I finally got my column for Cemetery Dance issue 56 done yesterday and sent to the editor. I finished reading Lisey’s Story on Saturday and spent the next day or two adding my thoughts on that book and revising, re-revising, re-re-revising the column, which came in at something like 5100 words. It’ll be the first time in recent memory that it will contain something timely.
My daughter and I went to see Mission Impossible: 3 yesterday. We both really enjoyed it, though the pulse-pounding pace threatened to overwhelm my daughter (she’s 19) at times. On the big screen, all that action is really in your face, and the use of handhelds and quick-cut editing is enough to bedazzle anyone. The movie starts with a gripping cliff-hanging set piece that sets the tone and also the character of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s evil-doer. A malignant man who is so detached from the mundane that he can actually accomplish virtually anything he chooses.
Tom Cruise comports himself adequately. The role is undemanding of acting chops. Anyone who can run, jump, swing, shoot and fight could probably have stood in. He does the movie no harm. The plot is compelling and the action keeps your mind working fast enough to contemplate any plot inconsistencies there might be. Kudos to the writers for not focusing too heavily on the true nature of the McGuffin.
Among the trailers, Adam Sandler’s upcoming Click. I’m not a big fan of Sandler’s juvenile films, but this one looks like it could be funny…unless, of course, they showed all the funny bits in the trailer. Christopher Walken looks like a man having fun. However, the premise is utterly unbelievable. No way Kate Beckinsale would ever marry Adam Sandler! It’s about a guy who gets a universal remote that works on everything. Wish I’d thought of that.
With my column out of the way, it’s time to get back to fiction. To get in the mood again, I pulled out a very old short story with an eye to revising it. It’s been published once already (published in the loosest sense of that word—it appeared in a POD royalty anthology that probably sold a few more copies than there were contributors). The story, I realized later, has potential, but it was too thin. Too focused on the linear plot without regard for why things are happening, and what’s going on behind the scenes. It was a scant 2100 words and will probably come in at closer to 3500 upon revision. I have a specific market in mind for the revised version, so we’ll see how that goes. It’s the first time I’ve tried to reimagine a published story.
Received the answers to the questions for my Tabitha King interview, so that’s something else to work on in the upcoming days.
