Under The Dome’s Release

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated–it’s not my fault! It’s because of that Twitter. There I can put out my thought, not worry about being grammatically sound, and get responses–instant gratification. Unfortunately, I just can’t bring myself to terminate this thing because I created it, and it’s had minor success. So I did the only thing I could do.
I turned myself over to the Twitter world (sold my soul, in writer terminology–I am not a writer), and asked for suggestions. In other words, I’ve becomes Twitter’s blog genie, working on demand, which puts me up a step from George R.R. Martin, by the way, who still has not finished his book, or given an update on its progress
People want to know how I know about the release of Stephen King’s new book, Under the Dome. The truth?
I looked it up foolish. Here it is anyway. Under the Dome is currently set to be released on Sept. 10, 2009, and have 1088 pages (this last part is constantly changing, and it shouldn’t matter if the book is good). Like so many of King’s other works it deals with the way people act when they are cut off from their world. Apparently, he’s been working on it for some time.
Since I have the subject of Stephen King open, the remake of It that I was so outraged about about 6 months ago is looking more promising now that it is going to be a theatrical release. Awe, how tempting to say that this change from a scifi mini series was solely because of me. Somehow, though, I’m sure that it had to do with a conflict between scifi and the writer, like the same thing that shut down the production of the Talisman mini series, which was supposed to be broadcasted on T.N.T., but was indefinitely suspended due to budget cuts.
There’s not a lot more to say about Mr. King, I guess–not without rehashing old stuff , and I’m already guilty of that.

Clusterfuck 5-19-09

The last week has just been one giant clusterfuck. It’s vulgar, but there’s just no other way to say it–between moving all my stuff from one dorm to another, trying to set up my computer to basically the way it was before the crash, and trying to get all my stuff in order, it’s been exhausting. I guess I should have taken the hint when that tree started talking to me last Thursday, but… Whatever.
The real sign that I’m overtired is when I start having weird dreams. Last night, for instance, I dreamed I had that virus from “Cabin Fever”, a dream I haven’t had since I first saw the movie in 190th grade. A lot of people ask me how I dream because I’m blind, and I’m still at a loss to explain it.
There are psychological studies that claim to know that blind people dream with there other senses, but that just isn’t right. The best way I can figure to explain it is that, at least for me, I see things in my dreams the way I think they are. I tell people that, and they want me to describe them. Since I only have personality, I end up describing their soul to some extent, so they’re not just upset if I give them an ugly physicality because of being called ugly that way. I think they have a sense for what’s going on, and it scares them. In truth, it scares me, too. I mean, a lot of couples get married, stay that way for a number of years, and really don’t know that much about each other, which is probably why they’re able to stay together. I’m not saying I have the ability to ever know everything about a person, or claiming some psychic talent–not at all. But I do tend to observe things, and it’s like Adam and Eve realized they were naked, they couldn’t unrealize it. So what am I supposed to do with that? On the one hand, I believe that people are basically good, and they believe it mostly. And then there’s my perception. It never turns off.
Stephen King has this talent for making anyone seem like an asshole. It makes for a great read, but I wonder how he maintains any sort of relationship. Does he just choose to overlook them, like most people choose to overlook racism, and then mark a mental milestone for himself saying “Today, I managed to have my first conversation with a power hungry prick without judging him.”? Do you see the problem there?
I guess it doesn’t matter much. I’ve gotten this far, but it’s nice to get it out. Well, here’s to a better week.

I, the magician, give you the power of suggestion

Even more powerful in humans then the power of observation is the power of suggestion. I was out with a couple of friends yesterday, and we somehow got on the topic of subliminal messages in media. One of the girls said that “House” was a constant reference to Sherlock Holmes, and the other girl brought up Bill Blakemore’s 1987 article which makes the claim that “The Shining”, a film released in 1980, was about the indian massacres. I argued that Stephen King’s novel was not about such a thing, and they said I had to see the imagry in the film. You can read Blakemore’s essay here and make that call for yourselves.
As for me, I realized that “House” is very much based off of Sherlock Holmes. He’s a prick that solves mysteries. I never would have thought of it because I just enjoyed the show.
My point is that peoples’ power of us in the form of suggestion seems to be greater than our own reassurances. It’s like when you’re getting ready to speak in front of a large group of people: Someone invariably asks, “Are you nervous?”
You tell them you’re not, and you’re probably feeling your mouth go dry and thinking “I wasn’t, thanks for making me think about, jerk.”
“Seinfeld” used this phenomenon in a number of it’s episodes, my personal favorite being the one featuring the cashmier sweater. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily.

