Wordless Wednesday - 47

Photo by Noel Doucet

Poetry Train Monday - 48 - Mother

I'm working, working, working on a competition submission, so I don't have a new poem for you. Instead I thought I'd post the lyrics to John Lennon's song Mother.

A few weeks ago I got the Lennon Legend CD, and this song really stands out to me. He managed to pour a lifetime of pain into three stanzas and a repeating refrain. And his recording holds such vulnerability, such rawness.

As Mother's Day approaches, I deeply feel this song from someone whose longed-for mother was named Julia.


Mother


Mother, you had me but I never had you,
I wanted you but you didn't want me,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.

Father, you left me but I never left you,
I needed you but you didn't need me,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.

Children, don't do what I have done,
I couldn't walk and I tried to run,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.

Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.

- by John Lennon

I'm Addicted to Quentin Tarantino Soundtracks

I'm blogging over at missmakeamovie. Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. Can't get enough of them.

Thursday Thirteen - 53 - 13 Reasons to Read Dance of the Plain Jane by Lillian Feisty

I just realized that this 53rd Thursday Thirteen means I've been doing this meme for a full year now. I adore Thursday Thirteen. I really enjoy working on every one of them. For Christmas my cousin gave my husband a Thursday Thirteen hoodie which he loves and wears all the time. And I got a T13 hat and mug. T13 all the way, baby.

Continuing with my e-book review series, today I'm showcasing Lillian Feisty, a fellow blogger. I always enjoy her sassy commentary. And check out her site graphic.













Last year she held an unannounced movie quote contest on her blog, and lucky me! I won a copy of an anthology she appears in, Seasons of Seduction I. Besides her own blog, Ms. Feisty is part of a group blog called Naughty and Spice.



1 - Dance of the Plain Jane is Ms. Feisty's story in a collection of six sizzling tales in the first of the Ellora's Cavemen series.

2 - The other stories in the anthology are:
Her Lance-Alot by Delilah Devlin
Club Vamp by Allyson James
Choosing Madison by Sherrill Quinn
Come Howling by Denise Rossetti
Lyrael's Sacrifice by Jory Strong

3 - Dance of the Plain Jane is a contemporary story taking place in San Diego, California. The hero is Michael Sky, a Navy SEAL who heads out for some chow at the Bombay Cafe with the guys. Between bites of Tandoori chicken he gets an eyeful of the belly dancer performing for the patrons.

4 - We meet Jane Holliday, 9-to-5 engineer by day, seductive belly dancer by night. She's had a crush on the hottie from her neighborhood for awhile now, watching him from across the coffee shop and wishing she could get up the nerve to speak to him. And now here he is in the restaurant where she dances. Tonight, she's dancing just for him, no matter how many other patrons fill the room.

5 - Ms. Feisty plays around with the reality of fantasies in this story. For Jane, Michael has been her object of unrequited desire, and now here he is in the flesh. Ms. Feisty has a knack for starting a scene as longed-for wish fulfilment, only to have it unravel into awkward reality. This puts a sardonic spin on 'careful what you wish for.'

6 - Michael's attraction to Jane makes him all the more desirable to me as a reader. What average woman wouldn't want an Adonis to flip his gourd over her? He's somewhat confused as to why he's so smitten for a woman who's not even his type. That makes his pursuit of her all the more arousing - especially when he just has to have her.

7 - Dance of the Plain Jane is a delightfully hot erotic short novella. What Ms. Feisty does so well is include wry character introspection even during the scorchy encounters. Jane's POV is filled with her impatience at being 'plain'. Her character is almost ready to believe that Plain Janes deserve to have fun, too.

8 - The short novella length keeps the plot moving, yet Ms. Feisty's world is so solid, I couldn't help wishing it was a full-length novel. Jane's relationship with her friend Abby is so well-drawn, I wish we could have spent more time with the two of them. Plain Janes usually have a beauty or two lurking about in their social networks. For Jane this is Abby, but there's no rivalry in Jane's heart for her friend. Abby is supportive and loving, and their scenes together keep the dream-come-true story grounded.

