I don't wanna sleep tonight
I just wanna sit here to write and write.
To tell my stories until first light,
and die writing till I lose the fight.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Review: Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
The Codex is a strange book of diagrams, images and a language unknown to mankind. So far Serafini has not comment on the language and writing used by him as though it is an ancient mystery that can only be revealed at the right time when the new earth emerges.
Perhaps Serafini has forseen some event in the future? Was he describing a world he has seen in his visions? Is this the earth that is to come? Or is it just an artist's imagination gone wild?
Other artists who have similar traits to Serafini's work include Hieronymus Bosh, M.C. Escher, Max Enrst Jorge Luis Borges' Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius and also books like Voynich manuscript, Codex Mendoza and Asemic writing.
I felt like I stumbled onto some secret order of the new world and there's no turning back...
Check also:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200705/?read=article_taylor
http://www.fright.com/edge/strangest_book.htm
http://www.codexseraphinianus.org/
http://www.spamula.net/blog/archives/000164.html
http://www.greylodge.org/occultreview/glor_017/codex.htm
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Book review: Great-Grandma's Hair Loss Remedy
I shared the stage with Rebecca Loke and her son when we had our reading at Sekeping Tenggiri on Halloween's day. Although I got both their autographs on that day I haven't had a chance to read Great-Grandma's Hair Loss Remedy until just now. It is a good and easy read which I would read for my children (if I had any).
The story is about a boy with alopecia universalis and how his great grandmother helps him overcome the fear of isolation. I guess every family has an 'Uncle Kong' whom we can do without, who serves as the antagonist in this delightful story. The last few lines actually brought tears to my eyes for its poignant moment shared by the boy and his great grandmother.
It's a wonderful book to have around for children as well as adults. It serves both as an informative book and a inspirational treat.
http://www.rebeccaloke.com
Pitch, Outline, Synopsis, Treatment
It depends on who you're working with and what they're looking for. Some people (directors, producers, even writers) feel that it is easier to write a script than to come out with a fresh idea. And then there are those who can whip up ideas in a flash but takes a while to write that script.
While some people believe in loglines for pitching, some think it's a joke. Again, it can be the easiest thing to write a logline that sells for some while others struggle with the few lines or one line that tells the gist of the story.
One of the toughest parts I find is in the writing of the treatment itself. It's easy for me to think of an idea though I find summarizing it in a logline somewhat challenging. To me, preparing an outline for a story is easy because there aren't many details required. But when it comes to the treatment, which deals with the plot, sub plots, characterization and a whole lot more this is the time to get cracking as though watching the movie itself in the process.
Every scene has to be accounted for, every description has to be clear but not condescending, clues and foreshadows inserted very carefully, come up with a brilliant opening, keep the pace in the middle and have a blast in the conclusion. That's how a treatment works for me and everything else is smooth sailing, though not all the way, when the scriptwriting comes next.
I tried to complete a script with a very weak treatment a few times and I got into a lot more trouble than I expected when everything just stalled. I guess it's a lot like writing a novel as well. To me, it is better to plan ahead from the character’s profile to the sub plots so that the writing can go on without what is sometimes known as the writer's block.
While some people believe in loglines for pitching, some think it's a joke. Again, it can be the easiest thing to write a logline that sells for some while others struggle with the few lines or one line that tells the gist of the story.
One of the toughest parts I find is in the writing of the treatment itself. It's easy for me to think of an idea though I find summarizing it in a logline somewhat challenging. To me, preparing an outline for a story is easy because there aren't many details required. But when it comes to the treatment, which deals with the plot, sub plots, characterization and a whole lot more this is the time to get cracking as though watching the movie itself in the process.
Every scene has to be accounted for, every description has to be clear but not condescending, clues and foreshadows inserted very carefully, come up with a brilliant opening, keep the pace in the middle and have a blast in the conclusion. That's how a treatment works for me and everything else is smooth sailing, though not all the way, when the scriptwriting comes next.
