Okay, bear with me through the fangirl gushing for a paragraph or two - I promise there is writing related stuff coming :D
Has anyone seen that Sherlock series on PBS (or BBC depending on what side of the pond you live :) It comes on right after Downton Abbey)? Like Downton Abbey, I resisted watching it despite glowing reviews from my friends. And like Downton Abbey, once I saw one episode I was completely hooked and found a way to watch ALL the episodes, seasons 1 and 2. And I'm completely bummed I have to wait until next year (most likely) for season 3.
The show is, simply put, brilliant. There are so many twists and turns - and not just regular twists and turns, but COOL twists and turns. The situations are serious, the dialogue is awesome, and the characters make me laugh and sometimes cry.
When I watch something like this, I sometimes sit back and just think, "Man! I wish I could write like that!" It makes me want to pull out my WIPs and rewrite them, or add to them, or just amp them up in a million different ways. It makes me think harder about the twists I put in my own stories. It makes me try harder to be more original, to surprise my readers more, to make them care more about my characters.
The hubs will sometimes ask me why I'm watching shows like this instead of writing. I do it because of all the reasons above. Sure, it's an enjoyable way to procrastinate :) But it's also a wonderful inspiration and motivation to make my own writing BETTER.
Have you ever watched anything that just made you think - Oooo that makes me want to be BETTER?
10 comments:
I will have to check out those series! I am very new to writing and feel like a sponge...many things that I am reading, watching make me think...hmmm. It is like seeing things with a new set of eyes. :-)
I'm so glad you're blogging about Sherlock. I just did yesterday LOL. I'm so in love with this show and its characters! I hope everyone watches it :D
For me, it is mostly the message in a movie that makes me go WOW...and grab a pen...or my keyboard, rather. Some of those movies are: Disney's "The Incredibles" and "Meet the Robinsons", "Secretariat", and "Akeelah and the Bee". All of these movies have inspired me to want to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
I am such a fan of TV writing. Scripted TV these days is amazing, and, when you think about it, a really good way to learn how to do story arcs. I just finished watching season 1 of The Wire, which is as brilliantly written as anything I've ever read.
I am so so in love with Sherlock. I even considered moving to England just so I don't have to wait until May to watch the next series. =)
I think that every time I watch something by Joss Whedon--in fact, I blogged about it last year
http://angelicarjackson.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-blame-buffy-and-joss-whedon.html
Yes, yes on Joss Whedon, Angelica. The wit, the characters, the plots...he is _very_ good at what he does.
And now, I must check out Sherlock...
So much! I keep a sticky note on books when I read now so I can write down great words to add to my vocabulary :) The show Deadwood pops into mind as wonderful writing--a western full of action and dialogue riddled with harsh language and vengeance but written in such an intelligent way. Not that I write westerns, it was just a great spin on the ordinary and/or expected, I'd like to be able to do that :)
hi miss michelle! i gotta be honest and say when i watch stuff thats real good writing first i just wanna toss down my pen cause i think yikes im never gonna write like that. but then i say hey i could learn how to be way better just from watching. so i try learning from it. so far i didnt stop writing and im glad cause i love it.
...smiles from lenny
yep, I do this too sometimes. But picking the pen back up is the important thing :D Keep at it!
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