One of my favorite movies of all times (seriously, it’s in the top two), is ‘Chasing Amy’. I don’t watch it as often as maybe I should, because it’s an emotional wringer for me. I have to be in the mood to have my guts wrenched out. I’m a Kevin Smith fan in general, but he suffers from a fatal flaw in his movie making. Same flaw Quentin Tarantino has. In fact, same flaw I struggle to avoid sometimes in my own work (which is possibly why I’m a fan, despite the crass, lewd, and sometimes grotesque humor).
Their dialogue is too smart. No, seriously. All of their characters sit around and have these amazing, witty, insightful conversations. Like 90% of their characters have an IQ over 120 and have chosen to flaunt it in their personal dealings. If you’ve ever sat through a two-hour brainstorming meeting at work, you know that doesn’t happen. The ratio of witty to dim is more like 1:10 instead of 10:1.
But in ‘Chasing Amy’ I’m willing to overlook it because some of it is so packed with emotion. I know, that has a lot to do with the actress and some amazing delivery, but it has to do with the words thesmelves as well. The character has been introduced and hinted at well enough that by the time you get to the screaming and crying, you know how she feels.
I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to write that. I would give up my right pinkie nail – or the left one, it’s more deformed and unique – to have a book with that kind of emotion and ending in it.
Except that’s not me. I’m not Kevin Smith. No, really. I’ve never owned a trenchcoat regardless of how much I’ve wanted one. My work is a little lighter, the plots are still moderately intricate, but I have a different voice. Oh, and I don’t debut films at Sundance to scores of applause and awards whenever I attend. I’ve never actually attended Sundance, but I worked about a mile from where it was held for seven years and I did get to fight the crowds every winter. And see the celebrity pictures on the walls at the local restaurants.
And I recognize that and I used to hate it, but over time I’ve become fine with it. I want my work to stand on its own. I want someone to pick it up because they know my name not because “Oh, hey, that’s that chick who writes like Kevin Smith, but in novel format.”
Whose writing do you idolize and why?
I admire Brandon Sanderson for bittersweet endings but for witting dialogue I like many early Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz.
“I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to write that. I would give up my right pinkie nail – or the left one, it’s more deformed and unique – to have a book with that kind of emotion and ending in it.”
Ditto! Ditto!
Ditto!
Ditto!
Ditto!
Ditto!
Ditto!
Interestingly, I just watched a movie like that. When writers get it right… it’s wonderful.
Well, my idol in writing has to be Tamora Pierce. She is just pure awesomeness and I’ve met her. Not only did I meet her but sat next to her in group discussions and had her sign a book for me. She wrote two of my favorite series that I read back in like junior high and really knows how to portray strong female characters.
Intellectual characters can be fun but it does slow down the reading. The Magicians has a high IQ main character but between the character and the length of the plot (like two stories in one) it took forever to read any of the chapters and I haven’t even finished the book. Stepdad thought it was okay but he agreed it was a slow read (borrowed it from me).
That’s so weird. Chasing Amy is my least favourite Kevin Smith film…. As for writing idols, I have way too many to list.
Chasing Amy was the first Kevin Smith movie I saw, and it’s still one of my favorites of his (along with Dogma)… I like his writing skills, but I wouldn’t write that kind of story. I mean, I read widely and outside of my genre, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll start writing mysteries, because it’s just not me as a writer, know what I mean?
Barb
p.s. thanks for the award, passed it along!