Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Moments that Suck as a Writer #001

Writers are  notorious for letching after new, interesting turns of phrase.  What worthy  ink slinger would  turn a cold shoulder  to lines such as  "a trombone and  whiskey town"? Or "the irresistible thrill of loathing"? Or Edith Wharton's description of a society ball: "varnished barbarism"?

The  problem  is  that  while  these  and  myriad  other phrases look terrific out of context, they do not always fit the  mood  of the  present  sentence,  paragraph, or page. When this occurs, the writer is obliged to make a hefty effort at self-control and save this pet verbal creation for a more appropriate time.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Noir Writing


Characters were often conflicted antiheroes, trapped in a difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems. Visual elements included low-key lighting, striking use of light and shadow, and unusual camera placement.

Although there have been few new major films in the classic film noir genre since the early 1960s, it has nonetheless had significant impact on other genres. These films usually incorporate both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of film noir. Both classic and neo-noir films are often independent features.

It was not until after 1970 that film critics began to consider "neo-noir" as a separate genre by its own definition. However, noir and post-noir terminology (such as "neo-classic", "hard-boiled”, etc.) in modern application are often disclaimed by both critics and practitioners alike due to the obscurity of such an unrefined genre.

For example, James M. Cain, author of The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, is considered to be one of the defining authors of hard-boiled fiction. Yet, Cain is quoted as saying, "I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality anywhere else."

Robert Arnett states that "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies."