I was amazed at how the flash revealed texture in what looked like solid fog to the naked eye. It was so foggy I became disoriented driving down Riverside Drive. They even shut down Burbank airport due to the fog.
And now some thoughts about writing, because it's been going well again for the past week or so. (Rah!) You're excused, if you want to be. But if you do read on, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about the process.
I remembered that candlelight provides a private sphere in which to create. It helps me focus and dims out the rest of the world. I rose before dawn and Saturday and Sunday and had a great time writing in candlelight.
How interesting! My bad guy, who would spend a lot of time in firelight, came out of the dark and had so much to tell me.I planned to write in third person from the points of view of the three other characters and let him be a mystery, but when it comes right down to it, a good villain is someone we can relate to on some level.
He has a whole different perspective on everything that happens in that canyon. Of course. His set of recent experiences has been vastly different from anyone else's
In exchange for letting him express his point of view, he showed me how to address a couple of plot problems.
I guess it takes me a lot of writing and thinking to get to the point where the characters start showing me things. Kind of like acting, where you have to learn the lines and really own them before you spark to the character’s perspective and motivations.
It’s interesting to know that others are doing NaNoWriMo right now, and to reflect on how good it was for me. I’ll always know I started this novel on November 1st, 2006.
It’s interesting to know that others are doing NaNoWriMo right now, and to reflect on how good it was for me. They're on a heroic journey. I’ll always know I started this novel on November 1st, 2006.
This was another off-the-cuff recipe I came up with last night. Actually, the DH and I discussed what might be good with it, since I was tired of just lemon and dill.
Pretty simple and good enough that we’ll do it again.
The usual poaching in the microwave recipe is to cook for 6 minutes on high and let sit and cook covered for another 6 minutes PER POUND.
Quartered a can of artichokes and a half can of black olives and tossed them on top of about 1 1/2 pounds of halibut. Added a little water and a tablespoon or two of lemon. Sprinkled with dill and paprika. Cooked as above. Sprinkled with Parmesan cheese right before serving.
MMMM. And we have leftovers today!
On my way to Braveheart’s Tuesday afternoon, I passed the writers’ strike line outside of Warner Brothers. Yeah, I honked my horn and gave them a big thumbs up, even though what they’re doing is impacting my livelihood.
I conduct legal script research for a living. What that means is, I receive a script from CSI:
For instance. When they (not necessarily the above-mentioned show) write, “Girl picks up a tube of poisoned toothpaste,” I write, “Possible commercial identification” in my report. When they write, “Girl picks up a tube of poisoned Aqua Fresh,” I write “Indicated featured prop use of brand name toothpaste in unorthodox manner may be considered derogatory.” Or something to that effect. Different networks want different wording and have slightly different criteria for what works and doesn’t work. I might even give them some fake toothpaste names to replace the real one.
I check the names they create for characters to make sure they are not accidentally using the name of, say, a real veterinarian living in the locale of the show and claiming that she is a killer or even a very nice person. If the name, or business or product isn’t okay to use, I think up and research until I have three alternates and offer them to the writers. I try to stay in the same vein, so there’s a little bit of creativity involved.
If they are looking for a clothing store called “Vintage Rags” I won’t give them “Buffenbarger’s Fine Clothing.” I’ll give them something like “Primo Retro.”
So that’s kind of fun. So is, oddly enough, calling and asking people in various organizations and agencies for information. When I first started, this was the hardest part of the job. But then I worked on a TV movie set in
I worked on The Agency and it was always a trip to talk to the CIA public relations contact. The first time I called, he had me about half convinced that he had a camera in my office. Then he complimented me on my lovely ensemble, and I had him. Yeah, I was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. We had a good laugh over that. I also threatened to use his name in a show because the CIA won’t confirm or deny the names of its agents or employees. Because of that, if we accidentally use one, they can’t take any legal action. He laughed and said he’d been doing that job for years and no one had ever come up with that before.
The company I work for is small, but it’s the oldest currently operating script research company out there. And the best. We’re thorough, we invest in the best resources, and we are committed to giving our shows great service. We often work long hours to make sure our shows have what they need to film on time. Sometimes they’re incredibly difficult and ask for long lists of names they’ve created, which sometimes they later decide they don’t like after all. That’s when it’s frustrating.
All this is to say, you see… No scripts, no work.
Well, there are still some scripts around that were written before the strike deadline. And there are requests from theAnd there is the possibility of work on related products. Did you realize that all three of the CSI shows have related novels, board games, video games, and web content? We also do clearance on those. I recently did some items for CSI: New York’s upcoming content on Second Life.
My boss has figured out a plan to keep us all at least partially employed through the end of the year. There’s something called workshare set up by the EDD in
It seems a very humane solution to me. We were expecting to be laid off entirely some time this week or next.
And like I said, I support what the WGA is doing, even though it’s putting my life on an unclear path for the duration. But I’ve gone on long enough. More later.
