): From Lucy to Language (Donald Johanson, Blake Edgar)
Evolution Deceit (Harun Yahya)
Ancestor Text (Film): Lost (TV series)
Of course, the predecessor texts pale in comparison to the ancestor texts. But a girl has to start somewhere, anywhere!
What are your ancestor texts?
Friday, July 2, 2010
Will You Write ANYTHING Just Because YOU CAN?
The kinds of 'guilty pleasure' stories in the publishing industry and films these days are just too much. They are everywhere. I owned 'Twilight' long before the movie. The edition is the smaller one, the hand holding the red apple cover. And I enjoyed reading it. I even passed it on to my younger sister, who never return it until today eventhough she just visited me yesterday. And I bought and read 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse' long before the movies came out. But when the books became movies, I started backing out. I took my sister's copy of 'Breaking Dawn' (the same sister) and never read it simply because Bella and Edward got married. I said, hey, that's too close to reality - I already know the drill, I'm going to leave this.
Then, hoardes of vampire books invade the market, making me embarressed to own the series. Then, there is this 'immortal' series called 'Evermore' which I owned until the second book. I dropped the third book because I thought the STORY in the second book is not a story. Next, there's the 'fallen angel' book called 'Fallen'. I bought it and then kept it wrapped and unopened because I was trying to finish my sixth novel. You cannot imagine the torture. This beautifully illustrated cover of a gothic girl, crying with her hands covering her face against black-blue background sitting next my computer screen, while I was trying to key in the description of Plato's cave into my computer in Bahasa Melayu! When I finished and posted the whole cave away, I tore open the book and pfff! What a disappointment! The fallen angels are fighting over a girl!
Then it made me think of me writing one of these gothic novels too. I didn't want vampires, angels, or immortals, because that's just wrong. So, how about a girl whose words turn to reality? It's like a gothic Inkheart (part 2) after the girl Meggie read the words she wrote on the skin of her arms and brought them to reality. And she got visits from a prince whose kingdom was stuck on a verge of war when the writer of a book the kingdom is in dies when she was writing it. And guess what? The dead writer is the heroin's aunt. Something like that. That's going to be delicious. It's like a writer's heaven. Imagine, the whole book about the passion of writing and I'm going to blame it all on her unstable view of reality because she was struggling with guilt of causing the death of her parents. Redemption abound.
And because this is jake gyllenhaal month, I also discovered the script to the film in post-production 'source code'. It's a sci-fi about a dead soldier whose brain is kept alive so the military can send him back to an event of a terrorist attack in the past, so he could find the bomber and stop OTHER attacks from happening, not change the past. Is that even right? The brain kept alive and with its full capacity of thinking while all the sensory receptacles of the human host/body are dead. But it's really tempting. And the soldier asked for death, true death after he completes the mission. His soul finally lives on in the 'source code' dimension with the girl he met and saved on the doomed train. It makes a delicious story, but is it right?
Why all these rantings about stories that are just wrong? Because I have been tempted to do them. Just because words are property of any man/woman, it doesn't mean I can just write anything and everything as I please. There are consequences to what I have written - to my faith, to my morale as a person and writer, and the legacy that I'm going to leave behind.
And if people view me wrongly because of something I have written, yet I didn't intend for it to be viewed wrongly (misinterpretations that lead to slanders that lead to me being condemned), there must be something that I have done using those words that made people believe the way they believe about me. Maybe I should step back and review the whole thing.
Then, hoardes of vampire books invade the market, making me embarressed to own the series. Then, there is this 'immortal' series called 'Evermore' which I owned until the second book. I dropped the third book because I thought the STORY in the second book is not a story. Next, there's the 'fallen angel' book called 'Fallen'. I bought it and then kept it wrapped and unopened because I was trying to finish my sixth novel. You cannot imagine the torture. This beautifully illustrated cover of a gothic girl, crying with her hands covering her face against black-blue background sitting next my computer screen, while I was trying to key in the description of Plato's cave into my computer in Bahasa Melayu! When I finished and posted the whole cave away, I tore open the book and pfff! What a disappointment! The fallen angels are fighting over a girl!
