Doctor Who: An Obsession

So at what point does a show go from being a passion to an obsession.  I’ve loved Doctor Who since I was about five years old.  Back in the day when Tom Baker was just getting started,  I’ve always loved the show.  Barely a week has gone by when I didn’t watch at least one Doctor Who, whether from the Classic series or the new series.

Then came the 50th celebration.

My passion for the show went into overdrive!  During the week leading up to that 50th anniversary episode I watched Doctor Who every single day.  Multiple episodes at that, from both the classic and the new series.  And in fact a day hasn’t gone by SINCE the 50th that I haven’t watched at least one episode.  Even today I watched two.  It’s all I tweet about on Twitter.  I’ve started to blog about it, I’m currently reading a Target novel, and of course I keep watching it.

A mad man who stole a blue box.

What is it about this show that excites so much passion?  I see from people I follow on Twitter that I’m not alone in this.  I was at Gallifrey One convention in LA earlier this year.  The amount of people in cos play was amazing.  People all over the world love this show.  It makes me so proud to be a Whovian.  I’ve been mad about the program since the time when it was a nerdy thing and was considered uncool.  Look at the show run now!

I guess there really is nothing else like it out there.  There are plenty of creative and imaginative shows on our screens.  But nothing, NOTHING like Doctor Who.  Wouldn’t we all love a TARDIS of our own.  On the outside, it’s just a simple blue police box.  But when you see it on your screen you know something magical is happening.  That’s the only way to describe Doctor Who.  Magical.

Right from its humble beginning, as a filler to give families something to watch after the sports and before the prime time shows come on, the show captured the imagination of a nation. Athough there was neither the budget or the technology to match the ambition of the producers, they tried to show us things we had never seen before.  Ok, so the effects were often cheesy.  But the stories weren’t.  Classic Who has given us some unforgettable stories and monsters scary enough to chase us behind the sofa.  Ok, I only hid behind the sofa once as a child, but some of the creatures were frightening.  Daleks.  Cybermen.  Sontarans.  Ice Warriors.  Zygons.

Now the show has caught up with technology enough to be able to produce some amazing effects.  Episodes like Planet of the Ood and the Rings of Akhaten have shown us spectacular alien worlds.  The monsters are scarier still.  The show goes on. And on. And on.

Hopefully for another fifty years.

Happy Birthday Doctor Who!

I am a huge Doctor Who fan.  I have been since I was six years old.  I won’t say how long ago that was.  But I will say Tom Baker was my first Doctor.  I guess that’s kind of a hint…

So, this is a big week for us Doctor Who fans.  You could say it’s been fifty years in the making.  Yep, Doctor Who is fifty years old this week.  Making it the longest running sci-fi show in history.  And this Saturday, the 23rd november, marks the show’s 50th birthday.  Happy birthday, Doctor!  you don’t look a year over 900!

I follow a lot of Doctor Who fans on Twitter.  Some are of the old guard, like me.  Others came in for the new series.  I’ve noticed certain trends among Who fans on Twitter.  Some still bemoan the departure of David Tennant.  Others are unhappy because the next actor to play the role is going to be an older actor.  Newsflash:  All the Doctor Who actors in the Classic series were older men.  When Peter Davison took over the role as the 5th Doctor, the media were complaining he was TOO YOUNG!  How times change.  Ok, so Peter Capaldi is not a young pretty boy.  He’s still a good actor and I’m sure he’ll bring something special to the role. Much as I will miss Matt Smith, I’m looking forward to seeing what Capaldi has to offer. If anything, perhaps the show will calm down a bit now and stop with the endless running around.  As much as I love the New series, I do miss some things about the way Classic Who used to work. 

I just want to say that as a long time Doctor Who fan I’m used to the constant changes that go with the show.  The hardest one for me to adjust to was the departure of Tom Baker.  Apart from the fact he was my first Doctor, he was also the longest running Doctor in the show’s entire 50 year history.  And he was, in my opinion, the best actor to play the role. He played the Doctor for six years. Through most of my childhood.  In all my years of following the show, one thing I have learned is that no actor is bigger than the show. And I mean NO actor.  Not Tom Baker.  Not David Tennant.  And not Matt Smith.  As much as I will miss him, I will be ready for the next incarnation. 

