Books on Film: The Grinch

In late November and all through December, holiday-themed movies flood the theaters. People want feelgood stories, intense dramas, laughter and action. They want to be entertained, and they're doing it indoors because it's winter and it's cold. Filmmakers need holiday-themed stories to create all those movies. One of the most unusual picks, and one of the better book-to-film adaptations you'll find, was created by Dr. Seuss.

The Book

Arguably the most well-known children's book author of all time, Dr. Seuss has created unforgettable stories like Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and 1957's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a holiday-themed treat starring my very favorite color, green. 

It's because the Grinch is green. He's the hero, or anti-hero, of the story, and he's a good one. He lives on a mountain above Whoville, where Christmas is celebrated with gusto. The Grinch hates the Whos. They sing, they dance, they exchange presents and eat food -- they annoy him. So the Grinch decides to take away their celebration, and steal Christmas.

A bold plan. To carry it out, he's going to need a red suit. If you're wearing a red suit and screwing around underneath trees on Christmas Eve, people are going to think you're Santa Claus. This is just simple logic. It follows that he's also going to need a sleigh -- that's to hold the presents -- and a reindeer. A sleigh and a big bag, you can pretty much find that at any hardware store. But a reindeer...this requires several days of intensive tracking and hunting in the northern territories, and clearly the Grinch doesn't have this kind of time. So he puts an antler on his dog instead, a handy enough solution in a pinch. 

And the Grinch steals Christmas. He goes down into Whoville in the middle of the night. He takes their ornaments, their stockings, their brightly-wrapped packages, even the roast beast they're saving for the Christmas dinner feast. Yeah, that's right -- he takes it all, down to the last scrap. During his night of silent, Christmas-stealing terror, the Grinch encounters just one witness: Cindy Lou Who. This little Who wakes up to find the Grinch in her home, but all is well on account of the red suit (proof of the unimpeachable logic). Cindy Lou thinks he's Santa, and the Grinch pats her on the head...and sends her back to bed. 

Don't worry -- there is a surprise ending. The Grinch doesn't simply go back to his mountain and laugh the day away, or anything like that. If you don't know the story, I'm officially shocked. It's very well-known, highly popular...and the entire basis for an adaptation that's already 60 years old. Even if you've never seen the book, you probably know the book.

The Films

A 22-minute TV special is one of the best-known adaptations of the story. Look for it on TV during the holiday season, and you'll find it. 

Dr. Seuss himself worked on the animated adaptation made in 1966. He wasn't really into the idea at first, but after seeing some animation and hearing some of the songs he agreed. Seuss wrote the lyrics for the songs and the extra lines in the story himself.

He didn't narrate it, though. That honor was given to Boris Karloff, who had a perfect voice for this particular story. Thurl Ravenscroft sings the theme song that's such a big part of the adaptation. The animation is very true to the original illustrations in the book, and the narration is almost exactly the same as the text of the book.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas wouldn't become a feature film until 2000, when Ron Howard turned it into one. But turning a very short children's book into 90 minutes of film...takes a little stretching. 

The feature-length film begins beautifully, with narration by Anthony Hopkins that lifts Dr. Seuss's words straight from the page. The viewer meets the Grinch, played beautifully by Jim Carrey, who looks just exactly how he ought to look (only three-dimensional, and not animated). He's up in his mountain home damning the Whos who live down below. 

Then, we get to meet some of those Whos. The movie takes us down into the village in the days before Christmas, where we meet Cindy Lou Who and her parents. There are other characters as well, like the Mayor of Whoville and Martha May Whovier. The Whos look just as they ought, and they're frantically celebrating the season by shopping, decorating, shopping, decorating, and sending Christmas cards and packages (presumably, to the Whos who live in Whotown and Whocity). 

In a word, it's fabulous. No detail was left out. The film is lavish in all matters of set design, costuming and makeup. The dialogue is first-rate as well. Because there simply isn't enough story to fill an entire film, more has been added. Viewers are exposed to the Grinch's back story, and we even uncover a love interest. Cindy Lou becomes a fully-realized character, whose goal is to find the spirit of Christmas and get past all the obsessive shopping, decorating and eating.

New songs are added, and the original Grinch theme song is punched up a little. The scene of the Grinch stealing Christmas is perfectly re-created from the book to the film. It is one of the top five top-grossing holiday films of all time. Yeah, it's that good. If you haven't seen it, see it. If you've already seen it, see it again. It's the holidays, and green's the color of the season.

Writing 101: Conflict and Obstacles

If your main character doesn't have conflict and obstacles to overcome, then your story probably isn't complete. In life, things get hard. The going gets tough. Enemies appear. I want to see that in your book...and then, I want to see the main character defeat them. This is why your main character is also known as the hero. 

Nobody Said Life Was Fair

Here's the thing: you want readers to identify with your main character. Nobody's life is just perfectly smooth sailing. We all get crushes on people who don't like us back, spill something on ourselves at the worst possible time, get caught in the rain or in an embarrassing situation. Some people face extreme challenges, and often these make for the best stories. 

If your character faces no obstacles and lives a life free of conflict, I'm not going to find it believable. Even worse, I'm probably not going to like this character. Conflict and obstacles are an essential part of every plot. You don't necessarily have to have a villain, a character in the story who opposes your hero, but you do have to have something that keeps us from our goal. If the character is trying to solve a crime, put a nosy so-and-so in the way. If the character is trying to be prom queen, put an opponent into the mix. Or, mix it up and don't use a character at all. Maybe something happens to the main character with no outside help -- the hero falls and breaks a bone, and now they're physically limited. Conflict comes in many forms, and writing is a great way to explore it. 