Then it made me think of me writing one of these gothic novels too. I didn't want vampires, angels, or immortals, because that's just wrong. So, how about a girl whose words turn to reality? It's like a gothic Inkheart (part 2) after the girl Meggie read the words she wrote on the skin of her arms and brought them to reality. And she got visits from a prince whose kingdom was stuck on a verge of war when the writer of a book the kingdom is in dies when she was writing it. And guess what? The dead writer is the heroin's aunt. Something like that. That's going to be delicious. It's like a writer's heaven. Imagine, the whole book about the passion of writing and I'm going to blame it all on her unstable view of reality because she was struggling with guilt of causing the death of her parents. Redemption abound.
And because this is jake gyllenhaal month, I also discovered the script to the film in post-production 'source code'. It's a sci-fi about a dead soldier whose brain is kept alive so the military can send him back to an event of a terrorist attack in the past, so he could find the bomber and stop OTHER attacks from happening, not change the past. Is that even right? The brain kept alive and with its full capacity of thinking while all the sensory receptacles of the human host/body are dead. But it's really tempting. And the soldier asked for death, true death after he completes the mission. His soul finally lives on in the 'source code' dimension with the girl he met and saved on the doomed train. It makes a delicious story, but is it right?
Why all these rantings about stories that are just wrong? Because I have been tempted to do them. Just because words are property of any man/woman, it doesn't mean I can just write anything and everything as I please. There are consequences to what I have written - to my faith, to my morale as a person and writer, and the legacy that I'm going to leave behind.
And if people view me wrongly because of something I have written, yet I didn't intend for it to be viewed wrongly (misinterpretations that lead to slanders that lead to me being condemned), there must be something that I have done using those words that made people believe the way they believe about me. Maybe I should step back and review the whole thing.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
SANG PUTERA TANAH PARSI: Notes for Writing
PRINCE OF PERSIA: The Sands of Time is definitely not a masterpiece in filmaking or writing. But there are some good writing notes that I learned from this popcorn movie. They are:
1) A balance of strength between male and female leads: Since I love pairing a guy and a girl in my stories (to no romantic effect or purpose), I found the balance of power between Tamina and Dastan is fascinatingly written. How can I achieve that kind of balance in my next story? Is it even possible when I'm trying to make them collaborate instead of trying to kill each other? Does it always end with with a stronger lead and another will become the subordinate? Does change of principles during the story change the dynamics of power struggle between male and female leads? Towards balance or subordination?
2) It rises beyond cliche even when it has a cliched domestic plot point: Dastan is adopted by the king, literally picked up from the streets. And it was no secret. He was adopted long after the princes, Tus and Garsiv, were born. He was the youngest of the 3 princes. However, even in their fiercest battle, complete with accusations of treachery, not once the 2 royal blooded brothers ever questioned Dastan's position in the royal family. Yes, Garsiv did say that Dastan led an army of street brawlers but that's the truth - Dastan's men were street brawlers, not soldiers, but they never doubted their father's decision in adopting Dastan. Imagine if such a plot point exists in a local domestic drama, it will be used to crucify the lead character to death.
3) Interesting alternative imagery to replace gratituous violence: There is a scene where Dastan commits suicide to proof to his brother Tus that he is innocent. We know Dastan cannot die in this story, but he killed himself nevertheless. The audience need not see that because we know Dastan will live again, in a time travel paradox (which I always hate). So they make this scene, where Dastan falls, he crashes on a table-load of foodstuff and a jar of red wine spilled on the floor. So, we get it. Dastan is dead. For now. Now, how is that going to be written, if you're going to write it down? Will it achieve the same effect?
4) The fast-paced narration: Can we write something as fast as this thing, without making it rubbish? I believe action packed stories will not lose its meaningfulness. But, that is yet to be put to the test with what writers write and how it translates to the readers.
See. There are always bad books and bad movies. But one can always learn from them, rather than tossing them aside with pre-judgement and prejudice before actually reading or viewing.
