Sunday, January 20, 2013

American Idol Wins Night with Lowest Debut Ratings

American Idol has become completely predictable. We know in the first shows we're going to see some inspirational stories, some good singing, some horrible singing, along with screaming, cursing, and disappointment from the many contestants. I know fans of the show who won't watch the auditions anymore because they know what's going to happen. As a result, the show's debut last week won its night with the lowest debut ratings in its history. What can we learn from that? Predictability in popular art can be good for your audience. For example, successful detective series like Robert Parker's Spenser series and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels feature lead and supporting characters the readers come to know and love. The authors keep the books interesting by varying the mysteries their characters solve and the characters they meet each book. Similarly, a good reality show like American Idol benefits from the predictability of its formula, as long as it can vary it enough each season with compelling competitors. The only question about the shows was how the new judges would work out. If you've seen the shows or read the coverage you know that Nicky Minaj became the star of the panel - dominating the dialogue with the characters, initiating catty fights with Mariah Carey, and dressing to impress or shock the audience. However, if people are tuning in just to see conflict between the judges, American Idol is on its way out. It's the contestants who need to be the stars -- something that the producers appeared to have lost sight of in the last couple of years. People don't turn into football games to hear Phil Simms or Howie Long, or any of the other analysts. Yes, their analysis helps the viewer enjoy the games, but the players and the teams are the attraction. If the show producers really are relying on their judges for compelling storylines, this could well be the last season of American Idol. If you're creating a series of books, television shows, or movies, make sure you create a basic formula that allows for variations on the theme. And remember, it's the characters we care about, and keep them compelling. Also remember my first poetry book, "Two Car Garage" is now available at amazon.com and bn.com

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

How Poetry Can Help You

Four years ago I started to write an essay about taking my son to college. I tried several approaches, but I was blocked. After a couple of weeks I sat down to write the essay again and a poem appeared on the page. I've been writing poetry ever since. Some of my poems have been published by websites and magazines. This week my first book, Two Car Garage, is being published by CHB Media, a Florida publishing company. The book is now available on both Amazon.com and bn.com for only $9.99. What I learned writing the poems that went into the book can help you create whatever form of content you want to create. The three most important lessions were: 1. Practice -- I was proud of my first poem, but the poems I'm writing now after four years of practice are much better. Whatever you want to do -- paint portraits, write movies, create television shows, etc. -- you will improve if you practice. If you do nothing else, keep working on your craft. 2. Get support -- I did some research and learned that a lot of writers joined writers groups to get creative support and honest critiques of their work. It didn't take a lot of internet searching to find several writers groups in my home town. Find the people in your home town that are doing what you want to do. The support is priceless. 3. Learn from the best. I also read poetry -- both the classics and the best work that's being done today. I attended poetry readings by professional poets. I went to poetry and writing workshops to learn how to improve. I may not have been able to meet Robert Frost and ask him how to write a poem, but I can buy his complete poems and learn from them. So if you want to write novels, read great novels. If you want to direct films, watch and analyze the work of the great directors. If you want to paint pictures, make sure you see the work of the great masters in person. I started from writing my first poem to my first book in a little over three years. You may take less time to realize your dream, or you may take more time. The only sure thing is that, if you don't try, you're guaranteed not to suceed.