Blog of Author Christine d’Abo
Funny how things pop up. I stumbled over this link on Twitter this morning. It’s a blog post from Sugith Varughese on the writing process Henson and the writers used on Fraggle Rock.
Seeing as I loved FR with all my heart as a kid, it is fascinating as an adult and a writer to get a glimpse into how they constructed each episode. I hope you enjoy.
There is nothing better than that rush of excitement before the start of a new TV season. Ever since I was a kid, I adored September and the new influx of shows. Back then, you didn’t get a lot of cliffhangers, not like today. Still, it was like seeing my old school friends after the summer break. All my favourite character back to spend time with me.
I’ve been let down a few times by the return of a show. Some have taken turns that I didn’t like, that I wish they hadn’t, or were emotionally painful to watch. That’s good writing and good acting. And I love it!
Anyone who has followed my blog for any length of time knows that I’m passionate about my programs. I will talk your ear off about them and I make no apologies about it. This year will be no exception. 
This season, I’m ready to watch my old friends again. I don’t have as much time for TV as I did when I was younger, but none the less I’m ready and committed to my shows!
So what will I be watching this year…
Supernatural
Lucifer is coming! Lucifer is coming! Starting its fifth season, I have to admit I came to this show late. Starting with the DVDs last fall, I quickly got caught up and hooked on the dark adventures of Dean and Sam.
The writing is amazing on this show. When they start down a path, they are not afraid to see things through to the gory conclusion (end of season three anyone??), while being true to the characters. I can’t wait to see what is in store for the boys next.
Fringe
I’ll be honest here, I watch this show for the relationship between Walter and Peter. What a brilliant set of characters, and amazingly acted as well. It’s nice to see the break from the norm – the crazy guy, while smart, isn’t always nice. The brash younger son, doesn’t always have the heart of gold mentality to him. People make mistakes as they try to navigate this twisted world where no one is what they seem.
Dexter
If you haven’t watched this show yet…don’t talk to me until you do. Seriously. Did I ever think in a million years I’d be cheering for a serial killer…no. Do I? Hell yes! The book will rock your world too.
Doctor Who
Okay, this one will be painful for me. David Tennant, my favourite Doctor since Tom Baker, is leaving the role after four years. The final two movies are airing before Christmas, and then Matt Smith will be taking over the role. This show is a link back to my childhood and I will forever adore it no matter who is flying the TARDIS. On a side note, I’m bouncing to see what Steven Moffatt will do with the show–brilliant writer that he is, this will prove to be a fun ride.
House
We left him in a bad place. I can’t wait to see if things are going to get worse before they get better. I hope they do, for no other reason that to see the fantastic Hugh Laurie play it up.
Edit: Dollhouse
How could I forget this show! It was a bit slow to start, but I was happy with the end of season one. I’ll be waiting to see what happens with Alpha.
Shows I want to see but haven’t yet
Flashpoint - Hubby is hooked on this. I need to get caught up
Leverage - Christian Kane is reason enough for me to watch it.
NCIS LA – Chis O’Donnel is reason enough for me to watch it. (pattern)
Shows I won’t be watching this year
Torchwood - After the heartache of season three, and the rumors that season 4 will be “Gwenwood”, I have no desire to watch further. They killed off my love of the show in more ways than one.
Criminal Minds – It was great…then it lost me. Not sure what happened there.
Whew. So that’s what’s on my plate. What are some of the shows you are looking forward to this year?
This past week I’ve been slowly switching gears from editing mode to writing mode. I’m not one of those writers who can switch quickly, and really have to concentrate on what I’m doing when it comes to edits. I don’t want to miss things, and I swear I’m using another part of my brain. Probably am! I managed to get a little over a thousand words written yesterday, which was great. The only down side was the lack of production last night. Made the mistake of taking a muscle relaxer to help with some shoulder issues, and ended up stoned LOL! Now I know what not to do at least.