9 - The erotic aspects of this short novella propel the character development for both Jane and Michael. Jane goes to places that have been only fantasy to her as Michael pushes her boundaries, forcing the Plain Jane to be the woman he saw inside her when she danced. Jane acts as an opposite force for Michael. She makes him rethink his globetrotting job, his nomadic existence. For Michael, her siren song is home.

10 - Ms. Feisty really knows how to end each chapter with a hook. Like this, for example:

" 'You were working me out there. You had me so hard I almost lost control in front of a roomful of strangers, not to mention my team.'

Jane smiled to herself. 'I'm sorry.'

'No you're not.' He stopped pacing and placed himself directly in front of her. 'But you're gonna be.'

With a hand on each knee he opened her up and stepped between her legs. 'What's your name, anyway?'

'Jane.'

Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. She waited for a forceful kiss, but instead he brushed his warm lips against hers, and when she leaned forward, frustrated and needing something more, he pulled back.

'Well, Jane,' he said with just a hint of a smile. 'It's time you got a dose of your own medicine.' "

11 - Ms. Feisty has strong POV voices for her hero and heroine. Jane's Everywoman persona is very accessible. When the story switches to Michael, his masculine voice is pronounced. I feel closer to Jane, however, whose doubts and insecurities are balanced by a newfound boldness she's developed along with her belly dancing.

12 - Jane's sexual fantasies - like anyone's fantasies - are comfortable because the fictional partner fulfills every need. When Michael volunteers to bring her fantasies to life, the tension level shoots way up. He's shown us what sort of man he is, commanding and accustomed to success. Is this the person with whom she should place herself in so vulnerable a position?

13 - I leave you with an excerpt. Enjoy!

" 'Oh, sweetie, what happened?'

Jane's eyes began to burn.

'Another obnoxious jerk at the restaurant?'

She sniffed. 'Yes.'

Abby put an arm around her shoulder. 'Come upstairs, tell me what happened and I'll fix you a drink. Have you eaten?'

Jane smiled. For all Abby's bombshell looks she was really an Italian mama at heart, and twenty minutes later Jane was seated at Abby's pink kitchen table, drinking Cosmopolitans and eating leftover lasagna.

'Can you please tell me what's wrong with me?' Jane whined after she had relayed the story to Abby. Well, most of it, anyway.

She refilled Jane's glass. 'Nothing is wrong with you.'

'We were just about to have sex and then he takes a phone call!'

'That is slightly strange.'

'Oh my God!' Jane slammed her glass onto the table. 'I know!'

'You know what?'

'I know why he took off.'

'You do?'

'It was my ass!'

'Your ass.'

'Yes. He had me bent over the table, with my butt in the air and when he saw how fat it is he booked it right out of there.'

Abby held up her hand. 'Whoa, sister. You had your ass in the air?'

Jane traced a line on the table. 'Mmm.'

'You naughty thing! Was he going to spank you?'

She took another healthy gulp of her cocktail. 'I'll never know, will I?'

Abby sighed. 'Jane. I'm sure he had an important reason for leaving.'

'It certainly was an immense reason.'

'It was?'

'Yes. My ass.' "

- Lillian Feisty, 2007

I've had fun with my book review series of Thursday Thirteens, featuring Gabriella Hewitt, Renee Field, Stella MacLean, Christine d'Abo, Red Garnier and Lillian Feisty. I'll be posting a review for You Had Me at Halo by Amanda Ashby in two weeks, on May 15th.

Next week I've got an application deadline to make, so I'll have a romantic couples Thursday Thirteen for next week. Happy reading!

Wordless Wednesday - 46

Cinematography by Paul Bond

Poetry Train Monday - 47 - Screenwriting 101

Susan asked for a how-to last week, so here's an introduction to screenplay form.

I posted the script for one of my third year films on the Poetry Train, along with backstory poems presenting three of the main characters. This is the son's poem, this is the mother's poem and this is the step father's poem.

The first thing you realize when writing a script is how much of what you've learned about writing prose needs to be hurled out the window. The only things that appear in a script are:

setting
action
dialogue

And that's it. That's a script. It's about as opposite from what you need for prose as you can get.