In its fifty years, Doctor Who has been blessed with some truly remarkable actors playing the title role.  Every one of them has been replaced by a quality actor, stepping up to fill the shoes of the previous actor.  I am confident that Peter Capaldi will not disappoint.  Any true Doctor Who fan will accept and welcome the new actor.  The king is dead.  Long live the king.

Whatever else happens, the show will go on. And on.  And on.  Here’s to the next fifty years of travelling in the TARDIS.

When the words just flow!

Yes.  It’s me.  Again.  Two blogs in one day.  Aren’t you lot lucky! 😉

I’ve just finished a writing marathon and had to share.  I’ve no idea how long I wrote for but I wrote sixteen pages.  By hand.  So I have no idea what the word count is yet.  But I do know my hand needs a rest.  Feel free to insert whatever rude joke comes to mind.  I’m no prude. 😉

The words just flowed.  I couldn’t stop.  The weird thing is I don’t know what I’m going to write or what’s going to happen next until I come to write it.  I had a hunch about one thing that turned about to be correct, but even then there was an unexpected twist that I didn’t foresee.  My mind must be a strange place lol.  It doesn’t seem to matter what I predict is going to happen, it never works out the way I think it will.  Although, there is a semblance of a plot emerging.  This story is big.  It’s sprawling.  It’s epic.  And it’s as scary as hell because I am writing a big sprawling epic without any kind of outline or without any clear definition of where the story is going.  That also makes this story incredibly exciting and fun to write.  It’s so unpredictable.  Who knows what will happen next?  Okay, I’m rambling now.  My brain is fried after this marathon writing session.  It feels good though.  Happy writing everyone! 

When Magic Happens

I’ve written a couple of blogs already about how I’m stalled out on my novel, Psychic Witness, and how I bought five notepads with the intentions of writing some short stories with the intention of kickstarting my writing again.  Well, I seem to have started a major project.  My first short story looked to be a futuristic heist-gone-wrong type of tale.  Only it seems to have expanded into something much longer and more complex.  In short, I seem to have a full blown novel on my hands. 

There’s something very strange and magical going on with this story.  While I’m writing, it’s as if there’s a little voice whispering in my ear telling me what to write.  The words just flow.  I never have to stop to think what to write next.  Not only that, I can’t plan ahead!  Whatever I think is going to happen when I next get to write is always completely wrong.  Every time I sit down to write, something completely unexpected happens.  Something that never even crossed my mind when I was thinking what to write later.  This story is so organic it’s almost alive. 

One time I wrote about one of the two characters getting captured.  I thought he was the main character who was going to feature the most.  The second character is more subservient, more used to being told what to do than think for himself.  Now he’s thrust into the limelight, having to fend for himself in a dark mysterious forest.  I never saw that coming before I sat and wrote it.

Today the unexpected happened again.  I’d been thinking about what was going to happen to my secondary, now primary character, Raygon..  Where would he end up.  I’d imagined several scenarios.  So this afternoon, I finally had time to sit and write.  I had him wander through the forest until he was exhausted and collapsed to rest.  He’d just drifted to sleep.  The name Ryda popped into my head from nowhere.  The next thing I knew, I was writing about an encounter Raygon has with what I can only describe as a magical being.  She looks like a teenage girl.  She’s childlike and petulant.  And so vivid.  It’s almost spooky how this story is evolving.  Now I seem to be writing a fantasy story.  I sense this tale has only just begun and there is a lot more to come.  I don’t know what’s coming next and I’m not even going to try to guess because I’ll probably be wrong.  I’ll just let this story unfold as it wants.  I’ve never written this way before but it’s just so much fun!

Below is a snippet from todays writing, introducing Ryda.  it’s my first draft so it’ll be rough but I just wanted to share her with you all.  I know she’ll be back in this story.  I don’t know how, but I’m sure I won’t be able to keep her away.

 

 

A childish giggle dragged Raygon from slumber’s beckoning embrace.  He lifted his head and looked around.  Nobody was in sight.  “Hello?  Is someone there?”

The giggle came again, sounding just to his left.  The giggle had a mischievous quality that chilled him.  Was this a ghost?    All thoughts of sleep fled as he tried to make sense of the situation.  He stood, his body tense, ready for fight or flight.  “Who’s there?”  He unholstered his blaster, gripping it tight.

The giggle sounded again, from his right this time.  He turned, blaster held up.  “Who are you?  Show yourself.”

