Writing That First Novel (Part 1)

I enjoy writing. Not just essays or articles for classes or assignments, but I gained an interest in writing fiction towards the end of my middle school years.

My bibliography consists of only a couple of short stories, most of which were written during high school. A lot of these stories were fan fiction featuring characters from Star Trek and Doctor Who.

I actually started writing a novel during my freshman year of high school. It was a story of a secret civilization who lived in a city under the ocean. I stopped writing it after a couple of chapters, and scrapped the idea, for a couple of reasons. I hadn't planned out the story before I started writing, and this often led me to make up characterizations and plots as I went along. I wasn't even sure how I wanted to end it. The parts of the plot I had thought of were quite preachy and heavy handed, and there were some environmental messages spread through out (I was going through sort of a hippie phase around this time).

I probably won't start writing it again. I had the only chapters I wrote saved on a floppy disk, which I managed to lose somewhere. Also, the idea has since been done. If I tried to publish this story today, I'd probably get a cease & desist from the creators of BioShock.

I've had a lot of time to hone my skills, and study the styles of some of the greats (Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, etc.). This summer, I'm going to try again.

I won't reveal too much about the plot of my new novel (You never know where plagiarists may be lurking). I'll just say that it's part sci-fi, part surreal comedy. I'll try to keep making updates on my progress throughout the summer.

To Be Continued...

A new Doctor Who MMORPG? Fantastic!

According to Geekosystem, a new Doctor Who MMO is in production.

I'm imagining the game will be similar to Star Trek Online, where you can start out in the Federation or Klingon Empire, work as a lowly crewman, and eventually work your way up to the Captain's chair.

Apart from the Time Lords, there's not much room for individuality among the various other races. The Cybermen pride themselves on the fact that they are a singularity. The Doctor's most famous enemy, the Daleks, have just one goal: extermination. It might be fun to destroy anything that isn't a Dalek at first, but it would probably get boring quickly.

I hope the game will be available in the USA. I'm not sure how many UK produced web games are available in America. Doctor Who, however, is an international phenomenon, one that millions of people around the world are fans of. Demand for the game will likely be high.

Filming Of "The Hobbit" Underway (Finally)!

Rumors about a film adaptation of "The Hobbit" have been swarming the blogosphere ever since the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy first hit theaters nearly a decade ago. When the project legitimately went underway, most news off the film involved the financial troubles of MGM, the film's production company, and whether or not Peter Jackson would direct.

Now it seems we finally have some good news.

Production of the movie finally started in New Zealand yesterday (with Jackson), and it is scheduled for release in late 2012.

The film will star British actor Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, who is inheriting the role from Ian Holm. Freeman is unknown to most Americans, but has gained fame in the UK for playing Doctor Watson in the TV series "Sherlock", and starring in the film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy."

The cast list includes some familiar names, including Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Christopher Lee as Sauroman, and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Some newcombers include Richard Armitage as Thorin, and former "Doctor Who" star Sylvester McCoy as Radagast.

It appears that the film will be split into two parts, likely to be released a year apart from each other.

The live-action "Akira" movie: Will it be good?

Warner Bros. Studios is planning a live-action version of Akira, a 1988 Japanese animated film, which depicts a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

I'm not going to describe it too much for two reasons. First of all, it's an amazing movie, and I don't want to spoil anything. It needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Secondly, it's very difficult to describe this movie to someone who's never seen it before. It has a fair share of mindscrew moments.

What I will tell you is that Akira had quite an impact in the USA upon being released. Most people had never seen animation used to tell such a graphic story; one that was definitely not made for children. It also introduced America to Japanese animation, collectively known as "anime". It's a film that's influenced the works of many filmmakers, including Larry and Andy Wachowski, who are best known for directing The Matrix.

I'm interested to see how this movie is going to turn out, for a couple of reasons.

Back in 1988, animation was the only way such an epic story could be shown on the big screen. CGI was still in its infancy, and many works of fantasy and other forms of fiction were unfilmable. In a related story, the first film version of The Lord Of The Rings was an animated movie produced by Ralph Bakshi. When Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy was released between 2001 and 2003, it won a combined seventeen academy awards, including Best Picture for The Return Of The King. I'm not saying something similar will happen with Akira, but lightning could strike twice.

