Castle Series Finale

I finally watched the series finale of Castle and . . .

That was some lazy writing.

When I was a senior (or maybe a junior - whenever I took creative writing) in high school, I turned in a piece of fiction in which I used a page break to signify a gap in time. My creative writing teacher told me that was lazy. At the time, I was frustrated and annoyed because it meant I had to figure out a way for my characters to get from Point A to Point B.

If you haven't watched the Castle series finale and plan to, don't read on. This is your spoiler warning.

At the end of the episode, Castle and Beckett go home thinking that they solved the case and caught Lockset and Castle is gonna make Beckett breakfast. Beckett goes into the other room to change. Some Baddie (who I should probably know who is, but don't) appears in the kitchen and shoots Castle, in the shoulder or stomach or something, presumably an ultimately fatal shot. Beckett enters the room, alerted that something is wrong by Castle's silence. Beckett and Baddie have a gun fight. Baddie is killed by one or more of Beckett's numerous shots. Beckett reveals that she was shot in the stomach (and probably elsewhere, Baddie got quite a few rounds off) and sinks to the floor. Unable to move much, Castle and Beckett crawl closer to one another and grab hands. They are laying on the floor bleeding out, presumably to die.

I am watching, alarm bells going off in my brain. They can't die! I'm thinking. Maybe Martha or Alexis will walk in and find them and call for an ambulance - something!

Instead, they overlay Castle and Beckett's voices, probably from the first episode (it's been awhile; I can't remember every conversation Beckett and Castle had), meanwhile we are panning sideways through a wall, an empty room.

Castle continues talking as the words "Seven Years Later" appear on the screen. Some pretty girls run into the room; Castle and Beckett are sitting at the table. It's sunny and light and happy.

They survived and got their happily ever after. I should be happy, right?

Wrong.

Dead wrong.

I don't object to the device of moving forward into the future to let us see into Castle and Beckett's future. We have bought into their lives, their romance, we rooted for Caskett against all odds, we deserve to see that they are still doing well.

My objection is that they left them bleeding out and dying on their kitchen floor. You can't write a cop out like that. I get that you were trying to write a series finale at the last minute after finding out the series wasn't going to be picked up for another season.

But here's the thing: the fans, the characters, the actors deserve better.

I can't fully buy into your happy little tacked on fairy tale ending because the last thing I saw was Castle and Beckett laying on the floor waiting for death.

You didn't do your job. You didn't finish the story. You didn't tell me how Caskett got out of this situation. You didn't have Martha and Alexis come to the apartment, find Castle and Beckett on the floor dying, grab their hands, have Alexis tearfully tell Castle, "Dad its going to be okay" as she calls 911 for an ambulance. Put some sirens in the background. Then pan across the room as Castle talks then show me seven years in the future. Only then would I be able to buy into your poorly executed ending.

Because you did not do that, I am instead left with the feeling that this is Castle imagining what could have been as he holds the love of his life's hand and succumbs to death. Not the fairy tale ending you were trying to write is it?

But that's what I'm left with. So thanks for that, lazy writers. Thanks a lot.

Don't be lazy.

Sharon

Love is . . .

Love is about as sure as a race horse.
The odds may be good
But there are no sure things.
You can't bet on any one horse and know it will win
You can't bet on any one relationship and know it will last.



I'm feeling a bit down today and I owe some poems for NaPoWriMo . . . this was inspired by my mood and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday (although Nyquist was the odds on winner; who did, in fact, win).

Napowrimo 2016 Day 27

The prompt for day 27 was to write a poem with long lines . . .

Arbitrations consisting of compromises are often necessary in this life
If we choose happiness, we can enjoy our time on the planet rather than live with strife
Compared to the life of the earth, each of our lives is rather ephemeral
However, though we are only here for a small fraction of time, our actions ripple through the ages
The consequences of our actions may be minimal during our lifetimes but dire for the earth
And so we must arbitrate and compromise with the earth
Undo what we have done and show her what she is worth.


I suppose this could've worked for the Earth Day prompt as well. Most of my lines are long, I think.

Has April been a long line month? I'm not so sure,

Sharon

Napowrimo 2016 Day 28

I've fallen quite behind it seems, I'll just shrug and trudge on.

