tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82021957056605029012023-12-12T06:11:47.885-08:00Hi, I'm Daniel Sherrier -- author!Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-57499137831738765642013-02-16T08:31:00.002-08:002013-02-16T08:31:58.086-08:00New website!I have my own website now.<br />
<br />
Please bookmark <a href="http://sherrierbooks.com/">http://sherrierbooks.com/</a> and visit for information on my books, humorous columns, theatre education, and more. I'll also be transferring some of the content on this blog gradually, in addition to plenty of new material over time.<br />
<br />
Thanks for looking.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-71487299965135790112013-02-13T12:14:00.000-08:002013-02-13T12:14:00.717-08:00Writing to direct<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...</em><br />
<br />
So you’ve decided you want to direct a one-act your senior year, and you search and you search and you search, but you just can’t find the right script for you.<br />
<br />
In that case, you might want to consider writing your own play. That way, you customize the show for your performance space, your available casting pool, and your overall comfort level. Basically, you choose your own directing adventure.<br />
<br />
If you opt for this route, only a handful of limitations stand before you: any guidelines of appropriateness required in your school, budget constraints, your school’s stage, and the laws of physics and reality. Still, you’ve got tons of freedom.<br />
<br />
You want to do comedy? Drama? Romance? Sheer absurdity? The choice is yours. <br />
<br />
There are many different facets of playwriting I could talk about, but let’s focus on just one for now:<br />
<br />
When writing a play, consider movement. <br />
<br />
This is especially useful if you’re writing this play for your directorial debut and you’re still learning the ropes about that side of the operation, too. If you incorporate movement into your script, that’s less you’ll have to figure out during the rehearsal process--and more that will organically develop on its own. But the key here is to incorporate movement that needs to happen, as opposed to arbitrary movement for the sake of movement.<br />
<br />
I wrote my first play my senior year of high school for the purpose of having something to direct. Without even consciously realizing it at the time, I incorporated a simple set-up that generated tons of action throughout the show.<br />
<br />
This one-act was based on my senior Homecoming dinner experience, and therefore, I called it “The Play About Homecoming.” I was part of a group of six. The three girls were friends of mine, and the other two guys didn’t even go to our school...and those two guys were a little on the unusual side. Or a lot on the unusual side. One thought he'd impress the girls by trying to resuscitate his chicken dinner, for example. So, there was plenty of fodder for comedy there, especially when you have license to exaggerate things to absurd proportions. (This is playwriting, not journalism.)<br />
<br />
Dinner, of course, is a somewhat static activity. People just sit at the table and talk. While you can develop some fun dialogue in such a situation, it’s not very visual. And theatre is in large part a visual medium. If I just had everyone sitting at a table for 15-20 minutes, it would have dragged.<br />
<br />
So, I placed the women’s restroom to one side of the table, and the men’s restroom at the other. I couldn’t build those sets, so I simply established them with signs and had the actors pantomime opening the doors and washing their hands. This gave the girls a place to run off to when they needed to vent about their horribly awkward dates. And I could also have the dorky guys act all goofy while admiring themselves in their bathroom mirror.<br />
<br />
By giving a place for the actors to move to, a snowball effect occurred. I kept thinking of more pieces of action and comedy to incorporate into the script. <br />
<br />
Movement helps the overall flow of a show tremendously. When you first begin writing your script, figure out a basic set for the show and have it be a functional set. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, and it probably shouldn’t be. I used little more than a table and two invisible bathrooms, and with that, my cast generated tons of laughter from an appreciative audience.<br />
<br />
Remember, movement can help actors keep their energy up. Sometimes, it provides memory cues for lines. Most importantly, it gives the audience something dynamic to watch.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-81167148839145623422013-02-10T18:27:00.001-08:002013-02-10T18:42:00.590-08:00RIP teaser: "Touch"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong>RIP</strong> is coming this March.<br />
<br />
But it's still only February, so what ever will we do in the meantime? I know! Let's have a preview!<br />
<br />
First, the basic idea of the series, again, is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Opening yourself up to a whole new world can leave you
vulnerable—but it’s the only way to grow. That’s what Rip Cooper has to do when
he learns he can perceive ghosts with his five senses as if they were flesh and
blood people, and he’s just as solid to them—in fact, the only solid thing to
them. This young loner has to overcome his fears and kill dead people to
prevent them from corrupting the living. He works alongside an impure angel and
his ex-best friend’s ex-girlfriend as they teach him how love can conquer fear.</span></div>
<br />
You can find more information <a href="http://danielsherrier.blogspot.com/2013/02/rip-what-its-all-about.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>RIP</strong> tells one big coming-of-age and redemption story over a series of novelettes...e-novelettes, that is. <br />
<br />
The first installment is titled "Touch."<br />
<br />
I've posted the teaser below. Other excerpts might find their way onto my Facebook page from time to time.<br />
<br />
Text copyright Daniel R. Sherrier. Do not reproduce without permission.<br />
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<h1 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc347772438"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">TEASER</span></span></a><span style="mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Rip
Cooper never forgot the haunted house in which he spent his early childhood,
though no one else seemed to notice its condition. Did he imagine it? No, he
remembered the day all too well, and every memory earns its place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
Cooper family lived in a tiny home, a quaint box with two tight floors and a creepy
basement. The front lawn was always kept trim, though there was too little lawn
to qualify that as a feat of any proportion. The real selling point was the
in-ground pool in the backyard. A lovely pool, indeed. Its square footage nearly
rivaled that of the house itself. The quaint box’s age spanned decades, thereby
qualifying as ancient to its five-year-old resident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
kitchen had a decent stretch of smooth, tiled floor—creaky, like the rest of
the place, but excellent for rolling around toy cars. Rip gave one a hard push,
and it raced away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Ripley,
don’t leave any of those toys lying around when you’re finished, please,” his mother
called out from the living room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The die-cast
metal car careened across the kitchen floor and through a crack under a door,
the most horrible door in the whole wide world—the door to that creepy
basement. He shouldn’t have pushed so hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Rip
scooped up his other cars and dumped them in their box. Just one more to claim,
but it had escaped his view. He inched toward that looming door, stopping as
soon as his arm was within reach. Leaning forward, he stuck his fingers in the
crack and pulled the door out, hoping that would reveal the wayward toy and he
could grab it and close the door just as quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">It
didn’t. All he saw was a deep, dark gulf. And somewhere down there in that
foreboding abyss was his car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">His
crawling skin suggested he stop right there, and a newly unsettled stomach
seconded the motion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">His
mother wanted him to pick up his toys, all his toys. She always warned that
people could trip on them. Therefore, he had no choice. He needed to enter the
basement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">He
trembled as he crept down the wooden staircase into the chilly depths. Each
step laughed at him with a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">creak</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
light from the kitchen shined a perfect path to the stray car. There it was,
overturned near the shelves. He just had to follow the light, grab the car, and
leave. Why did it have to be so far away?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">His
foot touched down on the smooth, rock-hard ground. He quivered as his courage
faltered, and he began turning back to the kitchen…No! He had to get his toy.
His mother said so. And you always do what your mother tells you, especially
when she says please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">He
took a few more steps toward the car, trying his best to resist the shiver sent
from his brain straight down his spine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Then
he made the mistake of looking up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Gleaming
jack o’ lanterns lined the shelves up and down the wall—and that was just in
the parts he could see. They weren’t there a moment ago, were they? He forgot
all about a moment ago, because big ugly pumpkins now grinned at him, each one
carrying a small piece of hellfire inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Rip
screamed. He spun around to escape—so quickly that his legs tangled his feet,
causing him to trip and crash to the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">He
buried his face in his hands. He should have covered his ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“My,
aren’t we a brave little one?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">A man
was in his basement, and it wasn’t his father; wasn’t any relative. The voice
was unfamiliar, new. It didn’t belong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Rip
sprang to his feet and froze. The jack o’ lanterns had vanished, and in the
middle of the lighted path appeared a gaunt old man with wizened skin,
disheveled silver hair, and no smile. Nice people smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Rip
had never seen him—not a moment ago, not a month ago, not ever. Sure, those
hideous pumpkins were gone, but a strange man in raggedy clothing now stood in
his basement. At least he could run away from pumpkins…they couldn’t reach out
and grab him…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
old man’s jaw dropped. “You can see me, and hear me.” His voice was gravelly,
but the chuckle that escaped his throat was worse. “I see. You’re one of the
Seven, aren’t you, boy?” He stepped toward young Rip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
boy instinctively shielded his eyes, muttering, “No, no, no…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The
old man began, “Do you know how long—” and Rip heard nothing else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">He
opened his eyes and peered around. The man had disappeared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">But
the jack o’ lanterns were back. This time, they cackled at him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Crying
piteously, Rip booked it up the stairs to the safe haven of brightness above.
