NanoFAILmo . . .

I can already sense that Nano for me is going to be a failure.  Last week was disastrous - mainly because I had my first car accident on Monday and haven't really written since.  The shock of it seemed to sap all my creativity.  My happy place for most of last week was wrapped under a blanket whilst wallowing in front of the TV.  Physically I wasn't hurt but I just felt really...you know...meh.  Wasn't a good week.

I knew then Nano wasn't gonna happen.

Still, I'm going to finish the piece I'm writing.  I love the whole idea of it.  It's called 'Tunnel' and is a Zombie flick about a group of people trapped on the London Underground.  It's one for Amazon :)  

So for all those out there writing their little hearts out, keep going.  You have a week.  Go boost that word count!! 

Pic of the Week . . . Snow

In honor of those out in the New York State with all that snow.  Keep safe out there, and don't forget your furry friends.  They need somewhere warm too.

I couldn't find the artist of this piece, so if you know
who they are, let me know and I'll credit them.

Lest We Forget . . .

NanoFAILmo...

*lol...nanoFailmo??? See what I did there???

Aaaand back to reality:

A few weeks ago, what with everything suddenly Zombie in my life, I come up with a fun little idea for a horror story that I just couldn't stop thinking about.  So I decided I was going to write it but I didn't want to spend that much time and effort on it, time and effort that should be dedicated to my main project, so when I was reminded of Nano I thought it the perfect opportunity.

I've never signed up for Nano.  I've always put the effort into my own work, but a month off to work on said new project?  Perfect.  It would be just the push I need to write the new piece yet not spend too long on it.  I took the plunge and signed up about 2 days before it started.  So there I was, with the briefest of outlines, no research, and a looming start date - a start date I couldn't actually start on because of a planned day out in London.  Off to a good start.  I eventually started on the 3rd November, and even though I started in high spirits, I have to report that I'm actually failing in keeping up.  Life just keeps getting in the way, especially weekends.

At an average of 1.7k words a day, today I should be hitting the 16k mark.  Yep.  I'm at 5k.  Still, with quiet evenings ahead, it's still do-able.  I could still catch up.  All is not yet lost.

I'll keep you informed...  

Zombie Evacuation Race . . .

http://zombieevacuation.com/

I had such a fun weekend.

Saturday 25th October meant Zombie Evacuation Race for us.  It was a 5k obstacle fun run with a twist to raise money for charity.  I didn't run (have you seen me run?  I'd probably frighten the zombies away) but I did join the 200 odd zombie volunteers that plagued the route, leaping out and scaring the terrified runners trying desperately to keep hold of their life tags.  They each got five on a belt and we had to steal them.  If you had at least one left by the time you crossed the finish line then you survived.  Those with none were infected.

The whole atmosphere of the day was brilliant.  Even the people working there were in army gear and protective lab suits.  Everyone was friendly and we all got goody bags at the end of the day.  Everyone loves a freebie :)  There were four in our party in total; one runner (running by herself as her boyfriend hurt his back and so had to pull out last minute.  She was terrified) and the rest of us zombies.

There were different zombie levels you could choose from.  The LIMPERS such as those from the Walking Dead who limp around certain areas in order to make you jump, or the CHASERS from the likes of 28 Days Later and WWZ who sprint after you in the Fast Zones.  And then there were zombies in between.  I was a Gorger who mingled with the Limpers, and I claimed a place between a narrow section in the path.  I crouched beside a log and hung between a V-shaped tree in my blood stained PJs, reaching out for passer-bys, and because it was a narrow section they had no choice but to squeeze past me whilst giving off high-pitched squeals (and that was mainly the men).

Make up artists were available to give you the full effect and some people looked utterly terrifying.  It was a non-contact event but we were warned that occasionally runners get so involved and so terrified that their natural reaction may take over and they may hit out.  My arm was slapped out the way a good few times, but nothing major.  However, I managed to witness this fear first hand when a women saw me, screamed, and in an attempt to get out of my reach ran head-first into the tree opposite.  She collapsed in a heap in front of me and I had no idea what to do.  Luckily the person she was running with stopped and helped her, and I managed to find her in the medical tent after the event to ask if she was okay.  She was.  She had a slight concussion though.  However, one person obviously didn't think I was scary and patted me on the head as he run past.  I had to laugh.