1) A balance of strength between male and female leads: Since I love pairing a guy and a girl in my stories (to no romantic effect or purpose), I found the balance of power between Tamina and Dastan is fascinatingly written. How can I achieve that kind of balance in my next story? Is it even possible when I'm trying to make them collaborate instead of trying to kill each other? Does it always end with with a stronger lead and another will become the subordinate? Does change of principles during the story change the dynamics of power struggle between male and female leads? Towards balance or subordination?
2) It rises beyond cliche even when it has a cliched domestic plot point: Dastan is adopted by the king, literally picked up from the streets. And it was no secret. He was adopted long after the princes, Tus and Garsiv, were born. He was the youngest of the 3 princes. However, even in their fiercest battle, complete with accusations of treachery, not once the 2 royal blooded brothers ever questioned Dastan's position in the royal family. Yes, Garsiv did say that Dastan led an army of street brawlers but that's the truth - Dastan's men were street brawlers, not soldiers, but they never doubted their father's decision in adopting Dastan. Imagine if such a plot point exists in a local domestic drama, it will be used to crucify the lead character to death.
3) Interesting alternative imagery to replace gratituous violence: There is a scene where Dastan commits suicide to proof to his brother Tus that he is innocent. We know Dastan cannot die in this story, but he killed himself nevertheless. The audience need not see that because we know Dastan will live again, in a time travel paradox (which I always hate). So they make this scene, where Dastan falls, he crashes on a table-load of foodstuff and a jar of red wine spilled on the floor. So, we get it. Dastan is dead. For now. Now, how is that going to be written, if you're going to write it down? Will it achieve the same effect?
4) The fast-paced narration: Can we write something as fast as this thing, without making it rubbish? I believe action packed stories will not lose its meaningfulness. But, that is yet to be put to the test with what writers write and how it translates to the readers.
Defy the Future: Ya, ya, I see you, Jake Gyllenhaal, not starring in the sequels. Boo hoo.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
LOST Finale: Rest In Peace
If anyone is going to ask me what are my favourite TV shows in my adult life, I'll answer there are only 2. One is the X-Files, which I abandoned when everyone (Scully and Mulder) left the show in its final season and left me in a lurch. And another which I hadn't had the chance to abandon because the people behind it decided they're going to end it when the story ends, which is LOST.
People might think that I'm beyond saving and decadent when they read about the freemasonry and biblical references of the series but that is not why I watch that series. I watch it for the STORY which is what people of any race and religion and nationality would identify with. I don't care about the fight between Jacob and Man In Black, good versus evil and all the religious references, but I care about Jack (first and foremost), Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Locke, Jin, Sun, Claire and the rest of the gang. That's what makes LOST special because the attachment made between the viewer and the characters. And that's what's important when you're writing for teenagers. Your main characters must be able to make a connection with the reader, because young people need that attachment. Make your characters believable, with a face, with dreams and nightmares, with a past and a future. Make them strong, make them weak.
I haven't watched the entirety of LOST's final season since the DVD isn't out yet, so I just watched snippets of the end on the Internet and wow, was I blown away. How could they set up first episode of Season One and were able to see what it will make in the final episode of the final season? The attention to details - the bamboo grove, the dog Vincent, the lone white shoe, the cut on Jack's side, the plane taking off instead of plummeting and the eyes closing. Brilliant writing, tremendous amount of detail, amazing foresight.
LOST has been my inspiration when I was writing Kasih Nan Agung and it worked wonderfully well in a whole different and alien context. But the jungle adventure still remains.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving, but the fighter still remains" - Jack Shepard chanelling Lee Dewyze's rendition of The Boxer.
Rest in peace LOST. Now I have to find something else that will match that kind of writing brilliance.
People might think that I'm beyond saving and decadent when they read about the freemasonry and biblical references of the series but that is not why I watch that series. I watch it for the STORY which is what people of any race and religion and nationality would identify with. I don't care about the fight between Jacob and Man In Black, good versus evil and all the religious references, but I care about Jack (first and foremost), Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Locke, Jin, Sun, Claire and the rest of the gang. That's what makes LOST special because the attachment made between the viewer and the characters. And that's what's important when you're writing for teenagers. Your main characters must be able to make a connection with the reader, because young people need that attachment. Make your characters believable, with a face, with dreams and nightmares, with a past and a future. Make them strong, make them weak.