I really want to try and get a good chunk of this first draft done before July rolls around. The fangirl inside me is pacing furiously, waiting not so patiently for Torchwood: Children of Earth to start. Yes, yes, those of you who know me are laughing. I’m not patient when it comes to my shows, but in all fairness we’ve been waiting over a year for this.
Now who doesn’t want to watch that, eh?
Hello my friends! Yes, I have managed to resurface after hiding out for over a week now. I have been very busy digging through The Bond That Saves Us cleaning it up and making it sparkle for you. I think you will really like the end result. Things have been sent off to my fabulous editor, and now I sit (not so patiently) waiting for her comments. I promise to try and be on my blog a bit more now that my edits are well on their way to being finish. I find I need to immerse myself when I’m in that frame of mind, blocking everything else out.
Last night I sat down and jumped back in to my WIP. I really missed my girl Laurel and the fun I’m about to throw her into. I’m working on the third chapter, which for me is always an important one. By the end of it, I usually throw my main character a curve and see where she wants to take it. The biggest difference with this book, is that it’s not a romance. It’s fun exploring a character’s personal journey and not feeling the pressure to have her jump into bed with someone. It’s also a lot more challenging in several different ways–but I’m up for it!
This weekend I have my writer’s meeting, and I have to say I’m really looking forward to it. I really miss the connection with other writers and live for seeing these fantastic people once a month.
My other big goal for the weekend is to plant something in my front yard. My amazing husband took up all the grass in the space between the road and the sidewalk, covered it with the gardening mesh and red rocks. No more mowing the weeds! So to finish the look off, I need to stick some plants in and then walk away. I’m thinking hosta…we’ll have to see.
Oh! I have a new guilty pleasure…Smallville! Hubby and I are halfway through season one, and so far I like it. I’ve heard it gets pretty awesome in later seasons, so I think it will be our summer show. I never thought I’d be cheering for Lex Luthor, but there you have it.
Hello my friends! Yes, I’m still alive. Yes, I’m still writing/editing. I’ve been working hard on my revisions to The Bond That Saves Us this week, and so far I’m very happy with the results. Right now, it’s looking like this will be the longest book in the Eternal Bond series. Mind you, Sean has earned a nice long redemption story, so it is only fair.
I’ll be spending a large portion of my weekend cleaning things up and getting them finished off for my editor. Once I’m done, I’m going to finish up a quick story I’ll be submitting to Ellora’s Cave free reads program. With any luck it will be accepted. After that, it’s back to my WIP which I’m really missing.
I’m already missing all my TV shows now that they’re done. I do have Torchwood series three and the next Doctor Who movie to look forward to, but there’s been no firm release date set yet. I’m hoping July for Torchwood is accurate. *sigh*
I hope everyone is well and things are chugging along nicely for you. How are things??
ZOMG I love Supernatural!!!!!!
*takes a breathe*
Please tell me if you lovely people are watching this show. If you’re not YOU NEED TO! Yes, the boys can be a bit emo…but they do it so well. As a writer, I really admire how well thought out they have plotted their story arc. The events of last night’s episode have been building for over a year now. Oh Sam! And Dean…breaks my heart.
One of my favorite aspects of the writing has to do with how solid the characterizations are. Like Battlestar Galactica was more of a drama in space than a sci-fi, SPN is more of a character study with the boys being thrust into increasingly tense situations. How would two brothers deal with being on opposite sides of a situation…in this case a war? It happens in reality all the time, and the writers on the show are exploring this theme (along with drug dependency and the impact on families) in a unique way.
I’m not going to mention specific, simply because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. But honestly, if you like paranormal stories or urban fantasy and aren’t watching this show, you are so missing out.
*fangirl mod off*
Over the past month, I’ve been getting caught up on a few TV programs that I’ve had to let slip while I focused on my writing. Two of these shows are now done for good: Stargate: Atlantis and Battlestar Galatica. One of these shows ended brilliantly. The other didn’t.
