I'm a Comic-Book Girl / 'V for Vendetta' Graphic Novel

For those of you who didn't already know, my favourite movie ever is 'V for Vendetta', starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. It has been my favourite movie for years. About two years ago, I discovered that the movie was based on a graphic novel, and I decided I wanted to get my hands on a copy. Of course, I never went ahead and did it. I just put it on my Christmas wishlist.

Guess what Santa (or my boyfriend) got me for Christmas?

I got stuck into the 'V for Vendetta' graphic novel last week and finished it today. In all honesty, I only spent three days reading it (the other days were spent doing other writerly things), but when it was in my hands I could not put it down. I hate the fact that I haven't read comic books before, because this was so good, and yet I kept getting lost and confused because I couldn't distinguish some of the minor characters, but it was still awesome!

*SPOILER ALERT* There's definitely a severe difference between the movie and the graphic novel. Things were added and taken away from the movie. For example, I was most disappointed to discover that V never does the huge speech with words starting with the letter 'v' when he introduces himself to Evey in the comic. And then the movie omits the fact that Evey is actually a 16 yr old prostitute, or that she ends up having a sexual relationship with Gordon before he dies. On the other hand, I was severely relieved that both the graphic novel and the movie included the scenes were Evey is imprisoned and tortured and finds a letter from a woman named Valerie in her cell. It was my favourite scene in the movie and it's still my favourite scene in the graphic novel. *SPOILERS OVER*

I think that I might have to try for some more graphic novels and comic books. I already have 'The Watchmen' and 'Hush, Hush' on my list. Any recommendations from those of you elsewhere in the blogosphere?

Have you read the 'V for Vendetta' graphic novel before, or another graphic novel or comic that you loved?

- Bonnee.

I Just Sat Down and Wrote It

Have you ever read a blog post and then realized that it was exactly what you needed to read in that moment? After reading a post  by JeffO about the 'Just Write It' piece of advice that is often thrown about where writers are involved, I had that feeling, and after perhaps a short moment of procrastination while I mulled the idea over in my head... I just sat down and gave it a shot.

JeffO said in the post that while 'Just Write It' isn't always the right answer, sometimes it can be the best answer. In my case, it was the best answer. I have been sitting around for the last half of January trying to figure out how I should end my W.I.P 'WALLS' before I start to write it. After putting so much effort into planning the story - 11,380 words to be exact - it felt wrong to start writing without completing that final stretch of the plan. But I've been starting at the cursor in the word document and getting nowhere. 'Just Write It', I thought, after reading JeffO's post.

So I opened my planning document and I opened a new word document and called it 'Chapter 1'. Two hours later, the first chapter was complete at 2,700 words and I am so glad. I might not know how 'WALLS' is going to end yet, but it's only a first draft, and I don't need to know until I get to it. I can't go back and change anything that needs changing later. I can fix the inconsistencies during a proofreading and editing session. What I can't stand the thought of doing any longer is waiting unnecessarily when I could be writing.

A big thank you to JeffO! 'Chapter 2' will be on it's way tomorrow, I am sure. Until then, considering that it is currently 12:40AM, I might get some sleep.

When have you read the perfect blog post for your situation?

- Bonnee.

Writer's Update and Mockingjay - Review

Admittedly, I've been a lazy little author recently. While my plan for my new W.I.P WALLS is sitting just over 10,000 words, it's still incomplete and I have a feeling I'll have to backtrack and change some things, because I have no idea how to end it at this point. All part of the writing process I guess. 

Meanwhile, I wrote a short story that is loosely based on a situation I've found myself in. Last time I did this, it got published in the SpineOut Online Magazine. I think this might be one of my strong-points, so it's something I'm going to endeavour to do more often. Fingers crossed that this and all future attempts will be as successful as the first. 

Catching Fire - Review

Well I read the second book in The Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. While I hold much of the same criticism I gave for the first book (too simplistic for the themes, character relationships could have been better developed, poorly proofread, etc) I still have to say that I loved it.

