I read Silence of the Lambs for the first time and finished it last week. I went on to watch the movie, noted all the differences, disappointments and improvements (like a good writer) and then continued on with my life.
And yet something stuck with me.
Both the movie and book versions–and from this point onward, I won’t differentiate–did something that is incredibly difficult to do.
They created not one, but TWO of the most memorable villains in modern entertainment. (more…)
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on September 18, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/hannibal-lecter-and-buffallo-bill/
This post might anger some writers (especially MFA’s) but I’m going to put it up there anyway. I’ll begin by asking a question: “Don’t you hate it when you can’t tell the difference between the main character of a story and a walking videocamera?”
I know I do.
Let me clarify: I was reading a literary short story the other day that had been published in a well-known literary journal and was now being included in a “Best of” short story anthology (Best American Short Stories, you might as well know). I got so frustrated I almost threw the book across the room and then (like my dog, Duke, who is a bastard) pee’d on it.
“But Richard, why would you pee on Best American Short Stories? It represents the finest American short fiction being published today!”
As my British friend likes to say, “Piss on that. Wankers.” (more…)
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on April 25, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/a-person-and-a-camera/
As a relatively new blogger/self-publisher of novels, I’ve been reading a lot of articles about how to use the millions of social media platforms out there to promote yourself as an author and your books as…well, books. OK, I’m exaggerating when I say “millions” of social media platforms, but doesn’t it feel that way sometimes?
Social media sites have been such a major part of my life (since I started using Facebook in utero…hey, I’m not that old) that I even came up with an idea for a new social media site called ShoutOut where everyone connects to the same chat room, turns on their microphones, and starts shouting out stuff like “boooored,” “we totally support you Kim Kardashian” and “team edward all the way haterzzzzz.” Millions of people just shouting at each other about their innermost thoughts and perspectives on the world *eyes begin to overflow with tears* …someday.
But until I make a billion dollars from selling ShoutOut to Facebook so they can add even more ways to make insecure teenagers feel small, I will have to do what I can to improve my skills, because that’s what really matters. When I say “improve my skills” I mean writing, of course. That’s what I do. I’m a writer. Did you hear that? Let me shout it into my micro…wait, I haven’t invented ShoutOut yet….damn it.
Until I become a super rich social media player, here are some methods I’m going to use to improve my writing so that I can write books that are more good: (more…)
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on April 18, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/howtowritegood/
Image courtesy of eHow.com
If you can write stories that scare children, you’ve got it made. Children love to be scared. This applies, of course, to teenagers and adults. But teenagers and adults love to be scared in a different way; we love to read a book or watch a movie that gives us a thrill, makes us feel safe in the real world for at least a little while. As long as we’re not being chased by a burly man with a chainsaw, or haunted by the ghost of the maid that used to work here, or trapped in a basement by a family of neo-Nazi geneticists who are looking to use you in their experiments to breed a master race (I’m serious!) then everything is OK. (more…)
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on April 17, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/on-scaring-children/
For most creative writers, the most frequent question you’ll hear is: “Where do you get your ideas?” This is especially true of prolific writers who can dash off an article or a blog post, or even a novel, with the rapidity of a Seth Godin or a Stephen King.
People ask this question for two reasons. First, the answer can say a lot of interesting things about the writer being asked. And second, non-writers don’t seem to understand the nature of the writer’s most important tool, and therefore feel compelled to solve the mystery.
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on April 10, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/where-do-writers-get-their-ideas/
Even if you’re not much of a reader or moviegoer, you’ve heard of The Hunger Games. It’s up there with Harry Potter and Twilight as one of the most successful books of the past decade. The movie has been a hit as well, having earned–at a staggering $67.3 million–the highest single day gross for a non-sequel film ever.
That’s $67.3 million in one day, folks. Better than most films do in a year. The film’s opening weekend gross, domestically, was $152.5 million, the third-largest opening weekend of all time after The Dark Knight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part II. Not to mention the book has sold millions of copies and was translated into 26 languages.
Here are what I consider to be the five main reasons for the story’s success. (more…)
Posted by Richard Denoncourt on March 27, 2012
https://selfland.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/the-top-5-reasons-for-the-success-of-the-hunger-games/
Self Land Publishing 