Superman: A New (First?) Appreciation

I never liked Superman.  Someone said once that being Superman isn't a real hero because since he's invincible, then he never really risks his life.  I agreed with that, especially since he's in the same universe as Batman, who has no super abilities, per se, but trains his body and mind for the tasks that he comes up against.  It just always seemed to me that Superman had it easy, and it made me mad.

When I first heard they were making a new Superman film, I rolled my eyes, disinterested.  Then I heard that Christopher Nolan was involved and my interest was piqued.  Then I heard that Zack Snyder was directing, and I figured that between those two, if Superman had any chance at being relevant and meaningful, they could do it.  So I waited.  Then the concept art came, and the costume pictures, and the movie posters.  Then came the trailer, which had the right music and the right images and what seemed like the right concepts, and I realized that I was very interested... and I wanted to know why.

I watched the trailer again, looked back through what few comic books I had left that had Superman in them, watched Justice League and other animated iterations of him on Netflix, and even Wiki-ed him.  Then I had a revelation.

Superman is a god.  The newest Man of Steel trailer says this, in fact, and it's completely true.  He is not divine, he is not immortal, but he is what modern man imagines when they think of a god.  All the superheroes are the modern interpretations of mythological gods.  We tell and retell their stories, adapt them to modern life and society, and tell them again, each time a little differently.  This could be an entire topic on its own, but within the confines of the DC universe and the people of Metropolis, Superman is a god.

And I see now why that makes him interesting, why I should care.  Because he has super strength, super speed, super hearing, x-ray and heat vision, ice breath, he can fly, he can go into space, into the sun... he can do all these things and he CHOOSES to be here, to help the people.  He is a god, and he cares about us.  He is a god and he wants to do the right thing.  He doesn't want to hurt even his worst enemies, and in the world today, sometimes that doesn't sound too smart, and in the comic book universe, sometimes it's just downright illogical, but he knows that.  He knows that the world would be safer if some of the villains were dead, but he refuses to make that call. 

I never liked his flashy suit--it was just too colorful to be cool, especially today when superheroes are getting gritty, more realistic makeovers.  But I like it now.  Look at the American flag.  It's bright and colorful... and it stands for something.  Superman's uniform stands for something--hope, freedom, goodness, honesty, hard work, doing the right thing even when it's unpopular or difficult.

Truth, justice, and yes, the American way.  He believes in truth, he believes in honesty, he believes in the goodness of humans. People are free to be who they want to be, do what they want to do.  People are free, so long as they submit to the system of justice that is put in place.  In our world, it's not always so fair or incorruptible, but in his world, he counts on it working properly--and with Superman watching it, it usually does.

Superman is a god, and he chooses to be human.  He has hope for us.  He believes in us.  He wants what's best for us, and is willing to fight for it.  He has died for it, and came back to life for it.  He has a responsibility and refuses to shy away from it.  He is an ideal for us, something to strive to be. 

If you were like me, and hated Superman for having it easy, give him a break.  If you scoffed at him because he's privileged, remember that he didn't ask for his powers, but when he learned of them he CHOSE to help, he CHOSE to stay and fight next to us.  What if he were a villain instead?  His life would be a lot easier if he were.  Superman is a god, yet he claims us as his own, as his family.  Give the guy some respect.

The Long Wait

I finished writing a book a few weeks ago and have given it to a few friends to read.  This always makes me nervous because I just know that there is some little goofy detail or weird sentence or something that I missed in my own previous readthroughs that's going to make me look like an idiot--some basic rule of grammar or glaring plot hole that I should have noticed.

But here's the thing--by this time I've read this book probably seventy times.  It's grown from a short 15,000 word story into what is not a 60,000 word novel.  I don't always remember that I took out and what I left in.  I've changed people's names.  I've changed the type of weapon people used in a certain scene and then had to make sure I noted when/where they picked it up.  I've taken out characters that originally had important conversations with other characters and then had to find a place to put that information back into the story.  I've added new characters and had to make it seem like I didn't just stick a new guy in the middle of the story.  I've moved scenes around in the timeline, forcing myself to think "In the old version they didn't know this or that yet, and now they do... so what would they do with that information?" or "Now this happens after such and such event, so what would they have to say about this now?" or even more simply "Did his jacket tear yet, now that this happens earlier, or does this scene now describe a tear that is yet to happen?"  This is what I was talking about here when I said I write myself into corners.

In some ways, I don't even like it anymore.  I'm emotionally over it.  And yet it feels like this book represents me to those who read it.  What kind of person does it make me if I don't know when to use 'who' or 'whom', or if the main character is suddenly an expert in something obscure that requires years of dedication just when he needs to be, completely destroying the reality of the story?  But all these feeling are in my head.  My readers are not judging me as a person based on the quality of my writing/Storytelling.  

