Tried and True - The Three Episode Test

If you have read any of my television reviews you will see me acknowledge 'the three episode test'. 

This is a test I've developed after years of television watching. It is simple, and works wonders in the judgment of whether a show is engaging and potentially lasting.

When a show premieres I give it three chances, three episodes to hook me. 
Why three? Well, I've found many times it will take three episodes to completely flesh out the potential of a show. 

The pilot is just that - the pilot. Sometimes they are action packed, amazing and lift the show off the ground. Have you ever watched the second episode and gotten a completely different feel from it? Where are you are asking if it is the same show?

Sometime the pilot sucks, just not enough umph, but then watching episodes two and three you really get into the meat of the plot. 
 
And sometimes, the pilot is amazing, the first episode is okay, and the second episode complete pulls you back into the fun!

Thus, three. If you can't hook me in three, I doubt you will be around next season to hook me at all.

It is not always accurate, but 98% of the time it works.

So that is the three episode test. How do you decide if a show is worth the space on your DVR? 
Love to hear from you!!

The Blacklist Creates a Dialog and an Extraordinary Moment

Have you every witnessed something extraordinary? Something that you didn't expect? A moment that transcended all of your expectations. I would have never believed it but I experienced a moment tonight as did millions of others.

In tonight's episode of NBC's The Blacklist the main character Raymond Reddington (played magnificently by James Spader) delivers a speech that I predict will be referenced for the rest of our lives and the lives of our children.
While there is probably already a clip of it out there, I was so startled by the poignancy, relevance, and sheer honesty I went back and copied the speech word for word by hand.

Here it is. Bravo to the writers at NBC as well as an astounding delivery by James Spader.
Enjoy.

Reddington:

Have you ever seen the aftermath of a suicide bomber?

Female Character:

You’re wasting time…

Reddington:

I have, June 29^th, 2003. I was meeting two associates at the Murush restaurant in Tel Aviv. As my car was pulling up, a twenty-year-old Palestinian man name Kazi Safar enters the restaurant and detonates a suicide vest wired with C4. The shock wave knocked me flat, burst my ear drums. I couldn’t hear—the smoke—it was like being underwater.

I went inside—A nightmare. Blood, parts of people—You could tell where Saraf was standing when the vest blew—it was like a perfect circle of death. There was almost nothing left of the people closest to him.  17 dead, 46 injured, blown to pieces. The closer they were to the blast the more horrific the effect.

Female Character:

Please stop—

Reddington:

That’s every suicide. Every single one. An act of terror perpetrated against everyone who has ever known you. Everyone who has ever loved you. The people closest to you, the ones who cherish you are the ones who suffer the most pain, the most damage—why would you do that? Why would you do that to people who love you?

Female Character:

I have no choice.

Reddington:

There’s always a choice.

Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!

Fiction Writing Tips : Details are Important, Especially the Small Furry Ones

One of the major ways to pull a reader into a book is the details. Yes we all know this, but I am not taking about the turquoise broach she wore on her cashmere sweater. I am talking more about the details of someone’s life, the little things we tend to forget about.

One of those things is our pets. 

Did you know, over 72% of the populace either has, or wants to have, a pet in their family? Also, surprisingly 83% of people are more sensitive to pet violence than people violence. I do not argue with either of these statistics because they are correct. 

Watch any movie where there is a sidekick dog or a favorite cat, and while the world is exploding the audience worries if the dog made it through the zombie invasion or if the cat made it safely out of the burning house.

People, readers can relate to the affection felt for an animal. It is the simplest and one of the purest forms of unconditional love in the world, and something we all crave.

As a writer, the furry friend can open avenues of growth for your character. Whether it reveals a fear, you character has a paralyzing fear of rabbits, or loneliness, the woman’s only confidant is the cat she talks to for hours in the evening because he can’t reveal the horrific secrets she tells. 

Pets are also wonderfully expressive characters in their own right. The bird who attacks anyone with an accent, or the ferret who jumps in your romantic interest's pants before he can jump in yours. 

These supporting characters are powerful driving forces as far as plot. She knew something wasn’t right. Where was Charlie, begging for his daily belly rubbing and cookie?

Many authors have utilized pets as the keys to the kingdom. Animals in any situation are a secondary character, thus in the background. A writer can easily hide clues to the identity of the villain or the hero in the actions of a pet. 

Even the silent goldfish can speak volumes if characterized correctly—

 Alyssa stirred on the couch, the rustling sound of rocks playing against her struggle to sleep. Damn goldfish nesting again…The most plausible reason is that he's setting up the place the best way he likes it. Everyone needs to feel at home. Maybe that is what she needed to do, rearrange the furniture, make the space more hers. If she is staying here for lord knows how long she should at least feel at home. If a goldfish deserves it, so do I, besides, what harm could it do…

 So now I have given you a few off the cuff suggestions for you to mull in your super writer brains! Have fun with it!

 Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $5 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!