Continuing my nod to Japanese influence in art, today’s post will promote the Manga Shakespeare series.
Hamlet is by far my favorite Shakespeare play, but I’ve always been disappointed in the interpretations I’ve seen. The Hamlet in my head is infinitely better than that of Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson, or even my university’s Shakespeare on the Lawn (although having Hamlet’s “words words words” be a copy of Hamlet was hilarious). But darn it if Manga Shakepeare’s version didn’t come close.
I picked up my Hamlet manga at the Globe Theatre (now how cool is that? Can’t believe they sold manga-version titles) and instantly fell in love. Sure it cuts out more text than I would like, but it’s a freaking manga. No way is the artist going to want to draw a picture for every page-long speech. It’s just not practical. And sure it’s futuristic, but look at him! He’s amazing!
I would love to read the other plays Manga Shakespeare offers, but my library only has Romeo and Juliet – another interpretation which deserves applause; I’ve never really liked Romeo and Juliet as characters, but the manga actually made me feel sorry for them at the end.
And when looking for the books at my used book store, I noticed they are part of a growing trend. Frankenstein and Dracula also have manga forms.
Who would have guessed that combining the classics with an accessible art form (i.e. manga or graphic novels) would actually get people to read them? *hint hint Jane Austen publishers*
The Author’s Views
Filed Under Age-Old Debates | Leave a Comment
You might not have heard, but Nick Levasseur, a member of New Hampshire’s House of Representatives, made an insensitive comment about Japanese culture on his Facebook page. He wrote that “anime is a prime example of why two nukes just wasn’t enough…”
The sad part is, that if he were an author, and this statement came from one of his characters, no one would rag him about it.
We all know that some authors like to pound their readers over the head with their own worldview, either directly in the narrative or through a character-mouthpiece. For others, their approach is more subtle. Let’s face it, it’s impossible not to impart some of your views into your brainchild.
But [blatant pounding ahead] some views are just plain wrong.
I don’t care if you’re hiding behind a character or not. People are already inclined to hate what they don’t understand. Do we really have to add fuel to the fire by spouting hateful, insensitive blather?
No. No we do not.
If this character is essential to the plot, the least you can do is make that racist/sexist/orientationist/other-factor-ist prig suffer. Do not leave it to the imagination.
That way those who agree will have no reason to doubt what will happen to them.
Adventuring Goblins
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A Review of “Goblins,” by Tarol Hunt “Stop living in second edition, man. Anyone can be a player character now.”
- Fumbles
Not shown: Dies Horribly
Goblins is an intense webcomic that follows six goblins, five of whom have taken adventuring levels to save their clan. What starts off as a humorous look at the life of low-level monsters in Dungeons & Dragons quickly takes a darker turn. Our heroes face dangers ranging from adventurers to dungeon crawls to human armies led by a goblin torturer to a paladin who destroys everything even potentially tainted by evil.
The characters are well-developed and realistic, except the player characters who are unrealistic on purpose – which is hilarious. And the main villains are completely terrifying.
The art is wonderfully detailed, and Hunt does a terrific job of illustrating the action scenes in a smooth and logical succession. You won’t get lost in the middle of battle.
Stretching from amusing to inspiring, this webcomic gives us an amazing story.
Goblins updates regularly every Tuesday.
Warning: May not be suitable for younger audiences.
My Rating (out of five stars)
★★★★
Not Another One
Filed Under Script Frenzy | 6 Comments
“Oh for crying out loud,” you say. “Not another one.”
Yes, I have no willpower. Or do I have too much?
If you haven’t heard, NaNoWriMo has a sister writing challenge, Script Frenzy, in April. You have 30 days to write 100 pages of script, be they stage play, screenplay, tv show, what have you.
You can see where I’m going with this, can’t you?
Yes, I shall be participating. Do I expect to win? Heck no. Have I lost my sanity? Perhaps. But one of my good friends has been having trouble writing lately, and likes a bit of competition to get inspired. So for his sake, I shall be writing with him.
