I’ve discovered this harsh truth in recent weeks. Precious works of art–whether books, films, songs or paintings—are so often glossed over because the world isn’t aware they exist.

Corporate words like “budgets” and “numbers meetings” thunder down the mountain, washing away any hope of “fresh artistic view” or “brilliant film which sparks conversation.”

Why is this? My recent observations are with film, but film isn’t the only area affected. A writer friend of mine recently walked into a bookstore to discover her newly released book wasn’t even on the shelf. Upon inquiring, she discovered the bookstore never had time to remove the stock from the shipping box. So all the promo she did on websites, radio shows, bookmarks, postcards—if the bookstore doesn’t put the book out, what’s an author to do? In this case, she volunteered to put them on the shelves herself to ensure sales.

Last week, I drove to Midtown Atlanta to do a bit of book research. There’s a wonderful café there called Après Diem where I wanted to set a book scene. Going there to meet friends would freshen up the scene description and revitalize my taste buds on their delectable dishes.

With a few hours to kill between work and meeting up, I figured I’d see a movie at the adjacent Landmark Art Cinemas, one of two ‘art’ cinemas in the metro Atlanta area. One called “Flawless” struck me and I figured, why not? I’d never heard of this movie. Never seen a preview. All I knew was that it was about a jewel heist and it starred Michael Caine and Demi Moore.

When the movie was over, I walked outside and saw my friends sitting on the café patio. I waved and told an entire patio of people, “You have GOT to see Flawless! It’s amazing!”

And that’s what is so strange. This was one of the most intelligent, well tied-together films I’d seen in theatre in a long time. I had chills on the back of my neck at the ending, and how everything interrelated. It starred Michael Caine and Demi Moore, along with a few other stars whose names I don’t remember. Why did this film get no press? Get no previews in theatres? It only played for a week.

Publicity was also a challenge for Tom DiCillo’s latest film, “Delirious.” What baffles me is that I am a huge Tom DiCillo fan. I’ve bought every film on DVD. I have the CD to one of his films. I have 2 of his books. And yet, “Delirious” opened in Sept 07 at the same Landmark Cinema where I love to go. And I never knew it.

Why wasn’t there one preview, one ad, one poster? How could I have missed it? I check showtimes for that theatre every few weeks, trying to determine what alternate movie to watch on weekends. Perhaps the week “Delirious” came to Landmark I was fogged out with bronchitis. Who knows?

So. My theme on this blog in the coming week will be those indies, books, and pieces of art which got bypassed by the masses, but hold their own value.

Indie Suggestion for Today: Watch the DVD “Delirious.” The DVD is available now at Blockbuster, but I also encourage you to watch the extended/features version which comes out on 5/6/08.

It’s wonderful. I’ve watched it 3 times since Thursday. Heartwarming, soulful, and spotlighting the tender moments of the human condition. Put it in your Queue now on Netflix. Mark your calendars for 5/6 to rent or buy it.
Click to learn more about writer/director Tom DiCillo.

More tomorrow!

Happy Mid-Week, all!

Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing a wonderful film which intrigued and thrilled me all at the same time. It’s called Flawless, starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore. Other famous actors are in the cast as well, but nobody I can name at this point.

The odd thing is, I never saw a commercial or preview for this movie. It’s only playing at a few artsy film houses in Atlanta, a huge metro city known for its megaplexes. The only reason I even managed to catch this little gem was because I was meeting friends at the cafe next door, and I wanted to feature that cafe in a book scene I’m writing. So I figure hey, I’ll see friends, have some nice food, refresh my memory on the cafe surroundings, see an artsy film, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised at how intelligent this film was. Some parts were slower than others, but I had chills down my neck, spine and feet when this was over. It was like seeing how a beautiful quilt is made up of strands of material, all woven together. I highly recommend you check it out if you get the chance.

My wish: for someone to write a screenplay like this one, but feature a main character as a writer. Most writer-roles are dysfunctional, maniacal, or not authentic. More on that tomorrow!

Meanwhile, check out the movie!

Click here to see when/where it might be playing near you.

Click here for the official site.

Titles are a tricky thing–how’s that for a mouthful of “T’s” —

Whether you’re naming a manuscript, song, movie, or play–I find that titles are akin to petting a cat or petting a lion. And you’re never sure which one you’re going to get.

