Review: Manhattan Vigil

Posted: October 24, 2012 in Review
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aka The 300th episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit! Yeah, I know you guys had no idea I was a fan of SVU, from the way I write and what I write about you’d never be able to tell. Is my sarcasm coming through alright?

So yes, this was the 300th episode of SVU, which I’ve been waiting for like crazy ever since I found out about it. And let me just say, it was a pretty decent episode, especially considering the episode based on Fifty Shades of Gray was mediocre and the one on the prostitution ring with terrorist ties was only slightly better. In this episode, a young boy is kidnapped on a subway on the way to a baseball game, and the neighborhood it happened in reminds Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Sergeant John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Captain Don Cragen (Dann Florek), the only remaining members of the original SVU crew since the show began, of a case that would’ve occurred during the show’s first season in 1999. Let’s just say, the similarities between the two cases are more than just coincidences.

What an awesome cast, huh?

The acting was pretty solid. I would’ve liked to see more of Munch (and not just in this episode, but in general; he’s featured in only haf the episodes these days, and he’s a main character!) and of Detective Fin Tutuola (Ice-T’s awesome!). Oh, and somebody bring back ADAs Cabot and Novak(Stephanie March and Diane Neal, respectively), they’re the reason I admire prosecutors so much! But I digress; back to the reviewing.

I thought the way Benson and Detective Amaro (Danny Pino) finally settled their problems–with Cragen’s prodding–was well done. And although some of the connections between the cases took a little work for some to put together, I thought the writing was well done. Let’s keep it up, Dick Wolf and Company!

On my ratings scale, I’m giving this a 3.5 out of 5, showing that while I liked it, I think we need to recapture the energy and tension that we had in the season premiere and lost afterwards.

I’ll Be Using Smashwords

Posted: October 24, 2012 in Living and Life, Progress Report
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When I publish Reborn City, that is. I did a little research, and I found out that Smashwords, besides being a retailer for e-books, allows authors to self-publish their works as e-books, formats them for other distributors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and even gives you ISBNs. All this and more for how much? Free! And the authors keep exclusive rights to their works while Smashwords distributes the books. Not only that, but authors keeps up to 85% of the profits (70.5% from partner distributors) and can take their works off or modify them at any time.

With all this and more, is it any suprise that so many authors are using Smashwords? I don’t think so!

I would like to thank my friend Pat Bertram for pointing out the website and its many features (for her blog, click here: http://ptbertram.wordpress.com/ ). Once again, I hope to have RC out as soon as possible, so please bear with me till then and keep reading Rami Ungar the Writer.

If you want to check out Smashwords, here’s the address: http://www.smashwords.com/. While you’re checking it out, I’ll be signing up for a free account. Have a stress-free day.

I Made Somebody Cry

Posted: October 23, 2012 in Living and Life, short story, Writing
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Under all that makeup is a tortured soul. Or an alcoholic. Or he read something I wrote and was really moved. It’s art, it’s up for interpretation.

Now before you start condemning me for making somebody cry, let me just explain what happened: I was at the computer lab yesterday, where I’m well-known among the staff there. I’d told one of the people there about a week ago about my short story “Aasif” (if you haven’t already read it, then look below, the link to the website where it’s posted and the link to the story itself are there) and he said he’d read it. Not only did he read it, but he sent it around the lab and to the office that overseas the lab as well, which I was very grateful for when I found out.

Yesterday I was talking to my friend and he said one of the staff members from the overseeing office had emailed him saying she’d loved the story so much, and that by the end of it she’d been in tears. Now, as a writer I’m happy that I was able to get this sort of reaction from someone who read my work, but as a person I’m a little worried that I don’t feel bad I made someone cry. I know it’s silly, but it’s true.

Still, the fact that I was able to get such a reaction shows that I’m at least on the right track to becoming a writer. Hopefully I can keep it up, especially with “Ripple” coming out in a little less than two weeks.