What does this have to do with the Disney princesses? Glad you asked! Here’s my stage play idea:
Too Many Princesses: All of the fairy tales princesses are in love…with the same man.
I’m thinking cat fights and hilarity ensue.
If you are also participating in “Screnzy,” be my writing buddy! My name on the forums is Ms.Pennington. I look forward to meeting / writing with you!
10 Ways to Procrastinate
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You want to write. You really do. But sometimes you have to do that one last thing to clear your mind so you can really get started.
1. Clean everything.
Clean your desk. Can’t write with a messy desk, can we? But look at the state of your room. So distracting. We’ll just pick up a few things. When did the house get so dusty? Better fetch a rag…
2. Outline your story.
You’re working on your novel. Really you are. But you can’t write if you don’t know where the story’s going, right? Oh, just got a good idea for a scene near the climax…
3. TVTropes.
Warning: Addictive. You just need to look up one archetype. You blink, and it’s three hours later…
4. Run your errands.
Oh crap. You need to go out and buy milk. And stop by the post office. And you need to run some things over to whats-her-name. And while you’re out you might as well stop by the library…
5. Create a playlist.
How are you supposed to write the great love scene without mood music? It’ll just take a second to put some songs together. There’s a good one. That one too. And that…
6. Play with your pets.
They look so lonely, staring up at you with morose unblinking eyes. You’ll just toss the ball once for them. Man, when was the last time they had a walk? And it’s so gorgeous out…
7. Stay outside.
Well the dogs are walked, but it’s so nice out, it’s a waste of the day to not enjoy the sunshine! Where did I leave that soccer ball…
8. Feed the body.
Oh man, so hungry. You’ll just have a quick snack before you get back to writing. That wasn’t filling enough, so maybe one more…
9. Feed the mind.
Jeez, sitting here munching is so boring. You drag out a book to entertain you. When you reach the end of the chapter, you realize your bowl has long been empty, and it’s not the same chapter you started…
10. Read about procrastinating.
Hahaha suckers….Hope you enjoyed procrastinating with me!
Oops
Filed Under Updates | 6 Comments
So I did some storyboarding (more on that next week) to outline my story – and haven’t touched it since. I have fallen into the outlining trap. By outlining too thoroughly, it’s as if I’ve already written the story in my head, and makes it’s that much harder to put it on paper.
Oops.
So um, I’m switching up my writing schedule. Some days I’ll work on editing my NaNoWriMo novel, The Narrator, while others I’ll be working on a humorous story, The Dragon’s Apprentice. I started it last summer but NaNo interrupted. It should be relatively short though. *crosses fingers*
The Stepsister Adventure
Filed Under Book Reviews | 4 Comments
A Review of The Stepsister Scheme, by Jim Hines “Sometimes the stories are wrong.”
- Talia
Ever wonder what happens to fairy tale princesses after their “happily ever afters?” This book gives us the answer: they kick butt.
Danielle (a.k.a. Cinderella) is happily married until her stepsister tries to kill her. Then she finds out her husband’s been kidnapped. She tags along with Talia (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty), who uses her fairy gifts to perfect her skill at martial arts, and Snow [White], a sorceress specializing in mirror magic, to rescue her prince.
The action never stops, whether the princesses are snooping around Danielle’s old house for clues, or facing the newly-magically-endowed stepsisters in Fairytown. Definitely a book that’s hard to put down.
The characters are all well-developed, complete with dark pasts. If you’re expecting the Disney version of these princesses, think again. Their fairy tale backgrounds encompass all the original gory details, including Danielle’s stepmother chopping off parts of her daughter’s feet to fit into the glass slipper. As you can imagine, that’s bound to leave some emotional scars on our heroines and supporting characters.
