Year of an Indie Writer: Week 16

Crap, I need an extra chapter.

Proofing Aztec Sword

I wrote Aztec Sword last year and have read it through a couple of times. I check for spelling--and I always miss a few--word choice, the odd punctuation or misplaced word. You know. The usual suspects. Moreover, I start and keep a separate word file in which I outline the book as I go, noting the introductions of various characters and their descriptions, little nuggets I threw in about the characters, locations, and, the like. I also make note of where the text indicates I should start a new chapter versus merely a sub-section as in the original version. I also always include the end-of-chapter and end-of-section sentences so I know where my cliffhangers are.

Well, imagine my surprise that, upon re-reading this book again, my original ending seemed to lack something. It has been months since I last read this book, and dang it if I, as a reader, wanted an epilogue. So I'm writing one.

And I know that by writing this out in public, everyone can compare all the chapters of the book to the last chapter, but who cares? This blog series is my journey through a year of writing and publishing independently, and if I don't make a point to show certain trials and tribulations, then what good is it?

I wonder what that says about me the writer from 2018 and me the reader in 2019. I'd like to think my storytelling abilities have progressed in that time. Heck, don't we all hope that?

A Rod Serling Biography

Last week, I watched "The Comedian," the premiere episode of the Jordan Peele version of The Twilight Zone. It's on YouTube and it's free. Immediately after that episode, YouTube led into a short piece from CBS Sunday Morning talking about creator Rod Serling, Peele, and the massive undertaking it is to reboot a franchise such as The Twilight Zone.

My wife's a fan of Serling's other major television series, Night Gallery, and a thought came to mind. Serling wrote something like half of all Twilight Zone episodes and probably something like half of the Night Gallery episodes. As a writer myself, the feat is extraordinary, especially considering the quality of Serling's writings remained high.

That led me to the internet. Was there a biography of Rod Serling? Yup. And it was published just last year. Quickly I placed my order for Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination by Nicholas Parisi. It came in the mail on Wednesday and I'm only on chapter 1, but it looks to be precisely the book I want to read about Serling. I'll let y'all know later.

That Little Voice in Our Heads

Two separate blog posts jumped out at me this week, arguably talking about the same thing.

One is directly related to writing. Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Thursday article on "Critical Voice" is a must read for all creative types. She talks about that critical voice that's in our heads and how it impedes the childlike nature of our creative brain. She quotes an article in which said critical voice is personified. Were that a real person, would you even want to talk to him or her? Then why the heck is that voice in our heads? She provides some answers.

On another blog entirely is Leo Babauta. I cannot remember how I ran across his Zen Habits blog years ago, but I have it linked up in my Feedly feed. This week, he wrote a piece entitled "The Universal Narrative: When You Feel Unworthy." Like Rusch's piece, he takes you through a thought experiment about how we often feel ourselves unworthy of things. Most importantly, he offers new habits we can develop to, hopefully, offset those unwanted feelings.

These two pieces go well together.

Quote of the Week

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.
- Leonard Bernstein

Considering I found a perceived defect in my book--and I do not plan on changing my 1 May publication date--Bernstein's quote is particularly apt. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend when not in church?

The Twilight Zone (1985) - Gramma

After watching and enjoying "The Comedian," the first episode of Jordan Peele's 2019 revival of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, I told my wife how much I enjoyed an episode from the first revival in 1985. With the internet being a thing, a quick search landed on a version on YouTube. So, still in the afterglow of the new series, we went back in time.

And, like a Twilight Zone episode itself, I should have been careful what I wished for.

Good Pedigree of Creative Talent

Gramma is based on a Stephen King short story. The story was adapted by Harlan Ellison. Yeah, the Harlan Ellison. With a pedigree like that, the episode should have been better. Well, it was back in 1985. It's mostly okay, just not knock-it-out-of-the-park territory.

A Standard Horror Story

The story centers around a boy of probably twelve. His name is George, and his mom leaves him alone with his bedridden Gramma. George knows she's a monster, and dreads her asking for her tea. But she does, and he delivers it. She scares him and he drops the tea, the liquid seeping into the cracks of the wooden floor...

...and to the red, fiery light below a trap door. There are screams. Frightened though he is, George opens the door and pulls out a couple of old books. Like every young kid, he's curious about things of this nature. He manages  to phonetically pronounce out the words like Cthulhu and Necronomicon before slamming the book closed.

Gramma dies on his watch, but George needs to verify. Which means touching her fat, bloated arm with a hand that isn't quite right. Then he tries the mirror trick, hoping to see if she's still breathing. She is, and she grabs him.

