Podcast: Episode 1 - An Awkward Introduction, and Character Journals

I decided that it would be interesting to try to do a bit of a podcast, just to let you all get to know me a bit better. So here is the first episode. The topic of the day is, basically, telling you what this podcasting series is about, and also one of my favorite things, character journals. Don't know what that is? Listen to my rambling and find out! 

An Introduction, and Character Journals

Here's an example of one that I did with my character, Julia, which was actually turned into a scene in my novel: Beneath the Script. One of the things that it helped me with, developing Julia's voice - was her constant use of "Bless" in place of something else (i.e. "Gosh", "God", "Dammit", etc). I never would have discovered that without the character journal, and I'm glad I did.  

*****

September 8th, 2012

Julia Kingston

Character Journal

Prompt: Most embarrassing moment? 

Oh, bless - you're not going to make me answer that one, are you? I mean, it's an embarrassing moment. Things like that are better left unsaid. Like the time I accidentally knocked my best friend's favorite vase out of a- excuse me - her third story window. No, I understand that it's an important question, I just don't want to answer it. However, I would be happy to answer another question, at another time. So if you don't have any breakable, special pottery and you don't live on the third story, I'd be happy to chat about another subject. 

Well - I suppose I could throw you a bone - I guess. I mean, one of my embarrassing moments included quite a lot of tequila at 3 AM in some shady club I honestly don't remember very much about. It also involved my costar - but I'm telling you, she snogged me first! And don't get any ideas, there's been enough fanfiction written already! Speaking of fanfiction - God, have you heard that the fans actually put Max and I together? I mean, Max! He's lovely - and I'd be lying if I  said that I don't find the prospect of that quite... appealing... but he's twelve years younger than me, and, quite honestly, I don't know what they're thinking. He's got a girlfriend, for goodness sake - and I- well- I'm me. I'm forty-one and divorced twice, and let's be quite honest here... I have nothing to offer him. I'm not getting any younger, or shall we say, I could stand to lose a few pounds and be very happy about it. My bum's getting closer to the ground every year and honestly, now, there's a reason I didn't get picked for that part in Armandy. What a bloody fool I was, trying out! Really, I shouldn't have been so devastated. I was just flattering myself. They had younger girls, younger, prettier, thinner girls that were much better for the part than I was. And, bless, the way I flirted with the main actor on that set... I didn't realize, stupid me, how uncomfortable I made him. Everyone knew what an idiot I was except for me. You know, there were the other auditioners I overheard talking and... yes, their comments hurt quite a lot, actually. But I suppose it was good for me, in a sense. They were right. Same as Taurus. It hurts to say that... but yes, Taurus was absolutely right that I was ruined. It was my fault, too. And I suppose-
Oh, but look at me. You didn't ask for all of that. Here I am, silly me, rambling on about things that you probably don't care about. Bless, I should just put down this pen before I dig myself into a deeper hole. Sorry about that.

- Julia

The Patriot Film Review

Film: The Patriot

Prominent Stars: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger

Basic Setting: Revolutionary War

Genre: Historical Fiction/Action/Drama

Plot Summary: A hero of the fierce french and Indian conflict, Martin had renounced fighting forever to raise his family in peace. But when the British arrive at his South Carolina home and endanger what he holds most dear, Martin takes up arms alongside his idealistic patriot son, Gabriel, and leads a brave revel Militia into battle against a relentless and overwhelming English army. In the process, he discovers the only way to protect his family is to fight for a young nation’s freedom (taken from the back cover of the case).

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Patriot’s a film I’ll not likely forget. It’s not often a movie makes me cry more than once, and the last time I threw a pen at my screen, I was watching Bouddica. This time, with Patriot, it was my favorite pen, and I still can’t find it. It’s probably somewhere behind my TV. Oh well.

The sad loss of my pen all began this morning, July 5, when I decided that I should watch a patriotic movie. It’s July after all, and yesterday was taken up by fireworks and the ridiculously long (but fantastic and old) movie Gettysburg. Today, I figured I was going to watch a movie that I’d never seen. I usually avoid violent, intense films. I’d heard stories of people’s head getting knocked off by cannonballs and I wasn’t sure whether to look forward to the movie or to be really apprehensive about it. I must admit that I wasn’t entirely prepared for the sudden death of a young boy, a hero who didn’t stop hacking a soldier to bits long after he was already dead, and other such moments. I did have to pause the film to remember to breathe every once in a while. That said, I’m left still marveling at the masterpiece made through subtlety, memorable moments, foreshadowing, and symbolism.
Subtlety is not my strong suit as a writer. I’m still learning, with the help of my friends. So I was really impressed by the way the writers and director of the movie showed what had happened to Ben’s wife through only a few, brief glimpses of a gravestone, and some well-placed and well-written dialogue. 

The film had many memorable quotes and moments. For me, there were four quotes that really stood out. The first is when Ben addresses the town (state?) council: “An elected legislature can trample rights as well as a King can.” Sometimes I wish people here in America would remember that. The two others apply directly to myself and my fellow Christians, as I believe that we really aren’t as involved with politics or other such little “wars” as we should be. We talk about what needs to be done, but “Will [we] now, when needed most, stop at words?”, because as the good Reverend said: “A Shepherd must tend his flock and at times fight off the wolves.” I really don’t want to see us sitting there, in the rubble of our nation, saying: “I have done nothing, and for that I am ashamed.”

The final piece of the movie which impressed me the most was the use of foreshadowing and the symbol of the Cherokee Hatchett. In the first scene of the movie, we see Ben’s temper in how he treats the rocking chair that broke. But beyond that - most have talked of the tin soldiers as being the most powerful symbol of the movie. They’re certainly the most obvious. However, I find the Cherokee Hatchet to be the most moving and meaningful symbol. It represents Ben’s past anger and revenge on the French. When Thomas pulls it out of the chest, it foreshadows how Thomas’ death with yet again put the hatchet in Ben’s hands against those who have committed crimes against the people he loves. However, what I found to be the most compelling moment of the movie (the moment I threw my pen for), was the moment when we all thought Ben was going to lose. The bullet casted from his son’s toy soldiers (symbolising retribution for Thomas’ death) fails to kill Tavington. And then the hatchet, the symbol of Ben’s strength, his anger, his revenge, is knocked out of his hand. In the end, it’s not the hatchet - revenge, that kills the villain, but the bayonet - the American cause. The hatchet: Ben’s past, his anger, his revenge, is never returned. It’s left there on the battlefield. He returns home without it to build a new world - just as his son, Gabriel, predicted.

I must say, I loved the movie. Even if it ripped my heart out scene and scene again, even if it made me lose my favorite pen, even with all the blood and the gore and the disturbing violence. It was masterfully created. It’s not one I would recommend to anyone who doesn't have a stomach for blood or violence, but if you can handle that - I think it’s a story worth hearing. It reminds us of the cost at which America was founded, the price that was paid. Beyond that, it reminds us that we can’t sit by and do nothing, we can’t keep quiet on our ‘principles’ and expect that our enemy will do the same. When we face an enemy who doesn’t play by our rules, the time for peace and diplomacy is over. The time to fight for the freedom of others is at hand.

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The Patriot. Dir. Roland Emmerich. Perf. Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. Centropolis Entertainment, 2000. DVD.