I tried to complete a script with a very weak treatment a few times and I got into a lot more trouble than I expected when everything just stalled. I guess it's a lot like writing a novel as well. To me, it is better to plan ahead from the character’s profile to the sub plots so that the writing can go on without what is sometimes known as the writer's block.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Writing Young, Writing Old
A young writer, identified by age, would have less experience than an older writer even if both are just starting out to write his first novel. Logically, a senior author would have a lot more material to incorporate to the story from his standpoint of emotions, thoughts and personal journeys. The advantage of first hand experience can count for a lot when the writer can easily extract it from memory than to research from another source.
The danger of being a young writer is the sustainability of ideas. You may be able to write about the 20 years of your travels and adventures but it is nothing compared to someone who has 10 or 20 years extra than yours. Sometimes it's not about how far you have gone but how much you have journeyed within yourself. The unseen escapades and hazards are richer than stamps on your passports and vacations.
Writing can be a form of catharsis or a simple pleasure of storytelling. It can also be a commercial venture or a personal vendetta. Although the market is hungering for fast selling books and stories to feed the monsters of thrills and chills many books come and go and are lost faster than they can grab one's attention. Parents who subsidize their children because they know there is abundance to harvest may actually kill their children's imagination and creativity in return. The greatest excitement for an up and coming writer is the news of acceptance of their work. Then comes the publication either in print or electronically. Finally, the sales of the book will be the best bonus a writer can ever imagine. To take all these away from a young writer is almost murder.
The joys and pains of writing is an integral part of the whole big picture. Where is the fun for anyone if we could all easily publish whatever we write when no one actually wants to read it?
The danger of being a young writer is the sustainability of ideas. You may be able to write about the 20 years of your travels and adventures but it is nothing compared to someone who has 10 or 20 years extra than yours. Sometimes it's not about how far you have gone but how much you have journeyed within yourself. The unseen escapades and hazards are richer than stamps on your passports and vacations.
Writing can be a form of catharsis or a simple pleasure of storytelling. It can also be a commercial venture or a personal vendetta. Although the market is hungering for fast selling books and stories to feed the monsters of thrills and chills many books come and go and are lost faster than they can grab one's attention. Parents who subsidize their children because they know there is abundance to harvest may actually kill their children's imagination and creativity in return. The greatest excitement for an up and coming writer is the news of acceptance of their work. Then comes the publication either in print or electronically. Finally, the sales of the book will be the best bonus a writer can ever imagine. To take all these away from a young writer is almost murder.
The joys and pains of writing is an integral part of the whole big picture. Where is the fun for anyone if we could all easily publish whatever we write when no one actually wants to read it?
Are Rules & Regulations important?
There are more writers here in Malaysia who doesn’t believe in the R&R of writing than there are those who do. I started writing a long time ago when there was no such thing as a computer or internet but only a typewriter. The things we had to do with a typewriter then were unbelievable from buying ribbons to oiling parts, cleaning the typebars, getting the right papers and bearing with the clacking sound.
I remember always keeping the rulers one inch on the sides while marking the bottom with a pencil to indicate where I should stop typing. There were no fonts to choose from and every page has to be paginated manually. I wrote all my short stories on the old faithful and completed a novel length psychological horror tale that came up to about 300 odd pages which took about 6 months. My mom asked me one day what I was doing click-clacking on the typewriter day and night because she couldn't, for the life of her, understand what I was typing away. And that was only the beginning.
Back then, the only way to market a manuscript was by post and the only country that seems to be looking for it was the US. It was a tedious endeavor to write to the publisher or agent in hope that they would want to read the entire manuscript written by an unknown from a country just as obscure. Needless to say it was a tough market to penetrate and I never got my first novel anywhere close to print.
Making the manuscript presentable was of the utmost importance even much more than the story itself. Not everyone may agree with it but by composing it in a proper format makes it easier for whoever is reading it, especially the people who might want to publish it. What I find hard to fathom is the irony of things. With the latest technology like computers and software like Final Draft, there are still writers who have no inkling of how to format a screenplay or a stage play, a short story or a novel. One literally doesn't have to do anything but use the readily available templates to organize the work.
