Posts Tagged ‘literature’

How Novelizations Differ From Adaptions

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

Movies based on books seem to be all the rage in recent years. A greater number of movies from books have been coming to theaters and attracting existing readers of the book the film is based on. These films are often known as adaptions (sometimes referred to as movies based on books).

A different form of movies from books (or more accurately called books from movies) are novelizations, and this is pretty much the reverse of a film adaption. A novel is created when the script is put together and therefore the movie is “novelized” for an additional group of potential fans.

Often times a movie studio hires a screenplay writer to compose a script for a film. Once the screenplay is complete, or often times when the screenplay is still getting developed, the production company might employ the services of an author to create a novelization of the screenplay. The function of this is normally for advertising and extending the audience for that tale to a bigger spectrum of prospective fans.

The drawback with novelizations is that often it’s tricky to turn a tale that was primarily a script into a novel. With a film, viewers don’t end up getting much inner-discussion, and in addition descriptions of locations and individuals are not as clear. If the writer of the story did not originally imagine it, then it is frequently difficult to change the script to a book form and continue to keep the tale complete, not choppy, and above all engaging.

So we have books as movies and we’ve got books from films. Yet which one is preferable? It’s a hard argument. Almost always however the initial format the project was created in will be more enjoyable than the adaptation.

So if the book was compiled first and afterwards a script based on the book was written, most frequently the novel should be more enjoyable. In comparison if the movie script was created originally, then the book was written second, the film will probably turn out better. Of course there are cases when that isn’t the true, however generally speaking that is the way it normally goes.

Alongside adaptions & novelizations, there are also tie in editions. Such editions generally contain the same text of the original book, but the cover picture is swapped out to fit in with the film adaption and “tie in” the novel to its matching movie.

Whether books as movies were originally written by an author or a screenwriter, ultimately the process is all about adjusting a project to a revised format with the intent of finding new enthusiasts who will be able to experience the initial story in whichever way that they prefer.

If you love watching your favorite books as movies then visit the Books as Movies news blog for the latest details on books that are movies or becoming movies.

Reasons The Book Ought To Be Read Before The Movie

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Do you like movies from books? If that’s the case, you know that the huge question between book fans and film enthusiasts is whether to read the novel before the film or the other way around. I’m hoping the reasons below urge you to read books that are movies before seeing them on film!

1. Picture the characters the way you want.

While reading books that are movies initially you’ll be able to bring the characters to life however you want to. One can see them in whichever way works best individually.

2. Go on a free mini book vacation.

When watching books as movies you normally can’t getaway as easily as when reading a book. So devouring the novel beforehand offers you some time of escape from the hardships within your everyday life for a short while.

3. Formulate your personal ideas and beliefs on the story.

When we watch movies from books we are ultimately shown what we should feel. When reading a novel it’s more easy to keep the plot left open for interpreting and enjoy the pondering a bit more.

4. There is generally a lot more to the plot.

During a movie based on the book most times we lose out on the majority of the story establishment. When reading the book we get the whole back-story on the characters, the world, and the story in general.

5. Inner-thoughts are more important than you’d think.

By diving into books that are movies, you will be able to see several of the crucial characters’ thoughts. This inner-dialogue we don’t get in the movie generally helps us to empathize with the characters better.

6. No issues related to arriving in under cost and time.

Producers develop rigorous financial plans and they have to squish the book into a movie that is at the most a few hours long. Sometimes those two things can easily detract from the tale we are intended to envision.

7. Have a greater passion for the tale as a whole.

A terrific book will draw you in and not let go. With movies from books you will be interested in it for a few hours at the most. Dive into the novel beforehand and the movie makes you love the story even more.

8. Experience the original tale.

When watching movies based on the book we might be not experiencing the complete story most times. Reading the book beforehand allows for us to receive the tale as the author hoped for us to.

9. Appreciating the story beforehand.

Exactly how much do you despise those people who are sure to proclaim “the novel was so much better compared to the film”? You know you want to be that person if for no other grounds than to show them up beforehand.

10. Take the chance to play with your creativity.

One doesn’t need thinking to see a movie, and when you watch the movie before reading the book you will be picturing the film’s visuals the whole time once you do get around to reading it. Then you wouldn’t get to work out that perfect mind of yours!

If you love to see books that are movies then visit the Books as Movies news blog for the latest information on movies from books they are based on.

An Interesting Character Will Attract More People To Read Your Story

Monday, May 14th, 2012

A writer needs to have an interesting story but how can they do that? Creating an interesting character can be a good way to do it, a character that can surprise the reader is an even better way.