He slammed the door behind him with enough force to rattle the kitchen window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">What
Rip hadn’t realized, and didn’t dare contemplate just then, was that the old
man hadn’t gone anywhere. He was still there, lurking in the shadows of the
basement, just as he had for years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Just
a little boy. A little coward,” the old man said, letting out a wheezing laugh.
“Good.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">He
strolled over to the abandoned toy car. He knelt and held his hand over it. The
die-cast metal, untouched, began to vibrate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> “I’ll have nothing to fear from a coward.”</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-85286824896396736842013-02-08T08:16:00.001-08:002013-02-08T08:16:13.311-08:00RIP -- what it's all about<span lang="EN">Opening yourself up to a whole new world can leave you vulnerable -- but it's the only way to grow. Rip Cooper, 24, may be a successful freelance photographer making a name for himself in a new town, but personally, he's in a rut. No friends, no goals, no greater purpose. He's going through the motions...until the “angel” Serissa informs him that he's “one of the Seven.” That’s the starting point of <strong>RIP</strong>, a series of e-novelettes that blends drama, humor, action, and the paranormal.<br />
<br />
At any given time, seven individuals throughout the world are gifted with the capacity for extraordinary perception. They can see, hear, touch, smell, and even taste ghosts. The flip side is: Ghosts can do the same to them.<br />
<br />
Most people who die go either to Heaven or Hell, depending on how they lived their lives. But some are on the fence. These people linger around the Earth as invisible, inaudible, intangible ghosts, and each one has a choice to make -- become a better person and earn a place in Heaven, or give up and settle on Hell. The former are considered angels, and the latter tend to become demonic. It is, however, possible for a ghost to shift back and forth before finally being summoned to either place. <br />
<br />
Rip is not Mr. Action-Hero. He’s a decent fighter, but he initially has no incentive to fight.<br />
<br />
The series is about Rip coming to terms with his place in the world. He must choose to embrace his new role and excel, or turn his back on it and slide into a life of untapped potential and mediocrity. He's a loner who yearns to be a part of the world -- and being a freelance photographer, he’s often on the outside looking in. Also, he was never a brave child, but as an adult he must resolve to cultivate his courage.<br />
<br />
Serissa serves as Rip's angel guide and steers him to where he's needed. But she's also a recently deceased, sociable young woman who misses life and interacting with the living. Rip is the only solid entity she's ever encountered in her afterlife, the only living person who can even acknowledge her. <br />
<br />
She's an angel, true, but in this world, angels are merely flawed people working their way out of purgatory and trying to avoid an eternal sentence in Hell. Rip fears becoming separated from the world, but Serissa already is. She's a fun angel, and her colorful personality serves as a contrast to Rip's more subdued nature. However lively she seems, she’s always just hanging on by a thread. After all, there’s no proof there actually is a Heaven, and when you’re an intangible ghost, it’s hard to hold on to anything.<br />
<br />
<strong>RIP</strong> is coming to a digital device near you in late March.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-44067056366914802392013-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:002013-02-07T14:00:02.708-08:00It began as a teleplay...<span class="userContent"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
RIP, my upcoming e-novelette series, began life as a TV pilot script. </div>
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It was a <a href="http://pageawards.com/past-winners/2011-winners/2011-semi-finalists/" target="_blank">semifinalist</a> in the 2011 PAGE International Screenwriting Contest in the TV Drama category and a <a href="http://tvwriter....net/?page_id=399" target="_blank">finalist</a> in the 2010 People’s Pilot Competition<span class="text_exposed_show">.<br /> <br /> A Hollywood producer, in passing on the script, said it was “a fun idea” but he “would prefer to see this show executed in a more episodic/procedural way...”<br /> <br /> There you have it. RIP -- not formulaic enough for Hollywood!<br /> <br /> (The producer was very nice, I must say. He certainly did not have to read my script. His comments merely demonstrated why this story is a better fit for books than TV. So, you get to read it soon!)</span></div>
</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-47443945080327167352013-02-03T07:57:00.000-08:002013-02-03T07:57:29.385-08:00Casting<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...</em><br />
<br />
Casting a show can be fun, but there’s one potentially stressful part. For most school one-act festivals, you’re competing with several other directors for the same pool of actors. You probably won’t get everyone you want. You have to realize that going in.<br />
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As I said last time, you need to consider alternative cast members before you meet with the other directors. That way, if one actor isn’t available, you have someone else in mind you’re comfortable with.<br />
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Here’s the tricky part here...Unless you’re doing a one-person show, no actor gets cast in a vacuum. You’re looking for talent in each individual actor, yes, but you also want to make sure these people have some chemistry with each other--that they look and feel right together.<br />
<br />
For example, if your script calls for three girls who all need to be the same age and who appear together frequently, you might not want to cast one senior and two freshmen. Unless she looks as young as the freshmen, the senior might stand out in an awkward way. They might all be great individually, but something could look a little off when you put them together.<br />
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It’s easy to get so focused on each individual role that you forget about the larger picture.<br />
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Of course, you’re not going to get your ideal cast. You’ll have to make concessions, just as the other directors will make concessions that will work in your favor.<a name='more'></a><br />
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As you go into the meeting, decide which top choice you’re most willing to part with. It’s not a bad idea to go ahead and rank everyone. Then, when a conflict arises, you can be the first to offer a concession. “Okay, I’ll let you have Actor A, but I really want to hang onto Actor B here.”<br />
<br />
Be aware: The actor you label as an absolute must-have could very well hold that same label on another director’s casting notes. In the end, only one of you can have that person (unless you want to go the double-casting route, which is only advisable if there are more parts than actors.)<br />
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Usually, when such a situation arises, the faculty advisor should act as the final arbiter (especially for high school productions). The teacher is most likely to favor the director who already made the most compromises with other roles. If you haven’t given up any actors yet, but your rival has given up two top choices, you’re probably not getting the person you want in this case.<br />
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So think strategically. It’s like a crazy, creative chess game. How much do you want each actor, and who are you willing to give up to get him/her in your show?<br />
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But remember: As you keep mixing and matching the roles, try to picture each set of actors together.<br />
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That’s something else to consider while watching the auditions: How well does each actor work with others?<br />
<br />
When the dust settles and you finally have a cast, there will be further surprises in store--all kinds of surprises, possibly.<br />
<br />
Auditions are not a science. Someone might audition well, but then it takes him several rehearsals to warm up to the part. Or, an actor might display brilliant skills in rehearsals that you never noticed when she auditioned, making her the absolute best for the role--despite the fact that she was your third choice.<br />
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In my first directing experience, through sheer dumb chance, I wound up casting two girls who had been lifelong best friends--which I had no idea about. That made for some rambunctious rehearsals, though quite fun.<br />
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So unless you cast all your best friends, you never know precisely what you’re going to get. But that’s part of what makes it all exciting.<br />
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In any case, never tell anyone that he or she was a second or third choice. Once they're cast, then they're all you have to work with. Make the most of them, and make sure you have fun.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-61712019024431730422013-02-02T08:22:00.001-08:002013-02-02T08:22:15.588-08:00Announcing a new series...<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent">Coming soon...<br /> <br /> Opening yourself up to a whole new world can leave you vulnerable -- but it’s the only way to grow. That’s what Rip Cooper has to do when he learns he can perceive ghosts with his five senses as if they were flesh and blood people, and he’s just as solid to them -- in fact, the only solid thing to them. This young loner has to overcome his fears and kill dead people to prevent the<span class="text_exposed_show">m from corrupting the living. He works alongside an impure angel and his ex-best friend’s ex-girlfriend as they teach him how love can conquer fear.<br /> <br /> Look for <strong>RIP</strong>, an episodic series of ebook novelettes, this spring. </span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Let the teasing begin...</span></span></div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-25841019552906006432013-01-30T17:18:00.000-08:002013-01-30T17:18:21.160-08:00Interviews!Folks from two nice websites interviewed me yesterday.<br />
<br />
Angella Graff interviewed me <a href="http://reviewerteamwinz.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/interview-with-daniel-sherrier/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
And Justin Bienvenue interviewed me <a href="http://jbienvenue.webs.com/interviews.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. (You might have to scroll down to get to me.)<br />
<br />
We discussed various things, especially <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earths-in-space-vol-1-daniel-sherrier/1114055961?ean=9781624886386" target="_blank">Earths in Space</a>. Have you downloaded it yet?Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-67615056250697743532013-01-28T19:49:00.000-08:002013-01-28T19:49:48.390-08:00When life throws you bozos, write a play<span lang="EN">My high school senior Homecoming resulted in my first original one-act play -- a farce.<br />
<br />
The play, “The Play About Homecoming,” went over well with its high school audience, and my cast did great. The show brought considerable laughter to an auditorium full of teenagers. But what I and a few friends had to endure to get it…<br />
<br />
I was very last-minute with the whole Homecoming thing. Three days before the dance, I learned one of my female friends was dateless, so I figured I’d swoop in and save the day.<br />
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She wasn’t the problem, and neither were her two best friends—but their dates left pretty much everything to be desired.<br />
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One was a 21-year-old guy who for some reason wanted to go to a high school Homecoming with a 17-year-old girl he barely knew. The other was our same age, but not our same level of hygiene, and he wore a tie-dyed shirt under some garish sportscoat.<br />
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I’ll withhold the names of the girls. They suffered enough. I don’t even remember the guys’ names at this point.<br />
