Perspectives

Por que, Juan, por qué? -preguntaba su madre- Por qué te resulta tan difícilmente ser como el resto de la Bandada, Juan. Por qué no dejas los vuelos rasantes a los pelícanos y a los albatros...

Mira Juan -dijo su padre con cierta ternura- El invierno está cerca. Habrá pocos barcos, y los peces de superficie se habrán ido a las profundidades. Si quieres estudiar, estudia sobre la comida y cómo conseguirla. Esto de volar es muy bonito, pero no puedes comerte un planeo, sabes? No olvides que la razón de volar es comer.

Juan Salvador Gaviota. Richard Bach.

Let me fly 🌅🪽 !.

The Walking Dead

Who is the Walking Dead?

  The Walking Dead is a TV horror drama developed by Fran Darabont. The original series came for a comic book series of the same name. It started in Oct 31, 2010, on the cable channel AMC in the USA and right now it is is in its fourth season.

  It is simply the best in it own genre. The Walking Dead is original, has its own brand and perfectly differentiate from other genres in TV. There is no other TV drama that could capture 16.1 million viewers for its fourth season premiere to become the most watched drama series telecast in basic cable history.

  What Does The Walking Dead do?  The Walking Dead entertains people by presenting a TV show in which two kind of human beings are in constant battle and their skills, either in one side or the other, are really important to make the human race survive: The dead and alive. Who is going to win? On one hand, the vast majority of dead people whose purpose is to eat and transform humans into walking dead. On the other hand, the humans alive will need to use their thinking skills to survive the dead crowd with no loss. A battle between intelligence in alive people vs majority in dead people… who is going to win?

  Why Does it matter?  AMC’s passion is the entertainment business and this company realizes that being in the top is to create a TV show with wonderful settings and plots where the story gets our attention. This is the reason AMC initially invested 3.5 million per episode to add extras, special effects and filming outdoors which is more expressive than in a indoor studio.

 The Walking Dead matters because is a unique TV story. It is interesting by selecting a theme never brought to the TV sets. It is also thrilling when the walking dead or the crowd move with all those special effects and amazing make up to get a human alive.

 It matters because at the end, the only purpose of every creation and product is to get the attention of public to get our mission accomplished.

      References

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(TV_series)

http://www.omg-facts.com/Fun+Facts/The-Walking-Dead-Has-A-2-8-Million-Dolla/56246?lp=1

I met Vikki Carr long time ago thanks to my sister. She used to wake up in the morning by listening to Vikki Carr’s songs using my old stereo system. She listened that Spanish song “Total” that says “At the end, if you would have loved me I would have forgotten your love/ You see, it was a lost time the one you have meditated to tell me now that this can not be possible”.

I liked that song, really, as I like to have this interview with the one that woke me up in the morning in a mysterious way. She is right now through the phone, with a set of pre-determined questions underling the kind of relationship with the entertainment business people.

Vikky Carr, according to her website (http://vikkicarr.com) was born in El Paso Texas "and raised in Southern California, the eldest of seven children, who later change her name to Vikky Carr." She started singing at the age of four, but it was not until 1961 when she signed a contract with Liberty Records. She recorded He's a Rebel which became the first hit in Australia, and later on she sang It Must Be Him "which charged up the charts in England" says her website.

With almost 50 years of professional experience as a singer, we had this awesome opportunity to talk with this wonderful woman, who have tasted the fame without losing her charm, her singularity, her qualities as a human being, and this is my way to thank her for this interview, which in this case is focused in making entertainment deals around the world due to her singing career.

  How do you deal with people in a negotiation process, do you play hard o soft ball?

“I think the artist should always be dedicated to his art, and let the manager or lawyer deal with those details of negotiation. My function is to sing to an audience and I do not want to get involved in those little details of the agreement. When I get involved in the contract is just in the final phase when it is time to sign that deal”, said Vikki Carr.

To his manager, Dann Moss, playing hard or soft ball depends on “who you are negotiating with, in what country you are negotiating with, because people in different countries negotiate in different ways”. To Vikki Carr’s lawyer you need to make sure that the money is there, in the USA, before the performance because “you do not want to get involved in a lengthy negotiation process” in case something is wrong. The Japanese, he explains, when you sign a contract “their word is their bond and integrity is their word that they will honor that contract”, while in the Middle East, he explains further, the negotiation starts when you sign the contract. We need to understand, resumes Vikki’s manager, “what every person or country or people put into the importance of a signed contract, and their words and what it means to them.” It is also then when we have a beautiful negotiation process.

