Health-related Delay

Last post was July 5th, I see. This is September 4th! Oh my goodness. It's just not fair to have spent that two months not getting any part of anything done. Kind and gentle reader(s) - the "s" is a hope of mine - I have missed you. I have missed doing anything to warrant an update. I have missed writing. I've only managed to put up a couple of short pieces on my favourite reading site. My story, "Invisible Challenges" just posted on "Life as a Human" kinda describes what my standard state has been the last couple of months.

http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/home-living/lifestyle/invisible-challenges/

I am, however, on the mend, and beginning to feel my mojo once again. With any luck at all, I can begin sharing news of my brilliance shining light on Hollywood executives soon! Wouldn't that be cool? Don't you give up on me. I'm one determined Pegster! Cheers to all.

Back in Canada!

This sunny morning, I feel a little stunned by it all. Was it real? Am I tired? Where do I start? And all this is mixed in with the joy of thinking I'll be seeing family soon. Hurray!

Monday June 7th was travel day. Packed up, shuttled to airport and flew back into the country about sums it up. I did, however, take a batch of pics of a movie set as they were setting up. You can check these out (and others from the trip) on Facebook.

Sunday June 6th - I didn't get to post this on the 6th because our WiFi was down, but since I wrote it, I thought I'd share:

Last night in TinselTown

Here I am at the end of this amazing experience. The weekend weather has been hot and sunny, and I've done a whole lot of whatever-I-want. We've eaten Mexican, Italian, French, and whatever-we-want. I've shopped for a few-too-many souveniers, taken pics, swam, conversed, sang, and laughed. I've made friends and learned a lot. I thought I'd top it off by getting a star on the Walk of Fame.



So that's the first 9 days of my 14-day vacation! I am SO glad I'm going to see the kids and that we have Ryan's first brithday to celebrate! Travelling tomorrow. See you soon!

One Day Off, kinda...

This is actually my June 5th blog. I didn't get it up last night because the wireless at the hotel was done. Such is life in this modern world...


No Producer's Conference for me after all, and I find myself not really all that disappointed. I had a fun day of shopping, napping, & working. When the rest of the gang got back, we all went out for dinner and Hal bought mine. It was fun, and so nice to be with 5 five others from the group. I look forward to Sunday. I've just got a few more gifts to pick up, and I want to get some pics of the architecture. The building pics will be used in an article for Life as a Human. I've got a page there, too.

I'm still very excited about the script request and that's the focus of the work until it's ready. Here's a pic of instructor Hal and me as we walked back from dinner.

No Bull in Hollywood?

Got someone to take a pic today that I could post. Great day today. SO much good stuff! And I'm a bit too tired to really blog about it.

I'm definitely able to go to the Producer's Conference this weekend, so that is tres cool. Someone named James has cancelled out, so I may get to be a Jamie this weekend!

Only in America

Here I am in beautiful downtown Hollywood. You can see my logo...I love my logo... in the foreground, and I guess you'll have to take my word for the fact that the, no THE Hollywood sign is over my left shoulder waaaay in the background. This is taken from the four-story plaza that is now my neighbourhood. They've got everything from COACH (designer handbags) to Crepes. I had a tropical fruit crepe. The phenomenal thing about that is they brought me the whole can of whipping cream, and left it on the table! I haven't experienced that before.

Here's another thing I'd not experienced before today. Sniffed by a drug dog! I don't know if someone questionable was on board, or whether they'd heard about BC bud, but two officers and their dog - not a coochie-coo sweet kind of dog, believe me. I think maybe a cross between an Alsasion (or however you spell it) and a German Shepherd.
"Single file please. Keep to your right." If anyone had been packing, they must have rightfully shit themselves. I saw the trio come up the outside steps to the plane. They RAN up those steps. I didn't stay to see if they got anyone. The dog let me by with my pecan cookies, so I just kept on going!

Phone call with my group tomorrow morning. I'm glad to be here, even though most of my clothes don't work. I packed for spring instead of summer. It's hot and humid. I have kind of a hippie dress with me, so I guess I'll be wearing that ALL the time. It's now nearing midnight, and I still have windows wide open. Goodbye cool, wet weather!

Three more Sleeps!

With the Hollywood meetings looming large, we had another conference call about what we need, and the almighty "One-Page" reared its head again. The first one I'd done way back had way too much in it, so I didn't even re-visit it. I just started over. I got a short, zippy pitch written and off to colleagues for critique. It only seemed to fit the bill for one of the three who read it. They needed a little bit more. So now that is out there to two additional fellow writers who hadn't seen the first one, and my first e-mail back said, "May I be brutal? Call me." Uh-oh.

On Tuesday evening I have a one-on-one call with the instructor to review this item. It's a marketing tool designed to make a producer want to read your script. If the first line doesn't grab them, they won't read on, and so forth. So it needs to be brief but tweak the curiosity, or help the producer see that you've got a character who would attract an A-list actor, or be easy to make for a million dollars, or something appealing to his/her business sense.

If you think this is easy, you are mistaken. Believe me.

In regards to progress on the re-write course assignments, I did get #7 done, and that leaves 8, 9, and 10. I'll be able to get back to these once this one-page is done and I'm on the road. It's good that I'm nearly ready because it's almost time to go. I will keep you apprised as I go. Cheers for now!

Oh - BTW, I have a new story posted on LifeasaHuman - could give you a giggle: http://lifeasahuman.com/author/pegainsley/

Back Online at Last!