The human species was meant to work together. The simple act of reproduction, after all, requires two people. Even witha turkey baistor, you still need to get the sperm from somewhere. Similarly, a traditional family has two parents. Also, other people can make you think in new ways about things, like “The Shining” film, or just about the way you tie your shoes.
It’s bad when you stop being yourself. As a writer, there is a point where you just have to say “Fuck it,” and tell your story. I wonder how many people thought of the telephone, but didn’t invent it because they were worried abut their piers criticizing the idea.
The answer, then, is, like anything else, it’s good in balance. Isn’t it funny how that works? Did you ever think of it before you read this?

First Pitfall

Well folks, I took my first pitfall on the writer’s road. I submitted a short story to my college journel. I kept it under wraps just in case it didn’t work out, and I’ve just proven that I do have some form of judgment. It’s interesting how rejections can be worded so nicely and be so cold.
To be fair, the story was horror, had violence and strong language, and a campus literary journal probably wasn’t the best outlet for it. I also forgot to take off the signed statement at the bottom of the work from when I tuned it in as an assignment for an advanced fiction class. Or maybe I just suck. That is a possibility. I like Stephen King, but I do think he has lost some of his humility.
So where do I go now? Onward. I still keep the blog going, and I can get up to 130 hits on a good day. And we can’t forget I have been plajorized (I think that guy’s site is still up). In any case, I can now declare myself a full fledged writer without having to worry about someone saying that I haven’t been rejected, and therefore can not appreciate the art itself. That is definitely something.

Well, I’m not crazy after all

I was on AIM with a friend last night, and he said that he read somewhere that Stephen King had said that Stephenie Meyer was a lousy writer. I looked it up and I found this article. It is an interview with King in which he criticizes J.K. Rowling and Meyer, as well as Dean Koontz. The comments on the article were what I found appalling. King jealous? I think not. Why should he be. He’s had at least 35 years of mainstream success, over 40 mainstream novels, The Dark Tower series, his screenplays (“Storm of the Century”, “Rose Red” and “Kingdom Hospital” are the main ones), and a countless number of short stories.
Also, King has helped to make a number of the movies for his books. He’s made himself a deity.
Just by the way, where do people get off criticizing King for reusing plots when originality never existed in the first place? I can name at least 7 different plots he’s come up with, and there are more. What I’m saying is if you’re going to criticize a highly regarded person’s opinion, know what you’re talking about.

A Tale to Give You Goosebumps: The Death of Books

R.L. Stine has a new series out called Goosebumps in Horrorland, a sereal publication of 12 books. The series also has an accompanying website, video game, rerelease of classic Goosebumps novels, and action figures will follow I’m sure. While Goosebumps was primarily liked by the ’90’s (how old doehat make you feel?), a man of Stine’s reputation shouldn’t have to put this much work into selling a book. Why does he do it then? Books are dying. For the release of his new short story collection “Just After Sunset”, Stephen King put a DVD in the packaging with the book, and made it mandatory for people to sign up for his book signings. This same author has also released comic book adaptations of The Stand and The Dark Tower Series. Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files, has released a few graphic novels featuring the wizard, and a failed TV show was launched in January of 2007.
There are a few reasons for this. First of all, we are living in the age of technology; the world features information that is just a click away–there’s no need to trudge your way through 500 or so pages to know the highlights of The Spanish Inquisition, or the nature of jinn. The decreasing standards to which writers are held also plays a role, paving the way for blockbuster fiction (books that are written in such a way that they can be easily made into a movie). Finally, people just don’t have the time to read anymore.
These reasons are actually one big link, but you have to dissect something to understand it. Having information readily available to you is something we have all grown used to. You may have found this entry through a search engine. Search engines, however, are not the only culpret. Social networking sites like Youtube or Myspace make it very easy to share information. While the information from these sites may be inaccurate, it is still out there, and influences the reader. The only reason I don’t attack WordPress or Livejournal is that you still have to actually read the stuff that is here, but the information has just as much potential to be inaccurate as it does anywhere else on the net. The users of Youtube and/or Myspace are aware of their position. In the words of Youtube user xcarriebearx, “Fuck books nobody reads anymore.” She has recently changed that, and she likes Twilight.
Blockbuster fiction is rampet. If it sounds like I have a bias against this phenomenon, I do–suck it up. Blockbuster fiction, characterized by authors like Jim Butcher, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Franklin W. Dixon, R.L. Stine, Dan Brown, and sometimes Stepen King, is a genre designed to sell a lot of books and make a lot of money for the movie company who acquires the bookrights. Ideas are simplex, settings are overly described, adverbs run wild, and there’s a new chapter after every killing, instance of promiscuity, or just when the author feels like it.
The upside is that even kids like are suddle youtuber Carrie can be persuaded to read, the downside is that writers like George R.R. Martin, whose writing has a lot of substance, have a harder time getting readers. These writers must often have their materia compromised to fit a cinema oriented society. Authors like Stephen King have tried to combat this unpleasantry by remaking some of their stuff (e.g. The Shining remake of 1997), but audiences don’t want anything to do with it.
The technology and movies take the time people have to read way. The biggest part of this comes from the fact that people are slower and slower readers because they are out of practice. The result is that people become frustrated with their lack of progress and give up. This has led to the increasing popularity of audiobooks, but people are not auditorially oriented, so it’s not enough.
I’m not calling you to action, here, just reporting the situation. The implecations are yours to think about. If I wasn’t a writer, this probably wouldn’t matter at all to me, and I’m not panicing because you still have to write scripts for movies. It’s just scary how fast things are changing.

