An Unedited Snippet from the Chapter, OUTLAWS

Hello again!

That's right...it's the 4th day of my 5-day weekend and I'm here to bring you yet another snippet from The Curse of Billy the Kid. This one is from the top of a chapter currently entitled, Outlaws. This takes place on the night of March 9th, 1878. All the historical information here is true and the Regulators were in San Patricio that night. Whether Dick rode there after learning the news he did when in Lincoln is my assumption and used for story purposes. Either way, enjoy!

Tamsin :)

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The Regulators decided they wanted to go celebrate in San Patricio, but Dick said he needed to deliver the news to McSween about Morton and Baker, so he turned off and headed to Lincoln. Secretly, I wanted to go with him. Not that I wanted to go play law-boy, but it would finally give me a chance to get a look at Dick’s injured shoulder without all the others around.

However, seeing as there was no way to follow along without it looking odd, I "forced" myself to go to San Pat. Besides, we was gonna throw a baile and I love to dace! Plus, the señoritas in that town were beautiful!

So we split up, sending our Constable off one way while we went another, but not for long. For that same night, while we all were in the middle of dancing and enjoying the ladies, Brewer showed up. Ducking his head to enter through the doorway, Dick strolled over, tension evident in every muscle of his body.

“This is not going to be good news,” I said to no one in particular.

The pretty senorita I’d been dancing with heard me and said, “¿Qué dijiste?”

“Nada,” I replied, then politely excused myself from her company to intercept Dick as he headed for the biggest group of us in the room. “Whoa there, cowboy, what’s on fire?”

“We are,” he said. “Axtel has made us outlaws.”

“Say that again,” the pretty boy of our group, Frank McNab, said.

Seeing as McNab, which is what I called him because I already had a friend named Frank, used to be a lawman workin’ for John Chisum as a cattle detective, I wasn’t surprised he was the first of us to look worried at the news.

Dick motioned with his head to follow him and we all made our excuses and stepped outside into the night. Once far enough away from prying eyes and ears, he said, “Seems Governor Axtel was escorted by Colonel Purington to Lincoln today to investigate the trouble going on.”

“The trouble?” I parroted. “That’s what they’re calling John’s murder? You have got to be―”

“Oh, there’s more,” Dick said, and his voice made it clear it was worse. “Seems after an extensive interview process, and when I say extensive I mean three hours spent primarily with Murphy and Dolan, he removed Justice of the Peace Wilson from office and voided all processes issued by him.”

“Wait a sec,” Doc Scurlock said. “He can’t do that. It would bring into question every single action, including arrests, weddings, and warrants, for two years. That’s a lot of retrials, annulled marriages and―.”

“It would also negate Widenmann’s U.S. Marshall status,” McNab added.

“And our warrants for Morton and Baker,” I pointed out, “Which is why we’re outlaws, since they died while under arrest by us.”

Dick nodded. “You are all correct. He also declared that starting today, the only valid legal processes for Lincoln County would be those issued by Judge Bristol in La Mesilla and Sheriff Brady in Lincoln itself. And Brady’s deputies are the only officers empowered to enforce them.”

Fred Waite, a good law abiding man like McNab, stepped forward. “So all legal power in Lincoln County, hell, in all of New Mexico, is in the hands of the Santa Fe Ring. Is that what you’re telling us?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m sayin’.”

“Is he still in town?” Doc asked.

“Nope. Hell, he wasn’t even there when I arrived. He’d already headed back to the capital. McSween said that Axtel briefly spoke to him, Isaac Ellis, and Widenmann, but he declined to listen to their views on John’s death.”

“McSween needs to get out of that town or he’s a dead man,” Charlie Bowdre said, his hand resting on his gun. “We need to get him out of there.”

“I agree and I told him as such. He’s still in the custody of Deputy Sheriff Barrier, so at least that’s something.”

“Not much of something,” Charlie interjected, “But at least he has some protection.”

“Oh, like Barrier is any match for the lot of them if Brady and his boys decide to shove their way into the McSween’s house,” I pointed out. “Damn it all to hell!”

To say I was madder than a march hair would’ve been an understatement and I had to walk away from the group for a moment to collect myself. It wasn’t the idea of being labeled an outlaw that upset me. God knows that wasn’t new. But it seemed that each time we gained a bit of ground, the Santa Fe Ring pulled the rug out from under us.

Hearing someone approach behind me, I spun about, hand on my gun.

“Just me,” Charlie said.

I nodded my apology for almost drawin’ on him. “So what do we do now? My gut instinct is to always go for action, but that might not be the best for everyone.”

“We probably just need a few days to figure it out. Lay low, see how the chips fall.”

I looked over at Dick and the rest of the men and felt a heavy weight on me. I refused to show it though, and said, “You know what? Axtel can try all he wants to hold us back, but we still made headway today. I’m gonna go back inside and dance with that pretty little señorita again and maybe…” I winked at Charlie, “Maybe I’ll steal me a kiss or two.” I didn’t give him a chance to reply. Instead, I headed back to the baile and did exactly as I said I would. 

STAY TUNED FOR ONE MORE INSTALLMENT TOMORROW...

ALSO A HISTORICALLY BASED SECTION! 

Part 3 of 3 - Sample of unedited pages from The Curse of Billy the Kid

Hello again!

