Consequences – Deus Ex Machina in Dylan Dog
It's Josh again, and I recently saw Dylan Dog. It was a clever little movie, very similar to Being Human. While some parts of it were pretty funny, the end left a lot to be desired. Spoiler alert: I’m going to ruin a pretty lame ending.
The movie is all about an ancient cross that contains the essence of an incredibly powerful demon. Once raised, the demon is strong enough to take over the world. The monster inevitably appears, and it is epic. Jet black, armored, winged, and armed with massive horns and claws, the demon looks very cool.
Visuals aside, there are some nasty problems with how the end plays out.
Throughout the film, various characters establish the demon’s rules. Basically, once the demon is summoned, there is a symbiotic relationship between the demon and its creator. They must work together. If the summoner dies, then the demon gets trapped again in its artifact (an epic looking cross). But while it’s out, the demon has to obey the person who released it.
The movie’s villain summons the demon only to learn that it isn’t subject to the summoner’s will. The demon can do whatever it wants. The demon is able to break the summoner’s hold; it’s a surprise, and there’s nothing wrong in that.
It’s a pretty good moment except for one problem. Okay, the rules everyone expected are wrong. There’s nothing inconsistent there. Except the demon seems to forget about its symbiotic relationship to the person who summoned it. He goes back into the cross if that person dies, yet he attacks the summoner and flies away.
From there, Dylan—the main character—fights the demon and basically gets his ass kicked. He doesn’t stop the demon. He doesn’t even hurt it or slow it down. And while he fights, the summoner rushes out—and is eaten by a pack of werewolves. Summoner dead, the demon is trapped once again in his artifact. Yay, happy ending.
So Dylan accomplished nothing. If he hadn’t been there and if he hadn’t valiantly battled such a powerful enemy, literally nothing would have been different. The demon would have flown off and the summoner would have still died. The werewolves are way more important.
But this all raises another question. The demon is intelligent. He mocks the summoner, pointing out how he doesn’t need any help and how he can do what he wants. And yet, if that person dies, then he goes back to his imprisonment. He talks. He seems to think. So why doesn’t he understand this obvious vulnerability? Seriously, he knocks the summoner into a wall and flies off gloating about how evil he’s going to be.
If I were a reasonably intelligent demon bound to the world by one person, I would work really hard to keep that individual safe. Even if I didn’t care about that person’s happiness, I’m definitely worried about their safety. Sure, I might lock the summoner in a cage, but I’m going to make sure nothing bad happens. I don’t want to get sucked back into an artifact because this one person got hit by a car.
Right?
Writers set the rules of their supernatural worlds. That’s part of the fun, and yet it implies a responsibility to be consistent. Readers, especially those of the nerd breed, tend to be very judicious in tracking those rules. When writers break their own rules, readers get annoyed and lose any faith they might have had in the story.
Showing posts with label romance writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance writer. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Genres in Practice
For those of you who don’t know, my name is Josh, I’m a fantasy romance writer, and here are some of my ideas on writing and literary genres in particular.
At first glance, genres seem pretty simple. Genres are categories. Some basic examples include science-fiction, young adult, women’s, and horror. They tell us what we’re about to read before we turn to page one. Genres are supposed to be the labels we use to figure what kind of story we’re about to read or write, but this simple idea gets messy. It gets messy fast.
For writers, it genres can get particularly annoying. Whenever you approach a publisher, you include the genre of your novel. Again, this should be easy. We think of our favorite books or movies and they routinely fall into very easy and obvious categories. Star Wars is science fiction. Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The Outsiders is young adult. It all seems so easy.
It’s not much easier for readers. Last week I went to Borders and noticed some strange placements. A copy of Pride and Prejudice was next to Twilight. Little Women had been placed beside Hunger Games. So what made those books young adult? What made those books young adult when they would probably be off in the literature section too?
Nothing really. As near as I can tell, genres attract particular kinds of readers and the bookstore guessed what those readers would like to see. Pride and Prejudice, for all of its literary merit, is basically a romantic comedy.
And what do you do with books written with the sole purpose of messing up genres? Look at books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Jane Slayre, or any of the other new hybrid books which start off as literary classics and meld into horror, sci-fi, or fantasy.
One solution is to get more specific. We can combine genres, so we are now reading young adult romance or romantic comedy, but those get kind of strange when we look at some of the possibilities. We might start off with teen literature, but then it goes to teen romance, then paranormal teen romance. It spirals out pretty quick.
A lot of it just comes down to marketing, but I think of my own books, and classification gets a lot harder. My first book, Infinite, was the story of an incubus who falls in love with a vampire. This should be fantasy? Horror? Young adult? Action?
