September Writing Challenge- Day 3

Prompt- Worst movie you've ever seen (and how you would have made it better)

The worst movie I have ever seen is an adaptation of one of my favorite books. "The Other Boleyn Girl" (IMDB link) by Philippa Gregory is one of the books that got me interested in historical fiction, specifically about the Tudor era, and introduced me to one of my favorite authors. So, you can imagine my excitement when it was turned into a movie in 2008. It stars Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman as her famous little sister, Anne.

I know that book adaptations are a hit-or-miss. Some are incredible and become classics, like To Kill A Mockingbird or Princess Bride. Some capture a generation. (The Harry Potter series) Some are just bleh. (Twilight) And then there's some that should have never been created in the first place. And, this turned out to be a prime example.

I also thought one of the reasons I didn't like it was the fact that I had just read the book so it was fresh in my head. And I know people do this with book to movie adaptations. (Harry Potter fans) They sit there and nit pick at all the differences or cuts. But, you have to kind of go into it with an open mind and chance the consequences of being disappointed later or end up being pleasantly surprised. Guess what happened.

I did think with the casting that it would be well done. I am not familiar with all of the works of the two leading ladies but I had seen enough to know they are quite talented. And, all done up in 16th century costuming, Natalie Portman looks like she could be Anne Boleyn. She's got the dark hair and eyes. And, she's gorgeous. Scarlett Johansson, also gorgeous. Mary Boleyn is described as pretty and fair. The sunny sister. Eric Bana, who played King Henry, I had never seen before but I think he is very good looking. Maybe not exactly how I pictured King Henry but sometimes you have to make exceptions. (Also, in looking at the IMDB cast list, Sherlock fans will be pleased to know that Benedict Cumberbatch is William Carey)

Acting was okay. This was a hit or miss situation. I did feel that some of the characters were portrayed differently than described in the book. Some either complete opposite or with not enough passion to their role. This was the case with Anne and Mary's parents. In the book, they're portrayed as really grasping and power hungry. They'll do anything to advance the family, even if it means throwing their own daughters under the carriage, so to speak, when something went wrong or accusations arose- however false they may have been. But, I didn't get that. It was more Mary and Anne and the parents were there to say "I told you not to" later on. It took away from the drama that was in the book. When I read the interactions between Mary and her parents or her uncle or Anne, or even Henry, I was glued to the page. But, I didn't get that same kind of emotion in the film. Almost wondered if any of the actors even read the book to get the right mood across. Apparently not. Henry was bleh. While he was incredibly good looking, he didn't have the fire and passion that I thought he should have. Now, this is after I've seen Jonathan Rhys Meyers play Henry in the Tudors and I fell in love with him, even when he was being an absolute creep. Because, he was so passionate in his portrayal. You wanted to love him when he was being tender. You were terrified when his temper flared. You wanted to slap him when he was being stupid. But, Eric Bana didn't do it for me.

Also, what was difficult was the idea of cramming a story that takes place over several years into a two hour film. If they wanted to really get the full impact of the story, I would have written it as a mini series. This was right around the time in pop culture when The Tudors was popular (a surprisingly good series, albeit highly inaccurate and over dramatized, but so are these books. That's the fun of historical fiction, though) so it might have worked in a similar fashion, just maybe tone down the sex because there is a LOT of it in the book. Not that I don't mind, sometimes. I primarily read YA, at least recently. But, I still like my steamy romance books. I've been reading them since I was 17. But, to get a broader audience, tone it down so it's still got the gist of the story but isn't as racy as the Tudors series was.

The story is completely twisted around. The whole point of the story is a view of the events of the court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, but from Mary's point of view. She's the "other" one. The lesser known sister. But there is a lot of Anne. And, while she is a crucial part of the story, the book is about Mary's life and how she deals with being involved with Henry and then being cast aside for her ambitious sister. The one woman, up to that point, who wouldn't give the king what he wanted then and there until she got what she wanted. But, there are already so many versions of her story. I was excited to see another perspective and learn about another character in that world.

