Mads Mikkelsen (the doctor) and Alicia Vikander (the queen).

Picture this: You are madly in love. It’s mutual. Together, you’re not only having fun – you’re realizing your dreams and you’re making the world a better place.

Then she gets pregnant.

Well, normally it’s great news. And his first reaction is a genuine smile. She’s really upset. Then reality sets in: She’s the QUEEN. Her husband, who she is NOT sleeping with, is the KING. And it is the 18th century.

What do you do? Run away together?

As a romantic, that’d be my vote. Even for the 18th century. It’s not like he can’t take care of them. He’s a doctor (Mads Mikkelsen).

But how does one exactly run away from servants, army, the nosiest step mother-in-law, and all the conservative council members who hate their humane ideas?

So she does the inevitable. She hates it. He hates it. But she does it.

And at least the baby is born, and she is healthy.

Pretty much the last happy moment in the film…

But then what?

Yes, eventually they get caught.

*** (I’ve not given anything that hasn’t been shown in the trailer yet, but read on at your own peril. I’ll give away the ending.)

But the tragicomic thing? They don’t get in that much trouble because of the baby.  The others just use the baby to make sure the unstable king is persuaded to get rid of the doctor and the queen.

People are so obsessed with power and money. Then there’re the hilariously misinterpreted religious beliefs (“let’s not give the king’s son a vaccination- he’s royal so he’s immune by God’s doing”)…

They could have made it, but eventually, it comes down to friends selling out friends for money or to save their own butts.

The story doesn’t have a happy ending. The queen is sent to exile, the good doctor to execution.

The funny thing? The whole affair is the king’s fault. Yes, I’m serious. For one, he treats her absolutely horribly. He sleeps around with hookers, calls her a boring cow, sends away her best friend/maid…. Oh, and he is generally mental.

The doctor is brought in to restore some sanity and common sense in the king, and it starts to work. But then the king does something mad again. He tells the doctor to make the queen fun.

Seriously.

Sure. Go ahead. Tell your hot, older, wiser, sane, free-spirited and forward-thinking doctor to spend time with the young, beautiful, neglected, free-spirited queen.

I told you it was the king’s fault.

I wish they had taken the risk, and run away. They just didn’t envision the good they did coming back to bite them in the a**.

But all is not lost. Thankfully, her children (the first one is from a horrible one and only night with the king) receive her letters when they grow up, persuade their dad and make sure they grow up in a better country.

Oh, yes, the king was upset his friend was executed. He had no idea that was going to happen. Yes, he was crazy.

*

So, how is that for a story conflict?

Of course the conflicts start before this.  And they keep coming after. But it is one of the most frustrating, heart-breaking and challenging conflicts I have seen. And it is based on a true story.

From a writer’s, and movie-lover’s perspective, the whole story/movie is gold.

From a romantic’s perspective, it is a nightmare until the affair. The relationship between the doctor and queen, even before the affair, is amazing. It’s a nightmare again when she becomes pregnant.

Yes, the movie is absolutely recommended. I’m still disappointed it didn’t get the Oscar for Best Foreign Film this year.

*

What would you do in a situation like that?

Don’t forget – 1700s, it is an affair, you are the queen or the doctor.  There are no easy ways out.

If it were your story, how would it end?

Image via pictures88.com

Whether it is the current assignment, your new post, the kids or something else calling, there comes a time when we need to pull ourselves out of the bed, wash up and get ready for a hopefully fun battle that is a writer’s day.

It’s much harder to just respond to logic (“I need so much to do, and I can’t just wait for everything to be perfect to start my day!”) after a bad night’s sleep, when you have a cold or the weather is as bleak as in a post-apocalyptic movie.

It’s even harder if your body loves and/or needs a lot of sleep. Here’s all the weaponry I arm myself with to drag myself to my writing desk and chair: (Because I can’t be happier once I start writing away.)

Make sure you’ve slept enough!

Image via fantasy-fiction.com.

I envy the lucky souls who only need 5-6 of sleep to start the day with full energy and working brain cells. I however belong to the majority that needs 7-9 hours.

Hell, I need much closer to 9. Whatever your magic number is, make sure you get your fill. Because even though you exercise and eat healthily to make up for the lack of sleep, tiredness and lack of productivity will creep up on you no matter how many cups of coffee you drown, and we both know losing count of how much caffeine you take is only good for sitcom characters.

    Choose a Kick-ass Alarm Song

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, rocking the night away. Image via 8tracks.com.

Sometimes an early meeting, a late night out with friends or just some appreciated after-midnight inspiration doesn’t allow you to wake up all energized. You need some motivational intervention to kick your body and soul into motion

And even if you wake up all energized, extra vigor and flare never hurt anyone.  Now, I hate the typical beeping sound. So I set my alarm clock (aka my cell phone) to play a rocking tune (currently it’s Where the River Flows by Collective Soul) to let me know morning has arrived.

If you need any suggestions (these songs also are great for picking up pace for your stories, finding motivation, typing faster and boosting up your confidence before you send that pitch.):

Roxette- Dressed for Success - She’s Got the Look

Bon Jovi – Everyday

Soundgarden – Original Fire

Exercise

Ideally for 30 minutes, to equally vitalizing music. I prefer dancing, aerobics or a combination of both. Don’t forget to stretch before and after.

Even when you don’t have time, pick some good basics and do them anyway. 5-10 minutes is better than nothing.

Shower  

Save the foamy, relaxing bath for later. Now you just want to feel fresh and awake.

