Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

How to Best Divide Your Pie?; Challenges in Writing a Novel: Volume VIII

A few days ago I was "worried" that I'd have an EXCEPTIONALLY long screenplay adaptation over 140+ pages.  (FYI, the acceptable norm is: 90-120 pages)  Thankfully, early on Saturday it suddenly came to me I had a good break point MUCH earlier in the story, where one phase of the series winds down and could be conceived as a viable endpoint.    

Using this new break-point I "re-cut" the 1st script adaptation, and it now comes in at 86 pages, which is much closer to the acceptable range.  

E.C., make your business to make novel and screenwriting, great again!

I'll give it my best, Mr. President.  I'll do my best.  Since that eureka moment, I have started line editing the 1st movie in the "Legend in Thars" series, and to my GREAT DELIGHT I was pretty happy by what I heard read back to me by my Final Draft software.  Yeah, I only got through page 8 and did change a lot of sentences, painted better word pictures, and stuff of that ilk--but still, I just want it to be good, and though its read isn't perfect yet, it's not as rough as I feared it might be.  

I think this is an example let-it-do-itself by page count approach to story division 

What I've learned in this process of redividing this story pie that I have is that NOBODY will ever know this story as good as me.  I have good instincts of what what works and what doesn't.  Almost a year ago now I met a lady at a writers conference who help changed the way I view the story.  Prior to this lady talking to me, I'd ALWAYS seen the series as a whole.  NOW, through writing multiple books, and the inherent need to see viable breakpoints in the story in terms of chapters, books, and movie series.  You've got to know that main BEATS of your story, and how they work together to form chapter breaks, end of a book in a series, and end of an individual movie that sets up the NEXT movie in the series.  

The cool thing about working with me for whoever gets to is that I know this story, and I know the characters.  I think Peter Jackson did a FINE JOB with the "Lord of the Rings" series of movies: (2001-2003), but that he kinda botched the total STRETCH JOB he did with making 3 movies out of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" string of movies (2012-2014).  Really think the people behind those UNDERWHELMING "Chronicles of Narina" movies (2005-2010) would have benefited GREATLY by talking with the original author, C.S. Lewis as to what the tone of the movie should be, and how the movies needed to hit certain plot points, and where licence to deviate was justified and needed.  

I really didn't like the "Chronicles of Narina" movies, did LOVE the "Lord of the Rings" movies.  Was left feeling rather neuter about "The Hobbit" movies.  When Denny was alive we saw those movies together.  She loved J.R.R. Tolkien's work.  I'd HOPED that she like my epic fantasy story in similar fashion, but in all honesty I don't think she did.  I think Denny wanted me to write something like "The Chronicles of Narnia" OR the "Lord of the Rings", but what I'm not sure if she ever realize this or not; my goal was NEVER to copycat either one of those greats.  Wanna be favorably compared to them?  O yeah.  But NEVER to rip them off or follow their craft's cadence too closely.  No, ol' E.C. Henry is going to carve out his own niche and craft stories that are unique his'.  I'm no hack.  I work had to achieve my own, unique brand of magic!

Now THIS is what I call dividing the pie and maximizing its presentation.  Perfect!

When MY MOVIES get made, they are going to be GREAT.  Why?  Because I know what to put in, what to leave out, and how to different in the movie than the flow of source material books go.  And I'll tell you this, when I finally get to sit in on meeting, I'm going to be looking for key traits from the people who are considering using my source material to make a movie themselves.

Pretentious as all fuck?  No.  I think I can dial it back when necessary.  But are some things that I'm going to fight for, and if don't get, I'm going to pick up my toys and look for the next opportunity.  Try to cut God out of my stories, and I'll cut YOU from the creative side of the ledger of bringing this story to life.  Why bring this up?  It's a preemptive strike.  If having good morals and portraying godliness in a positive light bothers you, I'm not the writer or creative that your going to have good time working with.  Because I believe ALL STORIES should have higher morals encouraging people to deepen their walk with God.  The odd paradox about me is, that I go pretty dark too.  I've watched a lot of movies and picked up a lot of stuff: like horror and edgy thrills.  Sometimes I wonder if I go too far in that way.  I'm just not afraid to go there, as I believe in myself enough to know what to put and what to leave out of a movie.

Guillermo del Torro's 2006 "Pan's Labyrinth": good or bad movie?  I LOVED it!

So do I always get it right?   No, I'd be the fist to admit.  That said, by the time I lay a project down, I have given it my best and have well-founded opinions as to how they should be brought to life.  I'm always open to legitament criticism, and in the YEARS I've been at this I'm getting better with spotting the pop shoters out there who loosely spout folly, and give strange, misguiding, criticisms, even though their not really legit ones.  Gotta learn to laugh some stuff off.  Even laugh along with them if you can.

Why bring this up?  Well-p, hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the 1st script adaption ready to show and get some feedback on BEFORE I go to the 2017 Pacific Norhwest Writers Conference, and can some quality suggests for improvement that I can graft in before I go meet with people in the book-making industry.   

E.C. Henry LOVES a good pizza--and a good story too!  I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago where the pizza is the BEST

Wanna work with me?  Now's the time to make yourself known!  When I finally do make a deal I am NOT going to be looking to EVER stab that person in the back and climb over them to the next, best, highest thing.  I consider myself a very LOYAL person.  Whoever breaks me in will have a friend for life and someone who always give them opportunities to work with me again on other projects down the line.  And believe me, I got A LOT of different and varied projects.