If you're back for the 3rd installment, I hope that means you've enjoyed the first two and have returned to see what happens to Ben and Billy in this scene that takes place in March of 1878. Obviously, since this is Historical Fantasy Fiction, there are segments in the book that are me inserting story into sections of history that contain holes in information...such as...

The Regulators went to San Patricio after Governor Axtel revoked Justice of the Peace Wilson's office, thus negating the deputizing of Dick Brewer, Billy the Kid, and the other Regulators. This not only made them outlaws (for the death of Morton and Baker that same day) but it put all the power in Lincoln County in the hands of the Santa Fe Ring. More specifically, it made Sheriff Brady and his deputies the only lawmen in Lincoln. That's in the top of March. We then do hear much about them until the last day of March when five of the Regulators show up in Lincoln and a shoot-out occurs the next morning, killing two men.

These holes in documented history open up chances for me to write freely and give some extra adventures and expound on the fantasy sections of my story. Hence the scene you've been reading.

Speaking of, let's finish the chapter, shall we?

If you missed Part 1, it is HERE

If you missed Part 2, it is HERE

For the rest of you...on to Part 3...

*Note: I'll give a tiny bit of the end of part two here as lead in to help with the flow of it all.

Tamsin :)

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From the chapter titled, "Damned if I Do, Damned if I Don't"

"Where'd they go?" He asked at a whisper.

"Hell if I know.”

“I don’t have a good feelin’ about this.”

“Either do I, but we need to get this stuff loaded into—”

"Could you two be any louder coming down the street? Idiots is what ya are, riding up to my property like a pair of drunk hooligans!” Came a female voice to our left by the house.

Turning, we saw Mrs. Susan McSween holding an oil lantern high. Her dark hair was piled high and she still wore her elegant traveling attire, gloves and all.

"Ma'am, you should get inside," I said.

She walked toward us, her eye on the wagon bed before settling on my face. "I certainly will not, that is, not until you tell me what in blazes you are doin’ riding onto my property like hell is on your heels!" She sat the lantern on the seat of the wagon. "And give me that before you shoot a passerby, for God's sake."

She took my rifle and for no reason I can fathom, then or now, I let her.

"Well, we sort of did have hell on our heels, ma'am. There were these wolves and—”

I cut him off. "Just two of nature’s creatures, Mrs. McSween. They spooked the horse and us a bit, if we're to be truthful. Took a shot or two and they ran off. We apologize if we disturbed you. To be honest, we didn't know you were back from Missouri."

"Just got in a short bit ago," she said, walking past me, her head swiveling to inspect the property around us. Feeling satisfied in what she saw, she looked at the lumps under the blankets in the wagon bed and then to me. "Came home to find my husband gone to who knows where and a letter. I'm hoping you can explain some of this to me."

Susan had been gone since before John's murder so there would be a lot to cover. I saw a long night ahead of me and was prone to a grumble, until my stomach did so instead.

"Dear heavens, I could hear that from here. When did you eat last? Never mind, seeing as Alex took both servants with him, I'm sure my sister or I can fill your belly for your time and information. What are you unloading there and where does it need to go?" Her dark eyes bore into me as she raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I'll explain inside. First, we should get you and these inside, away from the Murphes," I said, using the word Charlie had made up for the Murphy/Dolan gang.

Ben jumped down from the wagon and pulled the blanket back, "It's just some—”

A wolf, smaller than most I'd seen, leapt out from under the blanket. I pulled my gun and was about to fire when a loud blast went off and hit the animal in the head moments before his jaws would've sunk into Ben, who stood frozen in fear.

Turning to see who had taken the shot, I found Susan with my rifle raised up, perfectly poised, in firing position, smoke still seeping from the barrel.

With no idea what to say, Ben and I just stared at her for a moment.

"Silver?" She asked.

I nodded, for that's all I could seem to do.

"Good, then that's done. Let's move your...?"

"Ammunition, ma'am," I barely got out.

"Let's move your ammunition inside."

Ben and I shared a glance and then got to work. Susan directed us to the front room of the west wing. She walked over to the far wall with no windows where a tapestry hung. Pulling it back, she revealed a large closet that held a trunk with the initials R.N. as well as a bar along the top where she and her husband’s nicer clothes hung.

"Put one crate in here, behind the dresses, that'll hide it best. Bring the one you already opened into the parlor once you finish. I'm going to change. I’ll meet you in there." She began to leave but turned back to us. “Oh, and don’t be startled, the gentleman in the parlor is a friend of Mr. Chisum’s who assisted him with his trials in Las Vegas. I think you’ll like him, he’s a crusader like you, but he tends to attack his enemies with words.”

She walked out and I looked to Ben, whispering, I said, "Was that an insult?”

Ben only partially hid his smile and quietly said, “I think it was.”

“Why do I have a feeling that Mrs. McSween knows more than she is saying?"

“‘Cause she does,” Ben said. “And it’s probably a hell of a lot more than me, so you’re gonna give me some answers or this is the last time my father or I help you, Billy. As God as my witness, I want answers."

I thought back to Regulator training, to Garrett’s emphatic rule of, “Tell no one without my permission.” How many had I told now? What was one more really going to do? Wasn’t like tell three and it’s okay, tell four and there’s hell to pay. I was in trouble no matter what at this point so I might as well make sure I didn’t lose the Ellis’ help in this war. They were key in helpin’ us out, what with John’s store not open for business anymore.

