My Blog

Kicking Ass and Taking Names

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It seems like everywhere I turned today, I ran into the phrase "kicking ass and taking names."  It may have been clever the first time it was used, but it has become a cliche and, as such, lost whatever power it had.  Remember when "cut to the chase" used to sound clever? Now it’s as sharp a line as "stop beating around the bush."

WGA Election

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Today, I attended a gathering at screenwriter John Brancato’s home of "Writers United," a slate of candidates running for the Board of the  Writers Guild of America. Their most eloquent and impassioned speaker was vp candidate David Weiss, who outlined the "platform" that sets them apart from the other slate (I’m sure they have a nifty name, too, but I’ve forgotten it ). Basically, Writers United wants the Guild to focus more of its resources on organizing (bringing new writers into the fold), corporate/industry analysis (research on the companies to give us a better negotiating strategy), and stronger alliances with other industry unions and guilds.

Before the formal presentations began, I talked casually with some of the other attendees, all of whom shared my feeling that the WGA has, basically, been embarrassing itself and its members with its actions the last few years (President Victora Riskin resigning in scandal, her successor Charles Holland resigning in scandal, very public infighting between the WGAw and the WGAe, etc.).

Unlike previous WGA elections, I have no idea who to vote for, so I am going to these events with my eyes and ears wide open.  Next, I’ll attend an event hosted by the opposing slate to see what they have to say and how they differ from the Writers United slate. That said, I tend not to follow slates. I prefer to vote for individuals I believe in with bold ideas and views/priorities/concerns similar to my own.

Scientific Breakthroughs Nobody Can Live Without

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Now you can take what’s on your home TV anywhere you go and not get bitten by a single mosquito while you do it.

"Slingbox, which costs about $250, is from Sling Media Inc. of San Mateo, Calif.
Using a box connected to your home TV setup, it sends the signal out onto the
Internet, allowing you to watch a video stream of your home channels from any
Windows computer with broadband access and the Sling software installed…In addition to the signal, Slingbox sends along the TiVo controls I have at
home. "

"This summer, I tried something new: killer threads — clothing that supposedly
zaps bugs before they can zap you. It’s called Buzz Off Insect Repellent
Apparel. You wear it instead of insecticide, although it may be more accurate to
say you become a walking tower of insecticide.

Barbara Seranella is on the mend

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I know a lot of you were worried about my friend author Barbara Seranella, who recently had liver transplant surgery.  I’m pleased to say she’s on the mend. Here’s a note from her:

Hi All, I just went through all my cards from the last two months. Again, I 
am blown away by the love. I’m home in the desert, really digging it. I 
drove my car yesterday. Everyday is a new landmark. I hired a
round-the-clock  caregiver, Ophelia. She made me a sandwich yesterday and
then admitted that it  was the first one she had ever made. Then I learned
she used to build houses  with her Uncle and knew a lot about plumbing.
Yesterday, she fixed the toilet. Today we go after a leaking
faucet.

Turns out I have to get the surgeon’s "permission" to travel. I
really want  to and fully expect to go to Chicago, so I’m working real hard
to blow him away  when I see him next. Again thank you to the million
friends who held me in their thoughts and  prayers these last two months.

Maybe I Should Move to Chicago

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David J. Montgomery, a familiar name to those of you who frequent this obscure corner of the  blogosphere, had this to say today about DIAGNOSIS MURDER: THE PAST TENSE in his mystery column in today’s Chicago Sun-Times:

Books spun off from television series are often scorned by critics despite  their popularity. One author out to change their reputation is Lee Goldberg,  a screenwriter who has produced at least a dozen novels as well as scores of  TV shows.

With his fifth book in the "Diagnosis Murder" series, The Past Tense (Signet, $6.99), Goldberg has proven that excellent writing can be found anywhere, even in a TV tie-in novel.When the body of a woman dressed as a mermaid washes up  on the beach, everyone is perplexed except for Dr. Mark Sloan (the character played on television by Dick Van Dyke). Sloan recognizes the clues that tie the body to a
series of murders nearly four decades before, a case that haunts him still.

The Past Tense contains all the elements of a fine mystery novel: good  characters, interesting plot, surprising twists and, above all, crisp and enjoyable writing. With books this good, who needs TV?

He also has some really nice things to say in his column about my friends Zoe Sharp (who I will be signing with in L.A. next month) and Terrill Lee Lankford. Thank you, David!

My Evil Doubles

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I was procrastinating this morning, so I decided to see what folks were saying about me in the blogosphere (via Blogpulse). And I found this:

My friends at WJBQ made mention
of the blog again yesterday…and let the cat out of the bag that I love
Lee Goldberg.

Surely she’s not talking about me. So who is this Lee Goldberg who fills her heart with passionate yearning? Who torments her nights with unquenchable lust? I had to find out. So I searched the web for my evil, sexy double…

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LeeLee_goldberg  Goldberg1Grne0712_smPierce7

5421158Here are few of the "Lee Goldbergs" out there.   I’m surprised by how many of them are writers or TV Goldbergsdnewscasters. I wonder if they get hate mail from fanficcers, too?

Playing in Someone Else’s Sandbox

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I received this lengthy email the other day. It read, in part:

I can understand intellectual property concerns about currently or recently
active creative concepts, but when a creative concept has been tried and
presented by the producers and craftsmen, has run its course and been
cancelled, has stopped being shown in reruns, has no active tie-ins, and
appears to have been completely mothballed by the original creators and
stakeholders of the concept – AT THAT POINT, would you still consider it
wrong for a fanfiction author to attempt to step in and write creatively in
that sandbox?

I ask this because I had been considering a fanfiction based on a series
you produced 10 years ago that has disappeared from the face of the earth.
I admit, as a potential fan-fiction writer, that the lure of
already established character study materials, settings, etc., is enticing –
like the idea of taking down and playing with a set of dolls – er, I mean,
ACTION FIGURES.

As for my own writing career, I’ve never had the courage
to try creating something truly original…

Here is how I replied: My personal feeling is that you are better off, in every possible
way, writing something original. I would never consider writing in "someone
else’s sandbox" unless they invited me to.  I never contemplated writing DIAGNOSIS MURDER or MONK novels. I am only writing those books now because
the rights-holders and/or  creators asked me to.  So my answer to you is this…the
show you’re thinking about, whatever it is, doesn’t belong to you. Or me. Write something that is your
own. The creative and personal benefits far outweigh the convenience of writing
with someone else’s creations. Good luck!