"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" a New Set of Fans, but Will it Satisfy the Old Guard?

In 1977 the first Star Wars film, then titled Star Wars, but later A New Hope, hit the big screen, Three years later we met the next installment (The Empire Strikes Back 1980) and, after another three years, the final film of the trilogy (Return of the Jedi 1983).

But there were rumors of a trilogy of trilogies.

Screenwriter/Director/Producer George Lucas did deliver the first (The Phantom Menace 1999) of a second trilogy seventeen years later. The trilogy was a prequel to the first. The cinematic quality of the second collection was much better than the first, but it lacked in several ways.

Lucas seemed to have lost his ability to write. He could tell a good story, but he couldn't tell it well. He introduced cardboard characters and delivered atrocious dialogue. Then there was Jar Jar Brinks, a matter of discussion all its own.

The second set was short on humor, so much a part of the the original films. It was all too serious.

So what can we expect from the third trilogy that Lucas once said he had no intention of making? I think we can expect a hybrid of the previous two trilogies. The best of both worlds, so to speak. Lucas set the groundwork and Disney (who now owns the rights) will blast it into hyperspace.

After I'd seen the first film in 1977 (I'd just graduated high school) we were all excited to see the second film. When The Empire Strikes Back was to open we camped out overnight for tickets. Not this time! Harrison Ford may still be able to hack the roll of action hero [he's contracted to play Han in a future film as well as Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard (Blade Runner 2)], but I'm getting too old to camp out on the cement in the cold.

Anyway...

...there's a  lot of buzz and speculation surrounding the newest film The Force Awakens, directed by genius J.J. Abrams. I have loved his films--lens flares and all. We all hope he and the Disney folks do the film up right. We all hope it works.


The trailers make it look awesome, but we all know you can't really judge a movie by its trailer any more than you can judge a book by its cover. Sometimes they fool us as Lucas did with the second trilogy.

AND, we all hope the writing will be better.

Get a $2-5 Rebate Just for Buying My Book(s)

Just in time for Christmas:

Buy any one of my books on Amazon, take a picture of you holding it and send it to me at gregory.zschomler@gmail.com along with your address and I'll send you $2! That's right, two bucks for your photo with any one of my books! And if you buy all three Bayou Boys Adventures I'll send you five bucks!!! Now through Black Friday only. Previous purchases not eligible.

NaNoWriMo Nuts Noodle New Novels in November

Put everything else aside. Write right now! LOL

Wrimonites: I'd love to hear your NaNoWriMo progress. We all work at different paces. To some it comes easy to others with great pains. that's all okay.

This isn't a bragging thing; it's an encouragement thing. We're all in this together and we need the support to press on.

And DO press on. Don't stop. And if you miss a day, pick it back up the next. Do NOT be discouraged.

My goal is higher than 50K, so at 14K, I'm behind on my goal, but I'll keep crackin'.

Are You a Crazed and Frustrated NaNoWriMo Writer?

Writing can be maddening. 

As much as you love it, it can drive you crazy! One moment you 'pen' what seems to be the most brilliant thing ever written; in the next moment you doubt your ability to put two compatible words together.

Then there's writer's block. When under a deadline. You stare blankly at the screen, fingers poised over the keys, but the brain doesn't command words to flow. It's infuriating!

NaNoWriMo is a lot of pressure, too.

There's thirty days to produce 50,000 words. Fifty-thousand!!! In thirty stinkin' days! HA! It's a real challenge and if you do it you can pat yourself on the back and take your bad self out to dinner.

So keep at it. Keep writing. Keep staring at the screen...until you bleed.

Books by Gregory E. Zschomler:

NaNoWriMo and Mo' Bits and Pieces (an aggregation)

I've been trying to blog once a week, but I think that might fall by the wayside for much of this month. There's just not much on the docket for the rest of the month except NaNoWriMo writing. And that's taking up much of my time.

I'm working on my first full-length adult novel (most of my fiction works have been novellas for youth and young adults). It's an exciting sci-fi tale based on a true story encased in speculative science and spiritual quandaries. It should be out by next spring (2016).

For those joining me in the NaNoWriMo challenge, I wish you well.

As for other news:

• This weekend is Wordstock in Portland, but I'll not be going. If you go please buy an indie book and fill out a survey asking for more representation by indie authors at the event. Wordstock has typically sided with the publishing industry and panned indies.
• Speaking of indies, many authors I know (especially through NIWA) have new books out and they would love your support. These are good authors with some very intriguing new titles. You can look at the NIWA titles here.
• And, of course, there's my new book, Plays and Sketches for Schools & Churches, for those into theater. I'd appreciate you sharing with school and church theater people you might know.
• I had planned to have a new cookbook (Tex-Mex and Southwest BBQ) in time for Christmas, but I'm behind on the project. Hopefully we'll see that in time for the summer grilling season.
• Finally, my wife and I are still collecting humorous (yet poignant) short stories for an anthology we're editing called Chicken Poop on My Sole (Funny Fodder from the Farm). So if you got 'em, write 'em and send them in.

Today, November 1, is National Author's Day...Celebrate

How do you celebrate National Author's Day? It seems the reasonable thing to do would be to buy a book (or at least check one out of the library). And read it. It's why we write books, so people will read them. Support your local author and help keep us writing.

Celebrating NaNoWriMo: Author's Insanity Month

So it begins. National Novel Writing Month. Average goal 50,000 (50K) words. That's a mere 1,500 words a day. And it doesn't have to be a polished masterpiece. Just write.

Author Shannon Hale said: “I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”

Sure it takes dedication. Sure it takes discipline. Sure it's a lot of work. And, sure it takes some measure of insanity. And it's hard. But anyone can do it who wants to.

This is actually how I work. LOL

It's said that over 300,000 people will attempt the challenge this year. That would be a lot of books if all succeeded. Most won't see the light of day. But some do. Like Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants.

I'm drafting a novel to be titled Through HELL and Back. (That could be appropo. lol) I will begin today. I will write every day except over Thanksgiving weekend. I will write at least six hours per day on this one work (remember my goal is 100K and I've been doing this for while).

I'll be revising and editing in December and polishing in January. The finished work should be about 80K. I have the story idea and intro knocked out. (I know, I've cheated a little.)

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