“I’m not kiddin’, Billy,” he prompted.

“I know you ain’t,” I snapped. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. Shit.” I pulled out my tin and flipped it open. “Hell, my hide is already poised for a-good tannin’, might as well make it worth it.” I took out a toothpick, set it between my teeth, and closed the tin. “Come on, you’ll get your answers, but first, let’s meet this crusader of words and see why he’s come to Lincoln.”

“You don’t trust anyone, do you?”

I slid the metal container into my pocket. “Not if I don’t know you…and I don’t know him.”

“Then let's head on in. After you,” Ben said, motioning me to go first.

With a nod, I opened the door to the parlor to find a man sitting by the fire, wearing a British suit not unlike ones Tunstall used to own. Lying next to his cup of tea was a tin just like the one Garrett had given to each of the sworn in members of the Regulators.
“Mr. Bonney, I’ve heard a lot about you,” the man said, his voice as British as his clothes. Standing up, he extended his hand out toward me. “Montague Leverson, fellow Regulator here to help the cause. Do have a seat; I’m sure there is a lot to discuss.”

END OF THE CHAPTER

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UNEDITED SNIPPETS FROM THE BOOK AND PLEASE GO LIKE THE PAGE IF YOU STILL HAVE NOT. I promise I won't over post and drive you crazy if you do. Besides, the best way to learn there are more snippets of the book on here is to be a fan of  The Curse of Billy the Kid page. 

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this 3-day serial with Billy. Remember, though this part is an inserted section of the fantasy story line, the characters are real. You can look Susan McSween, Ben & Isaac Ellis, William Bonney (aka Billy the Kid), and Montague Leverson up in books and online to learn more about who they were.

Until next time...write hard and bathe in imagination!   xoxo - Me :)

Side Note: Just a kind FYI - The reason I've stated these are "unedited" is because they are. I've definitely not gone in and added all the visual details or possibly all the internal dialogue of the main protagonist yet either. I've also not labored over the grammar. It's what I call a, "raw file"...so please refrain from commenting with things you feel need to be "fixed."  That'll be my editor's job or the job of those proof-readers I ask to read this later on. ALL UNEDITED POSTS here are solely for fans of my work (and of the story) to enjoy. I hope you did. 

Thanks!!!! - Tamsin

Part 2 of 3 - Sample of unedited pages from The Curse of Billy the Kid

HEY THERE!

Welcome back...that's right...I've got part 2 of my 9 page sample from my WIP, The Curse of Billy the Kid for you today! :)  What? Missed part 1, just look below, you don't have to go far. Or hey, if you hate to scroll, just click HERE.

Well, last we saw Billy and Ben they were neck deep in wolves...

Hope you enjoy!  - Tamsin :) 

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From the chapter titled, "Damned if I Do, Damned if I Don't."

“Oh my God, Billy, did you hit him?”

My eyesight cleared a bit and I could see better, which told me the answer to his question. “Injured him, didn’t kill him. Hurry up.”

If they were gonna gang up, I needed more fire power, so I pulled my second gun from my back, saving my rifle for when we put some distance between them and us, which I hoped we did soon. So as the wagon roared down the street, I used the little bit of the extra strength and sight I’d gained in injuring the one wolf to aid me in standin’ up next to Ben as he sat holding the reins of a horse with a mission.

"They are running along both sides, Billy! What do we do?" Ben yelled as jaws kept snapping up at him, luckily just missing.

"I know, just focus on keeping Mable on track. And don't make any sudden movement that'd put you in the way of a bullet."

A wolf jumped up to get Ben and I shot, this time I hit him in the head.

"No sudden movements, you're funny. You know my horse has lost her mind, right?" Ben said.

I grinned, “She’s fine. Hang on!”

The full weight of the wolf's life force I’d just killed hit me and I almost lost balance and fell. “Damn, forgot about that.”

Racing down the street, I got my bearings and noted two more had joined us from behind. Spinning to face them, the larger of the two jumped up into the wagon bed. I took a shot at him but he dodged, my silver punching a hole through the ear of the other wolf still on the ground running behind us.

I shot again at the one in the wagon, this time firing from both guns. The bullet from the one in my outstretched arm missed as he went to the left, while the bullet from my other gun hit him in the right side of his chest. With a growl, he stared me down, his eyes beginning to glow an orange-ish yellow.

"That's new," I muttered and shot again, catching him in the leg, causing him to jump out the back. Yelling out to Ben I said, “If you can drive and shoot, I highly recommend you do that. Once we hit the Torreon there’ll be more.”

Ben pulled his gun. “How do you know?”

“Just a feelin’,” I said, and sadly, I was right. As we passed, two more joined in the chase and I fired at them both, catching one in the neck, who went down instantly. This time I sat down before my head did a loopty-loop.

“Duck!” Ben yelled over the roar of wolf growls, wagon wheels, and pounding horse hooves.

I did as told, realizing as I did so that my eyes were shut.

Feeling Ben’s arm balance across my shoulders I heard him fire.

“Got ‘em!” he yelled, taking his arm back to shove the gun under his thigh. "Hang on!” Pulling on the reins, he directed Mable to make a sharp right just as we passed the McSween house.

Ben pulled her to a stop at the stable and I leapt down. Grabbing my rifle, I turned to face the pack, but there wasn’t one furry bastard anywhere. I glanced at Ben, who stood on the wagon seat, rifle in position.

