Day Seven – Expectations vs. Reality

Very often you find that in life reality can violently upturn your expectations in life. The Academy Awards are no different. Here is a list of the movies I think the Academy is going to announce as their nominations. This list is slightly different because my first post was looking at my personal preferences. This page is looking at my personal predictions. I think I’ll be surprised in one or two areas, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I get a good 6 or 7 right. We’ll see tomorrow morning.

1)      Avatar

Before Christmas, this was the movie that was destined to be an example of overspending and what happens as a result, failure. Instead, James Cameron has created the most successful movie of all time, upending his previous 12 year reign with Titanic. This movie is very likely to win, so a nomination should come as no surprise.

2)      Up In the Air

A clear front runner, this movie has received all kinds of accolades and I wish I still could see it. This has won some of the big awards that occur pre-Oscars so expect this to be in the top three contenders of the 10 nominations.

3)      The Hurt Locker

This is the dark horse of the three big named contenders. However, the more I hear about this movie, the more I want to see it. I actually went to Blockbuster to pay for the rental and take the movie off my Netflix queue, but they were out of Blu Ray’s for it there, too. The movie is supposed to be excessively tense and so well constructed, a lack of nomination would be a curveball.

4)      The Hangover

This is one nomination prediction that could bite me. Despite the Golden Globe win for Best Picture in Comedy or Musical, comedies like this are typically an afterthought to dramas with the Academy. This year, it may be no different. A smaller drama like Invictus or An Education could easily wipe out the chance of comedy truly getting a shot at what they have deserved for years.

5)      Star Trek

The one reason this one might be the other prediction likely to make me wrong is this. 2009 was one of the best years for Science Fiction and Fantasy since 2001-2003 when we graced with the greatest trilogy of all time, The Lord of the Rings. Second is Star Wars because of the Ewoks. How would you have liked it if in Return of the King Gandalph and Aragorn led the charge with all of Hobbiton as their primary assault force? I digress. While there was tons of great science fiction, it isn’t exactly the biggest genre to win big. All three (Avatar, District 9, and Star Trek) could cancel each other out and leave room for more dramas no one has seen and the public really doesn’t care about, sorry if that offends you. It’s just the truth.

6)      District 9

The reason this movie has the edge over Star Trek is that it was just slightly less popcorn fare than Star Trek. Not by much, but it had a bolder statement and more originality in vision. What may knock this out of the ten nominations is if the Academy just gives Avatar the votes and that is the representative of the genre.

7)      Precious

This was initially more likely to get screenplay and acting accolades. However, some good wins in other awards show will help solidify this movie as a formidable nomination. A win would be a very large curveball.

8)      Inglorious Basterds

This is another shoe-in for a nomination. However, one thing the Academy loves to do with dark horses is acknowledge them in screenplays or acting. Christopher Waltz might as well make some space on his shelf for an Oscar in what will be the easiest prediction in Supporting Actor category. He has won nearly every award in that category so far. While this will get some nominations, it will probably win in the smaller categories.

9)      Up

This movie was an amazing, darn near perfect family film. I believe that it will earn a nomination, but will probably be the lowest on the totem pole of votes for the sole reason that it will win Best Animated Feature handedly, thus cancelling any hopes it has for the big win.

10)   (500) Days of Summer

This is another one that I fear I may be wrong in. While it was innovative and amazing, it is still a summer, romantic comedy. Romantic comedy is like stamping a movie with a “Don’t Vote for Me” stamp. However, the sheer quality of this product is where it will stand out and get into the nominations.

So there are my predictions for tomorrow. I will give a brief update tomorrow to see how I do. Have ideas, disagreements, and debates? Chime in on the comments section.

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Day Seven – Tomorrow’s Announcement

Tomorrow morning we get the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards, the ceremony occurring in March. Of course, one of the biggest announcements was that this year there will be ten best picture nominations. Instead of the usual five, they have doubled the entries in hopes to keep the show fresh. They have also doubled their host count, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will both be in charge of the evening’s festivities. So below, I have put in what I would have voted for only based on the movies I have seen. There are a few that might have made their way in had I seen them. Unfortunately, I have only so much free time and sometimes the wait time for a Netflix Blu Ray can be a long one. Below you will find my ten picks, (which were my ten favorites of last year by the way).