  Have you ever applied dirty tricks in a negotiation?

  “We always play clear, says Vikki, and we do not want to make dirty tricks and we try to play fare. We recognize that everybody in the game should get something; however there have been times when the singer gets less than the other agents in the process, and this is the reason I got an agent who deals with those issues.”

I think at the end of the day, replies Dann, a good philosophy is that everybody needs to win something, and you cannot take everything off the table. Everything is about sharing, he explains, and “we need to make sure that the people we are negotiating with, make money so they can come back and do another contract”. According to the manager they do not take all the marbles off the table in a negotiation process.

Dann Moss is Vikki Carr's lawer. According to his resume Dann was a co-founder and partner in the Law Firm of Thompson, Shankman, Bond and Moss. The firm specialized in the entertainment and communication industries. Dann then began, his own practice discovering and building new artists, negotiating television, publishing, licensing and recording agreements and producing international television specials and motion pictures.

  What happen -I asked- with those people that are tricky in your negotiation and what do you do Dann?  Have you ever found people like that, trying to get advantage from you?

  Yes, says Dann, in Paris. We had an agreement with my director and the theatre manager to reserve 27 seats for 3 sets of camera that were supposed to record the show. We marked those seats in the planogram to make sure those seats were not sold to the public so we can record the show. A month later we came back to put our cameras in place using those spaces, and the theater manager approached to me to tell me I could not use those seats since they were already sold. I told the manager our agreement and he said, “I am sorry, they are sold”. Don’t worry, I said, I will take care of the problem and talked to my secretary to print an invitation saying “Please excuse the inconvenience. You are cordially invited to seat on the stage for the performance and I personally invited to a champagne reception with Ms Silva Gartan after the show”. Then the manager came and said “you can not have people on the stage and I said “that is your problem”. Obviously, he said finally, there were more people giving out their seat so they can go to the reception. In that way, he concludes, we separate people from the problem.

Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.

Fernando Pessoa (via quotemadness)

Literature must be a wonder, the most intriguing and hidden secret that nobody can unfold, but the writer

wisdom

Suspense and Foreshadowing—Two Great Tools for Writers

I’ve found that foreshadowing and suspense often get confused. Sometimes writers even forget about them. It’s time for a quick reminder about why these are such great tools for writers and how you can use them in your next story.

What is Suspense?

Anyone can put together points in a story’s plot map. You’ve got your inciting incident, a few things that happen to move the story along, then the climax and resolution.

Suspense is what keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the page in between each of those stages.

It works in every genre and helps every story. It may even be what your work is missing if you’re stuck in your WIP because you’ve lost interest.

Example: Carver is a restaurant server and sees his crush, Aiden, get seated at Table 2 with his friends. He’s had this crush for forever and decides it’s now or never. He has to ask Aiden out before he leaves after dinner.

Where’s the suspense?: There’s an emotional suspense in the relatability of feeling nervous about asking someone out after crushing on them for a while. There’s also time-related suspense because sooner than later, Aiden will pay the check and leave. The clock is running out from the moment Carver makes his decision.

Where could you add suspense?: Carver might need to take on more tables because his coworker leaves for a family emergency. He’s rushing around twice as busy for the rest of the night. Then other guests need extra things, like another set of silverware or a ketchup refill. The night passes quickly, so Carver almost misses Aiden walking out to his car.

What is Foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing helps build your suspense. It’s one of the key ingredients that you can work into your first draft while you’re writing or while you’re in the editing process.

You don’t need foreshadowing in every story to create suspense or keep your reader interested. However, it can be a great way to support it.

Example: After Carver decides to stop by Aiden’s table before he leaves, he’s so busy serving other tables that the group in his window booth get up and leave. They’re irritated that their food is late, so they talk with the manager before leaving for another restaurant.

Why is this foreshadowing?: It demonstrates how the events building the suspense—the other server leaving suddenly and forcing Carver to serve twice as many tables—make it more likely that Carver will miss Aiden. It also mirror’s Carver’s Worst Case Scenario: that he’s now too busy to fulfill his goal before Aiden leaves, because he was too busy with his other tables to get food to his guests before they left too.

Other Forms of Suspense

Suspense can happen in a few ways besides general plot points. You can also heighten the tension with things like:

Making your characters feel the suspense for the reader (they get anxious, start acting out of fear, feel their stomach knot up, verbally snap at another character).

