I love having friends join me on my blog, especially author friends that bring great news! Like another book to read.
Please, join me in welcoming Tara Tyler today!
Thanks for having me over, Heather! Heather was one of my first blog friends. She drew me in with her hilarious voice and no-holding-back honesty. Ever since, we've been there for each other. Some day I'll meet her IRL!
Now on to my post...
Do you BINGE?
To binge used to be a bad thing. Probably still is (too much of a good thing and all), but binge-watching TV is just too easy. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Youtube, and now AppleTV, and many more coming are giving us TV OVERLOAD! Too many choices and all at once.
I admit, I've done my share of binge-watching (don't laugh at my list!):
- I started with Netflix - Sherlock (twice), the Flash, the Arrow, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Riverdale.
When I caught up with all those, I moved on to my DVR...
- House, Perry Mason (I spent some time with my parents and got hooked!), and more recently Big Little Lies.
I've also binge-watched Movie series: Marvel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Matrix, and HP. We watch the faves over and over...
Most of the Netflix shows were by recommendations from my son. They know no shame of binge-watching! Speaking of, together we binge-watched GOT before the last, pitiful, season. And all my sons binge on Friends, the Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Walking Dead.
The bad thing is, after binging on a great series, the rest of the thousand TV shows seem lame--There's nothing on TV! We don't even have Netflix anymore.
So, what makes a show binge-worthy? (This holds true in writing too. It IS writing!)
- the Characters - they have to be surprising and worth rooting for, even the not-nice characters-- which I find are the most fun to write because they do things most people wouldn't.
- the Interactions - secrets, deception, misunderstandings, assumptions, contradictions, suspense--these are the best scenes! Am I right?
- the Plot - this matters the least. Though some prefer one genre or another, the plot doesn't matter in a TV show because if it runs long enough, the goal is never attained... Look at How I Met Your Mother--wasn't really about anything. And the ultimate show about nothing, Seinfeld. Mic dropped.
In this hyper-instant-gratification age with TV literally in the palm of everyone's hands, it's super hard to keep a show going. Many promising shows get cancelled after one or two seasons, especially on the webTV channels. I think Netflix is dumb putting an entire season up at once. Binge-watching a new show doesn't give the public a chance to talk about it, create some buzz and new interest, or build up anticipation for the next show in a week... I think that's one of the many reasons GOT became so immensely popular. Back in the Day (sounds better than Back in My Day!) we used to have weekly parties to watch Melrose Place. A Binge-watching party would take an entire weekend!
BTW, in case you didn't know, I also write screenplays. My start-at-the-surface style lends itself to shortening stories into script format... So I wrote a sitcom pilot for a show called EMPTY NESTERS. It's about a couple who sends their third child to college, but the older two end up coming back with major issues. It's quite hilarious, based on my own and some friends' experiences, and there's an endless supply of stories! I entered it in a contest, but never heard anything--shocker. So if you see a show like that, let me know. It's been happening to me a lot lately! (I'm also working on turning
Christine Rains's
13th FLOOR stories into a TV script... such an awesome series!)
Next show I want to try: GOOD OMENS (on Amazon Prime) based on the book by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett. Heard it's great and I bet it is, the book was hilarious! I'd like to hear more "based on the book!"
Do you binge-watch anything? Yea or Nay for binge-watching? Ever write a script?
I know Heather has a few shows she binge-watches... I love her Maguire's Corner series, I recommend you
binge-read it if you haven't yet. Thanks for helping me out, Heather!
Of course I think Beast World is binge-read worthy. And a quick set to read at that!
WINDY HOLLOW
Beast World MG Fantasy Series, book #3
by Tara Tyler
Available NOW!
This summer, Gabe and his friends fly over the Great Sea for the wedding of the century: a dragon prince and a beautiful harpy. But Gabe can't relax on this vacation. Besides competing in rigorous wedding events, he overhears the nearby human village WINDY HOLLOW
is in danger from an evil human scientist and a vengeful were-ogre experimenting on beasts. Gabe and his friends risk crossing the mountains to help, despite several warnings.
Maybe he's going too far this time, but he's in too deep to quit. It's do or die, hopefully not die!
Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the maidens save themselves. She's a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that... Make every day an adventure!
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My son and I just binged watched Season 3 of Stranger Things in two days! Okay, it was only 8 episodes, but it was great! I highly recommend the show.
Thanks for the visit, everyone!
The 2019 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest is open for submissions!
