I've been tagged to participate in an online tour where writers explain their process, what they're working on, and then link to other writers' blogs in an ever expanding web. Rachael Simpson posted her portion last week, and you can check out her website, Seed and Pearl, here.
1) What am I working on?
I have a variety of half-finished projects on my plate at the moment. Writing articles for this blog was originally a way to get my writing out there and market myself, but I took to it more than I anticipated. I have a handful of novels which I'm currently reworking and editing, and I also have a few screenplays I'm working on (which will lead precisely . . . nowhere). I also have a few side projects which I don't want to discuss in case they never come to fruition.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
It doesn't, as far as I'm concerned. I write fiction novels and blog articles in the vein of what I enjoy reading, so aside from my own personal writing style, it mimics the sort of tone and structure that I enjoy consuming. What I'm saying is, I'm not very original.
Sue me.
3) Why do I write what I do?
My writing consists mainly of two aspects: my blog articles and my novels. With my blog articles, I'm usually trying to make a point or express an idea, whether it be something serious and philosophical, or something stupid and mundane (probably regarding movies). With my novels, I'm simply trying to tell an entertaining story. Often there are themes, messages, and ideologies crammed in, but for the most part I try to entertain as well as convey some sort of cathartic emotion through storytelling.
4) How does your writing process work?
First, I have to have something I feel compelled enough to write about (I'm a busy guy) to the point that I'll be dedicated enough to spend a month or two sitting down for an hour or so a night to work on it (in the case of my novels). Those sorts of ideas are few and far between, which is why I enjoy writing for this blog, because I only have to dedicate a single night to an article, so I can produce something quick and dirty whenever an idea pops into my head.
As for my actually process, I enjoy listening to music in seclusion - no sitting at coffee shops or outside. I don't like having any outside influences when I'm in my "zone." If I'm writing a novel, I'll often watch movies or trailers that are along the same lines as what I'm writing to put myself in the right mindset.
Next week the following bloggers will be participating in the blog tour.
Max Gorokhovski - Max originally wanted to be a painter, comic
artist or something more directly visual, but over time developed a fond love
for painting pictures with words and letting the reader visualize the image.
This led him to become an aspiring screenwriter and amateur film and TV Critic. Check out his site here.
Jeremiah Shaw - Jeremiah writes short stories. Sometimes he
writes charming ones. Occasionally he writes morbid ones. People seem to
think he’s pretty clever, people also seem to think he’s a bit unusual. Check out his site here.
Melina Stanko - Melina is an accomplished
professional 2D Digital Animator who, in her spare time, updates her
blog A Canuck's Guide to Toxic Free Living. Having been raised by
conscientious objectors from the movements formed in the 1960's and
1970's (who emphasized social responsibility through consumerism) Melina
researches and informs her readers on a wide variety of environmentally friendly products, information which she hopes will make a positive impact not
only on human health, but also aid environmental awareness and
habitat preservation for future generations. Check out her site here.
The new trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past dropped yesterday, and once again I have an erection that could hold up a fucking paint can. I wrote an article awhile back after the first trailer launched regarding my worries about an over-saturation of comic book movies, and while I still stand by that claim, I'd like to take a moment and delve into another aspect of it. Namely, why do we love them so much?
I have a particular fondness for superhero films, even though I'm not much of a comic book reader (friends of mine will know the only graphic novels I own are Batman related, because . . . well, it's Batman). I'm also a fitness enthusiast and exercise everyday at home, and I always enjoy putting on a movie to play in the background instead of music, and most of the time it ends up being a superhero movie. Why? Well, I've seen most of them so many times that I don't need to pay attention to know what's going on, and they also seem to sync up nicely with the sort of mind frame I try to maintain while exercising, but more on that in a bit.
Obviously I'm not the only person who enjoys superhero flicks, because there's no way Marvel and DC would be able to set up franchises with such confidence if the general audience was getting sick of them. I'm already excited for the double bill of Captain America 3 and Batman vs Superman, which are supposed to open on the same day.
In 2016.
