Well, dear readers, it is that time of year again. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is that time of year again, the time of year when I, BK, start thinking about what my new book will be. I go through this every year right about now – I think about what I’ve written, what might be fun to write and just try to let ideas float around in the brain to see what might be interesting. Naturally, since I have the Adriana Hofstetter series, I can always do one of those, and the fact is a few months ago I came up with the story I want to do for the next one, so I do have that in my pocket, and it would be a very different kind of story for Adriana and I know I’d enjoy writing it. That’s certainly one possibility, although I kind of like taking a year off between those books. But yesterday, muse Margaret called to catch up and we were yakking and she brought up something she’s brought up regularly for almost a decade, which is a film that David Wechter and I came up with that we could never sell, although we got somewhat close once. It’s an idea I had that I brought to David, and we worked out a little story and Margaret really has loved the idea since I first told her about it – she just thinks it’s such a natural for the movies and she’s right. In talking to her it hit me that I could write it as a novel and that that might even be more fun and I wouldn’t be bound by the conventions of screenwriting, especially the kind of screenwriting you have to do today to sell anything – that awful by rote three-act arc this, journey that, stuff that I find such a hindrance to creativity. I called David and told him what I was thinking and he thought it was a great idea. And the thing is, if I were to do it and it came out well, it would probably be easier to get a movie deal based on the book than on a pitch or even a spec script.
So, I used the Mac “spotlight” and instantly located our little story treatment. I read it (it’s almost twelve years ago and I think that we’d actually worked on it on an off for two years prior to doing the outline) and it already wasn’t as much fun as what I was beginning to picture in my head – that’s the wonderful thing about writing a novel – you are not bound by anything but your own imagination and how you wish to tell your story. So things in the outline that I found corny or too Screenwriting 101ish (foreshadowing things, each character having a thing to overcome – you know, all that stuff) I wouldn’t have to do in a novel. But the kernel of the story, the idea of it, which came to me as most of my ideas do in the middle of the night, is fun and I think it would be a real challenge to do and I’m kind of ready for that in what will be my fourteenth book. It would be a completely different world for me – like nothing I’ve ever written, and I kind of am intrigued by that. So, my plan is to talk to Margaret this morning, and then write a sample chapter and show it to her. I kind of know how I’d want to open the book, so the sample chapter would be something I could probably get into quickly. Then if she responds to it then I may just make that the 2014 book. It would be daunting to live in a world that I’m not intimately familiar with – all my books have some kind of basis in my life’s reality so they’re easy in that sense because I’m writing what I know. Here I’d be entering territory I don’t know at all, other than what I’ve read and seen, but I have to say I’m intrigued by that – to just go live in a whole different world – daunting, but I’m thinking it might be challenging and fun and I’m always up for that. And if the first chapter doesn’t feel good or like something I want to do, then I’ll start to map out the Adriana story. But it will be one of those two, so I’m happy that I’ve gotten that figured out this early.
Yesterday was, I suppose, a perfectly fine day, although I don’t really remember much of it. Let’s see – I got up at nine-thirty and had an interesting telephonic conversation with film restoration expert Robert A. Harris. After that, I began loading into iTunes an upcoming new master, and I answered e-mails. Then I went and had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with no fries or onion rings. I did some banking, paid a few Kritzerland bills, then picked up a couple of packages, after which I came home.
I did a three-mile jog, planked, and did thirty-five sit-ups, and then listened to the first score of a two score CD, and it sounded mighty fine. The second score began uploading late last night, so I’ll listen to that one at some point today. We’re waiting on that packaging to be approved, then we can get all that to the printers and maybe stay ahead of the game for six weeks, which would be lovely. I did some more work on the show order for the Kritzerland show, but this one is really hard – I do need to finish it today so I can begin writing the commentary. I had a very long telephonic conversation about something that could or could not happen. Then I found out that the Darling Daughter dinner wasn’t happening (it will be tomorrow night), so I went to Gelson’s and got a teeny thing of mac and cheese and two really tiny chicken tenders, plus some beloved melon balls. I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish and ate all my little snacks.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Two Men in Manhattan, a film by Jean-Pierre Melville. I am a very big Melville fan – I just love the look and feel of his films and I’ve seen many of them. But Two Men in Manhattan has always eluded me so I was thrilled to have it come out on Blu-ray and snapped it up immediately. I was made in 1958 (released here in 1959), with interiors and certain street scenes shot in France, but most of the exteriors shot in New York. It’s not long on plot or character, but I just loved it, everything about it – the style, the melodramatic but great music, the photography and the weird performances – it’s all Melville all the time and I just love his world, cinema-wise. It’s a film that’s just completely peculiar to him and is unique and a one-off. And even if the film is not one’s cup of banana juice, the incredible views of Times Square are worth the price of the disc. In one fantastic shot in Shubert Alley, we see all the posters of the shows that were playing – Flower Drum Song, The World of Suzie Wong, Redhead and whatever else I’m forgetting. And the amazing Broadway, lined with movie theater after movie theater (today there is not a one left) and spectacular neon everywhere (not like today – not all that Blade Runner/Tokyo crap – no, this is the New York when New York was New York). Unfortunately, Cohen Media or whoever supervised the transfer obviously knows nothing about screen ratios – by 1958 Mr. Melville would have not been shooting in the old Academy ratio and his film would have been shown in 1.85 in the United States and most likely in France – perhaps in 1.66 or 1.78 but not Academy and the proof is there to see in every single shot, where there is enough head room to drive a truck through. It’s a real shame because otherwise the transfer is excellent, but the compositions, key in any Melville film, are simply off. Still, all that said, this is highly recommended by the likes of me.
After that, I listened to some Melville soundtracks – some really wonderful music on a Universal France Melville compilation CD, and I had a couple of telephonic conversations, too.
Today, I shall be up by nine-thirty and I have an eleven o’clock early lunch meeting at the Coral Café. After that, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll do a jog, I’ll finish figuring out the show order, I’ll start writing the commentary, I’ll listen to the second score of our new master and I’ll relax.
Tomorrow, is dinner with the Darling Daughter, then it’s more meetings and meals and seeing a couple of things, and hopefully some good news about some upcoming projects. Send lots of good vibes and xylophones about upcoming projects and maybe they’ll happen.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, hopefully pick up packages, do a jog, figure out a show order, write a commentary and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall ponder the world of what may or may not become my next novel.