Reboot, Reset, Or Stand Alone? (A Ghostbusters 2016 Review)

***SPOILER ALERT***

     So, I know I’ve been saying that I was going to review this movie for quite a while now. It was released on July 16th of this year and initially going into it I was a little worried. I’d written a past blog kind of describing my feelings towards the movie in general, and what as a fan, I would’ve liked to have seen with the direction of this movie. I think that anyone who is a true Ghosthead knew the amount of negative publicity going around about this movie, including some of the stars from the movie having their social media hacked, websites hacked, etc. There is frankly no excuse for this. If you really are against the movie that much then you just need to not go and see it and just let it be. However, with that last sentence just said I think that if you don’t go and see this movie, or even rent it when it comes out then I think that you might be making a mistake on things. Sony Pictures kept throwing around the word “reboot, reboot, reboot”. That the previous two movies had nothing to do with any of the events of this third movie and in fact was going to be a completely different verse where the original Ghostbusters didn’t happen. Again, I grew worried about this fact as I had read that and began to wonder what was going to happen with the movie overall then. If we were going to be seeing the original movie, just remade and updated with a new cast and the events of Zuul and Gozer dropping into central park west and tearing up the city. That’s when Sony dropped the trailers for the new movie.
     It wasn’t quite what I expected to be honest. They give credence to the original team in the trailers’ almost immediately. One version of the trailer saying ‘Four Scientists thirty years ago saved New York City, now a new team answers the call’. The other version of that trailer said essentially all of that, but they changed the wording to ‘Four Friends’. Then Sony began to release little bonus content videos talking about the reengineering and revision of all the equipment. During those videos, they give credit to Dr. Egon Spengler for creating the first proton pack, followed up by the female lead that created the new versions of it in the movie. That’s when I had a hard time believing that this was going to be a reboot. I thought that maybe Paul Feig was preparing for the largest troll on the internet. I watched the trailers several times over, just as my inner kid started screaming and wanting to see the movie regardless of their not being an original cast mentioned anywhere in it. I tried to keep an even keel as well on the movie and the developments of everything going on behind the scenes. What I thought was actually really cool is that both Dan Ackroyd and Ivan Reitman were brought onto the projects as producers and executive producers. Ivan Reitman was quoted as saying he couldn’t do another Ghostbusters movie without Harold Ramis on the set. That, Harold gave kind’ve the push of what he wanted to see done with the movie, as well as the story progression. Harold Ramis’ daughter later confirmed that this was the end of the project once Harold passed away seeing as some of the original cast had no interest in returning or even following up with another movie.
     We DID see the Ghostbusters: The Video Game released in 2009 on various video game consoles, which many of the fans interpret as being a third movie, and at one point Dan Ackroyd was quoted as saying that essentially that game would be considered the third movie in the franchise. Finally, the big day arrived, and I was one of the first ones in the movie theater to buy tickets to go in and watch Ghostbusters 2016. Even though this isn’t exactly the way of my childhood, hearing the theme song almost immediately and wanting to sing along brought me back to my childhood. I went into this movie WITHOUT any possible theory on what it could even be about. In my own mind, as I entered the theater I went into it with a clear thought and I would judge the movie based on what the movie gave me. I had zero expectations for it like I said I would in my last blog. Walking out of the theater, my initial thoughts? ‘Man! Let’s go again!’ the movie was great. While the original cast that wanted to return to the big screen for this movie did! In fact, they made very subtle cameos throughout the entire movie. Was it a reboot? Meh, I personally didn’t think that it was a reboot. I can even give some samples of evidence to why I don’t think that the movie was a reboot. Rather, I think that this movie would make a great stand alone! It would be a good direction for the franchise to go in especially now they’ve got some ground work laid with the characters of this verse. But even if it was a stand-alone, there were things mentioned in the movie by characters or hinted at that could place this movie into the same verse as the other two movies. I know, I know some might think that I’m trying to grasp at straws defending it to the end that this isn’t going to be a reboot. But, for a moment just hear me out and let me explain a few things:

     Harold Ramis Bust Or Egon Spengler?- During one of the scenes in the movie, you see an actual golden bust of the actor or his character in the background. It would make it extremely plausible that it could be Egon seeing as where the setting is. However, it could also be that of Harold Ramis making his cameo into the movie like the rest of the original cast did as well. Since Harold is no longer with us I think that the later would make sense as he was one of the original creators to Ghostbusters, as well being in the movie. But the way that he looks on the bust is how his character looked in stripes. Big afro, with glasses and that signature smirk that he could put on his face. Once you see the movie, I’d be curious on what you think about it.

    Acknowledgement Of Ghosts Existing- As we all know about the original Ghostbusters movie, is that everyone thought they were insane, or really good con-artists just trying their damndest to rob the good people of New York of all their money. However, in this movie the city and federal government acknowledge that they’ve known about Ghosts existence for a very long time. Even one of the mayoral aids citing at one point that big events have happened, and that people will eventually begin to forget about the big things over time. Are they talking about the previous events in the first and second movies, and that’s where they already know about the existence of ghosts is after the battle in Ghostbusters II? They make mention to the girls that they have to make everything appear fraudulent that they do because it’s to protect the public at large. Just something again I noticed in the movie that they were talking about.

     Lay Line Discussion- This actually has quite a bit to do with the plot of the movie itself. They discuss Lay Lines and how the earth has them crossing over various parts and funneling energy all the time. Well, as the climax starts to happen they discover a pattern that makes a huge X over a certain part of the town. They reference a book of New York, and as they open there is already a recorded event in the book they are referencing. My mind almost instantly jumped to Dana Barrett’s apartment when Gozer and Zuul came the first time into the Ghostbuster verse. Could this be a book demonstrating that this event happened already? Again, when you watch the movie check this out and I would be curious again on what you think.

