The Blues Brothers

I mentioned the other day that I'd been watching The Blues Brothers. I love the movie, love the music, and it's one of my favorites that I watch again and again. I admit, though, to keeping one finger close to the fast-forward button.

The version I have is the director's cut. I'd never bothered to see too many director's cuts before the advent of DVDs. Now I make a point not to watch them if I can help it.

A director's cut reminds me of an author's unedited manuscript. We writers tend to think that much of what we write is awesome stuff (that is, on the days that we're not convinced everything we write is drivel -- yeah, we've got a bit of a split personality thing going on). We often write some fantastic passages that just don't belong in the book. Doesn't matter that the prose is perfect, the description lush, the dialogue witty as hell. If it doesn't belong, it doesn't belong.

But, unless we've got tons of experience (and sometimes even then), we usually need someone else to point out those passages for us. Editors, agents, critique partners -- hopefully someone along the line before the readers.

Directors obviously suffer from the same vanity -- or confidence, if you will. You've gotta believe in yourself to create a good movie, just as with a good book, but you've also got to get other opinions. There are some seriously boring parts in The Blues Brothers (and every other D/C I can think of). The opening scene in TBB would put me to sleep if I couldn't fast-forward through it. It drags along, pretty much pointless, like some of the scenes I've written that got cut from the final manuscript.

The difference is, there's no market out there for the author's cut of The Assassin, Deep Cover or Scorched.

For which I'm most grateful!

Don't forget: if you'd like to get an advance copy of Scorched free in exchange for a brief comment (but only if you like it!), email me: rachel@rachelbutler.com. Rachel5:01 PM