Game of Thrones and the tool of sex

I feel like I should write a post about Game of Thrones and have been wracking my brain since last Monday and the start of series 2 on Sky Atlantic.  I loved the first series but Game of Thrones is fantasy on an epic scale.  There are four families, both filled with characters and companions which means the cast list is horrendously long.  Each episode can only concentrate on so much so it is difficult to review as I don’t feel I’ve seen the full picture yet.

The one thing I am enjoying about series 2, and I feel the need to mention it, are the enormous Dire Wolves that we met as cubs in series 1.  They are beautiful and I want more of them, please.

However, this week’s episode got to me.  Something niggled away at me throughout and it was this; sex.  The use of sex as a tool and, most notably, incestual sex.  It is one of the taboo subjects in fiction along with bestiality and rape.  A writer must be careful when using any of these themes in their fiction, they must be used as a tool, with a purpose.

 

A successful example in Game of Thrones is the incestual relationship between Jaime and Cersei Lannister.  There is nothing visibly forced about what they do, in some way there is a sense of genuine affection, and it has resulted in the youngest Stark, Bran, becoming disabled and left to lead Winterfell in the second series and, of course, in Joffrey.  Joffrey, the awful child king, is now the centre of the war – he is not the true son of the king and therefore not the rightful heir which is a pivotal plot point in Game of Thrones.  Joffrey is at the centre of most of the storylines running through Game of Thrones.  All of this results in this incestual act between Jaime and Cersei feeling acceptable.

We had another brief glimpse of something incestual when we first met Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen.  Again, I found this to be acceptable as it gave an overview of Viserys ‘s character within seconds; this man is a horrible character who deserves a painful death at the hands of his sister.  It also showed that he viewed his sister purely as a piece of meat, a bargaining tool and to hell with what actually became of her.

An example of incest in series 2 comes from beyond the wall where we find Jon Snow (one of my favourites).  Here the Night Watch find a man who marries his daughters and, possibly, sacrifices his sons.  He is a disgusting oaf of a man surrounded young girls bearing his children.  While I shuddered at the thought of this storyline, I actually found it clever.  Here is a man who has found a way to survive beyond the wall, safe from the Wildlings – how?  Why?  What will become of his pregnant daughter who goes to Jon Snow for help and what will become of him?  This story on its own is intriguing but only because Jon Snow is an honourable, trustworthy and likeable character.  The viewer feels safe with him as he speaks with this horrible man, interacts with his daughters and follows him, carrying a crying baby, into the woods.  This example of incest is not acceptable but it is a tool that has been cleverly used in this particular plot point.

This week’s episode showed Theon Grerjoy riding astride a horse with a woman.  Now he doesn’t know she’s his sister (although she does), and technically the viewers don’t know (although it was easy enough to guess) but his grotesque fondling of her left me shuddering.  It was too much and pointless – we already know this man’s attitude towards sex and the only thing this scene produced was a small amount of embarrassment for -- but even that was outweighed by his father’s reaction to the sight of him.

In order to put this scene into context, Theon had just left a ship after having sex with a woman on board and treating her like filth.  Perhaps there is method behind this seemingly useless madness.  Theon is the best friend of Robb Stark, the new King of the North, a likeable character.  Theon brings an instant dislike into that particular camp.  I can only hope that this story is going somewhere other than bringing a new faction into the war.

Throughout series 1 of Game of Thrones we had acceptable incest and unacceptable rape that turned into a thriving relationship.  The sex in series 1 was complex and challenged the viewers values.  The sex in series 2 is harsh; the belittling of women, prostitution, incest for incest sake, sex for the sake of creating a son.  It does not make for pleasant viewing and most viewers will only be able to take so much.  It is a sharp reminder to writers that sex must be used as a tool for a purpose in fiction; what can be gained for this interaction between these characters? 

Priest - Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Minor SPOILER warning

I wanted to see Priest at the cinema but was still reeling from Legion, the Paul Bettany starring angel and demon flop.  Priest recently became available on Sky Movies so I recorded it and stared at it with suspicion on my planner for a while.

Tonight I decided to give it a go.

Priest is a Sci-fi/Western in a world where there are vampires and humans living in the same world.  The vampires are a completely different species to humans and are alien looking beings with sharp teeth and no eyes.   In a bid to fight the vampires, the church creates the Priests, humans with special powers and training.  The Priests fought the vampires and won the war.  Society no longer had a need for the Priests and they were forced to assimilate back into society in a world where they were no longer welcome.