1)      (500) Days of Summer

This movie had a very original concept, a clever director who wasn’t afraid to make bolder choices, and two leads that were nothing but perfectly cast for the movie. Those are terms that are hard to recall being used about most romantic comedies in the last few years. The strong gimmick premises consume the plot that the audience already sees coming a mile away. (500) Days of Summer dared to step out of that clichéd bubble and make one of the better movies of 2009. Definitely deserves the nomination.

2)      Avatar

This movie is quickly getting overhyped, much like Cameron’s last movie. However, the movie is deserving of a nomination. After adapting to the 3D experience, you find yourself completely immersed in the extensive detail placed into Pandora and the world. Much like “Titanic,” the story was lacking but the emotions of the movie as well as the technical intricacies are overwhelming. It deserves the nomination, not sure it deserves the basically anticipated win. Who’s ready to hear James Cameron say “I’m the king of the world!” in Nav’i?

3)      Away We Go

This was on the cusp of making it in, I nearly placed The Hurt Locker by default even though I haven’t seen it. However, this movie unfortunately fell by the wayside due to an odd release time for an indie comedy-drama. It was a great, simple character study piece that showcased the talents of their two leads. Jon Krasinzki showed that he is more than just Jim (although I have no qualms with The Office, keep it coming!). Moreover, Maya Rudolph proved that she is more than an afterthought to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. If you haven’t seen it, give it a shot!

4)      District 9

District 9 deserves this nomination for sheer vision. This movie wasn’t supposed to do much, if anything, at all. It was expected to be the movie that brought the summer of 2009 to a close. Those movies typically have a little strength opening weekend and then fizzle away with the emergence of school and other fall responsibilities. Instead, being shot on a minimal budget, WETA showed once again that they will be ILM’s key rival in the coming years for visual effects. The heartfelt story with obvious political parallels took a great concept and made it one of the most inventive science fiction movies I have seen. It felt really cool knowing that I got to see this movie when it first came out in theaters.

5)      The Hangover

This movie deserves a nomination because comedy and science fiction are always the bastard children left behind for independent dramas no one sees or cares about. Then Hollywood deems it politically relevant so it gets a nomination and all is right with the world. Frankly, seeing this movie and others like Star Trek and District 9 on this list is the main reason I am happy the Academy is giving 10 nominations this year. It may finally usher in a time when movies like these can get a nomination. I’m perfectly aware that it won’t win, but it’s nice to see a change.

6)      Inglorious Basterds

Tarantino still peaked early with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but this was as close to those two as he has reached in a while. Kill Bill was great, and Death Proof was entertaining, but that was about it. His very strong choice to take a left turn where history went right has to be acknowledged as a great choice. It did one thing, proved that this was meant as an entertainment piece, not a historical dramatization. Plus, the opening scene alone is what puts Inglorious Basterds on the map for the nomination.

7)      The Road

So, if you haven’t heard, Miramax is officially closed down. The company the Weinstein brothers worked so hard to establish is no more. This movie was one of the poor left behind movies that signaled the demise. (See also The Boys Are Back, great vehicle for Clive Owen.) The book was one of the most amazing works I have read in a long time and the movie was excessively faithful. I was glad for this because it was very bleak and held back very little. It does so to convey the sense of hope that the Man and Child (you never know their names) have to cling to if they are to find the will to carry on. It saddens me that this movie didn’t get the proper marketing and release because instead of being a high profile contender, it has fizzled to a rented curiosity. See this movie when it comes out on Blu Ray and DVD!

8)      Star Trek

I’m a Star Wars man, flat out. I enjoy Star Trek on a periodic basis. When I heard they were making the prequel, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Okay.” Then the cast and director came together, then the trailers. I was growing more excited. Then the movie came out and I was astonished! I did not expect this movie to be so good and I hope they can keep it up for number two and don’t rely too heavily on previous material. Rumors of Kahn are worrying me, I enjoyed that they took the Trek timeline in a different alternate reality, but that’s another article altogether. This movie did the most important thing and that was focus on the characters individually and on the crew as a dynamic. They reignited what was a left for dead franchise, well deserved.

