Sunday, July 20, 2008

Day-Tripper

Yesterday we went to Yoros Castle and Sile (that should be spelled with a Turkish "shay," but they don't print in this system). Sile is a little seaside town only a hour away from Istanbul. Its like a Turkish version of the Jersey shore; it's a working seaport with middle-class amenities, but it's pretty and we enjoyed the visit. That oe-hour drive seems to be a good road-trip distance with three little kids. Does anyone have other suggestions for places that kids would like within an hour or two of Istanbul?

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Back Online

Hi folks,

I am writing this blog again. Why? Who knows, but at least my writer's block on the new novel is over (insallah). I had an incredibly vivid dream a few nights ago that was completely unrelated to my book. However, I found that the characters in the dream were similar to the ones in my book. The book characters were standing around next to some snowmobiles, and I needed them to say something to pass the time. So, the random dream became a story that one character told the others, and the dream characters became a metaphor for the novel characters. It actually works well in the book, and it got me out of a sinkhole of writing entropy. The plot is moving again and I am excited to be writing it. Woohoo!

OK, enough about me; here is the fun link of the day: http://thefut1.fatcow.com/nose.php

It's a short film called "The Nose," and it was an instant films project a few months ago. If you don't know about instant films, they are short projects that are written, shot, and edited over a weekend. It's a competition: first, the writers get the topics and guidelines on Friday night; they write the script in a few hours, then give it to the directors, who shoot it Saturday. It is then edited, and the first screening is on Sunday night. The winners get camera equipment and other moviemaking stuff, and everyone involved gets new stuff for their resumes. Some of the work is really good! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!