The day was brilliant though.  I don't know about the US or around the world, but these events run a couple of times every year in the UK, and so if you're interested, keep an eye out on their website or like them on facebook for updates on when the next event is and then register.  I'm definitely signing up again for the next one.

Zombie me in my tree nick-named
'the happiest zombie on the course'...grrrrr...)

Zombie friend looking suitably horrific...

'The lonesome runner'...and our driver so we couldn't eat her 

I'm still scouting for photos but if you want to see more of the day, check out the Zombie Evacuation gallery here.

Dracula: Untold . . .

I recently went and saw Dracula Untold in the cinema.  As I've said many times before, I'm easily pleased when it comes to films and this one was no different.  It was darkish, gritty, and an enjoyable 90 minutes for me.

I've been intrigued with the idea of this film for sometime.  I've always held an interest in the historical element of Vlad the Impaler (and originally thought this film was his story) but it's more about Stoker's version and tells of how Dracula became the Lord of Darkness that he's now known as.  It mixes historical points, such as Vlad's brutal upbringing with the Turks, his protective rule over Walachia and Transylvania, and the raging wars that saw thousands impaled, with Stoker's fiction.  Even though I would have liked a more historical account, I wasn't disappointed with the mix of Stoker's vampirism.

A friend of mine wasn't too keen on seeing it, thinking what could they possibly add to the vampire genre that hasn't already been done and stretched to point of ridiculousness?  But she was pleasantly surprised.  There are a few elements within it that could easily be the usual vampire cheese (I won't give spoilers), but for the most part, it steered away from the typical.  I put this down to the historical element that lends itself to the story, no matter how accurate or inaccurate that may be.  

Reading some of the reviews going around the web, not everyone shares my opinion.  Some reviews are absolutely dire, saying there's a reason why this story was 'Untold', but I have to think, does it really deserve something that low?  Ok, it wasn't the oscar-winning masterpiece that trailers often make films out to be, but it was far from wrist-slitting, awful stuff.  FAR from it.  There were points that could have been dealt with better.  I would have liked to explore the demon that gave Vlad his powers more, think Vlad should have had more interaction with him before making his decision that it was the only way, and would have liked to see his struggle coming to grips with the change.  I know the character was thrown in at the deep end and probably didn't have time to consider whether what he was doing was for the best or have time to learn about his new abilities, but he suddenly became master of his powers without having time to fully know what he was capable of.  

Other than that, I LOVED the visuals with the bats, loved the settings and generally loved the film regardless of what others may think, and Luke Evans provided satisfying Eye-Candy in the form of a man torn between his rule and his family.  The only thing that annoyed me was a scene in the beginning where Vlad rides his horse away from the mountain - a horse that looked more like a Shetland pony than the impressive steed you'd expect the Prince of Transylvania to be riding...I mean, they could have at least measured for size before shooting.  It wouldn't have taken anything extra out of the budget. Jeeeez...

Pic of the Week . . . Mark Bryan

ON THIS DAY . . . (haven't done one of these in a while) in 1091, London was hit by a massive tornado, measuring T8/F4.  It's the first ever recorded tornado in the UK and destroyed churches, houses and businesses.  Even London Bridge, which was made from wood at the time, was destroyed. It's estimated that 18,000 people inhabited London at the time, all witness to the twister that tore through, and even though around 600 were left homeless, only 2 people were killed.

This fueled a tornado theme for Pic of the Week, and I found artist Mark Bryan whose work, I think, verges on a combination of reality vs dreamscape.  I really liked this piece for its imaginative simplicity.

You can see more of Mark's work on his website and prints are available to buy.

Enjoy and have a great weekend :)

'The Tornado Men' by Mark Bryan