Paul Bettany plays a Priest who is fighting to get his niece, kidnapped by vampires, back.

The first thing that peaked my interest in this film was the vampires.  As a teenager I enjoyed the ‘teen vamp’.  Buffy was my Bible.  As I’ve grown up I’ve become tired of these vampires; Twilight, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries bore me.  I’ve been there and I’ve seen it.  It is original concepts, for example 40 Days of Night, that really hold my attention.  Ideas that vampires are not just the sophisticated, charming killers that fall in love with some pouting woman.  What I loved about the 40 Days of Night vampire and the Priest vampire is that they are a completely different species, although they may be humanoid.

The next thing that grabbed my attention in Priest was the world it is set in.  A post-war society run by the church.  I enjoyed the contrast between sin and faith and the differentiation between the church or organised religion and having belief and strength in faith.  While it is a common thing in fantasy and science fiction for organised religion to be the bad guy, Priest still gave enough interesting theories to make the use of the church acceptable.

The Priests act as the medium between the normal person and the domineering church.  They have total and complete belief and faith in God and to go against their vows is to go against the church, to go against God.  To break their vows in the ultimate sacrifice.  What Paul Bettany’s Priest throws up is the question of whether God is working through the church only or through those who believe in him and therefore to go against the church is not to go against God.  

 

While the church is a pivotal character in Priest, the actual antagonist is played by Karl Urban.  At first I thought that Karl Urban’s acting was a little wooden although he seems to loosen up as the film goes on.  There is little I can say about Karl Urban’s character without giving away major spoilers.  

I was at first very worried about Paul Bettany’s American accent but he is a fantastic actor and he plays it flawlessly.  Karl Urban spends the film speaking with a low, husky voice and half way through Paul Bettany also picks this up.  It made me wonder if both had watched Batman during filming.

This is a damsel in distress film and on principle this was the major flaw in Priest for me.  There is a female Priest but even she gushes through most of the film.  I would have preferred a stronger female character, and I think it’s a shame the female Priest couldn’t have fulfilled this.  Paul Bettany’s niece does eventually show some bravery in character and the female Priest is still an energising character, so not all is lost.

Priest is not perfect but it is fast paced and fresh.  I thoroughly enjoyed it as a quick, action/science fiction film that cleverly leaves questions and gives you food for thought if you’re hungry.  If you like something different with your vampire, or science fiction/fantasy films, give it a go.

Submitting a novel aka your pride and joy

Well, there you go.  I’ve started the submission process and off Silver has gone, into the world.  Submitting to publishers and agents is incredibly scary but it is a necessity.  Most writers want to share their stories and this is the best and more credible way of doing this (other methods are self publishing or vanity publishing).

So how do you go about it?  Obviously I’ve not yet secured an agent so I wouldn’t dare try and tell you how to be success at getting an agent or publisher to accept your work, but I can give you a few hints or tips from my own experience.

There are two necessities for getting published;

• Hard work
• Luck

 Unfortunately you only have control over one of these, so it is worth doing as much as you possibly can and then hope that luck is on your side.

First of all, you must be happy with your manuscript.  Edit it, redraft it, play around with it and love it.

I then wrote a draft covering letter and synopsis.  Every agent/publisher wants something different, so I then used these draft versions as templates.  Generally they will want the covering letter, or query, a synopsis and the first three chapters, but make sure you check the requirements before you submit.

The query or covering letter needs to state the premise of your book, the genre(s) it fits into and the word count.  Then a little about you, any publishing or real life experience relevant to the book.  It needs to be professional, so stay clear of informal or chatty text. 

If you’re like me and need to read examples before you write something like this, here are some examples of query letters;

http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html

http://www.writing-world.com/basics/email.shtml

http://www.writing-world.com/basics/sample.shtml

http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/the-complete-nobodys-guide-to-query-letters/

I’ve read a lot about what the synopsis should be.  Some people say it should only detail the main characters and conflicts, other want a breakdown of the entire book.  What you do need is to explain the overview of the book, beginning, middle and end (make sure you tell them the climax and ending) and include all of the major conflicts and characters.  You can also include a blurb at the beginning – remember, this is your sales pitch.

I constructed a synopsis by writing off the top of my head what happens in the book.  I ended up with ‘and then this happens and then this happens and then this happens’ which you definitely do not want.   Your synopsis needs to show your voice, all of your writing talent should be packed into the synopsis in case the agent reads this first.