Spicing up the action is a good way to deliver a story that gets the readers’ attention and keeps it.

The goody goody housewife who is bored with her life may have an affair. The teenage daughter may become pregnant and keep her secret for half of the story until something goes wrong. The guy who works at the car dealer and drives all these different super nice cars turns out to be stealing them off the lot and exchanging them every so often until he gets in an accident and whoa now he’s in deep trouble.

The bad guy doesn’t have to always be bad, he may have a weak spot for a single mom trying to raise three kids alone. The kidnapper may end up falling in love with the woman he kidnapped and let her go. Drama makes for page turners.

Give the older characters something to do besides be good. Just because they are the elders doesn’t mean they can’t have fun too.

Grandma sneaks out to smoke or drink, maybe she visits the neighbor guy next door. Grandpa pees in the back yard or he squirts the neighborhood dog when he catches him in his yard. Grandparents do funny things we would never expect and it brings some funny stuff to the reader.

The more you can give the readers that they did not expect to find in your book the better. As an avid reader I know a story that keeps me on the edge and guessing what will happen next is the story I want to read.

Enjoy more of this author’s writing about items such as queen waterbed sheets and 4 lumbar.

What to Avoid When Choosing a Book Club

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

Book clubs are the back bone of the publishing industry. They make up some of our best customers. Stick around the publishing industry long enough and you’ll see that most are doomed from the start. Over the years, I’ve boiled it down to three characteristics that appear to bring a club to it’s knees. Next time you choose a book club, keep an eye out for these three traits to avoid experiencing the and painful death that befalls many book clubs.

Leadership – Every group has a person who relishes the group’s attention and is intent on leading every discussion. You know the people I’m talking about. Not every attention hound is created equal, often it’s a function of the group organizer’s ability to wrestle back the conversation. A good group organizer knows when to step in to give a conversation a helping hand, or sit back and let it take its own path. However, the most difficult situation is when a conversation gets hijacked by one of these people and the organizer must become the hostage negotiator. Within the first meeting, you should know if this is a group worth avoiding.

Consistency – In order to endure, a book club must have consistency. Clubs meeting at different times and days each week or month are destined to fail. Clubs that attempt to cater to too wide of an audience or read too many genres will have difficulty surviving. For example, members interested in reading the memoirs of Hilary Clinton may not be as excited to read the memoirs of Snoop Dog. You can’t please everyone.

Proximity – The final item to watch out for is proximity. A club that is too far from its members, or its members are too far from each other (i.e. no personal connection) will certainly fail. If you can’t locate a club that is nearby, or a club with members that connect, you should either bring a bottle of wine or find your reading fix online. Check out a new trend in online book clubs called The Lit Tank (aka The Book Club Experiment). It’s being organized by Book Club Reading List and definitely worth looking into.

Don’t forget these traits next time you are joining your next book club. They will help you avoid investing your time on a club that is destined to fail.

Steve Pojerova is a twenty year veteran of the publishing industry. When he’s not drawing in the margins, he’s writing about his obsession with online book clubs and their effect on self-publishing.

Book Clubs on a Mission to Change Publishing Industry

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Much to the chagrin of the well-entrenched, stodgy traditional publishers, the landscape of the publishing industry has literally been transformed overnight. Changes in recent years have brought about an exciting era for both authors and readers. The advent of self-publishing and the proliferation of e-readers has moved power away from this tightly knit old-boys network and into the hands of the reader.

During this period, we’ve seen a rise in the power of Amazon, bloggers, and now the average reader. Thanks to the web-tocracy most of us now inhabit on a daily basis, each person’s voice has power. Simply clicking ‘Like’, leaving a comment, or writing a blog post adds our vote to the never-ending stream of consumer preferences that weaves its way through our networks. When enough people cast their vote in one direction, we can make a real difference and make something go ‘viral’.

In recent years, experts began predicting the fall of publishing, and ultimately reading. Considering society’s thirst for online interactions, which are only the sum of a series of short-lived bursts of information, it was an understandable conclusion. The demand to be entertained, in which each new image, news article, or video tries to steal your attention from the last, has had a perilous effect on our attention spans. Add to that the growing acceptance of poor grammar and spelling to communicate through Twitter and texting, and it would seem that the experts had it right. Shockingly, the opposite has actually been true. The amount of people reading is actually on the rise. We attribute this trend to a revival of interest in book clubs. Conduct a quick search on Bing and you will see that book clubs are springing up everywhere. Celebrities such as Oprah have made book clubs en vogue. For proof of these trends, look no further than websites such as Readers Circle, Book Club Reading List, and GoodReads.