9)      Up

Here is my personal pick for the win. I do not think that it will actually win, but so far this was my favorite movie of 2009. This movie will take best Animated Feature with ease, but I sincerely hope that it becomes the second animated feature to ever be nominated for Best Picture. The fact that I saw this just a few short weeks after getting married helped with my emotional attachment to the story. However, the movie deserves the nomination for the opening montage alone. They did what a family movie should do, have fun and quirky characters for the kids to imitate (Kevin and Doug), while giving substantial material for adults to enjoy. That is why time and time again, Pixar has perhaps been the best thing to happen to Disney in their long history.

10)   Where the Wild Things Are

I appreciated this movie for what it aimed to achieve. It did not sugar coat what real life can be. Too many children’s movies just think as long as you cling to your dreams and love everyone, things will be just fine. While a certain element of that is true, sometimes life stinks and brings you down. Sorry, kids, but it is the truth. Even if you try your best, fate will come around and give you a bitter awakening. This movie used Max’s dreamland to show real life problems children face and shows them that everybody feels this way. It also had a lot of fun as well, showing that from sadness and disappointment, joy and love can come around with those closest to you. This movie was great.

Honorable Mentions: Julie & Julia, the movie was inspiring and very well done. The focus of this movie has been way too strong on Meryl Streep, though. I found myself wishing Amy Adams would get equal, if not more, attention as she was the true heart and focus of the movie.

The Hurt Locker, this movie didn’t make it in because I haven’t seen it. I have yet to hear a bad thing about it, but the wait is too damn long on Netflix and I am pretty sure it’s only going to get longer after they announce the nominations.

Up In the Air, Jason Reitman is on fire. He has tackled a lot of great material and is a very good director. I just haven’t gotten around to seeing it in theaters yet.

Taken, Liam Neeson is a badass. This movie had a genuinely good actor playing what felt like a real person in a disturbingly realistic situation. The action was amazing, there were inklings of comedy, and very tense drama. It was just a really good movie.

Week One is Done!!!

So, I have decided to leave the weekends out of the blog. I am going to focus on it being a Monday through Friday thing. It will be healthy because overdoing it will make me blitz a lot, and then fall off and stop entirely. So expect updates for Week Two to begin on Monday and have five posts per week. That way, life will be easier and I can focus on Amber, the house, other goals, and of course writing. See you Monday!

Day Six – The Music of Current – Memories (Someone we’ll never know)

One thing that is essential to my writing is music. My iPod has grown over time to almost half radio songs and the other half musical scores. I have as more songs by Hans Zimmer than I do Bon Jovi, and I love Bon Jovi.

As the story comes together and the chapters become more fleshed out, I begin to score the book. The music helps me to orchestrate the moments. Because scores are made with specific sounds for a specific movie, (i.e. jungle percussions for King Kong, bagpipes for Braveheart, etc.) it can be difficult to tie a score to what you are writing. A lot of times the songs are hard to fit.

However, to pay a conductor to write a score and then have a full, professional orchestra to perform and record a score for my book would be wasteful at best. Perhaps in ten years if I have bundles of money I could have James Newton Howard hired and it could be a legitimate possibility. At the same time, searching endlessly on the web or downloading any score possible would be a waste of resources. I’d kill endless hours on finding that “perfect fit” and have lost precious time that I could have spent on writing instead. Priorities are important while trying to write while working full time.

As a result, it mainly helps to focus on the emotion of a song. Regardless of whether a song would be a perfect fit, take a look at what the song truly wants to convey to the listener. Is it a moment of extreme catharsis or a sense of foreboding? Once the song seems to generally fit it then comes through the song itself can help orchestrate the specific elements of the scene.

The first song that truly fit was the song “Memories (Someone We’ll Never Know)” from the movie “Moon.” It’s supposed to be a great movie that shows the amazing talent that is Sam Rockwell. The music is orchestrated by Clint Mansell, who grew to fame thanks to working with Darren Aronofsky. Even if you don’t know Mansell, you know his work. The song from “Requiem for a Dream” entitled “Lux Aeterna” was in almost every trailer known to man for a long time until it became an overly saturated cliché.