I haven't watched the entirety of LOST's final season since the DVD isn't out yet, so I just watched snippets of the end on the Internet and wow, was I blown away. How could they set up first episode of Season One and were able to see what it will make in the final episode of the final season? The attention to details - the bamboo grove, the dog Vincent, the lone white shoe, the cut on Jack's side, the plane taking off instead of plummeting and the eyes closing. Brilliant writing, tremendous amount of detail, amazing foresight.
LOST has been my inspiration when I was writing Kasih Nan Agung and it worked wonderfully well in a whole different and alien context. But the jungle adventure still remains.
Rest in peace LOST. Now I have to find something else that will match that kind of writing brilliance.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Creative Writing Class (Module 5): Writing Fantasy
The club meeting clocked the attendance of 11 students (an all time high), and only 5 of the total are club members. But I wasn't prepared for the interest that these students showed.
For the first session, which is 'Creating Worlds', I collected some weird ideas - a planet where the inhabitants live to wage war, a planet made of chocolate, a planet of only carnivores, and two Pandora-like planets.
The second session is 'Creating the Hero'. The heroes live on the aforementioned planets, so there is a hero who is bent on waging war (a war commander with the ability to see the future). I commented that the hero is more suitable to be a villain. There is hero who is bent on finding more chocolate. (I couldn't bring myself to comment that the idea is a tad too childish). There's this idea of making the Pandora-like planet facing the threat of the Sparta-like planet.
"Creating the Nemesis' is the third session. There are more fantastical creatures being made. But I want to highlight the curses these students put on their heroes and nemesis. There are curses based on time frame, one curse that will be undone by true love, and curse of death (aren't we all cursed that way).
None of the students are thinking about writing a story set in the dimensions of time and space on Earth. Maybe they think that this has been done to death.
Until we meet again.
For the first session, which is 'Creating Worlds', I collected some weird ideas - a planet where the inhabitants live to wage war, a planet made of chocolate, a planet of only carnivores, and two Pandora-like planets.
The second session is 'Creating the Hero'. The heroes live on the aforementioned planets, so there is a hero who is bent on waging war (a war commander with the ability to see the future). I commented that the hero is more suitable to be a villain. There is hero who is bent on finding more chocolate. (I couldn't bring myself to comment that the idea is a tad too childish). There's this idea of making the Pandora-like planet facing the threat of the Sparta-like planet.
"Creating the Nemesis' is the third session. There are more fantastical creatures being made. But I want to highlight the curses these students put on their heroes and nemesis. There are curses based on time frame, one curse that will be undone by true love, and curse of death (aren't we all cursed that way).
None of the students are thinking about writing a story set in the dimensions of time and space on Earth. Maybe they think that this has been done to death.
Until we meet again.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Creative Writing Class (4)
This week's tutorial had the attendance of 6 students (yay!). And it was a very important session because we were creating the heroes/ heroines (?) of our novels. Students fill up this A4 sheet of profile provided by yours truly and it was amazing that they were able to fill it up so quickly. These kids are truly in their element! And next came the presentation.
Automatically, most students find their GENRE and their PLOT once they fill up the sheet. A boy named Firdaus, 15, is going to write a fantasy-thriller. His novel's main character is bent on finding who murdered his father and he has the ability to have glimpses of the future. It is a great combination of motivation and ability, setting the story into a heady course.
And the ladies! Filzah (15), Aida & Linda (16), Shuhada and Zuriana (17), created characters unclear in their motivations except for Filzah's main character's search for her missing parents. The characters are more like they're on holiday in Korea or something. And these students realize that their genre will be domestic (romance, family, comedy)
.
