THE MANY FACES OF FICTION

So, FOX's new Wolverine movie will have Mr Sinister. Of course the fanboys are immediately up in arms. Nothing has been revealed about the character - look, motivation, powers, nothing.

I ignored it, until I saw one critic opine that Sinister's use made no sense. "He's a villain for the X-men! You can't hack & slash him." It made me realize, this was the same bias we've seen alienate other films that try to make changes. The only version of Sinister this critic expects is the one published in "616" continuity. But is that valid?

We have of course seen many versions of Nathaniel Essex, from "What IF?" stories through the Ultimate Universe. 616 Sinister himself has had his character built, from the concept of an adult trapped in a child's body (later done by Peter David in Hulk's Agamemnon) to the British geneticist forever linked to En Sabah Nur. (Apocalypse's film change was similarly controversial).

What defines a character, especially in an *original* adaptation?

Is it the physical appearance? Hugh Jackman's tall Wolverine? Tom Cruise's short Jack Reacher?
Is it the personal relationships? Spider-man's 1st love being Gwen Stacy vs Mary Jane Watson?
Is it the personality traits? Nolan's Batman sure wasn't "The World's Greatest Detective".

In a world where many (all?) adaptations are targeted at a brand new audience, should knowledge of the "source material" be a detriment? Only if we let our biases influence us.

Working 9 to 5

So, George R. R. Martin missed his latest book deadline, and the "Game of Thrones" world has been split into 3 factions: detractors, supporters, and those that don't care. I find myself understanding all 3.

Faction A: Those that at most find this amusing, or at the least don't care 

This one should be self-explanatory. We have the TV series. We never committed to the book, or only enough to support our preference (the TV series). No new book? All the better to have the advantage over the elitist bibliophiles.

Faction B: The supporters

Neil Gaiman, (a witer whose work I've only sparingly ingested, and only in comic media), shared a supporting post from 6 years prior. In Gaiman's words: "George R.R. Martin is not your bitch." and "it's unrealistic to think George is 'letting you down' ". Gaiman states "For me, I would rather read a good book, from a contented author. I don't really care what it takes to produce that."

So, I'll quickly state what I agree with: "Martin is not the reader/fan's bitch" and "I'd personally prefer a GOOD book from a 'contented' author. From Gaiman's harangue, those 2 were about it for decent arguments. We should be polite and understanding and know that Martin is human. His only contract is with his editor/publisher. They are the ones that should, hopefully, hold him accountable. Additionally, Gaiman's 6-year old words showcase that Martin has missed deadlines before. The "definition of insanity" (in fact "stupidity") is: doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. We know he can be late. Only the stupid or ignorant would be shocked. So, why the uprorar? Read on.

Faction C: The critics

In my opinion, Gaiman's argument that readers/fans are "unrealistic to feel let down" showcases either: a misunderstanding of the term "let down", or a biased creator's denunciation of the very allegiance they crave. Fans shouldn't be insulting Martin, or otherwise acting uncivil, but disappointment is absolutely warranted.

We have seen delays in "creative work", (e.g. film, music, prose, art) before. Usually the greater the interest in the work, the more vocal the disappointment. This is logical. Marketing, behind-the-scenes information, or merit earned from previously published work, all whet the appetites of fans. You want the fans clamoring for new sustenance. You want them ready to pay for non-refundable work "sight unseen".

There is no financial contract. But, I suggest there is a social responsibility, not unlike fans of underperforming sports teams. Customers may be paying for "just the published work", but you foster the fanaticism with merchandise, derivative work, etc.

As a fan of the comic medium, an industry built on repeat customers craving new work on a regular basis, I know how dissapointing late  (or worse cancelled) work can be.  While the effort required to produce the work influences my level of forgiveness (refusing to support late writers like Kevin Smith, but doing so for late artists like Adi Granov), I feel "let down"each time.

But as I do with my sports team(s) suffering through bad seasons (NINER NATION!!!), fans will shout their displeasure, but come back for more, until their allegiance is stifled.

I could use additional analogies with other industries that enforce timely "creative work", e.g. software engineering, but it's 2 days before my vacation ends, and I don't want to depress myself.

Exposition vs Dialogue

So, instead of writing, I wasted my Sunday watching Jessica Jones on Netflix. No, actually it WASN'T a waste.

I spent the time introducing a friend to the character. Something I never did when the source material Alias was published. The on screen adaptation was a much better product than the comic. But I think the greatest benefit was what *I* learned from the Netflix series.

Unlike (too) many "crime procedurals", the series had a wonderful balance of expository dialogue and natural conversation. Of course, a  visual medium has an easier time *showing instead of telling*, but many creators seem to forget that. Comics, Graphic Novels, Movies and Television often stick us in an observation booth watching characters speak to *US* rather than each other. I don't need you to give me a step by step breakdown if it's not natural. Put in the effort to make the information conversational, exclude it or give me a nice editorial popup/addendum.

Of course, the problem of providing your reader information becomes magnified in the prose medium.What's the best way to describe settings, provide backstory or share informational tidbits? These are some of the questions I'll be asking myself, this weekend, as I do a second pass on many of my earlier scenes, trying to remove POV narration where possible and replace with natural dialogue.

NANOWRIMO

November has been branded National Novel Writing Month by a number of writers. The annual effort involves aiming for a minimum of 50,000 words put on paper for your novel.

Now, I was unaware of this until Nov 2nd, but truly believe the push/goal will serve as much needed motivation. So, I signed up. Turns out 50 hour work weeks don't become more seldom just because you need spare time. Still, I'm not planning to sacrifice quality for speed. I've found myself going over the first few pages of chapter one.

My philosophy is pretty simple: "there is writing, there is creative writing and there is good creative writing." My goal therefore is better quality than Brian Bendis' "hack-writing" in Uncanny X-men #600. Ideas are great. But it takes effort (as well as skill) to execute an idea. The less skill you have, the more effort it requires. "Hack writing" is exemplified by rushed low-quality work done to fulfill "quantity over quality".

Writing, the final act of putting words on paper, takes a lot of effort. There will be corrections, and expansions and edits. But, the most important precursor is the effort put into the creative ideas. Fleshing out characters, create plots, expanding plots, doing research, etc. etc.

So, I'll continue to ensure that my "creative ideas" don't suffer from "rushed low-quality writing".

So, I've extrapolated my idea into a full-fledged story concept. Of course, this novella will be a "prequel" of sorts, since most of my previous writing is set years after this.

I have named my protagonists, antagonist and story. This weekend will see a deep dive into the characters; adding depth with backstory, traits etc.

I do find myself emboldened with my naming strategy. Turns out Greg Rucka, (a writer I admire), used a similar tact with his recently published comic series. "Great minds..and all that jazz".

So, "House of Cards" is officially underway

THE QUIRITE OATH

To Runci To Cetushi

They say ‘tis a curse

To live this long

But for frail and weak

We right all wrong

To Runci To Midini

‘Pon Ebon wings of wrath

Judgment falls like lightning

Evil shall know fear

Be it borne by peasant or King

MARVEL MILLENNIUM PART II

Found the original  synopsis for the alternate universe I envisioned 15 years ago. Marvel actually published some similar ideas, years later.

Our timeline breaks from marvel continuity after Bishop and prof X return to Earth.
Senator Kelly has won the presidency. He's instituted the Mutant Registration act but it's a lot like a gun license.
Info received is supposed to be confidential. He's also instituted Mutant Affirmative Action, concentrating on mutants who are obviuosly (physically mutants). Prof. X has established a spinoff of his Xavier Institue. It's located in Jamaica, The (Foundation for Instruction and Registration of Mutants - F.I.R.M.)
Wolvie, Storm, Forge , and Bishop all head to JA to be in charge.