A Trip to the Clubs

Posted: August 26, 2012 in ideas, Living and Life, Writing
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This is very similar to what I saw this evening. Rock on, dude!

Okay, this evening I went clubbing (and by the time you read this it’ll probably not be evening anymore, but whatever). It’s not something I do often; outside of weddings or bar/bat mitzvahs, I rarely go out and party, and as I’m only 19 I never drink while doing it. Last year I even got invited to a frat party, but instead decided to go to a late-night pancake buffet at my dorm (which paid off; I met OSU’s President E. Gordon Gee, who decided to make a surprise visit, and I have the photographic evidence to prove it too). But I felt like doing something different tonight; heck, SNL”s not going to be back for another couple weeks, and I didn’t have anything better to do, so I went clubbing.

See, I told you I had the proof; way cooler than a frat party. O-H!

The club I went to, Rio, is close to my dorm and allows anyone 18 and older in. Lucky for me too, because what a night it was: the music was crazy loud, the laser light show was crazy, the DJs knew how to remix popular music (I swear, Gotye sounds so awesome with an electronic beat), and I even saw a few friends there who went to the same high school as me.

But what was most awesome about Rio? I’ll tell you: the fact that I got inspired and had an idea for both a short story and a poem, which just goes to show that if you distract your mind with something, you’ll come up with something great (and there’s a clip from The Big Bang Theory of Sheldon waiting tables on YouTube that proves it; I would’ve embedded it here, but the embedding was disabled). The short story I’ll use for my Creative Writing with a Literary Bent course (not the title of the class, but you get the idea), as all the other ideas I had for that class suck. The poem, which came to me while watching the lasers interact with the smoke coming from the stage, I think I’ll see if I can get it into a magazine.

And of course, if anything gets published, I’ll make sure to let you know. Now, I’d like to write some more about clubbing, and another post about something someone said to me recently and what I thought of it, but it’s past two in the morning and I’ve got to get up later for a meditation course, so go find that Big Bang Theory clip and have a lovely morning coffee (if you’re like me, you drink something to wake up in the morning while surfing the net, in my case tea).

My Classes: Fall 2012

Posted: August 23, 2012 in Living and Life
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I got such great reception from my uncle the last time I used this image, I’m using it again. Go Buckeyes!

Well, I’m sure you all want to know what sort of classes I’m taking at Ohio State, seeing as we’ve moved from the quarter system to semesters and whatnot. Okay, maybe you’re not that interested, but maybe I’ll tell you anyway because you’re already here reading this, right?

Okay, so I’m taking four classes, the minimum allowed for a full-time student on semesters (I want to ease into the whole semester thing after just getting used to quarters). Yesterday morning I had my first class, a Philosophy course that studies how statistics can be faulty or misleading and how you can spot said statistics. It was interesting, especially since it’s an election year here in the United States, and everybody is using statistics in promoting one candidate or another. Plus, the course was in Hitchcock Hall, which meant that half the class was composed of birds, the teacher was a cross-dresser named Norman Bates, there was a rear window in the classroom, and one of the non-avian students suffered from vertigo (not really, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if all that did happen?).

The second class was a fiction-writing course, and apparently each one of us is going to be working on a single short story throughout the year and workshopping it and editing it as the semester rolls on. The class has a more literary bent than I expected, but thankfully the teacher is allowing supernatural elements in our stories, so you know I’m thankful, because some other teachers who teach this sort of class prefer not to have genre elements at all! Don’t know why, maybe they’re just insane.

After that I have a documentary class, where we’re actually going to be creating autobiographical works in a variety of written, audio, and video formats. It sounds like a lot of work, but it also sounds like a ton of fun! If I can, I’ll post some of the work from that class here on Rami Ungar the Writer.

And this morning I had my fourth and final class, Introduction to the Discipline of History. Basically we’re looking at the study of history itself, and how history has evolved over the years. It’s required for all History majors, and you have to at least get a C in it to pass and take more history courses. Of course, I’m aiming for all A’s this semester, so I’m definitely going to work hard!

Well, that’s all I got to talk about for now. I’ve got some homework to take care of, so I’ll see you all later when the urge to type up a good post comes to me. Have a great day and enjoy the weather.