There are book clubs that actually focus on creating this viral event for authors. One such club is The Lit-Tank, hosted by Book Club Reading List. It is the literary equivalent of the television show, The Shark Tank. Instead of vetting entrepreneurs and their business ideas, members interrogate authors and vote for one of three self-published books selected to compete for the group’s promotional support that month. After an author’s book is selected, the group reads it. If they like the book, the members will follow a simple one-week plan to help drive traffic to the novel through various online activities. This offers the author a valuable service. Knowing they may have played a significant role in launching an author’s success makes the group’s efforts more meaningful.

The rules of the game are changing so fast that we’ve simply done away with the old rule book. The result has been a unique self-fulfilling prophecy. Greater access to high-quality literature by up and coming writers at cheap prices has created demand for e-readers. When people make this investment, they are more likely to increase their desire for e-books. As the traditional publishers double-down on reality TV celebrity fluff that does little to enhance our lives, and they try to peddle it at premium prices, consumers become more willing to give self-published novels a try. People are joining book clubs like The Lit-Tank to have more input and let the publishing industry know which books and authors truly deserve their attention.

Looking for a medical thriller? Steve Pojerova is a twenty year veteran of the publishing industry with a knack for spotting up and coming talent. When he’s not reviewing books or entertaining his online book club, he’s busy blogging about the ever-changing publishing industry.

The Lion, the Magician, and the Wardrobe: Main Characters

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Aslan – the central character of the novel and is the sole personality to appear in all seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia. He’s absent at the start of the novel which allows the noxious White Witch to take over Narnia. But on his return and the coming of kids at the magic world, the powers of the White Witch started its decline.

Aslan performs the most important act of sacrifice in the book when he offers his life in to the White Witch to save Edmund. He is brought back to life the day following the malicious Queen kills him and leads the battle that would revive Narnia to its previous state of harmony and goodness. He's accountable for freeing the frozen soldiers in the castle, who aids them in their victory against the Queen.

Jadis – The Malicious Queen of Narnia or the White Witch is the key opponent of the novel. She casts a spell into the land so it is eternally winter and there isn’t any Christmas. Although she is a self-proclaimed queen, she hasn’t any right to be in rule and she’s hated by all of the creatures she rules (excepting the malignant ones who’ve taken her side). The White Witch holds a wand that has the power to turn any creature into a stone. She is also delegated as the “Emperor’s Hangman” which gives her the power to execute anyone that has been proved a traitor.

Edmund – the second youngest of the Pevensie youngsters, he is the most cruel among them and is simply enchanted by the Turkish Delight offered by the White Magician. He betrays his brothers due to his voracious appetite for the Turkish Delight and is sentenced to execution due to his treachery. He later joins the side of Aslan and the remainder of his siblings upon realizing the evil-doings of Jadis.

Peter – the eldest of the Pevensies, he is admired for his bravery and for protecting Susan against the assault of a wolf. He’s knighted by Aslan for his candor and is later on announced as the High King of Narnia. He earns the name King Peter the Impressive for his noble deeds.

Susan – the second eldest sibling, she is legendary for her beauty and is crowned Susan the Gentle after they have taken over Cair Paravel from the evil Queen.

Lucy – the youngest child, she’s the most contented and happy-go-lucky among the Pevensie brothers. She is the first to discover the magical wardrobe that leads into Narnia. She is endeared to Tumnus the faun, the 1st creature she meets in Narnia. She later receives an enchanting cordial from Father Christmas, which has the power to cure squaddies who are wounded in battle. She is crowned Queen Lucy the Bold.

Tumnus – he’s the faun regularly featured in the illustrations of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He’s tasked by the Queen to capture humans who stray into Narnia but he frees Lucy on her first visit after they became chums. He’s innately good despite being employed by the Witch.

Professor Kirke – he owns of the house where the youngsters flees to to avoid the bombings in London. He’s eccentric and has sided Lucy before the siblings find out the true existence of Narnia.

If you’d like to know a lot more about the book in Finnish go to the page velhojaleijona.wordpress.com.

Fairy Tales Fantasy And Adventure Stories Fix The Attention Of Young Readers

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Literature entertains and then instructs. Fantasy and adventure novels usually concentrate on entertainment, helping to fix the attention of young readers so that instruction can follow. In some instances they do not go far beyond entertainment and that is what limits their literary merit. However, there are some examples of the genre which succeed in entertaining in a way that contains valuable instruction.

