Review: The Last Continent

So I have just finished reading The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett. I love all of his works, equally, however I feel that this was one of his weaker works. The plot resolves around the land of 4Ecks (a parody of Australia) and how Rincewind went about saving it. My biggest problem is that the story takes so long to get to the gripping conclusion. There is a lot of time being built up to it, but when you get to the conclusion it's a little rushed.
Which is a shame as some of the books he wrote before and after I find a real page turner, whilst this was a harder reader. I felt that he spent to much time parodying the land of 4Ecks to much and not enough time developing the story. Overall this was not a great story which is disappointing.

However up next we have The King Beyond the Gate.

In other news. I won my first battle of a the small campaign we are playing. With five friends we have all chosen a Warhammer army that we have had sitting in boxes and started painting. We started out at 500 points a side and then moved on in 250 points blocks. My army is nearly fully painted (a first for me) only four Dragon Princes and an eagle to go. Then I just need to base them all but that is the least if my problems.
So anyway after 12 games I got my first victory so I am happy about that.

On the writing front. I am intending to enter the CBBC competition at the BBC Writersroom and the Black Library short story competition.

See you soon.

Blogging. Everyday for a week.

It'll happen honest.

However I have been busy working on a script and developing two ideas. One a sit com and one a book. Plus I have also been painting.

That last sentence was an excuse, you know.

Be back soon.

A new day,

So blogging. Yes. Not really happening is it. Anyway here's a quick update. I've been trying to work on a teen drama. So a lot of my work has been concentrated on that. We'll see where she leads.

One of my recent dvd purchases (number 497) was the show Gossip Girl. Essentially this is a teen drama, where we the auidence are shown the events from an omnipotent point of view. The titular character of Gossip Girl is a person who updates a website with information about the going ons of the characters.

So we'll get info about Dan and Serena's relationship or why is Serena buying a pregnancy kit. I like the way the show has been done. Not nessacerly all of the stories but it's a well created show. Go and get the first season on DVD now.

See you soon.

So I am going to try and blog everyday now

So I am feeling blue. To cure my blueness I tend to spend. Spending is good as it gives me the thrill of new toys. I have a new HD TV (this cost me nothing) and so that should keep me entertained.

I am feeling blue as my career as a writer seems to go nowhere. For many reasons. I am bursting with ideas, that I can't find the time to put down. It then gets no further than my head. Which is fine, as there its the best idea, ever. But that not what I want. I want to see my work on the book shelf or my work on the screen.

So what's the plan for 2009. Work, work and even more work. I need to get something published. How, not sure. Going to look into getting an agent, which means I need more work done. I will probably end up with two different agents, one for telly, one for books. We'll see how that goes.

I am going to polish off my script I was working on last year. It was written into response to Invasion of the Bane. The pilot for the Sarah Jane Adventures. I watched that and saw there was need for good, one off, family drama's. An area I feel that is woefully underused at the moment. If you can watch an episode of Sarah Jane, on a side note, then do.

The story is in the vein of the Famous Five stories that I used to read as a kid. Why?, they work. Simple setting, four kids and their dog go walking, camping, etc... and meet some nasty villain, who wants to do them no good. So we have a setting, six kids/seven kids and a nasty villain and 90 pages.

So what's the plan. I am going to give it a polish. Get a friend to read it to make sure the grammar and spelling is good and then send it to a Script reading agency and see what they say. Then send it on the BBC Writersroom to see if they would like to produce it.

While working on other ideas. I am trying to get a Teen Drama off the floor. Problem is how do you keep the unique. Here is how my brain works.

Teen Drama - how to keep it unique- cheap kid dates posh girl - drat that's Gossip GIrl and a host of others. - How about a mystery- Nope, thats Veronica Mars. Drat. and so it goes on.

Well that's me out..

I really am not very good at this.

So, I’m useless and I’m not really very good at blogging and so I am going to try and blog once a day for the next seven days to see if I can get in a routine.

So what’s been happening? Played a lot of World of Warcraft, as there is the release of the Wrath of the Litch King in a few weeks time. I’m now a level 54 rogue and hopefully being dinging, or gaining a level, tonight.

I have sent off my book to another publisher, having been rejected by Usborne in July. I’m now awaiting Chicken House’s response.

More tomorrow as I blog about monster and probably Cloverfield.

I'm not very . good at this

So I am really bad at blogging. I have the intention, just no motivation. So this blog is going to be a review blog

Last week I saw Hancock. It's a film about John Hancock a superhero played by Will Smith. Hancock is a bad superhero and often gets things wrong when he tries to put things right. The film deals mainly with cheap jokes showing how bad Hancock is and how good he is when he is not drunk. It then, in the final act, takes a serious twist and though I enjoyed the mythology it bought in, it was left lacking as the plot tapered out. Despite this the film was highly enjoyable and I recommend everyone to see it. WIll Smith is a very good drunk.

The week before that I went to see Prince Caspian, the second film in the Chronicles of Narnia film series, based on the books by C.S. Lewis. I am already biased in favour of the book and the film of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which was released in 2005. I thought this film was better than the previous film, the acting from the four children who played Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy was better. The story moved at a good rate and though they made some deviation from the book, it still keeps to what happened in the books. That may sound crazy, how can you change something and keep it the same. Well the attack on Miraz Castle does not happen in the book, however it does state that Caspian did attack Miraz army and fail. All in all I enjoyed the film, the only thing I did not enjoy was Susan becoming a warrior. She looked more like Legolas from Lord of the Rings than a girl from East Finchly.

Now onto books. I have read the new book by Danny Wallace. You may remember a few months ago I blogged about Dave Gorman's America Unchained which was a tale about a man, Dave, and his trip. Well this is a tale of a man, called Danny, who set out to find his old school mates. I read it in five hours and though this is a personal tale than his quest to start a cult or say Yes more. I enjoyed it, their are emotional highs and lows and you feel what Danny is going through. I recommend you go and buy it.

Right, I'm going to blog about Doctor Who later and maybe CSI. CSI is good

War!!!!!!!!

I'm at war. Well technically the alliance I am in, in Ikariam, is at war. My fellow Argonauts (That's the name of our alliance) are attacking, but due to me being several days travel away (Ships really do take their time) I’m not doing too much, at the moment, but I am preparing for the inevitable counter attack.

This leads me onto the next port of call, which is also war based. This is my new army for Warhammer. I have decided to take the plunge and collect a Chaos Warrior army. I already have a unit of twelve warriors armed with hand weapons and shields, which I am going to try and paint over this coming weekend. Photos will be posted, as and when the unit is finished. I also have plans for a monstrous demonic mount for my Lord to ride into battle on.

I have been replotting my vampire novel. If you’re very good, I may put up the original plot. However the new version is looking good and I am looking forward to getting to the actual writing part. I’m far too impatient for my own good.

My tv show is coming along. I am still at the 20 page mark because I have been thinking about how to show the next set of scenes, which is all about a raid and so I have been mulling over lots of ideas. I could go for a heavy CG or Model route or the opposite and go for a light CG route. So many choices.

Thinks that’s about it for the moment.

If you are very good, I may post a bit of a short story for you all to read, or not.

Cyas.