     ‘I don’t go Soho, I don’t go uptown, and I ain’t afraid of no ghost’- This is probably one of the best cameos in the movie which involves Dan Ackroyd himself. He shows up as a taxi driver in one of the scene as one of the girls is asking him to take him to where the main battle is and that he should be careful about the ghosts flying around. The cabby quickly quips about what kind of ghost it is, and the classification of it. Is this Ray Stantz at a horrible part in his life? Again, maybe stretching a bit on this one but I wondered about it.

     The acknowledgement of Egon Spangler- Again as stated above, at one point during one of the bonus clips that Sony released on Youtube leading up to the new movie being released talking about the reengineering of the proton pack Dr. Egon Spengler was given acknowledgement for being the original creator of it. Now, if we are going by some reboots standards then technically this wouldn’t be true. While it would be acknowledged in the verse that was originally created, it wouldn’t in the new. If it’s a reboot then why is Egon still being given credit for it let alone mentioned?

     So now that I’ve got my soap box out of the way on why I don’t think this movie was a reboot what was my general thoughts on it? Overall, I would say that the movie was excellent. The story was completely different than the original one panned by Harold and Dan. Ghosts were different, and we even saw the appearance of slimmer towards the end of the movie. I don’t think that the amount of hate that this movie generated is really warranted. Anyone who is a fan of DC or even Marvel Comics should know that super heroes are rebooted and recreated all of the time. Not only that, but there have been some changes made in the cinematic universes of both Comicverses that not all fans are happy with, that left them with a sour taste in their mouths. Harold Ramis’ daughter actually endorsed this new movie, and stated that her dad would’ve loved to have seen this franchise continue to grow and expand outwards. I shared that article shortly before the new movie came out, and then I shared it once after the movie was released. I think that the villain was a little weak, and watered down but they still gave a very climatic ending to the movie, as well as providing some pretty awesome special effects when it came to the ghosts. 

     I also breathed a little easier knowing that both Ivan Reitman and Dan Ackroyd were involved with the project. Just, if you go and see this movie please just keep an open mind, and even if it doesn’t live up to expectations or what you expected, you can always count it as a stand-alone right? Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while I worked on putting this blog out. I know I’ve been saying it for a while now, but life has a funny way of getting in the way at times. I look forward to hearing your comments as well about the movie, or anything talked about above.

Adventures in Geocaching

     I know that I’ve spoken a few times on social media about the lovely missus and I out ‘Geocaching’. I’ve had several people ask me what we’ve found, and are the rocks pretty. I generally offer a friendly smile, and a shake of my head and explain to them that what we do has nothing to do with Geology or rock hunting. I do however, inform them that like rock hunting it takes a lot of time outdoors, traveling, and enjoying the thrill of the chase. For those who are curious into what exactly Geocaching is, I went ahead and broke it down into some of the most asked questions that I generally get when I tell people that we spent an entire day out Geocaching. If you have any more questions about what Geocaching is, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. My e-mail address is AuthorGraysonMichaels@Gmail.com.

Grayson, what exactly is Geocaching?

     Geocaching put simply is a giant treasure hunt. You are using GPS coordinates that are provided to you to find hidden items out in your community, along highways, along biking paths, hiking paths, historical markers, and the list does go on! There are over fifteen million Geocaches hidden worldwide. It is not constrained to just one city, county, state, or country. You are rewarded electronic badges for each state or country that you visit. Where I live here, in the LC-Valley there are over four hundred Geocaches to be found. Looking at a small map on my tracker, the entire area is covered and dotted with small green circles that will blot out both Lewiston and Clarkston’s name. 

What exactly am I looking for? How do I know it’s a Geocache?

     When you arrive at the location, it will give you a hint at how big a particular object might be. So, it will give you a rating on the difficulty of the cache itself and how hard it is to find it. The tracker will also give you a size of how big the cache might be. So, for instance if it says that it’s a micro you might be looking for a small, metallic object that is the size of a thimble that you can unscrew and inside will be a piece of paper that you will need to sign and log that you were there. Others, might be bigger and can vary from being film containers, creamer containers, ammo cache boxes, small Tupperware containers, sometimes they can be objects like bee trapping containers, or even electrical outlets that are not connected to anything but give the illusion that they are! Other containers might be marked with stickers that provide you a clue that ‘Hey this is a Geocache and not a piece of garbage, please do not throw away’.

So, you find these Geocaches and now what?

     Honestly, it’s a very exciting feeling when you do actually find the Geocaches! Usually there is a container (like mentioned above) that you will find a log in. You sign the log and then on the app that I use you will actually log it into a database that will be tracked electronically for you. It actually be logged into an international database. In the caches sometimes you will find items that people have put in there. Commonly referred to as ‘Swag’ it will be up to you to replace a piece of swag in the container if you take an item. The lovely missus and I will often times deposit some fake pirate coin, and a dinosaur if we take an item from it. Once you sign the log and replace the container back into it is hiding spot then it is time to move onto the next one!

So, is it just looking for these containers? What other kind of challenge does Geocaching provide?

     While a good majority of these Geocaches are exactly what is listed as being a small box or container with a log and ‘swag’ in it, there are some unique challenges to Geocaching! Since we upgraded to a premium account through the website there are several other kinds of Geocaches. Some are ‘mysteries’. What exactly does that mean? If it is a mystery Geocache there will be a series of clues or hints that you are going to have to follow to find the main cache itself. So for an example, the lovely missus and I completed a ‘mystery’ cache this last weekend that involved playing an overgrown size of battleship in one of the local public parking lots here in Lewiston. Where were the clues you ask? The clues were actually the giant lamp posts throughout the parking lot. While examining them by lifting up the metal rectangular skirts around the base of the light would either identify a ‘hit’ or a ‘miss’. If it was a miss and you didn’t understand the clue you’d have to go back and attempt to figure out where your numbering went wrong. Once you arrived at the final location, then the final coordinates of the Cache were given to you and you were able to log that you completed the challenge.
     Other caches might be a ‘multiple cache’. Which means that the coordinates to the real cache you would get after stopping at several markers along the way to get the coordinates. While it’s similar to doing a ‘Mystery Cache’, the multiple caches might require signatures at them as you go along the path to get to the final one.