Any of those genres would work. It is a fantasy story insofar as we get lots of supernatural creatures. Some of the scenes are pretty scary too. One of the main characters, Kylie Colt, is desperate for blood and faces the possibility of starving to death. Both characters are in high school, so hey, young adult could be logical. And there is a lot of fighting, so action makes sense.
When I approach publishers with a new book, I try to be honest, but it’s hard. So many books could fall into so many categories. I recently heard one character on TV say something about how Twilight is the lamest horror book ever written. Horror? Really? Well, it does make sense. Edward is a vampire. We expect vampires to be scary.
If you’re a reader then, just be open and recognize that genres are loose labels. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. If you’re a writer, employ genres when you have to and don’t let a label box you in. Mysteries have romantic subplots. A horror story might include some sci-fi.
Even if they don’t always work, genres are useful. Sometimes. You head to one part of a bookstore and you get a sense of what you might find. Still, there is always the potential for a surprise. This is what makes bookstores so awesome. You can never be completely sure what you’ll get.
At first glance, genres seem pretty simple. Genres are categories. Some basic examples include science-fiction, young adult, women’s, and horror. They tell us what we’re about to read before we turn to page one. Genres are supposed to be the labels we use to figure what kind of story we’re about to read or write, but this simple idea gets messy. It gets messy fast.
For writers, it genres can get particularly annoying. Whenever you approach a publisher, you include the genre of your novel. Again, this should be easy. We think of our favorite books or movies and they routinely fall into very easy and obvious categories. Star Wars is science fiction. Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The Outsiders is young adult. It all seems so easy.
It’s not much easier for readers. Last week I went to Borders and noticed some strange placements. A copy of Pride and Prejudice was next to Twilight. Little Women had been placed beside Hunger Games. So what made those books young adult? What made those books young adult when they would probably be off in the literature section too?
Nothing really. As near as I can tell, genres attract particular kinds of readers and the bookstore guessed what those readers would like to see. Pride and Prejudice, for all of its literary merit, is basically a romantic comedy.
And what do you do with books written with the sole purpose of messing up genres? Look at books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Jane Slayre, or any of the other new hybrid books which start off as literary classics and meld into horror, sci-fi, or fantasy.
One solution is to get more specific. We can combine genres, so we are now reading young adult romance or romantic comedy, but those get kind of strange when we look at some of the possibilities. We might start off with teen literature, but then it goes to teen romance, then paranormal teen romance. It spirals out pretty quick.
A lot of it just comes down to marketing, but I think of my own books, and classification gets a lot harder. My first book, Infinite, was the story of an incubus who falls in love with a vampire. This should be fantasy? Horror? Young adult? Action?
Any of those genres would work. It is a fantasy story insofar as we get lots of supernatural creatures. Some of the scenes are pretty scary too. One of the main characters, Kylie Colt, is desperate for blood and faces the possibility of starving to death. Both characters are in high school, so hey, young adult could be logical. And there is a lot of fighting, so action makes sense.
When I approach publishers with a new book, I try to be honest, but it’s hard. So many books could fall into so many categories. I recently heard one character on TV say something about how Twilight is the lamest horror book ever written. Horror? Really? Well, it does make sense. Edward is a vampire. We expect vampires to be scary.
If you’re a reader then, just be open and recognize that genres are loose labels. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. If you’re a writer, employ genres when you have to and don’t let a label box you in. Mysteries have romantic subplots. A horror story might include some sci-fi.
Even if they don’t always work, genres are useful. Sometimes. You head to one part of a bookstore and you get a sense of what you might find. Still, there is always the potential for a surprise. This is what makes bookstores so awesome. You can never be completely sure what you’ll get.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Critiques -- An Authors Best & Worst Friends
I remember my first critique even though it was on a story I received #$ (cough, clear throat) years ago in high school. The critique was in response to a short story assignment in my freshman English class. I never did like that classmate.
As a writer, living in a vacuum is a terrible thing. Beyond reading everything in your genre that you can get your hands on and books and articles on the craft, letting others read your work is painful and helpful at the same time. There are a myriad of ways to get your work critiqued. Join a local writers' group or an online group where you trade chapters and critique each other's work. DO NOT ask your family or friends for their opinions on your stories unless they are some sort of professional writer, editor, etc. They will tend to be too nice and while their comments may boost your ego, they won't help you improve your writing.
So, you've joined a Critting group (you're critiquing partners are now know as Critters), how do you, as a writer and critting partner, provide useful feedback? DO NOT be too nice. That's not helpful at all. "It was great. I loved every bit of it," will not be useful to your partner and while again, it may be an ego booster, it won't help them improve their work. If it's true and you can't find a thing to say, that's amazing, but chances are good it's not the complete truth.