“Why?”  The voice had a sulky petulant quality.

“Because I want to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to know if you’re a friend or an enemy.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m alone and afraid.”:

“Why?”

“Because…Look, don’t you ever say anything other than why?”

“Sometimes.”

The change in dialogue threw him a little.  “That’s better.  Now, who are you?”

“Ryda.”

“That’s a pretty name.  Why can’t I see you?”

“Because.”

“Do you ever speak more than one word at a time?”

“Sometimes.”

“Can I please see you?”

“Maybe.”

“Does my weapon scare you?  I’ll put it away.”  He holstered his blaster.  “See?  you’re safge now.”

The phantom voice giggled again.  “I’m not scared.  That toy can’t harm me.”

“So you can speak more than word at a time.  May I please see you now?”

The air in front of him shimmered like a heat haze.  A figure slowly coalesced into view.  At first just the outline, then the features appeared until a small human girl appeared, no more than four feet tall.  She had soft delicate features, a heart-shaped face framed by vibrant red hair that fell to her shoulders.  She was waif like in appearance, had a waif-like body and she wore a short green tunic that left most of her legs bare.  She looked roughly like a sixteen year old girl, but she felt considerably older.  Her eyes sparkled and her lips quirked as if she was ready to giggle again.  “Is this better?”

Raygon nodded.  “Much.  It’s nice to be able to see the person you’re talking to.  What are you doing here?  Are you alone?”

“The forest is my home.  I’ve been following you for hours.  You are noisy.”

“Why did you wait so long to contact me?”

“You amused me.”  She giggled again.  “I get so few visitors these days.  Nobody ever comes here any more.  How did you get here?”

 

That’s all I’m sharing for now.  I hope you enjoyed it!

 

 

 

 

 

Writing By The Seat Of your Pants

A strange thing is happening with my latest writing.  When I wrote my novel, Psychic Witness, I pretty much mapped it out so I knew what was going to happen.  There were a few surprises, but nothing major.  I was in control and I knew what was going to happen next.  I’ve been stuck in editing hell for a while now.  I haven’t touched the manuscript in weeks.  I’ve missed writing so much but I can’t bring myself to touch this story right now.  I don’t know what the problem is.  I think it’s something with my main character.  I just can’t seem to get into his head.  I’m thinking right story, wrong character?

As I wrote in my last blog, I bought a set of five notepads on Friday with the intention of writing some short stories to blast through my block and get me writing again.  Well, that very night two names popped into my head from nowhere.  I wasn’t even thinking about writing.  In fact I was watching an episode of Doctor Who!  I grabbed one of the notepads intending to just write the names down so I wouldn’t forget them.  Then a scene came fully developed into my mind of two men standing in front of a steel door that led to some sort of vault.  One of the men had used a pass card to try to get into the vault.  But it hadn’t worked and in fact it set off an alarm. 

Naturally I started writing.  What came out was an intense chase scene that ended with them jumping off a ledge to fall fifty feet into a lake to escape their pursuers. That’s how I left it that night as it was late and I was tired.  The next day I continued writing and the pair’s dash to safety continued only to end with one of them being captured.  The other escaped into a forest.  The strange thing is I don’t know what is going to happen next until I pick up a pen and actually start to write.  I had no idea one of them was going to get caught until it happened.  It wasn’t something I’d considered.  I don’t think I can even plan ahead because whatever I think is going to happen probably won’t even be close when I come to write it.  It’s almost like reading the story.  I have no idea what’s going to happen until I actually write it!  This short story is also threatening to grow into a full blown novel.  I sense there is a lot more to this story to come.

Has this happened to you?  Is this how you write?  As someone who usually plots an outline, even just a vague list of plot points, this style of writing is very liberating and even exciting.  It’s also a bit scary.  What if the story just runs up against a brick wall?  What if I write the characters into a situation that I have no idea how to get them out of?  At this moment I have no idea who these two men are.  Are they good guys or bad guys?  What were they after in the vault? All I know is the story that I thought was going to be a sort of futuristic heist tale seems to be heading into the fantasy realm.  Not something I have any experience of writing.  Though I do enjoy a good fantasy story.

The main thing though, is I have rediscovered the joy of writing.  I no longer look at the computer and think I should get back to writing.  I AM writing and it feels great!