The Cerebral  Writer
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Links

Delusion and Denial: Season 1 of BATES MOTEL

5/20/2013

3 Comments

 
For a story that has a conclusion any Hitchcock fan will already know, Bates Motel has proven to be as unpredictable as they come.  This first season was surprisingly good, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the Season 2.  So far, it reminds me of a teenage Breaking Bad: a well-mannered, good-natured man finds himself slowly pushed over the edge by circumstances beyond his control.

The main characters all possess extreme flaws, and yet those flaws are not forced.  Still, they are what drives the story, a necessary and important component to every twist the writers have thrown our way.

Norma Bates is well-meaning but unable to cope with day-to-day problems, let alone the horrors she’s encountered.  She’s frail but so desperately wants to appear strong.  These flaws are vital to the story because her need to fight not only aspects to her life she’s powerless to change, but also her very nature, is what contributes most to her continued trauma.

Norman Bates is much like his mother, clueless about how disturbed he is.  He wants to find his place in the world, but he’s too far in the periphery to do so.  He’s the perfect example of the seemingly good person capable of horrific acts.  He wants to be good; he’s just too lost to see himself in any kind of realistic light.

Dylan Bates is the sanest person in the family, yet he works as an illegal pot grower’s guard and has murdered at least one person we know of.  The scene in which he teaches Norma how to shoot a gun shows how level-headed he is, but the level of corruption his character has amassed parallels that of his mother and brother.  The only difference is he is aware of his actions, the consequences of those actions, and where that places him in terms of society and those he feels the need to protect.

Bradley is a symbol of Norman’s desire for normalcy.  She’s the all-American girl, the epitome of the seeming high-school perfection that nearly everyone, at one time or another, strove to be.  Norman’s obsession with her is nothing less than an obsession to fit in, to live the stereotypical high school experience.  Her denial of his affection represents a denial of his place in the normal, sane world.

Emma is the perfect reflection of Norman.  Although she has no homicidal tendencies, she represents death through her chronic, deadly condition.  Her attraction to Norman symbolizes his own imperfection and, despite himself, the slow dance with Death that he cannot escape.  When they go to the dance together, both admitting it to be their first, the music is telling.  The opening lyrics are, “Everybody’s got a secret to hide. . . .”  While Emma’s flaws are physical and Normans psychological, he rejects a part of himself by rejecting her.

Abernathy, the slave trade dealer, is a symbol of the town’s corruption, while Sheriff Romero symbolizes a desire to create order amidst a sea of chaos.  Deputy Shelby, with whom Norma has a brief fling, represents the evil that lies just beneath the surface of all that appears good but ends in tragedy—the darkness each character strives to overcome, only to see it return, time and time again, in a different form.

Norman’s meltdown over the black socks and Norma’s confession of childhood incest offer deeper glimpses of who they are; Norma’s visible scar parallels her emotional ones.  Each character introduced throughout the season, as minor as he or she may seem, holds a tiny piece of the puzzle that will eventually solve the big question: how does Norman Bates become the insane, ever-tormented killer of Psycho?  The writers have laid the perfect foundation of trauma, neurosis, and betrayal.  What promises to come in the following season will be nothing short of horrifying.



For more about Bates Motel, go to A&E.
3 Comments

Tag--You're It!

5/19/2013

1 Comment

 
Tagged by Keith Milstead.

How it works: Answer the questions, should you accept the challenge, then tag three other authors you admire.


The Questions:

What are you working on right now?

I’m in between drafts of my World-Mart prequel, which I hope to have fully edited in the next few months.  I’ve received letters and reviews from readers asking if I might revisit the story in the form of a sequel, but I decided against it because of the way World-Mart ends.  When something one of my sisters said sparked an idea for a prequel, I jumped on it.

What experiences have influenced you?

I’ve led a difficult but bizarre life, and I think just about every chapter of it has had some kind of influence on my writing.  The most influential aspects have likely come from my young adulthood, in which I made many naïve mistakes, experienced personal events too unreal to put in any book, and lived for many years in poverty.  You’ll notice most of my characters are victims of extraordinary circumstances, and many of them are among the working class.

College also had a big influence on my writing.  Reading and analyzing such a wide variety of works had a tremendous impact on the way I viewed literature.

Why do you write what you do?

Most of my works are dark speculative fiction, and this is a reflection of my need to express my thoughts and feelings about the darker aspects of life.  It’s my way of making sense of the world and sharing the hopes and fears that come along with it.

How does your writing process work?

