Points of View

Forgive my lateness, but I wanted to be able to give this topic the time it deserved. Over the last few days, I've had several writer friends come to me and ask me what first and third person points of view were and when to use them. So, let's discuss that shall we?

Types of Point of View
 
Objective Point of View
With the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

Third Person Point of View
Here the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.

First Person Point of View
In the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story. When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.

Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View
A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.
A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.
As you read a piece of fiction think about these things:
How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. It is up to you to determine what is the truth and what is not.

I just found an article that breaks it down even a little better...


Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. We may choose to tell our story in

• first person, using "I" or "we";
• third person ("he," "she," "it"), which can be limited or omniscient; or
• second person, "you," the least common point of view.

As a writer, you must think strategically to choose the point of view that will allow you to most effectively develop your characters and tell your story

.

First Person Point of View

First person limits the reader to one character's perspective. With a book such as On the Road, for instance, the first person point of view puts us right there in the car with Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty; we follow Sal's every exhilarating thought as they careen across the country. First person feels more personal.What about unreliable narrators and first person? See an example of unreliable narrator from Chang-rae Lee's A Gesture Life.

Third Person Point of View

Though first person can be powerful, as the examples above illustrate, third person is actually the more versatile point of view. Third person allows you to create a much richer, more complicated universe. A book such as Anna Karenina, for example, could only have been written in third person. One reader, Wendy, put it this way: "When I write in first person, I tend to make the story more personal to me, which can limit how far I will go with a character. Third person isn't as much about me, and I

Try a New Point of View

Nevertheless, beginning writers tend to fall back on first person, either because it's easier or because they are indeed writing about themselves. Even if your story is autobiographical, consider trying third person. Doing this will actually help you to view your story more dispassionately and therefore allow you to tell it more effectively. It might also show you directions for the story you haven't considered before.At first, it may be easiest to use third person limited, which still adheres closely to one person's point of view. As your plots become more complicated, you may find you need more than one point of view to tell your story and begin to use omniscient.
If you keep hitting a wall in a story or novel, consider switching point of view. For most people, this will involve going from first person to third. Beginning writers may groan at the idea of rewriting an entire story, but for professional writers, such experimentation is par for the course. If it's your first time to consider such a switch, this point-of-view exercise will lead you through it. You might also read a discussion on point of view from a blog post. In it, a number of writers share what's worked for them regarding point of view.

Free For All Friday: Last Time I Checked - it wasn't 1950 anymore

I wasn’t sure whether to title today’s rant what I did or “Are you kidding me right now?!?!” with a bunch of &@! To Bleep out the four and five letter words that I really want to say. Which is what happens when I happen upon what I’m about to rant about.

                So, let’s get to what I’m talking about, shall we? The last time I checked, it wasn’t the 1950’s anymore. Jim Crowe laws are abolished, the outcome of Loving v. Virginia is now celebrated every June and poodle skirts are now part of art department costume jewelry.

                If this is correct, and I’m not stuck in a time warp, then explain to me why the only way my interracial themed romance books will be published the way I want them to be is if I go to an indy publisher or open up something myself, so I can do it my way?

                Let me explain. About 13 years ago, I was kicking around the idea of writing strictly interracial romance (black male, white female to be more exact) but I really wanted to be published when I grew up, so I wasn’t sure that I should, since I didn’t see a big market for it.

                Then one day I was at a bargain bookstore and ran across a bm/ww book, published by Kensington Press. I got 18 types of excited, bought the book, ran home, plopped on the couch and didn’t move until I was done reading it.

                It was GREAT. The plot was awesome, the editing was on point, I researched the company and off I went on becoming a strictly interracial couple romance writer. I bookmarked the site and decided that they were who I was going to submit to when I was ready.

                “When I was ready” didn’t happen until about 9 years later when I was in the middle of writing The Wrong Side of the Mississippi, again. I had Northern Lights and Learning the Hard Way ready, but I just knew that Wrong Side was the one I needed to lead off with.  So I went straight to

Kensington to see what my requirements were, and about fell out of my seat. They weren’t taking submissions that were black male and white female. They would take black female and any other race of male, but they weren’t buying what I was selling.

                So after picking myself up and dusting myself off, I said “Well they aren’t the only game in town, I’ll go to Harlequin.” I wanted to write for them since my early twenties anyway, so I was good with that. Harlequin was having a contest called “So You Think You Can Write?” and I was sure I could win it, because Wrong Side is just that good. So I hit the link to the guidelines and again, my jaw hit the floor. They don’t take bm/ww either. They had the same rules that Kensington did as well.

                I spent two days researching big publishing houses and they all had the same guidelines. One told me that if I changed my characters, they would accept me. *blank stare* For those of you who know me, you know that I would never see my name on the front cover of a book, than change who I am or what I believe in just to appease some suit.

                So I started looking at indy publishing houses and every single one of them were open to what I was writing. In fact, Wrong Side was what I sent to BraveGirl (when it was the now defunct Queen Midas Books) when she originally signed me. First publisher I sent it to, it got picked up.

                Outside of bragging rights, I said that last part for a reason. If the manuscript is good, then what does it matter what race the characters are?

                In a world where the literary industry is being littered with remakes and cookie cutter stories, why isn’t there room for well written stories with interracial couples? There’s vampire/human, vampire/werewolf and shapeshifter/human and witch/human, so why can’t it be black and white?

