Tag Archives: amwriting

The Post Where I Shamelessly Plug My Twitter Handle

Why should you follow @bookshelfbattle on Twitter?

10)  I can waste 140 characters faster than George RR Martin

9)  I won’t resort to peer pressure to get you to follow me…

8)  …but seriously, all the cool people are doing it.

7)  As soon as April rolls around, it’s pretty much going to be all Game of Thrones, all the time on my twitter feed.

6)  But I’ll still talk about other stuff, so there’s something for people who <gasp> don’t like Game of Thrones, though I can’t imagine why.

5)  You too can dare to be a nerd.

4)  Occasionally, I even talk about books.

3)  I tweet more than a Blue Warbler with Tourette’s Syndrome.

2)  Do you really have anything better to do?

1)  Oh, you do?  Sorry.  But can you squeeze my tweets into your busy schedule anyway?

As always, I’m @bookshelfbattle.com on Twitter.  Thanks for stopping by and keep reading!

 

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Intergalactic Awesomeness

By:  Alien Jones (Special Guest Contributor)

Greetings pathetic 3.5 human readers.

Do not attempt to adjust your computer.  I have taken control of bookshelfbattle.com

Alien Jones, Special Guest Contributor

Alien Jones, Special Guest   Contributor to bookshelfbattle.com

To pronounce my name would require you to rub sandpaper on your tongue for three hours and then stretch it out while a musician strums it like a ukulele string.  Neither of us have time for that, so you may simply refer to me as “Alien Jones.”

This name was carefully selected after I asked the computer on my spaceship to determine a name that the insignificant human mind could wrap itself around.  It came down to either “Alien Jones” or “Goofy Space Man.”  I selected the most dignified option of the two.

Do not embarrass yourself by asking what planet I hail from.  By edict of my emperor, I am forbidden to tell you.  My home world has passed legislation known as the “Keep the Humans from Finding Us So Our Airwaves Are Not Filled with Reality Television Act.”  Violation will result in me being slapped unconscious with my own ganderflazer.

First and foremost, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a public service announcement.  My home world banned the practice of human probing over a thousand years ago, in the year you would refer to as 1015 A.D.  At that time, our revered team of scientists and medical doctors announced they had discovered all there is to be learned through endoscopic exploration of human nether regions.

The practice was banned but, alas, even a highly intelligent species such as mine is not without its weirdoes. Rogue aliens have been conducting their own unsanctioned probing missions to your planet for an entire millennium.  Many of you simple folk have been duped into being willing participants.

Therefore, please be aware that if an alien demands to probe you in the name of intergalactic science, he is acting alone and not under the authority of the emperor of my home world.  You may comply if you so choose, or you may beat him with his own ganderflazer.  The decision is entirely yours.

Now that I have dispensed with the pleasantries, I shall explain why I have briefly taken control of this blog.

I am not going to sugar coat it, Earth.  You dudes are really screwing the pooch.  You have a planet capable of sustaining life.  Many species, including my own, recognize this miracle and act accordingly.  You people?

Compare the accomplishments of my world vs. yours:

MEDICINE

MY WORLD:  Our scientists have eradicated all diseases and remedied all bodily maladies.  We live happy, pain free lives.  Hospitals are non-existent as they are no longer necessary.

EARTH:  Has yet to cure cancer or heart disease, yet erectile dysfunction pills are in abundant supply.  Prioritize much, losers?

TECHNOLOGY

MY WORLD:  All media is downloaded directly to our brains.

EARTH:  The device you call an iPad was used by our prehistoric cave aliens to wipe their expectorant holes.  We felt sorry for you nimrods, watching you tether yourselves to your televisions and computers that we decided to throw you a bone and beam the idea into the brain of  renowned computer scientist, Mr. Steven Jobs.

TRANSPORTATION

MY WORLD:  We have mastered intergalactic space travel.

EARTH:  You people have barely mastered the Pontiac Aztec.

ENTERTAINMENT

MY WORLD:  We have developed 4D television which allows you to enter and live as a character in your favorite program.

EARTH:  Breaking Bad.  OK.  We will give you that one.

Aside from Breaking Bad, an idea we totally beamed into the mind of Mr. Vincent Gilligan, your planet is really stinking up the universe, Earthlings.

And to help you unstink yourselves, we beamed the idea to create this blog straight into the mind of Bookshelf Q. Battler.  Yes, this site is an ongoing chronicle of one man’s love of books, movies, media, writing, and tales from his magic bookshelf.