"Where'd they go?" He asked at a whisper.

"Hell if I know.”

“I don’t have a good feelin’ about this.”

TO BE CONTINUED

STAY TUNED...PART THREE ISN'T FAR BEHIND!

(And hey, if you like these samples or are at least intrigued by them, and you 

have not liked the fan page for The Curse of Billy the Kid, please go do so! Thanks! xoxo)

Part 1 of 3 - Sample of unedited pages from The Curse of Billy the Kid

Hello!

So...this post is for the fans of my page on Facebook for my current WIP, The Curse of Billy the Kid. If you have not liked that page yet, DO IT! Trust me, you won't regret it! I share cool moments in history, pictures of Lincoln, NM (old and new), things about that time in the Wild West, and other cool stuff that surrounds the legend that is Billy the Kid.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the first part of three I'm going to release!

Happy Thanksgiving, all!  -Tamsin :)

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From the chapter titled, "Damned if I do, damned if I don't."

“I’ll leave you boys to organize as you see fit and I’ll bring the horse-n-wagon ‘round to the back door.”

“Thanks, Isaac,” I said as he left.

“So, what’s first?” Ben asked.

Noticing he wore a cartridge belt and his six-shooter, I said, “You’ll need new ammo for this trip. Trust me.”

“We’re just goin’ down the street, why would we—” he started to say.

“Ben?”

“All right, if you say so,” he said, walking over to where I sat with the two crates of silver ammunition.

“Take off your belt. I’ll have you load it up, just in case. Same with your rifle.”

“Any chance you’re gonna explain why, or should I just smile and nod?”

“The latter is a wiser option.”

“All right then,” Ben said, beginning to swap out his bullets for the silver ones I handed him.

While we worked, I figured it would be a good opportunity to verify the rumor we’d been told in San Patricio. “Have you heard any information about Jessie Evans and Tom Hill?”

Ben removed the bullets from his gun and began to replace them, saying, “I have, Tom is dead, just like Morton and Baker. Did y’all really kill those two men?”

I sat and began to fill up my belt. I couldn’t tell him the truth about what had happened that day so all I said was, “We did. Killed them while they was tryin’ to escape.”

“Serves ‘em right, then,” he said, then filled me in on the word he’d heard from customers and the like. It all matched up to what we’d heard, except that Ben had been told Jessie’s elbow had been hit, shattering his arm.

“We heard it was his wrist, but either way, son of a bitch is in a hospital in pain and botherin’ no one since he’s under arrest,” I said, finished with my reload.

“Jimmy Dolan broke his leg yesterday.”

“And I thought there couldn’t possibly be more good news!” I joked, standing up and brushing the dust from my knees. “How the hell did he do that?”

“Stupid SOB was chasing some unarmed man and jumped off his horse while it was still at a gallop.” Ben started to laugh. “Drunk as a skunk is what he was. I’d be surprised if he even felt it break.”

I started to laugh. “That’s hilarious! Oh my Lord, wait until I tell the boys.”

“Maybe that’ll slow his mean streak,” Ben said.

There was a pause where we both looked at one another and said at the same time, “Doubt it.”

After a good belly laugh we loaded up our rifles, took the crates to the small wagon out back, covered them up, and prepped to take the silver shipment down to he McSween’s house. Lookin’ up at the sky, I saw we had a half moon, givin’ us some light for our ride. I wasn’t sure what the werewolves did on half moon nights, but I was hopin’ we’d not get the chance to find out. However, we were not that lucky.

As Ben and I reached the Juan Patron Store, I felt a tingle up my spine and cocked my rifle.

“Is there a problem?” Ben asked.

“Not sure…feels wrong. Pick up the pace a bit. Let’s get these boxes into the patio of the McSween home as fast as we can.

Ben snapped the reins on the family horse only picked up the pace a little and I said, “When you said she was a calm horse, you meant it.”

“Steady and true, my girl Mable is, aren’t ya?”

The horse whinnied and I cringed. Right now was not the time for slow and careful. I took a deep breath and said, “She might wanna go a bit faster.”

“Why? I thought you didn’t want us to draw attention.”

The howl of a wolf split the night air like lightning, chilling me to the core.

“We’re already being watched,” I told him.

“By who?” he asked, sounding skeptical.

“More like what,” I said, scanning the dark.

It didn’t take long to find them, their movement giving them away. Two wolves ran past us and onto the road. Causing Ben to swear and start to pull Mable to a halt.

“Stopping is not a good idea,” I told him.

“Did you see those—”

“That’s why you can’t…”

I let my words trail off as I noticed the wolves stop on the road as two more joined them, all four turning to face us like we was playin’ some weird game of chicken.

“This is not good,” I said. “Ben, listen to me carefully, those are not just mindless animals, we cannot get caught by them. Do you understand?”

“What is going—”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, but—”

“Just drive! Now!”

Ben snapped the reins hard and yelled out at Mable, but she just pranced a bit and whinnied at her owner. The wolves began to walk toward us a unit so I decided to take a chance. Without knowing if it would work or not, I reached out and lay my hand on Mabel’s right flank. Pushing some of the energy stored in me from Morton and Baker into the horse, I told her what was needed. She huffed air out of her nose in reply.

Hoping she was on board with this, I gave her flank a slap and yelled, “Now!”