Grayson, do you find Geocaching rewarding? Or is it just something to pass the time when you should be writing?

     Really this question kind of ties into one another. I find Geocaching EXTREMELY rewarding to be honest. Not only does it help with getting out of the house, and traveling (Sometimes quite extensively) but it also helps with relationships. The lovely missus actually introduced me to it back in early February of 2016. Since we set out on that date (which happened to be Valentine’s Day of all days) we’ve been hooked on caching. It has been a great stress relief for not only me, but also for her as well. The challenge of finding these things has helped bound our relationship with working more together as a team rather than individualists. It’s rewarding in the aspect of being able to set out and accomplish goals and spend some time together has really helped us. I think, even if your relationships are healthy and great this will just help improve them. The lovely missus and I have made some wonderful memories together and it isn’t just because we are out caching. Some of it stems from the fact we’ve done it in almost every kind of weather. We’ve shared some good laughs about it, as well as how we’ve looked so hard for a cache to be so simple and it’s looking us right in the face.
     While I had announced that I’d taken the year off and hadn’t intended to put out any books this year, I don’t think that you can ever really take a break from writing if you are a true writer. The muse has been constant, and very loud in the back of the head. While it may not be in any kind of correlation to the US Marshals project that I’m working on now, the cities, and some of the more rural areas that we’ve visited have really sparked her. I made mention on a Facebook post a while ago about an elderly man that has come to the table to talk again with me. Geocaching helped this. The lovely missus and I have seen some lovely country in our travels around the area that we live and it has really flared some creative processes.

Grayson, you made mention about having to buy a premium package to unlock caches. Is this a pay to play?

     Absolutely not! Upon you registering at the website for Geocaching, you are allowed to begin logging and caching right away. There will be several caches available to you for free. All the premium account does is unlocks the mystery caches, multi-caches, and some of the harder caches for difficulty and terrain. There are some other advantages of going premium as well that you can read about on the website. The cost for the premium package is only $30.00 for the entire year. The next time you’d have to re-up your premium account is the day that you decided to go full premium. Or, if you don’t want to do a yearlong subscription you can make it monthly and I believe that is only $6.00 a month. It is definitely worth it though if you decide to do the full year. Geocaching is HIGHLY addictive.

You keep saying there is a website. What is it?

www.geocaching.com

What is your Geocache name so I can add you?

Once you get into Geocaching, then we will talk! Right now, it’s set to a private profile.


     While this blog hasn’t necessarily pertained to writing, I wanted to go ahead and answer some of the questions that I’ve been asked in both private message on the streets while we’ve been out Geocaching. I think that it’s a very unique treasure hunting hobby that benefits you in all kinds of ways. As I had mentioned above if there are any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me right away. I hope to see you out there someday!

Passing The Torch

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

(This Blog Contains Spoilers)

     As I begin this blog I am going to warn you that there are spoilers entail for ‘The X-files’. In the beginning months of 2016 I have certainly experienced a very nostalgic feeling with all of the old shows, and all of the old movies beginning to reappear. It was truly exciting to hear that FOX had agreed to bring back ‘The X-files’ for a six episode run and then it was said that these six episodes were all that the fans were going to be getting. However, towards the end of this six episode run, a few different things happened. The first thing I noticed was it was only saying ‘Season Finale’ instead of what should’ve read ‘Series Finale’. This excited me to see that perhaps FOX was doing a test run to see if these six episodes were going to be enough to bring that flame back and breath some more life into the show to see if it could be completely revived. The second thing that I noticed was that there were two new agents introduced into the mix at about episode three. The agents possess very similar characteristics to both Mulder and Scully, so what is the potential here? The last episode had Mulder very close to death due to a contagion break out and a ship appearing above the car that they were driving and it slowly fades to black. So obviously FOX has more than enough intentions to bring back more episodes for another ‘partial’ season. The intention is to have the fans begin to speculate about where exactly are they taking this particular storyline? While I’m excited about the return of a Season 2.0 for the X-files I have some questions myself.

1) Most of the original actors agreed to come back for the ‘rebooting’ (and I use that term loosely) for ‘The X-files’ television show. Chris Carter the original creator and writer for ‘The X-files’ was back behind the helm again as well and why wouldn’t he be? I have a tendency to give the show a lot more merit and a little more clout when you have the original creator and writer returning to the show. This wasn’t something that was drafted by someone at the network, after taking away all of the creative rights to the show from Chris Carter and just going with it. The writer knows the characters, knows how they feel, what kind of world they live in, and can more accurately describe everything going on around them since he had done most of the world building. Not to say that any of the writers’ that are working on the show are incompetent just without Chris I think that it would’ve been a little awkward to those who didn’t fully understand his intentions or creations when he made the X-files. But my question is, are these returning characters going to stick around? Or are we only going to be seeing them for a short while to help establish another storyline for a newer generation? This is where I begin to get scared.