Have a Healthy Breakfast

That, under no circumstances and in no universe, means black coffee on empty stomach! A whole-grain toast with some healthy cheese beats a bowl of cornflakes. Add some healthy yoghurt, some freshly squeezed juice to the mix if you can and you are good to go.

Yes, your nutritionist will know better. You know your body better than me too. But we both now a candy bar is not what you need. (Yes, I love those too. Life is just not fair.)

Make Sure Your Desk Beckons You

It’s your working environment, so how much you organize (if at all) and how you decorate is up to you. Take 5-10 minutes to create your ideal space, but don’t use it as a reason to procrastinate.

Type the Words Away

You made it! Happy Writing.

*

This is my favorite ritual, and things go a lot for better for my spirits (and writing) if I stick to it. Of course this is for a typical morning. If the weather is too hot to bear, this is the post you should check out: Productivity for Writers: Tips to Increase Your Productivity During Hot Weather

Whether you call it a to-do list, experimental phase, career-management strategy, a bucket list or just don’t name it at all, we have a lot of stuff we want to do in most areas of our lives. But hey, being writers, the writing-related list is usually the longest, most imaginative and inspiring.

Dana Sitar of DIY Writing (yep, the name tells you a lot,) starts her book by pointing out the fact that when writers decide to be writers, they usually dream about that great American novel. Or the best-selling novel. Or the hit literary novel that makes hit literary novel not seem like an oxymoron.

Now, she was one of the writers who set out to become a big novel writer.

I guess for to-be-writers who are movie fans, it is also common to dream of being a successful Hollywood screenwriter. I was, and am, such a writer.

That’s not to say I didn’t try or enjoy other forms of writing. I loved writing essays in school, even during exams. I tried my hand at playwriting and a short story. In college, I wrote academic articles and a thesis. And to the shock of all my friends, I had chosen the courses specifically because I’d have to write those.

But funnily enough, the thought that I’d love non-fiction articles didn’t occur to me until I started blogging in 2009. I didn’t know I could write a complete novel before I finished my first draft earlier this year. Oh, I’m still writing screenplays.

My own writing journey is the reason why I liked Dana’s book so much. She also found herself trying and loving different forms of the craft- so much so that her novel isn’t still quite finished.

She also shows that you don’t need to limit yourself to one genre or format. You don’t need labels or strict categories. Whatever you like writing, you can do it – be it a hobby or an income stream. And those hobbies and/or income streams don’t have to be in one niche.

Oh, I can relate alright.  I get a kick out of learning, reading and writing about business, advertising, career management, human resources management, psychology, freelancing, writing, blogging, career management, lifestyle design, entertainment and relationships. I love novels and non-fiction books. Oh, how I’d love to see my stories made into film…

So I dived into her fun bucket list – a diverse list of writing and not-so-writing related things any writer should do to find her calling(s), start/manage her career, find more awesome story material, meet other writers, find readers and have a lot more fun in life in general.

The categories are Creative Growth, Inspiration, Career, Education, Building a Network and Life Experience.

I read the whole thing in one sitting, and counted how many of the things I could cross off my list. My number is 46, and they were mostly done before reading Dana’s e-book. My 46 includes meeting other writers online, applying to college, getting paid for my writing, writing stories/articles my family wouldn’t approve, writing a novel, writing a screenplay, entering a contest, learning a second language, drawing, learning an instrument among many others.

But there’s also a lot on the list I’ll be working towards: such as contacting agents and getting my books published, contacting a famous person, working closely with a mentor, winning a contest, doing weird stuff for a year…

There’re a great deal of goal-setting books out there. Same goes for inspiration, career management, networking and writing life in general…However, I don’t think there’s another one that compactly features everything in such a fun and honest manner.

I recommend reading the book, saving it and coming back to it on a regular basis to see what more you have crossed off your list, and what more you’d like to do. It also won’t hurt to add your own ideas. I know I have.

You can read about Dana and her mission in the book and on her website, DIY Writing. A Writer’s Bucket List is her free gift to her subscribers.

Image via farrahpenn.com.

Music has always been such an integral part of my life. People who are more exposed to music than me are probably musicians. Hell, if I hadn’t been tone-deaf, there’d be no stopping me from hitting the stage with my own band and rocking until the early hours of the day. Not that I’d stop writing. I’d be a writer/musician.

But luckily you don’t need to have talent to enjoy and utilize music to suit your moods. You can even use music to adjust your moods.

How many times have you listened to a sad song in a sad mood because you wanted something you could relate to?

I can also easily find a song to transform my emotions anyway that I like.  For instance, if it is winter, and I need to be writing a sunny beach scene in Hawaii, I take advantage of chirpy and fast songs to help me get there. Sure, imagination works. But why not make the transition smoother, faster and definitely more fun?

Writing along to an upbeat song can help with your mood, as well as your writing speed. As much as I like a good REM song, a Motörhead number (Ace of Spades, to be specific) will make me think and type faster 90% of the time.

That said, I would definitely not be listening to Motörhead, Mötley Crüe or Guns’N’ Roses if I had a headache. Not because the songs are hard or fast, but because the voices of the singers…well, are not the softest. They might blend in nicely with catchy electric guitar solos, but they don’t offer relaxation. Not to me, anyway.

Below are suggestions for songs, singers and bands for causing, avoiding or accelerating certain feelings and moods (as well as helping with writing certain settings):

(Of course keep in mind that I’m primarily a rock fan so that the choices won’t surprise you a lot.)

For:

A hard-rock club scene/ head-banging people at concerts/just writing damn fast: Ace of Spades-Motörhead, Fuel-Metallica, Kickstart My Heart-Motley Crue. Just for starters.