Rearing up, she kicked out toward the wolves with her front legs, but once those hooves hit the ground she was off and running.

“Holy shit!” Ben said, grabbing fast to not lose the reins.

“She’s got us, just hold on!”

Not knowing what to do with a large horse barreling toward them, the wolves split two to each side and let us through before running alongside us. The one closest to Ben jumped up to take a snap at him and I pulled the trigger.

TO BE CONTINUED

STAY TUNED...THE NEXT SECTION MIGHT BE UP AS SOON AS TOMORROW! :)

Planning = Productivity - Over at Magical Words today!

Today over at www.MagicalWords.net you can hear me chat about why planning will help you be more productive...and yeah, I know, you've heard this all before...but hey, maybe I have something new to add...maybe I'll say something you've not thought of before...or maybe I'll just say the same ol' shit you've heard a thousand times over. You won't know unless you go see. :) 

Here's the direct link HERE

But here's how it began...

"My head is a bit all over the place today. Work was a bear yesterday (I have an eye twitch today to prove it) and my head keeps bouncing between a post apocalyptic short story that I’m working on for something next year and my historical fantasy novel that I will be putting pedal to the metal on as of November 1st (because yes, I’m using NaNoWriMo to help me bang out words for this bad boy). Add to that my usual life stuff and I’m mentally twitching along with my left eye.

I may know exactly where I want this new book to go and want to write it, but I’ve been putting it off to outline. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING (just weird for a proclaimed pantser). But I feel like I’m stalling. I might be, who knows! *throws hands in air and then presses on twitching eye* Either way, five days from now I’m going to say, “screw it” and I’m going to start the journey. I’ll spend this weekend getting the last two battles outlined and then we’re off, or so I hope.

Anyway, my scattered head was trying to figure out what to talk to you all about when I got this in my email today:

 

THE ULTIMATE WRITER’S GUIDE TO GREAT PRODUCTIVITY by Tim Grahl

 

 And for once, I read the whole thing (I love when he says, “Decision Fatigue is real”, I’d never heard that before but he’s right!) and I really want you to do so as well. No, this is not a NaNoWriMo thing, though it may help those of you who use November to metaphorically get off your bum (but technically, if we’re to be honest about it, you use it to sit more on said bum). It also is a good read for those of you who want to write for a living OR write like you’re practicing to write for a living.

In this post, Tim talks about how he keeps his productivity high. He breaks it down into The Framework, The Mindset, The Schedule, The Plan, When It All Goes Down In Flames, and at the end there is a link for you to download a free workbook!

Hello, Free, I’m Tamsin, I’m happy to meet ya!

 

Anyway, I’ve talked about a lot of these things over the past year, so I really liked seeing him make it concise on a blog post.

Now, of the things Tim shares, it was his weekly schedule that gave me pause..."

Want to know more of what I had to say and the pledge I made to change my schedule? Then go HERE and find out! :)

I know, I'm rotten...LOL!

Take care and I'll have more for you soon!

Tamsin :)

 

My thoughts on Hamlet (the Cumberbatch production and the play in general)



That's right, we're talking about something different today! I'm not going to be yammering on about writing (*insert shocked face here*), but instead, I'll be using my degree today.

For those who do not know, I hold two degrees. One in Secondary Education (Certified for 7th thru 12th Grade) and a BA in Theatre with emphasis on Directing and Performance (but I studied theatre tech/design a lot as well, and taught it) and a minor in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing and Shakespeare (this means I might have a clue to what I'm talking about, but then again, I'm no super-scholar so take my opinions as just that, opinions and nothing more. Meaning, by God, don't get up in arms with my thoughts on this.)

Why are we going back to our "previous career"? Well, as this slightly blurry photo of the program" from my evening last night (the phone that took the photo a cracked-all-to-hell screen and I took this in the subway with said broken-to-shit phone...so, forgive the slightly blurry character names if thou wilt).

With seven years in college, a BA in Theatre, and an education certification for teaching Theatre under my belt (not to mention all my other training starting *cough cough* thirty-three years ago), you can imagine I've seen, pardon my French, a fuck-ton of Hamlet productions. I've also seen many of the movies of it as well. That said, I'm never tired of seeing The Bard's work invented and re-invented on stage or screen (Dear God, Macbeth with Michael Fassbender this December cannot come fast enough!) but I do get tired of seeing Hamlet's character done the same way.

Sometimes I feel this quiet, complicit, and entertained boredom while watching this particular tragedy of Shakespeare's. You're wondering now how can one be both entertained and bored and I say, easily. For you see, you love the language, the sets, the world, the acting...but it's just another version of the thing you've already seen so you're mildly bored. Sure, you enjoy the show, but it's more of a soaking up of artistic words to fill your soul vs. them penetrating your heart and mind. Yes? Are you with me? Good.

Lyndsey Turner's production of Hamlet is not that! It is entertaining from start to (*Spoiler Alert*) Hamlet's deadly finish. Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of the title character will not bore you in the least, no matter how many times you've seen the Danish Prince wail about his father's murder for three hours.