Now I want to say that I adored both of these programs while they were one. The characters and plot lines were interesting, the acting was good, and generally kept me entertained. As a writer, I’m always curious to watch how other people carry arc stories, how they connect plots and pull everything together. Since this is something I do in my own writing, I’m always looking for other examples.
First, I want to say that BSG is a brilliant show. The ending was satisfying. The plot threads that they’d been laying out for four years finally came together. It made sense! I got excited when I realized the meaning of many of the images they’d built up. I actually cried at the end when we saw the aftermath/goodbye for the characters. Ron Moore knew what he wanted, but more importantly knew what the story needed. It’s one of the reasons I admire them for stopping a highly successful program when they did. The story didn’t need any longer.
Stargate: Atlantis? They’d spent four years building up a great arc with the Wraith. They had a kick ass villain in my opinion in Michael. And…I think they blew it. By the end of the last season, I no longer cared about the characters or what happened to them. There was one moment where I was impressed, but they snatched it away. As a viewer I felt cheated of a great emotional moment (no I won’t say what it was in case someone wants to see it). It was one of those book-against-wall moments…except I’m unwilling to throw my plasma screen.
This was a good lesson for me as a writer. Something that I’m reminding myself about as I’m working on edits for my current manuscript. If I make a promise of events, I damn well better follow it through. I also want to make sure I don’t cheat the reader out of any of the emotional aspects of my books. Yes, I may feel I’ve written myself into a corner, but then I need to be strong and figure a way out for my characters while still keeping the needs of the story in mind.
So thank you to BSG for four fantastic years! Very few shows make me cry…that ending was one of them.
I’ve been editing. A lot. After a few kind souls took a look at my current manuscript, the light bulb finally came on. Things were in the wrong spots. Reveals were happening too slow, sex in the wrong spot (who knew!!), and inconsistent characters…equal not a great book. So I’ve dug out my machete and have been hacking away.
The end result? Much better. I’m only about halfway through the story, but I can already tell the flow is much stronger. The characters are more sympathetic, and generally a better book. I was hoping to get through the rest of the edits this weekend, but we’ll have to see because…
Hubby and I are planning on having a BSG weekend! Yes, we are going to sit our butts down and watch the last ten episodes. We like to watch shows in chunks like that, OD on the plot and characters. I’m a bit impatient. We’ve done this with a few shows, and its been the best way to feed my addictions, like…
Supernatural! OMG did anyone see last night’s episode! I adore how they can get me laughing my head off in one scene (Dean: Don’t they know we’re brothers? Sam: I don’t think they care.) , and sitting bolt up in bed with tension in the next. If you love paranormal at all and you’re not watching this show, you really need to treat yourself and go get the DVDs. Like now…shoo!
To those few of you who actually ready my blog (I think there is 5 LOL), sorry I haven’t been around much the past little bit. Between not feeling great, my day job, family and trying to get edits done, well…the blog has suffered.
I do try to pop on to Twitter a few times a day though, so you can see my random musings there. Most of them are coffee induced ramblings, so be warned.
I’m finding it interesting going through the edits of my current manuscript. Once I got past the “OMG this is terrible” freakout phase I normally go through, I was able to focus with the pointed direction of a few reviewers. I have to say, the end result is much stronger than I thought it would be. This makes me happy.
Editing at Starbucks is also working. Sunday mornings after swimming lessons is mentally a good space for me. Now, I just need to pick one or two nights though the week that I can go as well. If I do, I might be able to finish these edits up and send it off to the two requests I’ve had for it.
On the TV front, I’m finally starting to get into Dollhouse. The last two weeks were very strong on the plot, and the acting was great. I’m actually starting to like Echo a bit more than I had. Supernatural is still AWESOME! Man, I adore that show. The stories really push the actors to show a wide range of skills, and keep me wanting a whole lot more. I haven’t looked forward to Thursdays this much ever.
I hope all your lives are going well these days.
You give her a trailer for the next season of her favourite show!
They are killing me by not letting us know when this is going to air. *sigh* I need more Torchwood!
At least I’ll have Supernatural and Dollhouse to keep me busy until this is shown.
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