The biggest part of the story was completely glossed over. With some key players absent. Where was Cardinal Wolsey in all this? He was Henry's main adviser. And, I don't think he was in it barely at all. And then, the fact that Henry created his own Church just to grant himself a divorce. It was kind of "Oh, by the way, this happened." What? That is kind of important, you would think. It changed, not only English history, but the world in the long run.

On a few positives, I did like Scarlett Johansson as Mary. And, I liked Natalie Portman, although comparing, once again, to the Tudors series, I liked Natalie Dormer the best as Anne. But, you can't help shedding a tear or two at the end when she's executed. (And, that's not a spoiler, folks. It's history. Pick up a book.) The relationship between the two sisters, in terms of their acting, was very believable. Starting out sweet and they were close and having fun. And, over time, it sours. But, Mary still has that innocent outlook on the world that things will be okay, even when everything is falling apart.

So, maybe I'll take a screenwriting course someday and ask Philippa Gregory if I could turn the book into a mini series. Then you can get all the drama and the historical background that this film was sadly lacking.

I'd love to know your opinions. Do you agree/disagree with what I've said? Did you love this movie and think I'm insane for not liking it? What is the worst movie you've ever seen?

See you tomorrow!

September Writing Challenge- Day 2

Prompt- I threw a surprise party for... and this is what happened.

At Mom's party, December 2009
Family photo

A few years ago, I threw a surprise party for my mom's 50th birthday. My dad and my sister helped, of course. One of my aunts made the cake. And, overall, the party was a success.

The problem was keeping the secret from my mother for two whole months. I'm very close to my parents. I tell them just about everything. So, it was very difficult for me to keep this huge thing from my mom. And, as the time drew closer, I was beginning to panic about getting things done and worrying about people who were not replying as to whether or not they were coming which drives me insane. Also, people were asking me what to get Mom as a gift and I had no idea. Whenever I asked her, just casually, she would say things like "world peace" or "a cure for cancer." Totally not helping. And, when I am worried about things, it's hard to keep it contained.

So, the night before the party, my parents and I are eating dinner and I'm mentally going through all the things I have to do the next day to get ready. Mom could tell something was bothering me but every time she asked, I lied and said nothing. Finally, she says, "I know what I want for my birthday."

Without thinking, I blurt, "Oh, now you tell me."

"So you got me something," she says, curious now.

My eyes went wide, I probably went pale and in my head I'm saying, *Shit! Blabber mouth. Now what?* What I said was, "You're gonna have to wait and see."

"I bet you can't keep it til Tuesday," she said. (Her actual birthday was the Tuesday after. The party was on a Friday)

"You're gonna have to wait and see," I said again, thinking this is a vague enough reply. The whole time my dad is laughing and I was worried he was going to blab as well. But, he didn't. When my mom arrived at the party and got over her initial shock, she came over to me and said, "I knew you couldn't keep it til Tuesday."

As I said, overall, the party was a success. The people who meant most attended. We had it at the old catering hall I used to work at so some friends who were former coworkers served the food. Everything was great. I took lots of pictures and memories were made that my mom will never forget.

What about you? What are some of your surprise party experiences? Leave a comment below and share. I'd love to hear.

Thanks for reading!

Carey

September Writing Challenge Day 1

Prompt: A Current Picture and 5 Random Facts

1) I am now terrified of angel statues. I blame Steven Moffatt for this. Because he created the Weeping Angels on Doctor Who, possibly the most terrifying monster ever in the 50+ years of the series, I freak out when I see an angel statue now.

2) One of my favorite genres to read is historical fiction. For those who follow my YouTube channel, you will know that I love Philippa Gregory books. She is fantastic at historical fiction, especially her Tudor books. I'm waiting on the final of the Cousins Wars series and then going to have a massive marathon read. And, because the last book is a signed edition makes me all the more excited for it to arrive.
Also, my dad gave me an idea for my own historical fiction story. I'm tossing around some ideas for it but don't want too much of a distraction from my work-in-progress.