At my first book signing, another author picked up Northern Lights part one and said “Young adult interracial??? You don’t see a lot of that.” As she was handing me money for the book.

In a world where that is becoming more and more the norm, my question is “why not?”
              

  If the answer is as simple as “paranormal is in and regular romance is out” then I’ll back down and take my lumps. Fads come in and out and styles go retro all the time, so I’ll just keep doing me until what I write is back in.

But if the answer is because the powers that be still don’t want to see black men and white women together, then that’s something we need to talk about. Instead of doing what they want to see, these executives need to put their finger on the pulse of their readers and see what they want to read about. And what gender are 98% of romance readers? Women.

I keep hearing that “Racism is dead. We have a black president!” (That’s a whole other rant – don’t worry, I won’t go off in a tangent.) If it is, we need to start acting like it and accepting all forms of literature (as long as it’s good, of course) into our companies. We need to give the readers what they want, not what certain people think we need to see. If it’s really not about race, then censoring black male/white female books shouldn’t be happening.

With the emergence of self-publishing and Indy companies, it’s making the market harder to get a head in, even if it’s easier to break into. People are shying away from the bigger companies because of issues like these.

Indy publishing houses don’t always have the financial backing to help with pesky things like marketing. So we have to do it ourselves, but having the freedom to write what we want, the way we want them, is worth the tradeoff.

Honestly, I was really disappointed in Harlequinn and it saddens me that I can’t write for them. I’m always going to be true to who I am, so there’s no way that my books will ever change just to get my foot in the door. But the end of the day, I have to do what I’m passionate about. Because that’s my motto. Do it with passion, or not at all. 

To live healthy, you have to have healthy friends

To continue our discussion on how to get healthy, let's talk about the company we keep. What do the people around you have to do with whether you have a healthy life you ask? Honestly? More than you realize. Not everyone wants to see you succeed. They're so miserable with their lives that rather than follow your example and do something constructive and positive, they'd rather tear you down and bring you down to their level. Misery truly loves company.

In the last year, I've learned that even if they're in your boat, they may not be rowing with you. Instead, they're drilling holes in your boat because they don't want to feel like you're out doing them. It is impossible to stay in a positive frame of mind for long when you're around Negative Nancy's on a regular basis.

Let me back up. I'm not saying that everybody is out to get you. Some people are just stuck and don't know how to get themselves on the right track. We love them from a distance and do our own thing. Try to help them but they are the only ones that can make the necessary changes to be more positive. And getting out of that rut is hard. Especially if the people around you are in the same space. Surround yourself with like minded people. They will understand where you're coming from and encourage you when you get discouraged. And you will. Because life is hard. But you're more likely to bounce back faster if you have someone telling you "this is going to pass", "you so got this" than if they're encouraging you to do things contrary to your goals.

Here's the thing. Like minded people tend to flock to each other. Your unmotivated friends will start to back off you once you start doing better for yourself and that's fine. They're doing you a favor. And that's not saying that you don't love them or that you don't have fun with them, but if they aren't on the same path you're on, then it may be a good idea to find people that are.

Life is too short to not be happy. And part of living a healthy lifestyle is trying to be as happy as possible. Can you be happy all of the time? No. But being treated like you're doing something wrong because you're doing something positive with your life isn't something you have time for. Neither is being used for what you've acquired.

You're worth more than that. And it's time to start tightening up the friend's circle and only deal with people that see that.

Once you cut the fat, so to speak, you'll be amazed at how you feel. And how much easier it is to stay on task and get things done.

I totally sound like a scolding parent. LOL. I just know about this one from personal experience, so I know about the ten pound weight that is lifted once you cut toxic people loose. And it's not because you're better than they are. You just want different things now and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to explain yourself to them or anybody else. You just want to be happier. And there's no shame in that.

To live healthy, you have to eat helathy

In continuing on with my "Living Healthy" series, we of course have to conquer the whole eating healthy aspect of it. I'm not going to preach to you about why, because that's obvious. Well, I am, but I'm going to skip over the weigh less, live longer speech. I plan on focusing on more about how eating and what you're eating makes you feel, both physically and mentally.

Food for us is a lot like fuel for a car. If you put the good stuff in a car, it drives better, gets you farther and acts right. And that's a lot like our bodies. If we continually injest sugar and stuff that isn't good for us, then we feel sluggish and lack the energy to do the things we need to do.

That affects us mentally as well. If we eat the wrong things or if we don't eat enough, then we can't focus or our mood is off and that certainly isn't good for those around us.

In order to maintain balance, a healthy diet is essential. We all know how to do that, so I'm not going to bore you with portion sizes and meal ideas. I am, however, going to suggest a little #lifehack that makes things easier.

Drinking water helps keep you on track. It keeps you hydrated and helps you stay full. Adding fruits to your water helps not only with natural flavor but depending on what you put in it, it can also help with energy, mood, weight loss and that's just to name a few.

There's one important thing to remember as you're trying to eat healthy. You must eat to live but don't live to eat. Don't center your whole world around food. Eat just enough to keep you full, satisfied and nourished.

March: Book vs. Movie Monday - The Princess Bride

I love, love, love the movie The Princess Bride. And by love I mean I can quote the movie line for line. I watch it at LEAST four or five times a year. Yet, I never got around to reading the book. So when I started doing this series (which for those of you who are new to the blog, I do a movie vs. book discussion once a month), I knew that I just had to finally read it.