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Neither fellow qualified as a gentleman. I’m not saying I was Mr. Wonderful, but I was at least Mr. Tolerable. However, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum...no.<a name='more'></a><br />
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A highlight of the dinner was when the 21-year-old decided it would be clever to attempt to resuscitate his chicken dinner. He certainly made an impression.<br />
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A moral conundrum occurred as we were leaving the restaurant, when I witnessed No-Hygiene-Guy exiting the restroom without having washed his hands. Do I tell his date? Or do I let her remain blissfully ignorant? I opted for the latter, and my date seemed to agree that was the better course of action.<br />
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So then a couple of months later, I wrote the play for my school’s annual one-act festival.<br />
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Everyone knew it was based on a true story, inevitably leading to questions of what was real and what was my own embellishment.<br />
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Such as this question, asked with a combination of dread and tentative anger: “So wait, this part about my date not washing his hands, you made that up, right?”<br />
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My date instantly distanced herself from me: “It was Daniel’s idea not to tell you!”<br />
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I lived, in case you were wondering.<br />
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Answers to the frequently asked questions included:<br />
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“Yes, I did tell my date to punch me if I ever became anything like those two guys. Yes, she agreed to.” (I’m pleased to report she never punched me.)<br />
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“No, those guys didn’t actually beat me up.” (I guess I just felt guilty on behalf of the male gender and wanted someone punch me.)<br />
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“No, we didn’t ditch them at the restaurant.” (I was writing with the benefit of hindsight. Plus, I figured making an audience spend more than a dinner with them was pushing it.) <br />
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“Yes, he really did try to resuscitate his chicken. And yes, he really was 21 years old.”<br />
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The play had no moral value or life lesson whatsoever. <br />
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But the surrounding events certainly did: When life throws a pair of bozos at you, make a play.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-3402741144199256992013-01-27T07:02:00.000-08:002013-01-27T07:02:34.659-08:00Coming soon...<span class="userContent">What's better than one ebook series? Two ebook series! </span><br />
<span class="userContent"></span><br />
<span class="userContent">Coming soon...an episodic series of novelettes about ghosts. So, if you like sci-fi space travel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Space-vol-Little-ebook/dp/B00ASOUT7W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1358613842&sr=8-3&" target="_blank">Earths in Space</a> will continue, but if you prefer supernatural fantasy, I may have something for you later this year.<br /> <br /> I'll announce the title and other details when I'm further along with revisions. For now, I'll leave you with this dialogue exchange:<br /> <br /> “Do I have to worry about zombies, too?”<br /> “I never met any.”<br /> “Not really the firm answer I was hoping for.”<br /> “I’ve only been dead a couple of years. What am I supposed to be, the Encyclopedia Brown of death? ... Was that the correct usage of Encyclopedia Brown?”</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-11170371518959446862013-01-24T19:30:00.001-08:002013-01-24T19:31:28.300-08:00Note-taking during auditions<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...</em><br />
<br />
<br />
So you’re the director going into auditions to cast your wonderful show. You’ve got some excellent cold reading pieces picked out, and you’ve thought of some sample directions to throw at people. Plus, you know precisely what sort of actors you’re looking for.<br />
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You’ve got it all figured out...except for one thing. <br />
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While the actors are jumping through your hoops, what are you supposed to be doing?<br />
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Simple: Take notes. Good notes. <br />
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Different people have different styles. There’s no one right answer on what to do here. But here’s what I’ve done...<br />
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On some line paper, write down each actor’s name as they come in to audition. If it’s someone you don’t know, jot down some quick notes about what they’re wearing and what they look like--whatever will jog your memory and help you connect the name to the performance 30 auditions and two hours later.</span><br />
<span lang="EN"><a name='more'></a><br />
No need to write a book. Usually, “red shoes,” “wacky hair,” “really, really tall,” “goatee and button-up shirt,” “really young face,” and the like will do the trick. As always, though, do what works for you. Your memory may function differently than mine.</span><span lang="EN"><br />
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When they start auditioning, give them your undivided attention. If they do something extraordinary (for good or bad), make a quick note, but my recommendation is write your assessment as one audition group is leaving and the next is arriving.<br />
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If I didn’t like a particular actor and I knew I didn’t want that person, I’d write “maybe” or “okay” next to his or her name. Often, “maybe” meant “no way,” but I was always hesitant to write anything too negative on my audition notes. In theory, these notes are private, and no one should ever see them. But you never know, especially in a school setting.<br />
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Maybe I’m paranoid, but rather than risk hurting someone’s feelings, I like to just write “maybe,” and I know what I mean by that. Not that “okay” is much of an ego-booster, but it’s not the self-esteem crusher that “no way, never!” would be.<br />
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For the people I like, I’d write down the names of possible roles I could see them in. Some actors might have the potential to excel in two or three roles in your show.<br />
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And for some actors, one character name might be all I need to write down, aside from the brief physical description.<br />
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But if someone blew me away, I’d write that character’s name plus an “excellent” or “great.” For someone who was above average, but not quite wonderful, I might add a “good.”<br />
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My audition notes might look something like this, only scribbled in horrendous handwriting:<br />
<br />
You don’t need much, but you do need something to cue your memory.<br />
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Also, if you’re casting a one-act play for a school, you’re probably competing with other directors for the same pool of actors. During auditions, you need to formulate back-up plans. You’ll probably get some people you want, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll get all of your first choices.<br />
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After the show is cast, however, your actors will never know whether or not they were your first choice. That will not matter. Once the show is cast, they’re who you have to work with.<br />
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For now, just realize you may need to cast each role multiple times in your head before you get together with the other directors. Use your notes to organize a hierarchy of how much you like each actor for a particular role.<br />
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It’s almost like you’re giving each actor a grade. Who are the ‘A’ students you definitely want, the ‘B’ students you’d be happy to work with, the ‘C’ students you’d be okay settling on for certain roles, and the ‘D’ and ‘F’ students you want to avoid? Most likely, you’ll wind up with a mix of ‘A’ and ‘B’ students, with perhaps a ‘C’ student included also.<br />
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Of course, this has just been my system. Someone else might suggest something different, and that’s fine. My concise style might not work for you. Maybe you’d prefer taking more extensive notes. There’s no one right answer here.<br />
<br />
When it's all done, hide your audition notes somewhere an actor won't stumble across them. You might want to hang onto them for a little bit, just in case someone drops out. But as soon you’re comfortable doing so, destroy them. Rip them up in many pieces and throw them in the garbage.</span><br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-59341345193380186002013-01-21T18:25:00.000-08:002013-01-21T18:25:35.967-08:00Cold readings<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...</em><br />
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I never liked auditioning as an actor, but the process is much more fun when you’re on the other side of the table.<br />
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Still, as the director, you need to have a plan going in. <br />
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Part of your job is to pick out excerpts from your script for cold readings. For those unfamiliar with the term, a cold reading is basically the opposite of a prepared monologue. A cold reading is an excerpt from the script handed to actors at an audition, and they have maybe a few minutes to prepare before they’re called to perform it in front of the director.<br />
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The cold reading will help you determine which actors can think on their feet and demonstrate creativity.<br />
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After they perform their initial reading, you can give them some direction. This is the most fun part.<br />
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The goal here is to see if the actors can take direction. The ideal actor can both develop his/her own ideas for the role and also incorporate your ideas. It’s the old saying: Two heads are better than one. Theatre is a collaborative art. A wild card actor or a tyrannical director might reduce the quality of the overall production.<a name='more'></a><br />
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So, in the initial cold reading, you see what the actors can do on their own. Then you throw some direction at them to see how they respond to you. Maybe they’ll nail the reading exactly as you wanted them to, or perhaps they’ll develop something that will exceed your expectations. But if they go down some other path that’s not what you’re looking for...well, better to discover that before you cast those particular folks.<br />
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The direction you give during an audition doesn’t have to be the exact same direction you’d give during a rehearsal. It can. There’s nothing wrong with that. But here, in the audition, you have a bit more flexibility.<br />
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You’re on a hunt to discover which actors have the specific skills your show needs. If your play is a comedy, you can give some ridiculous direction like “Now read that part as a mad scientist” or “Please read it as a gorilla with head lice,” and enjoy watching what the actors come up with.<br />
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When you throw these ridiculous directions at them, you start to get a feel for each actor’s range. If the mad scientist, lice-infested gorilla, and original character all bear a striking resemblance to each other, then you might have a one-note actor. It might still be the one note that you need, but if you later decide you want to do something different with the character, you’re going to have to work extra-hard with that actor to pull him/her out of that narrow range.<br />
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But how do you select the cold reading samples in the first place? <br />