At this point, I couldn't tell you if I preferred the first book or not, but I certainly disagree with those who say that Catching Fire was poorly done. The bottom line is that there was no way Suzanne Collins could have ended the series after the first book. Katniss had caused too much damage with her 'Nightlock' stunt for there NOT to be a sequel... or two.

I couldn't put this book down. I would have to credit this to the way, just like in the first book, every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. For example, *SPOILER ALERT* when Peeta and Katniss were doing their victory tour and made their stop in District 11 where they made a more personal speech than they were supposed to for Rue's family and Thresh's family, the old man in the crowd whistled Rue's four-note song and everybody in the crowd gave Katniss the District 12, three-finger salute. I was going to put the book down at the end of this chapter, but then it ended with the man who'd whistled being dragged onto the stage and shot in the head. Of course I had to keep reading! *SPOILER OVER*

I have to say a lot more things happened in Catching Fire than what happened in the first book. This is probably because the first book gives more of a spotlight to the Games themselves, while Catching Fire is supposed to be about the aftermath of Katniss's actions in the Game of the first book. This quick-paced action of new event after new event, shock upon shock, kept me hooked. And sure enough, the ending of Catching Fire consisted of the perfect twist to leave room for the third installment, Mockingjay.

Katniss is growing on me more and more. I think she's a great heroine, and the inner conflict we are exposed to through her rings rather true to life. Peeta, I feel is both helping them in the eyes of the Capitol and digging a hole for them both with some of the stunts he pulls. I cannot believe what happened to Cinna, or at the very least what was implied! I actually really loved Cinna, though I didn't give him much of a mention last review. I no longer know how to feel about Haymitch... I guess I'll let you know when I review the next book, which I have already started reading.

What were everyone else's thoughts on Catching Fire?

- Bonnee.

Liebster Award (again)

First of all, congratulations to JeffO and cestlavie22, who correctly answered the question I posed last post. Which British author invented the paperback novel, the serial and coined the term 'cliff-hanger'?  It was Charles Dickens. JeffO and cestlavie22, if either of you would like to do a guest post on my blog, or an interview, etc, let me know and it can be arranged. 

Next up, EJ has given me the Liebster Award. I've already received this once so I'm not going to pass it on again, because it will just be the same people, but I will do the questions thing...

Rules (not all of which will be followed): 

1. Bloggers nominate other up-and-coming bloggers (with less than 200 followers) for the award.
2. If you receive the Liebster, you must:
- Tell 11 random things about yourself.
- Answer the 11 questions the nominator has asked you.
- Nominate 11 other bloggers and make sure you notify them.

11 Random Facts: 
1. I'm a little obsessed with anime. 
2. I know how to party both with and without alcohol. (I prefer with.) 
3. I write a lot. Duh. 
4. I am currently watching some talk-show where the guest on stage and a lot of members in the audience are signing instead of talking... in different accents.
5. I spent yesterday reading the names off the map that shows different Aboriginal groups/languages that's on a wall at the school my mum works at while I was waiting for her to stop talking to her teacher-friends in there.
6. Controversial humour is my favourite.
7. iPhones make me feel dizzy, but other smartphones don't.
8. If I could have a superpower, I'd be able to set things on fire.
9. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac. At least... I like fire.
10. I prefer real books to Kindles and e-readers.
11. I'M PUMPED TO HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO MY UNIVERSITY OF PREFERENCE! WOOO!!!!!! (I had to save the best one for last :D )

Questions from the nominator:

Who is your favorite blogger?

I don't like picking favourites, but JeffO never fails to make his blogposts entertaining and interesting :)  

Where are you from?

Australia. Or as we tend to pronounce it, 'Straya'. 

What social media sites do you have?

Facebook and Blogger. 

What do your think about yourself?

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." Marilyn Munroe quotes for the win. 

Who inspires you the most?

How do I answer this question? Tim Burton? William Shakespeare? Patrick Rothfuss? P!nk? 

What is your life motto?

Live as if you'll die tomorrow. Dream as if you'll live forever. 

Favorite city?

Melbourne! 

Describe your style?