But for now it's a time to celebrate the cut.  Raise a glass of cheer for good stories and the many ways that they can be told.  Sometimes I feel like God is helping me make the right choices.  

To God be the Glory!

Pancakes

Do you like pancakes?  I know I do.  For YEARS growing up they were my favorite breakfast entree.  And yet they were the one breakfast item that my own mother never mastered the skill of making.  No, to this day my mom's pancakes STILL continue to suck.  Their outside edges are excessively greasy and burn't.  Instead of being light and fluffy, they're crunchy on the outside.  

Not right!

I don't know why my mom CAN'T get it right when making pancakes is really simple in origin to make: flour, eggs, sugar, baking soda, melted butter, milk, a little salt.  

Actually I do know, my mom uses WAY TOO much vegetable oil and too hot of a grill when she cooks them up.  And so every time she does this, voila--crispy sides, crappy pancakes!

My mom is very old school.  She cooks, my dad eats it.  That's it!  Her problem is she never looks at her ways to doing things to see if there's room for improvement.  She cooks, my dad eats it, on to the next meal.

I, however, tend to be more of a perfectionist when it comes to things like that.  I want my food to look on-par with that of the finest of restaurants.  And NO, I don't think that's too much to ask for.  When I cook my goal is to make things as good what it looks on the box, or on-par with what you would get at a reputable restaurant.  

Okay, enough bashing of my mom.  Maybe that's okay because as I finish up this post it's Fathers Day, 2017.  I love my mom dearly, it's just making pancakes is one of her weak points.  

One of the crazy realities of today is how easy it is to get good pancakes.  Shoot all you got to do is the microwave time setting right.  Krusteaz has a fine microwave pancake product you can buy in just about any grocery store's frozen breakfast section.  Still there is something about making things from scratch.  

When I make pancakes I'm constantly disappointed that I can't make a perfect circle.  Now when you go to restaurants the pancakes are always of a uniform circumfrence and diameter.  

Lastly, when talking about pancakes there's the subject of what put on top of it.  I'm a big fan of ol' trusty here.  Just plain-Jane butter and maple syrup.  I also like blueberry compote--NOT blueberries added to the batter then cooked in--but an actual thick slurry of cooked blueberries.  I bring this up because I actually went to restaurant in Bonney Lake, called the Hungry Dog, and when ordering blueberry pancakes got no special topping--JUST blueberries already cooked in.  YUCK!   On rare occassion, I will also buy a special lingonberry jelly which I use as topping.  Ligonberries are mountain cranberries.  There not always availble at the local Safeway in Bonney Lake.  And even when they are, a jar of lingonberry jam is expensive.  They're an import from Sweeden.  Costly, but worth it--on special occasion.  

O-kay so are you hungry for breakfast yet?  

I am...

 

 

Goldie Hawn in Snatched (2017): Best Performance by a Actress in 2017--so far

Mother's Day 2017 has come and gone, but I didn't want to forget altogether to do a short tribute post to Goldie Hawn for her fine acting in Katie Dippold's movie, "Snatched" (2017: staring Amy Schumer, directed by Johathan Levine).  

No. Make no mistake about it, I'm NOT saying that "Snatched" is a great movie.  It isn't.  I did like the first 2/3 of the movie, but thought the last 1/3 went of the rails and lost all momentum ending with a whimper. Ike Barninhotz' "Jeffery Middleton" character is a COMPLETE misfire and waste of valuable screentime.  But early in the movie I did laugh, as I thought most of Amy Schumer's jokes did land and were funny.  But most of all, and my biggest takeaway from this movie was that Goldie Hawn did a FANTASTIC job capturing the essence of a woman who loves her children.

"Snatched" IS Amy Schumer's movie.  The crux of the plot IS her character arc from being a self-absorbed person to more self-aware person.  But for my money what makes this film worth watching is Goldie Hawn's performance in it.  There is something about a mother's unconditional love for her children that rang true--for me at least--in Goldie Hawn's acting performance as Linda Middleton in this "Snatched".  The look on her face when she's in the kitchen just enjoying the fact that she has both of her children in the same roof with her to me makes the movie.  I look for that kind of stuff, the moments that are moving and BELIEVABLE.  An older, seasoned-in-life woman who is a peace with herself and loves her children.  Simple right?  Well, I wonder how many other actresses out there who could pull it off with the pinache that Goldie Hawn delivers in this movie?  

I also liked Linda Middleton's conservative manner, and her practical approach to life.  In that regard, writer Katie Dippold got it right!  I love, smart, believable women, and in Goldie Hawn's "Linda Middleton" character the audience gets just that.  Anyway, if you haven't seen "Snatched" yet go so it and see if what I'm saying makes any sense.  Does Linda Middleton register with you?  Because she did with me.  I thought Goldie Hawn's acting and the screenwriter's decisions concerning her character were brilliant and worthy of praise.

Sorry it took me a while to post this.  I did go see this movie, "Snatched" on its opening weekend, which was Mother's Day weekend.  Never really was much of a fan of Goldie Hawn before now.  Sure, in the 80s I remember her as a beautiful blonde who was in couple movies, but beyond that (even if you're drop-dead gorgeous you need need to have other appeals too), I never really took Goldie Hawn that seriously.  But after watching her GREAT acting performance in "Snatched" you can now officially call me a fan of her's.  She's great.  In her golden years Goldie Hawn.is living up to her first name and saving her best for last.  Can't wait to see what she does next.