Granted, the second Captain America hasn't even been released yet, and for all I know, it's shit (not likely though - Chris Evans is a total boss) but their release date is two years from now. Two. Goddamn. Years. I could be married with kids or dead in the cold ground by that time. The industry could collapse. The zombie apocalypse that all the nerds have been praying for might finally come to pass. Never in the history of cinema have studios banked so confidently on a franchise' staying power, but this seems like a gravy train that isn't going to stop anytime soon.
So why are superhero movies so great?
I think on a base level, they manage to meld two important aspects of cinema that never much crossed paths until The Matrix came around - the blending of action and thought provoking subject matter. For The Matrix it was philosophical and existential mindfuckery, for superhero films (the good ones, at least) it's character drama. The first few superhero movies (the original X-Men and Spiderman) displayed this reasonably well, but it wasn't until Batman Begins came around that the formula was perfected. Christopher Nolan's first Batman entry aimed not to just be a mere "superhero" or "comic book" movie, but simply a great film - a character study, really - that just happened to take its source material from comics and superheroes.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Superhero films appeal in a general entertainment sort of way, because they feature attractive people doing fantastical things with lots of explosions and comedy to boot. Their lasting appeal, however, lies in their character portrayals. One of the wonderful things that this surge of superhero films has done is expose comics and graphic novels as being more than literature for obsessive nerds, instead showing that a lot of wonderful storytelling exists in the medium. The majority of superhero films in the last decade (or at least the most popular ones) focus heavily on the character of the hero and their struggles as a human being, which thankfully audiences are able to related to, and the less fantastical the better.
Audiences subconsciously strive to be empathetic to characters in storytelling. If they can relate to a character onscreen, they become more invested. Deep down, everyone likes to believe that they are the hero in the personal story of their life, and superhero films strike a resounding chord with that. There is a catharsis in watching a hero we identify with overcoming their struggles in ways we wish we could overcome our own. It's mythology when you break it down - a hero's journey. We are all our own heroes, and we easily identify with even the most basic plots of similar stories.
To focus on DC for a moment, this is where Christopher Nolan really hit the ball out of the park with his Dark Knight trilogy. He didn't present us the story of Batman; he presented us the story of Bruce Wayne, a man so traumatized by his past that he felt compelled to create a vigilante persona. The biggest struggles he faces in each film - although they may involve sweeping chases, massive explosions, and larger than life villains - are still very personal and internal. In Batman Begins, he learns what it takes to be a hero and to do good. In The Dark Knight, he has to face the darkest depths of the human psyche, navigating the tightrope between good and evil (personified by the portrayal of the Joker and Harvey Dent). In The Dark Knight Rises, he begins aged and worn - cocky from his success years past - and like a good Rocky film, he is beaten and must build himself up again. The most important element in each film is that (although he is an exemplary human being) he still has flaws and struggles with morality the same way we all do.
People need to be able to relate to what they see onscreen, even when it comes to villains. I love the portrayal of Bane in the third film because (as we find out at the end assuming you're paying attention) despite being a brick-shit house who can somehow carry a 200 pound man covered in armor around by the throat with one hand, everything he did to bring the city to its knees was done because he loved someone. While his actions were fantastical, the motivation for them was very grounded. It's easier to remain invested in a world if even the bad guys are understandable instead of dastardly evil just for the hell of it.
Empathy played heavily in the recent Superman reboot, Man of Steel, which ultimately divided audiences. I loved the film for the exact reason fanboys hated it. It was a drastic departure from the comics, which usually present Superman as a boy scout who always makes the right decision and never falters from his moral code. The majority of people I've talked to who disliked the film state this departure from the source material as their main reason for their distaste, but what they forget is that depiction of the character was presented not long ago in Superman Returns, by the same director who I'm now salivating over for his work on the newest X-Men film, and people flat-out hated it. Superman as he is presented in the comics isn't very interesting because he is so perfect. What Man of Steel gambled on (and which I believe ultimately paid off) is that they presented a flawed version of the character that made him extremely empathetic. In this new version he is an outsider struggling to fit in, trying to come to terms with his identity and responsibilities, learning who he is able to trust when it comes to his family, friends, and the place he calls home. That was the real story of Man of Steel - all the explosions and flying around was just butter on the popcorn.