And when I did, I learned a whole lot of things that I didn't know. It's so interesting that now I'm obsessed with it and I am bound and determined to get to Florin before I die.

The book was originally written in 1973 by William Goldman. It is presented as an abridgement of
the book by S. Morgenstern. However, it is rumored that no such book exists and that Goldman is S. Morgenstern.

In reading up a little more on it for the sake of this blog post, I'm finding out that a lot of what Goldman said in his intro to the book is false as well. And this makes me sad, because he indicates that the book was based on real events. There will be more research into this, if only for me to figure out what is going on.

For those of you who have lived under a rock, or are under like 25 and have no idea what movie I'm talking about, here is the Wikipedia plot summary:

In a Renaissance-era world a beautiful young woman named Buttercup lives on a farm in the country of Florin. She delights in verbally abusing the farm hand Westley, whom she addresses as "farm boy," by demanding that he perform chores for her. Westley's response to her demands is always "As you wish." She eventually realizes that what he is really saying is, "I love you." After Buttercup realizes as well that she truly and strongly loves him and confesses her mutually strong romantic feelings, Westley leaves to seek his fortune, so they can marry. Buttercup later receives word that the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is notorious for killing all those whose vessels he boards, attacked his ship at sea. Believing Westley dead, Buttercup sinks into abject despair, declaring "I will never love again." Some time later she reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin, due to a law allowing the prince to choose any unmarried woman as his bride, though she makes it clear that she does not love him.

Before the wedding, a trio of outlaws—the Sicilian criminal genius Vizzini, the Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya, and the enormous and mighty Turkish wrestler Fezzik—kidnap Buttercup. A masked man in black follows them across the sea and up the Cliffs of Insanity, whereupon Vizzini orders Inigo to stop him. Before the man in black reaches the top of the cliff, there is a flashback of Inigo's past in which the novel reveals that he is seeking revenge on a six-fingered man who killed his father. When the man in black arrives, Inigo arranges a fair fight, allowing his opponent to rest before the duel. The man in black wins the duel, but out of respect he leaves the Spaniard alive. Stunned, Vizzini orders Fezzik to kill the man in black. Another flashback occurs detailing Fezzik's history of reluctant fighting matches since childhood. His conscience compelling him, Fezzik throws a rock as a warning and challenges the man to a wrestling match. The man in black accepts the challenge and chokes Fezzik until the giant blacks out. He then catches up with Vizzini and proposes a battle of wits, in which he tricks Vizzini into drinking wine poisoned with iocaine powder, killing him.

With Prince Humperdinck's rescue party in hot pursuit, the man in black flees with Buttercup. He taunts Buttercup, claiming that women cannot be trusted and that she must have felt nothing when her true love and sweetheart had died. Enraged, she shoves him into a gorge, yelling "You can die, too, for all I care!" only to hear him call, "As you wish!" from the bottom of the ravine. She realizes at this point that he is none other than her dearly beloved Westley, and follows him down into the gorge, to find him battered but largely unhurt. While traveling through the Fire Swamp to evade Humperdinck's party, Westley tells Buttercup that the Dread Pirate Roberts did attack his ship, but kept him alive after he explained the depths of his love for her. Westley became the Dread Pirate Roberts' valet, and later his friend. Over the course of four years, Westley learned how to fence, fight and sail. Eventually, Roberts secretly passed his name, captaincy, and ship to Westley, just as his predecessor had done. After facing many trying ordeals such as Snow Sand and Rodents of Unusual Size, Westley and Buttercup successfully negotiate the Fire Swamp, whereupon they are captured by Prince Humperdinck and his cruel six-fingered assistant, Count Tyrone Rugen. Buttercup negotiates for Westley's release and returns with Humperdinck to the palace to await their wedding. Rugen follows Humperdinck's secret instructions to not release Westley but to take him to the fifth level of his underground hunting arena the "Zoo of Death". Here Rugen gravely tortures and weakens Westley with his horribly painful life-sucking invention, "The Machine," to obtain first-hand information for completing his definitive book on pain along with appeasing Humperdinck's annoyance that Buttercup does and always will prefer Westley to him.

Meanwhile, Buttercup has several nightmares regarding her marriage to the prince. She expresses her unhappiness to Humperdinck, who proposes a deal wherein he will send out four ships to locate Westley, but if they fail to find him, Buttercup will marry him. The novel reveals that, in order to start a war with the neighboring country of Guilder, Humperdinck himself had arranged Buttercup's kidnapping and murder, but that he now believes that Buttercup dying on her wedding night will inspire his subjects to war even more effectively.

On the day of the wedding, Inigo meets again with Fezzik, who tells him that Count Rugen is the six-fingered man who killed his father. Knowing that Vizzini is dead, they seek out the man in black hoping that, if he could outsmart Vizzini, his wits will help them plan a successful attack on the castle to find and kill Count Rugen. Buttercup learns that Humperdinck never sent any ships, and taunts him with her enduring love for Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley to death via The Machine at its maximum setting. Westley's death screams echo across the land, drawing Inigo and Fezzik to the Zoo of Death and down through its many dangerous levels. Finding Westley's body, they enlist the help of the King of Florin's former "miracle man," a magician named Miracle Max who was fired by Humperdinck. Max pronounces Westley to be merely "mostly dead", and returns him to life (out of a desire to get back at Humperdinck), though Westley remains partially paralyzed and weak.