But we zapped the idea to create this blog into Mr. Bookshelf’s mind.  We even implanted him with the idea to blog once a day for a year.

Why?

Because we have identified Bookshelf Q. Battler as the most awesome dude on your planet, and frankly, given the pool of talent you’ve got down there, that isn’t saying much.  Even so, this guy is pretty awesome, so you should all listen to him….and follow his blog…and follow his twitter…and follow him on Google Plus…and sing songs of his awesomeness from the rooftops.  Also, bake him chocolate chip cookies.

Are you still unconvinced?  Here is a smattering of what the most awesome individual on your pitiful planet has been up to lately:

When the F$%k Should Your Characters Swear? – Yes.  Delightful.  The worst swear in my language would require you to pull out your tongue and jump rope with it.  You could never pronounce it and I certainly hope you never encounter a situation in which you deem it necessary to utter it.

A Review of Birdman – Even we aliens agree Michael Keaton was robbed. 1989 Batman forever!

A Response from the Yeti – Do you know any other bloggers willing to fight a snow beast just to blog for you?  I thought not.

Those are just three of the best posts written by Bookshelf Q. Battler this month.  I could go on and on all day about the awesomeness he has put into the universe over the past year.

And to help him garner the attention of more than a paltry 3.5 readers, I will, from time to time, take control of this blog through my space ship’s super computer and remind you of his latest contributions to your planet’s supply of cool stuff.

Your planet is lagging, Earthlings.  Bookshelf Q. Battler will help you catch up.  Continue to follow his blog, and maybe one day we will allow your species to sit at the intergalactic adults’ table.

Thank you for reading.  You may now return to your programs about Kardashians and pizzas with crusts stuffed with cheese, as if you all aren’t portly enough already.

Alien Image Courtesy of “Marauder” on openclipart.org

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Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain!

Written to honor President Abe Lincoln after his assassination, Walt Whitman’s  O Captain!  My Captain! compares the end of the Civil War to the end of a long ship voyage, and Lincoln to a journey weary Captain. Makes sense, as Lincoln did guide the nation through some very choppy seas.

O Captain!  My Captain!

By: Walt Whitman

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

The poem is often used as a tribute to leaders in general, and was prominently featured in Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams.

Fun fact – a Walt Whitman poetry book carelessly left on a toilet tank would go on to play an important part in AMC’s Breaking Bad.

So, good for you, WW, you honored a great president, and you were featured on a cable drama.

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I feel I must advise you…

…that February only has 28 days because all those months with 31 days are too selfish to share.

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The Betrayal of John

Pop quiz, hot shots.

I give you a book.  The title is “The Betrayal of John.”

Don’t think too hard, just give me your instant reaction.

When you read this title, do you:

A)  Think the book is about how John betrayed someone

OR

B)  Think the book is about how John was betrayed

Just a question to help me with a project I have going on at Bookshelf Battle HQ

Thank you, my noble guinea pigs.  Your assistance to the Bookshelf Battle cause is most appreciated.

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When the F#%K Should Your Characters Swear?

Time to bring out Ann and John again.  In case you missed their previous antics:

Ann and John on Copyrights

Ann and John on Characters with Accents

Ann and John vs. Robostrangler

And now, our latest installment – Ann and John and the Search for More F$*ing money.

I have mixed thoughts on those pesky swear words.  On the one hand, we are adults.  If your characters are adults living in an adult world, they might swear once in awhile.  Case in point:

“I’ve had enough of your goddamn cheating, John!”  Ann said as she drew her gun and pointed it at him.

“Ann!  No!  What the f$%k are you doing?!”  John asked.

“What I should have done a long time ago, you son of a bitch!”

Ann fired.  The bullet ripped through John’s flesh.

“Owww!”  John screamed.  “My f$&king arm!!!”

I don’t like gratuitous swearing.  I like to use it sparingly, avoiding it if at all possible.  Whether it is for humorous or dramatic effect, I only like to use it when the situation absolutely calls for it.

It’s not that I’m some kind of prissy teetotaler.  I don’t clutch my pearls, pop my monocle, and shout, “Oh I declare, I positively have the vapors!” whenever I hear naughty language.

Unless it is somehow central to the plot, or somehow works well with the story, I just fear that too many swears will alienate a reader.

The problem?  Just as it is possible to overuse swears, it is possible to underuse them:

“I’ve had enough of your gosh darn cheating, John!” Ann said as she drew her gun and pointed it at him.

“Ann! No! What the fiddlesticks are you doing?!” John asked.

“What I should have done a long time ago, you son of a female dog!”

Ann fired. The bullet ripped through John’s flesh.

“Owww!” John screamed. “My fudging arm!!!”

I suppose it is possible to split the difference.  After all, if you’re going through a frightening experience, like say, getting shot, you would probably swear, but then again, you might be in such shock, you might forget to:

“I’ve had enough of your cheating, John!” Ann said as she drew her gun and pointed it at him.

“Ann! No! What are you doing?!” John asked.

“What I should have done a long time ago!”

Ann fired. The bullet ripped through John’s flesh.

“Owww!” John screamed. “My arm!!!”

Well, let me get to the whole point of why I seek your input.  As previously discussed, I’m working on a sci-fi novel.  It takes place in a gritty world, where life isn’t easy for my characters, and bad things happen.

It has aliens, robots, spaceships, monsters – or in other words, the odds are younger people will like it more than older folks.  Although, maybe not.  I feel like I’ll still love Sci-Fi when I’m eighty years old.  The more sci-fi was around when you were a kid, the more you’ll like it as an adult.

As an author, I find swear words to be particularly vexing.  Don’t use a swear and you might be selling out, overuse swears and you’ll push potential readers away.  And the second you drop a swear word into your book you move from something that can be enjoyed by all to something that can only be enjoyed by few.

Well readers, what the f%&k do you think?

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A Response from the Yeti

EDITOR’S NOTE: This morning I, as I sipped my coffee at Bookshelf Battle HQ, I discovered, much to my great surprise, the following note scrawled in poor penmanship taped to my front door. I cleaned it up a little, removed the many, many obscenities, and typed it out. Personally, I do not believe the Yeti deserves a response, but I suppose that in the name of fairness, I must allow him one.

Here is my recent post about my encounter with the Yeti.

And now, the Yeti’s response:

MY RESPONSE TO BOOKSHELF Q. BATTLER’S OUTRAGEOUS, LIBELOUS STATEMENTS

By: The Yeti

Hello.  This is the Yeti.  And boy do I have a bee in my bonnet to share with you people.

Did I break into Bookshelf Battle Headquarters?  Yes.  Did I make my way into Bookshelf Q. Battler’s personal office space?  Yes.

Did I have a right to be there?  No.  Did Bookshelf Q. Battler have the right to subdue me with brute force?  Yes.

But let’s be honest about how it all went down.

Bookshelf Q. Battler is trying to present this tough guy image, paint himself as the only book blogger who fights monsters with his left hand while holding the book he’s reading in his right.  Ridiculous.

The truth that his 3.5 regular readers need to hear is that Bookshelf Q. Battler is no tough guy at all.  Before I broke into his compound, I spent many hours observing him through his living room window.  That’s not weird because I was on a mission.

What did I observe?  I observed one Bookshelf Q. Battler in a bathrobe, a makeshift bath towel turban on his head, cold cream on his face, sipping a strawberry daiquiri while watching Steel Magnolias.  In fact, I observed on his coffee table a pile of DVDs, the titles of which included Beaches, Thelma and Louise, and Fried Green Tomatoes.  It was a veritable treasure trove of 90’s era female empowerment flicks.  And he calls himself a tough guy.

You want to know who the real tough guy is?  Me.  The Yeti.  That’s who.  You see, I have used my special yeti powers to forsake most of America with blistering cold temperatures just so I can walk around your Godforsaken land and hunt Bookshelf Q. Battler with impunity.  Yetis, as you may or may not be aware, need blistering cold temperatures to survive.  That’s just science.

Why am I after Bookshelf Q. Battler, you ask?  Long story short, I’m a Russian Yeti.  I’m not like my cousins, those high falutin,’ free-thinking Canadian yetis, or worse, those party all night, sleep all day Alaskan yetis.

I’m a yeti straight outta’ Siberia, son, and in Siberia, we have rules.  We stand in line for three days just to get our weekly ration kit, which includes: one granola bar, half a cup of water, one stale biscuit, and three toilet paper squares.  The Siberian powers that be have recently discussed the possibility of upping our allotment to four toilet paper squares, but if you ask me, that’s way too decadent.  Four toilet paper squares today means we’re all a bunch of Western wannabes tomorrow.  Four toilet paper squares will lead to us wearing cowboy hats, driving around in pink Cadillacs, and yelling, “Wazzzup?”  at each other.

Is “Wazzzup?” still even a thing in your country?  I don’t know.  We are just now getting documentaries of your renowned scientist, Steven Urkel.  I must say, his neighbors should be ashamed of the way they treated a man of such brilliance.