Believable Stories

Posted: August 22, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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Today for my homework from my creative writing class, I had to read some analyses on story-writing, and one of the topics brought up was that one cannot tell a story that is not believable, and if the story isn’t believable, it’s your own fault. This made me think of three things: one, it made me think of several examples of stories I’ve read where the stories have not made any sense to me because some aspect of the story was utter nonsense. Another was my favorite line of advice about creating fantastic worlds: “You can’t go and say, ‘I’m going to write a story where everybody has guns but nobody uses them.’ Under what circumstances could such a world exist?”

And most importantly, it made me think of a story that I’ve struggled with over the past couple of years, a story about a school shooting. I’ve had plenty of problems with creating a story under five-thousand words involving a bunch of bullied teens lashing out against their oppressors but later regretting it. The latest incarnation of the story, titled “Frye Day”, I thought I might have actually fixed that problem. But did I? Nope; a friend of mine looked it over and said the ending just didn’t mesh with him. Funny, the ending is always the part where the meshing has the most trouble meshing right.

I’ll probably return again to this story, and end up rewriting the entire thing to work, though I won’t do it for a while. However, as much as I like the idea behind the story–that violence doesn’t solve problems, especially violent problems such as intense bullying–I keep thinking to myself that while although I know it’s making me a better writer if I create a story every now and then that just doesn’t seem believable, I always think to myself that I’ve failed somehow, like my textbook says I did, in writing this story that couldn’t possibly happen. I’m sorry, I seem to be rambling in that last sentence, did I lose anyone there?

Anyway, I strive to make a story people think is believable, and it would make me feel better if you’ve struggled with this problem too. Let me know.

Developing Backstory

Posted: August 22, 2012 in Progress Report, Reflections, Writing
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Every character we meet in a story has a backstory, even if it’s not always elaborated on at first. Voldemort has a history, though we don’t get the full grasp of it until around the sixth book or so of Harry Potter. Han Solo had an entire career and a few debts to Jabba the Hutt before he and Chewbacca met Luke and Obi-Wan, though we only find out about it in the Expanded Universe. And before Alex Cross battled his first psychopath, he had lived in Virginia, grown up in DC, and gone to college to study psychology and psychiatry. Heck, James Bond probably has a full history, though I’m not sure if Ian Fleming ever went into great detail about it.

This evening I wrapped up a major part of the Snake’s history, and how he went from a regular–okay, not-so-much regular, but still relatively regular compared to what he became–teen into a serial killer who hunts members of a certain powerful mafia family. It was probably the longest chapter yet in Snake (which is saying something, seeing as thrillers have very short chapters), and I had a lot of fun writing it and exploring the Snake’s disturbed psyche. I’ll probably go over it again before I move onto the next chapter, but it’s still a chapter that’s very important to the story and a chapter that, if all my dreams ever come true, will be reviewed by future generations as a memorable scene in the development of the Snake.

Now that I think about it, the Snake’s modus operandi was the first thing that I created for the Snake and his backstory, including why he’s kiling (which is the major driving force of the plot, if truth be told), came afterwards. At first he was nothing more than the archetypal bloodthirsty killer, but when I gave him backstory he seemed almost like a character that, while most people would condemn his actions if he were a real person, would identify with him on an emotional level. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed writing his character so much, and why I think as people read more and more about the Snake and the mystery of his is peeled away, they may come to enjoy the character more.

That’s the hope anyway.

For my fellow writers out there, how do you develop character backstory? Do you create the character first and then create a history to match? Do you think the backstory influences the character, or the character decides the backstory? And what sort of backstories do you like to create? Let me know if you don’t mind sharing.

The Horrors of Rape: What Todd Akin Doesn’t Get

Posted: August 20, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Rape.

This one word can send terror through a person’s system. In some ways it is worse than murder, for after the deed is done, the victim still suffers horribly from the experience, sometimes for life. 1 in 5 women on college campuses will be the victim of a sexual assault, and every year 32,o00 rape victims are impregnated by friends, boyfriends, husbands, acquaintances, stalkers, fathers, brothers, total strangers, coworkers, you name it. Rape is the perversion of sexual intercourse, turning something beautiful and great into a nightmare, a travesty of psychological anguish. Our culture is fascinated by it as we are repulsed by it, as can be seen by the enduring popularity of Law & Order: Special Vitctims Unit, and by the constant stories in the media of rapists and their victims.

