Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie trailer that gave me a legitimate desire to see a new movie. Those that I have viewed? I was disappointed in most of them.

You might wonder why a writer would blog about movies. The reason is quite simple. I’d like to see a good old-fashioned mystery movie – one where “they” don’t concentrate on gore, sex or foul language. I’ve read so many good mysteries lately and thought, “Wow! That would make a great movie.”

An Old-Fashioned Movie

 Call me a prude – and you might – but I’m tired of hearing the “F-bomb” and some of the other offensive words. I understand they’re not offensive to everyone, but come on – do they really add to the story? Are they an integral part of the dialogue? Okay, sometimes it gives flavor to a bad guy’s character, but it’s not necessary in every other sentence.

If I want to see gore, I’ll drive to the site of an accident next time I hear sirens. Personally, and this is just me, I’ve seen enough blood and guts on television. It’s often worse in the movies. I hate to see kids, and adults, getting used to seeing this stuff. At the scene of an accident, are you going to say, “Oh. I’ve seen this kind of thing a hundred times on TV. Big deal.”

And then there’s sex. I don’t need to see the details of someone else’s sex life. (It’s actually sexier when ”they” leave what happens to the viewer’s/reader’s imagination.)

If I spend the money to go to the theater and watch a mystery, I want to see a mystery. And I want it to be a good one. Yeah, I know. Who cares what one person wants? Well, it’s not just me who would like to see a good movie, a classic mystery. It would be even better if it didn’t involve a serial killer. That storyline is becoming a bit old. Oops! I wrote a book that involved a serial killer. Bad me!

Oh, and to make the mystery movie even better, I’d love to see one that makes me laugh. Of course, in some mysteries there’s no room for humor. That’s okay, too.

I’ve read plenty of entertaining mysteries lately. When you finish a book do you close it and sigh, thinking, “Ahhh, that would make a great movie.” Instead of coming up with some good new material, it seems to be the in thing to remake old movies (and TV shows), and honestly? I’d like to see something new and fresh.

A screenwriter made a presentation at a conference I once attended. He made the comment that if your book is picked up for a movie, don’t hold your breath while you wait to see your story on the Big Screen. Just about everyone involved in making a movie has the right to ask for changes. The movie may end up not even resembling your story.

As an author, am I spouting sour grapes? No, I’ve never had anyone offer to make a movie out of one of my books. However, as someone who enjoys a good movie, a mystery in particular, for the time-being I’ll stick with the old black and whites.

Well, I guess I have to laugh a little. When someone got shot in the old movies there was no bullet hole and no blood. Someone just fell down. Period. But at least the bullet hole didn’t spurt something red and there wasn’t any brain matter flying across the room.

Okay, I’m stepping down from my soapbox now (again). All I’m really saying is there are a lot of good books out there that would make great movies, and I’d go to see them in a heartbeat.

I know some of you don’t have a problem with language, sex and gore. If that doesn’t bother you, what does? What are some of the issues with today’s movies that would prevent you from spending your hard-earned money on a theater ticket? I’m honestly curious.

Until next time, read a book this week that you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to, and decide if it would make a good movie nor not.

Marja McGraw’s website is in the process of being updated.

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Old Murders Never Die – A Sandi Webster Mystery takes places in a deserted ghost town and this is the one that included a serial killer – dating back to the late 1800s.

The Doctor Who Couldn't Find His Brain

I figure not everyone would want to see an image of a brain, 

so here's the idea instead.

Someone told me that since I’m a writer, all of my posts should be advice for other authors. Who am I to give advice? I can write about what works (or doesn’t) for me, but I’m no expert.

This blog is for readers, too, so sometimes I might write about the funnier side of things, or vent a little about things that annoy me, like political correctness. I try to relate everything to writing, but in all honesty, sometimes I’m fudging.

Sometime back I wrote about a friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, not a funny thing. However, two things she told me stuck with me and I’m recreating them from an earlier post.

The first was that when the doctor told her about the tumor, she started to laugh. He told her it wasn’t funny, and she kept laughing. It was a reaction. We don’t always react the way people think we should. Okay, keep that in mind when creating situations in books.

The other story she told me cracked me up. The neurosurgeon who would do the surgery wanted to show her the logistics, using an artificial brain. He said he didn’t like the one in the exam room and he’d bring in his own artificial brain. The next thing she knew, he was out in the hallway, upset and saying, “Who took my brain? Where’s my brain? Would someone please return my brain?”

I don’t know if he was trying to lighten the mood or if he was serious, but my friend cracked up.

That’s not the end of the story.

The doctor finally gave up and returned to the exam room to use the artificial brain he didn’t like to show her what was what. He picked it up and the parts started falling off. While he talked, he calmly reached down and replaced the fallen parts of the brain.

Funny stuff.

Another repeat story is about a friend who writes romance novels. Many years ago she wrote her first book, a contemporary romance, and she’s quite talented. Unfortunately, when she submitted it the publisher told her she had to include sex scenes in a contemporary romance story. My friend was an older woman and maybe a bit straight-laced. However, she was determined to give it a shot.

She was well into a sex scene when she realized that her fingers were flying on the keyboard, but she was looking out the window, across the room and in the air. She couldn’t look at what she was typing. Her arms were extended and she was sitting as far away from the keyboard as possible.

I couldn’t help picturing this in my mind and it struck me funny. I don’t know if she appreciated me laughing or not, but she told the story so well.

She scrapped the book and went on to write some Regency romances in which she didn’t have to include sex. This was several years ago, and she’s moved on. She can now write about sex without looking away.

So are you wondering why I told these two stories? To entertain you. That’s it. Maybe you don’t find them to be funny, but they cracked me up.

What do these stories have to do with writing? Not much, except they’re a reminder that anything that happens in life can happen in a book, too. Of course, there will always be a reader who will say, “Pooh! That’s not believable.” Sure it is. Life can sometimes be much stranger than fiction.

My advice for this week? Don’t overthink what you read or what you write. You can drive yourself nuts with rewriting sometimes. Believe me, I know from experience.

Until next time, think of some of the funnier things that have happened in your life. They help offset the not so funny times.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Remember, books make great Christmas gifts, and it’s that time of year. Make someone happy!

You Be the Judge

 Is sex sexy? Is violence ugly? Can birds fly? Yes to all three of those questions.

I’ve read books where sex and violence were thrown in for shock value, and nothing more. They really didn’t progress the story at all. I’ve also read books where these same elements were pertinent to the story. Of course, there are books that contain neither one of these things and they can be entertaining.

In my humble opinion, leaving the sexy scenes to the reader’s imagination is much sexier than laying things out in minute detail. I also believe that the anticipation of what’s to come can be very titillating. Does anyone remember that photo of Marilyn Monroe where the air is blowing up her skirt? It was sexy and titillating, but it wasn’t graphic other than showing a lot of leg.

Think about it. John Doe patted Jane Smith on the behind and followed her through a door, pulling it closed behind him. Do you want someone to tell you exactly what happened behind that door? Or would you rather dream up your own scenario? Hmm. All kinds of possibilities there.

I have a friend whose desire, several years ago, was to write contemporary romances. She wrote a book in that genre and submitted it to a publisher. The publisher was interested, but only if she’d add sexual and sensuous scenes. So this friend, knowing what was wanted and what she was capable of, sat down in front of her computer and started adding sex scenes. It turned out there was a problem. She suddenly realized that as her fingers flew over the keys while she wrote this graphic scene, she couldn’t bring herself to look at the computer screen. She looked up, to the right and left, and out the window – anywhere except at the screen. She’d been asked to write something she wasn’t comfortable with, and it embarrassed her. Still wanting to write romances, she changed from Contemporary to Regency romances, where she didn’t have to include anything she didn’t want to.

She told the story so well, but when I laughed and pictured it in my mind, the woman sitting in front of the computer unexpectedly turned out to be me. I write mysteries and the stories I write don’t involve romps in the hay or lurid sexual encounters. They involve – what else? – mysteries. They center around the puzzle, the characters and their growth, and they include some humor. My logo is “a little humor, a little romance, A Little Murder!” It suits my books.

Since mysteries often deal with murder, this leads me to the violence in so many books. If the reader enjoys reading about someone being chopped into little pieces, with all the parts described in detail, and then those pieces are being buried around the county, okay. Reader’s choice. For me, I see enough violence in the newspapers, on the news, television shows, and in magazines. I’ve mentioned before that it seems like there’s enough drama and violence in real life. Why would I want to read about more?

I won’t knock any author who writes graphic material, because there’s a market for it – and some of it is extremely well-written. I simply prefer something entertaining and mysterious, but that’s just me. I won’t even try to change any minds here.

I will say that a young woman approached me after reading one of my books to tell me how much she enjoyed it, and she told me two additional things. First, she said she never, ever reads anything that doesn’t contain graphic sex. Secondly, she said it was two weeks after she read the book before she realized there wasn’t any sex in it. Draw your own conclusion.

What’s your preference?

Until next time, I wish you a week of no drama and plenty of laughs.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Do purple cows and elderly spies have a connection? Can Chris and Pamela Cross figure out what it is? You betcha. Check out How Now Purple Cow – A Bogey Man Mystery, now available in both ebook and paperback format.