Anyway, this all started a few weeks ago.  I was sitting in the Siberian yeti village, gathered in the hut I share with five hundred of my yeti relatives, all huddled around the one computer we collectively own.  It is a 1986 Commodore 64, the absolute height of modern Western technology.  You didn’t think we’d get our hands on one of your precious Commodore 64’s, did you, America?  But we did.  And now we play Topper with reckless abandon.  All day long, we take turns controlling a mustached bartender as he whips one frothy beverage mug after another at his patrons.

Between games, we surf the net.  We do this through a Wi-Fi generating device we have devised through a pile of rusty tin cans, the engine from a 1964 Yugo, one thousand AA batteries, and a bag of blueberry muffins.  Do not ask me how it works.  Your fat, stupid, lazy, reality TV show addled American brains could never possibly comprehend the basic principles of yeti science.

While searching for a book entitled, 101 Ways to Make Your Three Toilet Paper Squares Last Longer, we stumbled upon Bookshelf Q. Battler’s website, bookshelfbattle.com

We held a Siberian yeti meeting, the conclusion of which was that Bookshelf Q. Battler’s website is much too awesome, that if allowed to exist, it would spread awesomeness all over the globe.  And the day that people are filled with ideas of awesomeness is the day that people and yetis alike start allowing their heads to be filled with ridiculous nonsense, like three toilet paper squares per week is not enough.

I, “The Yeti,” was elected by my yeti brothers and sisters to hunt Bookshelf Q. Battler down and stop his one post a day challenge.  We simply cannot allow people to receive that much daily awesomeness for a year, even if those people number 3.5.

This brings us to the crux of my complaint.  Did Bookshelf Q. Battler punch me in the face?  Yes.  However, he has left out crucial information and therefore, is guilty of a lie by omission.  He’d have you think that he punched me in the face after an elaborate exchange of fisticuffs, when in reality, he zapped me in the back with a cattle prod, turned me around on the swivel chair I was sitting on, and then punched me in the face AFTER I was already unconscious.

Because I was already subdued, I believe that Bookshelf Q. Battler is guilty of “book blogger brutality.”  My team of attorneys, who are also Siberian yetis, are currently exploring what options I may have to sue Bookshelf Q. Battler for the 3.5 dollars in his possession.  This money will go a long way to alleviate my pain and suffering, not to mention make me the wealthiest yeti in all of Siberia.  I will buy all of the toilet paper squares and rule the yeti village like a king.

Thank you, boorish and incompetent Americans, for taking the time to listen to my side of the story.

Sincerely,

The Yeti

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Lesson learned.  The next time I catch a yeti sitting in the swivel chair at my desk, trying to log on to my computer in an effort to shut down my blog, I will not take pity on him and leave his twitching carcass on the curb.  I will use my taxidermy skills to stuff him and leave him on my front door as a warning to all yetis everywhere.

The bathrobe?  True.  The cold cream?  True.  The daiquiri?  True.  What, I’m not allowed to unwind after a long day of bookshelf battling?

The DVDs were not 90’s era female empowerment movies.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  The DVDs were 1990’s era action movies.  I was engrossed in a Jean Claude Vann Damme marathon.  It made me nostalgic for the days I spent teaching him everything he knows.

Did I electrocute the yeti in the back with a cattle prod before I punched him in the face?  Yes.  Was the yeti already unconscious?  No.  Everyone knows that cattle prods only slow yetis down, they do not subdue them.  The shock mildly stunned the yeti, giving me the upper hand I needed to apply the coupe de grace of a clothesline smash to the yeti’s proverbial snot box.  It wasn’t pretty.  I didn’t want to do it.  But I had no choice.  A man’s bookshelf battle compound is his castle.

If you have a question for me, post it below.  If you have a question for the Yeti, you may also post it and I will pose it to him.  He has agreed to take your questions.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to both sides.  I feel confident that my 3.5 regular readers will realize that I am a bastion of truth and honesty, whereas the Yeti is a dirty, dirty liar.

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish 4 – Trailer

Alright.  After four days, the film is in the can.  God made his masterpiece in seven days.  I made mine in four.

And just in time for Oscar night.

Here’s the trailer:

Ominous music…

MOVIE TRAILER GUY:  This summer…pet store owner Fred Jones is going to feel like a fish out of water…

FRED:  All day long I feed the fish.  I clean the tanks.  I watch them swim around.  I’m tired of the monotony.  I need a change.

MOVIE TRAILER GUY:  He’s a man with a troubled past…

GENERAL SMITH rips off FRED’S stripes.