It is this same strategy that is beginning to shine quite heavily in Marvel's onslaught of films. The Iron Man trilogy does an excellent job of presenting a man facing extreme challenges. Charming as Robert Downey Jr. is, the majority of his appeal in the third entry revolves around the anxiety and overwhelming pressure he feels after the events of The Avengers. After him, I have to say the Captain America franchise is my next favorite because Steve Rogers began as a scrawny boy looking to do good in the world before he's finally given the means to do so. Anyone who went through a massive growth spurt during puberty can relate (all of this nicely finds its way into the Spiderman films too). This is also why I find Thor to be the least appealing character in the Marvel lineup, because (like the comic book depiction of Superman) it's hard to identify with a god from another world with unbelievable powers.
X-Men seems to nail all of these empathetic nails on the head too. The entire franchise rests on the thematic core of outsiders trying to fit in and trying to find their place in the world, using the tools and skills they have to survive. People in real life don't need super powers to identify with that. Special credit must be paid to Hugh Jackman and his consistently excellent portrayal throughout each film in the franchise. Despite having appeared as Wolverine multiple times, he's always said he will only agree to reprising the role so long as the character remains interesting. His recent outing in The Wolverine did just that by presenting a character we'd already seen half-a-dozen times at his most vulnerable and most human (and undoubtedly, his most sexy . . . seriously, no man that age has any right to look that good).
And so this brings an end to my rant about superhero films. We love them because we idolize them. They tap into the deepest of our moral desires and present an idealized world where doing good ultimately results in a happy ending, instead of all the bullshit lunacy that happens in real life.
To tie this all back to my personal anecdote, I enjoy watching these sorts of films when I exercise because the process of working out is therapeutic to me - I'd almost equate it with meditation. It allows me to focus and relieve the stress of my life in a way that ultimately makes me feel like I'm bettering myself, and so I immensely enjoy having a movie regarding a hero striving to overcome their own stresses to become better than they initially are playing as background music.
Also, the majority of actors in those films are jacked as shit, which certainly helps keep the motivation up.
Wisdom and maturity are two things that are usually synonymous with age, and yet in my life I've met individuals much younger than me with the soul of someone who has experienced centuries, while also meeting older people with the maturity and awkwardness of a child. I used to dismiss life advice from anyone in their twenties, but having undergone a lot of soul searching the last little while, I realize there are certain nuggets of truth that even I (someone in his mid-twenties) can attest to, and thus even the very young may be the most philosophical. And so, I present the list of absolute truths I've learned in my short life thus far:
1. What's easy and what's right are rarely the same thing
I'm pretty sure this is a line from the end of one of the Harry Potter films, but I find it to be so strikingly true. Often the morally "right" choice in a difficult situation is the one that requires honesty, sacrifice, and risks conflict, which unfortunately is what most people try to avoid. As a result, people make excuses for why the easiest solution is usually the "best" solution. I have seen justification for actions that have harmed others, knowing full well such excuses are only to hide the fact that someone didn't have the courage to do what was right because it proved too difficult for them. It's why people who cheat in relationships will continue to cheat rather than do the right thing and break it off with their current partner, because at the end of the day a lie is a much easier solution than the truth.
2. You should always do what makes you happy, as long as it wouldn't hurt someone else
This was originally amended from "You should always do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else" because of the reason cited in Number 1. I was discussing this with a friend and the cheating analogy came up, with the scenario that if one partner was happy cheating and the other partner remained oblivious, was there any actual harm? We concluded that this was, again, choosing to do what was easy instead of what was right and honest.
But I digress from the main point. It is important to follow and pursue things that you enjoy and are passionate about, whether it be another human being or a hobby, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of another person's well being. Life is full of trials and tribulation, and sometimes we need to mine the things that make us happy to ensure we make it through the difficult times. To deny the things that give us a sense of fulfillment is to divert oneself from a satisfying existence.