Here are the links. Enjoy:

Mobius Magazine: http://mobiusmagazine.com/

“Aasif by Rami Ungar”: http://mobiusmagazine.com/fiction/aasif.html

Background Noise Spurs My Writing

Posted: October 22, 2012 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Progress Report, short story, Writing
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I’ve been stuck on a piece of Dodi Li for the past couple of days, a spot that leads into the climax and ultimately resolves the conflict of the story. Earlier I flashed on a scene from a show I’d been watching, where a captain in a police precinct had a talk show on his TV because it made great background noise to help him with his work. I thought, “The debate is on tonight. Why not hear the candidates’ positions on foreign policy while seeing if I can get a few hundred words into a short story?”

Well, I set up shop in the TV lounge of my dorm about twenty minutes before the debates, I turned on the TV to MSNBC, and you know what? I’m learning a lot about the candidates and their beliefs, and I’ve gotten at least 500 words written down on Dodi Li. Talk about effective!

It’s great when you realize a distraction can help you get the results you want for your work, like that one segment from The Big Bang Theory (still can’t embed it, so I’ll leave the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1WpE5ntqbQ). Plenty of people feel that distractions detract from your work, but in actuality, they can really help.

Now if you don’t mind, I have to see if I can wrap up Dodi Li while hearing President Obama’s policy on China. Have a good night.

Oh, and before I forget, I changed the doctor and the detective from Dodi Li into male characters. I think that works better: the two adult males, supposedly smarter and more rational, end up getting shown up by a child and a succubus, aka a spiritual, feeling woman. I think it sends a better message than two or three women in leadership positions getting shown up by a demoness, right?

500 Likes!

Posted: October 22, 2012 in Living and Life, Progress Report
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That title’s pretty self-explanatory. This morning I was informed I have passed the 500 mark on the number of Likes I’ve gotten. Everyone, thanks for liking me so much. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate it so much. To thnak you guys for liking me and sticking with me all this time, here’s a funny video I found online. Enjoy:

Oh, If I Were An Addams

Posted: October 21, 2012 in Reflections
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You guys think I could be one of them? Because I would dig being Pugsley and Wednesday’s older brother.

I ended up watching the last twenty-five minutes of the 1991 movie The Addams Family, which would lead to me watching some old reruns from the original show on my computer during dinner. It made me realize two things: one was that I was born the year the sequel came out, which might explain another reason why I’m so creepy (though mostly I’m this way because of something that happened in a synagogue); and two is that if I weren’t an Ungar, I’d probably be an Addams.

Now, before you start wondering what my family will think when they read this, rest assured they’d probably agree with me. In fact, I’d make a great Addams: after all, where else could a horror author learn first-hand how to torture people without consequences? Probably in the playroom with Uncle Fester. And if I wanted to know a thing or two about magic? Morticia and Grandma Frump. And sword-fighting? Apparently Gomez and Morticia are both experienced duelists. It’d be a blast.

Not to say my folks aren’t great or strange. On the contrary, my family does have some similarities to the Addams. For instance, my siblings are all a little creepy and plenty kooky, though not as much as me. The sister closest to me in age definitely reminds me at times of Wednesday (though don’t tell her I said that). My mom did once try to spray me with a fire hose, but instead settled for the hose from the kitchen sink. My dad is very affectionate to his wife, my stepmom, almost to the point of comedic. And we have some very unusal pets in the house, even for cats. Add me into the mix, you’ve got some crazy sitcom material. Oh, and one of my uncles does remind me of Cousin Itt, for which I blame on his alma mater.

You know what? If the Addams were real people, I’d like for my family to be neighbors with them. That would be the best. We’d have so much fun, blowing stuff up and scaring people silly. And I’d have a constant source of inspiration and critique for the stories I write. It may only happen in my head, but it’s still swell even there.

Equation for a successful Burton film: 1 Burton + 1 Depp + 1 Bonham Carter = a blockbutster film (usually).

