Ryne Douglas Pearson's Blog, page 23

An interview with screenwriter John Milius, creator of one of the most memorable lines in film history.

That's right. No book recommendations today. Just a movie. One of my favorites. I pull it out like a comfortable old blanket and pop it in the DVD player every so often. Clearly a film locked in its own timespace, dated by comparison to what surrounds us today, but I don't care. This is a great movie.




[image error]


The Four Seasons. Written and directed by Alan Alda. A crisply funny look at love and relationships as one nears the issuance of their AARP card. Jack Weston is perfect as the hypochondriac, neurotic dentist. Sandy Dennis plays the castoff friend and wife as no one else could. And no film has ever gotten a more deserved laugh than when fear of underwear is discussed here.

Well worth your time.

This is one of those very writery things. If you're here looking for musings on bacon, skip back a day or so.

Here's how a typical writing day looks. I wake up, somewhere between 7 and 7:30 and head to the office a about twenty feet from my bedroom. It's a hellish commute. Often there's a jackknifed Beagle in the hallway. I turn on the computer and then head to the kitchen to grab a Diet Pepsi. By the time I'm back in the office my computer is booted up.

This is when the magic begins.

I fire up Word, FinalDraft, TweetDeck, and Chrome. I check my e-mail and accept the numerous offers of free Cialis, then post something pithy on Twitter and something 10% less pithy on Facebook. I scan a few news websites to see if the authorities have zeroed in on my Coelacanth fishing operation, and, satisfied that I'm not about to be hauled off for violating several fisheries statutes, I begin to write.

A few hours later I realize I haven't showered and give that a whirl. Then I'm back in the office chair again. I hurl a few more pithy comments to the online world and then craft more literary gold for a few hours.

Often there's a phone call or a meeting that throws this schedule all to hell. And sometimes a deadline turns an eight hour day into a sixteen hour day. And even after a normal eight hour day, I'm still thinking about writing. Doing that mental part of the work, usually until it's time to slam the brain bucket down on the pillow and rest up for a repeat performance in the a.m.

BACON! As featured in my 1,000th Tweet just a few minutes ago.

Some brutally honest commentary on the state of short fiction.

What has been the pinnacle of television? In other words, what broadcasts have utilized the medium to its maximum effect?

In my opinion, two shows, both multi-part, rise above all others.

The first is The Civil War, by Ken Burns, as much for its groundbreaking style of presentation as for the exploration of its subject matter. It brought to life an immobilized era of our history, giving life and texture to static images which, until then, were our only glimpse into that past.

The second is Band of Brothers, by too many writers and directors to mention here, which, more than any movie about the Second World War, captured both the camaraderie and the trials of both the battles and boredom inherent in episodes of grand human conflict.

An honorable mention goes to The Simpsons, because, come on...without the TV show we never would have had Spider Pig.

The first of the my novels that were published in the 90's will soon be available as an eBook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Top Ten, the story of a narcissistic serial killer, will be released UNCUT. The original publisher insisted on removing several scenes that they considered too graphic.

I like graphic. And these scenes expand on the main character and his motivation. It was wrong to remove them, but considering the cover they slapped on the book back then...they were doing a lot of things wrong. This version, the Author's Cut, will have a killer new cover. I've seen the first pass. It rocks.

Soon. Can't wait to get this puppy out there for you to read.

My eBooks are now available through both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, allowing them to be purchased and read on Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and any device which can use the FREE Kindle or Nook apps.

Information on these apps, and how to purchase my books, can be found HERE.

Thank you for reading!

Ryne

Why? Watch and listen to Oscar winner William Goldman illustrate the importance of defying expectations.

Courier, though I love thee, and respect thee, I slay thee and replaceth thee with thy snooty second cousin, Times New Roman. Thou hurteth my eyes as displayed on my website.