God I couldn't agree more! Unfortunately I read somewhere that Disney cut back their 2000 animators to only 500 or something and plan to only release a 2D film every few years or so. I'm grateful that at least Studio Ghibli has no plans to go anywhere. You know, as a kid I was never a fan of Toy Story when it first came out. My siblings liked it but it wasn't for me. Only now that I'm older to I enjoy it because of all the amusing little adult jokes in there that you never noticed as a kid. That all aside, I'm voting for the 'little people' to be the next big thing.
Writing for trends is about as likely as hitting a dart board from three miles away. By the time you start a book it will probably take around 2 - 3 years for it to get published and by then the trend will have passed. Write a book and story you love, don't worry about what's popular.
O.k. scanned the thread. So shoot me if this has been mentioned already. I want an elven epic. Something far in the future of middle earth. Long after Galadriel has passed on. A few stupid youthful elves that cross the seas and run into humanity again.
Took ten years for the vampire trend to pass. And that's not even entirely over yet. Publishers are like any other business savvy person, if it will sell they'll buy it. I agree that you shouldn't deliberately aim for that. But when if you have written a vampire novel and vampires are popular, it couldn't hurt your chances to point that out in the cover letter.
True. Still however I say write what you love and make it work. Writing FOR trends is the problem I think, and doing so deliberality is a bit sell out to me. Cliche reason to hate it I know but I think writers should do it because they love it not because it'll get them published.
There were several mentions about Hunger Games sweeping the world (more than it already has). I have to disagree with this. I believe Hunger Games will be short lived. Why? Susan Collins definately has the "it" factor in her writing meaning when you read Hunger Games you keep saying one more page and I'll put it down. However her stories don't leave you with the hitch up your pants, hand me a light saber I'm going to conquer the world feeling. It's a much more subdued, I will keep making it, one day at a time. Although I know there are people out there who love that feeling (the life may not be wonderful but I'll make it feeling), I believe the general public clings to entertainment as an escape from their own world (meaning they want a happy ending). ***SPOILER ALERT*** Hunger Games has a sad ending. The whole reason she volunteered herself was to save her sister and then in the end her sister dies anyway. No, Hunger Games will have it's day but it will fade fast. I had throw my opinion out there on this because I know it's completely controversial. So have at it, what's your opinion?
To Amy: You might want to put that ending in a spoiler. Haven't read the series yet myself but it's still information others may not know. From what I've heard Hunger Games is a pretty good book series, but I think it's lifespan is going to be a bit short, about the same time that HP and Twilight make their final hurrah's.
I want to read a book about Zombies....in rehab, and the story can focus on a friendly zombie, called Sid, who doesn't want to eat humans anymore but he has to fight to control his zombie urges, so he is in a rehabilitation facility where he will get the help he needs, so that he can go back to his old life and live happily as a born again human. Now don't tell me that wouldn't make for epic reading. I guess I won't be reading that book then
I'm hoping steampunk will get more popular, but realistically speaking I bet there will be even more of a rise in old fairytale recreations. They've already made new movies based on Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. Although I also predicted that this month would be especially muggy and hot where I live, and after ten years of living here this has been the coolest August I've ever experienced. heh...
August was a cool month this past week. I thought it was odd too and I'm from New England. Of course, if the world doesn't burst apart at the seems in the last year or so, we're going to have to find some big fix to keep our species going. Post Apocalyptic stories have been all the rage latey. The new millenniuim started off, ironically enough, with a movie called Titan AE. The irony, for those who haven't had their coffee, is that the end of the world was supposed to be 2000 and rather than an actual apocalypse, we get the movie about a future version of our Earth being destroyed. Then there's book/movies like Book of Eli, The Road, entire specials on History devoted to how our civilization will break down in a PA word, etc. Heck, even the last Resident Evil and Terminator movies were about post apacolyptic worlds. So anything that ties in with that theme probably still has a great chance.
Where were those released? I haven't seen, nor heard, of any of these in the US. (Well, Red Riding Hood was recreated, but along with some other fairy tales... Not a good movie in my taste.) But, besides that, I'd think that some originality would be greatly appreciated nowadays. Everything now is either based off of something or a complete recreation of it entirely. So no, probably not, the next big thing won't be an apocalyptic (or post-) story, although there may be some room in the market, but I can promise everyone here that when it's discovered, we'll all be smacking our heads saying, "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"
If you're looking to fairy tales, you can't do those too many times. They're an integral part of many cultures, so for my money, you can't go wrong by hitting Mother Goose up for stories.
Well, I didn't mean originality in fairy tales specifically, but just in general nowadays. Every idea has its roots, that's true, but it's always too close to the original idea nowadays.
Personally I'd like to see some old fashioned adventure take front and centre. Sure, thow in some supernatural or fantasy elements - it makes things interesting but mostly I want to see a bit of sword fighting, a bit of action and a bit of a laugh along the way. Just in case anyone wanted to know - the weather is ridiculously beautiful for this time of year in Perth. Ha ha!
"Beastly" is the Beauty and the Beast remake. It's set in modern times with one of the Olsen twins as the witch. I have only seen the trailers, but I have to say...the ugly beast is still quite hot. Swan Lake was recently remade more modern, more thriller...I actually really liked this rendition with Natalie Portman. It blended the music and the ballet beautifully with the psychological insanity of "becoming the swan". It also offered enough suspense to keep even the manliest of manly men entertained. (Not to mention that one scene that every guy, I'm told, day dreams about)
Angela Carter's "The Company of Wolves" is one of the more interesting re-tellings of Little Red Riding Hood. Anyone who wants to read it, PM me and I'll send a link.
I'll try and make that happen, for sure, just give me a year or two! Haha, that is, if I can actually figure out the sloppy mess of an intro. And I'm jealous of your weather... Well, fall will be here soon enough (spring in the southern hemisphere, right? I don't know, it's been too long). As for the books, I'll check them out, see if they're available at my library. Next big thing: I'd say it'll be technological takeover. I mean, how many people are slaves to Facebook nowadays?
Lots of ideas spring out at me - although as many people have said trying to predict the next big thing is nigh on impossible. I love the idea of urban magic and have recently fallen in love with Kate Griffin's Urban Magic trilogy (A Madness of Angels, The Midnight Mayor, The Neon Court). Although the comparisons to Neverwhere have been made I think this idea (of magic in things that are not considered magical - like a Black Cab, or the conditions of carriage on the London Underground as a warding spell) and think it has potential, although it demands a lot of originality...
I remember a lot of fantasy in my childhood in the 80s, like Never Ending Story and Dark Crystal. What came after that? Has fantasy been popular since the 80s? Maybe it's a postmodern thing--we are grasping at the concept of faith, God, and order. We question our own reality so we are into stuff like the Matrix and Avatar? Are we afraid of it, so we turn to Harry Potter? I hope that more ethnic stuff gets popular...I like that aspect of Po-Mo. Maybe it will be all about the "New Age" idea of creating reality with your mind. Or do we still yearn for objective supernatural reality? Do we thirst for the authentic and rare--that which is not mass produced, or have we made peace with industrialization? Maybe it will be genetically modified, ninja polar bears.
