Backyard Monsters

There was a monster in my backyard where I grew up.

Okay, not literally in my backyard, but only a few miles away in the White River, a murky waterway that meanders through the swampy bottomland of northeast Arkansas. Tales of monsters and bizarre events have been a part of that area's folklore for centuries, but when I was a kid, a rash of sightings propelled the White River Monster—or "Whitey" as he's sometimes affectionately called—into the national spotlight.

The monster pump was primed, so to speak, a few months earlier with the release of the low-budget, pseudo-documentary film called The Legend of Boggy Creek. The subject of the movie was the Fouke Monster, a hairy, ape-like creature that supposedly harassed families living outside the small town of Fouke, Arkansas, near Texarkana. Most of the cast consisted of local residents, many of whom reenacted their encounters with the monster for the cameras.

So when "Whitey" began rearing his ugly head again that summer, we all prepared for our close-ups. And sure enough, a Japanese filmmaker arrived with the intention of bringing our version of the Loch Ness monster to the big screen. Hundreds of media interviews were staged, CBS sent a news crew, and the story was picked up by The London Daily News. Local merchants began to cash in on the hype by offering monster sidewalk sales and restaurants even added "Monsterburgers" to their menus.

At least seven sightings of the monster were recorded and one witness offered a blurred Polaroid snapshot he'd taken of the elusive creature. "As big as a boxcar and thirty feet long...gray all over...with fins," one excited witness reported. Others described the creature as being sea-serpent-like with a spiny backbone.Although the Japanese movie never came to pass (more's the pity...how cool would that have been?), the attention put our little neck of the woods on the map. The monster was so widely accepted that in 1973, the Arkansas Legislature passed a resolution declaring a section of the White River a "refuge" for the creature and banned anyone from "molesting, killing, trampling or harming" the creature in any way.

In 1991, I wrote Nighttime Guardian, a book which featured the White River monster.

That's one of the cool things about being a writer. You never know what will inspire you.

How To Write The Great American Novel

The Dollmaker Theme

If you've been around in the synth scene for a while, you've probably heard of the German band Placebo Effect. In 1999, frontman Axel Machens started a new project, Breathe.

I've been using the title track of their cd, The Laughing Dolls, on my blog, which is how I happened to 'meet' Axel. I've been a long time fan, so imagine how thrilled I was when he sent me an email, thanking me for using their music. We've been corresponding ever since.

And it gets even better because he's now written a theme song for The Dollmaker, a beautiful, haunting piece that is perfect for the story. I can actually picture the credits rolling for a Dollmaker movie when I hear it! lol. You can give it a listen below and also check out their music on MySpace and on their Website.

Pacing a Thriller

I’ve been reading a ton of writing blogs lately and I’m a little worried. I see a lot of discussion concerning the pacing of thrillers. Evidently the pacing is what sets thrillers apart from other genres. The problem is, I’m not exactly sure I understand the difference. More action? More dialogue? More dead bodies? What makes a thriller a thriller? And since I’m now writing thrillers, shouldn’t I already know this?

So for the past few weeks, I’ve been relentlessly rewriting the first few chapters of my book to ‘thriller’ it up. I’m ruthlessly cutting descriptive passages, hacking away at the dialogue and obsessively moving around scenes. I think, maybe, I’m carrying it to the extreme because what I may be losing in a faster pace is a richness of detail, an evocative atmosphere and my own unique way of telling a story.

Hook Me

I’m a patient reader. I don’t necessarily need for a book to start off with a bang. If it’s done right, I savor a slow build. Sometimes that build-up can take a few paragraphs or even a few chapters. As long as the story is enjoyable, the characters interesting and the pay-off satisfactory, I’m a happy reader. However, I do love a great first line, a hook that is so compelling or intriguing or hilarious, it draws me in with delicious anticipation.

Here are some of my favorite first lines:

Helen woke up in the middle of the night wearing someone else's breasts. Not her own insignificant, almost nonexistent bumps, but huge pendulous, full ones.
The Sensualist
Barbara Hodgson

The small boys came early to the hanging.
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
1984
George Orwell

It was the day my grandmother exploded.
The Crow Road
Iain Banks

Where's Pa going with that ax?
Charlotte’s Web
E. B. White

C.R.A.Z.Y.

Has anyone seen this movie? I caught it on one of the movie channels last Saturday night and it's wonderful. The soundtrack alone is worth checking out, with heavy emphasis on Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Patsy Cline.

Here is a brief synopsis I found on IMDB provided by the director and co-writer, Jean-Marc Vallée:

It's a story of two love affairs. A father's love for his five sons. And one son's love for his father, a love so strong it compels him to live a lie. That son is Zac Beaulieu, born on the 25th of December 1960, different from all his brothers, but desperate to fit in. During the next 20 years, life takes Zac on a surprising and unexpected journey that ultimately leads him to accept his true nature and, even more importantly, leads his father to love him for who he really is. A mystical fable about a modern-day Christ-like figure, "C.R.A.Z.Y" exudes the beauty, the poetry and the madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions.

And from Jim Slotek (Toronto Sun):

Zac's journey is engrossing in and of itself -- from glam-rock Bowie fan to '80s punk, with bouts of self-destruction and a long, futile attempt to be "straight." (The movie is rife with classic rock tunes). But it's the lifelong, ultimately redemptive dance between Zac and Gervais (his father) that is C.R.A.Z.Y.'s heart.

You can read the full review here.

A wonderful, touching, funny, and sometimes tragic movie. Highly Recommend.