Changing the scenery (the lights go dark because the power goes out, other characters step between the protagonist and their goal, the protagonist must leave due to an unforeseen reason).

Using specific descriptive word choices (maybe the vibe in a room becomes tense, someone feels agitated, a foul odor burns at the protagonist’s nose and makes them uncomfortable)

Varying your sentence structure (choppy sentences create suspense, while long sentences sound more monotonous).

Introducing conflict for the protagonist (make things go wrong so they have to sweat through a few challenges to reach their goals).

Other Forms of Foreshadowing

You may have heard of a few of these before, but they could still be something your story needs to deepen your plot or become more gripping. Think about adding foreshadowing tools like:

Flashbacks: maybe your protagonist has tried and failed/succeeded at a similar goal before

Chekov’s gun: introduce something that your character will use in the future (could be a literal gun, an object that they’ll use later to accomplish their goal, a person they’ll come back to for the friendship they seek, a trauma they’re pushing away and eventually have to face)

A prophecy: could be a literal prophecy from an oracle, but could also be something lighthearted in a fortune cookie, a Magic 8 ball, something a character mentions in passing to the protagonist, etc.

Symbolism: your character might set out for their first day on a job and drive there in a terrible thunderstorm, show up to the wrong location, immediately break the copy machine, etc. Something negative in the environment or a character making a bad choice/mistake can be symbolic for their overall goal or phase of life.

A red herring: your character believes somebody or something to be their antagonist/the reason for their conflicts, but it turns out to be something or somebody else

When to Use Foreshadowing or Suspense

It would be great if every writer knew exactly how to use one or both of these tools while they were working through their first draft. That might be possible if you’ve spent a long time figuring out the exact plot before sitting down to write, but that isn’t always the case.

You could add new elements of suspense or moments of foreshadowing while you’re in the process of writing. Just make sure you note what your wrote and why so you can carry that thread through to its completion or revelation later on.

You can also add these moments while editing. If your first draft feels like it’s missing something, adding in a new conflict and revising to work it into the rest of the draft could greatly improve your story. It’s also possible to drop a foreshadowing device in one chapter and jump ahead to another to make it reappear/complete the foreshadowing.

Capitulo 4: It is just the fucking rain! No, it is not!

Por que usted me besa?… Tiene acaso problemas de aceptación o pertenencia?

Qué?… filosofía y sicología con el beso, en teoría aplicada a la realidad?

No me ande besando!

Usted empezó! Yo le besé la frente, usted levantó su cabeza! dijo el amigo en tono ríspido.

Chismoso! dijo ella.

El sonrió y carcajeó, e interpretó el fenómeno como inherente al género, y recordó a su abuelita cuando en la mañana solía traer el chocolate a la mesa con la pieza de pan diciendo “los hombres voltean nuestra cabeza mi hijo, y tienes como dos pensamientos simultáneos rodando y merodeando por las mentes”. Mientras en eso estaba absorto, Helena oye un sonido lejano que le parecía familiar. Un sonido lejano, que parecía acercarse más y más hasta que distinguió perfectamente el lenguaje del búho en la noche, entre los truenos y la lluvia, con un oído afinado que alcanza a descifrar el enigma. Es el buho! Es el buho! se contestó asimisma, e inmediatamente exclamó

Corra, corra! dijo Helena agitada mientras tomaba fuertemente la mano de su amigo al pasar el momento de soledad de pareja, y que instantáneamente los trae, como rayo, a una escena, y presentados en una escenario natural. La obra de teatro natural ya empezaba. Esa es la maravilla de los seres humanos rodeados de todos los elementos naturales: cielo, estrellas, luces, rayos, lluvia, entorno, y en medio de todo, estaban ellos, ellos dos, dos parejas que coincidían en el tiempo especifico para complementar una obra que ya se anunciaba por la naturaleza, y el sonido de los búhos, era sólo el presagio de una encomienda que estaba a punto de ser desenrollada, como una nueva carpeta en una casa vieja, que al girar de su rollo, empieza a cubrir viejos espacios para interponer los nuevos con una mirada más actualizada de la casa.

Corre! Corre! decía Helena, y asía fuertemente la mano de su amigo, y se iban corriendo por los corredores del Paseo del Rio con la lluvia pegando fuerte en sus cabezas, pero sin descansar, mientras del otro lado del rio, otro hombre y otra mujer, también, corrían en lineas paralelas, acelerando en igual sentido, y solo separados por la canal del rio, en el lado opuesto.