80s-90s/fitness/partying through rock’n’roll/feeling energetic/typing fast: Pretty much all the fast numbers of glam metal/glam rock bands (or the glam rock periods of classic rock/hard rock bands) such as Warrant, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Mr. Big.

Romance: Pretty much all slower songs of the bands mentioned above. And Bryan Adams.

Ultimate relaxation, peace and passion without exhaustion: REM (stay clear of songs like Lotus, though unless you prefer electric/computerized sounds over the softness of guitar), The Corrs, any slow Bryan Adams (he has more energizing rock numbers than people give him credit for), most unplugged albums of artists you like, Road Trippin’-Red Hot Chilli Peppers, anything Elvis Presley

For modern times: Matchbox 20 , Goo Goo Dolls

Fast, angry, slow, frustrated, depressed, happy, confused, excited…Whatever feeling you are after, or any combination of these feelings, they can provide the songs for you.

Anger, frustration and rebellion: Metallica, Offspring, Greenday

 One cure-for-all: Bon Jovi

It’s a shame that people are either crazy about ballads like Always or the 2000 hit It’s my life and deem the band a too-popular-to-be-cool pop-rock band when they have so much more to offer. Not counting the first two albums (Bon Jovi, Fahrenheit 4800) that would fit perfectly in the over the top soundtracks of most 80s films, and if you really don’t want to get into the 80s happy-go-lucky parties and big hair periods (though there are some great classics in their 3^rd and 4^th albums),  just start with Keep the Faith (1992). It’s modern rock before modern rock bands started popping around. The themes are more diverse and lyrics are funnier. It’s a good combination of awesome party fun and soul-searching. The sound is just different, in a very good way.

Then there’s These Days, a dark rock album closer to hard rock than pop rock. Survival, faith, love, sex, betrayal, drugs, depression…You name it. It’s there.

I can go on for a while, with them being my favorite band and all. But they do have the ultimate combination: great vocals, diverse and great lyrics and good music.

Give me a theme or a situation, and I can probably find a song from them. Also given that the singer’s voice improved considerably since the early 90s, there’s no mood they can’t put me in or get me out of. They write stories, not just situations.

Oh, they are also the right choice when you want someone singing that you’ll make your dreams come true. They sing that theme really often and really well.

*

MY FAVORITE HEADACHE-KILLER VOCALS – SONGS-BANDS

(These can kill headaches faster than Advil)…

Any Crowded House song

Blind Faith by Warrant

Bon Jovi (try acoustic or non-pop rock ballads)

Bryan Adams – any slow number

Red Hot Chilli Peppers- Road Trippin’

 *

I have more of course, but these are my basics. Who do you listen to when you write? And why?

Sorry about the absence.

I’m publishing my new post very soon, and until then you might want to head over to Sarah Russell’s Write Your Revolution blog to read my article 9 Simple Ways Writers Can Find Paying Web Markets. The article lists how to create your own ever-growing list of web markets in any niche since when it comes to web markets, we don’t have a definite resource.

My cold struck back, but I also did some great research, found and pitched cool ideas and I’m formatting a screenplay.

And hopefully this month will be the month when I’ll turn bulk-writing a habit. I’m good at taking notes and brainstorming in bulk when ideas hit from north and south, but maybe because I’m good at with the brainstorming, I end up writing one post at a time.

Do you occasionally take posting breaks without wanting to?

There are more than 6 of course, but today I’m tackling these 6 popular ones.

-          Write about what you know

Not everything you know might be fun or lucrative to write about, but I bet some of your vast knowledge is fun, lucrative or both.

Writing about movies, TV shows and music is incredibly entertaining for me. In addition to running an entertaining blog, I got my first assignments on these subjects too.

Then there is the fact that your internal entertainment trivia database can help in finding many fun references and making your points come across in a more remarkable way. Copyblogger does it. Carol Tice does it. It works, and it comes and flows naturally.

It also fits my category Fictional Writers where I cover writers from movies and TV shows. You might want to start with my latest in that category: The Following: When Both The Protagonist and Antagonist Are Writers.

Other areas where I wrote what I knew and sold articles include traveling, business, freelancing, writing and social media.

-          You don’t have to be an expert to write about a topic.

OK, I’d not have minded having his talent. But what are you gonna do…Slash image via fanpop.com.

You just have to know better than the audience you are targeting. Just like you don’t have to play the guitar like Slash to be able to teach a beginner, you don’t need to be light years ahead from the readers of the market you are targeting.

If this weren’t so, our publishing possibilities and writing income would shrink considerably.

That being said, I wouldn’t mind being an expert writer who could write a bestselling book on my expertise area. There is a reason so many books written by professionals turn out to be great reads. Nope, not all of them are ghost written.

-          Write what you don’t know.

Time comes when the alternative gets so popular that it feels weird to call it alternative.  Raise your hand if you think Radiohead no longer belongs to the alternative rock bands category.

Just like its counterpart, this is a practical and lucrative tip. Especially if these new areas you’re discovering have anything to do with finance and technology.

You know how to research. You can educate yourself about new areas and end up finding a lot of “what you know” and hopefully “what you love” in the process. My new obsession ares are microexpressions in psychology and neuropsychiatry.

-          Write about what you love

I quit my full-time job because a)it wasn’t related to writing b)I hated it.

Now, while I am absolutely addicted to writing, I have no interest in writing about things that I don’t care about, or at least find interesting.

This blog is based on this idea. Writing only about what you love (granted it also depends on which areas you love) might take a longer time when bringing home the big bucks. So you have been warned.