Automatically, most students find their GENRE and their PLOT once they fill up the sheet. A boy named Firdaus, 15, is going to write a fantasy-thriller. His novel's main character is bent on finding who murdered his father and he has the ability to have glimpses of the future. It is a great combination of motivation and ability, setting the story into a heady course.
And the ladies! Filzah (15), Aida & Linda (16), Shuhada and Zuriana (17), created characters unclear in their motivations except for Filzah's main character's search for her missing parents. The characters are more like they're on holiday in Korea or something. And these students realize that their genre will be domestic (romance, family, comedy)
.
All I can say is - what ever rocks your boat! I can't make everyone become sad and moody and hell-bent on finding redemption. And have I got photos!
Aida Farzana and her camera. It is Journalism Club anyway! Firdaus doing more scribbling.
Filzah presenting her hero profile. Linda watches.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Creative Writing Class (3)
Today's Journalism Club's Creative Writing Class had the participation of 4 students - 2 members and 2 non-members. Today's tutorial topic is 'How To Begin Your Story'. I didn't talk about writing techniques but I presented exercises that will guarantee students to be able to create the MAIN CHARACTERS and THE PROBLEMS faced by these characters. The combination of these two will inevitably create a storyline. So, the students, Shuhada, Aida Farzana, Kharul and Suraya pitched in their spontaneous ideas and the ideas gelled into this story:
A girl named Kamilia has issues with commitment. She can't seem to like any contact with the male species of the population. Her family thinks that it is high time and she gets married and kind of matchmade her with the hero of the story named Helmi Affendi. Kamilia rebelled and she 'ran away' from home. She is by the way 25 years old and she rents with her friends. Enter a villain named Ainin Sofia, whose sweet name and sweetness are only a facade to a sinister and obssessive personality. Ainin Sofia likes Helmi Affendi but the guy thinks that the shrew Kamilia is destined to be his match. So there is this chasing triangle. Ainin Sofia plots lots of stuff to ruin Helmi's pursuit for Kamilia but nothing works. Ainin plans for her magnum opus involving thugs in a recreational jungle.
Meanwhile, the family plans a get-together for Helmi's parents and Kamilia's relatives in a recreational jungle. With everything thrown in, the stage is set for disaster. Helmi and Kamilia got separated from the group and the race for survival begins. Kamilia gets into BIG life and death complication and Helmi makes the final sacrifice, which makes Kamilia realizes that Helmi is THE ONE for her.
The End.
Cliched, you think? Done to death, absolutely. But it is so EXCITING. Young love, antagonism, jealousy, and JUNGLE ADVENTURE and the climax that makes the reader breathless. So, when am I going to teach the ideology of patriotic and religious writing, writing about science and history that can change the way people think rather than rehashing old themes added with sensationalism?
I am going to wait. These kids are 16 and 17. I am getting them to write first, in the age cellphone games and online chatting. I managed to slip in 3 moral values - the sanctity of marriage, not running away from problems and know when to accept kindness.
The Creative Writing will continue, God willing. It was such a scintillating session that I forgot the camera again!
A girl named Kamilia has issues with commitment. She can't seem to like any contact with the male species of the population. Her family thinks that it is high time and she gets married and kind of matchmade her with the hero of the story named Helmi Affendi. Kamilia rebelled and she 'ran away' from home. She is by the way 25 years old and she rents with her friends. Enter a villain named Ainin Sofia, whose sweet name and sweetness are only a facade to a sinister and obssessive personality. Ainin Sofia likes Helmi Affendi but the guy thinks that the shrew Kamilia is destined to be his match. So there is this chasing triangle. Ainin Sofia plots lots of stuff to ruin Helmi's pursuit for Kamilia but nothing works. Ainin plans for her magnum opus involving thugs in a recreational jungle.
Meanwhile, the family plans a get-together for Helmi's parents and Kamilia's relatives in a recreational jungle. With everything thrown in, the stage is set for disaster. Helmi and Kamilia got separated from the group and the race for survival begins. Kamilia gets into BIG life and death complication and Helmi makes the final sacrifice, which makes Kamilia realizes that Helmi is THE ONE for her.
The End.