Also, DO NOT be mean. Remember that the story may not be to your taste, but look at it with a professional eye, not a personal one. Many people crit in Word and use the bubble comments. Personally, I prefer to highlight. I use one color for passages I think need work and another to highlight areas that I find well done. Don't forget praise! Not only will it keep your critting partner's spirits up when they see all the yellow highlights (stuff they might want to revise) on the page, but it helps show them what they're doing right, in your humble and honest opinion.
Start with the big picture. Are the characters' actions consistent and believable? Are the hero and heroine likable or at least relatable? Does the plot make sense or is there too much coincidence and literary license going on to make it believable? Is a scene or chapter moving the story forward rather than being a snapshot of life with no conflict that moves the tale along? If you feel comfortable, pay attention to the technical details of writing -- grammar, punctuation, use of dialogue tags, adverbs and adjectives, run-on sentences.
Some writers will ask you to pay attention to certain aspects of their writing while others prefer an intense, full crit that covers all the areas above. Most important is to be honest without being a butcher. Don't say, "I hate your character." Be specific. Say, "Your character is difficult for the reader to relate to because his motivation is not explained."
On the other end, some of the critiques you receive will hurt. Someone has judged your baby, your precious that you've spent hours and a bit of your own blood to craft. Take a deep breath, put the crit aside for a day or two until you can come back and look at it rationally. Remember that these are only suggestions and it is ultimately YOUR WORK. Don't take outside advice and alter your story unless you feel it makes your writing better. If a suggestion changes the fundamental nature of your voice or style, that is hurting your story more than helping. Ignore the well-meant advice and move on.
While a crit may make you want to punch a wall or the critter, remember they're meant to be helpful, a tool t make your work better. Like life, even the bad stuff can help make us stronger.
Cheers,
Lila Barton
Visit my blog on writing at http://lilabarton.wordpress.com/
And my blog about my stories at http://lilabartonromance.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 28, 2011
Romance vs. Reality
Hi all, I am a new blogger here at Nocturnal Nights and will be posting on the 28th of each month about writing romances in the genres of fantasy, paranormal, historical, mythology, and whatever else comes to mind.
A little about me: I write Celtic romances for Awe-Struck, Freya's Bower and Noble Romance. My lifelong passion for Celtic mythology and storytelling inspired me to write novels with fierce warriors, bold women and otherworldly creatures. I also edit for a small press publisher.
My current home is Arizona with my husband and two dogs. Three of my favorite things are men in kilts, sunrises and anything dipped in chocolate.
I look forward to getting to know the other authors and readers at NN. Now, on to my post for today:
Writing romance can be tricky, at least for me, when it comes to deciding how far to take the fantasy and where to draw the line at reality. Usually when I tell someone I write romances, I either get a snicker or a big smile. The big smile almost always comes from a man. And I understand why some people snicker at romance authors—some romances are trite and too ridiculous to be believable. But what makes a romance trite and ridiculous to some is appealing to romance readers. They yearn to escape from reality by reading about a hero and heroine that fall in love, and despite obstacles, have a happy ever after or happy for now ending.
The trick is to find that balance between romantic fantasy and gritty reality to write a compelling romance. How does a romance author write a romance that isn’t too realistic or too unbelievable?
I thought about this when I saw a commercial for the online dating site called Zoosk. With sexy music playing, two half-dressed lovers run to each other in the bedroom and smack heads, then the woman bumps her head on the bed frame and they fall over a chair. Not the ideal romance scene, but in real life romantic moments aren’t perfect. I try to bring some of that realism into my sex scenes. In one book my hero and heroine break the bed frame. This adds some humor and realism to the romance. Moments like that can also reveal something about the characters, how they act in an embarrassing situation.
I also avoid using purple prose, especially in my sex scenes. (Purple prose is a term of literary criticism used to describe passages written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself). Every author should avoid the purple prose lure.
Another way to prevent a romance from being ridiculous is to avoid writing situations that are too unbelievable and can cause readers to roll their eyes. The one that bugs me the most is the virgin heroine who feels no pain and climaxes with ease her very first time having intercourse. No way. And this comes from experience.
By keeping a balance between fantasy and reality, a romance can be convincing without losing the romantic fantasy aspect for the reader. After all, imperfect characters are more interesting and they can still have their happy ending.
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
ROMANCE by Bea Jay Nelson
Hello, I’m Bea Jay Nelson. Thanks to Carey for asking me to contribute to her wonderful blog. Today I’m talking romance.
Romance can be different things to different people. When you think of romance what springs to your mind?