There's a reason for this. A script is one piece of a collaborative medium. Each person working on the film does his or her job, whereas a writer does every job. The best writing makes certain that the reader feels what the character feels. That's one person - the writer - doing the same for the reader what an entire credit roll does for a film. Of course the moviegoer sees, hears and feels what the character does. The Director of Photography (DoP) ensures we see, the sound department makes sure we hear, and the actor draws us in and makes us feel what he feels.

That is the single hardest thing to keep in mind when writing a screenplay. We must put away the urge to tell how a character feels. We can only show. Here's an example. I'll write a scene from Sleeping Beauty in prose form.

Prince Florimund swept the cobwebs from the doorway and entered the room. His heart skipped and his breath caught in his throat. The princess lay upon a bed, slanting sunlight streaming over her like rays from heaven.

All around her, slumped figures dressed in ancient finery slept as well. Florimund took several quiet steps forward, but even these echoed in the heavy stillness. He looked around him, but nothing stirred in the dusty shadows. He moved toward her, his heart squeezing as he gazed on her beauty. As he reached her, his knees no longer held him. He knelt, the battle to reach her still drawing his labored breath.

Slowly, very slowly, he leaned forward. He must kiss that mouth. He was glad he wasn't called to resist her. He knew he would never win that fight.



Now I'll redo this scene in screenplay format. As I mentioned last week, Blogger doesn't allow for center justification, so I've included the image at left to show the proper centering of dialogue.

The bold text is the setting. Here's where we tell it, short and sweet:

INT - CASTLE - DAY

'INT' indicates 'interior'. 'EXT' indicates 'exterior'. Then we include the action. This is what we can see the character do as an observer.

eg PRINCE FLORIMUND enters the room from the passageway. He sees PRINCESS AURORA asleep on the bed, surrounded by COURTIERS slumped all around the room, also sleeping. Florimund walks through the maze of sleepers till he kneels beside the bed. He leans forward to kiss her.

And that's it. Everything from the prose scene is there in the script form, minus how Florimund feels and what everything looks like specifically. The only reason to include the sun's rays shining on her face would be as a plot device. If it was essential to the story that the sun's rays shine on her, they would be included. If not, even if that's the way you as the writer envision it, it's not your job to show it onscreen. That's for the DoP and the director to decide upon.

And that's it. A screenplay is dialogue joined by action directions and setting tags. Nowhere is it more essential to move the story along through dialogue than in a screenplay (well, okay, a play.) When writing the dialogue you must resist the urge to write how the character says it. That's for the actor and director to work out. Let's go back to Sleeping Beauty again for a bit of dialogue.


The prince kissed the sleeping beauty below him with tender reverence. A sweet tingling rose up from her mouth to his. He withdrew enough to see her lashes flutter. Florimund inhaled sharply. The princess stirred, her silks rustling, a soft rousing sound escaping her throat. At last she opened her eyes, and Florimund saw how deeply blue her eyes were.

Her gaze wandered the room for a moment, then rested on him. His whole body quivered with the wonder of it. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached forward and took her hand in his.

"You're all right now," he said.

Her brow furrowed. "Do..." Her voice was thick after so many years of silence. She tried again. "Do I know you?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "No, my dear. But I know you. You're the woman I've dreamed of. And now a dream no longer."

In the days that followed, Florimund barely left her side. She wanted him near and he wanted to be there. It was just as the royal seers had foretold. He would never mock those old fools again.

After a lifetime of longing for her, the next few months of preparation seemed both excruxiating and delirious with joy. Then on a breathless morning, he rose, dressed in his finest and ascended the cathedral steps to take her as his bride.

And now let's see what this looks like in script form.

INT - CASTLE - DAY

Florimund kisses Aurora, who awakens.

FLORIMUND

You're all right now.

AURORA

Do I know you?

FLORIMUND

No, my dear. But I know you. You're the woman I've dreamed of. And now a dream no longer.

EXT - CASTLE - DAWN

Preparations are being made for a celebration.

INT - FLORIMUND'S BEDCHAMBER - MORNING

The prince is attired by his courtiers.

INT - CATHEDRAL - DAY

Florimund walks up the cathedral steps. Royal families crowd the front of the cathedral. Florimund stands at the altar waiting for his bride.

