Storytellers You Admire
After watching the profile on Nancy Meyers I began to think about storytellers that I admire and why.
Carrie Fischer is someone who's led shall we say an interesting life and it shows in the work she's produced. She's written books, screenplays, and been a script doctor. I've always found inspiration from the interviews she's given on writing and creating. She is one smart and funny lady.
Stephen Sommers wrote, okay adapted, two of my favorite movies. The Adventures of Huck Finn (my fave film as a teen) and The Mummy. The Mummy is still one of my favorite romantic adventures. Movie makers and writers should note from that movie how to weave in a realistic romance into a straight action movie (so many movies do it so badly and this is one of the few that got it right). Interestingly, the original script the romance felt more forced and I wonder what changed between the original script and the final product. Was it the actors? A rewrite? The direction? Yes, I actually wonder about these things. LOL. I also love Stephen's women. Look at how he portrays women in his movies - beautiful, strong, and they know who they are. Also wonder, does he employ the same make-up artist for every movie? LOL
Linda Howard wrote one of my favorite books and heroines within the romance genre, To Die For. Whenever I need a laugh, I pull out TDF, and get lost in this wonderful and hysterical character. One of the few books that Linda has written in 1st person. Also, a great study in how to do 1st person and how to do it well.
John Hughes. I was so shocked to hear that he'd passed away this last summer and that I somehow had never heard till fall. What surprised me even more was the number of people that said "Who?" when I asked if they knew that he'd died. I guess they weren't as affected by his movie making as I was. But I don't think we can look at current movie making without seeing his influence in the teen and family comedies. He was and will always be a genius. Okay, just to show you how influential I will list the movies he wrote that I love: Mr. Mom, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Christmas Vacation, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, and Home Alone. The list goes on and on with other family and comedies that he wrote, produced, and directed.
Jayne Anne Krentz, Jayne Castle, Amanda Quick - Here's an author who's been through a lot in her career. She herself talks about her career enders and how she reinvented herself. She also speaks about writing in a no nonsense, there are no secrets, just sit your butt in the chair and write, way. She's written a few of my favorite books that I read over and over again. I think her sexual tension is some of the best written.
So, who are some of your favorite storytellers and why?
Carrie Fischer is someone who's led shall we say an interesting life and it shows in the work she's produced. She's written books, screenplays, and been a script doctor. I've always found inspiration from the interviews she's given on writing and creating. She is one smart and funny lady.
Stephen Sommers wrote, okay adapted, two of my favorite movies. The Adventures of Huck Finn (my fave film as a teen) and The Mummy. The Mummy is still one of my favorite romantic adventures. Movie makers and writers should note from that movie how to weave in a realistic romance into a straight action movie (so many movies do it so badly and this is one of the few that got it right). Interestingly, the original script the romance felt more forced and I wonder what changed between the original script and the final product. Was it the actors? A rewrite? The direction? Yes, I actually wonder about these things. LOL. I also love Stephen's women. Look at how he portrays women in his movies - beautiful, strong, and they know who they are. Also wonder, does he employ the same make-up artist for every movie? LOL
Linda Howard wrote one of my favorite books and heroines within the romance genre, To Die For. Whenever I need a laugh, I pull out TDF, and get lost in this wonderful and hysterical character. One of the few books that Linda has written in 1st person. Also, a great study in how to do 1st person and how to do it well.
John Hughes. I was so shocked to hear that he'd passed away this last summer and that I somehow had never heard till fall. What surprised me even more was the number of people that said "Who?" when I asked if they knew that he'd died. I guess they weren't as affected by his movie making as I was. But I don't think we can look at current movie making without seeing his influence in the teen and family comedies. He was and will always be a genius. Okay, just to show you how influential I will list the movies he wrote that I love: Mr. Mom, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Christmas Vacation, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, and Home Alone. The list goes on and on with other family and comedies that he wrote, produced, and directed.
Jayne Anne Krentz, Jayne Castle, Amanda Quick - Here's an author who's been through a lot in her career. She herself talks about her career enders and how she reinvented herself. She also speaks about writing in a no nonsense, there are no secrets, just sit your butt in the chair and write, way. She's written a few of my favorite books that I read over and over again. I think her sexual tension is some of the best written.
So, who are some of your favorite storytellers and why?
Cornelia Funke - I've never wanted to enter a book and never come out like I do with the Inkheart Trilogy.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Mull - The Fablehaven books are beyond description. I love them. I wish I wrote them.
Janet Evanovich - OMG! That lady makes me laugh.