Chris Orcutt, Writer

Whenever I'm about to start a new novel, before I write a word of the story—in fact, often before I even know the story— I make lists.

Usually these are lists of scene locations. Every writer is inspired by different elements, but for me place is paramount. When I read, I like to be immersed in the writer's world, so when creating my own stories, it's really important to me to take the reader on a journey, to transport him to a different place, perhaps a place he's never been.

You see, I like to start with the place, and then I ask myself, "What if...?" about that place. In other words, I take the characters and put them in a situation in a certain place, and that's often how I get the plot.

That's my way, but as the freaky German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "This is my way. What is your way? The way doesn't exist."

So here's the list I've been working on. I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot that is beginning to develop; I'd like you to imagine your own stories around these locations:

1. The Marshall Chess Club on 10th Street

2. Tiffany's

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3. Old Port in Portland, ME—the cobblestone streets, a cafe, fog

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4. A rest stop on the Maine Turnpike (link is to webcams!)

5. Dushane Hill, Vinalhaven, ME

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6. Rockland, ME—the ferry wharf

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7. Svetlana's father's apartment, or his restaurant

8. The St. Regis Hotel

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9. The English department at Columbia University, or on the steps of the library

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10. Walden Pond in Concord, MA

11. The Mill Race restaurant on Vinalhaven, ME

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12. Red's Eats in Wiscasset, ME

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13. The NYPL Science, Industry & Business business library (SIBL)

14. A beachside bungalow in San Diego

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15. St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lower Manhattan

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16. The Today show courtyard in Rockefeller Plaza

17. Bergdorf-Goodman on 57th Street

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18. Café Des Artists, especially the murals of the 20's nymphets (seen above)

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19. A conference at the Hotel Pennsylvania, across from Penn Station/Madison Square Garden

20. Dakota & Svetlana's office

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21. The Hudson Cafeteria in the Hudson Hotel on 58th Street

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22. The Samoset Resort in Camden, ME

23. An apple orchard general store, eating donuts and cider

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24. Lincoln Center, at night, with the fountains lit up

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25. The Museum of Natural History, beneath the giant blue whale

Posted by Chris Orcutt at 07:00 PM | Permalink

I wanted to be a writer from the day I first read Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. It was a soft, warm summer afternoon, and I lay on my bed beneath the window reading. I was 13 years old, and all of my friends were in my neighbor's pool. I could hear them laughing and yelling, but I wasn't tempted to go outside. Fleming's words had me transfixed.


At one point, I remember laying the book on my chest and telling God that this was what I wanted to do: I wanted to become a writer, I wanted one day to tell a story as good as the one I was reading. A boy's foolish, but honest, prayer.


I'm not sure if I'm there yet, but I still enjoy reading Fleming's work for inspiration. And the new movie Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig has only rekindled my interest in this character.


I was prepared to go on record with my next statement after seeing the movie once, but I decided to wait until the endorphins cleared out of my head and I could see it a second time, when cool analysis took over. Now that a few days have passed since viewing #2 and I still find myself thinking about certain scenes and shaking my head in awe, I can say the following with 100% conviction:


Daniel Craig is the best James Bond yet.

Period.

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Now don't get me wrong, Sean Connery was terrific in the first four films (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball), and I give him and urbane film director Terence Young a lot of credit for developing the character from the novels. However, none of them—Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, or Brosnan—comes close to portraying the character in the books. That is, until Craig.


In the novels, Bond is a killer. He has a minimum of witty comebacks, and actually comes across as a cold, haunted guy. In fact, he's a little bit scary, and that's where Craig succeeds. I'm not a super tough-guy, but I have thrown more than a few punches in my life, and Daniel Craig is the first James Bond who intimidates me. Watching him in the role, I'm convinced that Craig's Bond could easily kick my ass; with the others I'm not so sure. (Well, maybe Connery, but the others?—forget it.)

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Craig comes the closest to being the "blunt instrument" that Fleming designed the character to be. (For the first time, Bond actually gets hurt in fights, and he carries the scars for many scenes afterwards.) It certainly helps that Craig plays the role with an intensity never seen in the character before. Also, the director and cinematographer do a great job in the film of highlighting Craig's greatest asset—his eyes. Ice-blue and positively mesmerizing, Craig's gaze kept me riveted throughout the film.


I realize a lot of this entry has been boyish gushing, but you have to understand, as a long-time lover of the books who always felt the films came up short, this new James Bond is a revelation. It has also inspired me to start a new novel with my detective and his sexy associate, in which I hope to emulate some of the dark intensity that will probably lead me to see the film two or three more times before it leaves theaters.

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My only concern is that producer Barbara Broccoli, daughter of original movie rights owner "Cubby" Broccoli, might decide to dump this fresh interpretation of the character and try to return to the old "Bond formula". Barbara, please don't.


Keep out the quips, girls, gadgets and super-villains, and simply continue with dark, violent themes. Just keep showing James Bond being really good at his job, and we'll continue to watch.

Posted by Chris Orcutt at 12:07 AM | Permalink