Photo of James Marsters (Spike) taken by Denny S. Bryce at his concert in London, 2004.
I read today that Joss Whedon is making a fuss about the new Buffy movie he is not involved in. It brought back all of my Whedon love and disdain in one big rush. His shows are the reason – seriously – that I'm writing fiction today. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (mostly) re-ignited my long, love affair with vampires, dating back to the first time I saw a Dracula movie in which he sensuously bit the neck of a lovely woman while she rived (is that a word?) in her bed (yeah, I was six, but still, I thought it was hot).
I didn't love Buffy the character as much as I loved the people surrounding her. I thought her bland and very young and fickle. It bugged me to no end how she mistreated vampires (Spike, in particular). The best episodes always included a vampire/slayer paradox (episodes like Beneath Me, Amends – brilliant, Angel, Something Blue)…
Anyway, my fellow Whedon-ites, what's your take on this new movie? Gonna give it a chance, or dump it before it airs because of its lack of respect for Whedon (by not putting him at the helm)?
NaNoWriMo – I may just win this sucker this year – I've got more than 42,000 words and counting!
Golden Heart – it's going to be tight…I may send it in knowing it's not ready – a good idea or what do you think?
Thanksgiving! – A great weekend, but I ate too damn much. Also, shopped on Black Friday. It wasn't pretty – fun, but not pretty…:)
Buffy – can't comment 'cause I'm (gasp!) not a Buffy fan. I tried, but found her a bit too annoying. Yes, I know it's supposed to be campy but it just didn't do it for me. Which is a bummer b/c I waned to like it. Let me know what you think of the movie, OK?
NaNo – you GO! I'm just over 43,500 – hoping to push past 46K later today, if not further.
GH – would be great to final or win. On the other hand, you get no feedback whatsoever, so barring those high achievements, you really don't get much back if it's not ready. Your call.
Hope all is well!
Denny,
Recently had a short YA rejected because they said it was a mixture of funny/scary and not one or the other. Ah, yeah? And I grew up on Buffy, lol. Definitely a Buffy fan.
Best of luck on NaNoWriMo (you've got way more than me) and Golden Heart? no help there ….
Hey Danielle, good point regarding GH. It was a motivator. I'll stick with Marlene and such…and I just got a little closer to goal with NaNoWriMo. Now at 45,100. You're almost there as well! We'll celebrate next time we see each other.
Btw – Buffy is an acquired taste. I honestly believe Whedon has gotten full of himself as a storyteller and that's why Hollywood is frankly giving him a hard time. …
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Louisa,
Girl, that's a great point. These days the YA stories are intensely intense. Have you read Ender's Game, Room, Unwind? YA is wild these days (and not that 'funny' at all:).
If you're ever interested in having an online critique partner – let me know:)…
Denny
Hi Denny! I know I'm late to the party but I'm here. I'm with you. I loved the people around Buffy, but she annoyed the crap out of me. Now, I still watch Angel every morning at 6 AM and 7 AM. I will give anything a chance. Hell…I gave a lot of movies a chance knowing I shouldn't have, but youhave to support your peeps and the vamps are my peeps. lol
YA is intense today. I read it and my girls read it and what Louisa said is true. The pendulum swing to one side or the other, there is no mixture it seems. Which I don't understand cause I find a lot of regular paranormal/paranomral romance has a good mixture of intensity and humor.
BTW – If you need a critique partner or if you and Louisa would like to make it a group, I'm in need of a new partner.
Viv
HI Viv,
I'm heading out for the business dinner meeting but we've got to talk about this critique group. I'll email you and Louisa and see what's up! I'd love to do it:)…
PS: And you're never too late!
Denny