Outline and Stuff

I got the outline done that I needed to write this weekend and am fairly satisfied with the way it came out. I have a little time before I have to send it in, too, so I can let it sit for a few days and then read over it, maybe tinker with it a little more before I get Livia to read it and see if it makes sense. I used to enjoy taking off and starting a book with just a concept and a general idea of where it was going, but these days I really need a decent outline before I start.

I'm reading HOLLYWOOD NOIR by Jeff Mariotte, a novel based on the ANGEL TV series, which I watched regularly when it was on. I've gotten more interested in TV tie-in novels lately, thanks to the talk about them on Lee Goldberg's blog, and this is a pretty good one so far.

Speaking of TV, earlier this evening we watched the first episode of YOUNG BLADES, which must have been pitched as THE THREE MUSKETEERS: THE NEXT GENERATION. This series is on the PAX network, and the last PAX series I watched was the truly terrible BONANZA prequel, PONDEROSA. But I love sword fights and swashbuckling, so I figured we'd give it a try. Boy, was it bad. Which is a shame, because there were some pretty good concepts buried in a lot of anachronistic silliness. At its core, the storyline concerns a group of young Musketeers in training investigating some sort of secret society dabbling in the dark arts. Played straight, that might've been pretty good, but the jokey, post-modern smugness of the humor just ruined it. I don't know if we'll watch any more episodes or not. I sort of doubt it.