Before I move on, I should like to add that I've not seen a production of Hamlet since my dear friend, State Trooper Paul Butterfield, was murdered and I can tell you that I had a much more profound understanding of the pain an anguish of Hamlet and Laertes grief this time around (No, I do not count Ophelia in that list because, frankly, though there are moments where your mind is scattered and you want to disappear into it, I feel she's a bit over the top for realism. Not with the acting, though, it too can be painful to watch when it is, but it's the writing of her that gets me. I'm never sad to see her go. I am sad, however, to see Hamlet's reaction to her death, and Laertes' as well, if he's not spent his wad of emotion on "how dare my dad be killed on accident" rage in the scene prior. But I'll get into that later.).

Let's hit upon the controversy of the opening scene first, shall we? Get that out of the way? So, if you do not know, the play used to open with the "To Be, Or Not To Be" speech. And hey, shocker, people got pissed (to put it lightly), and because of that, it was moved elsewhere. A friend of mine says that it's been said that audience members felt they were dumbing it down for the BC fans with that. As an director, and a director of well reviewed NYC productions of Shakespeare, I will tell you that no director worth his or her merit would ever do this. So then why open with it? I have a theory...

The play opens with Hamlet sitting alone on stage with a trunk of his father's things while listening to music on an record player that either reminds him of his father or is his father's favorite record (I'd bet option two). Because of this, I can see why Ms. Turner put the famous speech at this spot. It would speak volumes to Hamlet's mindset to hear it here. It would tell you how broken he is inside, how he is weighing the idea of leaving this world, how he is pondering death and loss...I could go on and on but you get the picture.

Mind you, when forced to put it "back" to "where it belongs," Turner did not put it in the usual spot (which is Act III, Scene 1, just prior to his "Get thee to a nunnery" speech to Ophelia) but instead, she slid it into Act II, Scene 2. If you scroll down on the page I've linked for the latter, to almost mid way, you'll see the conversation between Hamlet and Polonius. Turner slipped the "to be or not to be" after Polonius leaves the room. To connect to this, Turner has Hamlet act out being hung with an item hanging around his neck when he says the line, "Except my life." She then has Polonius bid his farewell and Hamlet pulls on the "noose" again with his third, "except my life," and then goes into the famous speech. Here, I've copy/pasted the section (with editing and notes to what happened on the London stage the night it was filmed):

LORD POLONIUS
My honourable lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you.
 
HAMLET
You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will willingly part withal: except my life, except my life, except my life (if I remember correctly, this last one was not said here, but put after Hamlet barely notices Polonius leave on the next line, and says it after he's gone...as I've inserted below)
 
LORD POLONIUS
Fare you well, my lord.
 
HAMLET
Except my life... (pulls on the noose-type object, takes it off as he ponders for a quick moment)
To be, or not to be, that is the question...

Normally, at this point, instead of the question posed of existing or not, the script says, "Enter ROZENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN." But they do not in Turner's rendition, obviously, because we are still in the early part of Shakespeare's Act II.

Personally, I feel it works well in the new location Turner has snugly placed it. In fact, I like this spot better than throwing it in where it is supposed to be. If Cumberbatch wasn't as good of an actor it may not have been pulled off as seamlessly as it did in this location, but he connected the previous conversation into it flawlessly. Interestingly enough, at the time I knew, in the back of my mind, that this still wasn't the right spot, but I didn't consciously realize it enough to ponder it, for I was too drawn in by the choices Cumberbatch was making to give a damn on how the director had moved sections of text around.**
**Side Note: EVERYONE MOVES TEXT AROUND because Shakespeare's plays are fucking long...so some of the whiners need to accept that fact and get over themselves. Juuuust sayin'...

All right, with that topic covered, I'm going to talk about the three main reasons I liked it followed by what I wasn't super fond of.



The "Alas, poor Yorick" scene between Hamlet & Horatio

First off: Age. Hamlet is supposed to be a college boy in this (and in England, kids go off to University earlier than we Americans do, keep that in mind), yet so many productions toss that out the window and play him as a young man closer in maturity to a 33 year old...that has always stuck in my craw. But how do you fix that, really? Turner did something wonderful, she helped us see it by having Horatio (played by Leo Bill wonderfully, might I add) show up with his backpack and college age appropriate clothing and his presence helps us remember Hamlet's real age (same with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's look...and dear God, I really hope those are their last names). By doing this, Cumberbatch was able to have fun with the "mad" (as in crazy, not upset) sections and treat them more like a petulant young adult being difficult and annoying as they are prone to do when they are upset with their parents. I should know, I remember being that way when my parents got divorced...and that's not half as bad as (*Spoiler Alert*) learning your father was murdered by his brother so he could take his crown and marry his wife, your mother.

Secondly: Emotional level of Hamlet.
Turner/Cumberbatch's Hamlet was rash/impulsive, self and mission absorbed, smart mouthed (as well as smart in general), who you honestly were not sure if he was crazy or just pretending to be, though it came off more the latter than the former, which I also approve of. As someone who has gone through the grief of a loved one murdered, I can say that you feel mentally and emotionally scattered as well as stunted. You are so angry that you want to scream at the top of your lungs and hit things with a bat. You are prone to tears without much provocation and you are suddenly more emotional about all things...because life feels jagged and breathing air hurts (metaphorically speaking, of course). All of these were present in Cumberbatch's performance.