Cliched, you think? Done to death, absolutely. But it is so EXCITING. Young love, antagonism, jealousy, and JUNGLE ADVENTURE and the climax that makes the reader breathless. So, when am I going to teach the ideology of patriotic and religious writing, writing about science and history that can change the way people think rather than rehashing old themes added with sensationalism?
I am going to wait. These kids are 16 and 17. I am getting them to write first, in the age cellphone games and online chatting. I managed to slip in 3 moral values - the sanctity of marriage, not running away from problems and know when to accept kindness.
The Creative Writing will continue, God willing. It was such a scintillating session that I forgot the camera again!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Creative Writing Class (2)
The second session of the series of creative writing class is on what students have to do to publish their work. Eventhough this seems to be more suitable as the final class but it is sometimes better to know the ending of a story before embarking on the journey of reading the story and not knowing where you are going.
Of course the session was embroiled in nitty-gritty details but the important message is clear. Teenagers living in Malaysia is very lucky because getting published in this country is still considered as an open field. You don't need to find an agent to publish your work. As long as your manuscipt is of a readable kind and you are open to corrections from the editors, you can get your work published even if you're an unknown.
So, go for it kids.
Of course the session was embroiled in nitty-gritty details but the important message is clear. Teenagers living in Malaysia is very lucky because getting published in this country is still considered as an open field. You don't need to find an agent to publish your work. As long as your manuscipt is of a readable kind and you are open to corrections from the editors, you can get your work published even if you're an unknown.
So, go for it kids.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Creative Writing Class
There are a few exhilarating things I have done intelectually, and this is one of them. I opened a Creative Writing Class for students in my school under the pretext of handling the Journalism Club. Of course, members of the Journalism Club are compulsory to attend but you know how it will turn out with these busy children. Them and their activities! Instead the class was attended by ELEVEN children who were really interested in making it as writers, and some of them are not club members. ELEVEN? you ask. ELEVEN for something free? That is pathetic. Actually, eleven is quite a large turn out, for my standards. I mean, this is no Glee Club. ( And Glee Club has like, what, seven kids in it).
I started with Module 1: Why Write and Write For Money. I gave them reasons and consequences. And I lay out a game plan for kids who are 15 and this plan is going to fully take off when they are 24. I didn't forget to stress the point that 'writing may be an alternative to formal vocation' but 'writing or formal vocation will never replace education'. I stressed on the importance of reading, learning and going the furthest children can go in attaining knowledge.
And I got some mind-boggling questions and opinions from these 15 year old kids which I seldom see in formal classroom situation,such as:
1. How do I send out my stories? (Will be revealed in Module 2)
2. How long will I take to finish one novel? (For fifteen year olds who have their dinner served by their moms, 2 years maximum)
3. Science fiction writing takes up more time for research.
4. Some 'new' genres of writing - comic script writing, thriller-fantasy-romance.
It was exhilarating and absolutely heady. But there is a problem when you're handling a one-woman show. I got too excited that I forgot to take any photos of this excellent session. The camera was in my handbag but I was too busy talking and kids were busy asking questions that I forgot to even take out the camera and ask a kid to snap some photos.
So, this week - I am going to take some photos for Module 2: How to Publish Your Writing.
I started with Module 1: Why Write and Write For Money. I gave them reasons and consequences. And I lay out a game plan for kids who are 15 and this plan is going to fully take off when they are 24. I didn't forget to stress the point that 'writing may be an alternative to formal vocation' but 'writing or formal vocation will never replace education'. I stressed on the importance of reading, learning and going the furthest children can go in attaining knowledge.
And I got some mind-boggling questions and opinions from these 15 year old kids which I seldom see in formal classroom situation,such as:
1. How do I send out my stories? (Will be revealed in Module 2)
2. How long will I take to finish one novel? (For fifteen year olds who have their dinner served by their moms, 2 years maximum)
3. Science fiction writing takes up more time for research.
4. Some 'new' genres of writing - comic script writing, thriller-fantasy-romance.
It was exhilarating and absolutely heady. But there is a problem when you're handling a one-woman show. I got too excited that I forgot to take any photos of this excellent session. The camera was in my handbag but I was too busy talking and kids were busy asking questions that I forgot to even take out the camera and ask a kid to snap some photos.
