Thursday 29 December 2011

Hello The Future


For my last post of the year I thought I'd put down how I see things going in 2012 (should be good for a laugh in twelve months' time). I've always been enamoured of culture and the arts, and I think the battle between what Old Money wants to keep the same, and what New Technology wants to see take over, is a fascinating one. My hope is things come to a head in 2012. I'd like to be part of the generation that saw the world change (hopefully into something better).

I already spend most of my time interacting with people I've never met, I think the society that could develop would be a great way to bypass the vested interests that tell us what to think and what to buy and who to hate.



Writing
Although it probably isn't that apparent from my blog, most of my time is taken up with writing. I now have two novels more or less copmpleted (well, one's finished but needs a polish, and the other is a first draft that's being critiqued).

The first is called Lickety Split and is about a man who decides to take his career more seriously and be a better human being, and ends up accused of stealing millions and murdering his girlfriend. The other is called Planet Janet and is the story of a young actress whose career takes off but every time something good happens to her something awful happens to someone she cares about.

My plan is to start sending them both out by the end of January. I don't know if this is the best time of year, or even if getting an agent is the best way to proceed, but we'll see.

I also want to start writing some short stories and maybe get them published wherever it is short stories get published these days.

Blogging
I'm going to continue posting Mondays and Thursdays, but I'm going to try to schedule ahaead as much as possible. Most of this year has been scribbling something the night before and it takes up a lot of energy that way. I'm also going to do the AZ blogfest again in April and I'll definitely sort out as many of those posts as I can in advance.

Books
I tend to read whatever takes my fancy, but on top of that I want to read some classics I never got round to. Now that I have a Kindle and with older book being free of copyright, I can carry round some hefty tomes without pulling a muscle. Over the next twelve months I'm going to try and get through The Brothers Karamazov and Moby Dick. Not just read them, but try to understand them too. There has to be a reason why they're so highly regarded. I did that with James Joyce's Ulysses some years ago, reading a lot around the subject and the author, and ultimately I felt I got a good idea of what the author was trying to do, even tthough the story itself left me dissatisfied. It was too of its own time. Hopefully the two I've chosen will be a little more universal.

Television
There was a time when I would look forward to television shows, but not so much anymore. The way I watch stuff has changed quite a lot and I'm not very patient with the kind of things that are presented as quality programming. My tendency is to not watch it when it's on, but to wait until the end of a season and then watch all episodes in one go. I also tend to use the fast forward button a lot. I've got to the point where I can tell what a scene is about from the first few seconds (this is a tender love scene, this is an argument in the office, this is a search for something in a house) and once I know, I just skip it.

Films
Movies just don't live up to the hype anymore. Not because they're all that bad, but because the hype is so huge. Most trailers give away every twist, every spectaclar stunt, even the ending. I've been burnt too many times to be tempted. I also have no interest in 3D. It's not three dimensional and it makes my head hurt. I'm not saying I won't be watching any movies, I watch loads and I expect to carry on in 2012, but I'll be watching smaller, intimate films that aren't made by robots. With HD camera technology relatively cheap and distribution through the internet a real option, I think there's going to be an explosion of not-so-underground filmmaking in the near future.

Music
The mainstream is horrible, dominated by corporations and autotune. Marketing is king and there are still enough people out there buying crap to sustain a cocaine and bitches lifestyle for the chosen few. If ever there was an argument in favour of online piracy it has to be the Billboard 100. Coldplay will survive fine without me, I'll stick to obscure stuff I find on the internet.

I think 2012 will be a good year to get small projects off the ground. Means of production and distribution are now available to all, so there really is no excuse (even for me), so I think it's the perfect time to go for it.

What do you think?

27 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Agree with you about the music! What I listen to never gets airplay anyway. (Progressive rock.)
Glad you're doing the A to Z Challenge again!
If you need a list of places to submit short stories, check with Milo James Fowler. In fact, his A to Z posts last year were all places to submit short stories.
Hope you land a book deal next year!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I rarely go to the movies anymore, preferring to watch on DVD. I find I'm leaning away from movies with lots of effects and hoopla and more toward quieter ones focusing on story and acting. Regarding TV, I need some recommendations to get through the junk - I have a post set for next week all about that.

Writing-wise - I'm doing the A-Z Challenge for the first time, I'm considering doing an ebook or two - a first for me, and I plan to continue with writing and subbing stories. I'm looking forward to 2012. :)

Good luck with all your endeavors, too!

Suze said...

'Means of production and distribution are now available to all, so there really is no excuse ... I think it's the perfect time to go for it.

