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Midnight in Paris. In the first Seeking Stories podcast, Kristen and I discuss the 2011 film, Midnight in Paris.
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Review – Midnight in Paris (2011)
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“What was it like the first time you stepped through the wardrobe?
“What more can you tell us about the Shire?”
“Can you teach me to write like that?”
While authors’ works will usually be our only access to their minds, this doesn’t stop us from dreaming what it would be like to have tea with the Inklings or ride a steamboat with Sam Clemons, so, when my wife and I stumbled upon a movie about a modern-day author who goes back in time to visit the likes of Hemmingway and Fitzgerald, we were naturally thrilled. After two days of fighting with our internet and desperately glancing at Netflix’s reminder that the movie was leaving in three days, we finally got Midnight in Paris to play uninterrupted.
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The Story Seeker’s Blog: Don’t Save the Best for Last
Growing up, I would always save the best for last: the tip of a pizza slice, the darkest chocolate from my Easter basket, the most fascinating book in a new haul. Perhaps I was subconsciously trying to prolong my enjoyment by pursuing the order that would theoretically bring the most satisfaction. Or the least chance of disappointment. Sometimes, weeks and months would transpire before I reached “the best” (I promise, the pizza tip didn’t have to wait this long). Foolishly, more often than not this left me with stale chocolate. I wish I could say I’ve grown older and wiser.
Just older, apparently.
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The Story Seeker’s Blog – An Introduction
Last Fall I posted three sticky notes above my desk:
- 1,000 words per day.
- 5 days per week.
- Draft due: July.
Ladies and gentlemen, this attempt to complete the next draft of my WIP by summer has thus far been an utter failure. I could blame lack of sleep from having a baby, getting a major case of the flu, or long work hours as prime suspects. Let’s face it though, our baby has been sleeping through the night since before I wrote the stickys, having the flu is a perfect time to write, and my 9-5 is more or less the same as it was at this time last year.
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Writing is like Shooting Free Throws…
We just wrapped up a time of year almost every American is aware of: March Madness. Whether you’re a fan of college hoops or not, it’s a mighty challenge to avoid hearing about the one-and-dones, Cinderella squads, busted brackets, and Final Four. I’ve been fortunate enough to witness my favorite team win one national championship, but most years the agonizing nail-biting ends somewhere around the round of sixteen remaining teams (the Sweet Sixteen, to be technical).
While watching this year’s match-up between Syracuse and Duke, a friend mentioned an article regarding SU’s center: Paschal Chukwu. Apparently, this guy was an awful free throw shooter until a coach took him aside and instructed him to attempt 100 straight free throws shots during every practice. The kicker (or, shooter)? He couldn’t stop until he hit at least 20 in a row. Chukwu’s practice paid off, and he made several clutch shots during this year’s tournament.
This got me thinking…shooting free throws is, in a bizarre way, kind of like writing. While the physical mechanics stop at holding an item made partially of rubber (if you use an old fashioned number 2 pencil, that is), the principle of practice is (should be) the same.
Review – Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
My wife and I were on a mission. 2017 had nearly come and gone…and we had missed nearly all of its theatrical offerings during their Regal runs. But surely – we thought – surely we can catch one or two films when they hit our beloved dollar theater.
Not a chance. We were discovering a truth we had only heard whispers of by sleep-deprived souls in dark and dreary corridors: “Once you are parents, you will NEVER go to the movies again.”
GULP.
For story-lovers such as us, a life confined to the twin-prisons of Netflix and Hulu seemed quite bleak indeed. We were determined to break free.
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