And that's it. We don't say that Florimund is excited, nervous, filled with love. That's not the screenwriter's job. In the prose version I skimmed over a segue that telescoped several months of preparation for the wedding. In the screenplay, it's implied through the edited cut from the awakening kiss to wedding preparations.

There you have it - Screenwriting 101. Pay attention to the next few movies you watch. Perhaps take a favorite movie and try to write out the scenes you like in screenplay form. It takes practice learning to leave out all the detail that prose writers have to put in.

The Prince Wakes Sleeping Beauty From Her Sleep With a Kiss by Heinrich Lefler

Tagged - I'm It! - 20

Thomma Lyn tagged me for this 7 Things Meme. The rules:

Tell seven random and/or interesting things about myself. Get five blog buddies to play, too and link to their blogs. Don't forget to post the rules.

Well, that was painless. Let's go -



1 - Night Watch and Day Watch

As you may know, my current obsession revolves around two amazing Russian urban paranormal films, based on a series of books by Sergei Lukyanenko. I've recently finished the first book and I'm in the middle of the second book right now.










I just love this shot from Night Watch. Anton, played by Konstantin Khabensky, is trying to see through the dimensions to ward off an attack by a vampire.




The sequel, Day Watch picks up where Night Watch leaves off. Basically, it's a modern fable about the forces of Light and Dark, filtered through a post-Soviet Russia. There's lots of Cold War references, where each side closely watches the other to ensure their Truce is observed.

Pictured on the poster here is Alisa, a witch and a Day Watch agent who keeps tabs on the Light. Anton and Svetlana are magicians and Night Watch agents who keep tabs on the Dark. They also have a romantic relationship.





In this shot from Day Watch, Svetlana has pushed her way into a deeper level of the Gloom, and Anton cannot follow. She's chasing a young Dark One. This sequence is really amazing. In reading the books, the challenge of shooting the scenes that take place in the Gloom would seem daunting, but director Timur Bekmambetov found a fabulous way to do it.



2 - Animal Totems - Polar bear and Panther

An animal totem is a spiritual guide who gets our attention by being something we are drawn to throughout our lifetime. Is there an animal with whom you've always felt a deep kinship? Do you run into images of this animal over and over again? Do you collect images of an animal? Conversely, is there an animal of whom you are terrified? Or have you been bitten by an animal? Sometimes the totem seeks a sharp means of connecting.

My husband Brad's animal totem is the polar bear. He's a lifelong fan of Coca Cola, and its polar bear mascot just intensified this connection. He has a small collection of Coke bears, and whenever I see a photo of a polar bear, I immediately think of Brad, through size, body language and its remoteness out on the tundra.

"The white color associated with the polar bear is very significant. It represents 'purity of spirit'. Polar Bear serves as a valuable ally in overcoming fear, both physical and mental. Known as the 'Ice Man' in some tribes because of its preference for hunting on sea ice, Polar Bear's environment is symbolic. It points to the frozen emotions stored within oneself and the need for allowing those emotions to express themselves. Those with this medicine have karmic challenges associated with flexibility, change and stubbornness.

They know how to conserve their strength as well as their energy and use both at the most appropriate time for the best outcome. Polar bears weigh up to 1600 pounds and can knock a 500 pound seal out of the water with one blow. They are the most aggressive and carnivorous of all bears. Polar bears have no enemies in the animal kingdom. Their only enemy is the human hunter." - sayahda.com


I've always been attracted to the black panther. Significantly, I've been allergic to cats all my life, no matter that I've taken two sets of allergy shots with 'cat' included in the serum. I'm better than I used to be with them, but there's no pet cats in my future I'm afraid. That tells me how strong the cat totem is for me. I have several panther prints and statues, including a little one by my bed.

"The Black Panther has perhaps the greatest mysticism associated with it. Panther is of a lunar significance and often signals a time of rebirth after a time of suffering. This implies that an old issue may finally begin to be resolved. As a totem, it awakens the inner passions, signaling not just a time of coming into one's own power, but reclaiming one's true power. The Black Panther always brings a guardian energy to those to whom it comes.