The song features very simple piano and subtle strings that emphasize a quiet sense of emotion. The emotion of that song is perfect for a key moment for Eric Coleman, the wind energy specialist brought on days before the operation begins. (See my Day Five blog for more information about the character.)

Clint Mansell perfectly captured the isolated emotion of the character that feels separated from the rest of the group as an outsider. It also is perfect for a revelatory moment for the character. He explains a moment from his past to the crew. It explains why his wife is no longer in his life and why he took the job on such short notice.

The song, as well as others from “Moon,” delivers the strong sense of a person away from the normal. Songs like these fit the story perfectly and it becomes very important in my writing. One day, while in Baltimore sitting on a dock, I listened to “Memories (Someone We’ll Never Know)” a good fifteen times, thinking over every sentence of the chapter. How does Eric say each sentence? What does he divulge completely and what does he keep abridged from the crew?

These are the moments that I will love writing in more detail and finishing. As the character biographies come together, I will know the past of each of these characters. Their pasts will result directly in their decisions during the present of the narrative. I plan to keep certain elements of the characters hidden so that the reader will come to their own conclusion about the past of the crew. Look for future song blogs about specific titles that inspire my writing.

See you tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Day Five – A Lost Husband and a Broken Leader

Today I would like to give a basic description that I have written about two of the eight crew members the story will focus on. While secondary characters come in periodically, the eight characters are the only ones privileged to narrating a chapter. In case you’re joining in on day five or I didn’t make it clear in previous blogs, I am going to try this novel in a unique narrative fashion. Each chapter will be from the perspective of one of the eight crew members. It will jump from character to character in each chapter. My hope is that from different character perspectives, certain key information will jump and keep the reader guessing.

While certain characters will be provided with a few more chapters than others, everyone will get at least a few chapters. So without further ado, I give you three of the eight characters in what will be the first of a few different entries of characters over the next few weeks.

Eric Coleman is the first of two, inspired by a few different people. If this book were to ever be made into a movie, it would be perfect to have John Krasinski play the role. Eric Olson is also a strong part of the inspiration, and obviously someone else plays a key figure in the story that is based on someone I know. Eric was first mentioned in the book synopsis (see the pages links on the right side bar.

Growing up with only one sibling, Eric Coleman found it an easy life that he made harder than it had to be. In his younger years caused he was a bit more rebellious and looked for conflict in his life. As he grew older and made more friends, he became more easy going as time went on.

Eric married young after college. He entered into his degree because he didn’t know what else to do. When he met Bailey she was in that program and they became best of friends. That friendship was supposed to stay that way according to Bailey. He tried several times to woo her to no avail. However, one night she was extremely sick. She came down with a severe case of the flu. He stayed with her through the night on the floor. She saw how much he cared for her and she then realized it wouldn’t get much better than him.

Bailey’s passion invigorated him to join her cause in fighting for regenerative energy resources. They began researching projects together and after Bailey’s father died, they inherited the small piece of land in Colorado where they wanted to set up a partnership to create a house that used completely renewable resources. Through government grants and partnerships with a wind power facility’s cooperation, they were ready to move forward. Eric handled a lot of the technical aspects as well as the legal paperwork. He executed more of the bureaucratic side of things. Bailey handled the energy planning and mapping out the layout of their house. The plans were made over the process of four years while working for a local wind power plant. Bailey was working part time to focus on the house while Eric took on the burden of working full time while still taking on the paperwork as well.

When the story enters, Eric is at a crossroads. Unfortunate incidents have resulted in his wife is out of his life and he wants nothing more than to hide from his pain. When the crew of the Thales needs a crew member with his qualifications quickly, he accepts and goes down to the Thales deep in the ocean to hide from his pain.

Jacob Lowe is the second of the characters discussed. I envisioned him as being played by Gary Oldman in a stricter role. The character needs a fragile past that results in a hardened shell. I want the character to come across as rough but surrounded by good intentions.