Westley devises a successful plan to invade the castle during the wedding, and the commotion caused by this prompts Humperdinck to cut the wedding short. Buttercup decides to commit suicide when she reaches the honeymoon suite. Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle, and, reciting aloud his long-rehearsed oath of vengeance ("Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.") throughout the duel, kills him in a sword fight. Westley reaches Buttercup before she commits suicide. Still partially paralyzed, he bluffs his way out of a sword fight with Humperdinck, who shows himself to be a coward. Instead of killing his rival, Westley decides to leave him alive for a long, miserable life with his obvious cowardice as his only companion. The party then rides off into the sunset on four of the prince's purebred white horses which Fezzik had conveniently discovered. The story ends with a series of mishaps and the prince's men closing in, but the author indicates that he believes that the group got away.

So let's get into the break down of book versus movie, shall we?

The book, par usual, has a lot of action scenes that the movie does not. It goes more into Buttercup's home life and how her love for Westley got started. It has the Zoo of Death, which was actually pretty cool and would have been really neat in the movie. In fact, if there's ever a remake, they should put that in there. (Not that there should ever be a remake of the movie - there is only one Fezzik.) And there's a more finite ending in that the epilogue is about Buttercup's baby.

And that is about where my love for the book started and ended. Goldman spends 15% of the book going on and on about why he re-did the book and how he had to struggle to get it made into the movie. He says that he took out of the parts that dragged on, but I'm here to tell you, he didn't take all of them. Yes, he took out 65 pages that described Prince Humperdink's lineage, and for that, I am thankful. But he didn't take out a lot of the description that didn't make the book less boring. 

The version of the book that I have is the 30th anniversary version. It may have flowed a little better if Goldman was interjecting more unneccessary commentary into the mix. I found it very hard to continue the book, but put it on my "what not to do" list.

Now, on to the movie. I promise I will stick to the premise of the movie and not go on a fan rant. Maybe. Okay, not too much of one anyway. Going on the idea that there is an S. Morgenstern and that Goldman did indeed take out the boring parts and just give us the good stuff. Rob Reiner then sifted through the material and took out the overwhelming detail and just gave us the parts of the book that would translate well on to the screen. 

It is supposed to be a satirical poke at Europe and all that, but I don't feel like it's the stupid-funny that most satires are (Scream... all the Wayan's brother movies... etc). It's hilarious and yes, sometimes cheesy but it has something about it that makes it a cult classic and still stands the test of time for all ages and all types of people. 

So, without really meaning too, I laid out the similiarities and the differences when describing the book and the movie. The other difference is, that the movie starts out with a sick Fred Savage and his grandfather coming over to read to him. And through out the movie Fred interjects, pulling them back to present time. This is supposed to represent how Goldman was told the story by his father when Goldman was sick as a child. 

It is a nice added touch and it doesn't distract from the movie at all. 

With all that said, I really have to conclude that the movie is better than the book. By far. I am glad that I read the book, but I have no need to read it again, where as I'll be watching the movie as soon as I get through writing this blog. LOL.

February's Book vs. Movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

February's Book vs. Movie discussion is The Perks of a Wall Flower by Stephen Chbosky. We'll discuss the background of the book and the plot and then we'll get to my thoughts.

Here's a little bit of background on the novel and the movie:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age epistolary novel by American writer Stephen Chbosky which was first published on February 1, 1999 by Pocket Books. Its narrator is an introverted teenager known as Charlie, who describes his experiences in a series of letters to an anonymous stranger. Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows Charlie through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. Intelligent beyond his years, he is an unconventional thinker; as the story begins, the reader learns that Charlie is also shy and unpopular.

Chbosky took five years to develop and publish The Perks of Being a Wallflower, creating the characters and other aspects of the story from his own memories. The novel addresses themes permeating adolescence, including introversion, sexuality, and drug use. Chbosky makes several references to other literary works, films and pop culture in general.

Although Chbosky's first book was a commercial success, it was banned in some American schools for its content and received mixed reviews from literary critics. In 2012, he adapted and directed a film version starring Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller and Emma Watson. The film boosted the novel's sales, and the book reached The New York Times Best Seller list.

Here's the Plot: 

The story begins with a quiet, sensitive, 15-year-old boy named Charlie writing letters about his life to an unknown recipient. He discusses his first year at high school, grappling with two traumatic experiences from his past: the suicide of his only middle-school friend, Michael, a year before, and the death of his Aunt Helen (his favorite aunt) during his early childhood.

His English teacher Bill notices Charlie's passion for reading and writing, and assigns him extracurricular books and reports. Charlie befriends senior step-siblings Patrick and Sam. Charlie quickly develops a crush on Sam and subsequently admits his feelings to her. He is accepted by their group of friends and begins experimenting with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Charlie witnesses his sister's boyfriend hit her across the face, but she forbids him from telling their parents. He eventually mentions the occurrence to Bill, who tells Charlie's parents about it. Charlie's relationship with his sister rapidly deteriorates and she continues to see her boyfriend against her parents' wishes. As Charlie engages with his new friends he can control his flashbacks of Aunt Helen, who died in a car crash on her way to buy him a birthday gift. Charlie discovers that Patrick is in a relationship with Brad, a deeply closeted player on the school's football team. It is revealed that Sam was sexually abused as a child, and she kisses Charlie to ensure that his first kiss is from someone who truly loves him.

