Assignment 11 Complete & Posted

It feels SO good to be back in the game. Now 7-10 to catch up. Just wanted to let you know I did get some real work done today, and thought I'd also share some visuals...

This will show you what I wrote on the Beat Sheet big sheet, and what it looks like now i.e. 5 pages of beats (scenes) for the movie! The red scribbles? You wouldn't really expect that I would publish it all for anyone to see do you? Especially that all-important final scene!

Thought I'd share a little process...

Some assignments go easier than others. Some parts of screenwriting just flow; others lump-bump along until the poor writer screams with frustration and comes to the conclusion it's impossible to write a whole movie anyway.

As you may guess from my infrequent posts of late, I fall into the latter category. Not to leave you out of my struggle, I thought I'd share some of the techniques I've tried.

I have tried starting at the beginning, I have tried starting at the end. Then I was struck with this wonderful idea - just make a wee note about every single thing that happens in the story, and put all the notes together on a story board of sorts. Along the way, I've happened across a few more twists for this twisty tale. So the photo shows where I am currently - I haven't quite got everything up there, but...

You will see there is a great empty patch in the middle, so I am still creating things, building relationships, infusing characters with more levels for their interaction, making them interact with each other, or more, different characters, building entertainment value and elevating quality. Well, I'm not quite caught up on all of that, but the weekend is here and I will be. As it says in my profile, I'm determined. Stay tuned for progress on the story board...

PS: BTW, this isn't a real storyboard - this is more like a get-those-scenes-up-on-the-wall board. And I do realize that I'm not explaining what a real storyboard is. I'm just not up to it right now. If you're really curious, there's always Google.

Great to be back at Script Work!

It's not the joy of getting assignments done so much, as it is the joy of discovering what the assignment is meant to show you. I think that must be the sign of a well-constructed course. Or a writer hungry for instructions. Or both.

Thinking about the part each character plays individually brings another level to story. If I keep discovering more levels, I don't know when the actual script will get written. I have a decent starter kit, but the opening scene has already changed, which changes the all-important first ten pages, and because of what I'm inventing for the characters, the rest will change quite a bit too. My hope is that with all the groundwork in place, the script may pretty much write itself. Then all I have to do is wordsmithing. Tra-la.

Of course, if you stay tuned, you may find that this is not the way it goes at all, but this we will discover together. Anyway... assignments 4, 5, and 6 are completed and have been posted for feedback from a colleague. Now I must take the time to get some groceries in the house and then I need to back-track to assignment 3, which is the full screenplay beat - by - beat. When I accomplish this, the darn thing may just be able to write itself. Ever onward, I am proud to report this progress, and I remain truly yours, gentle reader.

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!

One Short Evening for Woman, One giant leap for Screenwriter

It may not seem gigantic to non-screenwriters. In fact it may look totally ridiculous when held up as a shining accomplishment. To other writers who tackle short stories (I believe one of the most difficult written art forms there is) it may seem like nothing happened tonight at all, but to the screenwriter... this is big - golden - a coup!

I am talking about the logline - not to be confused with the pitch, although I always do. Yesterday I left you with a pitch and today it was scrapped thanks to input from a fellow screenwriter with a whole lot more pitching expertise than me.

You may at this point be anxious to read the logline, but not until I've gained advice from colleagues who know about such things.

And don't forget, 24 hours from now this logline may be scrapped too. Re-writes are a way of life, and this is the beginning of the re-write process. And I'm determined to begin here, even though I am now three (count 'em) lessons behind.

I am happy with the tone of this one. I have changed genres, you see. My LA project is going from a thriller to a Fargo-like dark comedy. It's a difficult change that will be a lot of work, but with the sparks created by discovering something new (thanks to colleagues, generous fellow writers) and writing it so it makes you giggle, it becomes imminently do-able. And for today, it feels like a giant leap for this screenwriter.

Hollywood, Here I Come

Oh my goodness! This title just reminded me of Al Jolson's "California Here I Come". If anyone else knows this song, please leave me a comment. I was raised on Al Jolson. 78's for heaven's sake! If I have any young readers out there who don't know what a 78 is, it's something we called a record, and that particular record was made of something that alcoholics could melt down and drink when things were tough.

To return to this opportunity, the alumni of the writing class was invited to three days of meeting producers in Hollywood! How could I say no to that? Only twenty writers and we will meet twenty producers, each of them likely willing to take a one-page of our most marketable script. What an amazing experience this will be! We 20 who will attend the session are coached between now and then so we have the absolute best chance of impressing someone through this process. Coaching brings with it some occasional homework and a few teleconferences. Good!

The other way to impress these producers, of course, and perhaps even get a "script request" is to have amazing material. Everyone knows that in order to produce amazing material, one must re-write. Unless you know what you're doing, a re-write may not do any good at all. I used to just revise words, and fix holes in the story if I could see them.

But it's way more than that. Examining structure, re-thinking character, evaluating action, enabling brilliance, elevating quality in a lot more ways than just looking at words. Tough to do on one's own, so, since there's not much going on (ahem) and I want to have the best product I can have in LA, why not sign up for re-writes too?
Assignments are 'only' twice a week, and we trade critiques with a partner for an even better chance of being the best. Nothing to it.

Did I mention I work full time, too?

The Six-Month-Course + Pitchfest

Yes, I did it. I signed up for six months of every-day homework...(well, there were a few breaks where students critiqued each other's work. But overall it was a busy six months, and fun, and challenging, and some of it was downright hard.

Did I learn? Yes! I learned so many new techniques, and gained so much information about what makes a script sell, that I wondered why I ever thought I could write a script before. Really!

At the end of the course, there was a PitchFest in Vancouver, and I thought I'd take a few ideas out for a spin. Mostly I have product left from when Alex and I worked together. That's Alexander Kirkwood, a retired US airforce pilot with three degrees - one in directing. Alex was the one who first introduced me to screenwriting. We worked together for many years, and there is a lot of projects to show for that time together. Knowing what I know now, and re-reading some, I was able to just toss them. Others I offered up at the Pitchfest, as it would bring me much joy to see on onscreen credit for Alex's family. We lost him to cancer.

The thing about taking ideas out for spin is that some of them might be liked. One US production company rep actually talked enough about the romantic comedy that I got some great direction for the re-write. It interested him, and he said he'd like to read it once I re-write.That's great because I wouldn't want him to read the current version anyway.

In addition, I am quite busy enough.

The other project that got some attention is a 1/2 hour family show. Omni would like to see it. But there's work to do. They want me to bring along partners, and maybe even some talent. Yikes! I cannot drop this ball, and yet there is a see-saw of comings and goings in terms of progress. Ever onward, no nmatter what. I will not fail to submit.

So, that brings us to early March 2010, the end of Pitchfest. I have my work cut out for me, so away I go, right? No, not quite. There is another opportunity not to be missed. I'll be going to L.A. in June!