Years ago, Jacob Lowe was a sought after Navy commander who was rising quickly through the ranks and was one of the youngest commanders of a ship. He constantly made a point to prove himself and had a loving wife and a few young children. During a tour on the boat, his men were feeling extremely downtrodden from constant work and no end in sight. He let his men miss a safety procedure for some of the new recruits as a result to lighten stress on the ship.

A few months later, they had a run in with Somali pirates in what was supposed to be neutral waters. His privates were not trained properly and as a result, three of his new recruits were killed. Fifteen other seamen were injured. Some of them were his friends. Twelve of them recovered, one ended up in a wheelchair, one has a prosthetic leg, and another soldier never recovered and died from his wounds. The traumatizing sight of his colleagues injured and killed proved too much.

Jacob resigned his post even though the battle was considered a success. He returned home with an honorable discharge. He found it difficult to recover. His excessive depression proved a burden on his family. He ended up divorced and alone as he lost custody of his children. Years passed and he began taking out a fishing boat with tourists to make money and ends meet.

As he began patching his family together, his career was lacking. He found the excessive time made him overly clinging to his kids and around too much. He was offered the job to work on the Thales as safety officer. His kids encouraged him to take it not because they were driving him crazy, but because he was driving himself crazy. He swears to never again lose a man under his command. He takes this to be more of a militant exercise than a civilian operation. He believes that if he can keep these people safe, he can find salvation.

So, more character biographies to come, we’ll see you tomorrow! Please feel free to rate the blogs, comment, or subscribe to the right. Thanks for reading, we’ll see you tomorrow!

As he began patching his family together, his career was lacking. He found the excessive time made him overly clinging to his kids and around too much. He was offered the job to work on the Thales as safety officer. His kids encouraged him to take it not because they were driving him crazy, but because he was driving himself crazy. He swears to never again lose a man under his command. He takes this to be more of a militant operation than civilian. He believes that if he can keep these people safe, he can find salvation.

Day Four – A Great Sentence, Part Two

I am already excessively glad that I have decided to begin this blog. While I am unsure if it is a direct trigger or not, I am starting to think about the story on a constant basis. Today, a first grader actually helped me think of another great sentence.

While I was subbing today, one student needed a pencil. He reached into the pencil bin that is for their table, as in the students share their pencils. Another student decided that the other student shouldn’t have that pencil. So he scratched him in the face, naturally. Anyway, long story short. I had the two talk to one another and the scratching student had to apologize because the scratched did nothing. He grudgingly apologized and then proceeded not to talk to me and stopped working. I tried talking to him to turn him around, but he decided that I was his enemy and wouldn’t even look at me.

I took his stuff away because he kept tearing papers, breaking the pencils he previously protected so vehemently, etc. He needed to just cool off and sit by himself quietly for a while. About thirty minutes later, he was friendlier than ever to me. Initially I was completely confused about his actions. However, then I wondered if he maybe thought through what I did and how I tried to help him and calm the situation. While I am not entirely sure, it seemed that he realized I reprimanded him but then tried to help him because he apologized. The rest of the day he and I got along greatly.

I realized that would be such a perfect conflict for the story. The character Jacob Lowe is the retired naval commander in charge of the crew of eight. His past has made him excessively protective and hard on others. Initially when they get down to the station, the crew is overwhelmed by his fierce schedule and rigorous demeanor. While he means well, it comes off as extremely rude. So, how perfect would it be if two of the characters went through something very similar to the experience of today? In creating the different elements of the story, a situation similar to my experience today will be ideal to fit into the story. Of course the situation will be much more mature and dramatically enhanced for reading enjoyment, but it seems perfect. So after that I thought of the situation and how it can fit into the story seamlessly to enhance the early parts of the book in working on relationships and character.

So for two days in a row a great moment has come to me, at least it’s great in my head. The key is translating these great moments and sentences into full chapters to create a consistent experience. Not one of those books that has some really good parts. The sentences have been great because if I can implement them into the whole chapter and book properly, they will do several things. First, show great description. One I thought of was very descriptive of a scenario and the atmosphere of it. How it looks, and how it feels. Today’s revelation is concerning the relationship between the characters during the budding days of the eight crew members’ journey. The sentences also have great moments of emotion, the first being foreboding and daunting. The latter sentence will be a chapter catharsis for Jacob. Far from his climactic moment of emotion where everything comes full circle, his job goes well beyond initial discipline and keeping the crew in line.