My friend who went with me to see the filmed version of the London play, who has a great love of Shakespeare (specifically Macbeth), wasn't as fond of it as I. She commented on another actor's portrayal of Hamlet and said it was "less weepy and emotional." Not that she was stomping on Cumberbatch's choice on that (she too is a fan of his work), she was just stating a fact and her tone suggested she liked the more subtle crazy of a collected human (or as collected as one can be when playing crazy and upset). And you know what? That's an okay portrayal too. No, really, it is! However, I feel THAT is the version I ALWAYS see. No one finds the humor, no one finds the childlike brat who is angry, no one explores the rollercoaster ride that your emotions are in the grief you deal with of someone who is murdered. It's not like normal grief and I'm sorry if that offends anyone.

Now, I'm not downplaying the grief anyone has felt for those who die of more natural causes by any means...I'm saying its different in a way that you cannot fathom unless you go through it (and dear God, I pray you never do). The closest you might come to understanding what I'm talking about is if you've experienced a loved one dying from Cancer (and allied diseases). There's a hate for the disease (hence the platform out there that raises money for Cancer patients and research called, "Fuck Cancer.") and the unfairness of it's selection process that is slightly similar to the grief of one killed by a human at random.

This brings me to...Ophelia. And though my notes pertain to emotion, it falls under my un-favorite things, so we'll come back to this.

Ciaran Hinds as Claudius

Thirdly: The acting of the entire cast (save for one, and no, not Ophelia), the technical design, and the direction of the piece.
Yes yes yes, I'm one of those people. LOL! I notice the lights, sound, set, costumes, and blocking (planned movement on stage by the director for the actors) and they make the environment of the play real for me (psst, they're meant to, I'm not weird...or rather, I'm not super weird) and transport me to the realm of reality of the piece of drama, speaking almost more volumes about the show than the actors lines or their talent do. I think that's why my specialty in writing is World Building: I know how important it is on stage and thus have transferred it to my books.
 
In short, if any of these pull you out of the being in the moment of a production (except, of course, when they are used to do that specifically) then they are a fail. That only happened in one way for me in this show and I'm picky, so two thumbs up for the design team and director!

"A talented sound and light designer are worth their weight

in gold and when you find them you hold on them for dear life."

- Said every director, ever

What didn't I love? Well...there was one set choice I had issues with and three actors whose work I felt wasn't as amazing as I'd have liked, one of them is script based so it's no one's fault but Shakespeare's and yes, I just said that and no, I do not apologize, and yes, I know why it was written as it was and forgive The Bard.
 
We'll start with that last item. You see, I rarely like the portrayal of Ophelia but that has nothing to do with the actress herself. It's like this, Shakespeare's notion here is that a man (Laertes, Ophelia's brother or Hamlet, for that matter) can loose his father and rage, fight, and though he acts rashly with bad choices, he still keeps his head. But a woman who deals with the same thing looses her ever-living-fucking-mind. I don't just mean she's a bit mad like Hamlet...no no no...she sings weird songs and talks about random things and flutters about like a loon in an asylum and does not even recognize anyone, not even her brother.
 
Look, sure, were there times in my grief for Paul that I wanted to check out? Sure! Did I feel a bit all over the place? You bet! So much so that I went into a depression? Oh boy, did I ever! But to loose my friggin' mind and basically act as if my brain was removed, melted down in a skillet, scrambled about, and shoved back in my head...NO.  No no no no no. Hell, not even Hamlet (who is supposed to be our truly mad, as in crazy, character) gets this bad. Sure, you can play him that way, but that becomes one dimensional and takes away his intellect, in my opinion. And that is where I get bored watching, as previously mentioned.

So...yeah, Ophelia's arc is bothersome to me on principle so no matter who is playing the role, they are starting out with that on their shoulders in my mind. Now that I think on it, and go back to watch some YouTube clips, maybe its just the Ophelia of stage productions that bores me. Don't get me wrong, I still am not a fan of the woman being frail and going bat-shit crazy pants when men don't, but, I found I liked the role better in the movies. Maybe because it offers more for the role in some ways (more takes, close ups to see inner dialogue, & time on "stage" usually, to name a few.) Case in point, of the 4 movie versions I've seen, I did love Helena Bonham Carter in the Mel Gibson adaptation in 1990 (135 min version) and Kate Winslet in Kenneth Branagh's full script adaptation in 1996 (242 min version).


The actress for this London production was Sian Brooke. Did she do a good job with the shitty hand she was dealt? Sadly I wasn't really taken by her. She was okay and at times interesting, but it was fleeting and she felt washed out (and what is up with the horrible yellow sweater outfit? *shudders*). Did the director find great things to add to her character (like playing the piano and taking pictures all the time)? YEP! But you can only do so much. I did love when she wonders upstage on the big mound of dirt and walks into this beam of light offstage (this is the best exit in the whole show, if you know she's heading off to...SPOILER ALERT...drown) I bid her a fond farewell but not a bitter one, for as wishy-washy as the character was, at least she wasn't horribly annoying like many you see.

