Hello from Myrtle Beach

Yep, I'm back in Myrtle Beach. I've actually been here since Saturday evening and while I've had several chances to blog, I just haven't had much to blog about. You can only describe the weather (hot) just so many times before you my readers and I your writer get bored with the subject.

I went out yesterday and scoped out a couple sites where I have scenes planned for my current WIP. I walked by the house that I've decided belongs to my protagonist and took several photos of the street plus of Ocean Boulevard and of the public beach access point just one street over. And man, I have to tell you, it was hot. And humid. I went swimming and didn't go near the water, the air was so thick. I wasn't walking more than fifteen or twenty minutes and when I got back to my car I was all flushed and sweaty. I drank some water (thank goodness I had some in the car) and headed straight home to cool off and relax.

Okay, well, thinking back, walking through the high school field and then climbing to the top of the Doug Shaw Stadium bleachers to take pictures in the blistering sunshine/humidity and then taking the aforementioned pictures was a bit much. Yeah, yeah, I brought it on myself. But I'm doing much better now.

Today I chilled at home, watched TV, played some games on the 'puter, met a friend for shopping after lunch then came back home. A nice relaxing day. Hey, it's my vacation...I'm allowed to relax!

Anyway, I just got done watching a movie and I've come to realize something about myself. The movie was "August Rush" starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell and Robin Williams...and the-cute-kid-who-plays-the-lead-don't-remember-his-name. As I watched it, I realized part of me was disecting it as a writer might. Here are the main characters, here's the backstory, here's where they are today, present subplots one, two and three, introduce sidekick & bad guy/antagonist, great music, conflict, resolution, conflict, resolution, more great music, conflict, wrong choice, ramp up tension, conflict, resolution, tension, even more great music, resolution, happy ending. I could see it, I tell you.

I wonder if this means I'm starting to evolve as a writer. I do the same things when I read books. Maybe not all the time---oh, heck yeah, all the time. I just realized I finished reading a Cait London book today and I was irritated with her because it seemed like she kept going over the same points over and over again, and some of the conversations jumped from subject to subject with no logical transition (that I could see) and it just seemed to take forever to resolve the conflict. And, in my opinion, it didn't live up to the hype. It was the first book in a three-parter and frankly, I don't think I'll bother with the other two. Which is a bit of a pity because I do like her writing, but perhaps not this story. I'll put it on my Shelfari below (scroll to the bottom of the page, okay? thanks) and add the book I'm about to start.

Oh, and the part of August Rush was played by Freddie Highmore. Don't be too impressed...I checked IMDB.