Friday 19 April 2013

A-Z Challenge: Q: Quantum Leap + Celebrate the Small Things

Two posts again: A-Z post for the day and Celebrate the Small Things!

A-Z: my theme is What I Learned About Writing from Watching TV aka Justifying my TV Habit.

Q is for Quantum Leap

An oldie but a goodie! Dr Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images which are not his own and hoping each time…okay I’ll stop now.

Quantum Leap is an example of taking a simple concept and running with it. Early Edition is similar (guy gets tomorrow’s newspaper, stops things from happening). Tru Calling the same (dead body speaks to Tru, she rewinds and saves them). In Quantum Leap Sam leaps into people’s lives and changes something. Puts right what once went wrong.

A simple concept pulled through can work very well in a novel. It has to be thought through, have heart and a main character behind it. But it’s worth thinking about.

Quantum Leap is one of my all time faves!

Now to Celebrate The Small Things: 19 April style.

This weekly post has a simple aim: you sign up on the linky, you post a celebration for the week, and you hop around and celebrate with others. The celebrations can be as small as you like: sweeping that path, clearing that cupboard, finally getting a haircut.

My celebration is of course reaching Q in the A-Z!
Also my wee niece's birthday ;)

What about you?

Here's the linky - do have a hop around!

22 comments:

  1. I loved "Quantum Leap" and thought I was the only one! Scott Bakula was such a kind and moral hero (reminds me of Nathan Fillion in "Castle"). Yay for good guys who are really good!
    Congrats on making it to "Q"! ;-)

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  2. I loved the episode where he goes through childbirth and labor.

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  3. Being able to go back and fix things is one of those fantasies we all have. Of course, once you change on thing, a bunch of other things will also get changed.

    mood

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  4. Quantum Leap was a show my dad and I always watched together. That and Star Trek <-- Ugh! Loved Q-leap tho. I mean I like Star Trek the movies... the newer ones. haha.
    Wouldn't it be amazing to live so many lives within your own? I think so anyways.

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  5. I used to love Quantum Leap. The best part was seeing where he'd leap to at the end of the episode and then having to wait for a whole week to find out how he'd cope - especially when he became a woman! :-)

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  6. We loved watching Quantum Leap in our house growing up. And I agree with Kirsten...loved seeing where he'd end up at the end of the episode.

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  7. Another show I don't think I've ever watched! Congratulations on getting to Q in the A-Z and a happy birthday to your little niece.

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  8. My wife and I always enjoyed watching Quantum Leap. As you say, it's a good example of a simple idea that works well. The key, though, is that the idea was executed well. A good idea can run aground if the characters are weak, or the dialogue stilted, or the writing uninspired. Quantum Leap--and many novels built on similarly simple ideas--worked because it was well-written. At least IMO. :)

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  9. I loved Quantum Leap and its surprises about where Sam would end up next. Dr. Who has that same theme with weirder results with each leap.

    Cleaning out a cupboard would be a delightfully small, but great accomplishment for me about now.

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  10. Just over a week to go! We can do it.

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  11. I haven't thought about Quantum Leap in a while - that was a great show!
    Happy Birthday to your niece!!!

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  12. You are almost at the finish line of the A-Z challenge, yay!

    Wishing a very happy birthday to your teeny niece :D

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  13. I totally forgot about the Small Things this week. I think my mind is officially gone at this point in the Challenge LOL.

    Happy Birthday to your little niece! :)

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  14. Happy birthday to the pretty niece!

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  15. Lexa C - I LOVED Quantum you are most definitely not alone! He was such an all round straight up good guy. (In contrast to Al who'd make me laugh).

    J.L. - oh YES! Awesome!

    mooderino - yes, the butterfly effect! You are right!

    Dani - yes good way of thinking about it, to get to experience so many things would be exciting.

    Kirsten - hee yes! OH BOY! I used to love that bit!

    M.J. Fifield - the OH BOY was a great bit! then wondering what would happen!

    Suzanne Furness - aw thankyou, my niece had a good time!

    Colin Smith - yes absolutely, it had good writing, a great central character, all these things backing it up! (Good actors too).

    C. Lee McKenzie - yes I hadn't thought of the Dr Who comparison, interesting. They have a different adventure each time also you are right.

    ooh good luck cleaning out the cupboard!

    Alex J. Cavanaugh - we can! :)

    Tyrean Martinson - thank you ;)

    SK - almost yay! and thanks, my niece had a nice day.

    Julie Flanders - ha, it's difficult this challenge! & thank you.

    Al Diaz - thank you ;) She had a nice day!

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  16. Happy birthday to your niece! Can you believe I've never seen Quantum Leap?!

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  17. Quantum Leap was good, and Early Edition - I'd forgotten about that one. Don't know the other one you mentioned. They are good concepts.

    It's also a good concept when people try to change things in the past and it turns out worse. My favorites are: The movie, Retroactive with Jim Belushi; the book 11/22/63 by Stephen King; and the movie, The Butterfly Effect.

    Yes, getting through this challenge is something to celebrate! Happy BD to your niece. Writer’s Mark

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  18. I had such a girlhood crush on Scott Bakula... [sigh] :)

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  19. Quantum Leap. Oh boy! Well done for reaching Q.

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  20. I loved Quantum Leap. One of my all time favourites. They keep talking about bringing it back, but never seem to get the project off the ground. One day :)

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  21. M. J. Joachim - never seen Quantum Leap? I can't believe it ;)

    Nancy LaRonda Johnson - Ooh good examples of changing things in the past and it not working out! I don't know all of those but will check 'em out.

    Lara - me too ;)

    Julia - hee! Oh boy! And thank you ;)

    petedenton - I would love it to return!!

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  22. "Oh boy."
    I feel that is the best possible comment, and I know that you get why.

    Stopping by from the #atozchallenge !
    @JLenniDorner

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Please comment, I'd love to know what you think! :)