It has been awhile - I feel behind in everything, so it's time to get that rectified. I am tackling life - as we all do - one task at a time, one day at a time, one assignment at a time. Who said, "Life is what happens when you're following a dream," or some such thing.

Things to deal with - day job deadlines, day job blues, day job effort required beyond belief.

Body - killer throat bugs - desire to sleep, and sleep - age itself -

Mind - interest in project, high - number of assignments done, low (see above)
- attention required to a friend's accident - concern taking up mind-space
- attention required for children - for friend moving to new house -

Home - always left 'til last, but order brings joy, so will do that first

Then I'll get on with assignments. One month until the Hollywood Meetings begin!

And the O-project? E-mail to update, inform of activity and request for time.

So now you're caught up. This read can't have been much fun, and I will improve, as I do, with age. Please grant me the gift of patience. Cheers to all!

In the Light of Day

Okay, now we have direction, we will get on with the next assignment. It is to have another look at your beat sheet. A beat sheet is the story, step by step, scene by scene. I never really did have a full beat sheet, as things kept changing, and before I got to the end of the story, beat by beat, I would be moving things around, or changing the flow, and so now here goes.

I am very much looking forward to getting this finished (I did get a start on the weekend) as I really need to know the story from front to back and inside out by the time I get to Hollywood.

As the end of April nears, I realize only May remains to do the work necessary.

That's okay. I get done exactly what I need to get done to have the level of success I'm supposed to have in June, and that's a high level!

I love you for being here. Bye bye for now...

Decisions, Decisions, & Inspiration

If this title seems a little odd, then you've already peeked into my current head space. What a ride this is.

With a partner to critique my re-write work, it brings to light amazing insights - like why am I trying to make this thriller into a dark comedy? The answer to that is so I can have the next Fargo. This begs the question, who told you you're on par with the Coen Brothers? Do you really think that the first thing you sell is going to be the next "Fargo?" Where that is not impossible, is it reasonable? or even the least bit realistic?

The only producer I pitched "SERIOUS" to told me that Dark Comedy is a tough genre to write. Maybe I should work with some others before moving along to that particular challenge. I'm supposed to be going to Hollywood with my "most marketable project". Is that really going to be a dark comedy?

I go back to my earliest learnings from John Truby. ALL scripts need humour - no matter what genre. As my re-write partner points out, Hitchcock used ironic humor in even his most suspenseful plots and moments. The fact that I have some ready-made humorous elements is a good thing. The audience will enjoy themselves more as a result, whether they came in expecting to laugh or not.

The script I have is a decent (and not-been-seen-before) thriller that can be made for a million dollars, which seems like a great place to get one's first deal. I've heard stories of people who feel insulted by the offer of Writer's Guild minimums. I, personally would kiss the feet of anyone offering me that - cripes, it's $80K!

So, where is this coming from? I finished one of three homework assignments yesterday and got my feedback. I also just got off the phone with Hal and my Hollywood Meeting group. He went through the steps a writer goes through to get somewhere, and what I got from that is that you are where you are. He told us what to focus on while you're on each level, and I'm no where near writing like the Coen Brothers. If I prove myself wrong, great. But for now I need the best work I can create, in the most marketable genre.

My decision is that my thriller remains a thriller, and I no longer need to keep trying to push it into the shape of a Dark Comedy, when I don't really know what that is, other than Fargo is a great example. I am laughing out loud now. What a skit. And it is one of my goals while working with this thriller to make sure the comedy is found and brought to the forefront for people to enjoy.

Also, just so you know, had you ever told me I would be writing a thriller, I would have been very surprised. But I kinda like the twists and turns of suspense, and people getting into trouble, and people being trouble, and making trouble and finding trouble. So, onward.

The call was inspiring to me because this teacher has laid out a map to follow. If we follow it, we will succeed. It's that simple. All the times I've decided in the past not to succeed are gone. To follow this map will bring me much joy - at every step. I know it won't be easy, but nonetheless, the steps are there.

I am currently at Step 1 of 10. I have been at step 2 many times, and even toyed with step 3 once, only to freak out at how little I knew and decided to stop trying.

Going to the Hollywood meetings in June will be a full-on Step 2 and may well lead to Step 3. Meanwhile, there is writing to be done, re-writing to be done, and lest we forget...Project "O" to deal with.

Isn't there something about the Rubber hitting the Road?

This is it, folks! We're caught up now. You're with me in the present. It's time for action. Steadfast, organized action. Every day something must be done. Today I worked on my re-write homework on the bus, at lunch, and after work, but still didn't get it posted. I also wrote one e-mail to support the Omni pitch(which we will hereafter refer to as the O-project), and sent a new, brief pitch line to my Hollywood Meetings "twin" sister.

Truth be told, I did indulge in two telephone visits, and was sucked into Idol gives back a little bit. Just so you know, I've experienced three days of hellish deadline pressure at work. But hey, I'm still in a good mood, and I got SOMETHING done today that serves the goal.

Last e-mail check revealed some prep work that needs doing prior to a Hollywood meetings teleconference this Sunday. Tra-la, tra-la. Here's to tomorrow evening being more productive, and then the weekend cometh.

Say, what do you think of my mini-pitch line?

Peter wants to prove a psychologist guilty...(pause)
while the real murderer "helps" his teenage son.

More soon...

Steadfast, organized action...
Every day...