Anatomy of a Purgative Limmerick

[greygirlbeast]

Yesterday was not a good writing day. It took me all afternoon to produce a measly 716 words on "Pickman's Other Model." The constant need to fact check (everything from the movie industry in 1920's Fort Lee, New Jersey to the geography of the Massachusetts North Shore) didn't help, and there was one paragraph I spent almost an hour on — writing it, rewriting it, re-rewriting it, trying to get the wording just right. The voice of this story does not bear much resemblance to the peculiar use of first-person narrative that Lovecraft employed in "Pickman's Model." It's far more reserved, as the character of Eliot, as i am choosing to write him, is quite a different person than was Thurber (the narrator of HPL's story). One neat thing, yesterday I discovered an unexpected overlap between Low Red Moon and "Pickman's Other Model," and, as it turns out, this story will provide a bit more history to Narcissa Snow's family. Anyway, hopefully today will go better. Truthfully, I should not have attempted such an ambitious short story when I have so many deadlines pressing in on me, but, damn it, this is what I want to be writing. Also, my thanks to derekcfpegritz for pointing me to a better e-text of "Pickman's Model" (at Wikisource).

So many things in my head this morning, I'm bound to forget something.

Yesterday, after the writing, UPS dropped (literally) a 45 lb. box of Tales of Pain and Wonder and Tails of Tales of Pain and Wonder onto our front porch. And now I have seen the 3rd edition of the collection, and it is beautiful, and I am extremely grateful to Bill Schafer at subpress for giving me another chance to get this book right. In particular, Richard A. Kirk's artwork is reproduced beautifully. It's just a gorgeous book, and if you haven't already ordered, I urge you to do so now, because soon it will be sold out once again, and, if you wish to own it, you'll have to resort to paying exorbitant eBay prices to people who are not me.

And I was extremely pleased that Christian Siriano won Project Runway 4. I just had to say that, because I am a fashion nerd (thank you, Diana Eng).

No walk yesterday, because I just wasn't up to the chilly wind. It's much warmer today, I'm glad to say.

I'm considering (and I know this is a strange idea, bear with me) of establishing an rp group on Second Life to try rping through certain scenarios before I write them as vignettes or stories for Sirenia Digest. I'd probably call it "The Sirenia Players" (how could I not), and it would be a small group, no more than ten people, I think. Part of the great, untapped potential of SL is all the ways it can aid authors, and this would be another way of taking advantage of what it has to offer. To date, I have derived a number of pieces for the digest from SL rps, including "The Steam Dancer," Scene in the Museum (1896)," and "In the Dreamtime of Lady Resurrection". Anyway, speak up here or via email — greygirlbeast(at)gmail(dot)com — if you might be interested, and I'll keep you posted.

Also, you can now "See the Alternate Ending for I Am Legend That Was Too Satisfying for Test Audiences," courtesy New York Entertainment (my thanks to chris_walsh for pointing me to this). It's still not the right ending, but is an ending that follows logically and emotionally from the rest of the film, doesn't reinforce the myth that the military can save us from a doomsday of our own devising, and it is far, far preferable to what was shown in theatres. Of course, if you have not yet seen the film and want to, it's probably best not to watch this ending, as it is undeniably spoilerish. If only the practice of employing "test audiences" to aim films at the lowest common denominator (which is to say, the average audience) would go the way of the non-avian theropods...

Comments

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

I have not seen I AM LEGEND, but I've read the book and loved it. Do either of these endings come even close to the book? And I am in complete agreement with you on "test audiences".

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Do either of these endings come even close to the book?

Nope (thereby leading me to wonder why they bothered keeping Matheson's title).

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

It honestly may have been that Matheson's title is so damn good that it had to get used eventually for a movie, even in a tangential way like the film was a tangential version of Matheson's story.

(I speak as someone who appreciated the novel Planet of the Apes far more than the original film, which struck me as often too cutesy -- not the fault of Rod Serling, I believe and hope, but overall the film made less sense than Boulle's book.)

[scarletboi.livejournal.com]

Especially considering that they went into the film intending it to be a remake of Omega Man, rather than a new adaptation of Matheson's novel.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

And I, over here in the Pacific Northwest, got alerted to that link by your (still) fellow Atlantean curt_holman. I like how these Intarwebs work...

[derekcfpegritz.livejournal.com]

Puh-LEASE tell me that the forthcoming I Am Legend DVD has two versions of the film, one with the theatrical ending and one with that ending, rather than just including the other ending as an outtake. That alternate ending literally erased my one and only complaint about the film!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Puh-LEASE tell me that the forthcoming I Am Legend DVD has two versions of the film, one with the theatrical ending and one with that ending, rather than just including the other ending as an outtake.

Alas, it's my understanding that the DVD will only include the alternate ending as an outtake. I'd hoped, when I first saw the film, that an alternate ending in fact existed, and that it would appear as the "director's cut." Well, I got one wish.

My only other complaint with the film was that the zombie/vampire CGI was just a little too rubbery, given that filmmakers are now capable of doing so much better.

[derekcfpegritz.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'll just have to be satisfied with that. I'll stop the film at the appropriate chapter and switch over to the extras for the alternate ending. Or, of course, I theoretically could splice the two together....I do have a copy of Adobe Premier and After Effects lying around here someplace.

[nykolus.livejournal.com]

"One neat thing, yesterday I discovered an unexpected overlap between Low Red Moon and "Pickman's Other Model," and, as it turns out, this story will provide a bit more history to Narcissa Snow's family."

squeee!!!

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Wow... MUCH more consistent ending.

As derekcfpegritz said, above, it addresses the one thing that they Kind Of Alluded To, in the film, and then Left, and never touched again.

That is almost everything that I wanted from that ending.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

That is almost everything that I wanted from that ending.