Earlier this week, Representative Todd Akin, a Republican running for a Senate seat in Missouri, said that “legitimate rape” victims “rarely get pregnant”. Immediately, this caused a firestorm: Mitt Romney immediately distanced himself from Akin, saying that victims of rape should be able to get abortions; President Obama was quoted as saying “rape is rape” and that “men should not be making decisions about women’s health”; and across the nation, thousands of rape victims railed against Akin, questioning him and his definiton of rape.

Personally, I find Mr. Akin’s comments to be very upsetting. Although the number of adult male rape victims are still relatively low (yes, they do exist, and there may be more victims than reported due to fears that men will lose their “masculinity” if it becomes known they were raped), men should know that rape is a horrible thing, it cannot be classified as “legitimate” or “illegitimate”, and any type or rape can get a girl pregnant. As a politician, Mr. Akin should be doubly aware of this fact.

I’ve taken a Women and Gender Studies course, I’ve watched shows and read novels where women have been brutally raped, and in my novel Reborn City, my main character Zahara comes very close to being raped herself. Every time I think of rape, every time I read or watch a scene involving a rape, and the one time I wrote about Zahara’s near rape, I could almost feel the terror, the shock of being violated, the urge to end the pain and the constant fear that it could happen again. It is a powerful, mind-numbing force, and it cannot be taken lightly under any circumstances.

I hope Mr. Akin and others learn that rape is not something to be talked about like it can be classified or screened for authenticity, but an act that destroys lives as surely as murder destroys lives, and for women who become pregnant from rape, carrying that child to term can be an ordeal only imaginable, like a cancer that eventually morphs into a constant reminder of one person’s cruelty to another. To Mr. Akin, I feel sorry that you do not understand the tragedy of rape and hope you learn about it, because rape and the pregnancices that can result are very serious matters. And to women everywhere: if, God forbid, you should be raped, I hope Mr. Akin’s comments do not stop you from getting the help you need, and especially if you become pregnant because of your rape.

And if you are worried you are alone in the world because of what you went through, know this: you have at least one friend here with you. I may be hidden by the anonymous Internet, but I’m here for you across the blogosphere.

Review: ParaNorman

Posted: August 19, 2012 in Review
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The theatrical poster for ParaNorman. Read my review below.

I hope I got that title right; when the trailers have all the words in capital letters, it’s hard to tell. Also, be aware there are spoiler alerts in this article.

Anyway, today a friend of mine and I went to see ParaNorman at the theater near campus, and we got to wear those 3D goggles that sometimes seem useless when there aren’t enough shots that emphasize the 3D part of it all. But I’m getting sidetracked; here’s the review part you all came for.

ParaNorman is interesting to talk about. I say that because it’s one of those children films where the filmmakers have added parts that adults will also find funny. Now sometimes that works: there’s a scene where one of the characters, a teacher who thinks she should be in the opera, emphasizes that the town legend of the witch is not meant to be accurate but to sell postcards and that sort of stuff. Other times, it doesn’t: Norman’s mom asks him early in the film what he’s watching on TV, to which he says, “sex and violence”. I think some parents may not like that aspect of the movie.

There is also a few cliche and stereotypical characters in this movie: there’s the dad in the film a typical Daddy-knows-best type who doesn’t really know best, which makes you wonder if he’s really qualified to work with a kid who under other circumstances might’ve been taken to see a therapist; and there’s a black female cop who seems to be the stereotype of black females cops by being loud and yelling “Sweet Jesus!” Yes, she does say that.

However there are attempts to break stereotypes that are pretty positive. Remember that dumb jock type from the trailers? He ends up helping to save the day at the end of the movie, and when we think Norman’s sister finally has a great boyfriend, we find out he’s gay. Got to say, my friend and I enjoyed that.

But the other thing that’s just as interesting about ParaNorman is that while although this is a zombie film, it’s one that breaks a few of the rules. For one, there are only seven zombies–yes seven, you read that right–and they don’t turn anyone else into zombies or kill anyone. Also, these zombies are less stupid antagonists but more intelligent, speaking to Norman and actually playing a different purpose than being evil.