For me, the movie Casablanca is the all time romantic film. Every time I see it I reach for my box of tissues. I think it has all the elements of a well written romance. For those who have yet to experience the movie, below is a movie review by Cole Smithey. Can I recommend getting it out on DVD?
Although it was made in 1942, "Casablanca" is still the greatest romantic drama ever made. The obsessive longing and regret that Humphrey Bogart's Rick and Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa feel for one another is magnified by the relentless social conditions that they find themselves in when fate brings them together after many years apart. World War II Casablanca is a dangerous place for an ex-patriate American, and even more so for the girl of a French Resistance Freedom Fighter (Paul Henreid's Victor Laszlo). Casablanca is the exotic location where a separated couple of dyed-in-the-wool lovers can reinvent their overpowering mutual love should they so choose, unless Rick, an apparent apolitical cynic, opts to sacrifice their once-in-a-lifetime chance in the name of a greater human cause. Such is the nature of director Michael Curtiz's film that features remarkable performances from Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Claude Rains. Broken into three clearly defined acts--the script was based on a stage play--and beautifully filmed with noir-inflected shadows by the great cinematographer Arthur Edeson ("The Maltese Falcon"), "Casablanca" has a way of refreshing itself the more times you view it. Between the heavily layered visual image systems at work, and the crisscrossing elements of social unrest and suppressed emotion, lies a movie that captures romantic lightening in a bottle. It doesn't hurt that Bogart and Bergman come together like flash paper to flame. The bitter sweetness of love never looked, or sounded, so good.
Every time I start reading a book, I know I can go different places, see other worlds, and experience different cultures and a tingle of excitement can be felt as I start page one. To be able to experience the lives of hundreds, thousands of other people, be romanced by countless heroes who have given there love to that one special woman, is all I want out of a romance.
I would love to bring this type of emotion and drama into my own writing. When I sit down in front of my keyboard, I try to write about a man and a woman that I can emotionally connect with. Because what I believe it all comes down to. Whether it be set in a location 500,000 miles above the planet in a spacecraft, or 500 years in the past in a medieval castle, it’s about the romantic connection between the hero and heroine. I’m a romance writer, and I like to think romance is all about your imagination. So use you imagination and do something you consider romantic for yourself or someone else, and let me know what it is.
Bea Jay
Romance writer
Romance can be different things to different people. When you think of romance what springs to your mind?
For me, the movie Casablanca is the all time romantic film. Every time I see it I reach for my box of tissues. I think it has all the elements of a well written romance. For those who have yet to experience the movie, below is a movie review by Cole Smithey. Can I recommend getting it out on DVD?
Although it was made in 1942, "Casablanca" is still the greatest romantic drama ever made. The obsessive longing and regret that Humphrey Bogart's Rick and Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa feel for one another is magnified by the relentless social conditions that they find themselves in when fate brings them together after many years apart. World War II Casablanca is a dangerous place for an ex-patriate American, and even more so for the girl of a French Resistance Freedom Fighter (Paul Henreid's Victor Laszlo). Casablanca is the exotic location where a separated couple of dyed-in-the-wool lovers can reinvent their overpowering mutual love should they so choose, unless Rick, an apparent apolitical cynic, opts to sacrifice their once-in-a-lifetime chance in the name of a greater human cause. Such is the nature of director Michael Curtiz's film that features remarkable performances from Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Claude Rains. Broken into three clearly defined acts--the script was based on a stage play--and beautifully filmed with noir-inflected shadows by the great cinematographer Arthur Edeson ("The Maltese Falcon"), "Casablanca" has a way of refreshing itself the more times you view it. Between the heavily layered visual image systems at work, and the crisscrossing elements of social unrest and suppressed emotion, lies a movie that captures romantic lightening in a bottle. It doesn't hurt that Bogart and Bergman come together like flash paper to flame. The bitter sweetness of love never looked, or sounded, so good.
Every time I start reading a book, I know I can go different places, see other worlds, and experience different cultures and a tingle of excitement can be felt as I start page one. To be able to experience the lives of hundreds, thousands of other people, be romanced by countless heroes who have given there love to that one special woman, is all I want out of a romance.
I would love to bring this type of emotion and drama into my own writing. When I sit down in front of my keyboard, I try to write about a man and a woman that I can emotionally connect with. Because what I believe it all comes down to. Whether it be set in a location 500,000 miles above the planet in a spacecraft, or 500 years in the past in a medieval castle, it’s about the romantic connection between the hero and heroine. I’m a romance writer, and I like to think romance is all about your imagination. So use you imagination and do something you consider romantic for yourself or someone else, and let me know what it is.
Bea Jay
Romance writer
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