The Unborn?

David S. Goyer, is releasing a film entitled “The Unborn” on Jan. 9. The advertisements look good, but the plot seems a bit iffy.
The main character is haunted by the soul of her unborn twin brother, and needs the aid of a spiritual advisor. I’m worried that you won’t get the originality that contributes to most of the thrill that one gets from horror movies. This concept has been used in “Stranger with my Face” by Loise Duncan, in which a girl’s twin ties to possess her through astroprojection. The concept also appeared in “The Dark Half” by Stephen King, in which an author’s altereigo comes back from the dead after being laid to rest.
So in summary, The Unborn may be an entertaining 90 minutes, but you’ll be starved for originality.
Please don’t forget to check “Nickoomba’s Dragons” under my pages, and click on the links you find there.

Epiphany

I’m watching Stephen King’s Storm of the Century because I have nothing else to do. Anyway, one of the phrases the villain, Andre Linoge, repeats throughout the film is “Born in lust, turn to dust; born in sin, come on in.”

I’ve seen the film a bunch of times, but I never understood it until today. It means that society has little tolerance for children born out of wedlock from birth, but people, sinful by nature, are tolerated if born in wedlock. Watch the film, you’ll see what I mean.

Stephen King Stuff

I was looking for a timeline for Stephen King’s new release, and I found a couple of points of interest.

1. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger is being released in expanded form. Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is releasing a volume that will contain it and The Little
Sisters of Eluria. Most of you remember the latter from the short story collection “Everything’s Eventual”.

2. Stephen King’s new novel is called Under the Dome, and is scheduled to be released next fall. The current draft is 1500 pages, but I’m sure there is much revision to be done, so it’ll probably be around 1490–Steve hates to cut his stories.

Just After Sunset a Good Read

I’ve just finished reading “Just After Sunset”, Stephen King’s new short story collection. I previously did a post advising readers not to buy the book, and I still hold to it–especially if you follow King closely enough to buy the issues “Playboy”, “McSweeney’s”, and all the other magazines that have published these stories. King seems to have lost his taste for spreading blood and guts, but he is still a master of the macabre, my two favorite stories from this collection being “Exercise Bike” and “Willa”. I also found “Graduation Afternoon” to be moving, but only those people who lived under the mushroom clowd, are history buffs, or have read “The Talisman” or “Dark Tower” books will fully appreciate it.

So what will king do now? I realize that to some people it will be like asking “What Will Jesus Do?”, and so I’m not going to go to deep into it. I hear, however, that he and Peter Straub will team up one more time to right the final book of the Jack Sawyer Trillogy, the first two books of which are “Talisman” and “Blackhouse” respectively. I loved Talisman and Blackhouse was okay, but I wish it hadn’t had so many Dark Tower elements. I like “The Dark Tower”, it is my Bible in many respects, but I just can’t help but picture Peter Straub sitting behind his desk, reading the material and thinking “Is this guy fucked?” Anyway, I’ll probably read the third book when and if it comes out because the battle with curiosity is one I always lose.