2) While I realize it is great to see the ‘X-files’ returning to the airwaves and to see Mulder and Scully chasing the truth around again. I would also have to say the fact the timeline has remained consistent with not only the amount of years passing by, but also because the characters are aging and have grown even without them appearing for over twenty years. Obviously the characters are not going to be as rambunctious, or as willing to be able to take the beating that they did when they were younger, so are we looking at a ‘potential cookie-cutter’ set of characters being introduced to replace them so that the X-files can continue on? I winced at the fact of how close the similarity was to Mulder and Scully and how they even looked like them. Mulder during the course of the show even broke the wall a little bit, and asks the new agents “Have we met before?” I chuckled at this because I think it was the writers’ attempting to cope with what they were trying to do. However, that is what partially killed the X-files back in the early turn of 2000 and two thousand one when the show officially was taken off the air. David Duchovny left the show, while Gillian Anderson remained in it and put Scully into a softer situation dealing with the birth of her and Mulder’s kid but the overall story was affected and changed. What it had started out being, turned into a strictly Sci-fi kind of story and it didn’t have nearly the same effect with it. Even with the changing of agents that went through the X-files it didn’t hold quite the clout with it in the shows final running. 

     I honestly don’t have a solution to this, but I think If Chris Carter provided some more world building on why Mulder and Scully pass the torch even after they’ve come back to the FBI for the short jaunt I think it would certainly help the series out instead of one of the characters just suddenly leaving and even the audience is left wondering what happened to the story. But, I think that even the characters saw the writing on the wall when it comes to a passing of the torch. The agents took under their wing the respectful agent that was most like their personality and provided them some ‘helpful advice’. Again, I won’t go too much into it but I think that if done right I think that the X-files could make a strong return chasing new conspiracies, and adding a whole new level of storyline coupled with today’s events. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The next one I was excited to see coming back was that of ‘Ghostbusters’. Now, this particular ‘reboot’ I have covered in another blog, and my thoughts and ideas on that. However, on March 3rd they introduced the trailer for the third movie. BUT! At about seven seconds in or so, they give credence to the old team thirty years ago saving New York, and now they are saying that a ‘new team’ will be responding to the call. So is this a reboot? Or is this a continuation of the story? I’m sure if you follow me regularly on Facebook you saw my post on whether or not it was a reboot and I’ve had some hearty discussions on there and I’m all for them! I love knowing others opinions and talking with others. Many discussions I’ve had with people had opened my eyes. Now, before we continue any further with the blog I’d like to clarify a couple of things. I would like to clarify ‘reboot’ and ‘soft reboot’. 

Reboot: In serial fiction, to reboot means to discard all continuity in an established series in order to recreate its characters, timeline and backstory from the beginning.[1][2] The term is used with respect to various different forms of fictional media such as comic books, television series, video games, and films among others.[1] (As defined by Wikipedia)

Soft Reboot: A soft reboot is keeping all of the continuity of the original ideas and concepts. It just makes it to where you don’t need to see the original films, books, series, etc. to understand the new plot that they are beginning at with the new production. So essentially the new ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘The X-files’ could be considered perhaps a ‘Soft Reboot.’

     I have a hard time thinking that with the ‘soft reboot’ of Ghostbusters I am expecting that with both Dan Ackroyd (Original writer and co-creator of Ghostbusters), and Ivan Reitman (Original director of both films) that this movie will not disappoint. I am also beginning to wonder if Paul Feig isn’t out to troll the rest of the internet by releasing things that he wants people to think are relevant and then blow everyone away in the theater with this movie with it possibly being a standalone or continuation in the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise. High hopes I suspect, but in the same instance I am remaining hopeful about it. Ackroyd had commented that he wanted to build the Ghostbusters Universe similar to how Marvel built the cinematic universe revolving around all factions and stories that happen much like the comic books. So again, I can only comment that much on the new Ghostbusters since you can’t read too much into trailers since some industries and studios purposely build the trailers to deceive those who are adamantly watching to give them a false sense into what is actually going to happen. I would love to see a passing of the torch film that unites the old Ghostbusters, with the new Ghostbusters. See the boys in grey go out on top with one more world save. They could definitely build a story around the death of Egon, or even start it at the funeral where the three of them decide to close up shop because of the loss of their beloved team member. Again, it’s all speculation at this point but I remain hopeful that Ackroyd and Reitman (Being the executive producers on the film) will not let the film dive bomb. Once I see the new ‘Ghostbusters’ movie in July expect a blog on that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     So! I haven’t lost you! That’s always a good thing! So I guess the topic I’m really trying to drive home here is a common theme. A ‘passing of the torch’ moment. When do we as writers decide when a good time is to pass the torch to other characters? Or are we going to decide on when the series will it. Are we going to kill off the main characters, are we going to eliminate the concept and everything that had to deal with the world building, or are we going to decide that the world is intriguing enough that we need to pass it off to a younger, more compatible character that is trained by the original character you designed and nurtured. I’ve had a character that I created over ten years ago in the law enforcement field. I have talked about him in a few different blogs and how much he’s meant to me. However, he is beginning to get into his mid-forties now. Don’t get me wrong, for what the character does he is still able to do his job great. However, to keep him realistic he’s began to develop health issues in relations to the field of which he is in, law enforcement. The character has whispered to me on more than one occasion that he would like to write his memoirs for his final act in my books. He has told me he would like to helm the pen of course to write them and at the end of writing them that would be it. He would be done. I agreed to this as I know a lot of the personal struggles he is beginning to have, and take on. A lot of this is covered in the new novel that I’m currently writing about him. But this also got me to thinking as well about the future for the world that I’ve spent so many years building with him. It’s hard to move on and think about forgetting everything that he had hands in with or he has touched. 