Mirala! Ahi esta!, Va corriendo con aquel hombre, dijo Xuxa mientras buscaba un puente de cruce para alcanzarlos. Where is the fucking bridge around here? exclamó Xuxa y al no verlo, se arroja sobre las estancadas agua del rio sin reflejar en su higiene, y Dolman hace lo mismo para llegar al otro extremo del rio. 

Que no se pierdan! dijo Dolman, que no se pierdan de vista! mientras sorteaban los botes turísticos, y los transeúntes Del Río empezaban a ver con molestia y enigma cómo dos individuos rompían las reglas de las buenas conductas en una ciudad vibrante.                                    Mientras tanto, Helena y su compañero parecían volar en los corredores y corrían como si trajeran un scooter en un acera de la ciudad,  confundiéndose con la muchedumbre del Río, y los otros caminantes sólo sentían momentáneamente los empujones y embestidas de una pareja en prisa.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ven! Y Helena sigue presionando frenéticamente la mano de su amigo. Sabia que si los atrapaban, sabía que si lograban ponerle la mano encima, lo perdería para siempre, para siempre. Lo sabía! Sabía que lo eliminarían de la ecuación…. 

Los viste dónde se metieron?, preguntó Dolban

Están detrás del árbol, escondidos atrás de el, exclamó Xuxa, mientras encaminaban sus pasos hacia ellos con prisa y tocando, y cerciorándose que tenían los instrumento necesarios para su captura, debajo de sus ropas.

Me quiere explicar que está pasando? dijo su amigo.  Y lo besó con un beso ardiente! Quédese aquí, dijo ella, y no salga por ningún motivo, e inmediatamente salió del escondite para dirigirse y enfrentar a sus enemigos.                                                                                                        Qué es lo que contiene un beso? Qué extraños poderes trae? Cuáles son los elementos del beso que, como recetas de cocina, se arman buenas comidas en unos comensales dispuestos a disfrutar las alimentos preparadas por los ingredientes de un beso. Por qué el beso, inyecta una potencia en el ser humano, no sólo para identificar una selección, sino también para revestir el cuerpo de una potencia, que todo lo avasalla, por el contacto de dos labios, por las definiciones de una piel, por el sabor de labios entrelazados entre frutas ásperas o dulces, jugosas o  secos.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Y Helena se dirigió afuera, y ya estaba esperandolos, dispuesta a confrontar el momento.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Al otro lado, y contigüo, un restaurante sonaba una canción….                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       “I come home, in the mornin' light

My mother says, "When you gonna live your life right?"

Oh momma dear, we're not the fortunate ones

And girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just wanna have fun

The phone rings, in the middle of the night

My father yells, "What you gonna do with your life?"

Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one

But girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just wanna have 

Escritos guardados  “En el Taller de Marco”

Platicas de Cafe

Querida Amiga: Cuanto gusto me causo su presencia del dia de ayer. Encuentro siempre que las bondades del ser humano son mayores cuando hacen acto de presencia, y en ellos muestran su aprecio y bienaventuranza a quien los recibe. Cuantas cosas no compartimos bajo las terrulias de cafe y pan, que no fueron de licor y vino, para no exaltar nuestras emociones en impetus juveniles que comprometen mas alla de la amistad, y agradezco la prudencia y sapiencia suya, al escoger cafe y pan sobre el licor y el vino. El cafe tiene ese sabor rico, que despierta en una manana venteada, y oye el susurrar del viento mientras una buena lectura de Ana Karenina se sostiene en las manos. Y dentro de esos momentos agradables, aun recuerdo cuando tuvo a bien aproximarse, y en una parte de sus discursos dijo estar cansada de decir una y otra vez lo que no entienden otras personas. Parecia estar angustiada por lo que otros no comprendian de usted, y en mi afan de querer ayudar, si es que me lo permite, me quede pensando y realice que usted no necesita entender a las personas; solo aceptarlas como son. No hay mucho que deba agregar a este comentario por cuanto aceptar es querer a la persona como es, por cuanto no se trata de nulificar a uno para justificar al otro, y menospreciar al uno en exaltacion al otro, por cuanto hay un respeto envuelto en ambas personalidades. Espero fervientemente que estas escasas lineas le puedan servir para clarificar ideas, y admito, que es mi deseo poder ayudarle con las interrogantes que de repente encontramos en este mundo, atribulado por las interrogantes que no encontramos. Sin mas por el momento, quedo de usted.