Even if writers don’t like the idea of conforming to rules to present their masterpieces, following a few guidelines and steps actually helps them to be organized and focused in the long run.
I remember always keeping the rulers one inch on the sides while marking the bottom with a pencil to indicate where I should stop typing. There were no fonts to choose from and every page has to be paginated manually. I wrote all my short stories on the old faithful and completed a novel length psychological horror tale that came up to about 300 odd pages which took about 6 months. My mom asked me one day what I was doing click-clacking on the typewriter day and night because she couldn't, for the life of her, understand what I was typing away. And that was only the beginning.
Back then, the only way to market a manuscript was by post and the only country that seems to be looking for it was the US. It was a tedious endeavor to write to the publisher or agent in hope that they would want to read the entire manuscript written by an unknown from a country just as obscure. Needless to say it was a tough market to penetrate and I never got my first novel anywhere close to print.
Making the manuscript presentable was of the utmost importance even much more than the story itself. Not everyone may agree with it but by composing it in a proper format makes it easier for whoever is reading it, especially the people who might want to publish it. What I find hard to fathom is the irony of things. With the latest technology like computers and software like Final Draft, there are still writers who have no inkling of how to format a screenplay or a stage play, a short story or a novel. One literally doesn't have to do anything but use the readily available templates to organize the work.
Even if writers don’t like the idea of conforming to rules to present their masterpieces, following a few guidelines and steps actually helps them to be organized and focused in the long run.
Monday, October 12, 2009
And the credit goes to...
As far as I know no one cares much about the scriptwriter in movies. The credit goes to the director for his distinctive style or excellent direction or artistic body of work. Though the screenplay is the core of the movie that sets everything in place no one actually talks as much about the writer as they do the director, producer or stars. Talk about no glamor in a job scriptwriting can be very taxing and needs to be written and rewritten according to the whims of producers and directors.
How much a scriptwriter contributes to the movie in also another area that varies from contract to individual. Some scriptwriters are almost like taking down dictations, others create everything from a scratch and yet some go all the way to brainstorm with the director to shape and bring to realization the characters and plot. The odd combination of words and action need to complement one another to make the movie great but not necessarily a success.
One of the most challenging tasks for a scriptwriter is to produce believable yet entertaining dialogues that doesn't sound cliché (which can be almost next to impossible), keep the pace intriguing, to make sure the flow of the story is consistent and to end it with a twist, surprise or a satisfying denouement.
Someone once asked me if it's hard to write a script but it's like asking a dancer if it's hard to dance. It's a very subjective matter and it all boils down to interest and passion. While writing I may seem like a mentally unstable person because I make hand gestures, facial expressions and have a one way conversation with myself as though I was already in the movie itself.
Ultimately, you write for TV and the big screen because you enjoy doing it and you may only be known if you write one hit movie after another otherwise you will remain behind the scene like everyone else who makes the movie a success in more ways than one.
How much a scriptwriter contributes to the movie in also another area that varies from contract to individual. Some scriptwriters are almost like taking down dictations, others create everything from a scratch and yet some go all the way to brainstorm with the director to shape and bring to realization the characters and plot. The odd combination of words and action need to complement one another to make the movie great but not necessarily a success.
One of the most challenging tasks for a scriptwriter is to produce believable yet entertaining dialogues that doesn't sound cliché (which can be almost next to impossible), keep the pace intriguing, to make sure the flow of the story is consistent and to end it with a twist, surprise or a satisfying denouement.
Someone once asked me if it's hard to write a script but it's like asking a dancer if it's hard to dance. It's a very subjective matter and it all boils down to interest and passion. While writing I may seem like a mentally unstable person because I make hand gestures, facial expressions and have a one way conversation with myself as though I was already in the movie itself.
Ultimately, you write for TV and the big screen because you enjoy doing it and you may only be known if you write one hit movie after another otherwise you will remain behind the scene like everyone else who makes the movie a success in more ways than one.
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