Anyway, tomorrow I will be introducing two of the characters I’ve spoken about so far. See you tomorrow!

Day Three – A Great Sentence

So today I found myself working on a key moment that will occur in the book. It began last night while I was reading and thought of a great sentence for one part of the book. I got up and walked into the living room to grab a little moleskin journal and wrote it down just to get it down. It would have disappeared into my forgotten memories only to become a vague confusion of what I thought of.

Then today I worked on the emotion of the chapter and how it has to flow in order for the book to move forward. However, one thing I tried real hard to work on was separating the characters and their reactions. Their relationships to one another will also heavily weigh on this key moment. I don’t want to say what this moment is since it is a rather large game changer in the book.

I also focused on a few routines that I need to solidify my routine to ensure I keep this up and don’t falter after my tenth blog. I have had a tendency to not fulfill some goals; everyone makes either New Year’s Resolutions or other goals and squander without much time passing at all.

Thankfully, since I started blogging I have actually been doing well (I say with Day Three). I changed the workout routine to designated, specific times, the general idea wasn’t working. I also have been getting my vitamins and flossing regularly.

So I am trying to use my creative work to also lead to me keep making my health a bit better as well. Finally, I am working toward a steady professional job to let my mind worry less about finances and hopefully get health insurance for the first time in 9 years! (I’ve been pretty lucky there nothing catastrophic has occurred)

My application is officially in for the Education Program Manager at the Children’s Museum of Denver as of about a half hour ago. I did those little tweaks to make sure you don’t say experience or qualified fifteen times in a paragraph. I sweetened the deal by scanning in tons of notes and drawings I have received as a teacher. I hope seeing that will show them where my priorities are and how Mr. Bull’s 4^th grade class came to call me “Mr. Awesome!”

See you tomorrow for some character discussion! Thanks for reading everyone!

Day Two – Welcome to the California Current Energy Renewal Project

Well, tonight marked a few different events, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 caused some mild time interference. After all, those Russian invaders won’t leave without lethal interference from brave American Rangers. I also focused on getting the Children’s Museum application finished up, so life got a bit in the way. However, tonight did mark some good research for the manual. I found a manual from the Department of the Interior on a wind energy project that will serve as a great reference point.

So tonight marked the creation of the front end of the manual. I set up the contents of the manual, the front page, distribution information, and the introduction from Dr. Edward G. Scott, the character who is the conceptual creator of the Thales.

Also, check out the expanded widgets on the side bar including the synopsis for the book, a link to my Twitter account, and more. We’ll see you tomorrow!

Day One – Assessing Accomplishments and Setting Goals

In order to kick this entire goal orientation into gear, I have decided on setting some clear goals for myself. First goal, I am not going to overcomplicate these blogs. My first entry was over 600 words long and I edited it several times. That’s going to kill my writing time.

Next, I need to assess what I have already accomplished. I have been doing extensive research about the subject. I have also written two complete breakdowns of the stories. I am now in the early stages of my third outline for the book. I am trying to break it down chapter by chapter since I want to try having each chapter told from the perspective of one of the key characters.

Now the big one, I am setting future goals for myself. The first goal, finish the outline, character biographies, and the manual for the Thales (See the book description posted.) These are complicated orders, but are already in progress.

I want to have the definitive outline for the book. I have had some great realizations after developing the story, completing research, and exploring the characters and realized certain events had to occur. The character biographies are basic right now, but far from in depth enough to flesh out the characters to the extent I truly want. Without the characters seeming real, the danger incurred in the book will seem artificial and unimportant. The action would merely become another sequence to get past until the inevitable ending the reader would see coming a mile away.

Finally I want to complete the manual for the Thales, the energy conversion station that harvests the power using underwater turbines to generate electricity. I have already begun it and I have 232 pages completed for the manual so far. In doing this blog I am realizing I’ve completed more than I thought. While thus far the manual is a basic grid and section breakdown for how the station is put together, it is already at 232 pages.