So I then read through it and marked the major characters, conflicts and pivotal moments.  I used this to rewrite a more concise synopsis which hopefully reads a lot smoother and gives a taste of what I am capable of.

I also read through it trying to put all knowledge of the book out of my head.  This is incredibly difficult but I was attempting to read it as a member of the public – would I want to read this book?

I actually find this part very interesting.  I found myself taking my characters apart in trying to explain what they were going through.  I think for my next novel I will do this process after writing the first draft and see if it improves my plot.

So you have a covering letter and synopsis, next you need to get organised.  Compose a list of agents/publishers and record who you submit to, what you send and when you send it so that you know when you can chase them.  I did this as a spreadsheet including links to the agent and publishers websites.  I’ve also created a folder in my e-mail for all correspondence.

The best way to find agents/publishers is by using the Writers and Artists Yearbook 2012 (an annual book and it pays to buy it every year you submit work).  This includes details of agents and publishers for books of fiction and non-fiction, plays and articles as well as hints, tips and advice from people in the industry and authors.

Another useful website is http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/.

And that’s it!  It sounds so simple but it’s a lot harder said than done.  While going through this process, you may experience moments of doubt, fear and depression.  I recommend the following for these;

• Exercise
• Gardening
• Making cakes
• Phoning your mum in a mad panic

I did all of these over the course of this weekend.

I also recommend that you sleep on it.  Write your synopsis and covering letter, compose your spreadsheet, or whatever, and then leave it.  Mull it over, think about it, and wait until you feel ready and confident in your work again before you submit anything.

Another important thing to do is once you have submitted your pride and joy is to move onto your next project.  Keep writing, most people don’t get their first, or second, or third novel published straight away and your next project could be the winner.

Remember, all writers get rejected.  You may need hard work and luck to get published but you also need hope in order to survive.  Keep hold of your dream and don’t let it go, it’s the most important element and don’t let anyone take it away from you.

Happy writing and good luck!

Now that I’ve started submitted Silver, I’m going to celebrate by gorging on cakes, some made by me, and some gorgeous dark chocolate ones made by my lovely friend Gem.

The dreaded covering letter

What am I doing right now?  On this glorious blue sky, sunny bank holiday Friday?  I’m trying to write a covering letter for Silver.

Note the word ‘trying’.

I hate writing covering letters.  I haven’t even started on the synopsis yet but if memory serves I hate those as well.

I’m sat with my laptop, a guide to getting published open next to me and a Google window searching for covering letter samples, determined to do this right.

I started off ok, my contact details, the date, a space for the agent’s address.  It was all going so well.  Even the first paragraph went without a hitch.  I can just about introduce Silver (it’s amazing how you can spend a year of your life writing something, know it inside out and love it like a child but when someone asks you what it’s about you stumble and stutter and gibberish comes out).  It’s the paragraph about me that I hate and after five attempts I’m very tempted to just write ‘please’ over and over.

The book I have open says that while covering letters are important, they’re not that important.  On the contrary, an article I just read states that covering letters are the most important thing.  You know what riles me the most?  I have spent a year or so of my life putting my heart and soul into this book and I know that it’s the best thing I’ve done so far.  I would hate for it to fail just because of one little letter.  And one little letter should not be this hard to write!

I am reminded of my favourite book, ‘The Body’ by Stephen King where Mr King writes;

The most important things are the hardest to say...because words diminish them...

 

Perhaps the best approach to covering letters is to take the pressure away.  To have a book published may be a lifelong dream but it must be put into perspective; most writers do not get their first, second or even third books published (Silver is my second).  If I don’t make it now I will do in the future.

And relax.

Aldi: My favourite adverts

I would like to firstly apologise for the length of my last post.  It dawned on me last night that I should have split the topics I wanted to talk about into several posts.  However I spent all day (yes, all day) writing yesterday's post and putting it online (Blogger was playing up) so I won't be taking it down!

Anyway, early last year I completed a qualification in Marketing and part of the coursework was to choose a favourite or most hated advert and dissect it.  I chose my favourite advert campaign at the time; Birds Eye - the polar bear in the freezer.

I wish Aldi's campaign had been around then.  I have never enjoyed an advert campaign like this one and whoever dreamt it up should be given a raise and a promotion.

What's the advert that made me want to shout about it?  This is it...