Everyone faces challenges, and your main character should have the same experience. It's most rewarding to readers when the hero overcomes those challenges in order to get to their ultimate goal. Removing these obstacles shouldn't be neat and easy, because life so rarely is. Perhaps it's a story about a girl who's in love with a boy, buy he's got a girlfriend already. She's an obstacle. The more difficult she is to remove, the more rewarding it's going to be when she's finally out of the way. The struggle is the story, and that's what great writing is all about. 

You've already got everything you need to write about conflict and obstacles when you're writing fiction. As a writer, you've already faced all sorts of challenges in picking the right words, in facing your own fears, in finding courage and even in facing down those who oppose you. Now, go write about it.

Writing 101: Should You Ever Give Up?

I was inspired by a hashtag that I just happened to notice when I went to write this post, but it's a thought I've had before. It's easy advice to say "don't ever give up!" "follow your dreams!" and all that other inspirational nonsense, but it can be hell to live it. It's also unrealistic. Should you ever give up? Well yeah, maybe. 

A World Full of Books

This past year, 2012, which is nearly over (but not quite), more than 2 million new books have already been published. Just this year. In the United States alone, approximately 400,000 books have been published this year (10 Awful Truths About Publishing). That's wonderful, a great testament to the popularity of reading and literature. We are preserving a record. We are creating entertainment.

Judgment: Now Available!

Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4) is now available for Amazon kindle! The book will be available for Nook and other devices later this week, so keep checking back for links. 

Cashing Out

Do I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

How can I, when the truth will destroy us all? Now that I’ve started telling lies, I can’t stop. Not until all this is over, and I’m free of the family that never felt like mine. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe I’m a bad person.

But it’s definitely the only way I’m ever going to escape them. I have to take the opportunity, no matter how terrible it is…don’t I?

Writing 101: No Writer is an Island

When I was very young, and dreaming of becoming a writer, I had a vision in my head of what it would be like. I would sit in a very quiet and serene room, all by myself, just creating brilliant words all day long. Now I know that sort of thing isn't possible -- and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want it if it was. If you're self-publishing, you're doing a whole lot of work all on your own...but you probably aren't actually alone. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that the people around you are always contributing, too.

Hey, There Are Other People Here

Plenty of self-published authors don't live alone. They may have pets, or kids, spouses or roommates. All of these animals and people are capable of affecting the way you write your book. The people closest to writers are usually a big influence; certain characteristics from your mate may seep into the characters you put on the page. But they influence and affect you in other ways, too, and their contributions can't be overlooked. 

• Space

The people who share your space with you make a difference, both good and bad. Make sure they understand that you need your own space to work and write, and really shouldn't be disturbed. And tell them how much they mean to you, from time to time. When the people closest to you are supportive of your efforts, you'll feel a lot less stressed about self-publishing.

• Time

You need your friends and family members to give you the space to write, and that means you've got to give them something, too. Don't forget to make time for the other members of your household and others who are close to you. Do not spend all of your free time writing, though it is compelling to do so. Make time to maintain a social life, or at least something like it, and always take some time just for yourself while you're at it. Everyone has to recharge and reset, and you cannot think about writing all of the time. You'll burn yourself out, and make yourself nuts. 

• Sharing

The people in your immediate household are your best sounding board. Ask them to read your work, bounce ideas off of them, get their input and their help. They're going to be much more gentle with you than any reviewer, and they're a wonderful first test for any ideas you have. If you're thinking of something that sounds really out-of-the-box, check it against those close to you and see how they react. 

There are other people in your life, and they can tell you that living with a writer isn't easy. Talk to them to let them know your needs, but don't forget to ask about their needs as well. Use them, appreciate them and get support from them. Your writing will be better for it, and your relationships will be a little less strained when you're slaving away at the keyboard.

Facing Death

"More twists and revelations will come right at your face."

"This book is spooky and creepy (in a good way) which makes it a  really great mystery read!"

Little Book Star has reviewed Death (Deck of Lies, #3). Read the entire review before you get your copy of Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4) this week!

Writing 101: How Do You Know When You're Done?

Write "the end" as many times as you like -- it doesn't necessarily mean that you're all done with your book. Many writers, in fact, spend more time editing and re-writing than they ever spend on creating that first draft. It's really easy to get caught up in perfecting a book, to go back to it again and again...and that makes it really hard to release your book so others can actually read it. How do you know when you're done, and when a book is really ready to be released? The answer is actually pretty simple. 

 When Enough is Enough

Some scenes just won't go away, even after you put them on the page. Some scenes demand to be re-written, perfected, over and over again. And it's easy to get caught up in that. Every writer wants to produce a perfect book. But at some point, you've got to stop typing, stop reading, and finally say done. 

You're the only one who knows when you finally get to that point, and it changes with every single book. When are you done writing that tricky scene? When you finally stop thinking about it. Writers re-write scenes because they can't get them out of their heads; they keep playing, and re-playing inside the mind, and changes have to be made. When you finally get that out of your head, then you're finally done. When you're done re-thinking, second-guessing and re-working, then you're finally done. If it stops keeping you up at night, stops distracting you during the day, stops haunting you when you're supposed to be doing other things, then just stop. You're done messing with it. 

When your head space is calm and quiet, it's because the work is finally done. It's because enough is finally enough. Don't go back to the book and look for more work. Trust yourself, and put it out there. You'll learn more by publishing than by proofreading for that seventh time.

Compelled to Read Justice

"What could oh so easily have been just another fish out of water story full of trite and tired cliché is instead a well thought out and cleverly written page turner."

"Jade Varden is an excellent storyteller with a deft hand at flowing prose. The story is compelling and interesting."

Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at Twisted Sense. Read the full review, and then get the book free as part of the Stuffed Full of Lies weekend.