Monday, November 25, 2013

"It's All Over Now!" - My Gratitude for the Power of Storytelling

Many years ago, at a screening of the movie Die Hard, there was a person a few rows behind me who, about 20 minutes into the movie when Bruce Willis is surprised by a bad guy, said very loudly and full of anxiety, sadness and surety, "It's all over now!" He totally believe what he said, too. You could tell. 

Now screenwriter-moviegoer-me was sitting there thinking "dude, we're 20 minutes into the movie. It cannot be all over now!" And yet, throughout the film, each time something happened, that gentleman behind me was convinced that the end was nigh.

And you know what?

He loved that movie. And he experienced it exactly as the story was meant to be experienced.

Sometimes, I forget the sheer power of storytelling, and how grateful I am that others have mastered that art and that I get to enjoy it. Too often, I fear, I get caught up in the trappings - the fact that a movie has just started or that I'm only halfway through a book - rather than the experience.

I got a reminder of this yesterday when I saw the movie of Catching Fire. A few rows behind me were an older couple who clearly did not know the book at all. I like to think the male part of the couple was Mr.-It's-All-Over-Now.

The couple were talkers, and their comments were mostly those of discovery ("Oh, there's only one name they can pick from! It's gonna be her!") and of curiousity ("Is she dead? I think she's dead."). And they reminded me again that those who just let the narrative flow over them get a tremendously powerful experience.

The ability to lose ourselves in story is one that I'm grateful for. It is what powers my own writing, of course, and I need to remember to turn off the creator brain when I am reading or watching or listening. I need to stay connected to that power, and I'm grateful that I got a reminder of that yesterday.

And by the way, she wasn't dead. I knew that, of course... because I'd read the book. Yet I hope when I read it, I asked the same questions as that couple, even if I didn't say them out loud!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Another Chance to Win Me! (OK... my book!)

My friend and fellow author Chris Barton - who, in fact, led me to start blogging (which, in fact, led me to a book deal!) - has a newsletter that he sends out to subscribers for freeeee. In this coming month's newsletter, he's got a little interview of me AND is giving away a copy of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K.!

If you go to Chris's website and enter your email in the "win a book!" box, you'll get his Bartography Express and a chance to win me. Or my book (signed and personalized to the winner, by the way). Plus, ya know, Chris features lots o' good stuff so it's truly a win-win!

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Terrible Time-Eating Poem - a perspective poem/a time-eating poem

The Terrible Time-Eating Poem
by
Greg Pincus

This poem makes everyone older -
Like me, as I worked hard to birth it.
Each moment you're reading
Your aging's proceeding.
This poem takes time... but it's worth it.


Now that you've aged just a little, why not check out the Poetry Friday roundup over at Jama's Alphabet Soup? You know you want to get older with a lot more poetry....

And if you want to get all the poems (and not the other posts) here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Monday, November 04, 2013

I'm Mixed Up!

That's both a statement of fact, most days, and today a reference to the fact that the exceedingly talented Hillary Homzie posted an interview with me on the great group blog and website From the Mixed-Up Files... of Middle Grade Authors.

Do I fear math? Did I have any Weird Wednesday-like traditions in my family? What did I learn from working with Arthur Levine? You can find all that out with a simple click!



Friday, November 01, 2013

Thoughts On the Morning After Halloween - a November First Poem/a Halloween poem

Thoughts On the Morning After Halloween
by
Greg Pincus

March always comes in like a fierce, hungry lion,
Roaring so loud that I quake.
And now I remember
That every November
Comes in like a huge stomach ache.


I hope you had a wonderful Halloween evening and that you didn't eat too much candy. I was very, very good on the eating front... though we ran out of candy on the delivering end! Eeps!

Today is not only November 1st, but it's also Poetry Friday, and you can find the roundup over at TeacherDance. Check it out, I say to you!

And if you want to get all the poems (and not the other posts) here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!