But I found the perfect balance by supporting my writing income with part time teaching. Teaching helps me with being more social (as opposed to the solitariness of writing) and prevents me from taking jobs that don’t excite me. Win-win. Oh, and it also worked as an article idea.

-          Make yourself familiar with the publication

In other words, research the publication like mad. While it won’t guarantee being published, it is one of your strongest weapons to increase the odds in your favor. Team it up with a great idea, an exciting query and you are good to go.

-          Everyone gets rejected.

You’ll get rejected. It sucks, but after a little practice (and some published articles/stories), you’ll learn to shake it off (in a shorter time).

Sure, there might be a writer out there who never gets rejected. But then it is possibly a writer who is not really working. At least not for others.

Even if you’ve eliminated the query process and ensured that clients come and find you, there is a chance not all your ideas won’t knock your clients’ socks off. Statistically speaking.

So yes. I know you heard it before. It’s not personal, and it can be due to a variety of reasons. It is however almost never about your writing skills. It might be about the idea, or how you structured that particular article.

If there is constructive feedback, take it, thank for it, revise and re-slant for another. Yes, there are other reasons but usually the fix is the same: get to the source of the problem (if it is writing skills, that can be improved too), take care of it and don’t let the idea go to waste.

Most ideas can be salvaged through brainstorming, improving and recycling.

*

So what cliché writing tips work for you? Do you have any favorites?

Script Magazine, E-mail Newsletter

The Sixth Sense movie poster via wikipedia.

How important is the ending of a novel or a movie to you? Are all the works you enjoyed great from the beginning to the end?

Or have there been stories that had you from the first page only to disappoint you with the ending?

What about stories that you found merely mediocre but had to applaud the ending?

Let’s take these three groups of stories:

*The thrilling story with an unexpected, sad ending

I’m a huge John Grisham fan. I love all his legal thrillers, and I’ll consider myself so lucky if I can write such page-turners one day.

But one of favorite my John Grisham books has a bittersweet ending that I didn’t see coming. After all the brilliant things the protagonist pulled, it caught me by surprise that Grisham hadn’t given his hero a romantically happy ending.

While no one would expect cheesy or boring or happily ever after from his genre, the hint that the hero wasn’t let down romantically in the end would be just fine.

Because while he wasn’t the nicest guy on the planet, he was by far the most likeable character in the book, and I was rooting for him. No, a partially sad ending didn’t lessen my admiration for the book. But I couldn’t help wonder why Grisham wanted the hero have an ending like that.

P.S. If you are guessing or wondering which book, just ask me on Facebook.

*The thrilling story with a worthy ending

In the wonderfully exciting world of grey characters, you don’t exactly wish for a happy ending. You do want a satisfactory ending, though your definition of a satisfactory ending changes as the story progresses to reveal the protagonist to be less than a model citizen.

Gerard Butler/Maria Bello/Pierce Brosnan movie Butterfly on a Wheel is such a story for me. The kidnapper (Pierce Brosnan) “kidnaps” the parents (Gerard Butler and Mario Bello) while he has their daughter taken hostage somewhere. They either do whatever he wants, or the little girl dies. But what do you do when his requests turn out to include destroying their life savings, blackmail, career sabotage and murder?

Image via moviegoods.com.

It may not have the effect on everyone, but I love a movie where the seemingly sociopathic villain turns out to be a victim of circumstances and the so-called hero is a selfish jerk. Oh, and the ending…whether you see it coming or not, it is so much more than Gerard Butler managing to save his and his family or not.

But my favorite great concept-great story-great ending combination has to be The Life of David Gale with Kevin Spacey.

*The not-so-engaging story with a brilliant ending

(Warning: From this point on, I’ll include major spoilers for the movies The Sixth Sense, The Others & Passengers, so please proceed at your own risk. )

Maybe it was because I saw it on DVD on my friend’s PC, but I just didn’t like The Sixth Sense (1999). It wasn’t thrilling, surprising or interesting. It was a bit spooky at times, but I just didn’t see what the fuss was about…until the end came and I had to applaud the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan for his creativity.

But my love for the ending doesn’t change the fact that as a whole, I wasn’t impressed and I don’t want to see the movie again.

And the brilliant ending gave birth to:

*The once-great-now-disappointing ending

Surprise me once, congrats. Surprise me twice, fine. Pull the same trick for the third time, and lose your audience.

How many movies have you seen that are like Christopher Nolan’s Memento? And by like Memento, I mean movies that tell the story backwards, starting with the end and ending with the first scene. If I have seen similar movies, they certainly haven’t made an impression. Oh, I love Memento, by the way.

Of course another good movie using similar storytelling chronology is possible and welcome. But it just wouldn’t be as remarkable if that story ended (well, in this case, began) like Memento. Would it?

Image via beyondhollywood.com.

Now, I actually liked The Others (2001). Maybe it was because I created a suitable atmosphere: I watched it on a big screen TV with a friend at night, with lights off and while there was no one else at home. Any outside sound made us jump, and it didn’t let the slow pace of the movie affect us in a negative way.

When the ending came…Let’s say that it wasn’t a huge letdown, but it didn’t make us appreciate the movie further. Still, with the endings in mind, I prefer The Others. But I’m done with that kind of ending.

Image via moviepostershop.com

Then came Passengers (2008). Passengers wasn’t a thriller/horror film but a romantic mystery/drama and I enjoyed the psychological aspect of it as it told the story of plane crash survivors who try to deal with the trauma. It wasn’t ground-breaking, but it was good. Fun. Emotional. Until the moment when we learned about what really happened to the survivors. Yep, they were dead all along.