Well, I still want something resembling the ending of the novel, but, I also want chromatophores and tentacles, so go figure.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Well, I still want something resembling the ending of the novel, but, I also want chromatophores and tentacles, so go figure.

Well, I can't argue with that (especially the thing about the tentacles... Mmm...), but with what we got, up to that point, I'm much more pleased with the alternate ending.

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

I've seen neither ending yet, but I'm sitting here trying to imagine any ending at all other than the one from the book. I can't do it.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I've seen neither ending yet, but I'm sitting here trying to imagine any ending at all other than the one from the book. I can't do it.

Neville talks to Jesus and dies in the basement, blowing his house to Kingdom Come after shoving the woman and the kid into a niche that would hardly have protected them from the blast or the subsequent inferno. Woman and kid take a vile of his serum and drive away to picturesque rural Vermont where the U.S. military is guarding a town filled with the uninfected, walled off from the rest of the world. Dumb, dumb, and offensive, to boot.

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

Another question about I AM LEGEND (I know, Just see it already. I'm working on it). I know a few people who've seen it, but none of them have read the book. And they all hated the movie. Crappy ending aside, is the rest of it at least enjoyable for someone who has read the book?

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Crappy ending aside, is the rest of it at least enjoyable for someone who has read the book?

Well, I loved the film, right up until the ending, which I found so discordant (relative to the rest of the film) and off-putting that it's the only thing that kept the movie from winding up on my "favourites of 2007" list. I think the trick is to go in not expecting Matheson's novel, but something closer to a remake of The Omega Man (also based on I Am Legend). But, your mileage may very, of course. Frankly, I think it did the best job of depicting a post-apocalyptic urban landscape of any film I've ever seen, and Smith's performance is superb. I cried about three quarters of the way through the film, it affected me so deeply. But that crappy theatre ending...

[troublebox.livejournal.com]

Just going from the cover posted on Amazon, it looks like the 2-disc special edition has 2 versions of the movie. If you zoom in, you can read the ad copy: "Includes alternate theatrical version, with controversial ending."



I Am Legend (Two-Disc Special Edition) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JPTK/)




Of course, that might just be a mock-up, touting a feature they cut. I hope not. The ending they went with was like frosting a delicious cake with a gigantic dog turd.

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

In that case, I'll just see it as a movie instead of an adaptation of a great book. Thanks for the info.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

In that case, I'll just see it as a movie instead of an adaptation of a great book. Thanks for the info.

That's really the best thing to do.

[whiskeychick.livejournal.com]

Considering you had so much research to do, 716 words is nothing to sneeze at, I contend.

I have not ventured into SL in ages, it seems. But, your Sirenia Players has me intrigued enough to do so. So, I'm game if you like. I'm curious to investigate your idea: "Part of the great, untapped potential of SL is all the ways it can aid authors, and this would be another way of taking advantage of what it has to offer."

I haven't seen I am Legend yet. But loved the book. Wonder if I'll have some disappointments as well.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

So, I'm game if you like.

Noted. Thank you.

I'm curious to investigate your idea: "Part of the great, untapped potential of SL is all the ways it can aid authors, and this would be another way of taking advantage of what it has to offer."

Good!

[whiskeychick.livejournal.com]

Ran all my updates and will voyage into the world again today.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

I'm considering (and I know this is a strange idea, bear with me) of establishing an rp group on Second Life to try rping through certain scenarios...

Boy, I am so not cool enough to join this little cabal. However, I'm damned interested to see how things work out with this. I will say that this pitch seems like the sinister beginnings of some kind of obscure South Asian Ero Guro film (which would, of course, be hideously adapted by Hollywood and star either Nicholas Cage or Jessica Alba or something).

Plus, I'm sort of unnerved by the likelihood that I would be involved in scenes of virtual squickitude with one of my favorite authors.

It's still not the right ending...

Well, yeah. It's sort of better, but it only reduced my initial reaction of ZOMGWTFSTFUBBQ down to WTF? Better, but still sort of dumb.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

(which would, of course, be hideously adapted by Hollywood and star either Nicholas Cage or Jessica Alba or something).

Yikes! No!

[scarletboi.livejournal.com]

Kat and I would be glad to help out in SL, though it's not like we NEED more reason to be addicted to that monstrosity. :P

Oh, and Kat has a present for Nareth and Misi.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Kat and I would be glad to help out in SL, though it's not like we NEED more reason to be addicted to that monstrosity. :P

I had a feeling you would. ;-) Yay!

Oh, and Kat has a present for Nareth and Misi.

Oooooh. Cool.

Important Birthday!

[cliff52.livejournal.com]

From Wired News, today is the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/246494688/click.phdo

Re: Important Birthday!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

From Wired News, today is the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

I'd missed this, so thank you!

Re: Important Birthday!

[cliff52.livejournal.com]

(Love that eye, BTW) ...and it was twenty years before we caught up with Sally Ride.

[cailement.livejournal.com]

I thought you might find amusement in this.

http://lolthulhu.com/

[corucia.livejournal.com]

Not sure if you've seen/mentioned this -

http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat

Humorous animated cat videos, but beware they don't give Hubero ideas...

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Humorous animated cat videos, but beware they don't give Hubero ideas...

I think Hubero may have given the animator ideas.

Sirenia Players

[deekskusting.livejournal.com]

I'm always game for just about anything in SL. It's what makes it fun. And if it can be of help to somebody, so much the better.

Re: Sirenia Players

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I'm always game for just about anything in SL. It's what makes it fun. And if it can be of help to somebody, so much the better.

Noted.

sl/sp

[tarots.livejournal.com]

I can't quite figure out how to move around as easily
as I'm sure one is supposed to in SL. I'll continue
the search for an answer/primer.

If you need a road kill model, Torsos is yours to command.