Style? What's that? I have style? I'm probably the most miss-matched, dorkiest... you get it. 

What is the first thing that you put in your bag?

Phone.

What are you reading at the moment?

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. 

Well like I said, I'm not going to pass the award on because that takes too much effort... But if you have less than 200 followers and want to be given the Liebster Award, then I CHOOSE YOU! 

- Bonnee. 

Trivia from Perks of Being a Wallflower

So while my nearby towns are being evacuated because of an out-of-control bushfire and the sky outside turns darker thanks to a combination of smoke and cloud, I thought it would be cool to share a fun fact I learned watching The Perk's of Being A Wallflower. Mr Anderson asks the class some a trivia question, and gives a few hints. Protagonist Charlie silently writes down the correct answer while the rest of his classmates shout out everything but.

I'll turn it into a Who Am I?

Who Am I?
I am a British author.
I invented the Paperback novel.
I also invented the serial.
At the end of the third chapter of my first novel, I had a man hanging from a cliff by his fingernails, hence the term 'cliffhanger'.

Who am I?

Leave your guess in the comments, the answer will be revealed next blog-post.

NO GOOGLING!

- Bonnee.

Movie Adaptions of Books: The Hunger Games

If you're like me, then you'll agree that movies are generally not as good as their book counterparts. Unfortunately, it is often because a movie is coming to the 'big screens' that a lot of people even take notice of the book. They come out with a huge hype about the movie, and then people who've read the book, or who will read the book later, end up disappointed when they compare it to the book (or in the case of the Twilight movies, just how bad the movies are, period.)

The Hunger Games, for instance. I hadn't heard about The Hunger Games until people started going on about the movie. It caught my interest, and I ended up watching the film first (about a week before reading the book). But even without reading the book, there were moments I thought 'this is bound to be a better scene in the book'. After reading the book, I found that I was mostly right.

I'll focus on characters. First, Rue, who I thought we only got a proper glance at for two minutes during the film. While Rue and Katniss don't develop the deepest relationship in the book, I found that we still got a better sense of the way Katniss related Rue to her own little sister, Prim. We got to actually know her a little better in the book, and learn about her District and where she'd come from. In the movie, she's just a kid who hides in shadows and comes out to buddy up with Katniss until... well. Ya'll know what happened there.

Peeta. I HATED, Peeta in the movie. I couldn't stand him. But in the book, I thought he was the sweetest. The way the movie showed him giving the bread to Katniss when they were younger confused me, while I got it quite clearly in the book. In the movie, I couldn't tell if he was trying to be horrible to her by throwing it to the ground and giving so much to the pigs, instead of putting it straight into her hands. And as far as his 'love' for her went, I wasn't quite so convinced in the movie. I felt like he was acting as much as she was at points. In the book, I believed much more of it.

Haymitch. Complete opposite to my reaction to Peeta. I loved him in the movies and despised him in the books. He seemed a lot more caring and nurturing of Katniss especially in the movie, after she and Peeta had made it clear that they meant business in the Games and actually wanted to stand a chance. In the book, it didn't seem to matter how much he wanted them to win; I don't think he could have been more of an $*#hole if he tried. It bugs me when the movie changes a character's personality.

And of course, we have the ending of the film to compare to the ending of the book. Hm. I have to say, I hate it when they change the endings. I mean, for something like Harry Potter, where it ends with the Hogwarts Express taking everybody back to Kings Cross every time, that's a little different.

Of course, there were still a couple of good pointers to the movie. I liked the way the movie allowed us to escape from Katniss's point of view now and then. We see Haymitch interacting with sponsors, and we see people back in the districts watching the Games. Showing those other perspectives which go unseen in the novel gives a fuller, better idea of what is going on in their world.

Overall, I'm not saying that it was a bad movie. I enjoyed the movie, and I'm glad I saw it before I read the book. But it didn't live up to the hype it was given. Expected, but disappointing nonetheless.

What did you think of the movie adaption of The Hunger Games? Any other film adaptions you'd like to give a mention?

- Bonnee.