Conceptual Celebrities

Hola!

So I've been thinking about this post for quite some time now. Quite some time.

It all started a good 3-4 years ago when I was in the heavy midst of writing one of my novels, I was busy scrambling all the details, still in the heavy planning stages for it. Well, the novel flopped--never really made it with me. Maybe one day, but not anytime soon. I have bigger & better ideas to tackle first. But the ideas presented in the novel really stuck with me, apparently, considering I'm writing about one of them right now!

The novel was a *very* futuristic novel. Like, in the next millennium type of novel. Or at least in a couple hundred years...a millennium is kind of a long time. Anyway, I had to re-conceptualize everything. The novel took so much time to plan because obviously, the human race then will have nothing in common with the human race today. Nothing. I can't even say we will have the same body organs in common because who knows what they will have, with adaptation and evolution and all that fun stuff. Also, who's to say we won't all be half robots that live til 500 by then, because we will probably find some sick, twisted way to re-grow our organs and just live forever? Heart failure? No problem- Just make a 30 minute doctor appointment, come out with a new heart. But thats not the point. The point is that I had to think about every single aspect of human life as we know it today, and re-wrap my mind around the idea and make it somehow, futuristic. Dating, the food industry, parenting, life, birth, death, school, healthcare, elderly, employment, money, etc. But one thing I had a unique plan for, was celebrities. Fame.


The novel was supposed to take place underground. My (sort-of) premise was that by that point in time, the sun got too close to us/too hot for us and we had to all build these huge underground places. Multiple all around the world, but every country is responsible for designing their own. Mine just focus on how the United States handles them. So I knew fame wasn't a realistic possibility. Even though these underground units could hold 20,000 people (at least) per unit, that still wasn't enough people to let fame happen. I mean fame wouldn't mean anything. Celebrities, they would be seen all the time, because they would be sharing the same space with "regular people" all the time. So they would sort of lose their status. I mean think about it. If modern day New York City...if you took out ALL tourists (people that don't normally spend more than 3-4 days in the city a week), and just left the residents there, you'd have the size of one of these units. Well, quite a few celebrities live in NYC. After a couple months, years, the in town residents (keep in mind they would be the same people, no new incomers or outgoers) would frequently run into those celebrities, and it would become to not be such a big deal anymore.

The reason why people go nuts over celebrities in NYC today, is mainly because of tourists. People travel to get to the city and are dying to see anyone remotely famous. The minute they see someone, its like a massive swarm (and sometimes dangerous) army of tourists & paparazzi (sp?).


So thats why fame wouldn't work. So I had to re-think it, and I came up with the idea that celebrities wouldn't be real. No humans. All animations. Except there would be actual celebrity animations. It wouldn't be just a one time thing, like today an animated movie comes out and has its own new characters. No. There would be an animated "Judy McJudyson" (I just made that up lol) and she would have her own personality that was consistent in all her movies, but she would play different parts in all her movies.  Get it? Sort of?

Well, that was all good and well, but the idea didn't reoccur until I saw a preview for one of the new animation films coming out, and It came quickly on the screen, but It was an animated character and at first I thought it was a real boy (and my eyesight is not that bad, I promise). Its just scary how real they are making the animations look now....imagine what they will be doing in 100 + years?

They can probably find ways to recreate celebrities from the past that have died or aged, and make realistic animations of them and have them be on screen again....that would be scary!

I mean, think of the advantages....the film industry wouldn't have to pay celebrities anymore. A lot more films could be made. We wouldn't have to idolize celebrities, some that make us feel awful about ourselves. The economy wouldn't be as skewed, with some celebrities spending thousands on purses when others in the same city are spending $10 to feed their entire family. We wouldn't have to have stunt men. We could demonstrate crazy stunt effects and not put anyone in danger, and make  it look real.

But a disadvantage would also be the same fact that we wouldn't have celebrities to idolize. Someone REAL to look up too, to fantasize about....if they could do it, I could do it. They are  human too.We wouldn't have that.



Think about it. You may think its too unrealistic and will never happen, but think about it. Even just from Toy Story to Tangled, the animations are becoming scarishly real. And as demonstrated in "Enchanted", we can even put animations in real backgrounds. So, the possibilities are endless. Give it 100 years....we'll see what they come up with!


~WNB

Major Writing Mishap...