What do you think?'

I think I agree. Like Madeline, I wish you luck with your endeavours, too -- and thank you for the thought-provoking posts you've parlayed energy into this year. Also, I like the way you've summed up 'Lickety Split' in the first half of the sentence. It's plenty simple, but I just like it.

Well done with this blog.

Miranda Hardy said...

Sounds like you have a great plan in place. Good luck through the year. I look forward to the many posts in April. lol

Nicole Pyles said...

Good luck to you!! I've been also trying to get through Moby Dick MANY MANY times, so good luck!!

mooderino said...

@Alex-good call. I remember reading Milo's posts. they were great. Cheers.

@Madeline-I'm sure you'll enjoy the AZ challenge, I met loads of new people through it last year.

@Suze-thanks.

@Miranda-you know what they say about the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men...

@Nicole-now you're just scaring me.

Ted Cross said...

Yep, today's music is horrific, other than the stuff you don't hear on the radio.

I don't watch tv, except to wait for it to come out on DVD, such as the splendid Game of Thrones.

I liked Moby Dick, but I had to read a ton of classic Russian lit (one of my majors was Russian Studies), and I just didn't like The Brothers Karamazov much. It can be a matter of taste, of course, but I'd go with something more enjoyable, like A Hero of Our Time or War and Peace or some Pushkin shorts.

McKenzie McCann said...

I like your idea of sizing up your current thoughts to read next year. I might just have to steal the idea for myself.

mooderino said...

@Ted-I've read quite a few Russian shorts so thought it was time to move up to the big boys. Brothers K is often cited as a book that has everything so I'd like to see what that looks like.

@McKenzie-feel free to steal all you can carry.

Jennie Bennett said...

I think it's great to have a vision for the new year, even if it might not turn out that way. the only thing constant is change :)

Nancy Thompson said...

We're of a similar mind on many things, especially TV, music and film. Let's hope 2012 is a better year for all those things.

Happy New Year!

Jen said...

Wow, Mood. I'm impressed you scribble blog posts down the night before. I mean, I do as well, but with me you can tell. Your posts are always so informative!

Happy New Year.

MISH said...

I'm not really a TV/movie type of person. I prefer curling up with a good book (and that has been sorely neglected, anyway...)
But you seem to have a good plan...
Have a fabulous New Year, Mood!

Rebecca Bradley said...

A great post Moody. We really are on the edge of a world where anything is possible, though to some, I think we've already overstepped that mark.

Short stories - If you use iphone/pad/pod etc there is a short story app that you can have work published on. It's worth checking out if you fancy it.

I actually love watching dramas and films. I tend to sit fascinated by how they are put together and how they are building tension etc. In fact since I started writing, my relaxed viewing has gone out the window a little bit. Like you, I tend to fast forward, but only the adverts. We record everything and instead of watching it in real time with ads, we watch it the following day or so and fast forward through all the rubbish. This ability must certainly be harming the advertisers.

I wish for you a great 2012. Good luck with the submissions!

Randy said...

Planet Janet sounds pretty interesting. Good luck with both books and whatever you write this next year.

Charmaine Clancy said...

Enjoyed reading your post! I look forward to seeing Lickety Split released, the opening you shared was brilliant.

Have a great 2012!

Wagging Tales

mooderino said...

@J.A.-tru dat.

@Nancy-I think they'll be moreor less the same, but we'll be too busy ignoring them to notice.

@Jen-I plan to be much more organised this year. Although it's midday here and I've only just got up. Not the most auspicious of starts to the New Year.

@MISH-you too.

@Rebecca-I do wonder what advertisers will do in the future to force their wares on us. Nothing subtle, I bet.

@Randy-thanks, and the same to you.

@Charmaine-hoping the same for you.

Andrea Mack said...

I find that scheduling a few blog posts ahead of time is really helpful. Even though I still comment, I feel more free to do it without the pressure of posting so often.

Good luck with your writing projects!!

Ben said...

Good luck with the writing, man! Lickety Split looks like the bomb. Can't wait to hear it's been picked up. Looking forward to another year of chatting with you.

Donna K. Weaver said...

How exciting about your books--intriguing sounding stories. I agree with you about TV. I rarely watch the dang thing anymore and that's mostly for the news.

Happy New Year!

mooderino said...

@Andrea-I still seem to spend an hour setting up a post even when I've prewrritten it. Can't help tinkering.

@Ben-I'm hoping 2012 is going to be the year of the novel, for both of us.

@Donna-We seem to be stuck in the transtition stage where the old is dying but the new hasn't quite established itself yet. Be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years.

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