There is a distinction between fancy and imagination. Fancy is a childish belief in things like Father Christmas that the adult mind knows are not real. As imagination replaces fancy adults must forgo belief in fanciful things and replace it with the satisfaction of suspending disbelief when they know that fiction could be fact. That is how fairy stories and fantasy are the seed bed of mature literary experience.

Experiences of fantasy and adventure stories in young readers are appropriate at certain times of life but not others. At certain chronological ages individuals should have grown out of childish things, including literary experiences that are designed for children. A mature man attempting to re-read an adventure story that thrilled him as a boy will rightly be disappointed, or enjoy the tale in a different way.

Fantasy as a literary genre rests to some extent on the work of JRR Tolkein. He was an Oxford don who created stories for his grandchildren. They were drawn from his intellectual experience and knowledge of ancient linguistic qualities and symbols in evident in ancient tales like Beowulf. The credentials of the author and the qualities of the tales should not obscure the fact that these tales were not written for adults, but for young children.

Adventure stories for young adults have similar prestigious beginnings. Stories where risks of physical harm and narrow escapes predominate have been popular for many generations, particularly among young males. The genre is still extremely popular and has initiated many a young person into the habit of reading for enjoyment.

Education is to an extent about establishing habits that will last for life. The enjoyment of physical exercise is established in games and the enjoyment of reading is often founded on fantasy and adventure novels. Though tastes in reading can and should change with maturity the habits established in youth form the important base for later growth.

If you are looking for a terrific fantasy and adventure novel, get ready for Victoria Foyt’s upcoming book release, “Revealing Eden”, the opening book of her “Save the Pearls” trilogy. In a familiar but alternate reality in which one’s caste is directly tied to more melanin in the skin, the light-skinned ‘pearls’ are placed on a strict mating schedule.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Christian or Only Mythology?

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Clive Staples Lewis was born into a powerfully Christian family. Though he has not always practiced the faith as a young man, he later on welcomed it fervently. Prior to writing children’s literature, C.S. Lewis was engaged with academic works, Sci Fi stories and books about the Christian religion. Though Lewis himself declared the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the remainder of the Chronicles of Narnia are not allegories of Christian teachings, the symbolisms are so obvious that many newbie readers can easily point to the non secular motifs of the books.

In the novel, Edmund who is the eldest of the Pevensie children is bound to death by the White Witch because of betrayal. Aslan, the righteous king of Narnia, couldn’t reject the claim of the Witch as it is written in Deep Magic that anyone who is a traitor forfeits his life to her. Instead , he offers his life in order to spare that of Edmund’s. Since Aslan is exemplary, he can offer his life, which the White Witch happily takes away on the Stone Table. Both Susan and Lucy keep vigil over Aslan in the entire night. Both are stunned the next day when the king of Narnia has risen back to life. Aslan later on explains that: when a prepared victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would begin to work backwards.

It does not take a Bible scholar to recognize the parallelism between Aslan’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection with that of Jesus Christ, who is the central figure in the Christian doctrine. The offer that the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is based upon the Bible is even made stronger by the description of Aslan as the Child the “Great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea”, which synchronizes with the Bible’s outline of Jesus as the child of a Great Being.

Nonetheless we won’t quickly realize that the book is indeed an allegory of the Christian faith and we may even have to take C.S. Lewis ‘ side on this. Aslan’s sacrifice, as an example, isn’t done on the cross but on a stone table with a knife, which brings to mind the image of a pagan sacrifice. Additionally , there are many instances in mythologies across the world in Greek parable notably, when a pure victim is sacrificed. Furthermore, the component of the wardrobe, which is the cnter of the book, does not hint to any Christian part. The White Witch and the talking animals are non-Christian elements either.

Is there really a point in trying to distinguish the Lion, the Magician, and the Wardrobe as a Christian story or not? Many think that seeing the book in Christian light can help the readers understand its meaning much better. However , there won’t be much use for it if we appreciate the book for reading’s sake. There is actually no necessity to rigidly dissect its meaning. Perhaps we will be able to look at it more as a children’s book that is supposed to stir children’s imagination and give them encouragement to fantasize a world that’s beyond what they see daily.

If you’d like to find out more about the book in Finnish, just google”narnia velho ja leijona“, and take a look at the site.

Historical Read

Friday, April 6th, 2012

No disappointments here; as always, Higgs treats the reader to a marvelous tale set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1745. The dialects used in the story help to transport the reader to another time. Then there were the characters that were scattered throughout the story who each in their own way added a strength. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons. Liz Curtis Higgs has a unique ability to make you feel as if you are a fly on the wall of the Kerr household. It’s thick with drama and emotion.