My first manuscript, The Cinderella Haters, was an easy one. (And I confess I just really love the title!) It’s still in the waiting game stage and may see the light of publication one day. But every agent and editor who saw it, even those who said the storyline wasn’t for them, complimented the title and it grabbed their attention.

This one was easy, and popped into my head without reason or method. I was walking across a movie theatre lobby, and within the time it took to walk from the auditorium door to the refreshment stand, I knew the title, the beginning, and the ending scenes. All I had to do was fill in the middle (no easy task, I discovered).

My current WIP has a title related to themes throughout the book, but I’m still not sold on whether it’s the right one. (Sorry…no sharing it here yet! Work in progress items are a delicate thing!)

I wonder if filmmakers struggle with titles too. My favorite ones are those which don’t beat the viewer over the head with the title, but aren’t so subtle that the viewer misses it. I suppose some can’t help but be the obvious title for marketing reasons. “Jaws” comes to mind. But it’s not like there was a great deal of internal conflict going on there either. Big shark. People. Beach. There you go.

But I get a delighted feeling when a scene unfolds which reveals why the artist used a particular title. A wonderful Indie film, one of my favorites, called “Box of Moonlight” comes to mind. I happened to catch this on IFC late one night, and forced myself to stay awake because the story intrigued me. It’s by the brilliant Tom DiCillo, one of my favorite filmmakers. The reason for this title isn’t shared until a good way into the film, but it’s at the perfect moment. Sharing it earlier would be trite and contrived. Sharing it later wouldn’t allow for the story to progress as it does.

Was it Mark Twain who said if a gun is on the mantle in acts one and two, it had better go off in act three? By the same token, if a gun goes off in act three, it had better be on the mantel in acts one and two.

Nobody uses that logic anymore, and I wish they would…

More later! Happy Monday.

I’m not in quite as much panic as I was the other day. The muse flits in and out, and I’ve had some productive days this week. And today, being rainy, is an easy day to write.

So on to other topics…

One of the cool things I love about seeing movies is that not only are they entertaining (I’m a huge movie buff) but they are reminders as to what works and what doesn’t in terms of writing. Case in point–I saw “Nim’s Island” yesterday. Great actors, great storyline, and I really liked some of Jodie Foster’s interactions with her lead character, who only exists in her mind. Many of the scenes were quite true to life. She had sketches and collages of places and people near her computer. Many writers do this, and even use famous actor/actress photos as they “picture” them for the book. (Let’s see…as I look near my keyboard I have photos of Ed Begley Jr., James McAvoy, Gerard Butler and Linda Fiorentino.)

And in our minds, these characters ARE alive. We go through a mild sadness when the book is done because it means we say goodbye to the people we’ve kept alive for 400 pages.

In those ways, “Nim’s Island” was quite good. However, this movie did what (unfortunately) so many are prone to do…they rushed the ending and left loose ends hanging. It was as if they finished 80% of the project, ran out of time and decided to wrap up the ending in a pretty red bow. I don’t mind some questioning at a movie’s conclusion, particularly if it encourages discussion and thinking. But leaving holes in the manuscript to the point it looks like Swiss Cheese simply….annoys me. I walked out feeling unsettled…and that’s never good. Yet until the 80% mark, this really had potential.

Lesson learned. Don’t rush the ending!

It’s official. Writing a manuscript is like going through life’s stages within a compressed amount of time.

There’s the giddy stage, researching and getting ready to begin.

There’s the eagerly diving in stage, facing that blinking cursor with bravery and inspiration.

There’s the I’m getting over this hurdle stage, filled with anticipation over how things can improve.

There’s even (on occasion) the stage where the book seems to write itself because it’s flowing along so nicely.

And then there’s the stage I’m in now. The anxious lose my mind stage. This is when I am 75% complete and despite all common sense, I begin to question everything. I wonder if I can keep this book going and moving to a decent ending. I scramble and become anxious and impatient, with everything and everyone.

Other writer friends of mine either furiously clean their house or bake bread during this phase. Perhaps I should try their options…I’m sure my family would prefer fresh baked bread to my anxious panic.

Sigh. Fortunately, I know these are phases and they do pass, but it doesn’t make them any easier when I’m in the midst of it all.

What stages do you go through in your work or hobbies?