One thing that puzzles me is the casting for the movie. Actors like James Franco and Morgan Freeman have reportedly been attached to various roles in this project, despite the fact that all of the characters in the original film are Asian. Perhaps the plot is being altered to have the film take place in the US. If they do have them play Japanese characters...I dunno. The thought of Morgan Freeman playing a Japanese man does make me snicker, however.

Regardless, I will still see the film when it's released. It's an excellent story, and I'm hoping whoever directs the movie handles it with care.

Mal fans, grab your torches and pitchforks...

I have a confession to make. One that will shock and disturb you all. One that could ruin my long and illustrious career as someone who writes for a blog that nobody has heard of. Here it is:

I have never watched Firefly before.

{Cue loud booing. Rotten tomatoes and other junk is tossed as I rip up my geek card in shame.}

Yep, I've said it. I was 11 years old when Joss Whedon's cult classic first aired on the Fox Network in 2002. I can't remember what I was watching around that time; it was before I went to high school, when I first channeled my inner nerd. Even after I had graduated from Junior High, and became interested in Doctor Who and Star Trek, the short-lived show, and its movie adaptation managed to slip under my radar.

A few of my friends are Browncoats*, and apart from them quoting some parts of the show, I don't know a lot about it. I've told myself from time to time "I've got to find some time to sit down and watch this program that everybody seems to love", but I haven't found the time or energy to do it yet.

Fortunately, there's a chance for redemption. The Science Channel has recently announced that they have picked up the rights to air Firefly, and will start re-airing it on March 6th. All fourteen episodes will be interspersed with scientific commentary from Dr. Michiu Kaku, a theoretical physicist.

I predict a Firefly marathon during my spring break.

(*Browncoats: Term used to refer to fans of Firefly. Used the same way "Trekkie" is applied to Star Trek fans.)

Man versus machine on "Jeopardy!"

IBM has produced a new super computer called "Watson". This computer has a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence program. IBM's programmers tested Watson this week by making him a contestant on the quiz show "Jeopardy".

Watson was pitted against two of Jeopardy's biggest winners, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. Rutter won two of Jeopardy's biggest paying tournaments, and has won over three million dollars during his combined appearances. Jennings gained national fame in 2004 for winning 74 consecutive games, and earning a total of about $2.5 million.

This unusual game of Jeopardy was held at IBM's headquarters where the super computer was held. Watson, who was too large to be placed behind his studio podium, was represented by an avatar, which was hooked up to the main computer. The avatar resembled Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and spoke in a manner similar to Stephen Hawking.

Monday's show was the first part of a three day challenge. This show featured the first round of a game, interspersed with information about how Watson came to be. Watson dominated the the first half of the round, with a $5,200 lead, ahead of Rutter's $1,000 and Jenning's $200. Watson faltered in the second half, getting stumped on several pop culture questions. Watson and Rutter were tied at the end of the first round with $5,000, and Jennings had $2,000.

I predict that Watson will win in the end. After this contest is over, it'll be interesting to see what other purposes Watson is used for. Here's a show recap from J-Archive.com.

What's next, Tickle-Me Cthulhu?

I was going to write about "Stargate SG-1" today, but then I came upon this.

The regular readers of this blog (both of them) already know that I love Doctor Who. While I was checking Facebook this morning, I came across a video that my friend Jacob posted. It was an ad for the "Ride-In Dalek", an inflatable, life-sized model of the Doctor's arch-nemesis.

If you aren't familiar with the Doctor Who universe, allow me to explain what is so odd about these toys. The Daleks are a very hostile and xenophobic race, they believe that any form of life that isn't them should be destroyed. They've been known to give children nightmares, despite the fact that they look like over-sized salt shakers. And now they're being sold as play vehicles for children.

I'm not saying that these are inappropriate for children. It was just bizarre to watch the advert, and see smiling, happy children play inside a fictional killing-machine. It even comes with a voice box which plays some of the Dalek's catchphrases, including "We are the superior race" and "Halt, or you will be exterminated".

They sell in the UK for around £200 (about $322). Despite the fact that they're marketed towards kids, I wouldn't mind having one of these in my house. I wouldn't be able to ride it very often; I'd probably pop it after using it just once. It would, however, make an interesting conversation starter.

Here is the ad: