So Happy Together - Adaptation

Adaptation~Movie

          "Writing is a journey into the unknown." This is perhaps one of the truest statements I have heard about writing and is something I can constantly relate to. When I'm writing anything; an essay, a story, even something as simple as a blog post, I find myself staring at the screen, waiting for inspiration to hit, and the words to flow the page. Sometimes I won't even have an idea about what to write, and as corny as it sounds, the words really seem to speak to me and lead me on a journey full of twist, turns and endless emotions until I reach the final destination.

          Adaptation is a movie about Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage), a screenwriter who struggles with creating a movie based on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep). He wants to do something original with it, avoid all the cliches and capture the essence of the book; however, he finds himself caught in a major case of writer's block. Charlie eventually, after learning some important life lessons on the way and seeking help from his foolish brother Donald, completes the script.

       

          I'm not really sure what I thought of the movie. I liked the concept of how in trying to avoid the cliches, Charlie doesn't realize that his own life is full of these "overdone moments." I find it interesting that no matter how hard you try, cliches are still able to wind up in your life; whether that be the "bright blue eyes" or the "goosebumps up your arms" or even the "falling in love with the guy you're writing about" type, cliched moments will happen to everyone. I know I've lived a few (mostly the "make a fool of yourself during a presentation" kind). Maybe that's what makes it so overdone; the fact that each person has a similar experience. Everyone has felt butterflies in their stomach, stayed up late talking to friends and (my personal favourite) complained about how school sucks. These are all common cliches.   In fact, I feel like people trying to avoid cliches is a cliche in itself. When writing, I feel as though the author should be able to relate with the character somehow, and through these cliches, these moments that almost everyone has gone through, this connection is established. 

          I think the biggest lesson I've learned from watching Adaptation is that to really write about something in depth, you have to understand it. We see this with Susan when she's writing about John. She really takes the time to know him (maybe a little too well) before finishing her book. Another example is Charlie himself. He isn't able to finish his script until he fully understands the situation about Susan and her life. When you understand everything about your subject it makes for a good story because there is no room for loopholes and it makes your storyline stronger. 

          

         Another thing I was able to relate to in this movie was the writing process of Charlie Kaufman. I could spend hours and hours trying to think of a topic or a story that fits, and nothing will ever come to me. Once I've finally found something to write about and I've written it, after rereading it I want to change everything because it never turns out the way I want it to. I'm actually quite surprised that I don't have the same hairstyle as Charlie; the process makes me want to pull all my hair out. I think this is something every writer goes through at one point (I just go through it…a lot more) because instead of forcing something, sometimes we need something to inspire us; to lift the pen and scribble itself on the blank piece of paper  that yearns for the ink to transport it into another dimension where anything is possible. 

          So though I'm not sure whether I liked the movie or not, I really did learn a lot from it. There's specifically one quote that stuck with me; "You are what you love, not what loves you." This really is significant in the life of a teenager, where at any given moment we can fall into an endless pit of insecurities, never to resurface. It tells them that the opinion of others should never change who you are. You are your own person; whether you like it or not. 

          

         

"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone." 
                             -Orson Welles (Director of War of the Worlds)

Awake and Alive

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
                          - Robert Frost

~Spoken Word~

Instructions for A Bad Day

By: Shane Koyczan

 

          For my spoken word analysis I chose Instructions for A Bad Day by the famous poet Shane Koyczan, the writer of To This Day. Like To This Day, I really enjoyed this poem.
          I think one of the things I like most about Shane Koyczan is his voice, which obviously is extremely important in spoken words (Duh! it's spoken!). His voice though soothing, really brings the point across. It's a voice that resonates inside of you, makes you think about everything that he is saying. It's really beautiful.

          Another thing I really like about this spoken word is the small sentence followed by a long sentence. For example, "Be confident. Know that now is only a moment, and if today is as bad as it gets, understand that by tomorrow, today will have ended." This structure is frequently used and I believe it is effective because the short sentence hits you hard, while the long sentence flows and captivates you. Another structure that I really enjoyed in this poem is the constant repetition of the word "be." For example, be calm, be diligent, be gracious. It almost inspires the listener as all the traits are those that we wish to obtain. I also enjoyed how Shane Koyczan used the same sentence to open his poem as he did to end it.

          My favourite line in this poem is the following; "Realize every dark cloud is a smoke screen meant to blind us from the truth, and the truth is whether we see them or not--the sun and the moon are still there and always there is light."

          I really enjoyed the message behind this poem; the thought that no matter how hard life seems, there is always hope. The thought that no matter how bad a day is, there will always be another tomorrow, and though today may have bought you sorrow, the next day will always be better, so let go of those bad days, and look forward to a better time. It's something everyone can relate to; every child, teenager, adult. We all have to face bad days. And when we do, we need to keep our heads held high and face them with a smile on our face because the future will always look better. This message is so important, especially in our society today, where stress and anger plagues the mind of young adults. It's important to let them know it will get better.

        This poem really was beautiful and inspiring. Next time I have bad day, this will be what I listen to in order to keep smiling.

   

It's a Real Life Author!!

       Teresa Toten. Despite being a published author who has won the Governor General's award, this name was unfamiliar to me; I had never heard of her in my life. When we were told that we would get a chance to meet this author, I couldn't find it in me to be that excited. I mean, if I've never heard of her, she couldn't be all that great could she? You always hear about great authors. I didn't know what to expect. But I was surely not expecting to be excited and determined after her presentation. Teresa Toten was phenomenal. 

          Her message was something that I believe I will hold with me forever. Failure is good. I think this is an important message because there comes a moment in life when everyone will fail at something. This doesn't mean that we should give up and sob about how tragic our life is. Failing is a lesson. A lesson that teaches you when life is hard and you don't think you can make it, try again and again and again, because one day you will make it. And at that moment, the sweetness of success is going to taste a whole lot better than it ever could. 

          

          I thought Teresa's life was very inspiring as she went through a lot. She lost her father at a very young age, had to deal with a half-brother bent on killing her and grew up moving from one place to another in a matter of months. Nothing was permanent for her. This emphasizes her success so much more because it is very hard to grow up in such a difficult environment and come out without a single complaint. Another thing I really like about her presentation was that she was very blunt about her flaws. This made me think that even though I was in the presence of a big-shot author, she was like me; she also had her imperfections. 

 

          Another thing I was able to relate to was the fact that she said "all of my books are failures." This is something I have to constantly deal with. If I'm writing an essay, a story, or even this Blog post, it NEVER turns out the way I want it to. In my head I come up with these elaborate plans and beautiful concepts, but as soon as I put it on a page it turns out completely different then what I had thought. That's when it becomes a failure. Even if I get a level 4, I think to myself, what would the plan in my head have gotten? 

          Teresa Toten captivated me from the very first sentence. The way her hand would move almost on its own accord to emphasize her point. The way she walked around the room, her piercing eyes holding you in your spot. The presentation was amazing. She seemed to really enjoy what she was doing even though she never wanted to be an author anyway. This experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I'm glad I had the chance to be a part of. I'm definitely going to read The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B.