Mary Elizabeth, a member of the group, invites Charlie to the school's Sadie Hawkins dance and the two enter into a desultory relationship. Charlie's dissatisfaction with the relationship grows steadily over the next few weeks, and he begins heavily smoking both marijuana and cigarettes to distract himself. Eventually, the entire group is hanging out together and Charlie is dared to kiss the "prettiest girl in the room;" he chooses Sam over Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth storms out, Sam grows angry with Charlie, and Patrick suggests that Charlie stay away from Sam for a while. His flashbacks return, so he goes back to seeing a psychiatrist. He discovers that his sister is pregnant and agrees to bring her to an abortion clinic without telling anyone. His sister breaks up with her boyfriend, after which her and Charlie's relationship begins to improve significantly.

Patrick and Brad's relationship is discovered by Brad's abusive father, and Brad disappears from school for a few days. Upon returning, Brad is cold and incommunicative towards Patrick. Patrick's attempts to reconnect with Brad at school over the next few days backfire when Brad derogatorily attacks Patrick's sexuality in a public environment. Patrick physically attacks Brad until other football players join in and gang up on Patrick. Charlie breaks up the fight, regaining the respect of Sam and her friends. Patrick begins spending much of his time with Charlie in an attempt to drown out the lingering negativity surrounding him and Brad. Patrick kisses Charlie impulsively and then apologizes, but Charlie does not resist in an attempt to be a good friend in Patrick's time of need. Soon Patrick sees Brad engaging with a stranger in the park and Patrick is able to move on from the relationship.

As the school year ends, Charlie is anxious about losing his older friends—especially Sam, who is leaving for a summer college-preparatory program and has learned that her boyfriend cheated on her. When Charlie helps her pack, they talk about his feelings for her; she is angry that he never acted on them. They begin to engage sexually, but Charlie suddenly grows inexplicably uncomfortable and stops Sam. Charlie begins to realize that his sexual contact with Sam has stirred up repressed memories of having been molested by his aunt Helen as a child.

In an epilogue, Charlie is discovered by his parents in a trancelike state. He is catatonic and does not show any movement. After being admitted to a mental hospital, it emerges that Helen sexually abused him when he was young, and his love for her (and empathy for her troubled youth) caused him to repress his traumatic memories. This psychological damage explains his flashbacks and derealization phases throughout the book. In two months Charlie is released, and Sam and Patrick visit him. He comes to terms with his past: "Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there". Charlie decides to "participate" in life, and his letter-writing ends.

The Differences Between the Book and the Movie

The book needed the movie to bring it to life. I liked the book but reading it first almost made me not want to watch the movie. Being that it's written in 2nd person, the reader is limited in what we learn about the characters. Some of the book drags because of the one sided story-telling. However, I think that it is very relevant to today's kids and that it shouldn't be banned from schools. Today's children are much smarter and need books like this to relate to. 

Admittedly, the back part of the book picked up for me and I became more excited about the story as the plot became a little more clear for me. Though by the end of the book I was still unclear as to why Charlie was having a mental break. The writing was good but the plot wasn't clearly laid out.

I was so excited to find this graphic comparing Perks of a Wall Flower and The Breakfast Club because half way through the movie I thought "This is the Breakfast Club of the new generation" and I am HUGE Breakfast Club fan. Its about kids that are seemingly different but bond in a way that nobody understands. I could do an entire blog on the similarities between the two movies, but I'll keep it between the book and the movie.

I was happy that the scenes I didn't care for in the book were cut out of the movie. The movie ran much smoother for me and it was easier to get into right from the beginning. The characters are written better and much stronger in the movie. And even after reading the book, I love that I didn't see the twist about Aunt Helen coming. 

The movie made me care about the other characters and what happened to them. I didn't see Patrick's character coming a million miles away and I LOVE him. He was breath of fresh air and was probably the most 3 dimensional character in the movie.

The common complaint about movies that are made from books, is that they cut out some huge things from the book. In this case, cutting out some things really worked. They were more clear about Charlie's issues and did a better job of incorporating it in the movie.

It is my opinion that the movie is much better than the book in this case. It gets to the heart of the story faster and much better. Perks of Being a Wall Flower touches my heart in the way only few movies have. I am so happy to have watched it. It makes me happy and I feel like someone else gets me.

January Book vs. Movie: A Walk to Remember

In 2015, I'm starting something new on Mondays for the blog. Once a month, we'll be tackling the age old question, is the book better than the movie? I will get into the similarities and the differences and then decide which is better according to my own preferences.

This month, we launch the segment with Nicholas Sparks' A Walk To Remember

So the overall plot of both the book and the movie is this:

1. Set in North Carolina, "A Walk To Remember" follows the rite of passage of a jaded, aimless high school senior (Shane West) who falls in love with a guileless young woman (Mandy Moore) he and his friends once scorned. The two develop a powerful and inspirational relationship in which they discover truths that take most people a lifetime to learn.

Of course, that is the "Reader's Digest Version" of the plot. The plot of the movie and the book and the movie are one and the same but the stories are not only told in completely different styles but in completely different eras as well.