3) I have a beautiful, but insane, German Shepherd. A few months ago, we began fostering a dog. She's a 5 year old German Shepherd named Pepper. She's so cute and the biggest sweetie... until a small dog comes along then she goes psycho. As time went on, and we became more and more attached, we realized we couldn't let her go. So, we adopted her in late July. She's fun and sweet and bat crap crazy but we love her anyway.

4) I think I might be a teeny bit addicted to Pinterest. I could spend hours on that site! Looking at everything and anything. Whether it's ideas for when I get my own place, wedding ideas (even though I'm not even engaged yet. But, hey. Who says I can't look now?) tons of recipes and writing inspiration. I have had many a sleepless nights due to Pinterest. So, if you want to see some of the things I have found during the hours I should be sleeping, here's the link to my page.

5) I'm going to Ohio ComicCon next month!! SO excited about this! Now, granted, I'm going to have to be ridiculously stingy. I just got back to work after being on sick leave for over a month and I'm going to need every penny I can for this trip. My boyfriend is being super amazing and said he'd cover the hotel cost which helps a lot but there are two people I want to get autographs from and a meet and greet I want to attend SO badly I could cry. Unlike last year, we are going for the whole weekend. We learned that there is just too much there to see in a day and it was just too exhausting. So, we're going to take our time and look around and enjoy ourselves. This is, I guess, our first vacation together. Also exciting.

Another Writing Challenge

Several months ago, I did a writing challenge. I've been collecting a number of prompts and I'm going to do another beginning in September 1. So, keep an eye out for that. I'm kind of creating my own with the prompts I've gathered. This is going to be a lot of fun. I've been sadly slacking in my blog so this will give me a boost in inspiration.

Keep an eye out and enjoy reading!

Carey

Problem Solved!

Some of my readers may remember back in December when I lost my NaNoWriMo novel. Well, recently, the little details have been coming to mind so I decided to rework the plot a bit and work it into my series. I was stuck on my idea for book 6 so I plan on using that. I'm sitting in the park making a rough outline for future reference so I don't forget anything.

Yay! So, losing my original story worked out for the better after all ^^.

Story Snippet- second draft

Hi, everyone. I haven't posted in ages, I know. Been busy. Doctor appointments and getting ready to go back to day job as soon as possible. In between, I've been writing like mad. Finally almost done with draft number 2 of my book and slowly sending it out to beta readers and getting ready for draft number three!

For a little treat, I thought I'd give you a little snippet of a scene between my main character, Tara, and a particular young man named Henry. Could he be a love interest? This scene takes place after people in town have come down with a mystery illness. Henry goes to see Tara after 2 weeks of not talking.

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“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” said Tara, trying to sound indifferent. “You?”

“Better.” Awkward pause. “Look, I’m sorry. I wanted to come see you the next day but my mom and aunt were driving me crazy. They still think I’m 8 and not 18.”

“That’s family for you,” said Tara with a smirk. “Gran made me stay home all that time. I had to fight to go back to work.”

“And, you must think I’m a complete creep after the way we said good bye last time.” He smiled when she turned red. Tara’s heart skipped a beat as he moved closer and took her hand. Gray eyes met green as he whispered, “Did you think I forgot our first kiss?”

Now, her heart really raced. It felt like it was pounding in her throat, making it impossible to speak. He leaned in closer. She closed her eyes and she felt his hand wrap around her waist. His fingers traveled slowly around her body, sending goose bumps up and down her spine. He pulled her closer and used his other arm to pull her arm around him. He ran a finger down her cheek, causing her to shudder. When she opened her eyes, their faces were barely inches apart. Her eyes were locked on his and she felt like she would drown in them.

“Henry…” Nothing else came out of her mouth because it was suddenly occupied in a kiss. She tightened her arm around him just so she could stand on legs that were quickly turning to rubber.

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Here you go! Please let me know in the comments what you think. Is there room for improvement? Fine the way it is? Scrap the whole thing and make them have a knock-down, drag-out fist fight? (Not a real option) Enjoy!