Speaking of which, I hear that Illumination Entertainment is set to do a stop-motion remake of the creepy-kooky-spooky Addams family, with Tim Burton doing the writing and possibly doing the directing. Even though no details about the story or the cast or whatever has been released, I can garauntee two things: one is that it should be fun for both kids and adults; and two is that since Tim Burtons’ in on it, they’ll have to give Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp roles in it if they want it to be successful at all.

Ohio State Goes Gangnam Style

Posted: October 20, 2012 in Living and Life
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My grandmother, who’s an alumna of Ohio State University, sent me this video (thanks so much, Nancy!). It shows everybody’s favorite mascot, the poisonous tree nut Brutus Buckeye, dancing to Psy’s “Gangnam Style” with the awesome OSU Cheerleading Squad. I hope you enjoy it, it’s just so much fun. O-H I-O Buckeye Style!

My Favorite Kinds of Characters

Posted: October 20, 2012 in Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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I’ve been wanting to do a post on my favorite types of fictional characters on and off for a while now, but now feels like the right time, since I’ve got an inkling of what sort of characters I like to write and read about and since Reborn City‘s coming out and Snake‘s on its way. So, if you read my work sometime and decide that you want to show how I’m a bad author, here’s the post you can point to if you want to prove I have predictable characters.

So here we go. Here are the types of characters I like to work with:

1. Protagonists with flaws: I like my heroes to be flawed in such ways that it inhibits their abilities. For example, Rip from RC is super bad-ass, but (spoiler alert!) he’s a recovering drug addict and he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder. These sort of things weigh him down and keep him from achieving his true potential. Plus he can be incredibly insensitive, as two characters in chapter two let him know! Not only that, but there’s the Snake himself; he’s killing members of a powerful mafia family and shaking up the criminal underworld, and some might see him as good, whether or not they know why he’s killing in the first place. Either way, there’s one thing that cannot be denied: he’s mentally ill. Not that it inhibits him in life or anything, but I wonder what a shrink might say if they could learn about all the details of the Snake’s condition. It might give people a second thought or two on rooting for him.

2. Amazing girls with issues: What do I mean by that? I like my female leads to have problems even as they’re changing the world around them. For example, the protagonist from RC, Zahara Bakur, is a positive influence on the other characters who inspire them to have lives that aren’t defined by violence. Even so, Zahara saw her parents murdered and feels a little guilty that she’s the one who survived. Not to mention she feels she’s holding her friends back because she’s not real gangster material, and puts herself down when she attributes something that happens to her own weakness. Even with all that, she ends up bringing some positive change to those around her.

Another example is from a political thriller I plan to write someday. The main character is around Zahara’s age, though has her own dark past and her own problems to deal with (not saying what at this point, but it makes an interesting story). She’s timid and shy, and anything that reminds her of her dark past scares her horribly, especially when that past comes back to haunt her while she’s trying to save the United States. Watching her break free of the hold her past has on her and then going on to save the nation is something I’m looking forward to writing, because it’d be an awesome story to read.

3. Nasty human villains: I make a distinction between villains who are human and those who are something else, since I plan to write about both. This one will focus on human villains, which can be vary wide-ranging in their motivations or designs. For the most part though, the villains I write, when they’re human, either think they’re doing good or don’t really care whether or not their actions hurt people. An example of the former comes from RC: the main antagonist Jason Price (who’s design I based on Samuel L. Jackson, by the way), believes that his company’s actions will benefit the world someday, even if it means using unethical and deplorable means to get there, and anyone in his way is trying to stop progress and the safety of the world.

On the other hand, you have Christopher Camerlengo, head of the Camerlengo Family from Snake. The main and final antagonist the Snake goes up against, Camerlengo’s mob organization deals in human trafficking and the sex trade. Does he care that he’s degrading the lives of women and men everywhere? No; instead he sees what he does as a business, and the Snake is ruining that business. Perhaps he’d raise a hand if someone tried to traffic someone from his family–one of his kids, per se–but for the most part, all he cares about is making easy money, and people are easy money when you know what you’re doing (or so I’ve heard).