Let's dissect the eras first. The book is set in the mid-50's. Taking us back to a completely different time than what we're used to. The argument can be made that with it being set "back then" that it alienates a whole age group of people that may feel like they have no ties to that time.  The movie was made in "current times", though the use of muscle cars were a shout out to the book. The producer of the movie said that he wanted to bring the movie out of the 1950s to make it more relevant not only for the movie goers of when it was made (late 1990s) but also the future audiences.

The book was told in first person, more specifically, from Landon Carter's point of view. I am a huge Nicholas Sparks fan. And it was because of this book. First person is hard to write and keep control and interest in the story and Sparks does that. However, the problem with it is that it limits the plot and what we get to know of the other characters in the book. The movie does a good job of filling us in on Jamie's character and what the book leaves out.

I love both the book and the movie. I originally watched the movie first and then read book years later. I love the diversity between the two and how they're so vastly different yet the same. However, because of the first person point of view, I'd have to say that the movie is better than the book. 

Let me know your opinion, readers. Am I wrong?

Free For All Friday: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

You never know what's going to be on my blog on Fridays. Could be something music related, a guest blog or an editorial about something that I'm passionate about. There will probably be a lot of editorials because I'm pretty passionate about just about everything I do. LOL.

Ladies, we need to stop hating on each other. It's hard enough out there for us as a gender - no matter our race, size, creed, age, financial situation etc. We are known for being petty and catty at any age, not just high school and that's shameful. It's 2015, ain't nobody got time for all the hatred and jealousy that we've got going on among us.

So what if your neighbor seemingly has it together? Celebrate that with her. You don't know what she's gone through to get to where she's at. It's easy to stay across the fence and whisper about all the men she had to sleep with to get to the head of her company. But what you don't know is that she's up to her ears in business school loans. And she's much more qualified than most of the men in her office but because she wouldn't sleep with the boss, she was held back longer than she should have been.

And how many of us have looked at a woman with a gaggle of kids at the store and went into a tirade about single mothers having more kids than they need and how we the tax payers pay for them? We're so busy passing judgement that we don't notice how well behaved the kids are. And what we don't know is that her husband works hard to take care of them so she can stay home and raise their children.

We need to start empowering each other instead of tearing each other down. We need to invite the business woman over for a glass of wine (or beer) and congratulate her success and ask her what her secret is. Notice how well behaved those babies are and compliment the mom on how well she's doing. You'd be amazed at how much of a difference your positive attitude will make in their day.

I have another subcategory of this that we need to discuss. My big girls - listen up. We especially need to stop the hate. And I'm not talking of skinny girls. I'm talking about each other. There's a new explosion of who's sexier - the BBWs or the SSBBWs. I've seen conversations about what really constitutes a BBW. I've even seen "that b*tch doesn't have enough curves to be in our league."

Ladies. Really? I mean, I'm one of the original SSBBWs so I get it. I get that it's about feeling sexy in your own body. But have we really let our self esteem get so bad that we're making other BBWs feel bad about themselves so we can feel good about us?

We get discriminated against enough, the last thing we need to do is implode as a subculture. If you see a BBW rockin' a dress, let her know. You know how good you feel when someone does it to you so return the favor.

And look, we have a good time making skinny chick jokes. We do that because of this perceived notion that they do it us. Don't get me wrong, I know that some do. But here's something I've learned, they have their own body image issues. When we are truly happy with our bodies, that makes other people jealous because they have the body type that society deems sexy and they hate it. So ease up a little. You don't know what demons they're fighting or why they feel the need to lash out.

Here's the thing. We're women. Smart. Fierce. A force to be reckoned with. Right now is the best time in history to be a woman. We have more rights and power than we ever have. Hillary Clinton ran for President and was taken seriously. Women are making huge moves. And yet, we're weakened because we're too busy going at each other's throats. Gabby Douglas was the first African - American to win gold as a gymnast and people tore her apart because of her hair. Are you kidding me? We have the power to change things. Can you imagine what we could accomplish if we got together and worked towards the same goal?
Yes, we're emotional creatures. But lets use that emotional energy for good instead of against each other. If we did that, we'd move mountains.

To be healthy, you have to think healthy.

So let's think about the title to this post for a minute. To be healthy, you have to think healthy. Now of course, you could have the most positive self talk in the known universe and if you eat Big Macs twice a day, you're not going to be healthy. On the opposite side of that coin, you could have the body of Jillian Michaels and if your self talk is completely negative, then you're just going to be hate in a smaller package.

But then again, if your self talk is negative, it's going to be hard to do the work that it takes to look like Jillian Michaels. Simply because you don't think you deserve it. And here's the thing. It's 2015. It's already March, which means we're a quarter into the year. Ain't nobody got time to still be thinking bad of themselves and not do anything about it.

So over the next several Wednesdays, we're going to discuss ways to increase your positive self talk and the way you feel about yourself.

First Topic: Assess Your Inner Circle


And really, I don't just mean your besties. I also include people that you keep in regular contact with. Just because they're in your boat, doesn't mean that they're rowing with you. They could be there specifically to drill holes in the bottom. It is hard to stay positive when you have Negative Nancy's constantly talking about how hard and bad life is. That, is a given. But we have to figure out how to live instead of just surviving.

Let’s break down the negative people into categories and then talk about how to deal with them one by one. There’s 3 types of people that tend to try to get in our heads. The nay sayers, the haters and the miserable people.