Unsurprisingly, The Sixth Sense has the highest revenue, most critical acclaim and the highest rating by movie-goers. The Others is also highly-regarded and turned in profit. Passengers didn’t make a profit, and isn’t appreciated much.

*

Can a bad, or a recycled ending take away from the experience as a whole? Absolutely. It can even make you wish you hadn’t watched/read that thing.

But can a great ending make up for 100 minutes that failed to engage you? No, not really.

Of course a great story is a story that hooks you from number 1 and never lets you go. A greater story is a story that doesn’t let you go even after it ends.  The ending is one of the most crucial parts of the story. It can break it, but I’d not go as far as to say it can make a story. And the Script article covering endings unsurprisingly covers a movie that is liked from start to finish: Rocky.

What are your favorite endings?

What endings disappointed you the most?

How important is the ending to you?

Return to Paradise starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche and Joaquin Phoenix. Image via moviepostershop.com

Would you agree to spend 3 to 6 years in a Malaysian prison to save your friend’s life, who has been serving his sentence there? He will be hanged if you don’t.

You want to say yes. You should say yes. It’s partially your fault that he’s there. But here’s another problem: He’s losing his sanity. He is horribly treated.

But if he’s that far gone, the same thing could happen to you. Is it worth it?

Don’t write me off as inhumane, or insensitive. I’m merely being honest while conveying the opinions of the friends who are in this dilemma.

Return to Paradise Story:

MAJOR CONFLICT 1: Sacrifice 3-6 years of your life to save your friend’s

3 friends, Sheriff (Vince Vaughn), Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix) and Tony (David Conrad) vacation in Malaysia and have a great time, not without the help of some weed. Later Tony and Sheriff return home while Lewis stays for a bit longer.

A couple of years later, Sheriff and Tony are contacted by Beth (Anne Heche), Lewis’ lawyer, and given some tragic news: Lewis has been locked up in prison there, having been caught with enough weed to be considered drug trafficking. He was sentenced to be hanged; having to serve the sentence for all three of them. There’s, however, a deal on the table:

If Beth can return to Malaysia with Lewis or Sheriff, her client will live, and eventually gain his freedom. The other will serve 6 years in the same prison.

If Beth returns with both of them, each will serve 3 years and will have saved their friends’ life.

And while they want to do the noble thing, leaving a semi-comfortable life for a bleak future they know is already destroying Lewis – a future they might very well not survive keeps them question their decision, sense of morality and friendship.

Granted, the first conflict is what attracted me to watch Return to Paradise. I stayed to see how the dilemma would pan out. I also liked being conflicted within myself, asking myself what I would do. Sure, you can try to dismiss the idea by rightly thinking you’d smart enough not to smoke weed in a foreign country where it is illegal and the punishment is severe.

But what if you did? Or you didn’t do anything illegal, but your friend got wrongly convicted. What if the deal remained the same? What would you do then? Still, it’s your sanity, your life at stake. But then again…could you live with yourself if you let your friend be killed?

Supporting Conflict: Can you leave your life, future and fiancée behind?

Now it is unfair to think that just because Sheriff is single and drives a limo for a living with no further career aspirations, it should be easier for him to do the right thing.

But on the other hand, you have Tony’s fiancée (Vera Farmiga), who has no fault or whatsoever to be in this situation. She doesn’t want her fiancé to leave, his life or her. And while she often comes off bitchy, you can hardly blame her. She hasn’t even met Lewis. It’s easier for her to be selfish.

But then again, what makes her future marriage more valuable than Lewis’ life? What makes Tony’s life more valuable than Lewis’? In hindsight, getting over your guy should be relatively easier than not preventing a person’s death.

MAJOR Conflict 2: Getting involved with one of the guys she has to get to prison

If there is anything that could make the situation even more complicated, and the first conflict even stronger, is falling for Sheriff. And unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view,) Sheriff falls for her too.

Doing the right thing seems even more important. He wants to prove to others that he’s a bigger person than they believe. He wants her to believe that he is not some shallow, aimless guy. He also needs to believe, for himself, that saving his friend is more important than him going through his life without a purpose.

*

From this point on, I’ll be showering you with spoilers, so you might want to see the movie first. I’ve seen it a couple of times, and its power on me doesn’t subside.

Major Conflict 3:  Beth’s relationship with Lewis

Seeing Lewis’, and the prison’s conditions are enough to cause Tony to have second thoughts. But the turning point comes when Beth lets it slip that Lewis is not just her client. He’s her younger brother.

Both Tony and Sheriff set out to leave, but Sheriff decides to stay.

Complicated Ending:

Beth is relieved that Sheriff stayed, but is shocked when the Malaysian court breaks the deal due to the story a hungry reporter published-Lewis is to be hanged, and the sentence of Sheriff is to be decided.

Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche in one of the final scenes. Image via dreamagic.com.

Now Beth has to fight for Sheriff, who stayed for her. Because of her. They stay together, but we don’t see whether she was ever able to gain his freedom…

*

Return to Paradise isn’t without its flaws. It could have taken a bit longer to develop the relationship between Sheriff and Beth.

But overall, it is one of my favorite stories to portray morality, friendship, love, guilt and the struggle to do the right thing (no matter how difficult that might be.)

It also contains highly powerful conflicts that keep you questioning your own capacity to do what’s right and your tendency to do what won’t make you suffer.

Would you go back to save your friend? Could you really trust a government to hold to their end without any written agreement? Hell, could you trust them with a written agreement? Would you risk it in the name of friendship and love?

I’d like to think that I’d, but things are never as simple as deciding your hypothetical fate in front of a movie.

