Ellie Garratt's Star Trek Blogfest

Star Trek Blogfest
I saw the original Star Trek in the sixties, first run (Yes. I *AM* older than dirt) When Star Wars opened in theaters, the movie’s popularity revived the Trek industry and gave hope to fans.

I didn’t connect with the newer versions, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. They just didn’t trip my trigger. At least not until 2009.

My faves:

The City on the Edge of Forever-Apr 1967

Kirk falls in love, suffers loss, and cusses. Can’t beat that.

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky-Nov 1968

Overly dramatic maybe, but that phrase gave me chills and branded the scene of the old man speaking the lines in my mind.

Star Trek, The Motion Picture-1979

A reviewer called this movie the greatest film of all time. He was a Trek enthusiast and no doubt had to eat his words and slink by his press co-workers forever. But this was the big toe testing the water for the ST franchise. I loved it for the realism.

Star Wars was a movie.

Star Trek was *real*. The transporter scene nailed it for me.

 Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan-1982

Science Fiction at its finest. “Two dimensional thinking”, Kobayashi Maru, “I don’t believe in a no-win scenario”, “Hours instead of days”. The humor inserted throughout the script is as if they are old friends having a private laugh. And yes, I bawl every time at the end.

Star Trek, JJ Abrams-2009

I didn’t expect to love this version of Trek but it was a done deal by the end. Excellent script with actors who emulate the gestures and tones of the originals. Witness Zachary Quinto slightly hunched walk that looks exactly like Leonard Nimoy. The best quote? “I’ve got your gun.” I anticipate that scene like a kid waiting for dessert.

Favorite characters? Captain Kirk as played by both William Shatner and Chris Pine.

Scotty as played by both Simon Pegg and James Doohan.

*smack* Don't Forget!

Ellie Garratt's Star Trek Blogfest
is this Monday, August 22.

Sign in, pick your five favorite characters or episodes/films and why.
Then cruise the other members of the crew.

Got your faves yet?
I do.

Oh Well

Those two words cover every mishap that comes along, the small misfortunes of life.

My first use of those words came on a family camping trip.

As I stumbled from the tent that first morning, I saw a blessed person had stirred the fire and put hot water on for coffee. But in dipping the water from our bucket by the fire, they had picked up a few pieces of bark.

I hesitated. The black chunks were at the bottom of the pan. But the water was boiling and I wanted coffee. So I poured a cup of the brewed bark and stirred in a spoon of instant.

Eh, not bad.

Then I settled into a camp chair. I didn’t have long to wait.

My brother shambled from his tent, mumbled something vaguely human, and walked (more or less) to the fire with his cup.

He reached for the pan. Stopped. Froze.

Then shrugged and poured a cup.

After twenty-three years, the memory still makes me laugh.

The definition of Oh Well.

Mishaps will occur in the course of our career. Lost files, power outages, agents who promise but don’t deliver (grrr). I do what I can to fix the problems but at the end of the day, if I can’t make it allll better, then I use my magic, most perfect two words in the world:

Oh Well

The Peak of Summer

We take them in stride now, the hot days of summer, and the word ‘winter’ has no meaning.

Truly, the idea of snow and cold is an imaginary time, those days when ice storms blocked us in.

Now the cicadas sing, the tomatoes are plentiful, and we turn down offers of watermelon. The flowers sprawl in untidy clumps, the lawn grows without enthusiasm. Time for school buses and traffic from returning university students. The Cat Days of summer begin on the seventeenth.

Autumn sneaks up on us. Harvest Moon is next month. Across our fields of soybeans and corn, there is a faint touch of yellow signaling their end. Soon, harvest will be in full swing and the combines will eat the acres while grain trucks stir up clouds of dust. Days begin before sunrise and end long after twilight.

It is the cycle of our lives and I love it.

When It Comes Together

My WIP became a living Moment of Irrevocable Commitment. The characters took my hand and are now leading the way.

This happened at 57K, that goosebumpidy feeling. Wow. My characters are more than words on a page. They became real.

Before returning to my world, I must give some Shoutouts.

To Tara Tyler:

Thank you, thank you. I hope you understand if I pay it forward at a later date. See, it’s the Voices. They gnaw at me.

UPDATE: Thank you to the big-hearted Alex Cavanaugh for extending this award to me as well. His blog is a must-see, must-do, a place for all interested in SF/F. Visiting his blog is part of my daily routine, along with coffee and turning on the computer (not necessarily in that order).

To RJR

Your award made me get all teary eyed. Nuff said. Thank you.

To OperationAwesome:

They had the coolest blog post ever. To see it click here.

NPR sponsored a vote for the best ever SF/F books. I intended to post the site, whoop, and holler. But the Voices, they kinda took over.

Again, a big Thanks to my Followers, but something is yanking my shirttail, clawing at my mind. *Yes, yes, I know I left you two in bed together. Cool it and don’t do anything till I get back*

Is there a point where your characters take over? I mean, really, really take over? After the midpoint of your WIP?