In the end the message of this movie is one that gets us in the heart: sometimes we act mean to things (or people) that scare us, and that causes us to do horrible things. It’s only that by thinking of the good people in our lives that we don’t become like them and that the cycle of hate and fear can end.

One qualm I had with the film that reminded me that this wasn’t magic before my eys but actual filmmakers manipulating little puppets was that one of the characters, a big guy with a beard, had a beard that changed a bit too much when he talked. It just took away from the movie magic.

To ParaNorman, I give the film a 3.8 out of 5 for wonderful memories, but I take away points for trying to please the adult audience too much at the expense of the kids who will go to see this film. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Moving Back Into the Dorms

Posted: August 17, 2012 in Living and Life
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Ohio State University, my school and in my opinion one of the most awesome schools out there (though my relatives in Michigan will disagree).

Well, I moved back into the dorms today, as can be evidenced by the title. Can I just say I love being back? I have the same room as I did last year (signed up for that option), and since I have no roommates (it’s a single), I have a bedroom and bathroom all to myself! What’s more, I have an excellent view of campus, and heat I can control. Does it get any better than that?

I moved in a couple days early because my parents couldn’t swing moving me in with everybody else, which in retrospect seems like a good thing; I’m avoiding the rush and crazy traffic that always accompanies Ohio State on our famous move-in day. So I think I’ll enjoy myself this weekend and have some down time before school starts up on Wednesday. I may even hang out with a few friends if we can find the time, though with the whole switch-from-quarters-to-semesters on top of moving in and whatnot, it might be difficult.

Oh, and what classes am I taking, you ask? I’m taking a fiction-writing course (hopefully from this will come some great new short stories, and a few tricks for writing said stories), a documentary class (looks like I’ll finally learn how to make a movie on my computer), a history class (required for all History majors like myself), and a philosophy class that somehow fulfills a stats requirement (I’m not really sure how that works, but I’m not complaining!). I hope to get all A’s this year, so wish me luck, okay?

Got to go, have a great weekend!

Snake Ch. 21

Posted: August 16, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Oroboros, or the snake that eats its own tail, a symbol for immortality. Has no bearing on this story, but it’s still darn cool. And look, it spins!

You know how you’re not supposed to hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers because you might encounter a crazy person or a dangerous runaway convict doing so? You also know how in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre they had a scene that illustrated very well why you shouldn’t pick up hitchhikers or hitchhike yourself?

I like to comapre this chapter to everything in the previous paragraph, except instead of hitchhikers it’s pulling over to help a motorist in distress. Roman Veretti, the latest member of the Camerlengo Mafia group to become the object of the Snake’s desire to kill, is on the road when he sees a guy on the side of the road. What happens next may make you consider never helping a motorist ever again (and if you knew what happened to the guy, you wouldn’t want to help any motorist even if it was your twin brother!).

Oh, I’m also considering adding a few scenes where the Camerlengo family has to deal with the instability caused by the Snake’s murders: other families are taking territory and killing members of the Camerlengos. But I guess that’s the fallout when a serial killer shows just how easily a formerly-invincible family becomes not-so-invincible. The only problem though is placement: where best do these chapters go if I add them? Probably after Roman Veretti meets his fate; that’s when the Snake shows just how hard he is to stop.

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. Here’s Chapter 21 as promised; enjoy and please do not hesitate to tell me what you think.

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Roman Veretti was whistling as he turned off the main road and onto the scenic route to Connecticut. The sun was shining, the view was beautiful, the minivan was warm and toasty, the XM radio was playing some of Roman’s favorite jazz and big band songs, “A Gal in Kalamazoo” and “What a Wonderful World”, among others, and there were no other cars on this secret route Roman loved so much.

Best of all, taking the scenic route meant another hour until Roman got to Connecticut, a place Roman wouldn’t have even considered visiting if his wife hadn’t insisted they go and visit her parents that weekend. It wasn’t as if they were bad people—Roman thought that Lizzy’s father was a hilarious storyteller and philosopher—but the house smelled heavily of cleaning products, and Lizzy’s mother always found some way or another to suggest that Roman was a poor choice of husband for her daughter and that Lizzy could do better without actually coming out and saying it. In truth, Roman preferred making sure the prostitutes under his watch made enough money for him rather than spending an entire weekend smelling dish soap and hearing criticisms about his paycheck.