I typically begin with a theme, which quickly morphs into vague bits of a storyline.  From there, I brainstorm characters and important plot points, which I use as a skeleton for the story.  When I write, I’m basically filling in that skeleton—giving it a heart and a brain and a bit of muscle—and holding it all together with an interweaving of connective tissue.  The fine details come on their own, often surprising me when I write them. 

What is the hardest part about writing?

In the past, my biggest issue was with time management.  Either I had one difficulty or another keeping me away from the computer or I engaged in what I call “binge writing”—which entailed me writing until I dropped, forgetting to eat, and foregoing sleep because I could not bring myself to stop.  I once wrote a novel in three weeks.

More recently, health issues have gotten in the way of my being able to write as often and long as I’d like.  What used to take me hours now takes days or weeks, which can be frustrating.

What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I’d love to write a traditional murder mystery.  I’ve made a few attempts, and they’ve always transformed into paranormal thrillers.  

Who are the authors you most admire?

Among the living, I admire Stephen King for being the only horror author capable of giving me goose bumps, Louise Erdrich for being so inspirational through her fiction, and Shirley Rousseau Murphy for making the murder mystery genre so fun and lighthearted.  Among those no longer among us, Kurt Vonnegut, H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Roald Dahl, Isaac Asimov, and Virginia Woolf are the first to come to mind.

Who are new authors to watch out for?

There are so many good ones making their mark right now, I hate to write a list in fear of missing any of them.  Among those I’ve personally discovered over the past few years (a couple of whom I know are veterans but are worth mentioning) are Trent Zelazny, Lori Lopez, Jaime Johnesee, Michael Meeske, Dana Fredsti, Jeffrey Kosh, Joseph Nassise, A. Ray Norsworthy, Bryan Hall, Robert S. Wilson, Billie Sue Mosiman, and Rob M. Miller.  There are many other names I’ve heard a good deal of buzz about, but I just haven’t had a chance yet to check out their work, and I’m sure I’m leaving out at least a few up-and-coming greats; again, these are the first to come off the top of my head….

What scares you?

I’m afraid of a few things, but I’ll focus on the biggie for the purposes of this post.  People scare the hell out of me.  They’re so unpredictable.  So many people are afraid of snakes, rats, or spiders, but you always know what to expect when encountering any of them.  There are human beings out there who are capable of so many terrible, senseless, evil acts—people who can charm the pants off you one minute and have a knife in your back in the next.  I’ve known a few of them.  They’re the real monsters.

And now, since I was told I have to tag three victims in this blog posting frenzy, I tag:

Trent Zelazny
Lori Lopez
Billie Sue Mosiman

1 Comment

New Interview

5/16/2013

0 Comments

 
Stop by the Sideshow Anthology blog for my most recent--and most candid--interview: http://sideshowanthology.wordpress.com/contributor-interviews/renaissance-woman-leigh-m-lane/

Sideshow: an Anthology of Freakish Horrors, which includes my short story "It's All in the Cards," is coming soon.  Release date still TBA.
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Privacy Policy:

    No names or e-mail addresses listed in blog post replies will result in mailing list additions or sharing/sales to other sites via the Cerebral Writer.

    All email addresses, unless added intentionally to the body text of a post or response, will remain hidden from public view.

    Check out the Wiki.Evid's Top 10 Paranormal Mysteries.

    Archives

    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008


    Categories

    All
    Aftermath
    Animals
    Anthologies
    Awards
    Bestseller List
    Bizarro
    Blogging
    Classics
    Contests
    Critical Analysis
    Dystopia
    Edgar Allan Poe
    Editors
    Excerpts
    Film
    Finding Poe
    Flash Fiction
    God
    Grammar
    Guest Blogs
    Horror
    Humanitarians
    Interviews
    Jane The Hippie Vampire
    Language
    Leigh M. Lane
    Literary Fiction
    Lupus
    Marketing
    Movies
    Muses
    Musicians
    My Books
    Myths Of Gods
    My Writing
    My Writing
    Nook
    Novellas
    On Writing
    On Writing
    Opinion
    Other Great Authors
    Paying It Forward
    Pirates
    Poetry
    Racism
    Redrafting
    Revelations
    Reviews
    Rod Serling
    Screenplays
    Self Publishing
    Short Stories
    Speculative Fiction
    Television
    The Hidden Valley
    The Private Sector
    The Twilight Zone
    This Site
    Trailers
    Urban Fantasy
    Vampires
    Weird Western
    Words
    World Mart
    Zombies

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.