GENERAL SMITH:  Every last man in your unit was eaten by a killer fish and what did you do?  You ran away like the pathetic, sniveling pansy that you are!  You make me sick!  Get out of my sight!

FRED:  Well, I guess I have nothing to do now but move to my hometown and start up a pet store.  But God as my witness, if I’m ever given the opportunity to save people from fish again, I’ll save every last one of them!

MOVIE TRAILER GUY:  There’s a lot at stake for Fred, and he might lose the love of his life in the process…

FRED’S GIRLFRIEND:  I just feel like you love this stupid pet store more than you love me.

FRED:  Well one of us have to have a job, Fred’s Girlfriend!

(Fred’s Girlfriend stomps out of the store)

FRED:  No!  Wait!  Fred’s Girlfriend!  Come back!

MOVIE TRAILER GUY:  And when a mad scientist enters the mix…

MAD SCIENTIST:  You ignored my warnings to preserve the environment, world!  Now I’ll teach you a lesson by ushering in a new age of mutant fish masters!

(MAD SCIENTIST dumps toxic waste into fish tanks.  Fish become enormous)

FRED:  Thank God I kept this shotgun under my counter just in case I ever have to kill a bunch of murderous fish!

(FRED cocks the gun – shoots at the fish)

FRED’S GIRLFRIEND:  I’m scared, Fred!

FRED:  Just stay behind me, Fred’s Girlfriend!  I’ll keep you safe!

MOVIE TRAILER GUY:  …things are about to get fishy.  Coming soon to a theater near you.

So there you have it.  Now I’m just waiting for Hollywood to back the Brinks Trucks up to my back door and unload all the sweet, sweet cash.

And no, I’m not having trouble coming up with material for this one post a day for a year challenge at all.

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish 3 (Casting Call 3)

I’ve decided that Fred the Pet Store owner needs a love interest.  That way my upcoming film will appeal to both men and women.  Men will enjoy the action, while women will be enthralled by the romantic tale of a pet shop owner winning the heart of his lady love.

Bold move I know, to deviate from the source material, but I’m writing in a girlfriend for Fred.

JULIA ROBERTS

I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, in a pet shop full of monstrous, evil killer fish, asking him to love her.

Hmmm.  Can you read this with a Southern accent?  And also, not be old?

MILEY CYRUS

Dang y’all, there’s all like dang crazy fish runnin’ round…I better stick my tongue out at ’em!

NEXT!

DREW BARRYMORE

I’m just like…you know…thinking…that Fred, you spend so much time running this pet store?  That like…you totally forget to run the pet store inside your mind…

NEXT!

MEGAN FOX

Hi.  I’m all hot and stuff.  I’m going to stand next to these killer mutant fish and look totally hot.

When can you start?

 

 

 

 

 

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish Part 3 (Casting Call 2)

And we’re back, still discussing that first novel I penciled when I was around ten year olds.  Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish was an epic sci-fi action fest.

Yesterday, I did a casting call for Fred the Pet Store Owner, who fights the mutant fish.  Today, I’m doing a casting call for the Mad Scientist who randomly walks into Fred’s pet shop with no explanation whatsoever and dumps toxic sludge into the tanks, thus creating enormous, super-sized killer mutant fish.

Stop laughing!  You know this crap is better than half of what’s on TV today.

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN

Huh-lo!  I’m a…mad sci-en-tist!  I must turn these fish…into mu-tants, thus finally obtaining my rah-venge…against the cruel world that failed to heed my sci-en-tif-ic warnings.  If pee-puhl con-tin-yoo…to destroy the en-vi-ro-ment…then the world will be engulfed…by mu-tant fish…just like these!

Hmmm.  A valiant effort, but not what we’re looking for.

KEVIN SPACEY

There’s a saying in my home world of Mad Science Land.  If you fail to listen to brilliant mad scientists, then don’t be surprised when the Earth is overrun by a race of super powerful fish.  :::knocks the table twice:::

Next!

JACK NICHOLSON

You want the truth about fish?! YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH ABOUT FISH!  Son, we live in a world with tanks.  Who’s going to protect them?  You?  You pet store owner Fred Wineburg?  You mock me at parties but deep down you want me on those tanks, you need me on those tanks…

I dunno.  I’m not feeling it.  Next!

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

Yeah I made those f*$king killer mutant fish and I hope they burn in hell!

Hmmm.  I’m intrigued.  Can you keep going, Sam?

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

The path of the righteous fish is beset on all sides by the inequities of the sel-fish and the tyranny of evil fish…

You’ve got it!  You’ve got this part!

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