I can see that you will have no faith left in my resolve, anything I promise and most of what I say, but here I am anyway, carrying on carrying on. It's April 3, and I see that the last time I visited here was November. Pre-Christmas, pre-move, pre-"all is well".
Now I am in the middle of the moving process, just having said my farewells to Victoria, and taking a week to visit my way into my new life in Calgary. My new life, by the way, is the worklife I have been attempting to create for 30 years. It's strange when you suddenly get what you want. You don't even really see it coming, but here it is and it's so good.
I now have writing contracts filling five days per week that I can do from anywhere. I choose to do it from the same city in which my family is currently located. It doesn't matter if they are always there, I will enjoy whatever time there is with them before they decide to move on.
When winter comes, "anywhere" may be somewhere there is palm trees. I do crave palm trees from time to time. I know things change and I enjoy it. I've not chosen a change for a long time, and this one feels so right.
The only thing better will be to make my writing-for-a-living screenwriting. For now, though, as my good friend tells me...enjoy the success (wallow in it, I believe she said) of achieving this long-term goal. And I am. Wow. squirm, stretch, roll, wallow
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Monday, May 17, 2010
Finally...a BREAKTHROUGH!
If you are still there, gentle reader, I can finally report that I'm on my way again. And now there are only 10 more sleeps before I leave home and begin my 2010 vacation which includes the all-important activities in Los Angeles. Hollywood, even.
There are two kinds of being stuck for this writer.
One is just the regular there's-a-blank-page-and-I-can't-go-on, which is normally handled with good old-fashioned procrastination. Laundry to do, bathrooms to clean, plants to transplant all become more important when you're that kind of stuck. Eventually you just sit down and write the thing because while you are planting plants and upside down in toilet bowls, your mind is working on something that you can write down.
This particular term of stuckedness was not this variety at all. It was a deeper, scared-y-cat, I-can't-do-this kind of stuck. When you believe that you can't do it, your mind doesn't work on anything at all, and in fact you think you'd better just lie down rather than clean the house. This is the worst kind of stuck, because you don't really see a way past. The energy I have been using for sheer determination has run out. I'm tired.
In desperation I called out to my former writing partner, long since lost to cancer. No, he didn't answer, and no, I didn't feel his presence. I didn't even think about him again. I just sat down and began to add the ones, then the twos, and compared them with the script I've already written, which gave me some threes, and before you know it, I had broken through! Four straight hours and the elusive "beat sheet" is done!
I was so happy I did a little happy dance around the apartment, even though it was after 11:00 and I actually chortled, and laughed out loud, and yes, I remembered to thank Alex, justincase, and Zoooooooom! I am back to loving what I'm doing!
Assignment 11 came out today, and I "only" need to make up 7, 8, 9, and 10! And meantime I'm making lists of what to pack, and trying to get other things ready for my trip. And that's okay! I feel now I have a complete story, and guess what? I can see the humour in it!
There are two kinds of being stuck for this writer.
One is just the regular there's-a-blank-page-and-I-can't-go-on, which is normally handled with good old-fashioned procrastination. Laundry to do, bathrooms to clean, plants to transplant all become more important when you're that kind of stuck. Eventually you just sit down and write the thing because while you are planting plants and upside down in toilet bowls, your mind is working on something that you can write down.
This particular term of stuckedness was not this variety at all. It was a deeper, scared-y-cat, I-can't-do-this kind of stuck. When you believe that you can't do it, your mind doesn't work on anything at all, and in fact you think you'd better just lie down rather than clean the house. This is the worst kind of stuck, because you don't really see a way past. The energy I have been using for sheer determination has run out. I'm tired.
In desperation I called out to my former writing partner, long since lost to cancer. No, he didn't answer, and no, I didn't feel his presence. I didn't even think about him again. I just sat down and began to add the ones, then the twos, and compared them with the script I've already written, which gave me some threes, and before you know it, I had broken through! Four straight hours and the elusive "beat sheet" is done!