I absolutely love the dog's face at the end.  There's not much else to say about these; they're clever and they're funny and look! They work!  Here I am sharing Aldi adverts with you.  Whether it makes me go into an Aldi and part with my money is another thing entirely.

Other favourites are below, enjoy.

The Walking Dead Finale

I’ve been feeling bad lately.  March saw the end of two incredible television programmes; Being Human series 4 and The Walking Dead series 2.

I wanted to write a review of The Walking Dead, honestly I did.  I excitedly sat down and put the last episode of series 2 on and settled back to enjoy.  The last episode was the best of the series but it's still taken me a while to arrange my thoughts.

I've realised the problem; The Walking Dead is just too much.  I could write long essays about the angles, characters, social and gender dynamics and interpretions but they would make for huge blog posts. Still, I apologise for the length of this blog post!

The general consensus is that there was a lack of zombie action in series 2.  While a bit of zombie action is always fun and the zombies are done fantastically, in order for the characters to grow and develop they must build relationships and they do this by talking.  Dialogue is required to make this show a success.

The writing has been shaky, there’s no hiding from it.  There has been upheaval in the writing camp with the departure of Frank Darabont and a cast of new writers.  Only some of the characters are three dimensional, others have just been ignored (T Dog) and there are so few likeable characters. Despite this, The Walking Dead is still compelling watching.

Who is your favourite Walking Dead character? 

My personal favourite is Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus).  This is a character of layers.  The younger brother of redneck, racist, ex-con Merle who we last saw in series 1 handcuffed to the roof of the building.  Daryl risks his life to save little Sophia which was a very interesting character twist open to interpretations, and when she is found to be dead he isolates himself from the group.  He is constantly battling between the need to be by himself (his old life) and acceptance into the group (his new life). 

Despite the potential for a deep, conflicted and likeable character, Daryl suffered at the writer’s hands this series.  He cut himself away from the group, collecting Walker ears and living a freaky, hermit life until Carol strolled over, said a few words and they stared at each other for a little too long.  In the next scene Daryl had rejoined the group and is obeying Rick’s every order.  What?  Was something cut?  Did I blink and miss something?  Or is Daryl more fickle that I thought?

I am intrigued by Carol and Daryl’s relationship and I wonder if that will progress through series 3.  Although Carol suddenly dropping in that Daryl is nothing but Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) henchman worries me – while I see Daryl as open to some manipulation I’ve always viewed him as a surprisingly intelligent man.  I would find it uncharacteristic now if he were so easily swayed by Carol. 

My main frustration throughout series 2 was Shane.  Rick’s best friend, Lori’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) lover and second father to little Carl.  He’s in love with Lori and his murderous tendencies began when Rick reclaimed his family.  Who can blame him?  With Rick in the picture Shane is alone. 

Murder obviously weighed heavily on Shane’s shoulders, after killing Otis he showered and shaved his head giving himself a new menacing look to fit what I can only assume was the start of a mental breakdown.  Once found out (if only people had listened to Dale, this might have been over a lot quicker) Shane repeated his reasoning to anyone who would listen – it’s all about survival.  He was threatening to all characters, he had sex with Andrea but still proclaimed his love for Lori and Carl and, believe it or not, Lori struggled with saying no.  This is the same Shane that drunkenly tried to force himself on her in series 1.  I spent most of the series waiting for Shane to die and boy, did I have to wait a long time.

The action started in series 2 in the penultimate episode which may have been a little late but was worth waiting for.  Shane lured Rick out into the woods.  Rick knew what Shane was up to, to be honest he’d known what Shane was up to for about half the series but Rick is a good man and to spill the blood of someone so close might be the tipping point for Rick (an excellent start to series 3).  Finally Shane and Rick faced one another.

One frustration out of the way and three cheers to Rick.  What a fantastic way to begin the end of the series.  Unfortunately it still leaves one more frustration; Lori, Rick’s wife and Shane’s lover.  I can’t quite figure out how I feel about Lori other than I don’t like her.  In a previous episode Lori essentially asked Rick to kill Shane.  When he tells her what he’s done in the final episode she shuns him.

Many reviewers have been left confused by this.  One explanation for her reaction is that Rick then went on to tell her how Carl put a bullet between Shane’s zombie eyes; enough to make any mother fume. 

One review I’ve read had a very interesting interpretation of this – perhaps Lori wanted Shane to kill Rick.  She shunned him because the plan backfired, because she’s actually lost the man she loved. 