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Generally, the length should be about a page or two--or a minute or two when read aloud. (And you can always stop actors in mid-audition whenever you’ve seen what you needed, for good or bad.)<br />
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A scene between two people usually works well. You want to see how each actor works with other people. If you need to edit the script a bit--maybe rearrange or reassign some lines to make it work--you can do so. Auditions are not public performances, so don’t worry about copyright here. Use whatever will help you find the right actors.<br />
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Don’t stop with just one cold reading scene. Try to have three ready. Maybe one can be a two-actor scene, another a monologue, and the final one more than two characters. Give yourself some options to work with. You might not know exactly who’s going to show up until the auditions start.<br />
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Also keep in mind gender combinations. Do you need to see a guy/girl combo, or something else? Here, too, it’s a good idea to give yourself some options. Be prepared.<br />
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The key is: Know what you’re looking for, and tailor your cold readings to seek out those qualities in the auditioning actors. Then have a strategy for what you’re going to do with the actors when they’re auditioning in front of you.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-77291306774910923452013-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:002013-01-18T14:32:01.782-08:00Who was this John Hancock fellow anyway?<span lang="EN">I saw a clip from <em>Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?</em> in which a woman was shocked to learn that Europe was a continent, not a country.<br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hQ7dsRzZbc/UPlqhWCssyI/AAAAAAAAAJs/_NOAB1OSOn4/s1600/John_Hancock_1770-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hQ7dsRzZbc/UPlqhWCssyI/AAAAAAAAAJs/_NOAB1OSOn4/s1600/John_Hancock_1770-crop.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John who?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We all have lapses in common sense (some more than others, it seems), but we should at least have some shame when we do.<br />
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I was reminded of an incident from my retail days. I was an assistant manager at a store in an outlet mall. For reasons that were never sufficiently explained, whenever I completed a refund transaction, I had to get the signature of one of the other employees -- in addition to my own and to the customer’s, resulting in a most impressive triple-signature document.<br />
<br />
One day I asked a 21-year-old co-worker to sign one of those receipts, and she said, “Alright, I’ll give you my John Hancock.” Then she stopped and thought for a moment, wondering aloud, “Why do they call a signature a John Hancock?”<br />
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I immediately responded, “John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, and he signed it really large.”<br />
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She laughed, clearly not expecting anyone to actually know such a thing. “OK, nerd.”<a name='more'></a><br />
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(And I didn’t even mention that the guy presided over the Continental Congress, or that he’s a character in the hit Broadway and motion picture musical <em>1776</em>.)<br />
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My response was, “But wait, who doesn’t know who John Hancock is?”<br />
<br />
Naturally, this led to a poll among the other employees who happened to be there. To my dismay, only two others were familiar with the late Mr. Hancock. <br />
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One was a friend of mine from the College of William & Mary, thereby doing nothing to dispel the “nerd” allegation. <br />
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In fact, that was the rebuttal: “Oh, well, you two went to the nerd school.”<br />
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So we were apparently disqualified.<br />
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The other was a high school junior whose history class had only just covered the Revolutionary era.<br />
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The high school boy answered, “Oh! He signed his name big enough that the king could read it without his spectacles!” Maybe that’s a bit of a myth, but close enough.<br />
<br />
There were several others working that day, all in the teens through 20s range. None of them had the slightest clue who the man was, and they were all astonished that anyone would know this random piece of trivia.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, this was before the Will Smith movie <em>Hancock</em>, or else the survey results might have been a tad more facepalm-worthy.<br />
<br />
So, was I being some nerd or intellectual snob by expecting everyone to know automatically that John Hancock was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence?<br />
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Or is there a tendency among some youth to perceive social rewards for knowing less? <br />
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Of course, the “I have a life; therefore, I don’t know much” argument is a tad fallacious, but kids will figure that out when they’re older. Unless they aspire to appear on <em>Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?</em> Can’t help them then.<br />
<br />
But really, how do you not know who John Hancock was? He was in <em>1776</em>, for gosh sakes!</span><br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-36873693794096059042013-01-17T16:47:00.001-08:002013-01-17T16:47:38.948-08:00Ground plans<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...</em><br />
<br />
Directors need to establish the framework in which their actors move around. That’s the ground plan.<br />
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After you read the script several times, sketch out what the stage will look like--but only generally. Don’t be picking out the color of the couch just yet. That’s irrelevant at this point. But do figure out where that couch will be located in relation to other prominent set pieces and props. Here, you’re focusing on what goes where.<br />
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As you do so, you have to keep two things in mind. First, how do you need the actors to move? Second, how would your ground plan compel the actors to move in the absence of your direction?<br />
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And realize this: Copyright law dictates that you follow the script’s dialogue exactly as it’s written, but you are free to ignore the stage directions. (I’m no lawyer, of course, but that’s what I was taught.)<br />
<br />
So, the actors have to say all the lines in the script as written. When you’re designing the ground plan and blocking the show, think of the script’s stage directions more as suggested guidelines, but do whatever works for your production. (After all, the playwright doesn’t know what performance space you’re working with.)<a name='more'></a><br />
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Let’s say your play is set in a house, but aside from entrances and exits, the script features little action. It’s just talking heads, basically. Or it’s written as talking heads, but you and your cast need to fill in the blanks with interesting and relevant movement.<br />
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This is where your ground plan can be a true and valued friend. <br />
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Think: What would be in this house? How can you arrange the furniture to make full use of the stage?<br />
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For most shows, you probably don’t want all your action taking place on a straight line. Spread out the movement. This isn’t old-school Nintendo where Super Mario can only walk forward or backward. You’ve got multiple dimensions, so use as much as you can. If you go overboard in rehearsals, you can always pull it back to something more appropriate for your production.<br />
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In our hypothetical script, let’s say a phone rings somewhere along the way. Make sure the actor needs to get up and walk over to answer it. If you’ve got him on a couch upstage-center, then put the phone on a desk located downstage-right...and then have the pen and paper he needs set on a table downstage-left. And then he can crash back on the couch afterward.<br />
<br />
So he moves in a triangle, basically. <br />
<br />
In college, I was taught to design ground plans as a triangle, with three points that the actors would be drawn to for whatever reason. One point would be about upstage-center, and the other two points would be downstage-left and -right to anchor the movement.<br />
<br />
Within that, you can place obstacles in the actors’ path to inspire more movement and action from them. Maybe between the couch and phone, there’s some clothing strewn about the floor that he needs to avoid tripping over.<br />
<br />
You can also have multiple levels. Maybe you can set down a platform to elevate some of the action, or elevate one actor over another.<br />
<br />
Remember, the ground plan establishes a pattern of movement. <br />
<br />
Of course, in art, there’s no definitive right and wrong. But generally, you’ll want to avoid any of the following: aimless actors, purposeless movement, actors standing around for long periods of time not moving, and large unused portions of stage. Make sure your show--and everything about it--has purpose.<br />
<br />
What I’ve said here is by no means the be-all and end-all on the subject of ground plans, but I hope it’s enough to get you thinking.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-46564357345599262242013-01-15T15:29:00.000-08:002013-01-15T15:29:07.061-08:00Preparing to direct<span lang="EN"><em>Continuing the theatre education series for high school students...</em><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDJGwkFPYiQ/UPSW7z98nFI/AAAAAAAAAJM/3FYYoscaE6M/s1600/freeimage-13681185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDJGwkFPYiQ/UPSW7z98nFI/AAAAAAAAAJM/3FYYoscaE6M/s1600/freeimage-13681185.jpg" height="261" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy: <a href="http://www.stockfreeimages.com/">www.stockfreeimages.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When you’re the director, you have to do several things before you step foot into the first rehearsal. Otherwise, your leadership may amount to little more than “Okay, actors--go!” and “Okay, actors--stop!”<br />
<br />
After you find the script you want to direct, you need to re-read it several times. Each time, have a different focus. Here are four important topics to consider:<br />
<br />
1.) You want to define in your mind the purpose of the play. Is it just a simple comedy designed to make people laugh, and that’s it? Is it trying to provoke thought? Does it have a theme you want to emphasize?<br />
<br />
The production needs a reason to exist beyond “Well, I felt like directing a play my senior year, so...yeah...I’m doing this one...”<a name='more'></a><br />
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There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the purpose being harmless entertainment. Not everything needs a deep, complex meaning. If you’re just out to have a great time and share some fun with the audience, that’s plenty of purpose right there.<br />
<br />
So that's the what. Now to start thinking about the how... <br />
<br />
2.) You’ll want to focus on developing your ground plan. You don’t have to design the whole set just yet. (However, if you’re a student director doing a one-act, there’s a very good chance you will have to double as set designer...But that can come later.)<br />
<br />
With the ground plan, you’re thinking about basic patterns of movement for your actors to follow. The ground plan is a large enough topic for another full post, but the main thing to keep in mind right now is this: Your job, as director, is to direct, and your ground plan is an important tool for guiding your actors. A good ground plan will prevent your cast from wandering around aimlessly as they say their lines.<br />
<br />
Think: What are some key props or set pieces that they’ll interact with? What obstacles will you place in their path? Where do actors need to be positioned as entrances and exits are made, and how do you get them there?<br />
<br />
Get out some white copy paper and a pencil, and start drawing. <br />
<br />
3.) Once you have a rough sketch of your ground plan, then it’s time to break down the script into smaller chunks. Find the scenes within the scenes.<br />
<br />
Here, you identify key moments of the story -- the most important actions that take place. Basically, you’re thinking, “What MUST my actors do, and when exactly must they do it?” (No shame in changing your mind later, though.)<br />
<br />
This leads directly into... <br />
<br />
4.) Start blocking the show. Outline all the major movement you want to happen. <br />
<br />
You don’t have to plot out every action. The actors have to figure some of that out, too. But you do need to be prepared just in case someone’s feeling lost in rehearsal one day.<br />
<br />
Side note: For some, I know it’s inevitable. As you read through the script before auditions, you’re going to feel tempted to cast the roles and imagine specific actors going through the blocking you’re beginning to brainstorm. You probably can’t turn this off entirely, but you can maintain an open mind during auditions. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. A freshman or sophomore you’ve never met before might surprise you, and he or she might actually be better suited for a role than your good friend you’ve worked with for the past few years. So don’t get too attached to your imaginary cast. They might not all be available anyway.<br />
<br />
5.) Make a list of all props, costumes, major set pieces, lighting effects, and sound effects you might need, and start thinking of how you’re going to pull it together.<br />
<br />
******* <br />
<br />
All of these points deserve elaboration. But that should give you a general idea of the pre-rehearsal work a director needs to do: Identify your show’s purpose, develop a ground plan, break the script down into smaller scenes, find the key moments, start blocking the show, and brainstorm all the materials you’ll need.<br />
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Of course, before you do any of that, make sure you've found a script you like. </span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-72140967296042639722013-01-14T15:51:00.000-08:002013-01-14T15:51:59.876-08:00Why theatre?<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><em>A few years ago, I wrote some theatre education articles for another website. I'll gradually transfer them over here for whoever happens to be interested. Here's the first:</em></span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmC6xa-aMGU/UPSYEIWyEfI/AAAAAAAAAJc/YC4YqGKUcM0/s1600/174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmC6xa-aMGU/UPSYEIWyEfI/AAAAAAAAAJc/YC4YqGKUcM0/s1600/174.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every city needs a theatre district.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">With so many forms of media in existence, what’s the point of continuing to do theatre? After all, theatre is old enough for Sophocles to have taken part. Ancient Greece had no television, movies, CDs, iPods, or anything of the sort to keep them entertained. They didn’t even have the printing press back in the day.</span><br />
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It’s clear why theatre appealed to people in ancient times. Their options for artistic recreation were limited. But why do we continue thousands of years later?<br />
<br />
Just because something is old doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Theatre can do things no other medium can.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Theatre gives you a live performance -- an experience shared with a group of strangers both in the audience and onstage. For the theatre-makers, preparing for a live performance cultivates a different type of discipline than movies or television: more memorization, adapting a fixed space to suit the production’s needs, and making sure all technical elements are ready to go in sequence and perfectly timed -- not just for a scene, but the whole show -- plus more.<br />
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I’m not saying TV and movies are bad, simply that they have different strengths and weaknesses.<br />
<br />
Sure, a movie can move around from place to place and shoot in a wide variety of locations, and that’s great. But sometimes working with strict limitations inspire additional creativity. <br />
<br />
If a play chooses to rely on spectacle, it’s not as straightforward as finding an exotic location or adding in some CGI effects. There’s little room for error during a live performance, and weak acting is much more annoying in a live performance. For musicals, theatrical performers need to sing and dance and act all at the same time. Usually, a film musical records the songs in a studio, then shoots the physical performance, and edits them together.<br />
<br />
A good play is a different sort of accomplishment than a good movie or TV show. It impresses and awes the audience in its own, unique ways (and in many more ways than I’ve listed here). There's nothing redundant about it. Theatre will remain relevant as long as people appreciate it.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-52532356289568739682013-01-10T18:18:00.000-08:002013-01-10T18:24:19.513-08:00Meet Amena, the whimsical realist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Presenting...the lead character of the <u>Earths in Space</u> series...<strong>Amena Wharry</strong>!</em></span><br />
<br />
Amena has one true love: exploration.<br />
<br />
She just wants to find something amazing...and then something else amazing...and something else...<br />
<br />
Okay, so she really wants to find everything that’s amazing. Best way to do that? Find everything. After all, how could you possibly assess a thing’s amazingness if you’ve never once come across it?<br />
<br />
Amena, a 29-year-old whimsical realist, leads an elite team of space travelers. The official mission is to scope out these alien planets and make sure none pose a threat to the Earth. <br />
<br />
It turns out they’re all Earths, so they only meet aliens in the foreign sense, which sure is disappointing. A whole gigantic universe, and only one sentient species? It couldn’t muster any more variety than that? What’s the universe’s problem?</span></div>
<span lang="EN"><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><br />
There’s got to be more, something she missed. She has to keep looking.<br />
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In the meantime, however, people on these Earths tend to need help, and she’s afflicted with a compulsion to heroically save days. She used to be a sheriff’s deputy in her rural hometown, so serving and protecting comes naturally. <br />
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It’s easier to protect folks when you’re such a superb marksman you can’t remember the last time you missed a shot. Amena never fired a bullet on duty, but she's lost track of how many archery competitions she's won. She prefers her bow and arrows, but sometimes she’ll settle on her laser gun, or “lighter” as she calls it.<br />
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Oh, and she’s asexual. She completely lacks romantic desires. No, it’s not repression, not due to any trauma. It’s just how she is. Besides, she’s too busy trying to see everything. Why focus inordinate time on one person? There are always so many interesting new people to meet. <br />
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Of course, this does not mean others lack interest in her, though the odds of her noticing are so slim as to be imperceptible.<br />
<br />
No dark past motivates Amena -- no skeletons in the closet or horrific life events.<br />
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She just wants everything to be amazing.<br />
<br />
Amena is the lead of an ensemble. To meet the rest of the cast, purchase <em>Earths in Space</em> from these fine digital outlets:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Space-vol-Little-ebook/dp/B00ASOUT7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356882440&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Amazon</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earths-in-space-vol-1-daniel-sherrier/1114055961?ean=9781624886386" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=14093050" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Copia</span></a><br /><br /><a href="https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/518262-earths-in-space-vol-1-where-are-the-little-green-men" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">eBookPie</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Earths-Space-vol-Where-Are/book-_DtmGZFPoUep2XBssQFbQw/page1.html?s=yCnwLQLK9EeVgUqLMrWVBQ&r=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Kobo</span></a> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-20396100323900051072013-01-07T14:56:00.000-08:002013-01-07T17:11:47.404-08:00Earths in Space: Episode Two teaser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
I've already shared a teaser for the first story in <em>Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men?</em> You can still read it <a href="http://danielsherrier.blogspot.com/2012/12/earths-in-space-episode-one-teaser.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
There is another.<br />
<br />
Here's the opening of Episode Two: "The End of an Earth."<br />
<br />
All text copyright Daniel R. Sherrier. Do not use without permission. However, feel free to share this link far and wide.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<h1 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc342837544"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">TEASER</span></a></h1>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
world was going to explode in ninety minutes. Onella simply needed to wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
lounged on a thick branch more than ten stories above the ground, but still
well below the tree’s highest extremities. She gazed through healthy leaves at
the deceptively clear sky. It seemed so peaceful, and the red sun cast a
surreal tint that would have fascinated her way back when. The younger Onella
would have wanted to freeze time and study it forever before moving on to the
next, even more fascinating discovery. The older Onella was glad she only had
ninety minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
Earth’s impending doom was merely a formality. It had died billions of years
ago, prematurely. Onella scoured half the globe but could find no trace of any
man-made artifacts dating later than three-thousand years after the earliest
hieroglyphics. The latest writings spoke of war, famine, plagues, and natural
disasters striking in unforgiving succession. Civilization here had a lifespan
in the lower four digits. They never even came close to achieving the early
milestones, like motorized transportation or electrification.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Such
a waste. Such a typical waste. How fitting that this should be the last Earth
Onella explored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
considered shedding her second skin. A comfortable fabric with circuitry woven
throughout, it was several hi-tech tools in one color-shifting, form-fitting
package. It served her well on her many disappointing adventures. Yet perhaps
she had grown too dependent upon it. Maybe for her final hour and a half, she
could do without her tricks and rejoin the natural world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Before
she reached a decision, her wrist beeped. A holographic display projected from
her arm. She read the data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Four
other humans had just arrived on the planet, and they weren’t far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">With
a thought, Onella vanished from the tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">#<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Our
favorite space-faring octahedron, The Patrick Henry, shot down four of its crew
to this Earth’s surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A
column of hard energy barreled through the atmosphere and safely deposited its
passengers adjacent to an ocean and high above it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Apparently,
someone smashed the landscape with a few mountains, and the mountains broke.