I was so happy I did a little happy dance around the apartment, even though it was after 11:00 and I actually chortled, and laughed out loud, and yes, I remembered to thank Alex, justincase, and Zoooooooom! I am back to loving what I'm doing!
Assignment 11 came out today, and I "only" need to make up 7, 8, 9, and 10! And meantime I'm making lists of what to pack, and trying to get other things ready for my trip. And that's okay! I feel now I have a complete story, and guess what? I can see the humour in it!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, April 19, 2010
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?
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?
Friday, April 16, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
That First Course-on-the-Phone!
Ah. It was soothing ointment on my dried, shriveled soul. It was better than the first sip of nourishment for a desert traveler. It was more like how that traveler feels two hours later when he can drink all he wants. I was so thirsty.
I liked what I heard.
There was so much good information in that two and a half hours that I really felt like more. And, like all free teleconferences, it ended with an invitation to pay for more, with a healthy discount. How could I refuse? I was still thirsty!
It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Hal Croasmun is one of those rare individuals who actually cares enough to spend time. He has spent time researching, experiencing, and testing what makes screenplays sell, and he is willing to share. I've never met anyone so eager to spend SO many hours with writers. He genuinely wants to help. And I have a lot of time for people like him. And money, too. Heck, it's the American way.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the peeps north of the 49th, the Canadian way is apologetic. We end up feeling sorry that we've made a lot of money. We can't help but feel that it's just wrong somehow.
(Cancel that, Universe! I don't want you to get the idea that I, Peg, feel like that. Not me. I'd like to make a lot of money and experience all that entails.)
Stay tuned, gentle reader, we're getting ourselves up to present day current developments. I'm busy with family this weekend, and will blog as and when I can. Thanks for being here. I'm loving it!
I liked what I heard.
There was so much good information in that two and a half hours that I really felt like more. And, like all free teleconferences, it ended with an invitation to pay for more, with a healthy discount. How could I refuse? I was still thirsty!
It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Hal Croasmun is one of those rare individuals who actually cares enough to spend time. He has spent time researching, experiencing, and testing what makes screenplays sell, and he is willing to share. I've never met anyone so eager to spend SO many hours with writers. He genuinely wants to help. And I have a lot of time for people like him. And money, too. Heck, it's the American way.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the peeps north of the 49th, the Canadian way is apologetic. We end up feeling sorry that we've made a lot of money. We can't help but feel that it's just wrong somehow.
(Cancel that, Universe! I don't want you to get the idea that I, Peg, feel like that. Not me. I'd like to make a lot of money and experience all that entails.)
Stay tuned, gentle reader, we're getting ourselves up to present day current developments. I'm busy with family this weekend, and will blog as and when I can. Thanks for being here. I'm loving it!
Monday, April 12, 2010
There is such joy in beginning. I don't really know who said that. I believe it happened when a number of fine minds were gathered in a room to change the world, or make a film, or something.
Anyway, there is...joy in beginning. Then you get caught up in the world of "keeping at it", "staying the course", "keeping it up", or, heaven forbid, actually finishing. I've come to believe that if you want joy in living, you don't ever really finish.
I am now ready to experience success as part of the joy of living, and see it as never being finished. Unending success. How cool would that be?
The reason I feel compelled to begin this blog is that I want to share my thoughts along the way. I won't dwell on past experiences, but I don't promise not to share from the past if it helps me make a point. For now, let's just GO!
Anyway, there is...joy in beginning. Then you get caught up in the world of "keeping at it", "staying the course", "keeping it up", or, heaven forbid, actually finishing. I've come to believe that if you want joy in living, you don't ever really finish.
I am now ready to experience success as part of the joy of living, and see it as never being finished. Unending success. How cool would that be?
The reason I feel compelled to begin this blog is that I want to share my thoughts along the way. I won't dwell on past experiences, but I don't promise not to share from the past if it helps me make a point. For now, let's just GO!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