 Just wait till I get off pimp duty and get into a real position in the family. Roman thought, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel as he listened to the music. Mr. Camerlengo’s getting to be real fond of me, and I’m sure that once this whole serial killer thing blows over, I’ll be able to get a job with money enough to shut up that old bat.

Up ahead on the road Roman noticed a car pulled over, its hood up and the lights blinking. The driver was waving his arms in the air, trying to signal Roman as he approached. For a moment Roman considered driving on, but the possibility a few more minutes away from Lizzy’s mother excited him enough that he turned on his turn signal and pulled over to the side of the road next to the car. The driver of the car ran up to Roman as Roman turned off the engine and stepped out of the minivan.

“You saved me!” said the driver, a young man who looked unremarkable save for a pair of brilliant blue eyes. “I can’t tell what’s up with my car and my cell has no signal. Do you think you can help me?”

“Let me see the car.” said Roman. “My dad was a mechanic, so I used to help him out all the time.”

“Well, isn’t that a stroke of luck!” said the driver. “She’s right over there. I figured that son of a bitch was conning me when he sold me this piece of crap.”

“We’ll see about that.” said Roman, sidling on over to the open hood. Peeking in, he examined the engine. To Roman’s confusion, the engine looked brand-new, and nothing he could see indicated any maintenance issues or repair needs.

“I don’t see any problems with the engine.” said Roman, ducking his head out from under the hood. “What’d you say was wrong with it—?”

WHAM!

There was a bright flash of light and Roman felt a sharp pain in the side of his head. He staggered, his hand pressed to his temple, before he staggered and fell over. The last thing he saw was the driver putting on a strange-looking mask before Roman closed his eyes and the world fell away.

Snake Ch. 20

Posted: August 15, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Well, I finished chapter twenty of Snake, and let me tell you, it was different writing this chapter than previous chapters. For one thing, I had started writing the chapter with a scene of Angela Murtz, my forensic psychologist/federal investigator (you might remember her from a previous post in which she was included in an exerpt) interviews the mistress of the latest victim, Thomas Luiso.

I had this whole interview set up, created how Murtz gained the woman’s trust, and even had an emotional revelation that Mr. Luiso wasn’t all his mistress thought he was. But as I was writing that, I thought to myself, Hey wait a minute, what exactly does this add to the story? I can some up all this information that’s needed in a few words, and can have another character fill Murtz in. So I went back and deleted the whole interview and instead skipped ahead to where Murtz goes upstairs with her partner, Blake Harnist, to check out Luiso’s body. If you ask me, I made the right decision; the chapter looks better without the interview with Murtz and Luiso’s mistress.

I also realized that in the chapters featuring Murtz and Harnist, four in total, three have been from Murtz’s POV, while only 1 has been from Harnist’s POV. I think I’ll change that for the next chapter featuring the duo and have the reader see things from Harnist’s POV. It only seems fair, since the characters are partners and work together to stop the Snake.

Now, I wasn’t able to do a Lucky 7 meme, because page 77 of the story only has 5 lines on it. However, I’m pretty sure the next chapter, which has the Snake himself in it, doesn’t reveal too much about the character, so I’ll include as much of that as I can. Hope you like that.

See you next post.

On With The Snake

Posted: August 14, 2012 in Scary Stuff, Writing
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Well, I’ve finally heard back from the forensic psychologist who’s been helping me with the profile for the Snake. You know what that means? It means I can continue on with writing Snake, and maybe even finish the darn thing by the end of the year!

Snake is a fun story to write, and the Snake himself is a piece of work, a really fun character to work with. Mentally diseased he is, but he certainly can win sympathy from an audience once they know what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. I’m not saying what he’s doing is good, though. Far from it, actually. Vigilante justice is a horrible kind of justice, but since this is fiction right and wrong can be blurred somewhat and even switched around for the enjoyment of the reader, so who cares?

Anyway, I’m pretty sure this upcoming chapter will have the seventy-seventh Microsoft Word page of Snake, meaning I can do a Lucky 7 excerpt. If so, I hope you enjoy reading it and maybe get a little chill. As my new tagline only makes it so clear, it’s my job to scare you.

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