Random Rant- Plastic Surgery for Kids?

Since I'm off Day Job for a while, I've been watching a lot of television. And, I saw an ad for a news story that made me very upset. It was a story talking about if your child is bullied in school, should you allow them to get plastic surgery. And, instantly, I thought "What the hell?! How is that supposed to help the kid?"

Now, I've talked about this before. I was bullied when I was a kid. I know how much it hurts. When you're an emotional child or teenager, words can hurt and you can feel like you just want to crawl into a hole and bury yourself in it. But, how is plastic surgery supposed to help improve your self esteem and image? Wouldn't that prove the bullies right? It would prove that you really aren't good enough the way you are so you have to resort to drastic measures to change yourself? I just don't see how that is going to be helpful. And there are so many risks with plastic surgery. It could go horribly wrong. There could be infection. And it could also lead to more bullying. Because if there's one thing I know about bullies is once they know they can get under your skin, they will figure out every angle to do it more to give themselves that sick sense of satisfaction they get when making someone else miserable.

So many things could go wrong with plastic surgery, especially with someone so young because they are still growing and the risks for complications increase. Now, I'm not a doctor but I can imagine this is the case.

I was unable to catch the story and, for some reason, I couldn't find it online. But, I just wonder what could make a parent or guardian think that plastic surgery is the only solution to getting the bullying to stop. What happened to talking to teachers and school administrators? Helping the child learn that what the bullies say and do shouldn't mean anything? Helping the child learn that they are fine the way they are?

Thinking about this is getting me so upset, I can't keep my thoughts together.

So, tell me if you agree or disagree. I'd love to have a discussion in the comments section.

Have a great night!

Unexpected Experience

Hi all,
I know I've been quiet lately on social media. I had a pretty frightening experience this weekend and have only been home since Monday.

Turns out I had a very large blood clot in my right leg. I ignored it for over a week and it just kept getting worse so my mother woke me up Friday and said, "Take a shower. You're either making an appointment with your doctor or I'm taking you directly to the ER." So, I made an appointment with a doctor and was sent for blood work and an ultrasound. The doctor called right away while I was still in radiology and said he was sending me to the ER. Long story short, I was admitted, I had 2 procedures to remove the clot, I was on bed rest for most of the weekend. I came home Monday. I'm on blood thinners for a year and need to be much more active in the future.

This doesn't mean I am stopping my writing. But, I'm a little more behind on my current draft. And I won't be doing any YouTube videos for a while because I'm all bruised and look like I had the snot beaten out of me. That was partly the blood thinners and where they poked and prodded me. And I can't get upstairs where all my filming equipment is. But I will continue to post on the blog until I can record again. And there is always Facebook and Twitter.

So, I just wanted to give my loyal followers an update on what's going on and I'll be resuming work on my manuscript tonight.

Thanks so much!
Carey

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 2

Well, no writing done today. But, that's okay since I had such a huge start yesterday. Tomorrow, I am going to hit the coffee shop after I do my chores. (Laundry and cleaning and such) I also have to hit the library to print out the already typed chapters so I can prepare for when I get feedback from my beta readers.

I came home and was just so exhausted. Between the heat the past few days and being extremely busy at work, all I want to do today is watch America's Got Talent, put some ice on my foot, and relax.

I'm trying to come up with some new ideas for my YouTube channel. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know in the comments. One of my ideas will only work if I can get my sister and a friend involved but more on that when I know for sure.

Have a great night! Thanks for reading.

Carey

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 1

Well, didn't get to a coffee shop but I did manage to type about 6300 words. Almost 20% of my goal already. Pretty good, I think. I also started sending chapters to my friends who agreed to be beta readers for me. I still have the final two chapters to edit. I should have those done by Thursday. Between taking the church chapters to work with me and having Thursday off, it shouldn't be a problem.

I still can't believe I've made it this far in my writing. Honestly, I have never completed a story before. And here I am working on the first of a series. But, I am off to a great start.

I'm going to take a break and get some food before heading to work.

I'll have another update tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day.

Carey