Another Superman Movie? Really?

In the quest to find super heroes, here's a new one for you. Superman, yet again.

Henry Cavill, the star of Showtime's "The Tudors," has been cast as iconic superhero Superman in a film to be directed by Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures confirmed in a statement Jan. 30.

"In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen," Snyder said. "I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and 'S' shield."

Cavill will be seen later this year playing Greek warrior Theseus in director Tarsem Singh's action picture "Immortals," and opposite Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver in the thriller "The Cold Light of Day."

The 27-year-old actor was reportedly on the shortlist for "Superman Returns" when McG was to direct it, but when Bryan Singer took over the project he went with Brandon Routh instead.

Some fans don't, and didn't like either of these choices for their hero. Many die-hard Superman fans were hoping for Tom Welling from the TV series Smallville (Clark Kent/Superman) for this latest endeavor. 

So are you a Superman fan? What do you think? Which actor would be your choice for this iconic roll?

Kaye

Challenger -- Do You Remember?

NASA recalls darkest moments...

The space shuttle Challenger STS-51L spaceflight ended in tragedy on Jan. 28, 1986, 73 seconds after liftoff. Seven astronauts died that day, when the Challenger space shuttle was destroyed.

It was NASA's first in-flight calamity, and it dealt an especially severe blow to the millions of teachers and students watching on TV to see Christa McAuliffe, a civilian high school teacher from New Hampshire, become NASA's first Teacher in Space.

Today is the 25 year anniversary of that fateful day.

The loss of Challenger was later attributed to a failed seal on one of the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters. An investigation board concluded that cold weather prevented a rubber O-ring from maintaining its seal, allowing hot gas to leak and damage the shuttle's external fuel tank and the hardware attaching the booster to the vehicle. The right solid rocket booster separated from the shuttle, and the fuel tank broke apart, causing the orbiter to be torn apart by aerodynamic stresses.

"The problem was a design flaw, complicated by the weather situation which was unrecognized at the time by the appropriate managers," Hale said. "We wished that we had the foresight to stand up collectively and say, 'Look, it's too cold a day to launch, we just ought to wait for a warmer day.' In retrospect it seems so simple; at the time, it just didn't happen."

Veteran shuttle astronaut Ron Garan, who is slated to fly to the International Space Station in March aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, said the anniversaries of Challenger and the other accidents highlight the lessons learned from those events. "It's a time to reflect and it's a time to remember those people who have sacrificed to get us where we are," Garan told SPACE.com. "A lot of the lessons learned in this business are written in blood, and if we don't learn from them, those people died in vain."

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So where were you on that day? Were you watching from a classroom like many students?

Kaye

Character Connections

My ongoing quest to create intriguingly mysterious outrageously sexy  and sensually unbelievable realistic characters... Or Hey, who is that guy?

I'm working on creating several characters for a new story, yet again. Now I know other writers who don't use or need a deep process to make their characters work for them in a story. They can just start writing and the character comes alive for them and develops on its own. I say great for them.

As for me, I need something more. Maybe it's because I usually write SFR but I really have to know inside and out, those who are the people, or aliens as the case may be in my story in order to make them realistic.

I don't use the typical character sketch lists you see floating around everywhere. I prefer a great method created by romance author, Alice Orr. She holds workshops on writing and in my opinion, this is one of her best.

Here is a very brief description of her character method:  

Just start writing about your character from birth to the present and let it rip. You can go back and fill in blank spaces later if need be. Look inside your character and see what makes him/her tick--what they feel about everything from being born to the nicks along the way of life. How they relate and handle everything. Ask your character questions. Write it like you're writing an article about someones life, or doing an interview. It really feels like uncovering a mystery. Then you'll have something to pull from when writing your story. Having the plot idea in mind first is helpful in creating your characters. That way they won't be hanging there out of context. 

For me, this method does make sense and my characters seem to become so much stronger and more real. Since I do a lot of Sci-Fi world building and alien characters, I've found this process truly opens up my worlds. It does helps me uncover things I may miss in the new world or culture I'm creating. Really. Because to know my characters well is to know more about their cultural life too.  Once I get going with it, my characters reveal hidden secrets about themselves and their world that I may not have even thought about.

Oh, and did I mention it's great fun. It doesn't take forever either. The other perk is that doing this can jump start a lagging creative process, and thus helps me get that story written.

I actually do this for all my characters, secondary and villains as well. All I can say is, this works for me. I feel I create better stories and deeper characters than if I just started writing without this character building process.

Anyway, I'm just sharing what helps me as a writer. How about you? What is your process when creating a new character? Do you have something you can share that has helped you along the way?

Kaye

(In the photo: V-MODA clothing designed by Terri King.)

Predawn Feelings

It's all a matter of perception...

I awoke this morning to the darkness of a winter day. It was strange because I wasn’t sure the exact time, since by the look of the sky, it seemed to be predawn. But it wasn’t. I’m not great with northeast winters—all the cold and snow with bone-chilling winds. But I dislike the short days the most.

The dark days. Sometimes there is sunlight, sure. But there are many days of snow, cold and heavy cloud cover with an impending predawn feel. On the bright side if you utilize the way you feel to create and write, then winter can be good.

I'm reminded of something I’ve been working on. The feelings, the atmosphere-- I'm discovering a new planet for a Sci-Fi story. So in essence, the feelings this predawn day evoked is an asset for drumming up the exact mood I need to get this planet in orbit.

The colors of cold blueness came to mind. A distant sun, bluish tinges and a perpetual predawn atmosphere. More on the developing planet and the story that goes with it later...

As I sipped morning coffee and pondered about moods and such,  I wondered about this lack of sun thing.  Here are a few thought provoking questions for you:

Do you feel more blue and moody in the winter when the days are short and the sun is less prevalent? Does this affect your writing or creative flow and in what way? Which time of year sparks your creativity the most? And last, does the changing seasons spark different moods for certain work?

Okay, so there you have my thoughts for the day. I'd love to hear how you feel.

Kaye