4. Supernatural villains: Like the human villains, these sorts of villains are wide-ranging both in designs and motivations. But they also have two general types: survival or to be the ultimate ruler of all. In the first category, we have a demon from a supernatural crime novel I’m going to call The Weaver when I get around to writing it. I’m not saying what kind of creature we’re dealing with here, but I will say that the creature in question is concerned about the survival of its species, and goes on a killing spree for that very purpose (do not confuse this with Stephen King’s IT though; it’s very different). In the other category, we have the main villain of a novel based on Alice in Wonderland that I plan to write one day (and in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I have a whole list of stories I’d like to write someday; I just can’t write them all right now). The villain in question, whose specifics I also shall not reveal, is a powerful force of intelligent evil whose whole purpose is to turn our world into a nightmarish hell because he feeds off of suffering, and enjoys it too! Can you see the advantages of stopping this one from achieving power?

5. Wise mentors with mysterious pasts: In the stories where characters have mentors who teach them and guide them during critical minds, these characters have plenty of experience they want to give to the protagonists. In the trilogy RC belongs to, the characters run across an old man with a connection to Rip, and helps them out as best he can. He also becomes close to Zahara, and helps her help her friends in the one way she knows best. In another series, this one a 6-book series set during WWII, the main character receives help from a woman he met while living in America. It is through her tutelage that the main character gains the skills he needs when he decides to take on the Nazis (and boy, that’ll be a story to tell). And remember that story The Weaver? The male protagonist is a cop; whenever he’s in trouble, he looks to his uncle, a veteran detective who was a proud gay man despite never being able to come out at work, whenever he has a problem.

The thing is, most of these mentor figures have pasts that aren’t explained, either for plot purposes or just to make them mysterious or because it doesn’t really matter what their pasts are like, but that just makes them so much cooler, right?

That’s all I can think of for now. If I have some more ideas on characters I like, I’ll let you know. But what about you? What kind of characters do you just loooove to write about? Don’t be shy, let me know; I like discussing the pros and cons of such characters, personally.

Races Change With Time

Posted: October 19, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections
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I often look at this election and the past one and I think to myself, “I wonder if President Obama’s mother had any inkling of what her son would become when he was born.” And then I think to myself, “What if someone else had any idea what Barack Obama would grow up to be?” And then this leads me to the strange fantasy where a bunch of people living in the United States had a sudden prophetic vision of the 2008 Presidential Election. Some of these people would’ve (predictably) acted with fear and hate; others might’ve cried with joy; and others might’ve been curious as to what might the future hold.

In 2007 and 2008, we had a serious candidate for the White House with more melatonin in his skin than others past. Yet even if the difference was literally only skin-deep, it caused a wave. Every pundit in the media was speculating on what it would mean if an African-American won or lost the race at this point in the election, while also discussing who whites, blacks, and everyone in between would gravitate to, as if everything depended on it. Some people truly felt it did; one time in class we were having a discussion on the race and a friend said he’d heard someone called a racist because that person supported another candidate.

As much as I hate to admit it, race plays a factor in these elections, and in 2008 they played a bigger role than usual, it seemed. Personally, I was more concerned with how the economy might either collapse or grow again depending on which candidate was elected, but people were only seeing the race in terms of what it meant for civil rights and the gap that still existed between whites and minorities.

Do they have a point? Yes, actually; when the President was born, it was 1961 and the civil rights movement wasn’t at its peak yet. African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans from all walks of life would’ve found it hard to believe that a baby born that year would grow up to achieve the highest office in our country, especially when they themselves were treated as second-class citizens. After all, they were still trying to get a chance to vote safely and desegregate public areas.

But a lot had changed between then and 2008. Segregation is no longer legal (though some places will try to boot out minorities under false pretenses); minorities can vote without worrying about the reprecussions to themselves (if voter ID laws don’t get in the way); and a dark skin tone is not something to be deplored anymore, but something to be admired and proud of (at least in most circles). Much had still to be done, but when the President took office it felt like another step in the right direction.