Eroded tips of stone pyramids peaked through the jagged rubble here and there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
place was scorching—upper nineties, easily. Patrick Henry’s computers had
already determined that, so they brought along a jug of water and set it on one
of the more level rock formations while they explored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
love this sky,” Amena said, grinning. “That is the most amazing sky I have ever
seen. How long until we get an enormous red sun?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Examining
her hand-held sensor, Sela said, “Well, this world is more than ten billion
years old, so I’d advise some patience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Mariana
glanced at the device from over her shoulder. “When does it blow?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It
doesn’t have long, geologically speaking.” Sela kneeled to hold her sensor
closer to the ground. “I’d say a month, give or take a few days. If it was
lower on our list, we’d have missed it entirely.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sure
about that month?” Mariana asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“As
certain as one can be,” Sela said. “Don’t worry. If I’m wrong, we’ll get
warning signs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Kaden
rested a hand on his katana’s hilt as he listened for sounds of life. For a
moment, he thought someone was watching him, but it must have been the breeze
tickling his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He
heard only the waves and some birds singing in the distance, and he saw only
desolation—clean desolation, though. The air smelled of no more than saltwater,
and it felt unusually gentle. “Seems you were right about no people being
here,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sela
smiled. “Were you expecting me to be wrong?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“No,
I just…I never know what to expect with you all, quite frankly,” Kaden said.
“Except that it’s always impressive.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That’s
generally what I strive for.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
snapped her fingers on both hands. “Yes, yes, yes. We already established from
on high that not even a speck of human life remains anywhere, and now we’ve got
some visual evidence to support that. But let’s remember, kids—Sela calibrated
our instruments to hone in on people as we know them. You know what even she,
brilliant as she is, can’t possibly calibrate for? Some incredible future stage
of human evolution that we don’t know the first thing about, because it’s a
future stage of human evolution and our world hasn’t been around for ten
billion years. We do know there’s other animal life here. I’m thinking, hoping,
wishing, and praying some of that’s our descendents. Or the descendents we will
have? The cousins of the descendents we’ll have? Not quite extra-terrestrial
cousins, but bi-terrestrial, maybe? Pan-terrestrial? What’s the right word?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You
had it with ‘wishing,’” Mariana said, her arms crossed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s
a possibility,” Amena said. “Can’t deny it’s a possibility.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Only
’til I prove otherwise,” Mariana said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“There
could be several sentient species,” Amena said. “Mankind might have splintered
off into all sorts of wacky directions. And maybe, maybe not even just mankind.
Rabbits could have evolved into bipedal, intellectual super-rabbits for all we
know. We, really, we might as well be billions of years in the future.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Except
we’re not,” Mariana said. “Different Earth, different history.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh,
you killjoy,” Amena said, waving away her skepticism as if swatting a fly. She
turned around. “Kaden, tell her—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Kaden
wasn’t at her side. He was over at Sela’s side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“So
how does that thing work?” he asked, looking at her sensor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sela
began her explanation, pleased to offer it. “The principle isn’t unlike sonar.
See, it sends down these waves…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Kaden!”
Amena called out. “My whimsy needs back-up! What’re you doing?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Kaden
remembered the rest of existence. “What? Oh, I was just curious about the, um,
sensor here and…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Mariana
told him, “Don’t worry about Amena. I’ll ease up. We’re checking out the
pyramids. You learn about Sela’s equipment.” She grabbed Amena’s arm and led
her in the opposite direction. “Refresher on double entendres…” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As
Mariana whispered a concise lesson, things began to make much more sense. Amena
blushed and spun around, about to issue a sincere apology for the
interruption—until Mariana grabbed her and steered her forward once more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t.
You’ll be awkward. Let’s see if your little green men are hiding under the
rocks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“They
might very well be,” Amena said. “You never know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Until
we know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You
said you’d ease up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That
was eased up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">None
of them realized Onella had been lurking around nearly the entire time. Why
would they? They all lacked the ability to see invisible people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Onella
lamented how disappointed Amena was going to be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oYGh2558wE/UMponw9LtWI/AAAAAAAAAEA/sMb2kENcQxE/s1600/EIS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oYGh2558wE/UMponw9LtWI/AAAAAAAAAEA/sMb2kENcQxE/s1600/EIS1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">*******************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
Want to read the rest? <em>Earths in Space vol. 1</em> is now available at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Space-vol-Little-ebook/dp/B00ASOUT7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356882440&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earths-in-space-vol-1-daniel-sherrier/1114055961?ean=9781624886386" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=14093050" target="_blank">Copia</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/518262-earths-in-space-vol-1-where-are-the-little-green-men" target="_blank">eBookPie</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Earths-Space-vol-Where-Are/book-_DtmGZFPoUep2XBssQFbQw/page1.html?s=yCnwLQLK9EeVgUqLMrWVBQ&r=1" target="_blank">Kobo</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-58100331673704058642013-01-04T20:27:00.000-08:002013-01-05T06:53:42.753-08:00Earths in Space updateTo your NOOK! Quick!<br />
<br />
<em>Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men?</em> is now available at <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earths-in-space-vol-1-daniel-sherrier/1114055961?ean=9781624886386" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>!<br />
<br />
And that's not all! It's on <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Earths-Space-vol-Where-Are/book-_DtmGZFPoUep2XBssQFbQw/page1.html?s=yCnwLQLK9EeVgUqLMrWVBQ&r=1" target="_blank">Kobo</a>!<br />
<br />
It's showing up in the system at <a href="http://www.gardners.com/gardners/default.aspx" target="_blank">Gardners Books</a>, so if you're in the UK, ask your bookstore about its availability.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/science-fiction/3494" target="_blank">Here's</a> a place where you can learn more about the book. That site also serves as a venue for posting reviews, if you feel so inclined after reading.<br />
<br />
You can also read about the book here on this blog, including a <a href="http://danielsherrier.blogspot.com/2012/12/earths-in-space-episode-one-teaser.html" target="_blank">teaser excerpt</a>.<br />
<br />
Reading is good for your brain.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-19808964320221757342013-01-01T18:11:00.001-08:002013-01-16T15:26:37.742-08:00The Night of the Pink Sweater<span lang="EN">Rules sometimes lead to ridiculousness—like that time I visited a Williamsburg nightclub.<br />
<br />
Yes, I was also surprised to learn that “Williamsburg nightclub” was not an oxymoron, but that wasn’t the most ridiculous thing that night.<br />
<br />
This was back in 2005. My time at the College of William & Mary was nearing its end. Classes were over. I completed all my exams. I was free and directionless.<br />
<br />
One night, a friend invited me to join her and couple of others at this nightclub. Clubs have never been my thing, but I figured a change of pace wouldn’t hurt.<br />
<br />
So three young women and I journeyed to the non-colonial part of Williamsburg and arrived at the nightclub, only to encounter…a bouncer. (You can be gainfully employed in Williamsburg, Va. as a bouncer. Who knew?)<br />
<br />
The bouncer politely informed me that my attire did not adhere to the club’s dress code. I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Apparently, I was supposed to wear either a collared shirt or a sweater.</span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The girls were dressed in a Harajuku style, but they were all fine. I was the only offensive individual.<br />