The Nay Sayers

 We all have those people in our lives. The ones that think that they can live our lives better than we can (meanwhile, their lives are going to hell in a hand basket).

            Have you messed up? Uh, yeah. We all have. Should you have listened to your parents and not dated the loser that you spent two years with? Looking back now, probably.

            But that doesn’t mean that A. Anybody has a right to judge you for it or B. That you need to make their opinions your facts.

            All you can do is learn from your mistakes and move on. But that’s just it. They are your mistakes. As long as you’re happy with the choices you’ve made to get passed certain phases in your life, then let people say what they’re going to say.

            You can’t stop them from trying to tell you how to live your life. People have a right to their opinions. But, you do have a choice on whether you listen or not.

            A lot of them, at least in this category, think that they’re trying to help. It’s the whole “from the outside looking in” cliché. Sometimes, they do have good ideas and good advice. So sift through what they say and take the nuggets of wisdom that they drop and leave the rest behind. Then thank them for their advice and move on.

The Haters

I used to cry about people being mean just for the sake of being mean. Or try to people please so people wouldn’t like me. Then an ex said something to me that I now claim as my own. “If you don’t have haters, you ain’t doin’ it right.”

People want what they don’t have. So if they’re “hating” on you, then they’re jealous of something you’ve got or you’re doing. Instead of getting upset, just continue what you’re doing.

In recent months, I’ve learned something very valuable. The issues that they have with you, very rarely have anything to do with you. It’s something within them that they feel the need to lash out or judge you based on what they think they know. The unfortunate thing, is that once they’ve made their mind up about you, there is nothing that you can do to change it for them. They’re going to judge you, hate on you, think of you anyway they want to, despite your best efforts of trying to show them a different view.

Not everybody is going to like you and that’s okay. It’s certainly their right to miss out on the experiences they would have if they got to know you. Because if they’re that closed minded, then you don’t really want them around you anyway.

Do not, under any circumstances let them knock you off of your square. That’s what they are trying to do so they can feel better about themselves.  The best way to handle the haters is to not allow them on your radar. Engaging with them in a war of words or a Facebook gangster post is giving them more attention and energy than they deserve. The best way to deal with them is to take them completely off your radar. Put your blinders on and keep moving towards your goal.

The Miserable People

            These people have made it their life’s mission to be miserable. They are unhappy about some aspect of their lives and they are bound and determined to take those around them down with the ship.

            You know the type, the ones that suck the joy out of the room when they walk in the room. Or as I call them, Eeyore on downers. They can’t find one positive thing to tell you about what’s going on and if you can, they find some way to discredit that.

            Unfortunately, there is only so much you can do to help these people. They have to do it for themselves and a lot of times, they don’t think they can. Change is super hard. You can want it for someone but the only way they’re going to change is if they want to.

            There is a subcategory of miserable people that you have to watch out for. These are your users and your mooches. They are severely unhappy that you’re happy and they will do what they have to do to have your happiness. This includes using you for your money and the things they think you have that will make them happy.

            They prey on people that are kindhearted and that willingly do what they can to help people. Helping people is one thing. Allowing them to bleed you dry is another. These people mean you nothing but harm and need to be cut out completely. They will continue to take from you for as long as you let them.

            There is a fourth group of people that we need to discuss. It is just as important to define this next group so you know who to trust.

The Inner Circle

These are the people that you know you can call in the middle of the night. The ones that will be on your door step with ice cream, two spoons and a shoulder to cry on before you even hang up the phone.

And I’m not talking about the people that you would do that for. I’m talking about the one’s that would reciprocate for you without having to be asked.

They’re important to keep around because they’ll be the first ones to tell you if you’ve got negativity sniffing around you before you can even see it. Then they’ll not only tell you how to get rid of it but they’ll help you do it.

Once you know who is who - it's easier to know who to put next to you in the car ride we call live. Your true inner circle will pick you up, dust you off and keep you on the path that you need to be on. And the real test of who is in your corner is when you stay down. I have a handful of people that lovingly give me a reality smack and tell me to stop my crap because I'm better than that. 

Getting on the positivity trail is hard and takes a lot of work. But it's easier to travel when you're hearing "you can do it", "you're worth it" versus "you're never going to accomplish it, why bother."

Next week we'll talk more about what positive self talk is and how you do it. :-)

Author Interview: Clair Plaisted

It was my pleasure to interview Claire Plaisted, all the way from New Zealand:

BGP: Please introduce yourself to the readers.

CP: Hello folks, my name is Claire Plaisted, I live in Rotorua, New Zealand with my husband, three children and two cats.  We are a funny and positive family.  I was born in England, growing up in Cheshire in the small but beautiful ancient town of Sandbach.  It is no wonder I love history so much.  At age 19 I moved to Colwyn Bay in North Wales and it was during my time here that I travelled to New Zealand for a holiday by myself and met my future husband.

Romance bloomed, a match made in heaven, though with no internet in those days…it was very much a long distant relationship, until I came back here to live.

As mentioned above I love history and became a family history researcher, gathering data and making books for other people, including family.  One of those is still my best seller. 

During a slow period in 2012, waiting for information to put in a history book I got bored. Opening a word document I started to write.  It is a Regency Mystery Romance, and still un-published.  Sending the first three chapters to friends, they came back wanting more.  Mind over the next couple of years I had a lot to learn about the English Language.

