vLog – The Lord of the Rings vs The Dark Tower (Hollywood, Listen Up!)
On this day of Festivus, my head wandered into Stephen King territory and I started thinking about how a proper adaption of THE DARK TOWER series has not yet been done. There’s been talks for years but, ultimately, fans have never received the entire series in film. In this video I compare THE LORD OF THE RINGS to THE DARK TOWER in terms of an opinionated approach as to how to tackle such an immense project. It all comes down to one word . . . which you’ll have to watch to find out. (I’m the worst, I know.)
Ultimately, however, I do think we owe Stephen King some gratitude after all he’s done for the literary world and pop culture in general.
vLog – The Lord of the Rings vs The Dark Tower (Hollywood, Listen Up!)
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A couple of bookshelves showing part of the library here at the Central.
As I’m getting back into the swing of creating things, I’m also in a place where I’m digging into the masters of the mediums I pursue to see what their thoughts are/were on a particular craft and how those views align or don’t align with my own (the latter approached with an open mind so I’m not closed off in my thinking). In the case of today’s blog entry, quotes on writing were the order of the day.
I’m a firm believer in always learning even if there are stumbles along the way. I also believe every artist regardless of their craft never arrive. Practicing a craft is a lifetime pursuit and ends when you die. Perfection will never be obtained because there is always one punctuation mark to adjust or one fine line on a drawing to tweak. The goal is to do your best while making every effort to improve along the way.
Here are three quotes on writing–more specifically reading–to ponder:
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” – Stephen King
I am in agreement here, and by reading, Mr. King is talking about actual reading, not social media or simple headlines. Reading is part of the job.
And so . . .
“Read, read, read. Read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” – William Faulkner
This I’ve practiced since I started in this field. I believe that every piece of writing has at least one good sentence in it, or one good turn-of-phrase, or one lesson of some sort to learn. The ideal is to find all those things repeatedly in the same book, but at a minimum, every type of writing has at least one thing going for it that is worth learning from.
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” – Ray Bradbury
I chose this one because I was often criticized for living in Fantasyland. I’ll let this one speak to you in its own way. I know how it’s spoken to me.
Last, in regards to reading, this is a note to say the latest chapter of Gigantigator Death Machine was posted to Patreon today. Please go here to start reading this exciting and terrifying serial novel and its preceding chapters for just a buck. Thanks.
Every writer loves to read, so here are ten of my favorite books in no particular order and, yes, there’s even a kids one in there, too.
There are others, but this is enough for now.
1) Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
2) Batman: Knightfall by Dennis O’Neil
3) Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4) Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore
5) The Chamber by John Grisham
6) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7) The Long Walk by Richard Bachman
8) George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
9) The Death and Life of Superman by Roger Stern
10) Batman: No Man’s Land by Greg Rucka
Canadian Scribbler: Collected Letters of an Underground Writer
Bringing together letters from 2005 – 2013, Canadian Scribbler: Collected Letters of an Underground Writer is a look into the world of independent publisher, author, editor and cartoonist, A.P. Fuchs.
Topics include: self-publishing tips and tricks, writing advice, the C4 Lit Fest short story critiques, Fuchs’s superhero epic The Axiom-man Saga, book reviews and commentary, the Second Coming, thoughts on the comic book market, the gray areas of modern day society, and much more.
Includes letters to such literary notables as Stephen King, Dave Sim, George Clayton Johnson, Piers Anthony, Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin J. Anderson and many others.
Always insightful, often witty and consistently inspirational, Canadian Scribbler: Collected Letters of an Underground Writer is a thoughtful collection of letters from one man whose passion for the creative industry—and trying to survive in it—shines through on every page.