<br />
But the problem was I drove them all there, so I couldn’t just leave. I was probably going to have to run back to my apartment, find an appropriate shirt, and then run back, which seemed unnecessarily annoying. Plus, it didn’t strike me as gentlemanly to abandon a group of girls at a club, even temporarily.<br />
<br />
Then the bouncer received an offer.<br />
<br />
One of the girls, who was wearing a pink cardigan over a couple of other layers, asked, “Can he wear this?”<br />
<br />
The bouncer looked at the pink sweater and laughed before responding, “Well, if he wants to.”<br />
<br />
Naturally, I said, “Okay. I’ll wear it.”<br />
<br />
I put the tight pink sweater on over my black T-shirt, and Shazam!—I was dressed appropriately, and no longer an embarrassment to the integrity of the nightclub.<br />
<br />
Now fit for polite society, we ventured inside and found the dance floor, but it was missing something.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
It was missing people. <br />
<br />
The nightclub in Williamsburg had a completely empty dance floor. I seem to recall some tumbleweed blowing across, but it’s entirely possible my memory Photoshopped that in during the intervening years.<br />
<br />
Faced with a barren dance floor, we figured there was only one thing to do. We got on it and danced.<br />
<br />
I’m not much of dancer. However, I was already wearing a pink sweater. So...that’s one way to reduce inhibitions—an alcohol-free way, no less, at a club that sold alcoholic beverages...<br />
<br />
Yeah, some rules are ridiculous. But we can see their ridiculousness and raise them one, or a few.</span><br />Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-66706643707764860002013-01-01T14:41:00.001-08:002013-01-01T14:41:47.560-08:00Authors, promote your book for free!For any other authors out there with books on Amazon...<br />
<br />
I stumbled across this website that offers free <a href="http://askdavid.com/free-book-promotion" target="_blank">book promotion</a>. It's called Ask David.<br />
<br />
There's a waiting list of at least six weeks, but it costs nothing. So, I figure it can't hurt to try it out. Extra visibility is generally a plus.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-58194609916416323322012-12-30T16:45:00.000-08:002012-12-30T16:57:50.901-08:00Positive Review: The Muppet Movie (1979)<span lang="EN">Muppets never get old.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kk_xVLgrFcM/UODda-RIXkI/AAAAAAAAAH8/7wKiV2yGhwM/s1600/the-muppet-movie_180xauto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kk_xVLgrFcM/UODda-RIXkI/AAAAAAAAAH8/7wKiV2yGhwM/s1600/the-muppet-movie_180xauto.jpg" /></a><br />
The original movies -- <em>The Muppet Movie</em>, <em>The Great Muppet Caper</em>, and <em>The Muppets Take Manhattan</em> -- remain entertaining regardless of age.<br />
<br />
If you’re looking for goofy, ridiculous, clean fun, you can’t do better. The Muppets are absurdity at its finest. People who take themselves too seriously need not apply.<br />
<br />
You can split hairs over which old-school Muppet movie is the strongest, but the award for best Muppet bad guy definitely goes to the first -- <em>The Muppet Movie</em>’s Doc Hopper, played superbly by the late <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/movies/charles-durning-prolific-character-actor-dies-at-89.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">Charles Durning</a>.<br />
<br />
Consider Kermit’s goals in the movie. He wants to become a famous performer so he can make people happy.<br />
<br />
Doc Hopper wants Kermit to become his mascot to sell french-fried frog legs.<br />
<br />
So we have an intersection of motivations. Doc Hopper would indeed grant part of Kermit’s wish. He’ll make him a famous performer, but it would be a perversion of why Kermit wants to perform.</span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><a name='more'></a><br />
<br />The bad guy, then, helps highlight the virtue of the good guy, as a proper antagonist should.<br />
<br />
Plus, the notion of Kermit being asked to shill for french-fried frog legs is creative and just plain silly, and it’s the sort of silliness that comes at no one else’s expense. Good Muppet humor never relies on ridicule. Really, we should all avoid resorting to ridicule.<br />
<br />
As a side note, <em>The Muppet Movie</em> DVD has a great extra feature -- screen tests. There's nothing like watching the great Jim Henson and Frank Oz mess around as Kermit, Fozzy, and Miss Piggy.</span><span lang="EN"></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN">See for yourself:</span><br />
<span lang="EN"><br />
<br />
</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TcMP90xT0sQ" width="420"></iframe>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-45599700935346332422012-12-27T14:55:00.000-08:002012-12-30T07:56:05.300-08:00EARTHS IN SPACE Episode One Teaser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vw6VfDdLBzQ/UNzQj4Rn1II/AAAAAAAAAGk/evq1sMWGcGY/s1600/teaser+thing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
EARTHS IN SPACE vol. 1 <em>Where Are the Little Green Men?</em> is now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Space-vol-Little-ebook/dp/B00ASOUT7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356648703&sr=8-1&keywords=Daniel+Sherrier" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/518262-earths-in-space-vol-1-where-are-the-little-green-men" target="_blank">eBookpie</a>, and <a href="http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=14093050" target="_blank">Copia</a>.<br />
<br />
The e-book contains Episode One: "Liberty or Death" and Episode Two: "The End of an Earth."<br />
<br />
You like free samples, right? Well, here's the beginning. <br />
<br />
All text copyright Daniel R. Sherrier. Do not reproduce without permission.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h1 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc342837536"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">TEASER</span></a></h1>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
forest was just like any old forest, until an archer in a spacesuit appeared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
individual transitioned from invisible to transparent to solid in half a
second. No one was around to witness this marvel—which was a shame; she was the
only archer in a spacesuit this world had ever seen.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
immediately detected the abundance of oxygen and popped her helmet open,
revealing to absolutely no one a woman of effortless beauty. The redhead’s
ponytail hung down her back, and her pretty smile exuded infectious whimsy, if
only there was anyone around to be infected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
Wharry simply had to view this strange new world through her own eyes. But much
to her disappointment, it appeared not the slightest bit strange. It was a forest,
no different than any she could find back home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
wouldn’t do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
hopped several times, hopeful, but no, the ground was just a ground. Utterly
ordinary. Ho-hum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
air tasted like air, no matter how far out she stuck her tongue. The plants,
regrettably, emitted only the usual plant-like odors, no matter how closely she
held her nose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">However
unremarkable this world appeared, it could not steal from her two glorious
facts: This was an alien world, and she was the first person from Earth to step
foot on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It
was so exciting! It merited a lifetime supply of exclamation marks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
moment—this very moment—would go down in history. Granted, hardly anyone knew
she was there right now, but historians had plenty of time to catch up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
needed to say the right thing—precisely the right inspiring statement that
future generations would remember, would want to remember and quote over and
over again. This needed to be perfect. She needed to think…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
hope everyone realizes it’s really difficult to come up with inspirational
profundity when you all keep chattering away in my ear,” she said softly into
her tiny, camouflaged throat mic. “And there you have it, kids. The first words
spoken by mankind on an alien planet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
slipped off the superfluous spacesuit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yes,
Gilmore,” she said. “I know I should’ve planned out a little speech ahead of
time. Forgive me for not being as perfect as you.” She sighed, but couldn’t
resist a smirk. “And I appreciate your forgiveness. Okay, take the suit back,
please. Sela, nice work—your sensors were accurate. We can breathe here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
set the suit and helmet on the ground, and it swiftly faded from solid, to
transparent, to invisible. Good riddance. Her jeans and T-shirt were so much
more comfortable. Amena reclaimed her bow and quiver, and she checked to make
sure her shiny new weapon remained in its holster. It did, so she stepped
forth, deeper into the woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
stared up through the towering treetops. Clear blue sky. Couldn’t it at least
have been green, or red, or turquoise, or anything other than that familiar
shade of blue?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
voices in her ear never stopped. “Profundity is too a word. A delightful word.