3. Everyone has issues
How people perceive their lives are entirely relative to their own experiences, and although one person's struggles may far outweigh another, their capacity for grief remains the same. I've long suffered with anxiety and depression, even though I know full well that I have nothing to be unhappy about. I have suffered no great traumas and couldn't have asked for a better home life, and yet I often find myself overwhelmed by the weight of my own thoughts in a most damaging way. The interesting thing is, most people I talk to who open up about their emotions feel similar feelings, even though the cause and correlations as to why are wildly different. Our bodies and minds are built from the same blueprint, so we ultimately react the same way regardless of the stimulus.
4. You can't out-exercise a poor diet
This one is more of a recent revelation and probably the least philosophical item on this list, but no less important in my opinion. The state of health in our culture is, quite frankly, alarming. With obesity at an all time high and the leading cause of death on this continent being a result of lifestyle choice (i.e. heart disease) the concept of good health has never been more important. It is downright astounding the difference a good diet can have on one's life, which I can attest from personal experience. At one point I was in the misguided camp of thinking that so long as I exercised regularly I could eat whatever I wanted, but thankfully I've been shaken out of that foolish mindset. Diet accounts for about 75% of overall health and appearance, but (as discussed in Number 1) because maintaining a good diet requires a hefty amount of discipline, most people will forgo it in favor of the easier route, even though their lives may be on the line. And in regards to trying to out-exercise a poor diet, remember: if you only exercise one hour a day, three days a week, you're still leaving yourself 165 hours to mess it up. Being healthy isn't vanity, and our bodies are more than just the vessel that transport our brain around; they're our connection to life and thus everything else. It's important to take care of them.
Seriously, it's amazing what a single piece of food can do to you. I was on a diet for a month and wasn't seeing any results, so I stopped eating a multi-grain bagel in the morning and the changes were almost instant. One "healthy" bagel a day was the only thing holding me back.
5. Talk is cheap
Words have to be the cheapest form of currency in existence. Everyone has them in unlimited supply, and they can be exchanged for all manner of things even though in essence they are entirely meaningless. It is easy to make promises and assurances, but actions always speak louder than words, and words are inexpensive to toss around. A promise today can become a betrayal tomorrow. It seems like a rare thing these days to find someone true to their word.
6. Hearts can change, but you can't make someone love you
Navigating love and romance is an incredibly emotional and difficult affair, and one of the most important things I ever learned is that it is foolish to think you can actively change how someone feels toward you. Hope can be a dangerous thing, and although it is entirely possible for someone to think differently of you and see you from a new perspective (romantic or otherwise) it is very rarely ever the result of your actions (unless you do something that makes them realize you're an asshole). Everyone has their own desires, and no one has a right to a monopoly on another person's emotions or to judge them for feeling a certain way. The dating game and the world of romance is a hurricane of different feelings and expectations colliding into one another; everyone gets hurt eventually.
7. People have different ways of expressing love
On the topic of love, because everyone is different, everyone expresses love through various means. A friend once told me about an insightful article describing how people often express and react to love differently - some show love through physical affection, others through intellectual discussion, etc... It's when people don't speak the same language that problems arise. The key is to remember that just because someone isn't expressing their love the way you'd prefer, that does not mean they do not actually love you.
8. Bad things do not operate on a separate spectrum from the rest of life
There was a wonderful article on the website Cracked.com where one of the writers made a potent observation that most people go through life assuming there is a standard of living in which everything trucks along normally with nary a falter, and thus when something bad happens people react as if it's out of the norm, like an attack from a third party. Unfortunately, bad things are inherent to existence. No one ever reaches a point where bad things suddenly stop happening; they are as much a part of the ups and downs of life as joy and happiness.
9. Art should be created, not criticized
This harkens back to my days as a Film Studies student. As someone who writes, plays music, and is an overall creative person, it is discouraging to sit in a room full of people who have never crafted something meaningful themselves attacking the work of someone else. While there is certainly a place for critics in entertainment media - especially if a poor review of something manages to save a customer money and disappointment - there is no place for entitlement. An artist creates from a subjective perspective, and to have someone harshly condemn them without having any creative insight themselves is incredibly rude and arrogant. Whenever I consume a piece of media, I judge it by first trying to understand what the creator/author/director was trying to accomplish, and then by whether they managed to do so effectively. I have watched movies that I personally did not care for, but I am reluctant to call them "bad" because they may still prove successful with their intended audience.