BGP: With all the places you’ve lived, where do you set your stories?

CP: I have my Garrett Series set in New York.  No idea why it just worked out that way.  My Regency Novel is actually set in the dame place as the family history book I was researching –

Gloucestershire, England.  I do have a draft set in New Zealand, though I have not touched it in a few months.  My children’s books are mainly England type places.  Charlie Girl is in Rotorua, New Zealand  and the one about the Psychotic Killer was in America.  I have no idea at all about Fred the Evil Incarnate, it is another world perhaps, due to the fantasy nature in the story.

BGP: What language were you originally writing in?

CP: English is my first and main language, though I can pass off a small amount of Welsh and Maori.  I have found English in each different English speaking country can be different though, so it can be tricky with grammar and spelling.  There have been many changes since I left school.

       

         BGP: What first inspired you to become a writer?

CP: I suppose my inspiration first came from history research.  I have read many books of many different genres over the years and though I have favourite authors I really can’t think where my inspiration comes from.  It is like I have a pixie on my shoulder telling me what to write.

                

BGP:  What do you do to prepare for a story?

CP: I am a prolific writer most of the time.  All I tend to do is open a document and let my fingers do the talking.  I do some research when it is needed, talk to friends and I try and develop the characters as the story progresses.  I have several series, so note taking has become more of a habit now.  I don’t really plot, though I suppose when I get stuck with something and discuss it with beta readers and or friends, then that is the most plotting I do.

BGP: What is your editing process like?

CP: I read a book called “On Writing” by Stephen King.  I must admit it is the best thing I ever did.  I follow my editing similar to what he stated in the book.  I write my first draft from beginning to end, with only minor edits with spelling.  I next send it to Beta readers who like the genre.  During the six weeks I ignore the first draft I will possibly write another story.  Once my beta readers get back to me and the six weeks is up I will go back to my draft and make changes.  Will having up to six weeks off I notice the more obvious errors.  Once out to beta readers again.  This will continue until I am satisfied, after which I’ll publish it.

BGP:   Who is/was your biggest support for your writing career?

CP: Tina and Susan were my very first beta readers.  My husband, my daughters who think I can be scary, my beat reader Sharon and Belinda.  Honestly there are too many to name really.

            

 BGP:  What genre do you write and what lead you there?

CP: I write all genres.  Adult Mystery Detective Romance, Erotic Fantasy, Thrillers, Short Stories, Children’s Stories, and Sci-Fi.  Not all are published yet.

BGP: Who/what do you read?

  

 CP:   My favourite children’s stories are by C S Lewis who is quoted as saying “A children’s story which is only enjoyed by Children is a bad Children’s Story.”  I totally agree.  Another author is Elizabeth Goudge and “The Valley of Song.”  Fab fairy story for all ages.

Adult books, I enjoy Clive Cussler, Linda Fairstein, Colin Forbes, Nora Roberts aka J D Robb to name a few.       

BGP:  Tell us about your books.

CP: I have eight books self-published at present with another two to be released by the end of March.

I have my Garrett Investigation Bureau Series which is set in New York, so far four are published, though I am updating them at the moment, along with their book covers and synopsis.

I have “Zoe’s Journey,” which was meant to be a one off book and has suddenly now got a sequel in progress.

Two short stories.  One is “Charlie girl’s first Summer Christmas,” and “The Diary of a Psychotic Killer.”  Though this one is a bit repetitive it is to show the state of her mental health.  She wasn’t a nice person.

“Fred, The Evil Incarnate,”  is my Erotic Fantasy, though I don’t’ know where the idea came from.

At present I am working on publishing book five in the Garrett series which is called “Mascosta’s Dreamgirl,” and also the first in a series of children’s books called “Girlie and the War of the Wasps,”  adored by the children who have read it so far as beta readers.

http://claireplaisted.wix.com/author

http://myjourneyintowriting.blogspot.co.nz/feeds/posts/default

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00P26WF2I

https://www.facebook.com/GarrettInvestigationBureau

https://twitter.com/rotosis1

http://www.pinterest.com/rotosis/

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/claire-elizabeth-plaisted/6a/481/605

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27755343-claire-plaisted

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plaisted-Publishing-House/249186435274458

http://plaistedpublishing.wix.com/self-publish-service#

BGP: What is your self – publishing process like?

CP: If it is my own work, I tend to format as I write.  Usually starting it as an eBook and changing it to a Print version.  With a client’s work I format as I read and format into which ever version they wish.  I use a student Graphic Designer to do my book covers, helping to give them experience to further their career.  The books are uploaded to various websites, proofed and marketed by social media and in the local press/library.

BGP: What do you do when you aren’t writing?

CP: Formatting and publishing for others. Family History Research, house work, reading, drawing and of course the most important part giving my attention to my loving family :D

BGP: So if we were doing this interview on the phone, this would be the part of what I would call rapid fire. I’m going ask random questions that have nothing to do with anything and I want you to give me the first thing pops into your mind.

If you could be a tree what kind of tree what kind of tree would you be?

Oak

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate

Last concert you went to?

Jesus Christ Super Star performed by local high schools.

Favorite guilty pleasure junk food?

Chippies (Crisps)  and Whittiker’s Chocolate

Thanks again to Claire and stopping by and talking writing with us.