Tell them, Mariana,” she whispered, scoping the area for signs of non-plant
life. There were none. “Thank you. And even if it wasn’t, it would be now—part of
a future famous quote and all. Or at the very least, a future trivia game
answer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
studied a thick tree trunk, searching for any abnormalities. “It’s just plant
life so far,” Amena told them. “Plant life that seems boringly familiar. I was
hoping they might talk or walk or at the very least look psychedelic. But
they’re just the usual trees and grass and same old, same old, same old.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She
knelt down to scoop up a handful of soft dirt. Also normal. Bah!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ballard, the discussion is over. It ended. I’m already
here, so it’s moot, so why are you still trying to discuss? This first time,
we’ve got no idea what to expect, so I’m only risking me. We’ll be sure to risk
you later. I promise,” she said. “It will be my pleasure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
crept forward, pulling an arrow into her bow—not one of the special ones, just a
regular arrow to match the utterly regular setting. Despite this precaution,
she was optimistic. This was a whole other planet, after all, entirely new to
her. It couldn’t let her down, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Place
your bets, boys and girls,” she said, with an intrigued grin plastered across
her face. “What do you think the aliens are going to look like?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Her
grin was replaced by a wince, followed by a mental shower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Ew,
Jem! They’re a different species. Why would your mind even go there? Ew.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Rustling
leaves drew her attention. This was it. Something had to be doing the rustling.
Definitely something living. Possibly something sentient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Quiet.
I think one’s near. Sela, your translator better work,” she said even softer,
tapping a spot behind her ear and one on her neck to activate the micro
implants. “Yeah, I know it will.” She had to add, “Quiet, Gilmore.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
was it! New life was right around the corner! New to her, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amena
pointed her arrow to the ground as she approached an especially rotund tree.
She heard the crunching of footsteps on the other side. Those feet could have
belonged to anything. Anything from a four-eyed little green man, to a creature
composed mostly of eyes, to a creature composed entirely of feet, to…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">…a
teenage girl? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A
completely human teenage girl clad in the blandest colors and a long,
old-fashioned skirt?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Who
are you talking to?” the girl asked, looking around for anyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her voice echoed in Amena’s head due to the translator,
which was unexpected, but not the biggest concern right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You
look like me?” Amena said. “Didn’t expect you’d look like me. What are the odds
of that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“We
look nothing alike,” the plump brunette said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
just meant, what species do you call yourself?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Uh…human?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re
human, and you’re here, on this world? What do you call this world?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
girl double-checked but still couldn’t find any hidden audience waiting to
tease her. “Is this a trick question…?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Just
a regular old question,” Amena said, quickly but calmly. “Uncommon, I
understand that, yes, but please indulge me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Must
have been the translator interpreting the girl’s words into something Amena
would recognize. “Say that again, please,” she said, tapping behind her ear to
shut off the translator. She wanted to hear how this girl sounded for real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gr3p6h9wyr0/UOBfj5MKZJI/AAAAAAAAAHs/HGt1TR2uoeA/s1600/EIS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gr3p6h9wyr0/UOBfj5MKZJI/AAAAAAAAAHs/HGt1TR2uoeA/s320/EIS1.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
girl said slowly and clearly, with diminishing patience, “I’m a human on Earth,
like there usually are a lot of humans on Earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You—You
speak English?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
girl blinked. “Are you feeling alright?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
************************************<br />
<br />
Want to read the rest? Then please head over to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Space-vol-Little-ebook/dp/B00ASOUT7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356648703&sr=8-1&keywords=Daniel+Sherrier" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/518262-earths-in-space-vol-1-where-are-the-little-green-men" target="_blank">eBookPie</a>, or <a href="http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=14093050" target="_blank">Copia</a>, and in the coming weeks, EARTHS IN SPACE will become available at several other online bookstores.</div>
Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-35339429089165657172012-12-23T08:09:00.001-08:002012-12-23T08:09:29.268-08:00Be nice to retail employees<span lang="EN">I was once a human bull’s-eye.<br />
<br />
During breaks from high school and college, I worked at Target. I started as a cashier, and when that became boring and monotonous, I switched to the “Guest Services” desk, a.k.a. the refund counter.<br />
<br />
That was not monotonous.<br />
<br />
Some people had valid receipts. Some had expired receipts. Some were shocked and appalled to learn they even needed a receipt to get their money back.<br />
<br />
Some requested simple exchanges. Some brought back entire baskets of duplicate wedding gifts, spread out among a good dozen or so gift receipts.<br />
<br />
Some were excited to learn I could look up their receipts by swiping their credit card. Some failed to realize that if they discarded the tags, I’d have no barcode to scan.<br />
<br />
Then there was the week after Christmas.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Probably about 90 percent of customers were in and out, no problem, pleasant as could be.<br />
<br />
Another 9.9 percent ranged from mildly to moderately irritable, but they were still basically civil and reasonable.<br />
<br />
The last 0.1 percent thought I was the devil. Perhaps the red shirt confused them.<br />
<br />
I’ve blocked most of those episodes from memory, but a couple have stuck with me.<br />
<br />
One day, a woman wanted to return a bicycle. It was a type that came in a box and required assembly. Still, it cost in the neighborhood of $100 or so.<br />
<br />
She had no receipt. I explained the refund policy to her. (Please note: This was years ago. I have no idea what Target’s current policies are.)<br />
<br />
I was only allowed to give her store credit in the first place because a manager gave the go-ahead before proceeding on his merry way.<br />
<br />
When I told her how much the credit came to, her eyes bulged. That wasn’t what she paid.<br />
<br />
I explained that without a receipt, she would have to get the lowest selling price for the item.<br />
<br />
She demanded to see that policy in writing.<br />
<br />
I pointed to the big sign behind me that said, “All returns and exchanges require a receipt dated within 90 days.”<br />
<br />
Her response: “That doesn’t say anything about having to get the lowest selling price.”<br />
<br />
I attempted to explain the concepts of “all” and “required” to her. I reminded her about the absence of her receipt—which was, again, required. I politely pointed out that we were breaking from the policy by giving her anything at all.<br />
<br />
“Still doesn’t say anything about having to get the lowest selling price,” she said.<br />
<br />
It went on like that for a while. I forget the exact resolution, but I somehow did not explode and she left thinking I was a scam artist.<br />
<br />
Another time, a teenage girl wanted to return a steering wheel cover. She had none of the original packaging and no receipt.<br />
<br />
She simply wanted to exchange it for another style, so I had a plan for her. I told her to grab an identical steering wheel cover in addition to the new one. That way, I’d have something to work with, and we’d be fine.<br />
<br />
She returned with a steering wheel cover that not only bore a different design, but was made by a different company.<br />
<br />
It turned out the store didn’t carry the brand she was trying to return. I explained that we couldn’t accept brands we didn’t sell.<br />
<br />
“That’s stupid. They’re the same thing,” she said.<br />
<br />
All steering wheel covers were created equal in her mind, and neither I nor my scanner recognized this fact.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I was evil.<br />
<br />
On the plus side, I’ve acquired a lifetime supply of humility that ensures I will always be nice to retail employees.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8202195705660502901.post-69311343468283016452012-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:002012-12-21T16:46:50.871-08:00Earths in Space: The Theme<span lang="EN"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BTrw0Otldhc/UNMR9AjmNII/AAAAAAAAAGU/bG9zeQ-M3IY/s1600/EIS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BTrw0Otldhc/UNMR9AjmNII/AAAAAAAAAGU/bG9zeQ-M3IY/s1600/EIS1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>I’ve already laid out the premise of my upcoming e-book series, EARTHS IN SPACE.<br />
<br />
Again, there are no aliens, but the universe is full of people. Other Earths are out there. Unique individuals populate each one, and they make unique decisions, leading to unique civilizations. <br />
<br />
A team of explorers seeks to travel to as many Earths as possible, and adventurous science fiction fun ensues. (Much more fiction than science, I admit. I seem to have left my Ph.D. in a previous life.)<br />
<br />
Okay, so underneath all that, what’s it really about?<br />
<br />
It reflects the learning process to some extent.<br />
<br />
For example, as you grew from a small child to an older child, you probably realized that Big Bird is actually a guy in a costume. (Sorry if I’ve ruined anything for you.)<br />
<br />
So you figure out that there are no kindly giant yellow birds who sing about their ABCs, but at the same time, this whole new intricate world of Muppet puppetry opens up. One bit of magic goes away, and new possibilities emerge.<br />
<br />
In my fictional universe, you’ll find no Martians exist, but you don’t need Martians when you’ve got countless worlds worth of humanity to explore. Accept that there are no little green men and realize that fascinating people are more numerous than you ever suspected.<br />
<br />
There’s nothing more liberating than education, whether you’re learning about yourself or the world around you. Generally, knowing more is always preferable. Not everything you find will be wonderful, however, but it’s the key to figuring out how to make things better.<br />
<br />
How do you learn? You explore. See what is and what isn’t. <br />
<br />
And my characters get to have crazy sci-fi fun as they do it.</span>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679558451121452124noreply@blogger.com0