Serenity

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.25.2006

I just saw the movie Serenity today with Dineen. WOW the writing is terrific. CGI is good. I think I appreciated the nuances in the movie much better because I’d seen the TV show Firefly.

The dialogue was fantastic. Funny without spoiling the mood. Phenomenal subtexting. It’s so neat to hear the unusual dialect Joss Whedon made up for his universe.

Characterization for Firefly was diverse. I personally think the conflict between characters is greater in the new Battlestar Galactica series, but Firefly had a good push-pull. The new villain in Serenity is very three-dimensional and rather unique. The writing and the casting made the character larger than life.

I also liked how Joss Whedon showed backstory, especially since the series had already set up so much characterization. Whenever backstory showed up onscreen, it was always in response to someone needing to know the information, or to a strong emotional reaction to past information come up to haunt the present. Masterfully done.

Bible in 90 Days: day 17. I’m in 1st Samuel now. It’s amazing how God allows the Israelites to have a king when they are, essentially, dissing Him. I am comprehending better how He is so much larger and unfathomable than I could ever conceive of, and I have to just trust His Spirit to lead and guide me in His ways.

Writing: I finished my synopsis last night and sent it out to a bunch of writing friends to critique. I’m worried about my character motivations. I really need them to be rock solid and it’s hard to wrap my head around it.

Diet: Had tuna sandwich for lunch (400) and then cookies while watching the movie (400?). Blech, my stomach is rebelling against the excess of sugar. Leftovers for dinner tonight. I’m still really sore from Monday’s PT session. I’m glad I canceled my session today since I had to stay up late last night to finish my proposal.

Comments

Dineen A. Miller said…

Oh, that was fun today! Sitting there seeing Camy react to the movie was so cool. LOL! And poor Snickers didn't get a cookie!

I agree with you on the character conflict on Battlestar. Good stuff!

Wed Jan 25, 10:46:00 PM 2006

Lynette Sowell said…

Oooh! I put Serenity on our Netflix list. :) I'm looking forward to it. That and Battlestar tonight (after I edit a few chapters). :)

Fri Jan 27, 09:13:00 AM 2006

I’m done

Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.17.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is THE PREACHER’S DAUGHER by Lyn Cote My Monday book giveaway is BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER by Mindy Starns Clark . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned. I’m done. At the beginning of the year, I made a goal of three books this year. That’s four months per book. I started this manuscript January 15th. I finished in the wee hours of May 17th, so it took me about four months, a day and a few hours. Yay me. I’m going to bed now. Yes, this is the espresso maker on the right, and a professional coffee grinder on the left. By the espresso maker, I mean the one I promised to my long-suffering husband if I got a book contract, as a reward for letting me quit my biotech job and write full-time.

Romantic guys

Captain’s Log, Stardate 10.13.2006 Heroes: I’m a TV junkie, I admit it. I’m hooked on the new series called Heroes. (It’s like X-Men, but before they realized their powers and came together to become the X-Men. And without the funky costumes.) Okay, regardless of the X-Men type storyline, one of the heroines—a high school girl—is talking to a boy she likes, the quarterback of the football team. He’s sweet-talking her and being very flattering. She says he doesn’t really know her very well. He goes into this romantic spiel about how he notices she draws unicorns in the margins of her notes in class, etc. Now here I pause the TiVo and turn to Captain Caffeine. Skeptical Asian wife: “That’s so un-guy-like! How realistic is it for a typical guy to say something eloquent and romantic like that?” Captain Caffeine: “It sounds romantic because he’s the quarterback of the football team.” Confused Asian wife: “What do you mean?” Captain Caffeine: “If he were a computer geek, he would sound like...

ICRS Tuesday

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.11.2007 I started the day with a great meeting with Al Hsu , an editor at InterVarsity Press. We discussed Asian Americans—fiction, non-fiction, the church, family. He’s been in publishing for many years and is very wise. We had a great discussion. I also met his wife Ellen, who’s totally nice and is also into card-making! I wandered the floor and happened to meet Robin Jones Gunn. She asked if I’d eaten yet, and since I hadn’t, said to join her for lunch. On the way to lunch, we met Mark Mynheir, and he gave me a copy of his book, got The Void . Isn’t that cool? Robin has so much wisdom. I loved having lunch with her. She gave me such good advice, both professionally and spiritually. I hope I’ll get a chance to have lunch or dinner with her at the ACFW conference in September. I met up with agent Steve Laube, and walked with him to his next meeting, but on the way we were hailed by Cec Murphy and agent Jeff Dunn. Jeff had been the first editor to request...

I GOT A CONTRACT!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.29.2006 I had a wonderfully funny blog post planned for today, but I got sidetracked by some news yesterday! Zondervan has offered me a three-book contract on my Asian chick-lit series ! I’m still stunned by everything that’s happened. The series is actually a 4-book projected Asian chick-lit series about four cousins who fall under the infamous family title "Oldest Single Female Cousin," and their ruthless, wealthy grandma applies pressure on each of them to improve their lack of love interests. I think the first book is tentatively scheduled to be released in August 2007. The blurb on the series is on my website here . Brandilyn Collins posted to the ACFW loop about my writing journey, and Tamara Cooper asked that I share it. And since you all know how much I like to talk , here it is. My writing journey: Like most writers, I have wanted to write since I was very young. (In high school, I wrote a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day ...

Ironman

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.12.2008 I realize I’m late in posting this, but I just saw Ironman a couple weeks ago and it was FABULOUS! It was the most entertaining movie I’ve seen in a long time. I even liked it better than Mr. and Mrs. Smith (although that flick is a close second). I think because the acting was great. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow were fantastic. I especially liked how the Pepper character is an older woman with more maturity than, say, MaryJane in Spiderman . Pepper was strong, intelligent, and relatively cool under fire. And did you guys catch the Easter Egg at the end of the credits??? Awesome!!!

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