Kevin Bacon: What was your favorite Kevin Bacon performance?

Will (Eric McCormack): I loved you in Footloose.

Kevin (happy/surprised): You saw that?

Will & Grace, Season 5, Episode 2

Image via guardian.co.uk.

Humor is relative. What makes me laugh won’t necessarily make you laugh, and vice versa. It’s why hardcore fans of How I Met Your Mother may not enjoy Friends just as much, and hardcore Friends fans may not be crazy about How I Met Your Mother. I belong to the latter group, for example.

While ratings hit The Big Bang Theory can put a smile on my face, it never cracks me up-which is what I expect from a sitcom. So if it is on during dinner and nothing else is on, I don’t mind watching it. But if I want to laugh, I’d rather watch any episode of Married with Children (8^th season excluded) or Coupling (4^th season excluded) again rather than watching a new one from Community or Rules of Engagement.

There is not one type of successful sense of humor, and various hit comedies of highly different style and story lines are testimonials to that.

Why Making Yourself Laugh Matters

The good news? Whatever successful comedy you love watching or reading, there’s a big audience who shares a similar sense of humor. And if you can genuinely make yourself laugh with your material, there’s a chance you can make a lot of others laugh too.

Now, I say successful comedy, because you want agents/publishers/producers/networks to like your script/story/book, but you also need your work to be enjoyed and bought. So it is better to analyze a show with at least a modest record of ratings, or a book that has reached a certain sales level.

Of course you might be targeting a very specific group and you might be vehemently against anything that is considered mainstream. While that probably means you don’t share my kind of humor (which I’ll mention in more detail), you can still take something away from this post: the need to analyze your favorite works, finding their similarities and differences. And that’s a good starting point. I’m not saying you should limit yourself to formulas, but as expert writers in any area often point out, reinventing the wheel is a lot harder and riskier than copying a model that has been repeatedly successful. So this is what this series will cover.

Poking Fun at Oneself Unashamedly

This works best if/when you know the person/situation and you already find it funny or interesting. It also helps if you have thought about it yourself.

Now, if the material and its makers might do a very good job of portraying things so that you laugh or are at least entertained with no previous knowledge/thought about it. But I almost always find it that the person who’s familiar does laugh more.

Some of my favorite self-directed humor examples are below.

1)      SNL featuring Gerard Butler, Jon Bon Jovi & Dermot Mulroney

I realized that the humor of writers of Saturday Night Live is most often lost on me if they are tackling things that are not my cup of tea or situations I’m not interested and/or don’t know about.

But some SNL stints have taken perfectly good facts, added some twisted humor and had the celebrity spoof himself. Those are the ones that appeal to me, crack me up, get me to record and rewatch.

-          Gerard Butler, 300, Gay Men and SNL

Gerard Butler’s SNL Leonidas is trying to convince his soldiers to delay “coming out” until the war is over. It’s not like any of them is gay, right? Truth? None of them are straight!! : )

Gerard Butler is one talented Scotsman. He is diverse, and has proven himself in many genres. Yes, people won’t be comparing him to Marlon Brando or Gary Oldman any time soon, but it takes guts, talent and hard work to pull off action, indie dramas, a powerful shot, several accents, an opera, thriller, comedy, romantic comedy and epic.

Butler is one of my favorite actors & entertainers because he picks scripts that draw me to them. The list of Butler movies that I didn’t care about (e.g. 300, The Phantom of the Opera, Beuwolf and Grendel), is a lot shorter than the ones I liked.

His interviews are also a lot of fun because he’s a good story-teller and doesn’t mind making fun of himself.  So that’s one of the reasons his SNL hosting and stints work: it is not just the writers. It’s the guy.

SNL writers+ Butler’s skills+ his CV+ nationality=hilarity

Sure, some stints weren’t that funny, but I dare you to watch his 300, Braveheart, Scottish-American translated news and opening act and not to laugh out loud at least a couple of times.

He opens by categorizing his movies into 2: action films where he takes his shirt off (e.g. Lara Croft, 300) and sensitive dramas where he keeps his shirt on (i.e. The Phantom of the Opera). Sure, it is generalized and exaggerated, but that’s the fun of it. Ninjas and Romans and Vikings attack him while he fights them off and sings opera at the same time.

Leonidas: 40% of Sparta considers homosexuality an illness.

A soldier: 40% of Sparta doesn’t believe you were born in Greece!

Leonidas: (takes out a big stone tablet that his name is carved on) I have a birth certificate!!

300 Spoof, SNL

In  the 300 spoof all the actors have worn metal muscle-shaped plates so that they can fake the 300 bodies. And all the soldiers are gay, as opposed to the 300’s heterosexual men who call Persians boy-lovers. Of course it’s not just 300 being spoofed…

The translation. His Scottish accent is clear, but you need to see Seth Meyers translating while Butler speaks with a very heavy accent that “forces” Meyers to add creativity and interpretation to his translation.

 And last but not least, the Braveheart number. Now, Braveheart is my favorite movie. Ever. But the way it is spoofed gave me stomach cramps.Gerard Butler may not be spoofing himself, but he is spoofing a hit movie that tells a piece of Scottish history and Butler being Scottish, and having starred in some epic flicks himself, I couldn’t not mention it.

If you have seen Braveheart, you might remember William Wallace’s (Mel Gibson) incredibly inspiring speech that turned unwilling peasants into the most motivated soldiers. But when you create a brother who’s afraid of his shadow, and have him try to persuade very willing soldiers to run, you form the basis of some very funny moments;especially if the soldiers are the ones refuting the brother’s suggestions with Wallace’s lines:

SOLDIER: How can we surrender? The English deflower our virgin brides on their wedding nights!

