You really should check out Harry Connolly’s debut novel, Child of Fire. I’m recommending it to everyone I know, including YOU now! Get it online or at you local book store. You won’t be disappointed.
Another week, another contest…
•October 5, 2009 • Leave a CommentI’m in the midst of another writing contest, this time the Screenwriting Expo’s Cyberspace Open. It started with a prompt at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, and we had until 9:00 a.m. Monday to turn in a five-page scene. I got a high enough score to make it to the quarterfinals, and Round Two was even tougher. We were given the prompt at 5:00 p.m. Thursday night, and had to have our five pages in by 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. If I make it to the finals, I’ll have an hour and a half (yes, that’s ninety whole minutes) to write five pages based on the next prompt. Fun stuff!
Kirk vs Picard – Part 4
•June 22, 2009 • Leave a CommentFinally, the thrilling conclusion to the Kirk vs Picard script, Part 4: “A Good Day to Die,” is up HERE. Enjoy.
Kirk vs Picard – Part 2
•June 20, 2009 • Leave a CommentKirk vs Picard Part 2 by Eugene Ramos is now up HERE.
Kirk vs Picard – Part 1
•June 20, 2009 • Leave a CommentThanks to Part 2 writer and grand prize winner Eugene Ramos, I now have all four parts of the Star Trek: Kirk vs Picard script from Fanlib.com, and will be posting them as I have the time. Part 1 is up now!
Star Trek: Kirk vs. Picard – Part 3
•June 13, 2009 • 2 CommentsI realized that, now that Fanlib.com is gone for good, the Kirk v. Picard script no longer exists anywhere. So I created a page with my winning entry (Part 3), and hopefully someone else will do the same with the other parts.
Oops! I did it again…
•May 25, 2009 • 2 CommentsApparently I have a knack for continuing other people’s stories in contests. To go along with my Fanlib.com Kirk v. Picard and my L.A. Times “Birds of Paradise” wins, I’m now the winner of Part 9 of the Cowrite Script screenwriting contest. This is the best prize (although the macbook was nice for KvP): $2000 cash and another $1000 in prizes. And to think I almost didn’t enter this round, and ended up getting in just nine minutes before the extended deadline…
Always remember: You can’t win if you don’t play!
STAR TREK Review [some minor spoilers]
•May 9, 2009 • 1 Comment
There has always been a major problem with anyone trying to make a Star Trek film: How do you please the fans and still make the movie accessible to a general audience? They’ve tried to do one or the other over the years, with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (TWOK to those in the know) generally coming out at the top of the list for fans, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home almost always the fave of non-Trekkies/Trekkers. But even The Voyage Home required some knowledge of Trek in order to be fully enjoyed.
With the new Star Trek, J.J. Abrams and company have achieved what many have thought impossible: Made a movie that anyone could go see and enjoy as an action-packed summer popcorn flick, and at the same time service even die-hard fans. While most fans (including me) have some qualms about certain aspects of the film, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive everywhere, from mainstream newspapers and fan sites alike.
How did they achieve this? They went back and told the “origin” story of the Enterprise crew, but not exactly the way it happened before the Original Series–thanks to an alternate reality plotline that changes history via a time travelling Romulan (Nero) from the post-Next Generation future. “Prime” Spock (the one we know and love) comes back as well and attempts to do what he can to repair the timeline, and the result is that the seven members of the bridge crew are all together for this adventure.
Writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman figured out how to preserve all of the events of the Trek TV series and films, and yet still provide a way to tell stories of the original crew without us ever losing a true sense of suspense or danger armed with the knowledge that they all have the futures we’ve already seen for them.
I’ve been a fan of Star Trek from the first grade, when I used to rush home to watch the original series in syndication. I’ve also been a fan of J.J. Abrams since I came upon the fantastic series Alias, and my new favorite show Lost has cemented my admiration for his work. Combining two of your favorite things doesn’t always mean the combination is going to work (I tend to cite beer and Dr. Pepper as an example), but in this case it works, and works well.
Bottom line: this movie gets an A.
Cowrite Screenplay Contest
•May 3, 2009 • Leave a CommentThere’s another screenplay round-robin type of contest going on that I just found out about the week before last called Cowrite Script. You have to write ten to fifteen pages and continue the ongoing script, and the deadline is less than a week after the previous winner is posted, but you win $2,000 if you win. I was a finalist last week (the first time I entered). Finalists get to have a full screenplay of their own read by the Cowrite people, who in turn give it to Benderspink (the co-sponsors) if they like it.
Author Christopher J. Valin 