So when I get feedback from the readers, I'll add a sentence here or there mentioning this or that, or I'll have to remove a fragment of an old idea that is still in there, or even add new scenes to give better character motivation.  And I'll thank those readers profusely because they can see what I cannot, and only they can help make the book better.

A New Writing Project

I have just come off of completing another draft of one of my books, and am in the process of putting the final touches on it.  Still debating on e-publishing it or sending it off to a mainstream publishing house, but that's another topic.

I have two or three other books in various stages of development, all with at least two drafts completed.  Those are things I can work on a little at a time, reading and rewriting as needed until I like them again... and then hate them again (writers out there will understand that).  But it's been a long time since I've had a new idea, so I pulled out an idea I had last year sometime that I haven't developed a whole lot.  It's based on a series of dreams I had one night.  As dreams, they weren't connected, but when I woke up my inner Storyteller strung them all together into a really weird but very interesting sci-fi story, something I am very excited about and can't wait to dive into.

I'm typically not an outliner, or a planner, and I think that is why writing does not always hold the joy I wish it did. I am constantly writing myself into corners, and when I decide to change something, it takes forever to look for all the references to the previous plot. Not to mention that every scene I have to completely rewrite changes every scene after it. Whereas if I outlined or planned a little before writing the bulk of the book, it would be much easier to make changes.

A good friend of mine got me a book for Christmas called '90 Days to Your Novel.'  It's essentially a writing plan that takes you through outlining to dialogue coaching to scene-building, all with the goal of helping you write the best and most organized first draft possible in three months.  The exercises start daily, then move to a handful of weekly assignments that you can complete at your leisure throughout the week.  Writing is WORK, and this is definitely a book that reminds me of that.

So, I'm going to give this a shot. Although I won't hold myself to making them 90 consecutive days, necessarily--my discipline may not be there yet, but I'll do my best once I polish off this last one. I'll check back in soon to update my progress.

Robotech *Update*

So, I'm on episode 11 of Robotech, and the love story between the main character Rick and the girl, Minmei is really annoying.  I'll just say I think I'd rather watch a Jar Jar Binks spin-off movie than have to endure another conversation between these two.  

Anyway, so I used the Googles to try to find out if anyone else thought this way, too, and maybe to see if it got better (i.e., they kill her off).  I found something interesting.

Apparently, Robotech is an American compilation of three separate and completely unrelated Japanese t.v. shows.  They strung them together as if the story spans three generations and three 'Robotech Wars'.  

Original Japanese shows:

1) The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
2) Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
3) Genesis Climber MOSPEADA

American Compilation of Robotech:

First 36 Episodes -- The Macross Saga
Next 24 Episodes  -- The Masters
Final 25 Episodes -- The New Generation

So what is the takeaway from all this? Minmei will be gone soon!

Robotech

What to watch after Battlestar Galactica? I decided to watch the first episode or two of other space series and see what stuck.

I gave the original Galactica a shot, but couldn't stick with it. Next I tried Star Trek: The Next Generation, but that didn't grab me, either. Star Trek: Deep Space 9? Nope. Star Trek Enterprise was not bad. I'll give that one another shot.

Surprisingly, the one that I'm really getting into is the old anime Robotech. It's a little cheesy like those old Japanese cartoons can be, but it's definitely scratching my itch for epic space combat.

Any other suggestions?

Gossip Girl

Please, hear me out. My wife has been watching Gossip Girl on Netflix, and while she's admitted it was a guilty pleasure, we have both found ourselves enjoying it.

Basically, it chronicles the lives and times of a handful of young 'Manhattan elite', through the assistance of a website called Gossip Girl, which receives anonymous texts about the sightings and rumors of these people. It even has a map that shows where the 'it' people were last spotted in the city.

Stay with me...

Now, basically all of them are horrible people, who have absolutely zero communication skills and even less of a desire to be forthcoming with vital information.

Wait, don't leave yet...

As much as I dislike the high-fashion, old money 'genre' that this show is, what I DO like is the way the plots intertwine, unravel and reravel. Whenever new information is discovered, alliances switch, motivations change and suddenly everyone sets out to get whatever it is they want, using everyone and everything they know as tool in their own game.

Again, I know these are terrible, obnoxious, self-centered people, but I am impressed that the writers can keep track of so many plot threads and keep them all spinning throughout an episode, a season, and sometimes multiple seasons.

So, yes, I unashamedly watch Gossip Girl, not to cheer on the characters or to learn valuable life-lessons, but for some of the same reasons that Pirates of the Caribbean, or Lost are so engaging--though the latter have MUCH more interesting genres.

There. I've said my peace. Feel free to judge...