When I Need A Pick Me Up, by my friend Ryan King

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

At Long Last, The Novel Is Begun

So this Christmas morning I was awakened by the buzz of my phone. My friend was calling to fudge the details of his plans to come into the city for a Christmas "lunch". By the time he was done, we convinced each other of the complete impracticality of his visit if he were to still preserve his early-evening plans. This is my Blind Hero (see "Sightless Hero," dunno why I changed the name). I am foolish to assume that he needs my company. He goes to a church full of Baptists, runs a company, and has an unlimited bank account. He manages to eek through his days without me.

Having amicably parted with vague promises of a New Year's Day make-up, I was now awake on Christmas Day with an open schedule. Way too early. So, time to do laundry! Except, inexplicably, the elevator does not go down to the basement where the laundromat is. It is "closed". For the holiday, presumably. As if it were inhumane to force the automatons to take the quarters and agitate my dirty clothes with water and detergent on Christmas Day in the mor-ning.

Crap. I have a life-changing interview tomorrow morning and my clothes are dirty. What to do? Catch a movie!

I made a conscious decision to go cry when I picked "Juno." A funny, quirky, and heartwarming movie about a teenager facing an unwanted pregnancy? Please, I'm no idiot.

Going in, I knew I loved Ellen Page to begin with. She was the latest Kitty Pryde of the X-Men and my love affair with mutants is legendary (see; "X-Men 2", Prologue through Epilogue) and I don't even care what else she was in.
Well I'm glad to report that the coming attractions made me cry more than the movie itself. The movie lives up to the hype, if you are attracted by any of its buzz. I loved it. Notably, you should not be deterred at all by Michael Cera as the teenage dweeb who made Juno's baby. Watching him, I had no idea he was the same guy from "Superbad" (which I didn't see anyway, nor had I watched "Arrested Development"). Cera does such an amazing job of playing this subtle and powerful part that I'm convinced once again that acting is an absolute talent, and this young man has it. Unless he doesn't. :shrug:

But if I were in high school again, I'm sure Juno would be the girl I loved. She might not have been good for me, but she would have been my type.

So the story itself was such a good one (sometimes weighed down by just a smidge too much teenage smarm, but only a smidge), that I could no longer hold off on putting finger to key on my own stab at contemporary lit. I'm encouraged also by Grizzbabe's propelling review on her writing from an instructor (since I think she's good, then surely I have good taste), and Childhood Bud's suggestion that I could add my Night Job tales to the smattering of Starbuckensian books on the market.

Add to that the PERFECT perch near Lincoln Center to write (pictures pending when I get back home and upload them*) with FREE INTERNET ACCESS, and thus I began my novel. I shall be maintaining a word count widget at my Creative Life site**. See? You can tell I'm inspired. I used the word "shall"!

*Pics uploaded now
** I'm maintaining the widget here instead of at Creative Life. It's easier.

4 comments:

GrizzBabe said...

I'm honored that you think I'm good! That means a lot coming from you because I think you are an excellent writer as well.

I want to go see "Juno". That sort of movie really seems right up my alley. You can keep your Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movies. I prefer quirky movies like "Juno."

I'm excited that you are delving head first into writing your novel. I have a general idea of a novel but haven't a clue where to start. Fortunately, my most recent Writer's Digest magazine has an article on taking baby steps toward completing a novel. Again, right up my alley. I can't wait to read it.

Me said...

Your writing puts me in mind of Sue Grafton with her Kinsey Millhone series, Grizz, and I go running to the shelves whenever she's released a new one. I slow down halfway through her books because I don't want to finish them and have to wait two years for the next one. :D

After you've seen Juno, tell me if you ever knew someone like her, or if you ever were someone like her. The language is different from when we were growing up, but the style is the same.

GrizzBabe said...

# 1 on my to do list tomorrow: go buy a Sue Grafton book.

Me said...

She's up to "T is for Trespass" but I guarantee you there will be at least 10 of her books on the shelves of the mystery section, and you can pick up any one of them and be satisfied.