Her eyes suddenly flew open, unsettled by the dream
Finally their lips met in the middle of the space, but he wasn't who she should have been kissing
Her eyes eased closed as they leaned closer still
They leaned in so close they were breathing the same air -conspiring
She wanted to tell him the truth but her words did not come
He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand
He raised his eyebrows, sensing her nerves
She looked at him her eyes wide with worry.

Her eyes settled closed as she dozed off to sleep . . . 



Today's prompt was to write a poem that tells a story backwards. As you can see, I had trouble thinking of lines toward the ending of the poem/beginning of the story.

 The journey is almost over!

-Sharon

Napowrimo 2016 Day 25

In a kingdom by the sea
A knight struck down my heart and conquered me.
But I took more after the sea than he
And forever perplexed my love - he
Could not understand
Why I wanted to venture off to foreign lands
He thought I ought to be content holding hands.
But like the sea I longed to touch distant sands.
He captured me and caged me
This turn of events only enraged me
I was not a trinket to be locked away
I longed to run in nature and play.
One night I flirted with the guard
And snuck away and stowed on a barge.
I travelled across the seas
Far from the knight I once held dear
But then I heard stories of a knight who fell -
in love. Only to be left a lovelorn fool.
The stories said too, the knight had fallen quite ill
My heart pricked - I loved my knight even still.
I returned to that kingdom
And found him laying in a darkened room.
I took his hands in mine and
He looked perplexed at me.
He asked why I'd returned
And I told him that my heart burned
I loved him more
Than any foreign shore.
At last, I was content simply holding his hands.


Today's prompt was to write a poem that begins with a line from another poem. I have chosen the second line of Edgar Allen Poe's Annabel Lee. It has a different overall feel than that poem, but I think it still has a sadness to it. I hope you enjoyed my little story poem. Love always prevails, I think. I suppose its like The Taming of the Shrew, but in this case she was tamed because she wanted to.

Wishing you well,

Sharon

Time to play catch-up: Napowrimo 2016 Day 22-24

Day 22
Earth Day Poem

We vacationed by the sea
A love for nature grew in me
Now the natural world I study
It is my hope
To avoid the world depicted in Wall-e
Education is the key
To make sure that people are caring
About the world instead of disparaging
The land we have is a masterpiece
Filled with wonder and majesty
The plants, the animals, the fungi, the algae
All are in our care
Like Atlas we stand,
Holding the future of the world in our hands



Day 23
Sonnet (check back later . . . )


Day 24
Mix-and-match poem (check back later . . . )

I've still got some work to do,

Sharon

Napowrimo 2016 - Day 21

Today is National Poem in Your Pocket Day! Take a poem and carry it in your pocket, yay!

Today's prompt over at Napowrimo.net is inspired by the style of Rosa Jamali's poetry. Specifically the prompt is to write a poem from the point of a view of a minor character of a fairy tale or myth. Inspired by the thunderstorm we are currently experiencing, I have chosen to write about the dragon in Beowulf. Dragon in Beowulf? You are thinking. After Beowulf kills Grendel, we are told that Beowulf was compared to Sigemund, who killed a dragon all by himself. And THAT is the dragon I am talking about. Additionally, I am wishing I knew how to imitate the sound of a thunderstorm in the form of the poem . . . but I am not talented enough to do that, so I'm trying to find a form that seems appropriate or I may just write in free-verse.


The musky scent of human fills my nostrils
I slowly open my eyes and gaze out
Across my pile of collected gold.
I do not see the man creature,
But I know that he is there.
The sound of rolling thunder echoes throughout my lair
As I clear my throat.
I hear the clink of of coin hitting coin
Cascading down my pile.
I turn toward the sound.
I inhale deeply through my nostrils
Then exhale a sharp, flaming blast.
I do not smell the familiar scent of burnt flesh and hair
As I have when other humans intruded in my lair.
This one must be different; more prepared.
"Who dares enter my lair?"
I growl.
The echo reverberate around the room
Boom, boom, boom.
Suddenly I realize he is right beside me - too late for me to flee
Or burn him into a man cookie.
I feel the sting within my flesh
A spot where the scales had fallen off the night before.
I think this is quite unfortunate
And I feel the end drawing near
And my scaly, reptilian heart fills with fear.
"Haha you blasted lizard."
Is the last thing that echoes in my ear.

I feel bad for the dragon . . .

I hope your poetic escapades are happier than this,

Sharon