Observations From Hadleyville: CASTLE

Friday, May 22, 2009

CASTLE

Okay, Sorry I haven't posted for most of a month. Now that the Antelope Valley Christian Writers' Conference is over I have a life again. I am gaa gaa over the new television series, CASTLE. The show first aired in March and had only ten episodes in the first season.

Richard Castle is a Mystery novelist living in New York City. The first episode featured a series of gruesome murders straight out of several Castle Novels. The homicide detective investigating the murders, Lieutenant Kate Beckett, just happens to be a closet Castle fan: she would never reveal this to Castle's face. The police bring Castle in as an adviser, thus beginning a long, conflicted relationship.

You see, Rick Castle has just killed off the main character, Derek Storm, of seven best-selling novels. Castle was sick of writing a character that had become stale and predictable. To ensure there would be no "Hollywood-style resurrection" of Storm, Castle killed him off with a particularly bloody and permanent large caliber gunshot to the head.

Oops, now Castle has writers block. Big time. But lo-and-behold, his association with Lt Beckett has given him inspiration. She has become his muse. He wants to hang out with the homicide squad for further stimulus.

Hang out with the homicide squad? You've got to be kidding. The cops would never put up with an amateur dogging their footsteps. O contraire', Castle has a lot of fans, including superior court judges, the Mayor AND the chief of police. With his signature on a certificate absolving the city of responsibility he is assigned as a civilian adviser and the chase is on.

The series is semi-serious, not heavy-handed like all the current CSI shows. Castle himself is admittedly vain, shallow and witty. He makes a superb foil to the serious, driven, Beckett.

The added draw for me is that I am a writer AND I've been volunteering with The LA Sheriff's Department as a clergyman. I ride in the cars with the deputies and sometimes help out with my amazing counseling abilities, or at least an extra flashlight. All I need now is a ballistic vest with an embroidered patch proclaiming WRITER on it.

2 comments:

Eric said...: Great show! I love how Castle and Beckett play off each other to solve cases.; May 22, 2009 at 2:20 PM
blunoz said...: My wife and I also love Castle. Good plot twists and a good number of laughs, too.; May 22, 2009 at 6:19 PM

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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WRITERS

The secret of becoming a writer is that you have to write. You have to write a lot. You also have to finish what you write, even though no one wants it yet. If you don't learn to finish your work, no one will ever want to see it. The biggest mistake new writers make is carrying around copies of unfinished work to inflict on their friends.

I am sure it has been done with less, but you should be prepared to write and throw away a million words of finished material. By finished, I mean completed, done, ready to submit, and written as well as you know how at the time you wrote it.
-Jerry Pournelle

WHAT'S THIS HADLEYVILLE THING?

Those of you familiar with Mark Twain’s works might recognize my blog title. As Samuel Clemons grew older, he became increasingly disillusioned with humanity. Towards the end he began referring to the Damned Human Race; employing the secular and religious epithet at one stroke.

I find I’ve not reached that level of despair myself. I still believe in redemption and I still see signs of nobility even among we fallen, damned creatures. So, I could not bring myself to call this blog “On the Damned Human Race.” I do however, resonate with another of Clemmons stories; “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” And viola, there you have it. “Observations From Hadleyville.”