Book or Movie?

This past weekend some friends and I were talking about the merits of reading a book before seeing the movie adaptation. Surprisingly, we were split pretty evenly about liking the books or the movies better.

For me, in most cases if I've read the book prior to seeing the movie version I tend to like the book better. But if I see the movie first and then read the book, I tend to like the movie better. I think it's because I'm very visual so if I see a character portrayed a certain way on screen, it's hard for me to picture the character differently in my mind when I read the book.

For example, I saw Forrest Gump in movie form first. In the movie, Forrest is played by Tom Hanks. A thin man of average height who doesn't come across as being intimidating because of his size in any form or manner. However, in the book, the character is described as being 6' 2" and weighing 240 pounds and he's built like a linebacker. I had such a hard time reconciling the way I was picturing Forrest (as Tom Hanks) versus the way he was described in the book that I couldn't read the book. The discrepancy bothered me that much.

Another example is Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I've read all the books so when I heard they were making a movie - One For The Money, I couldn't wait to see it.  To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Why? Mainly because the way I'd pictured certain characters in my mind and how or should I say who portrayed them on screen was vastly different. If you've read any of the books in the series, you know Joe Morelli is described as Italian through and through, yet the actor that portrayed him is Irish and as fair skinned as an Irish person can be. (Being part Irish myself, I know about the fair skin issue.) He didn't look the least bit Italian. And then there's Ranger. Ranger is described as a Cuban former special forces soldier who can handle himself in all types of situations. The person who portrayed him didn't come across that way at all. (On a side note I will admit that while reading the books I'd pictured him looking a lot like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and think he would have been perfect in the part.)

How about you? Do you find you like the book or the movie adaptation better? Does it make a difference if you see the movie first versus reading the book first?

This I know for sure...

I saw the movie American Sniper last weekend. I enjoyed it and would recommend that people go see it. It gives a pretty realistic look at war and what our military personnel deal with without getting too graphic.

I think we need to see these types of movies (or documentaries). It's so easy for us here in the US  to go about our lives never thinking about what our soldiers are going through half a world away. Sure, we might see a report on the evening news or read about it in the newspaper or in an online venue, but I don't think we're really impacted unless we have a loved one serving overseas. The situation kind of reminds me of what one of my nephews said about WWII, Vietnam, and all the other wars that occurred before his birth - "They happened so long ago, they don't impact my life." I think many of us felt that way about the Iraq and Afganistan wars. And that's sad.

Maybe I feel this way because most of the men in my family have served in the military so that makes me more sensitive to the situation. I don't know.

But what's worse than what I mentioned above is what happened to Chris Kyle, not just him but all of the service members who survive one or more tours of duty and make it back home only to be killed in an accident, by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or like Chris, killed by someone you're trying to help.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I finished typing the story that I wrote in long hand on to my laptop and have printed it out. Next up is the first round of revisions.

Quote of the week: "When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." ~ Eric Thomas.  I think I've finally gotten to this point.

What I'm reading:  Irresistible Force by D.D. Ayres. This is part of the K-9 Rescue series. This author is also new to me.

Random things: This winter we don't seem to getting a lot of snow in my area (and believe me, I'm not complaining) but it's been bitter cold. Personally, I'll take the cold over the snow any day.

Random photo of the week: 

After living in our current house for 5 years, the cat has developed a fascination with the toilet handle in the downstairs powder room.

Goals - A Help or A Hindrance?

 This post was originally written in October 2012. Due changes in my day job work hours, I'm struggling to meet the goals I set just 5 weeks ago. I'm having to redefine what I thought I'd be able to accomplish weekly, monthly, etc so I thought re-reading this post would be helpful. I hope you find it helpful as well.

 

When I first starting writing, I set the most unbelievable goals for myself though I thought they would be achieved with ease.  One of them was that I would write 10 pages of new material a day, 7 days a week all while holding down a full time job, long standing commitments 2 nights a week, and another long standing commitment from 8:30am to 3:00pm on Saturdays, and keeping the majority of my Sundays for family time.  I don’t think I ever wrote 10 pages in one day during that time, or wrote 7 days a week.  As each week passed that I didn’t meet that goal, I became more and more depressed.  I questioned my desire to be a published author.  If I wanted it so badly, then I should be able to meet that goal right?  Wrong.  

 

A very wise friend and fellow writer pointed out that it wasn’t that I wasn’t committed to getting published, I just had too much on my plate to enable me to devote that much time to my writing.  She suggested that I not set goals or to focus on smaller goals that would fit around my scheduled commitments.   

 

I sat down and looked at my schedule.  I decided I needed the time to devote to my writing so I gave 3 months notice to the proper people on those long term commitments that at the end of the 3 months, I would no longer be able to do them.  During that time I tried to write whenever I could but I missed the structure goal setting gave me.

 

I’ve come a long way since then.  I still like to set goals because they keep me on track and help me stay focused.  I set yearly goals, quarterly goals, and weekly goals.  But one thing that has changed is now-a-days my goals are very fluid.  For example, one goal is to write 20 to 25 pages a week.  By not nailing down a set page count per day, I give myself room in my schedule if something pops up and I can’t write on a certain day.

 

I also set goals in my non-writing life for things I want to accomplish by a set time or date though for some reason it doesn’t work when it comes to dieting.  I wonder what that says about me…probably that my weakness for ice cream is greater than my desire to lose those unwanted pounds.  LOL.

 

Do you set any type of goals?  Do you find them helpful?  If you don’t set goals, why not?

This I know for sure...

It's amazing how a sunny day can affect your mood during the winter.  The last few days have been bright and sunny but still freezing cold with temperatures in the twenties. For some reason, when the sun is shining, it doesn't seem as cold as it does when the day is dark and gray or snowing even when the temperature is the same.

I've also found people seem to be in better moods when it's sunny despite the cold. I know I feel like I'm in a better mood. Or it could be because it's not snowing. I hate having to go out when it's snowing. Living in upstate NY, it's almost a certain guarantee it'll be snowing most days during the winter so on those days when it doesn't, it automatically seems like it's going to be a good day.

What's Up Wednesday

I've decided to continue the "What's Up Wednesday" posts with a couple of minor changes. Let me know what you think.

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I've set aside the book I was revising. I think I'm too close to it. I've been typing a book I wrote in 2013 in long hand onto my laptop so I can start revisions on it.

Quote of the week: "Believe you can and you're halfway there." ~ Theodore Roosevelt.  Sometimes we just need to believe we can do something even when it feels impossible.

What I'm reading: Desperate Hearts by Rosanne Bittner. This is a western historical romance set in 1866. I've never read anything by this author. It was recommended to me by a friend. (The "What I'm reading" segment will just list what I'm currently reading with no opinion about the book, good or bad.)

Random things:  A sign you've lived in upstate NY too long - a high temperature of 34 degrees in the winter seems warm.  

I don't have a random photo, but will start posting those again next week.