DAVE (Gerard Butler): Well, first of all none of your wives were virgins on their wedding nights. There are six girls in our village and like a hundred guys…So no one is a virgin.

-          Jon Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi and Rocknroll vs. Acting

 Jon Bon Jovi is the front man of the rock band Bon Jovi-which has lead to confusion among non-fans ever since the band was formed. It has also lead a lot of people to think that Jon Bon Jovi is an egoistic jack***.

Then there is his acting credits that have impressed critics but not the box office. And of course the fans are divided into two groups 1) that will follow Jon’s work even if it’s not about music 2) that are adamant singers should stick to singing.

And then there’s the famous song lyrics, hair and fashion of the 80s, and Jon Bon Jovi not having aged badly.

So you start with a pre-credits stint where Amy Poehler is an unhappy teenager in 1986, and Jon on a poster of Slippery When Wet (the band’s 3rd album). When Amy poisons herself with too much hairspray, she hallucinates Jon, who gives her information about the future: musicians hosting SNL (that shocks her), Bon Jovi maintaining fame and success for decades, and Jon looking different only hair-wise.

Jon Bon Jovi from 1986 is motivating the Amy Poehler from 1986. Courtesy of too much hairspray.

There’s the opening act where Jon informs the audience that he won’t be singing,resulting in several audience members (SNL actors) leaving. Who wants to see Jon act, right? Also rebelling is the band’s guitarist Richie Sambora who complains Jon not allowing the band to promote their album by not letting them perform for SNL.

Then there’s the Italian presenter who have taken Bon Jovi lyrics way too literally, resulting in an actual steel horse coming to the studio and Bon Jovi being the face of the cigarette brand “blaze of glory”.

And my absolute favorite where Jon and his band (SNL actors) are deciding on the band’s name and Jon drives everyone with his “Bon Jovi” idea, and him being the face of the group. In reality, Bon Jovi is the name suggested by a producer and the band agreed to that. And yes, there have been problems with Richie Sambora about him feeling like the second most important member even though he co-writes the songs, and this has resulted in the stint even the band members not knowing the name of the fifth member (Alec Jon Such who later left the band.)

-          Dermot Mulroney vs. Dylan McDermott

A gameshow host presents 3 contestants with a tremendous challenge: look at the pictures of Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney and deciding which one is which. It doesn’t have their movie names/roles have similarities.

Now while I can separate them very easily, having enjoyed several works of both, they do have some similarities all right: both Americans, both born in the early 60s, both divorced, both university grads, both having shared some co-stars…And even McDermott has mentioned that people confuse the two (although I think they are nothing alike in the looks department as opposed to Ethan Hawke and front man of Sugar Ray.)

Dermot Mulroney holds a picture of Dylan McDermott, saying “This is a picture of my face. Who am I?” Image via technologytell.com.

So while we enjoy the contestants’ dilemma, something funnier happens:Mulroney himself comes in, holding a picture of McDermott and asks who he is. Then when he learns that he is Mulroney, he says that he has been sleeping with another man’s wife. You can watch the stint on Youtube.

2)      Kevin Bacon on Will & Grace

Jack is furious at Bacon’s reaction to his “stalker.”

Although celebrities have been known to play themselves in (mostly) comedies and sitcom Will & Grace has a few examples of it (Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Bacon), my favorite is Bacon.

The 6 degrees of separation theory using Bacon has been a popular topic around movie-goers. And with so many movies and co-stars, you can indeed get to a lot of celebrities in 5 people or less, should you start the network from Bacon.

Then you have his not-exactly-famous Bacon Brothers band with his brother, his cult hit musical Footlose (1984) and his youthful good looks with a body bordering on skinny, you have guaranteed some laughs. Add some good jokes from writers and great interpretations from Bacon and the characters  Will (Eric Mccormack) and Jack (Sean Hayes), you give the audience a blast.

The back story:

Will is a good-looking gay lawyer who can often be confused with being straight.

His best friend Jack is flamboyantly gay, and isn’t ashamed of his celebrity obsessions.

When the Bacon-stalking Jack lands the gig of being Bacon’s assistant and is told to catch the stalker, he presents an unfortunate Will to Kevin Bacon, who desperately tries to convince him that he’s not the stalker. When Bacon gets upset about even stalkers leaving him, Will needs to convince him that he’s still awesome. You can catch the full episode in the 5^th season (episode 2: Bacon and eggs.)

Below are my favorite parts:

 Bacon: When the stalkers leave, it’s the first sign that your career is slipping. It’s a little tip that I picked up from Val Kilmer.

 Will: You did a movie with Val Kilmer?

 Bacon: No. But Val is in Top Gun with Tom Cruise and Tom was in A Few Good Men with me. Huh- that was a short one.

 Will: Your fans are never gonna leave you. You’re a great actor. You’re looking good, your hair is working, you’ve got the waist of a 14-year-old girl… I mean look at that (touching his waist), that’s crazy.

Kevin: (happy): Stop! What was your favorite Kevin Bacon performance?

Will: I don’t know,  loved you in Footloose.

Kevin (happy): You saw that?

And when Kevin wants to make up for his accusation after learning the truth, they dance together to Footloose’s music (which is available at the sound of a clap) and they some of Bacon’s famous moves…

Eric McCormack and Kevin Bacon busting some moves from Footloose. Image via tumblr.

