The Introverted Detective

 Just the other day I opened up an Ian Fleming James Bond novel to find terms that are offensive now, but were not offensive in 1952. If you look up old classic movies and books that are not of our time period we see that the gender roles are more boxed and rigid. My point is simply this; the time period of your entertainment makes a difference and should not be ignored. Let's dive into that.  Photo courtesy of The Guardian I'm starting this topic with a strong statement. History forgotten is history that repeats itself. If we burned and destroyed every offensive book on the whole earth we'd completely wipe the history shelf clean, have no historical fiction, forget our history, and then live it all over again. This is why banning books and entertainment is a huge problem and should not be happening. Aside from perhaps the books on dark magic (that isn't Harry Potter or fictional), I do not advocate that we get rid of books containing offensive language or ideas, but...

We have heard about Harry and Meghan leaving the royal family, but I'd like to invite you on a journey to dig deeper, to look at the cost of fame anywhere. What does it cost you to be famous? What is it like to live in a glass house and be watched, judged, and criticized daily? Put yourself in their shoes for a second.  Photo courtesy of Vanity Fair If you want the basics on what Harry and Meghan said about the royal family and the whole situation, I have a link here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/world/europe/oprah-interview-harry-meghan.html Other than that, I'm not going to into the details of it. What I'm focusing on today is how fame and not having a private life can affect the mental health and life of a celebrity (royal or not). When it comes to the royal family and the many social rules of what can be done, as well as expectations and titles, it gets complicated. Fame stresses vary everywhere. Exciting or dangerous? With fame comes the idea that you are now a w...

Writers are constantly observing everything. Anything can show up in our writing, especially people. When we want to base a character off of someone we don't know all that well it may be a bit awkward. How are we supposed to get close and observe their habits for our fictional character without appearing weird or creepy? This blog may help. If you wish to study the human race, please do it correctly and discreetly. This post is not a guide on how to stalk someone. I want to be clear. This post is how to study and people-watch humans you don't know all that well for the purposes of writing fictional characters, without getting stalking accusations slapped against you. I do not advocate following someone around like a film PI (because, frankly, it isn't even accurate legally) or popping up everywhere they go, due to the fact that if they notice you are doing this they will get a little upset (which can be anything from a stern conversation to legal stalking charges). The blog...

 If you came to a musical to have a cheery tune play through your brain you should beware of these. Though they are excellent choices of entertainment, they don't leave you happy. Some of them make points about society, some are just weird, but they do not leave you with fuzzy feelings. Join me in exploring the world of musicals. Photo by 25 YL A musical, for the purpose of our blog here, is determined to be in both film and live theatre form. Basically, if there are consistent songs throughout the acting scenes and script you have a musical. The dancing and singing have to be essential, according to the dictionary, so that is our standard here.  While there are plenty of upbeat, light musicals out there, you clicked this blog link to talk about the ones you don't watch for sheer comedy. If you want the light humor and show tune quality in another blog comment below, but without further adieu, we start with Les Miserables. Photo by Les Miserables  Les Miserables translate...

 As an avid reader who feels books almost have souls, I want to cry when I see gutted old books that might have been vintage set up as decor, or art that rips book pages from old, classic, antique books. I want to sob for every Nancy Drew book that anyone has ever destroyed for the sake of art. Books, to me at least, are more valuable than gold. That being said, if you are going to or have to destroy a book find a novel that is trash on paper or worth nothing (so, not antique or vintage). Today we explore what books are worth money and what books are not. Photo Courtesy of My Wall Decor Ideas An example of abused books Again, I implore you as a human being not to destroy these precious gifts that authors have given us and doom them to being useless decor. I know not everyone has room in their house to collect bookshelves of novels. There is a solution that will put some cash in your pocket or save you space - sell it or donate it. It is either that or you can pass the book on to th...

The cult classics are never going out of style, whether they hit the box office well or flopped. Some of them were experiments, graphic novels and books, or just the result of a British or American TV show spinoff. What cult classics have you seen?  Photo By Forbes What qualifies as a cult classic? Good question. The standard is that a film must have a devoted cult following, which means a devoted fan group in different wording. It can't be a short-lived infatuation. These films don't go away and fade out of memory in a few years. They are remembered years later and have sequels in some cases. Some films are remembered for being bad, so much so that we are laughing at the film in theatres when it isn't a comedy (like The Room ). Others are classics for being good and timeless. Princess Bride , just one example, is known as a fantastic film everywhere and is unlikely to be remade or enjoyed as a remake. There are a few of these movies that are known for their unique features...

Here we are discussing Brave , only today we are tackling the magic and folklore of the Brave movie. What are wisps? Do they really lead you to your fate or doom? Keep reading to find out. Photo courtesy of Surf and Sunshine  Those cute little blue flames are real folklore. Wisps are as bad as pixies. They are spirits of the dead or spirits of fairies that lead travelers off the beaten path and lead you to your doom (which does in fact change your fate) or treasure. According to folklore, you should be wary of them if you are out after sunset on an unfamiliar path.  Ignus Fatuus, or foolish fire, often leads lost travelers into the marshes. Why? Because it is a natural phenomenon that is due to decaying plants in marshy areas. It is a case of biology explained by the folk tales. Fun, right? So, please, don't follow those blue flames into the marshes and get stuck. They are not actually dead spirits or fairies. You will die in the bogs or drown there. People used to follow the...