     As much fun as I would have with the introduction of a new generation, creating another cop character like Tal I don’t think I’d ever be able to capture the same essence. Tal in a lot of ways WAS me, and the way he acted made judgements early on was all a reflection on me. I wouldn’t want to create another ‘cookie-cutter’ character due to the fact of that. I wouldn’t want someone picking up a book and go ‘Wow. Tal Hunter squared’. For the amount of years that I’ve written about Tal and his adventures it’d be hard to duplicate everything he experienced and try to make another character with as much time and effort put into him. Tal has come a long ways since he was first introduced as a beat cop and I’ve explored the option of maybe going back and writing a few side stories involving him and what exactly he encountered to become the way he is. But I’m rambling. Sometimes it would pay off to start with a fresh slate, or even continue on in the verse with different characters. JK Rowling has talked about how easy it would be for her to return to the world of Harry Potter and continue on with various stories in his realm without directly using him. She had taken a break from his world and done a few other novels. What characters do you have or used that passed a torch to either ones that could accept the responsibility or was it a passing of the legacy of the name on? Or did you end the series once you got done with the character and it was truly indeed a final curtain call. Please leave a comment below and share with everyone else!

     I apologize for the length of the blog but wanted to discuss two different examples that have come up lately of passing the torch. Thank you for reading this, and have a great day!     

Writers Blocked, now What?

     I personally do not think that there is anything more frustrating than when you sit down and you blaze through several pages of a fresh story idea, only to return after taking a break or getting distracted and you do nothing but stare at the blinking cursor for hours on end because you cannot think of what to do with the story. Or you stop at a good stopping point with the idea and you come back several days later or even weeks later and you can’t seem to get onto the same page as your characters. It feels like you are meeting them all again for the very first time and you are scratching your head as they are looking at you heavily confused and even are offering up hugs because they think you’ve totally lost it and gone off the deep end. Your characters will only understand the initial intentions of where you wanted to take them, they can’t or won’t understand why you have de-railed and will begin to fight you even with the intentions of where you began to take them. You are now officially ‘Writers blocked’ and probably are frustrated beyond hell of what you want to do with the idea. I still continue to get that way. But after offering up some advice today for a friend of mine it got me to thinking, and I wanted to blog the advice in case anyone else out there maybe feels the same way.


Environment-  It always seems to me, in my experience that characters come to you during the worst possible time. They always want to talk to you while you are predisposed with something else or you are working on another character for them to interact with later on in the story line. Just like a big game predator you have to feel the top of your game and comfortable in your environment. I’ve become the biggest stickler for being comfortable and being able to write. The muse however, is pickier than I am and I will address that little minx later on in the blog. You have to be able to relax and find a comfortable place to write. I often times will struggle if I am in the same environment so many times, that everything about it begins to feel blah and the muse won’t talk to me or I can’t get comfortable enough to write. So I would suggest attempting to change up your environment. So if you are used to writing in the same kind of living room, bedroom, or kitchen arrangement, I would suggest trying to switch it up. Sometimes the change will prompt the muse to become more intuitive and courteous with your needs! Car trips, overnight stays out of town, walks, or just the quietness of the mountains will usually prompt her enough to pay attention and ideas become more fluid.      ALWAYS keep a pad and paper nearby for side notes, or possible plot lines. Sometimes characters won’t necessarily talk to you. Sometimes it’s the action of the scene or the setting that comes through the loudest. The only thing I’m ever only been able to see is black figures with no faces acting out the scene.
After some careful thought on it, then that’s when it becomes clearer and exactly to what characters I am looking at. But it never fails that the best ideas come when I have no pad or paper to write them down. That’s why I heavily believe in always being surrounded by some kind of pad and paper for ideas.


A Musical Sensation- Now with this prompt, I’m not suggesting to go out and write a musical number or a song (unless that is indeed something that you do!) but sometimes finding the right kind of music genre could play a big part into getting that mojo flowing and get the muse dancing. When I get ready to write a particular scene that seems to be particular tough I will turn to music. I think that every writer knows what I am talking about. The one scene that you’ve been dwelling on for days, weeks, or even in some cases months. It’s finally come to fruition and all you can do is look at a blinking cursor. I recently just had that happen on my most current project that I am writing on. I got to the scene that I’ve wanted to write and the muse just clams up. The characters’ clam up and all I’m staring at is a blank setting with nothing there. It helps to venture into Youtube, or into a playlist that you may have created or need to create and listen to music that could inspire that particular scene. In one of the books that I’ve written I had a situation with a shootout. I got to that scene, and nothing I could put down on paper was making it sound right. 

     I tried over, and over, and over again trying to word it right and nothing I could do was helping the situation. I got into Youtube and listened to a few various types of music (Most of it was very hard metal). Listening to it, I began to get more motivated for the scene, the muse was throwing her hand up and she was head banging right alongside me. I had the music, I had my muse on board, and now I could write the scene. The words flowed over the page and by time I got done writing the situation, it was how I had envisioned it with a little musical help in the background. I’d also used various Celtic singers, performers when I was in the process of writing ‘In With The Pack’. The music helped square the mood, and the feeling and my wolves came alive! When the tough get going, the tough surely get musical! I’ve always found that finding music to write those difficult scenes have always helped me. I used to be able to listen to the music while I wrote, sometimes that sparked the emotion needed to complete a scene. Now I can’t do that, it de-rails my train of thought way too bad. So the next thing I would like to suggest is white noise!


White Noise- So for paranormal buffs out there, that might be thinking that I’m referring to ‘White Noise’ as in doing a E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomena) session this isn’t quite what I’m meaning. What I’m referring to is ‘White Noise’ as defined as noise containing many frequencies with equal intensities. I will often use white noise either before starting a fresh chapter on a book, or I will use it as a kind of decompressing after I finish writing what I wanted accomplished for the day. There are several methods of meditation; introducing ‘White Noise’ is only one of them. Most people are meditation with the stereotypes of people sitting cross legged, elbows on their knees, with their fingers clinched as if they are grabbing a dinner fork and saying “uuuuuuuuummmmmm.” Over and over again. But meditation can take several different forms including the type that was mentioned above. Meditation can be writing, it can be listening to music, or it can be used as ‘White Noise’. 