My goal to finish these three things is March 31^st, 2010. While if I had more free time to create the three planning phases, my life is hectic at best. I am working full time while taking a class for my Master’s degree and I am also searching for a more stable job. While I am enjoying substitute teaching, it is proving a bit troublesome. The pay is minimal, no benefits, the hours are sporadic, and anything but guaranteed. So wish me luck. I have two applications in right now, one for editing at Starz Entertainment and another to be the Education Program Manager at the Children’s Museum of Denver.

So with all of this going on, I feel that March 31^st is a completely reasonable goal. In fact, it may be very difficult to achieve. However, I found that I do better when I have too much to do. When I reach a lethargic state my desire to kick back into gear is difficult. I thrive better when challenging myself to constantly do better.

Take a look at the synopsis; this is an early working version of it since I am still in the planning area. So don’t be surprised to see some alterations as time goes on. Okay, I am pushing 600 words again, I am going to stop. Thanks for reading. I would love comments, subscriptions to my blog, anything you want to do. If not, I appreciate you simply reading this. See you tomorrow!

Swedish Fish – A Blog for My Family

The candy that changed the way I chose to approach my goals for my family.

Throughout the last few weeks both of us have been questioning our lives in certain respect. One area that has not changed is our marriage. Through any struggles we always find that comfort can be found in one another. In a perfect world we could just lounge around our house and do nothing. Working as teachers in a struggling, urban district proves very difficult.

Twelve hour days cause a struggle for my wife, Amber, starting her morning with classes going straight into rehearsals. She especially worries about it when it comes time for the two of us to have a child. The time schedule would prove too much for her to take care of her children and raise them ourselves. With daycare being so expensive in Colorado, we’d be using an entire paycheck just to have someone else raise our children.

We are looking forward to adding more Fowler’s to our family, a dog and a few children. She expresses her desire and excitement for this future so bluntly I find myself hiding my excitement just so we can remain logical about our plan for life. Secretly, I cannot wait to hold my child in my arms.

Amber knows I keep my feelings a bit subdued to be the rational side of our discussions. Being married, I have found myself stepping into the role of husband more by the day.

While we were watching a movie, I moved the Swedish Fish tail and head. The fish swirled upstream to a breeding ground or away from a grizzly bear. I quickly showed Amber. She then grabbed me and hugged me really tight, more so than usual.

She then said, “You’re going to be such a great daddy.”

Her justification being that I am going to play with my kids, showing them how to make a Swedish Fish look like he is swimming. Then how I can show them how to pretend to be a grizzly bear and catch the fish. Amber wants to see me show our kids these things and teach them.

Our goals in our lives include certain goals before we begin having children. Seeing her excitement sparked something in me. A unique moment spurred from such a small gesture. So from here on out I will begin blogging to set goals for myself. I have been struggling to become a successful writer for a long time now. A few moments have occurred that seemed to be the start of something great. My first feature length movie, “The Code: Legend of the Gamers,” a screenplay I wrote, “The Canvas Poets,” being considered by agents.

However, the true moment of my success has yet to come as a writer. For the last several months, I have been researching and planning to write my first novel, Current. The biggest problem is that it has stayed at research and planning. The more research I do in the science of the book, the more it reaffirms what I already have been finding out.

So at this point, the next step is what I have been procrastinating on. So here it comes on this blog, not the writing itself but a blog discussing my progress. It’s mainly a way to keep track of my progress and make sure that I am on track to accomplish what I aim to achieve.

It is a very odd thing having a piece of candy become a symbol of what you want for your future. It is a great thing thinking that someday when my kids are old enough to ask, I can tell them “I’m a writer,” It is not a very odd thing thinking about how my wife and unborn children is what’s driving me to push myself harder than ever. I hope from here on out, I will never forget what I felt the night Amber hugged me over a Swedish Fish.

This blog, and my new set goals, is going to be for my wife, the kids I haven’t had, and for myself, and it’s all happening because of a Swedish Fish.