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Do you guys remember the movie Gattaca? Anyone? Anyone?
If not, here’s a rundown for you: it’s set in a future where people can genetically engineer their children to be perfect, but our main character (Ethan Hawk) wasn’t engineered in such a way. He was just like the rest of us (and even had a bad heart if memory serves.)
Anyway…Ethan and his little brother used to have swimming races out into the ocean and Ethan–the non-engineered boy with the bad heart–would win.
How could the boy with the “bad” body win?
Why did this happen?
Well, here’s your answer:
It’s really all about the swim back, isn’t it?
And, believe it or not, this is something that I think about all the time when writing–especially when writing series because there’s always a little part of me that worries that I’ll use up all the good stuff in book 1 or 2 or 3 or whatever book I’m working on.
Wait, I should horde it, save it, stretch it out, I tell myself. What if another good idea never comes along–I should make this one laaaaaaast.
But that’s wrong. Absolutely, totally, and completely wrong.
Because A. if you drag stuff out for too long no one will want to read the next book because the current book was so boring. And B. because that’s not how you get better, dig deeper. Swim farther. No good comes from saving things for the swim back.
One of my favorite new shows of this TV season has been The Vampire Diaries because while lesser shows might (and do) milk storylines until they’re far past their prime, the Vampire Diaries is constantly moving, jabbing, shaking so that just when I start to think I know where they’re going they pull the rug out from under us and take the show in an entirely new direction.
There have been at least three different story arcs that I expected to lead up to the big season finale and all of them have gone poof–not one of them was saved or stretched or dragged along.
They haven’t saved anything for the swim back.
And for that I kinda love them.
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–Ally
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Calandra Gitelman says
April 10, 2010 at 12:11 amThis post is going into my bookmarks.
spydrama... says
April 4, 2010 at 11:22 pmI remember watching Gattaca 2 years ago in my 7th grade science class. It was such a good movie! Please keep writing GG books. You are an amazing writer. Can’t wait untill GG4 comes out!
Jen (aka JAM) says
April 4, 2010 at 1:17 amand i totally agree with Jagna18
Jen (aka JAM) says
April 4, 2010 at 1:14 amI luv Vampire Diaries also! #1 show lol
Sure it sucks that they aren’t like L.J. Smith’s very amazing books but they are still very capturing. There’s always something or someone new in every episode and it just grabs your attention and leaves you hangin, making you want more. I just caught up on the series like…10 minutes ago which is very funny.
Can’t wait til June!
Morgan says
April 4, 2010 at 12:03 amOkay. So I had to watch that movie for Bio this year, and it was awesome. I really like how you tied “the swim back” into writing, and I thought it was really funny how you mentioned VD because me and my sisters were just talking about catching up on the latest episodes– Funny how the world works sometimes. =]
natalie says
April 3, 2010 at 10:11 pmlove your books cant wait till GG4! love Zach
caroline says
April 3, 2010 at 5:14 pmactually, castle isn’t new AT ALL! I’VE been watching it for one and a half years now! but i agree it is great! have you seen the newest episode and how she jumped into the bathtub at the last second??? WOW! that show also has a lot of twists too
Tim says
April 3, 2010 at 4:47 pmUhm Hello I am a guy reader/writer. Love you books Heist was amazing
kireina says
April 3, 2010 at 2:38 pmGattaca is a stellar movie. It’s my ‘get hyped for an exam’ movie, just because of that scene. And because of the scene where he collapses when he gets off the treadmill, because I swear that’s what I feel like after running.
Snaps for Ally! 🙂
Amy says
April 3, 2010 at 5:30 amOMG! i soooo love the vampire diaries! and i loved watching the movie gattaca cause my bio teacher made us watch it during class and i totally loved the theme of it! she told us that some scientist is working on that right now and in the near future it will be optional that we can get to choose the features our babies can have! well any ways thanks ally!
hAnnAH Rox yOur sOx! says
April 2, 2010 at 10:12 pmOoh, looks cool. Reading other’s comments, I finally get what VD stands for. Before, I had no clue. 🙂
And you’re back!
Love, Hannah
Lindsay says
April 2, 2010 at 10:45 pmthat is so funny! we just watched that moving in bio like a month ago because we were studying DNA. It really is a good movie, and you are so right about the whole “swimming back” thing
Kaitlyn says
April 2, 2010 at 8:00 pmha ha! I saw that movie in science! I feel terrible in the end though, with the one guys who lends his name.. :'(
Kaitlyn says
April 2, 2010 at 8:01 pmfrom dr ramono?..cause i know a maggie in that class
Sara says
April 2, 2010 at 9:40 pmI love The Vampire Diaries too. I didn’t think I would like it because I’m getting a little worn out from all of the vampire stuff but they make it seem more interesting.
Mia says
April 3, 2010 at 12:02 amWow, very inspiring Ally! I’ve been trying to get myself into writing one of my many book ideas, this will definately help.
By the way Ally have you seen the new show on ABC called Castle? Its about author that wrote a murder mystery and now he helps the police solve murders, so cool!
Lexi says
April 3, 2010 at 12:43 amThat is some really great advice. Thanks, Ally!
Erin says
April 3, 2010 at 1:11 amOMG!!!!!!!!!! i love tat show!!!! i fell in love with the books first and now im doing the same with the show!!!!! i just love how theyr not following the book exactly but just using cerntain parts of it so fans of the book dont know what to expect nxt!!! its my absolut FAV show!!
Tiffany says
April 3, 2010 at 2:06 amOMG i was just looking 4 the 16th episode of the vampire diaires cuz i missed it yesterday ):!!! it’s so exciting!!!
Lindsay says
April 3, 2010 at 3:34 amGattaca is one of my all time favorite movies! Everyone in that movie is fantastic and it delivers a great but subtle message! I’m so glad you like Gattaca too!
A Gallagher Girl says
February 2, 2011 at 5:07 amHey Ally. I have to tell you somthing… YOU ARE AN AWESOME WRITER!!!! I hope you never give up on being a writer. The way you keep the books moving and spinning. It’s awesome! A few times I wanted to scream at cammie or scream at the book! Don’t get me wrong, I LOOOOOOVVVVEEE your books but because you pull the chair out from under me I felt mad that you left you books at cliffs! (Dang’et cliffhangers!) But agian please don’t get me wrong I love your books, your style of writting and the origanal ideas!!! LOVE your books big fan!!