     Examples I can give that I’ve used for white noise is natural earth sounds (Rain on a tin roof, Wind blowing in the mountains, trickling streams, camp fires, etc.) Even when I was stressed out, and just couldn’t put anything on paper I turned to these various types to help calm my nerves down so I could establish something for the scene and to help the plot along. Even if it was only for a chapter or I muscled by an incredibly hard event this noise put my mind at ease. Like I mentioned above, the muse may talk stronger if I am writing something nature related and that white noise may help the circumstances.

Jealousy- When all else fails? Sometimes it’s best to go ahead and write on another project, or even if it’s some short-hand writing long-hand writing. You can ALWAYS go back to the work that you had started before. Sometimes, it takes brain storming and different ideas, locations, and times to really get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes the muse gets fussy, and gets tired of the same ole, same ole. It would be comparable I suppose to eating the same meal night after night after night. What I have found is that sometimes just letting the pen wander and the muse dance is the best for all situations. Sometimes, an idea or a particular situation with one character may work for the character in the project that you are working on currently. Or, sometimes characters will get jealous of each other and the original character that you were writing with may speak more loudly and more willing to assist you. The point I’m trying to drive home here is WRITE, WRITE, AND WRITE SOME MORE. You won’t be able to gain any headway on any project if you don’t write regardless of the subject.

     I realize that some of this might work for you, or it won’t work at all. Some will be able to piece parts of this together and make it work, and others will completely disregard this. That’s ok! I hope though that I’ll be able to help some through this blog and give some ideas, and thoughts into ways that you can get around writer’s block. Not all of these work for me all of the time, but at times it helps me clear six or seven pages in a day. You just got to be in tune with your muse, your characters, and making sure that your carrying a notepad and a pen because you never know when inspiration is going to strike!

Calendar Scratches

     Honestly, it only seemed like yesterday that I’d gotten the edits back for ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ that Spring was right around the corner and I had plenty of time to concentrate on getting these edits done. Then, you blink and we are already halfway through the summer and a little more than halfway through the year of 2015. Where has this time gone? So far, 2015 has not been the nicest of years to have dealt with as we’ve had a lot of term oil here and dealing with unwanted guests in our household. Most of my stuff is in my office, which has been quarantined for well over a month now because of these guests. The mood has been pretty low in the household as we feel as if we are prisoners in our own household. However, I’m hoping that as of Monday of this week things will begin to change. I don’t mean to start off with such a negative introduction to a blog but rather just some thoughts that have head me leading up to next years’ time line and schedule. I’d already prepped another book for editing, as well as having sent off the information for the copyright office so it could be copyrighted and my editor would be set to receive it. However, as I began to do the edits for this book, ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ I began to realize something. I am beginning to get burnt out on writing!
     For me, this is a horrible thing because for so long I’d used writing as an advantage to escape the real world, talk with my characters, and just get away from the stress of the day. But, as I’ve tried to put out a book every year I’m finding myself feeling rushed, I’m finding myself stressed about the overall content of the book, and it has begun to cut into the personal time that I have with my family. As a writer, I don’t want any of those things. I want to deliver to the readers an awesome story, I want them to enjoy the characters that I’ve introduced them to, and I don’t want something to me feeling like it’s only half cooked coming out of the creative oven. At some points it has been hard for me to work on ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ just because I’m beginning to feel completely burned out on the entire process that this takes. I feel that I could use this to my advantage, as since I’m an individual self-published writer I don’t really have to abide by any schedules or having to put out a book a year, or continuing on with a series. I am looking forward to releasing ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ over the last half of October. I really want to release it on Halloween, or maybe the day before. I’ve got another contest in mind, and am real excited about getting to meet everyone again at the signings much like I’d met everyone at the events I’ve already done this year.
     So, what are you saying Grayson? That you are going to be hanging up the towel after you release ‘Whispers In The Hallway’? Absolutely not. I’m not going to ever quit writing. It is a passion and truly a gift from above that I found early in my life. What I am thinking, and I’m sure other writers’ out there would agree with me on is that I am thinking I need to take a break. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly with ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ for its release and the contest that I have in mind for it. Take time off during the holidays to spend it with family and friends and then start sharp again after the New Year. But, for 2016 I do not plan releasing any book. Like I said, I have one US Marshals story that I’ve got finished and ready to go. I realized that there are other ideas and other genres I’d like to concentrate on first. While the marshals deserve to have their story told, and that yes IT WILL be eventually released right now, I want to introduce some other characters that have been talking to me for some time. Again, this is the reason why I like to think of myself as a multi-genre writer. I’ve been building on so many worlds, for so many years that I’ve got lots of characters that want to come through and have their stories told. A lot of the characters you’ve probably noticed do a lot of cross world appearances. Either in cameos, or they will show up for a short section in the story and leave again just as quickly. To me, it’s more fun to see characters you already know interacting with the new ones that have come to the table.
     2016 I would like to take the year off and kind of regroup my thoughts, and get in touch again with my characters. I wouldn’t have to worry about edits, I wouldn’t have to worry about meeting deadlines for book releases, and above all I would have time to do some real quality writing. Deliver a product that is well worth the wait! I’ve been asked several times about the return of Malakai and his pack and whether or not he’ll have another book. At this current time, I’ve had some new characters come through on that front and we’ve talked briefly. If I could paint a picture for you what the muse has brought to the table you’d laugh I bet. Imagine a conference room with a large oval table, the nice leather chairs all around it and not one of those chairs are empty. All of them have a particular character yelling or wanting something addressed. Then add a few more characters that didn’t come quick enough to the meeting to get a chair and now are standing at the back of the room screaming their heads off because they want attention. I think that 2016 will be an excellent year to regroup and relax. My other hope for 2016 is getting together with fellow writers in the LC-Valley. I’ve had discussions with a few local talents and their seems to be quite a few shows that will be happening next year. I plan on making as many events as I can as well as helping promote my fellow writers around me.
     The other thing that I know I’ve talked a little bit about this last year as well as my wife getting ready to put her book out. I’m very excited that Emma has been working very hard on getting her stuff ready to be sent off to be printed and into a book. She has been there every step of the way for me when it has come to publishing, marketing, and making sure everything looks great. I would like to return the favor for her as well during 2016 to help her get her book off the ground and to make sure that everything gets situated as it should be. There are certainly not enough days in the year to make everything happen as you would like it to and that is why I’ve reached this decision to do this. Maybe during this off time, I’ll use it to explore other things as well (photography, podcasting, and collaborating with other writers, musicians, etc.). The future is very bright. I would like to send out another special thank you to those who have supported Emma and I through this entire endeavor. There are a lot of people who have backed us all the way through it and I couldn’t be more thankful. Too many to list but you know who you are and I continue to thank you for your support and help through it. Being a self-published writer is definitely not the easiest endeavor that I’ve taken on, but in the end it is definitely the most worthwhile thing I’ve done other than the career I am in.
     Please continue to watch my Facebook as I will continue to updates for not only the release information for ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ but I will also be posting other information on there about new and upcoming projects. I don’t really use Twitter anymore. My website has also been updated so please look there as well for updates on events. Thank you everyone and I hope you have a wonderful summer.