Still Lori is an inconsistent character with no explanation.  Not to mention the amount of times she’s lost Carl.  For crying out loud woman, if you’re going to worry about him, stop letting him out of your sight!

The final episode started with what I assumed was a flashback to the zombies left by the group in the city eating the horse’s flesh as the helicopter flew overhead.  This doesn’t make any sense as the zombie’s were infiltrating the building holding Rick and his new found friends at this point.  So does this mean that the helicopter flew over twice and if so why didn’t all of the Walkers follow it the first time and allow Rick and his new gang to escape with ease?

Anyway, what a great idea!  Zombies follow noise and so they follow the helicopter until a gunshot makes them change course and leads them onto the farm resulting in the best zombie action in The Walking Dead to date.

I did for a moment wonder what direction the programme might take if the group was split, if Lori was separated from Rick.  I didn’t have long to contemplate this before the group all came together again after being split from the zombie horde minus Andrea who was left behind.  They quickly decided to leave her, some have said this was a lesson learnt from the Sophia fiasco but I bet that if Andrea had been a child and her mother in the group then they would have gone back.  This speaks less about lessons learnt about more about the psychology of the human mind.  Andrea is a grown up so to hell with her.

Speaking of Andrea, she fights tooth and nail to survive.  After her failed suicide attempt at the end of series 1 when Dale forced her to live on, I wondered if Dale’s death would cause something to crack in Andrea but it appears those wounds have healed.  We watch as death closes in on Andrea when she is saved by a sword wielding, hooded stranger.  Walking Dead fans cheered around the world at the short cameo of comic book favourite Michonne and I’m very excited about seeing more of her in series 3.

So many programmes these days throw up questions and don’t answer them (Lost).  At the end of series 1, Dr Jenning whispered something horrific into Rick’s ear before the CDC blew up.  We had to wait an entire series but the question was answered; what did Dr Jenning whisper? Rick told the group towards the end of the final episode; everyone is infected.  You will become a Walker whether you are bitten or not.  Unfortunately this took away the fresh feeling of new scenery and a new beginning for the group but everyone turning on Rick once more.  Part of me can’t blame them in questionning his authority, just who was in charge before Rick came along?

At the very end of series 2 we are given a teasing shot of the prison, something that fans have been waiting for.  Inside lies The Governor, a highly anticipated character who will be played by David Morrissey, and very possibly Merle Dixon.  That’s right, Michael Rooker will be returning as Merle Dixon in series 3 and Mr Rooker has revealed that he’s had to lose 20lbs for the part.  I’ve spent days pondering that one.

My hopes for series 3?  That Lori will go, pregnant or not she is simply not likeable and while attached to the very likeable Rick she poses no use.  Perhaps we can flash forward 8 months and be left with a baby – that would make surviving in a zombie filled world much more interesting.

I want the characters to be developed further.  We should at least remember their names, T Dog appeared in the series 2 finale and it took me a good ten minutes to remember who he was.  Given how he and Merle last saw each other, perhaps his character is waiting for the reappearance of the older Dixon brother.

The Walking Dead has so much potential and could be so much more, let’s hope the writers have figured out a direction and fulfil this potential come the autumn.

Here are some other good reviews of the series 2 finale;

http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/03/the-walking-dead-season-finale-review-burning-down-the-house/

http://www.empireonline.com/empireblogs/small-screen/post/p1210

http://screenrant.com/the-walking-dead-season-2-finale-review-yman-159873/

The return of Game of Thrones

Just a gentle reminder that series 2 of Game of Thrones starts tomorrow, Monday, on Sky One at 9pm!







It's so exciting I can't stop myself jumping up and down.  I haven't read the books yet (they're waiting patiently on my bookcase).  I would attempt a catch up from the last series but to be perfectly honest I don't have the time or the memory!  There are far too many characters and storylines weaving into one another.  If you didn't see it then know this; you missed out!

Game of Thrones is one of the epic fantasy dramas of our time, as shown by DVD sales and viewing figures.  All of the characters are wonderful and there are plenty to choose from but I am particularly looking forward to more of the very intelligent, charming Tyrion Lannister and the beautiful and dangerous Daenerys Targaryen who we last saw stepping out of the ashes with three baby dragons...


I've also just discovered a trailer I haven't seen before!

Here is a non-spoiler review of the first episode for those who can't quite wait; http://www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/game-of-thrones-season-2-episode-1-the-north-remembers-review/