I have been a writer since I can remember starting grade school. Unfortunately, I didn't think to date things back then and I don't know how old I was when I wrote some things. I wish I had just dated them! But I can usually tell by my handwriting...Anyway, I have piles and piles of story after story that I wrote during grade school. I had such big ambitions, and yet I was showing signs of the ADHD I am pretty sure I still have to this day. I could never stick with one story. Hence, this results:

Now that I am home for break, I am organizing all these stories. Each different "pile" that you see is a different novel/story line. My longest one, the pink one in bottom right, made it to about 50 pages. My shortest one is 5 pages. The funny thing is, this only represents grade school (about 5th grade to freshman year in HS). I keep the more "modern" novel lines (which exhibit better writing skills, better planning, more realistic plot lines...longer pages..) in another spot and have to tackle them (4) another time. So, in total, I have approximately 15 major novels that at one time, I had plans to finish. When I was in grade school I was so positive I would be a writer. I couldn't imagine anything different. I put so much passion into writing these stories, I had so many ideas...Although my grammar really, really, really, really sucked, I had great talent in dialogue and capturing emotion and setting, which are still my main weaknesses and strengths. Anyone that reads this blog knows I still suck with grammar! (Sorry Jess! ) I've been through three major writing workshops and it has been said many times that I excel in dialogue and setting, which I love to do. Who knows why I am so bad with grammar...you'd think for wanting to be a writer since age 10, I would pay better attention to these lessons....

Anyway, I am organizing these stories by typing them into the computer. This way I have them all together, and they are easier to read, and maybe one day I can still "save" the original novel idea I had when I was younger and make it into a bigger, better novel that is a lot more realistic.

For example, I cracked up laughing when I saw the following, what I wrote. I don't know how old I was when I wrote this but it is a pure example of me not thinking things through.

I begin this novel with a "Preclude" and it is supposed to take place in 1447. Okay, fine. The story begins with a war scene, with two soldiers talking about needing more manpower, etc. Okay, that's fine..Then It switches to a distant village that has yet to be attacked, and it focuses on two girls that are shopping for dresses for their "Turning 15" celebration, where they become "women" and are married off, etc. Okay...still ok, but pushing it. But then, but then....IT GETS BETTER. I end the excerpt I had wrote at the time with the following:

"Your friend Nelly has decided to continue on in the shoppe, and told us to head on home, if that is alright with you." Said Mary, as she pulled out her keys. Nelly would be able to drive soon. She was so excited.

Unless cars were invented in the 1400's and I didn't know about then this is considered SEVERELY out of context!!! I read this, and I couldn't even put in to the computer I was so ashamed/laughing so hard. I was on such a good track...war, villages, shopping, etc., and then driving.

I had to share. It made me giggle. I can't believe myself sometimes. Expect me to share a little more funny things I come across, in later blogs. :)

~A (silly) Writer in a Nurse's Body

My Love Story to-be.

Well. This blog is about writing and nursing. Not about my broken heart or how screwed up life can be (although those are good things to talk about on occasion too). So I want to start writing about what I want to write! THat doesn't make sense. What I mean is that I want to blog about what I am currently trying to write...novel wise. Or even just ideas. I guess in the past I have always been afraid to make that information public because I didn't want someone to think it was stupid and then I would feel like it wasn't worth writing about.

I have many many many many MANY novel ideas (Like 8)- thats a lot. But the one I have been thinking about a lot lately is a love story. Here is the (very basic) premise.
There is a character. He meets this girl, (or she meets this guy- I'm not sure if the main character will be male or female). THey fall in love. ( I have to work that part out- how they fall in love). He(she) is diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He (she) accepts medication treatment. suddenly, the love interest person has disappeared. Patient doesnt understand. Patient realizes that person has been imaginary the entire time, and went away with the medication. Patient is under eternal debate with himself and health care team as to whether or not to continue the meds because he (she) does not want to lose who he loves...The patient may or may not be committed to a psychiatric ward, I'm not sure yet.

Big problem:
Sounds too much like "A Beautiful Mind". I didn't realize how much it was similar until I told this idea to a friend and they said it sounded a lot like the movie- He meets his roommates and becomes best friends with them and then he realizes he has schizophrenia and his roommate is imaginary.

Only difference is mine is a love story. And a tragic, tragic sad story.

I have to figure out how to make it different somehow...really different. This is where needing a muse comes in. :-)

~ A Writer in a Nurse's Body.