The dialogue is a fun repartee. I especially enjoyed Danielle’s solutions when bargaining with tricksy fairies. And the bickering between Talia and Snow is a treat.
Without giving anything away, it’s safe to say that the final reveal of what’s really going on is a great twist to the story. Artfully done.
A random yet awesome find. Can’t wait to read the sequel!
My Rating (out of five stars)
★★★★
We’ve all seen this situation before:
“Hero: Oh no! I love you, Darling, but my heroics have put you in *gasp* certain danger! I must break up with you to keep you safe!
Darling: Oh Hero! I understand! Don’t worry, I will never love another!”
Please. Like the villain cares that you aren’t officially a couple. He’ll still totally use your Darling against you.
Here are two of my favorite examples:
Harry Potter – Harry breaks up with Ginny at the end of Half-Blood Prince to protect her but Voldemort has no way of knowing that! Heck, he probably doesn’t even know Harry’s dating her in the first place. If he cared, I guess he could find out from Snape. But no one’s delivering a message to Voldie to let him know “btw, Ginny’s no longer suitable bait since, you know, they broke up.”
Lois & Clark – Clark breaks up with Lois in the 3rd season to protect her from future villainous antics but she’s Lois Lane a.k.a. Superman’s girl a.k.a. the go-to-person when you’re looking for Superman’s help! That’s why she was targeted in the first place. The kidnappings are not going to stop just because they privately broke up.
Come on. If you’re going to have this kind of scene – and I highly advise you don’t – at least have it make sense.
Or, you could choose to subvert the cliche like Sorcery 101 did here. That always makes a good twist.
As I mentioned last Monday, my book club went to see Alice in Wonderland. Finally, a world that fits Tim Burton perfectly. The movie was okay – not spectacular – but I prefer the SyFy special Alice as far as Wonderland sequels go.
I did fall in love with several lines, including the Hatter’s admonishing that Alice had lost her “muchness.” But the exchange I keep coming back to in my head is cruelly cut off in trailers and reviews.
“Alice: This is impossible.
Hatter: Only if you believe it is.
Alice: Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
Hatter: That is excellent practice.”
Our job as writers is to believe in the impossible, and then show that world to others. But as with everything, we need to practice. It’s no good being lazy and believing in possible things – they may have been impossible at one point, but no longer. We must find new impossible things instead.
After all, we don’t want to be accused of losing our “muchness,” do we?
So You Want to be a Main Character
Filed Under Characters | 2 Comments
Do you have exciting adventures on a regular basis? Do random events always revolve around you and your past? Do you consistently best adults who are better trained and skilled than you? Do you have a powerful – albeit selectively vulnerable – enemy? Do all around you affirm that yes, you are incredibly awesome?
Congratulations! You might have what it takes to be a Protagonist!
The Main Character is the hero or heroine of the story. You might not be clad in shining armor or get a cool sword, but you’re darn special. And everyone knows it.
Being the Main Character is more than basking in the glory of adoring readers, however. Heck, you might not get any. Did you know most people’s favorite character in Harry Potter is not our young hero?
As the Main Character, you’re going to have to be prepared for pain. The Author is going to dish out as much physical and mental abuse as possible for the sake of “character development.” Are you ready to deal with that?
Don’t think it’ll help you survive the body count either. Sure, you’ll make it to the end of the book – but who says you’ll make it past that? Too many Main Characters have died in the service of the “dramatic climax.” Some Main Characters are dead from page 1. (Lovely Bones anyone?)
There are some special perks. You’ll get the girl – or guy – eventually. Hopefully. Unless they die instead. Or end up hating you forever. Or marry your best friend. You never liked that guy anyway.
You don’t even get the best lines. Those are reserved for your former best friend, the plucky comic relief. At worst, you’ll get stuck trading puns with the villain.
And 99% of the time, the reader is going to be privy to all of your innermost thoughts. You know the ones. Yeah, those.
So even after knowing all that – still want to be a Main Character?
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