A Justified Legacy..

The above poster details perhaps one of the greatest fantasies of yore as it has been heavily Hollywoodized. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is one of the many movies I like to call flipsides: you either like it or don't like, there is no middleground.



Why would avid fans of the books not like an adaptation of one of the most beloved of the Chronicles? Perhaps because after the success of the first movie, Andrew Adamson thought to take some creative license.



Now, Prince Caspian isn't necessarily a bad movie - rather, it's a movie which speaks for itself and not for the book it has adapted from. Prince Caspian is a movie all its own, and saying 'I read the book so there's not really a point watching the movie' would be a poor excuse to miss out on this potpourri of genres.



Some would say that Prince Caspian doesn't follow the book. However, I declare that Prince Caspian follows the book so well that it is left with plenty of room to add on to that particular cornerstone. It addresses a modern day audience, bringing a few cringeable scenes including a distasteful Susan/Caspian romance, but for the most part it brings messages regarding emotions and problems the Pevensie children would likely be facing. We see the result of Peter's pride in the respect that he doesn't want to wait for Aslan - after an ill-fated attack on the castle, dozens of fighters are slain, left behind with no means of escape.

Though some of the creative license taken by Disney leaves people cringing in their seats, most of it pays off in the long run. Andrew Adamson's gamble has paid off, and saying 'It doesn't follow the book' is justifiable by the fact that though we may have departed from C.S. Lewis's portrayal of the stiffly heroic Peter and other aspects made for a short children's book, we have gained many more life lessons, one of them being that our pride doesn't just hurt us. I feel a tingle of anticipation as I wonder about what Disney will bring us in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Indeed, C.S. Lewis's legacy lives on.

My Own Words Of Wisdom..

Not that they are of any use to the general majority of underaged writers who wish to become successful, but I will impart them nevertheless. Inspired by my friend Adam, I am about to reveal some tricks of the trade which will make you be able to write like me =D ! Okay, perhaps that's not a very good motivator...

1. Originality is key, but it won't win you a publisher. A book about a giraffe fighting monkey pirates in space is definitely original, but the ordeal of actually getting a publisher entails that your work must be good as well. If you can make something that's original and good, you'll most likely find a publisher within a year.

2. Don't draw things out. When you can get straight to the point, do so. Constant analogies and metaphors begin to bore the reader after a while. Your characters must be mobile - a book which consists entirely of people sitting and talking most of the time won't fly.

3. Avoid cliches at all means possible. They can make plot twists predictable, which ruins the whole idea of the twist. A cliche is a plot furtherance which has been used many times and is therefore predictable. Steer clear of these.

4. I find that though parenthetical sentences are, at times, the breaker of a story, they are a great way to explain things which would draw out the story otherwise. Out of the Silent Planet, which I must say is one of C.S. Lewis's most ravishing accomplishments, does this very well. While the elegant Dr. Elwin Ransom is learning the language of a far-off planet which he has been shang-haied to, C.S. Lewis often breaks off in parenthetical sentences to explain certain things about the the language which would have dragged if displayed as Ransom's own observations. I find that a stroke of genius, and a great way to utilize the otherwise distasteful parenthetical sentences.

5. Knowing yourself. You need to know how you write before you start a project which you might not be able to handle. You should also know your timing - are you quick and to the point, or do you like to break off in monologues which either amuse the reader or make them think? Discover how you write and your timing and you'll know a story which is good for you to write.

6. Try not to mispell words - it can be very embrassing.

7. Last of all, and I know this may be a cliche, write something you enjoy. It makes the process unbelievably easier.

Please note that this is for writing fiction and somewhat fantastical stories - for writing other types of literature, one should consult someone with a better knowledge of them.

A Lesser Known Triumphant..

When one thinks of success one might thinks of the Hollywoodized meaning of the word: Very stable and wealthy financially, and quite a few unstandard luxuries. But this 'success' rarely mirrors true perseverance, overcoming the odds and writing a mark on history.

After reading the first few chapters of a book entitled Boys of Grit who became Men of Honor, I was amazed by the determination of a boy named George Matheson, who was born with inflamation in the back of his eyes. The news given to George's mother wasn't comforting, and talks of total blindness were often in the specialists' conversations. The outlook for the young boy was grim - blindness was a substantial force to crush a man.

Over the years of his life, he could attend school and read by using large glasses and large print. But his eyesight became steadily worse, and by eighteen who was practically totally blind.

One would think that George was an illiterate being due to this ailness. Not so. In fact, in college - when most of his lessons were read to him - he led his class due to a fantastic memory. He was at the apex of his school when he graduated, and the fact that he was blind made it all the more impressive.

Later in his life he confessed his sins to God and cried as he did, truly viewing himself as a sinner beyond saving unless he had the mercy of God. Whether by some felt commission or by a true calling from God, George Matheson entered the clergy, becoming a preacher in a small congregation.

However, word of his preaching reached far beyond the confinement of the miniscule town. One would not even guess he was a blind man unless you saw his wife leading him around by the arm. For when he got up and spoke sermons fully devoted to memory, his voice was like an irresistible force, something which no one can escape. He was a tremendous speaker, and could influence anyone to do anything - luckily he used this to bring many to Christ, instead of leading them astray.