The twist ending is when George's mother returns, George confesses Gramma's dead. The mom mentions he should comfort himself with the knowledge Gramma will always be with them...and then George opens his eyes.

They are the eyes of Gramma.

The Problem of Memory

Now that I just wrote that, I realize it makes for a pretty good introduction to the ideas presented by H. P. Lovecraft who created the Cthulhu mythos. My guess is that this 1985 episode might have been the first time I'd ever been exposed to that kind of horror. At that point, I was still two years away from my first Stephen King novel, Pet Semetary.

In 2019, having read Lovecraft's work and seen Cthulhu stories and inspired stories for thirty-four years, the impact isn't as great. To be honest, my favorite King-written Cthulhu-type story is "Crouch End," a short story from his collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes, as narrated by Tim Curry. Talk about narrator perfect for a story.

But back to Gramma, it is a decent episode, I suppose. And, considering it's only one of two I can remember from the 1985 version of the Twilight Zone, I should continue to think highly of it. I will, but I won't have to see it again.

I guess that's problem with memory: sometimes, something is better in your memory rather than visiting it again. Like going back to your growing up house or the town of your youth. Everything just seems a little smaller.

Twilight Zone (2019) - The Comedian

Surprisingly, when Star Trek: Discovery was announce as the major first show used to draw in viewers to CBS All Access, I was largely indifferent. But when I heard about Jordan Peele was going to executive produce and host a revamped version of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, I was there.

A Difficult Show to Follow

For a myriad of reasons, all subsequent efforts to reboot the original Twilight Zone proved unsuccessful. Other than the on-set accidental deaths of Vic Morrow and his fellow actors, I can barely remember the movie. The 1980s TV  version  was better, but I can only recall two episodes. And the one early in the 2000s? I had to be reminded it existed via a CBS Sunday Morning piece.

But the Peele version looked to be something different. One view of the trailer, debuting after the Super Bowl, told me the franchise was in good hands with a healthy dose of homage being paid to the original while eyes focused on the here and now.

So it was with eagerness I watched the first episode, "The Comedian," free on YouTube.

The Moody Color Palette

 Perhaps the most crucial aspect of the original series--aside from the writing--was the black-and-white  film. It added the somber ambiance to the stories being told, with the high contrast between light and dark. The other series didn't quite match the mood.

At least with this first episode, the producers have figured out how to make a moody color program. The story follows comedian Samir Wassan (Kumail Nanjiani) as he constantly bombs on stage. His act is overtly political, and, as he tries to explain to his live-in girlfriend (Amara Karan), he's trying to make people think. They don't want to think. They want to laugh. His fellow stand-up comedians pretty much say the same thing.

With the setting of a late-night comedy club, this episode is lit by dim lights, placed in such a way as to show only certain parts of the scenes. Wassan's apartment looks like an upscale address, yet there are what appear to be headlights passing the windows. Not kidding when I say it came across very Blade Runner-like. So the palette was quite good.

The Set-Up

I'm not sure how many Twilight Zone episodes turn on a bargain being made, but this one is firmly in that tradition. While Wassan wallows at the bar, he sees J.C. Wheeler (Tracy Morgan). He is amazed because Wheeler, at the height of his popularity, simply seemed to vanish. I'm not a huge Tracy Morgan fan, but he nails it here. He's dramatic and enigmatic, restrained in a way you know he's hiding something. He gives Wassan pointers, specifically to draw from his personal life to make the crowd laugh. They clink their glasses, and we viewers know something has happened.

When Wassan next bombs on stage with his political bit, he shifts to talking about his dog. The crowd eats it up. Wassan keeps going. He nailed it. Everyone recognizes he had a good night. He returns home to share the good news with his girlfriend, yet she has no memory of the dog.

It was as if he never existed.

Wassan doesn't figure it out until the same thing happens again, this time with a member of his family. Then he puts two and two together and realizes he has the power to make people nonexistent. It's not murder if they never existed, right?

The Twist

There's always a twist in every Twilight Zone episode, but I'm not going to reveal it here. You'll need to watch it. But I think you can imagine how the rest of the episode plays out. The ending was quite satisfying, echoing more than one Twilight Zone episode and one very famous movie ending.

The Benefit of CBS All Access

Famously, Rod Serling fought with the censors at CBS back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Very quickly in this new episode, with writer Alex Rubens has the characters drop the f-bomb, you know you're in a different realm. One can only imagine what Serling would have produced in an environment like this.

At least with one episode, The Twilight Zone (2019) is a worthy successor to the original series. I enjoyed this episode so much that I'll be subscribing to CBS All Access. And as a bonus? I'll get Star Trek as well.