Enjoying Good Writing
When I was in high school, I mistakenly believed that I wanted to go to film school to become a movie producer. I worked on the high school news show, applied and was accepted to USC, went to visit, and saw a nice dose of reality while I was there. The entry level jobs in the movie/tv industry were barely minimum wage. A good education didn’t mean much–it was the contacts you made and the people you knew. I met a girl while I was there and she commented, “I can’t watch movies any more. All I can see is the sloppy editing. I just can’t enjoy them.”
Somewhere in my second year at Notre Dame, I realized that it wasn’t the movies I wanted to make–it was the stories. I loved watching characters and plots come alive, but a part of that girl stuck with me. Many writers claim the same thing–that they can’t enjoy books in the same way any more because they see through the poor motivation, sloppy writing, etc. etc. I disagree. You’re always going to run into writers whose books you may or may not enjoy. But being a writer makes me appreciate the good authors even more. 
I was watching “LOST” the other night, and the episode was very well-written. When it was finished, I had this stupid grin on my face because I caught several nuances. The show title was Psalm 23. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I won’t go into too much detail, but the writers set up so many references to the psalm, once you caught onto it, you felt like you were privileged with an insider’s view. The main character Eko was set up as a man who made some terrible choices to save his younger brother, and the younger brother ultimately becomes a priest. During the episode, we see Eko as a character who looks into the face of a smoke monster–we don’t know what this thing is, but it sure looks evil, and he faces it down– (Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil). In the smoke, there are images and visions; a woman’s face is one of them. Eko carries a staff which he’s carved Biblical inscriptions on (Thy rod and they staff, they comfort me). One of the kickers, for me, was a phrase lightly dropped in the backstory where a character accused Eko of having no soul. At the end of the show, he takes back the cross his brother carried with him, takes the path of priesthood himself, and you get the hidden message (He restoreth my soul).
I love it when a writer takes the time to add subtleties like that. JK Rowling does it in the Harry Potter books. Little things that, on the surface seem trivial, but in reality have deeper meaning.
So, what did you think of “LOST” this week? Or, if you don’t watch it, have you read any books or authors who have mastered subtle writing?
Michelle posted in Writing @ 7:33 am | Viewed 761 times
Kelly Says:
I LOVED the episode of lost. I’m not too up on the whole biblical knowledge but I did pick up some of the references and then in the end when he was reciting it, it made even more sense to me. The smoke thing was awesome and I kept wondering if maybe what you saw in it was representative of whatever evil you had done in your life or something like that. It was so well done I wished I had taped it to watch again.
Peggy Says:
It was a great episode. I cried at the end. Though I didn’t catch any of those biblical connections you mentioned. Which really goes to show what a great writer he is. The episode was still entertaining and moving without knowing the connections to the psalm. The smoke thing, though, I found a bit odd. Wasn’t scary enough. Just looked kinda weird.
Melissa Says:
I don’t watch LOST - in fact, I don’t watch any t.v. at all. If we want to watch something, we just pop in a movie. We decided to drop the cable expense and I just never took the time to get the antenna hooked up.
I do love good writing, though. If a book does not have good writing, no matter how compelling the story is, I can’t read it. It drives me NUTS to read bad writing. And then it makes me wonder how it got published in the first place!!!:hissyfit:
Larissa Says:
Oh, man! I saw the episode but missed the face in the smoke monster!
Rene Says:
I don’t watch “Lost.” I watched “Cold Case” the other night for the first time. We watched it because they used nine Bruce Springsteen songs. I’m not a big Boss fan but hubby is a fanatic, so I’m pretty familiar with his music. The show’s writers did such a wonderful job of capturing the essence of Springsteens music and applying it to the story line. It was really impressive. They even used lyrics in the dialogue. Also, they used songs that weren’t particularly popular but conveyed what the characters were going through.
Kim Harrison who writes the Rachel Morgan series has some subtle tidbits to her writing that you have to be on the watch for. Great fun.
Tori Lennox Says:
I loved this week’s LOST, but the biblical parallels totally flew over my head. :confused2: And I missed the face in the smoke, too!
Christina Says:
I’ve never had the chance to watch LOST, but wow - that one sounds good. My husband and my oldest son are both very very into film - writing and everything else. I cannot watch a movie with them anymore without them critiquing. I must say, though, that they tend to applaud the good stuff and sort of leave the trashing of a movie or show til the end instead of complaining about it while it’s on. http://michellewillingham.com/blog/wp-images/smilies/headspin.gif
My son (15) has written 5 complete novels - IN HIS HEAD, the little snot - and has managed to get one finally onto the page. In his very first film class he wrote, directed, and produced a music video and now a narrative. He LOVES it. I think it’s the creativity that drives him. He’s seen the “reality”, but really really wants to pursue something in that field. I’v:wave:e got my fingers & toes crossed!
Le Ellis Says:
Christina, My son wants to be a director. He’s 7. He has written his first screenplay, only 10 pages, but still. And we’ve started filming it — Stop action which is kinda interesting. But he absolutely loves it. And for him it’s the creative part too. He just has to create something…all the time. Fun to watch and see what they turn out to be.
MaryF Says:
Wow, Michelle, I missed the references, too. I loved the episode, though.
Gina Says:
I am an avid Lost fan, and I loved this episode. I didn’t catch the images in the smoke to later, but that was pretty cool. The writers for this series and I think Grey’s Anatomy are some of the best writers on television.
Michelle Says:
Kelly–That’s an interesting theory! I’m just dying to know who the woman was.
Christine–good luck to your son! Wow, that’s great for a 15-year-old.
Le–what a great idea!
Rene–I’ll have to give Kim Harrison a try.
Melissa–If they don’t have me by the first chapter or so, I don’t bother reading.
beth Says:
See now, I always wondered why you changed your mind. This is what comes of reading your blog instead of having asked a zillion years ago (though actually, I think I did ask and either you answered and it zipped right out my ear or you didn’t put it in small enough words for me to understand what you said. Either way, I think ND worked out better for you — hubby wasn’t in CA, and he’s definitely a keeper.)