3)      Jim Carrey on comedians on Liar Liar

When Jim Carrey’s lying lawyer character can’t lie for 24 hours due to his neglected young son’s birthday wish coming true, he’s forced to tell the truth no matter what. So his son tries to find out the truth of a lot of things, including whether his mouth will be stuck in downwards pout if he keeps doing it a lot. His father tells him that it won’t.

The scene in question. Image via reinspired.wordpress.com.

Max:If I keep making this face… will it get stuck that way?
Fletcher (Jim Carrey): Uh uh. As a matter of fact, some people make a very good living that way.

4)      Dawson’s Creek-centered jokes on Don’t Trust The B in Apartment 23

Dawson’s Creek cast from left: Michelle Willams, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes.

One of the most entertaining examples of an actor spoofing himself and his career has to be James Van Der Beek in Don’t Trust the B*** in Apartment 23.

If you have seen Dawson’s Creek when it came out in 1998, and especially if you were among the target audience (high school student, romantic, dreamy), you were probably aware of the show’s and the cast’s popularity; whether you liked the show or not.

Playing Dawson was James Van Der Beek who portrayed the romantic, aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker trying to survive high school through his relationship with best friend/soul mate Joey (Katie Holmes), best friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and his crush for the new girl Jennifer (Michelle Williams).

You might have noticed that Dawson’s Creek’s 3 other main characters are more popular than Beek, whether be it due to romantic relationships, a cult hit TV show or a pretty solid movie career. Yet during Creek, Van Der Beek was the most popular. And yes, I was a fan of the show (until it turned all soapy), having been a romantic, dreamy aspiring screenwriter teenager at the time. But I don’t think I would have a clue who he was, had it not been for Dawson’s Creek.

Our fictional James is over-the-top, but  what makes it funny is the truth about what happened to his career and how to most people, he is and always will be Dawson.

This catches up with him even when he’s trying to teach a serious drama class. He’s trying to convince everyone that he’s Shakespeareworthy but everyone just wants to hear his romantic speeches to Joey from Dawson’s Creek.

But the show’s humor also derives from the fact that as much as many actors complain about their one-hit-wonders and them being underrated because of it, they don’t mind cashing in on the money and popularity when it comes to enjoying their celebrity status.

***

Does this kind of humor make you laugh? Did you feel the need to check out Episodes because Matt LeBlanc was playing an over-the-top version of himself and spoofing his career and life after being Joey in Friends for 10 years?

Do  you find Rick Gervais the funniest when he makes fun of himself, before moving on to make a lot of jokes on controversial topics?

What cracks you up?

The Following starring Kevin Bacon (on the right) and James Purefoy (on the left). Image via zap2it.com.

What can be more exciting than the battle of good vs. evil when they are both smart, published authors, and their actual professions are FBI agent and English professor-turned-serial killer? Not to mention, the serial killer wants to write a second book, with the agent as the protagonist and himself as the antagonist. You get one exciting weekly thriller.

Let me lay the background first:

What The Hell Is The Following?

The Following is a thriller/drama/crime series starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy, who respectively play the agent and killer. It was created by Kevin Williamson (the creator/writer of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty…), and each episode feels like one well-edited, solid movie, also thanks to the brilliant cast. Whether you liked Williamson’s slashers or not, The Following is a lot more than that.

The Plot

Charismatic, inspiring and Poe-obsessed literature professor, and the author of the critical/commercial flop The Gothic Sea, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) takes his obsession with “romance of death” a bit too far and starts killing his students.

By the time FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) catches up with him, he has already killed a lot of girls-but Hardy manages to save his latest victim. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get away unscratched: Joe punctures Hardy’s heart.

After 8 years of sentence and a short time away from being executed, Carroll escapes from prison. During his imprisonment, his book and the notoriety of his crimes have gained him a cult following, ready and willing to kill to impress him.

While his first action is to go after his remaining victim, we also learn that:

1)      Ryan has written a book on him, a book well-read by Carroll.

2)      The Gothic Sea has turned into a hit.

3)      Ryan has had an affair with Carroll’s wife Claire, who didn’t have a clue what a monster her husband was until he was caught, and not before they had a kid together.

4)      Ryan has quit the FBI as his heart wouldn’t let him be a field agent anymore.

5)      His “following” includes the two “nice” neighbors of the surviving victim and his son’s nanny.

After killing the girl, Carroll surrenders, knowing he can’t be executed. Not with an unknown number of following killers out there and with his son kidnapped. Ryan is called back into action, and he is more pissed and haunted than ever.

The Second Book – Killer Wants to Write It with the Agent

Carroll’s following are out there, being violent and dangerous, Claire is going crazy and Hardy has to deal with a not-so-brilliantly operating FBI. Carroll openly complains about Ryan’s first book, so Ryan asks what his sequel will be about at the end of the first episode.

Below is a part of their dialogue:

Carroll:

- I thought I might go more traditional this time. You know villain, good vs. evil. I need a strong protagonist so that the reader that can truly invest. A flawed, broken man searching for redemption. And that is you. You’re my flawed hero. Yes, I insured that by killing Sarah. She was the inciting incident, the hero’s call to action. This is merely the prologue, this is just the beginning.

*

Yes, it is a bit disturbing, but I assure you, even with all the gore, The Following is PG-13 compared to any Tarantino movie. The acting is good, the pace is satisfactory and good vs. evil had never been so literal and literary at the same time…After all, not only we have Hardy and Carroll’s books, Poe’s poems and stories are always supporting characters…

I recommend that you try the first episode. If you don’t like it, you will have analyzed a story on what didn’t work. If you do…well, there are many benefits to that (which I’ll be covering soon in another post.)