Secondly, I wasn't a fan of the weird dirt choice. Here's a pic from the end of the theater's first half of the show as Claudius (Hamlet's Uncle, now King & Stepfather) stands center stage: 

As you can see, there's all this dirt flying in from every angle and it looks cool! It's like a bunch of black birds flying in like bad omens...but I didn't think it would still be there for the second half nor in the abundance of it they chose. For the entire stage was covered and in some areas in huge piles (And who has to clean that and set it up each night? I wouldn't want that job...no matter how close it got me to Benedict Cumberbatch, and that's saying something!). The first half ends shortly after (*Spoiler Alert*) Hamlet accidently kills Polonius thinking he's his Uncle (because he's hidden behind a curtain to eavesdrop on a conversation betwixt Hamlet and his mother in her chambers...well, in this production it's in the main room and the curtain is the one of the makeshift stage the visiting minstrels, who also were rather unimpressive, use)...........and ya know what...no more "Spoiler Alert" warnings...look, EVERY FUCKING MAIN PERSON DIES IN THIS SHOW (it's Les Miserables w/o the "happy ending") except friggin' Horatio who lives to tell Hamlet's story...oh, and Fortinbras (the Prince of Norway guy we never really care much about as it's an underlying thing in the story that I won't bore you by going into) who comes in at the end to say lines no one cares about.

The mounds of dirt (or dirt like substance, more correctly) are seen better in this pic on the right with Gertrude opening Ophelia's trunk, worked really well in the second half of the production for the grave digger scene, the scenes out on the land when Hamlet is traveling, for the burial of Ophelia, or for when we see Fortinbras traveling closer to Elsinore (what Hamlet's home city is called...and you can't forget that because jeebus, I swear the line, "You're welcome at Elsinore," is said way too much). But it was really odd when they were inside the castle.
 
I am guessing that it was meant to symbolize all the dirt in their lives (lies, deceit, greed, murder, and the madness) piling up. Every other aspect of the set/setting was done in a realistic concept, so to jump to a symbolic element felt weird, especially when they acted like it was really there, because...why would they allow all that to be piled up inside and where would it have come from? Thus, each indoor scene was hard for me to stay connected to as I found myself watching their feet walk around on the stuff. Oh, and when Laertes must duel Hamlet, all I could think was, "Dear God, they're going to fall and hurt themselves on that shit!" Not what you want your audience to think about.
 
Lastly, I was not a fan of two other main characters. I didn't dislike them, just like I didn't dislike Sian, but I wasn't loving their work either.

First, the woman who played Hamlet's mother, Gertrude (Anastasia Hille). In short, she just didn't do it for me...though, her scene with Hamlet when he lays out her sins before her and asks her to not go back to his Uncle's bed, pic of which seen below, was rather wonderful...though, a lot of that was because Benedict was in his element in this scene.

My second actor I wasn't 100% happy with, though I liked him better than Ophelia or Gertrude, was the man who played Laertes: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I know I know, he's a great actor and is very talented!!! I just wasn't there with him, if that makes sense. I think I might have too high of a bar set in my head for this role, and hence I am ever critical. And to be honest, it really comes down to that I didn't like his entrance in the second half of the show...and that might've been a directorial choice so, Kobna, I do apologize if that's the case.

Here's the thing: Laertes enters hot-n-mad with a gun in his hand and soldiers (where did these followers come from and where did they go after he tells them they can back off? So weird.) backing him up who are set to make him king and fight to avenge his father's death (which even Laertes knows nothing about in the sense of how, why, and who). His anger is already so up in the stratosphere that when he learns that Hamlet killed his dad there's not too much further for the character to build up to, but Kobna is talented enough to find it. It's when Ophelia dies right on the heels of the previous scene (in this version of the play that is) that he now has nowhere to go emotionally and it comes across a bit manic and flat.
 
This should be the moment when Laertes hits his peak of anger and despair. But he entered so big and wrought with these two items that by this point, he just was a one trick (ie: emotion) pony. I all just felt like one anger-fest scene of him metaphorically banging his chest and yelling all his lines (with his mic cutting in and out). The anguish should be felt by us, the audience, but I didn't feel that way. I just kept wanting to move on to the next scene (the problem with knowing the grave digger scene is coming up and it being a fan favorite of the play). I will say that the scene was mildly saved by Claudius' line to Gertrude after she delivers the horrible blow of telling the story of how Ophelia died and Laertes runs off in "I need my space to think" agony: "I just got him calmed down," or something like that.

I feel like I should've talked about what I didn't love first so I could end with what I did love about this production since even my "not so favorite" things cannot outweigh that I LOVED this show. Cumberbatch is brilliant and exceptional in this role, like many things he does. But paired with my love for Shakespeare (though yes, I have issues with some things in some of his plays, but who doesn't?) it made this such a great watch, that I plan to see it again when the encore presentation of the film hits theaters later this year or early next.

I will say this, also...there were things I caught about the storyline in this show that I've missed before, and considering how many times I've seen this, THAT is a remarkable and astounding fact that is yet another reason to go see this film if it comes to your city. Any team (actors/directors/etc.) who can portray the language that well deserves to be seen by all! In fact, click HERE to read review comments by the "all" who had things to say about this production in England.

If by some miracle you read this whole thing, bravo! I get wordy and can go on and on when it comes to Shakespeare...LOL!

Tamsin :)

P.S. You may have noticed on the program a tiny picture of Tom Hiddleston. That's because they're going to show an encore of the film of his play, Coriolanus, which is absolutely stupendous! I can't wait to see it again!

Altering Your Process - Over at Magical Words today!

Altering Your Process? Wait, what? Why would I alter my process? That sounds as disgusting as Buffy seems to be in this GIF!

Yeah...it is...but some projects require you to alter your approach.

Today at www.MagicalWords.net you can hear about why I'm having to alter mine.

Here's a direct link:

http://www.magicalwords.net/tamsin-silver-2/altering-your-process-hurts-like-a-b/