This often means facing aspects of the self or of life that have been painted over, or covered up to be forgotten. A powerful and ancient totem, it is the symbol of the Goddess, ferocity and valor. Panthers are solitary creatures and develop an inner knowing. They can be absolutely silent when stalking their prey: with a Panther totem, you will find your greatest power in silence and stealth, as you pursue your goals and aspirations." - fortunecity.com





3 - The best thing about Canada's East Coast Navy

I live in Halifax, which among other things is a naval port. Growing up, we also had an airforce base here, and many of my friends' fathers were in the military. The airforce base is unfortunately an aviation museum these days, but the navy chugs along.

Which brings me to my next door neighbor, Mack, a sailor aboard HMCS Preserver.


This is a photo of the Preserver in action, refueling the USS Ingraham during Operation Apollo on the Arabian Sea several years ago. Mack was at sea for this operation.

Photo - Replenishment at sea by MCpl Brian Walsh


When he's not at sea, Mack moseys around on his roof putting up Christmas lights (that's him behind me, two Christmases ago.) Mack is the World's Best Next Door Neighbor. He shovels our shared driveway before I can get out of my pyjamas. Mack and his wife Freida, that is - technically it's a tie for the World's Best Next Door Neighbor.

My mom and I can't do enough for them, and they are always there for us. The best thing about the navy is having a sailor for a next door neighbor. 'Ready, Aye, Ready'


4 - My east coast family and my Toronto family

My world is all about family. I've only taken one trip that didn't take me back and forth to family and friends.

This is my Nova Scotia clan at a family dinner in February. Back row: Newt, my sister Michelle, Mom, Brad, me, my cousin Julianne, Heather and Emily
Front row: Uncle Charlie, my cousin Charlie, Sarah, Auntie Noel, Laura, Stephen holding Molly


This is my other east coast clan. Clockwise from Baby Ava, Matt, Natasha, my step mom Doris, Michelle and Newt.





And then we have my Toronto family who I miss SO much: clockwise from my mother-in-law Joan, Brad, our nieces Emily and Christi, Jeremy, Violetta and my brother-in-law Jeff (whom I featured as a guest poet on the Poetry Train) holding Christi & Jeremy's Baby Brianna.


These guys technically live in Ottawa but I usually see them in Toronto: clockwise from Baby Brianna, our godson and nephew Francis, nephew Peter, my brother-in-law Ken and Anna, whom I featured in my cyber gallery.)



And this is my sister-in-law Karen with Jeff's daughter Emily.








5 - The Aunt Sheila rose

My Aunt Sheila always loved yellow roses. When she passed away five years ago (wow, that seems crazy) we wanted to plant a yellow rose bush in our yard, in her memory. This is how it looked last summer.


This is the last time we were all together. She and Uncle Frank lived in Virginia, and they came up for a month-long visit when Brad and I lived with Gram in her Yarmouth house. Here in this picture we've got Gram, Brad, Mom seated and Aunt Sheila in red. Uncle Frank was there, just not in this picture. We celebrated the four November birthdays and Christmas early (it was September.) We laughed a lot!


6 - Toronto Romance Writers meeting, October 2007

When Brad and I flew to Toronto for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, another big highlight for me was attending the TRW meeting. I got to see blog buddies in 3D. Here is Amy Ruttan, Leah Braemel and me.


Eve Silver gave the talk, and here is Amy, Eve, Wylie Kinson and me. Meeting you was so wonderful! ((hugs))


Next time I go there, I'll be able to see my long lost Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada buddy Christine d'Abo, shown here at right at last year's writers' retreat. That's Renee Field beside her.


7 - Jo Beverley

A few years ago, I couldn't believe my own fabulous fortune when our RWA chapter hosted historical romance author Jo Beverley for an all-day workshop. I'm a total Jo Beverley fan girl. She's my favorite, favorite, favorite.


Enjoying the workshop is Deborah Hale, my cousin Julianne MacLean and Lilly Cain.


Across the room we have Mary Louise, me, Kelly Boyce and Cathryn Fox.






And now - a-tagging I will go, a-tagging I will go...

Ann
and Anne
Flowerpot
Samantha Lucas
Susan