So, this week - I am going to take some photos for Module 2: How to Publish Your Writing.
Monday, March 29, 2010
MERANTAU (2009): Lessons for Writers of Creative Fiction (Part 4)
The Final Part of the series:
So, thank you, Mr. Writer of Merantau (2009), for writing this model of martial arts writing. Salut. Can't wait for your next writing foray.
5. The Importance of Closure
Yuda, who decided that he was going to use his fist, had caused a few of his nemesis' death, intentionally or otherwise. He was tainted. He had taken a fighter's path of life. He killed, so he then somehow meet his end being killed. And yes, he could only fight to a limit. He could only fight a certain number of men up to a certain time. He was not a superhero or demigod. He did not have that kind of power. By the time he beat up the unrepentant Ratger, he had been running and kicking for 12 hoursstraight with a few seconds rest consisting of some breathing exercise. He was human after all. So the writer had to end his life in fiction.
Wonderfully, the writer gave the poor viewers closure. Yuda rescued like 3000 girls from human trafficking. He gave a new and safe home for Astri and Adit. He put a definite end to Ratger and Luc's exploits. He died saving the world. He kept his promise to his mother - he would 'do his best' and he would 'return'. He told Astri there would be people who love her. And before that, to Eric, the disillusioned silat practitioner - 'he'll never be the man he (Eric) has become'.
Monday, March 22, 2010
MERANTAU (2009): Lessons For Writers of Creative Fiction
Once in a while, there is one film that shocks you out of your mental comma. MERANTAU (2009) is one. From the point of view of a writer, other than being a rabid fan, I can say that I learn very important pointers that I failed to learn in many writing guide books or in some writing seminars where people talk about the 'philosophy' of writing.
1. The Importance of Timing
No one likes a story which takes a thousand years to happen on the pages. But people do want to know what happened a thousand years ago. MERANTAU is written a la Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. It takes 4 days and 4 nights in detailed sequence. It is that tight:
First night - travelling
Second night - sleeping in a construction site
Third night - fighting starts
Fourth night - end of story after a dozen fighting sequences and pints of fake blood.
2. The Importance of Investing in Detailed Description of the Hero
Unlike a film director, the writer does not have the luxury of visual implements & machines in writing fiction. However the writer's tools are words she uses and there are still as potent as any machinery. As the photography obssessively traces the hero's physique - strands of his hair, his skin and breath, a writer uses words to describe her hero.The 'female gaze' is absolutely helpful if used innocently, matter-of-factly and honestly. So what if the hero is lean, sinewy and has eyes that are like dot dot dot - that's my innocent, matter-of-factly, honest 'female gaze'. Next, invest in creating a backstory for the hero - his origins, his obssessions, his strenghts and weaknesses. The reader will be hooked, and they'll stick with you till the gory end.
1. The Importance of Timing
No one likes a story which takes a thousand years to happen on the pages. But people do want to know what happened a thousand years ago. MERANTAU is written a la Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. It takes 4 days and 4 nights in detailed sequence. It is that tight:
First night - travelling
Second night - sleeping in a construction site
Third night - fighting starts
Fourth night - end of story after a dozen fighting sequences and pints of fake blood.
2. The Importance of Investing in Detailed Description of the Hero
Unlike a film director, the writer does not have the luxury of visual implements & machines in writing fiction. However the writer's tools are words she uses and there are still as potent as any machinery. As the photography obssessively traces the hero's physique - strands of his hair, his skin and breath, a writer uses words to describe her hero.The 'female gaze' is absolutely helpful if used innocently, matter-of-factly and honestly. So what if the hero is lean, sinewy and has eyes that are like dot dot dot - that's my innocent, matter-of-factly, honest 'female gaze'. Next, invest in creating a backstory for the hero - his origins, his obssessions, his strenghts and weaknesses. The reader will be hooked, and they'll stick with you till the gory end.
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