 

Returning to Isla Nublar

     Hearing the beginning horns of the Jurassic Park theme as the universal logo slowly twisted out brought goosebumps to my skin. I was reliving one of my favorite movie franchises of all times. There has been quite a bit of hype for Jurassic World, and while it correlates with the Jurassic Park verse and is not a remake or reboot the story stays very genuine even with the return to the island of the five deaths. While I’m writing this review I am going to try and keep it as spoiler-less as possible though it may pop up from time to time. As the movie starts, there really isn’t any kind of backstory the return to Isla Nublar, or why InGen had decided to keep it at the island location where as in the The Lost World movie (Definitely not the book) they decided to try and build the park in San Diego. None the less, the back story really isn’t needed for movie but it would have been nice, perhaps just a bit knit picky on this point. I was curious to into what characters were going to be returning to the Jurassic franchise after seeing in the credits that read ‘based on characters created by Michael Crichton’. However, the only returning character to this franchise was that of Dr. Henry Wu. Which, I guess I find kind of ironic because if anyone had read the books we all know the fate of Dr. Wu. Again, I am trying to keep as many spoiler-less points for this review but still give an honest one at that. The one thing I thought was very fun about the entire movie was the constant reference to the original film. Some of the shots of the movie the same, some lines had doubled up and were being heard again, vehicles from the first movie reappearing, hell at one point you get to see a very ramshackle Visitor’s Center accompanied with a very sad, and mournful soundtrack from the first Jurassic Park.
     I know that there was one thing scoffed at in the movie, that was kind of a double edged sword. Many people were not impressed with the whole ‘Hybrid Dinosaur’ idea that was seen in the initial previews. That now, InGen was making mutated dinosaurs. To me, that seemed like a bit of a genetic horror movie involving zombies, living dead, or something along those lines. This movie definitely involves the Genetic horror of things and the fact man is trying to play God to make a few bucks. That of course the reason for toying with nature is to make more money and bring in more attendance. I won’t go into the exact details of things, but really the monster of this movie does play out like a Frankenstein, or a creature that was created and out of control to begin with ‘seeing the world for the first time’ sort of scenario. The other half of this whole thing is how the climax of the movie turned out. The ending I think could have been a bit better when pertaining to a very key player. Let put it this way, to keep the spoilers out of it. They were catering to a dead man the entire movie. Again, to those who’ve read the novels will understand exactly what I am meaning by that statement. While I can see that they were interested in doing another movie, I am hoping that the path they are trying to take will not stray from the original verse created by Michael Crichton. His concept and novel both were revolutionary and opened many doors especially when it comes to genetics, and genetic engineering. I hope that the franchise doesn’t turn into a Survival Horror type series like ‘Resident Evil’ (AKA Biohazard), with an evil company running rapid in the shadows creating freaks of nature for military projects etc.
     The other thing I know that was scoffed at was Chris Pratt’s ‘Raptor Pack’ that you see in the previews with him training them and basically controlling them. At first, I’ll even admit that I winced and wondered what exactly they were going to do with this and where were they going to take it? As the movie progresses and the story keeps trudging forward all things are revealed including the intended use for these Raptor’s. While some scoff, the idea is really not too far off. Any kind of animal when raised from a young age that doesn’t know better you can train them and ALMOST domesticate them. Some examples of this would be wolves, bears, raccoons, etc. I say almost domesticate because animals have that instinct in them regardless of the scenario or situation. I really dug the idea and even thought it was well played and the imagination was there! The CGI affects I think were great, the overall visuals for the movie were very stunning. I am glad that we didn’t wait and see it in 2D like the missus and I had intended on doing. One thing that I’d always wished you’d see more of in the JP movies was dinosaurs. This movie certainly was not disappointing with dinosaurs. There was a vast amount of species seen in the movie. While I watched this movie something popped into my mind that I kind of wondered if they weren’t trying to make maybe an alternate universe type movie.
     You know, that this is the story that would have happened if all of the original scientists from ‘Jurassic Park’ had signed off on it. What if the dinosaurs hadn’t burst out of their cages, or eaten people? What if this is the aftermath of a successful park for almost twenty years and this incident happened? It could have very strongly been that case if the old visitor center, and old vehicles from the first park had never been seen. There is really no reference to Isla Sonra, BioSyn, etc. I am glad that they decided to make another Jurassic Park instead of rebooting it or remaking it. While the story for Jurassic World was great, I think the story with the two kids could have been left out or maybe the kids could have played less of a role in it. Obviously, the park employees preoccupied the story more than the kids but it was with good reason. Overall, I think that this movie was great. I would recommend it to anyone who is a Jurassic Park fan either having seen the movies that’ve spanned over twenty something years, or the book that was released sooner than that. It was very fascinating that they released this movie on the anniversary date of the first movies release. I think for me that it just adds to the nostalgia of it.

