Tony Hillerman, Novelist, Dies at 83
Sadly, as you’ve may have heard, Tony Hillerman passed away this past Sunday.
I enjoyed his words. He was a capital writer that rose awareness about the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni nations. His descriptions of the Southwest were stunning.
He was a great writer who shared his knowledge. He will be missed.
Sure Way To Finish That Novel
I’ve stumbled upon accidentally the sure way to finish that novel. Listen to your Muse.
My Muse has been rather talkative lately about my next work. I’m seeing scenes, starting to form characters. I even know how the next murder will be committed.
She’s been whispering in my ear before, but actually tried to ignore it. I wanted to stay focused on my present work. It is complete, but still needs some revision and maybe another scene or two. I think I’ve identified most of the blatant grammar and spelling errors. It’s well on its way.
The Muse is trying to hurry the process now. The next story begs to be told too. I look forward to the research, the brainstorming, the character development. That is the most rewarding for me.
Well, she’s been right before. I best listen and finish that novel.
Me And My New Blackberry
So, I’ve been on a kick to get organized and more efficient. All is going well. I’m on track. My latest tool is my Blackberry. Me and my new Blackberry, love at first site. Photo by bgautrea
I love the idea of being able to stay on top of things. I’ve been spending a lot of time marketing my art business with social media sites such as Twitter. Besides, it’s fun to meet people and share ideas. I’ve met some great artists.
The Blackberry gives me mobility and freedom. I can keep up with my tweeting. I can write on the fly. I can blog on the fly. As I say all this, I have to admit that it was a bit of a learning curve, no pun intended. I had to learn how to get around on a smart phone. I had to learn what it could do.
I went through the tutorials. I read online. I signed up for the Blackberry newsletter. If writing has taught me anything, it has taught me the value of research. I see this purchase helping me toward marketing. Since, this is what I understand, is a part of the equation in getting published, my thought is that it is a good move.
I Love Open Source Software
Looking back, I feel like such a newbie when I first posted about OpenOffice. Well, we all have to start somewhere, I guess.
Yesterday I–and thousands of others–received the email announcing the release of OpenOffice 3.0. There had been lots of buzz about this new, slick version of the software.
Everyone must have been anxiously waiting its release. Clicking on the download link, I was served with page load error. Later that day, another email from OpenOffice said that the overwhelming popularity of its software had taken its site down. Eventually, though, I was able to get the program.
First off, demand aside, this was about the slowest install I’ve ever worked with. Thought I was reinstalling Windows. Nearly ten minutes. OpenOffice did do several things right though. The nagging error from the last version that prevented a clean uninstall before an upgrade was fixed, which was nice.
Outwardly, it looks good. There is nice navigation or start center, to choose and create a new document or work with a template. A bit annoying that my recent documents were cleared, but a small thing. The feature to add notes to your documents is a godsend. Nice to be able to tag things for clarification or revision.
What’s really nice too is the support of the Office 2007 file formats. How annoying to get an attachment from someone who has upgraded only to find that you have to install a viewer if you are still using Office 2003.
Overall, I was impressed. How can you not be with a powerful, free suite of programs like OpenOffice?
Writing Quote
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
Mark Twain
My Favorite Classic Film Noirs
I’ve posted several times about my favorite movie genre, classic film noir. What can I say? I enjoy the dark, brooding atmosphere of these movies and the complexities of human emotions. Photo by krikit
I wanted to touch on a couple of my favorite movies. My list includes a heavy dose of black and white movies. I like the atmosphere of these movies. I can also appreciate not having the distraction of color. Just the facts, please.
Double Indemnity is as classic as they come. Barbara Stanwyck is about as ruthless as any femme fatale can be. The dialogue is quick and snappy. If you place it in the context of its time, it was a racy movie. The California setting is quintessential film noir for this era.
The Big Sleep is one of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s most outstanding movies. The chemistry between the two of them is unmistakable. The plot is a challenge of itself, with all the classic elements—old murder, new murder, sexy dialogue, an especially mean adversary. Censors had a problem with the original Raymond Chandler novel, leaving out the more racy bits to come up with this confusing albeit entertaining film.
Strangers on a Train is at times a disturbing movie and one you’re not likely to forget. Alfred Hitchcock masterfully directs this story of the meeting of two strangers and the "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. This one never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat.
The Postman Always Rings Twice, the original one, builds on a classic theme of adultery and murder. Lana Turner is beautiful as the unhappy wife. Things don’t always go as planned as this movie will show. Don’t bother with the newer version with Jack Nicholson. The film goes on some odd paths of gratuitous sex that detract from a good plot.
Rear Window is the sole colorized movie on my list. There’s so much going for this movie, and color enhances these moments. From the disturbing blond color of Raymond Burr’s hair to the classic introduction of Grace Kelly in the movie—truly the most beautiful woman in Hollywood—to the set of the apartments, color is key. The film puts the viewer in a what-would-you-do kind of scenario which is fun and suspenseful.
The Killers is a dark classic, told in a retrospective style of an insurance investigator playing PI to solve the murder of a former boxer. William Conrad is featured in the beginning of this movie, playing a tough thug. He does it well too. The film also features the gorgeous Ava Gardner in a role that seems to be written just for her. A classic.
If you’re looking for a great treatment of classic themes, turn to film noir.
Review: MindVisualizer, Mind Mapping Software
I’ve realized the value of mind mapping software as I wrote about in my previous post. There is value in being able to encourage readers to explore your blog. With mind mapping software, I can easily brainstorm using previous topics as fodder. Photo by d’arcynorman
Usually, I use FreeMind, the open source solution. FreeMind has a fatal flaw in my mind that unfortunately may not get fixed until the next release. The program has a tendency to hang up, not an option when you’re brainstorming. Introducing MindVisualizer to the rescue.
MindVisualizer is a slick,fast application. No Java here, folks. Although it is paid software, it is cheaper than most, coming in for at $79. I liked the extensive help files that open on initial startup. Very helpful. I was up and mapping in no time.
The best part of the application for me is that it is available as a portable application. Since I use the software on more than one computer, it was important for me to work with one program, one set of files.
Of course, there are ways to make FreeMind portable. However, the necessity of Java and all its annoying update reminders puts me in a new mindset. Hear! Hear for MindVisualizer!
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