She had become a completely different person.

But maybe the author wanted the readers to get that feel of Scotland, and to know the characters, so I can’t fault her for that.

I have read so many different authors and I have many favorites, but like I have always said there is no one, that I have read, who can take into a historical setting and into the lives of those there like Liz can.

The book is somewhat slow moving and I can’t say the characters are that endearing with the sole exception of Elisabeth (although Marjory is definitely more approachable by the end of the novel). When I read historical fiction, I want to be swept away to a time and place. However, there was a glossary in the very back for those who need it. Here Burns My Candle is by far her finest offering. The death of her husband has left her fairly well off with income from lands around a country estate. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the Auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.

Opposite nationalities and religious faiths weave their ways within the family – often causing divisions, and sometimes unity.

Here Burns My Candle is a retelling of the story of Ruth, set in 1745 Edinburg. It was also suspect to me that the main heir to a noble family would have been allowed by either his parent or his church to marry a commoner.

When I saw that Francine Rivers (my favorite modern author) recommended Here Burns My Candle, I was more than eager to read both books in this two-part series.

All in all I did like the book it just took a little bit for it to get to the point where I didn’t want to put it down. Having read Liz Curtis Higgs’ Lowlands of Scotland series, I didn’t totally agree with the execution of that one because I found quite a bit of it unrealistic. Instead of chapter titles, this book has quotes at the beginning of each chapter which hints at the subject matter within.

I’m excited for the sequel, I can’t wait to see what happens to the Kerr women next! I cannot wait until book 2 in this series is available in 2011 – Mine Is the Night. The story takes place during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745 in Scotland. I’ve never read Liz Curtis Higgs before and am of two minds of her writing.

I appreciated that the plot is not predictable CANDLE HOLDERS.

Vietnam War Book Reviews

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Hi everyone, I’m Richard and I wanted to discuss my new website with you which should be of special interest to those interested in the Vietnam War. My new site is called VietnamWarBooks.net and on it you’ll find reviews of all the best books ever written on the Vietnam War. Why I have I decided to build this site? Well, simply put, I’m a massive fan of history, adventure and war books and ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated with the Vietnam War – the chaos, the jungle, the honour, the brutality, the heroism, the pointlessnessall of those things which have come to encapsulate the madness that was the Vietnam War.

In designing this website I want things to be real simple and really easy to find for people. I am supposing that people like me are interested in different genres when it comes to the Vietnam War. Some people will want to find out about stories from the airborne, some people about stories from snipers, or even special forces. I’ve had a look at some of the best books to come out of the Vietnam War and ordered them into categories so that people can get onto my site and get straight to what they are after. I’ve got the best books to come out of the Vietnam War reviewed and rated.

So, as I was saying, I’ve organised my site into specific genres so people can access what they’re after quickly and get onto the reviews which most interest them. My ‘Snipers’ section discuss the outstanding Dear Mom: A Sniper’s Vietnam by Joseph T Ward. Written in the form of letter home to his mother, Ward describes the breathless and incredible story of how it was to be a deadly marine sniper in the jungles of Vietnam. I’ve got another section on my site devoted to ‘Airborne’ – here you’ll find a review of one of my favourite Vietnam war books, Chickenhawk by helicopter pilot Robert Mason.

As well as a section on snipers, I’ve also got a section on special forces which provide some book reviews of some really exceptional works. One of these is Blackjack 34 by James Donahue which describes an elite unit of special forces soldiers operating behind enemy lines, where they are discovered by the enemy and things go horribly wrong. I’ve also got sections entitled true stories which cover some really interesting backgrounds to the Vietnam War and also a section which I’ve called reportage. Here you will find reviews of some of the best works written by journalists to come out of the conflict including Michael Herr’s Dispatches, which could be the best book to come out of Vietnam.

As a companion piece to the genres, I’ve also written a little piece dealing with the history of the Vietnam conflict, from 1954 until 1975. This deals with the main events and the facts from the conflict so people can make themselves familiar with the history of Vietnam. So, come along and visit my website and here you’ll find books dealing with unbelievable heroism, amazing facts, action, adventure and all of the confusion and stunning landscapes of Vietnam. Hopefully you’ll be able to find just the book you’re after and get a truly entertaining and educational read for yourself.

Interested in learning more about Vietnam War Books or Vietnam War Grunts Books? Come to my website and read the reviews!