And in 2012? Well thankfully the role of race has died down a little bit. In fact, “race” pertains less to the candidates and how their race plays into their prospects of winning the election and more into “How can we get the black vote?” or “How can we win minorities over to us?” I must say, I prefer this role than the role played in 2008, though I would rather race didn’t play any role at all in elections and politics at all.

Oh well. Maybe in 2016 or 2020, if this great nation known as the United States is still going strong, the role of race will be even more diminished than it is now. I can hope anyway. I’m looking forward to the day when our nation could care less about race because we’re so mixed anyway it doesn’t matter.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed, anyway.

Some Thoughts on “Dodi Li”

Posted: October 18, 2012 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Reflections, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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For those of you who have no idea what that title means, Dodi Li is a short story that I started this summer and that I’m rewriting before National Novel Writing Month starts in two weeks. It means “my darling” or “my beloved” in Hebrew and should not be confused with a popular Jewish song that is sung sometimes on Friday nights by Jews everywhere.

Dodi Li features a succubus, a demoness who visits men at night as a beautiful woman and steals their sperm in order to create demonic children or steal pieces of their soul through fornication, depending on what myths you believe. However my succubus, who I’ve named Umuruk (sounds like a name a succubus would have, right?) is not the antagonist of the story. Instead, she struggles to protect the other protagonist, a male she’s fallen in love with. Succubi have fallen in love with humans before, according to the folklore and stories I found by people who say they’ve had experiences with succubi (it’s on the Internet, so I can’t be sure if the writers are crazy or not, but I try to keep an open mind), and I decided to tap into that for this story.

The first draft was very plot-oriented, and sucked immensely. I decided to leave it alone until I could think of a way to make it better, and if I couldn’t, then it’d make a great learning experience. But yesterday in creative writing class, my teacher gave me an idea on how I could improve the story. So I went back and started to completely rewrite it, going until half-past ten last night, and then resuming for a little while this morning before class.

As I was heading to class, I realized something about my story: the main character, whose nine years old, and the antagonist, a 40-something with some mental issues, are the only male characters. All the rest are female: the doctor, the head nurse, the head of neurology, a possible detective character, and of course the succubus Umuruk, are all women, and all are women in positions of power that they use to help people.

I started to wonder if that might mean something, if my psyche was trying to tell me something through my writing. If it’s that I respect women in positions of power and that I think there should be more of them, that doesn’t surprise me at all; I grew up in a house full of women, my mom’s a rabbi, my boss is a woman, her boss is a woman, and I took a Women’s Studies course my first year at Ohio State, which I did very well in. So no surprise that powerful women show up in my story.

However, if it has something to do with the fact that Umuruk is able to help the main character more than these women, then I wonder what that might be saying. Perhaps even if women are educated and in positions of power, if they don’t occasionally open their minds to the impossible, then a mentally unbalanced man will hurt an innocent nine-year-old? That’s also a possibility.

In any case, once I finish the story I might understand more, and if I manage to get it published, you might be able to read it and give me some suggestions on what my Muse is trying to tell me.

Anyway, I’ve got some homework to do before I go to work, so I better get that taken care of right now. Have a nice day.

Oh, before I forget, something funny I have to tell you: I was talking to my history teacher after class today, and we had a really great discussion on the way out the building. You see, at the beginning of the semester, my teacher, whose focus is African History, told us that if any of us intentionally failed his class, he’d used magic he learned from tribal priests to enter our dreams and scare the heck out of us. Ever since then I’ve been trying on and off to get him to agree to teach me how to enter people’s dreams (can you blame me?).

At some point during our conversation, my teacher revealed he’d been joking, but I thought he’d been serious because he said it in such a serious way. This led to a discussion on witchcraft in different cultures, which led to a discussion on using magic and summoning stuff. That led to a discussion on spirits and possessions, and in the end, I ended up recommending my teacher to go see The Possession, which I reviewed back in September. Turns out, he agreed to see it. How about that?

Anyway, I think it’s funny, I have no idea what you think.

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