As some of you know, I'm on the road writing this. Instead of enjoying a day of hiking in The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the bone chilling temperatures inspired me to enjoy the hotel's hot tub and exercise room. While taking a time out in my room, I turned on the TV for a weather update and found Armageddon playing on HBO. The adventure movie inspired my blog today.
The movie hits all the marks I try for in my fantasy and science fiction novels. Even though I've seen this movie numerous times, once I tune it in, I want to watch it until the end. It spins its story the way I want mine to go, heroic tales that people have always and hopefully will always love. I picked out ten bullets from the movie and held them up against my WIP. I have some fix ups to do. Here is my list.
1) A great evil (an asteroid) threatens the entire world and provides the external conflict.
2) The powers that be turn to a group of 'every man' types who step up to take on the dangerous mission.
3) Within that group of heroes, a boy loves a girl. The girl's father, leader of the group disapproves of the young man. Feels the young man who is exactly like him isn't good enough for his perfect little girl, creating this relationship conflict.
4) This sets up two parent/child conflicts. The first between the young woman and her father. The second between the father and the young man who loves his daughter. The young man always thought of the older man as his father. Perfect.
5) Despite the differences between the military, scientists and our heroes, they all come together to try and save the world.
6) Of course, everything goes wrong.
7)The secondary characters are well rounded, important and colorful, adding to the story and not distracting from the main characters.
8) The setting is beautiful, frightening and imaginative. If only I could write as well as a movie can show.
9) There is heroic sacrifice, emotional deaths, and tears mixed in with desperate actions. It breaks your heart as the story courageous kills people the viewer doesn't want to die.
10) The world is saved. Boy and girl live happily ever after.
Did I miss any steps in the classic adventure story? Of course there will be character growth by the end of the story and Armageddon does a lot of that though not as much as a novel must. Are you familiar with this movie? What would you add to my list? Home later today. Yippee!
Showing posts with label HEA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEA. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Monday, May 23, 2011
What Should Have Happened
It's that time of year when all the network TV shows are having their season finales. This past week I've watched cliff hangers with heroines sprawled in a pool of their own blood and heroes taking the law into their own hands. Some of the shows will have us wait all summer to know who lives and who dies. Some of them have emotional tension being carried over to the next season. One of my favorite shows, Justified, has left the hero pondering his professional career and his relationships with his pregnant ex-wife and fellow marshals. Now I have to wait until next winter to see what happens there.
But I often wonder when these important last episode of the season occurs on TV shows if I would have written it different. I think 'this is what should have happened.'
The heroine bleeding from gun shot wound is a little cliche for me. I like the ending better if she shots the bad guy but the circumstances are questionable. We know she's not going to die but if its her professional life on the line it will make for some interesting drama as she tries to get out of trouble.
I loved the season ender Mentalist, but shouldn't Red John have been someone we know? Shouldn't he have been visible in an earlier episode?
Blue Bloods didn't let me down with the Regans handling the murder of their family member like the good cops they are. And then the satisfying scene of the family dinner wrapped up a great freshman season.
I finished watching the Showtime series, The Tudors, a few weeks ago on DVD. I wish they wouldn't have ended the series with Henry. Of course, how many movies have been made about Elizabeth?
I also recently read The Count of Monte Cristo on my ereader. I loved the movie with Jim Caviezel and especially the ending. The book ended completely differently. Though I really enjoyed the book, I liked what happened in the movie better.
I can't help but thing about the ending of my books and wonder if readers finish them and then ponder 'what should have happened.' I write my romance books in series but each book is a complete story about a different set of lead characters. Each ending is complete with the HEA. On the other hand, my fantasy series in a continuation of an epic tale progressing from book to book. Each ending has to satisfy the reader yet leave enough questions to convince them they must read the next book. The ending is a fine line between what should have happened and what might happen in the next book.
I've read books where I hated the ending, including some fantasy series of multiple books where I loved it until the last few chapters. I hated that the tale didn't end the way I wanted it to end. I could make a list of what should have happened. I won't name them here because I don't like to do that to other authors or ruin a book for someone interested in reading it.
Can you think of some books you loved right up until the ending? How about movies and TV shows that don't follow the tale you've imagined for the characters?
But I often wonder when these important last episode of the season occurs on TV shows if I would have written it different. I think 'this is what should have happened.'
The heroine bleeding from gun shot wound is a little cliche for me. I like the ending better if she shots the bad guy but the circumstances are questionable. We know she's not going to die but if its her professional life on the line it will make for some interesting drama as she tries to get out of trouble.
I loved the season ender Mentalist, but shouldn't Red John have been someone we know? Shouldn't he have been visible in an earlier episode?
Blue Bloods didn't let me down with the Regans handling the murder of their family member like the good cops they are. And then the satisfying scene of the family dinner wrapped up a great freshman season.
I finished watching the Showtime series, The Tudors, a few weeks ago on DVD. I wish they wouldn't have ended the series with Henry. Of course, how many movies have been made about Elizabeth?
I also recently read The Count of Monte Cristo on my ereader. I loved the movie with Jim Caviezel and especially the ending. The book ended completely differently. Though I really enjoyed the book, I liked what happened in the movie better.
I can't help but thing about the ending of my books and wonder if readers finish them and then ponder 'what should have happened.' I write my romance books in series but each book is a complete story about a different set of lead characters. Each ending is complete with the HEA. On the other hand, my fantasy series in a continuation of an epic tale progressing from book to book. Each ending has to satisfy the reader yet leave enough questions to convince them they must read the next book. The ending is a fine line between what should have happened and what might happen in the next book.
I've read books where I hated the ending, including some fantasy series of multiple books where I loved it until the last few chapters. I hated that the tale didn't end the way I wanted it to end. I could make a list of what should have happened. I won't name them here because I don't like to do that to other authors or ruin a book for someone interested in reading it.
Can you think of some books you loved right up until the ending? How about movies and TV shows that don't follow the tale you've imagined for the characters?
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