10. The heart of all life is conflict
The only way things grow is through overcoming change. It is true of the smallest evolutionary advances to the overthrowing of empires. You change and adapt by overcoming obstacles and challenges, which may range from studying for a test to winning a fist fight. The human body builds muscle by tearing away muscle fibers and regrowing itself stronger, and thus all life grows stronger by overcoming something else. It is unavoidable and there are almost always consequences, although they may range in severity. I may beat an exam by studying properly and accepting the academic challenge of memorizing facts, a sports team might win a championship by besting another team, or a civilization may expand by destroying a lesser empire. As long as life grows, there will be conflict - it is a fundamental law of nature.
11. Kindness is a rare virtue, and the best people suffer for it
This one hits pretty close to home. I've often been accused of being "too nice" and making myself too available to help others. I find the notion that it is possible for someone to be "too nice" to a fellow human being utterly bizarre. How sad is it that we've reached a point where someone performing a good deed without the desire for recognition is automatically deemed suspicious, or a hidden agenda is automatically assumed?
Regardless, I've found that it is people who are overly kind and who put others before themselves that are taken advantage of and suffer the most. The more you're willing to trust, the greater the chance you will be betrayed by someone only looking to profit from your generous nature. It's happened to me on more than one occasion. If you are more willing to make sacrifices for others, some people will assume it is somehow less of a burden for you to continue doing so.
But it isn't. I assure you, it isn't.
12. Everyone believes they're the protagonist in their own story
Thanks to the wonderfully subjective nature of human existence, everyone believes they are the hero in the story of their lives. It is very difficult to be self-aware to the point of being able to consider your existence in the context of seven billion other souls on this planet. Everyone acts and thinks in a manner in which they believe themselves the protagonist; they believe their actions (no matter how good or bad) are more infallible than others because we rarely can comprehend the world through another person's eyes. And how can we, without living through their exact experiences? This unfortunately leads to judgement and jealousy. The sad truth is, there are only a few heroes in the world, and there are an equal amount of villains and minor characters in the grand scheme of life.
13. People may change their masks, but they rarely change who they are
This ties in significantly with Number 5. Promises and words can cloud over actions, creating a mask that hides an evil history. And we often choose to trust people at face value, which can lead to more betrayal and hurt. It is easier to believe the mask that people wear as opposed to seeing them for who they truly are, but very few people are actually capable of changing their character. We might grow and mature with age, but an asshole usually remains an asshole, and a tiger can't change its stripes. What people can do with much greater ease is convince others with cheap words, because fundamentally changing who you are is next to impossible. That's not to say it doesn't happen on occasion, just that it doesn't happen as often as people claim.
14. Life can change in an instant
I, and many other people the world over, have a horrible tendency to over-think and over-analyze everything. Whenever I undergo a significant life event, I automatically adjust my entire perspective of the future to accommodate it, totally aware that the next day something else dramatic may happen, thus changing the grand scheme of my life yet again. Who I am today may be very different from who I am an hour from now. This is why I try not to think more than a few days ahead of myself, as difficult as that sometimes is.
And finally . . .
15. Knowing something and feeling something are two vastly different things
This is fundamentally at the heart of most of my problems. I'm capable of thinking logically about my issues, rationally analyzing them and pinpointing what is the best course of action, but what I know is not always a reflection of how I feel, which is ultimately the deciding factor. Some things are easy; I know eating junk food is unhealthy, and although I crave it constantly, I'm able to convince myself to remain disciplined and not give into cravings.
Then there are the more difficult things, like knowing my life is perfectly fine, and that whatever problems I have are solvable and will most likely work themselves out in time, but that's not how I feel, which is why I'm still plagued with anxiety. My mind is at constant war with itself, because you can't out-think emotions. It's why people do very stupid things in the name of love and faith. The hardest part about all of this is that usually no amount of rational thinking can alleviate how one ultimately feels. We are often our own worst enemies; our lives are experienced through the network of electrons surging through our brains, thereby leaving us trapped within the prisons of our minds to suffer from the quirks and tendencies we're prone to.
Sort of depressing when you think about it. Think I'll go look at funny pictures of puppies in hats to cheer myself up.