George, like all men, eventually died, but his legacy lived on. He set an unparalleled standard, and another example of the true success which lasts eternally...

"What Animals Do When You Turn Your Back.."

When you think of bunnies, and I'm sure that when some boring and aimless task has been appointed you you have done so, you probably think of cute, probably animated, creatures bounding through a forest wood. The bunny's foot is fairly long, flat, and hard, allowing leaping to a breeze. But, ironically, this is not the way they travel.

No, it's life in the fast lane for the automaniacal critters. Unbeknownst to vets, and the general public, a whopping 62% of all bunny deaths each year are mainly, believe it or not, due to car accidents. About 41% of bunnies last year died realizing that road rage can't be performed in a Barbie car.

Not only will this probably shock you, but it will also traumatize you. If you care about these creatures, please support the "Seat Belts for Rabbits" campaign which is trying to install restraints into these smallish cars. Always remember to buckle up!

Unexplainable..

Is My Faith Strong Enough?

This is a question which has plagued me for quite a while. I have attended church, sang the Psalms, read numerous verses from the Bible - and though I do all this and I truly believe that Christ Jesus is the true and sovereign God of heaven and earth, I feel that my faith is inadequate - that something is asked of me, and I haven't fulfilled it. Desperate to find answers, I looked through the Bible and and found several words of wisdom which encouraged me greatly. The first is found in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, in the first part of verse 9..



"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'"

This single verse immediately uplifted me, and I think it will do the same for anyone who is feeling inadequate in their faith. It has occured to me that in this blog I have not praised God as much as I should. Bill Vandoodeward, who preached the sermon yesterday at our church, pointed out that in doing anything, whether it be Skyping, riding bikes, blogging, Facebooking, or any activity - whether it be on our computer or in the physical world - we should do everything possible to exhalt Him and praise Him.

Tag'd!

Sigh... despite all my internal hopings, I hast been tag'd, fellow RUBS agents. Now I have an obligation to vintagegirl (otherwise known as Emily R.) to post 10 things I like.. More taggings will follow, because I have been tagged more than once:

(By the way, this is a top ten list, so number one is my top thing)

10. Talking
9. Rambling aimlessly
8. Cinnamon rolls.
7. Any homemade bread-type thing.
6. Drawing.
5. Randomossity.
4. Outbursts of joy (a.k.a. "caffiene")
3. Anything which gives me outbursts of joy (a.k.a. "any caffienated beverage")
2. My cute nieces & nephews.
1. Christ the Savior, and the great friends and family he has given me.
People I'm tagging: Sarah S., Benny, Adam "The Man" D, and Elizabeth.

Code: 165

Ahh, it's like walking into an old house. A house with no roof, some very distasteful fungi growing in the bathroom, and termites using the walls as appetizers in their bazaars. But the blog poster looks at it with an eye of opportunity. The flame of ambition flickers in the mind of the blog poster. He's back. I'm back.

Oh, it's so fun to write about comebacks! Oh, how long this post shall be filled with pointlessness and other things!

But, beware, the story I am about to reveal is one which must be kept under lock and key under all times. You must have your wits about you when you read this story, and you must have your brain close at hand, because I left mine in my bedroom once and it ran away.

But, enough with the babbling. Onto the meat of the matter.

XxX

Gathered colleagues, I find it here, in this recording studio, with my teddy bear watching my back, the perfect time and place to reveal my whereabouts over the past few months.

Fellow RUBS agents, I am about to reveal something that will radicalize every conception thought about I, Agent 11. Every single tidbit of information will be burned with the fire of my revelation.

I have a life.

Though some may have doubted it, I, indeed, have a life. And that life has been preoccupied with school, school, and (this is a big surprise, no doubt) school. And since my life needs my body to accomplish said things, my fingers have not had their filling of dancing aimlessly about the keyboard until they topple off my hands.

For the one part, my tongue has also been preoccupied with the study and pronounciation of Greek words for my Greek class for SCA (Sycamore Covenant Academy), so I have ejected it for the time being to write out this transcript of events.

My brain, which I recently discovered, unemployed, roaming the soggy streets of New Orleans, is currently wringing out water and soaking up knowledge for my Church History class, and since I don't have it in I must apologize if there are any typoqqvbqyg.

I also have an English class, but I fell asleep during class and no the rest of my body parts don't know what to do so they're downstairs hosting a Christmas party.

That basically sums up my life since August. Except for a few nights ago, when I recently resumed covert operations freelance-style. I have quite RUBS but have taken on the alias Agent 11, and recently destroyed the malicious organization BKCP (Bad Kitchen Ceiling Paint).

It was one of my most glorious missions. A few nights ago, I borrowed a "Seven Up" style explosive from my friend, Cell Arre. Priming it (using a strange method - accidentally shaking it up while running up the stairs), I ran into the Kitchen and let loose the cap, which sent a glorious display of pinkish fizz (it was apparently "Pomegranade" flavor) rocketing across the whole Kitchen, most of it hitting the ceiling head-on.

It was just the first part of my plan. Soon, we will have to repaint the kitchen ceiling and destroy the BKCP once and for all!

That is it, for now.

You may dispose of this tape any way you wish - feed it to your salt shaker, toss it off a cliff which may randomly appear in the middle of the night, or perhaps drown it inside a volcano, whichever you please.

This is Agent 11, over and out.