Through the seasons

     The other day, on my Facebook I had asked a question that I thought would make a great blog topic. I had asked the other day, I had asked “What ways do you like to make memories during the various seasons?” A little further explanation into that is do you find yourself interacting more with your family and friends during the summer? Or do you find more interaction with family and friends around the holidays? For me really, it’s kind of a split. I really don’t take any particular part of the year to spend more time with the family than the other. To me, I think quality time with family and friends all year round is a great thing. For the summer months, I think it’s great because really it’s a little less confining and you don’t have to spend it in doors. I’ve got a lot more memories of the family during the summer now than I did before.
     It’s funny that growing up as a kid all of those BBQ’s, and camping trips, and boating, and other various activities spent with the family were kind of a drag. I don’t think that many of us out there would argue that fact that as kids we often waited for the summer to roll around so we could sleep in, spend all of it with our friends, and essentially do whatever we wanted without the authority of a teacher being around us. With this in mind I created a bunch of memories with my friends growing up during the summer months. Again, the more clear ones are those spent during our years in transition between Junior High and High School. One of my fondest memories was that of co-authoring a book with a friend of mine during the summer months. I had come up with an idea for a book and I sent him the concept and some of the real skeletal structures of the story. He thought it was a great concept and we took turns authoring short stories back and forth to each other during the summer transitioning from Junior High to High School.
     So that there is an only one example of how I have made some later memories in the summer months. With family it was a little bit different. Growing older, I’ve learned that really, you can’t have enough time with family and friends alike. Jobs, kids, and other responsibilities tend to get in the way. The moments that we can spend time together, especially in the summer months should be the most important. Some of the most recent and fondest memories I have with friends and family is that of small fire in a fire pit. Gathered round it in lawn chairs, benches, custom made chairs that if you sat wrong would completely fall apart underneath you. Watching the flames dance in the night, embers burning brightly at the base of the copper pan. Sometimes, the conversation seems to fall to one side or the other, and sometimes there is no conversation at all. It doesn’t always take the constant chatter of people to enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes I think, it’s just being together and being around each other that count.
     The fire helps set the mood, and the setting for the night but what else? What about a purple sky with stars beginning to poke through the fabric of blue that was once day? Often times we have a radio setup outside. The sound of classic sounds from yester-year drifting out slowly from the speakers as again the family and friends sit in silence. Sometimes it might be the beach boys, sometimes; it’s the Doobie Brothers, Sometimes its Billy Joel and his piano. It is always a very relaxing setting after a great BBQ and a day full of work. Story swapping that, no matter how many times before you may have heard it; the story is just as amusing as it was the first time that you heard it. It’s never long enough it seems as the hours and the time seem to slip away. Escaping with those around you for a good couple of hours before reality comes back and reminds everyone that those duties we tend to every day will be back again tomorrow. I always get a little bit depressed and sad when these kinds of things have to come to an end, but I always look forward to the next night we get to spend together. Whether it’s in a yard or out camping under the stars and admiring those summer nights and memories being made are always unbeatable.
     The winter, well the winter can be just as good as the summer. Granted, the conditions are a little blustier, a little colder, and you aren’t able to do as much. But, in the same instance it’s almost the exact same thing. All you’ve done is taken your fire pit that you have outside and have moved it inside (if you are lucky enough to have an indoor fireplace). Great meals still can be enjoyed with family, choice beverages of the season can be shared, and then of course you have the music to add to the event. I have found though that in the winter months and having house guests something a little easier listening is something I keep nearby. In the summer months it’s wonderful to listen to the oldies music outside enjoying the summer nights as it’s cooling off around you. But with house guests and a little more confined space it’s nice to put a little easier listening music on in the background so you aren’t having to scream out over the Big bopper or other classic singers of yester-year in conversation. The weather outside is also what makes the events. We’ve hosted a few parties with the snow falling outside and it just adds to the atmosphere of whatever is going on around you. The winter is a great time to get together with family and friends as with the holidays and the meaning of the holidays. But, do people feel obligated to spend time with their families as those holidays approach? I’d hope not. My holiday season is a bit more complex and a little bit different as my brother passed a few days before Christmas. The family though I think on both sides has always gone out of our way to spend time with each other more-so during the holiday season but we try to get together more as well with the summer months.
    The stress of the holidays to may put people a little more anxious and stressed than great summer night.
So, I guess after blogging this, it seems that I favor having summer get togethers than I do winter. Maybe it’s because you don’t feel as guilty or like you are committed during the summer because there aren't any major holidays that surround it. The most important thing though is spending time with one another. It seems that these years are going by faster and faster. That with the way the world works right now is that everyone is having to work more, and spend less time with family and friends. Don’t let this overtake you and keep you from your family. They are just as important and just as needed. Spend as much time with them as you possibly can. Because I have found out through the hard way tomorrow is never guaranteed. Please don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. You can find me on Facebook by typing into the search bar, “Author Grayson Michaels”, or you can find me on Twitter at @GraysonMichaels. Don’t forget to leave a comment on which time of season you enjoy more to spend together with family and friends! Have a good day.