Ok I know I haven’t posted in a while but thanks to my friend Tami Moore (You MUST check out her blog, tamimoore.com. I mean you must, do it now, I’ll wait) I’ve started to contemplate the meaning of this blog and what I’m going to do with it.
I’m still not sure but in the meantime I want to write a bit about a challenge that I’m partaking in. The WSF is doing a “One Script One Year” challenge. We have broken into groups of four people where we make each other accountable and support each other’s writing. The idea is for this support group to give you ideas and focus to your project. Plus, you have to have at least 10 pages done at each meeting or bad things happen. They haven’t said what those would be but I don’t want to find out.
But this is going to be good for me. I know I tend to write a lot in the summer months since I don’t have to take the kids to school but during the school year? Oh yeah, this is going to be good.
Im getting there. I really am. You know I have been working on this thing for nearly a year and a half now and I am so very close to calling it finished….or am I?
So here is the thing. I feel like I am very close to being done. But just when I think that, boom! Something else seems to rear its ugly head. So I think my goal is to get as many people to read draft three as possible and collect the feedback into one place. As I look at everything all at once I hope to see just how far I am from the end.
Small change but important. I know most people heard the announcement at the last meeting but I am movng the Skype time to Saturdays at 8:30 pm central.
It does turn out that I had a conflict with Fridays.
Hi all. I had and idea the other day. I love being a member of the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum. Every meeting sparks great conversation about the craft and process of screenwriting.
However, I am always bummed when it ends. So, I decided to make a portal on this site for WSF members to collaborate on Skype. I am going to try and keep the Skye on every Friday night at 8:30 central for those who wish to continue the discussion or start a new one.
I will give you all passwords to the site on the WSF forum. Click the page link to the left that says WSF Page and enter in the password. I will also post schedules of topics and/or times when I will just be unavailable.
Well, I did it. Didn’t think I could/would/should but I did it. For the longest time I have pondered weather or not I should focus in on one of the two extra curricular forces in my life: Writing and Podcasting. I have considered this for a long time while choosing the approach of “let’s just sit back and watch one take out the other”. Well, one finally did.
Writing won.
However, not in the way I would have imagined. You see, my co-host decided she wanted to call it quits after doing the show with me for almost a year. Can’t say I blame her. She just recently became engaged, her business is taking off, all the while having great success at the Chicago Nerds Social Club. So, why would you continue to hang around this quirky, yet very fun, show? But I also have to admit that I am tired as well. It is a lot of work doing this production all by yourself. I have come to realize that the production in my head is just not possible to do all by myself. Of course, all things in my head are impossible to do by myself…but that never stops me from trying
Anyway, so after episode 100 I called back all of our regular volunteers on Skype to let them know that there were only two shows left and I was going to stop the show and focus on my writing. What happened next shocked me. My volunteers broke down (I heard some of them cried…but I can’t confirm that) and told me point blank that they want to continue the show themselves. So, I now have the best of both worlds. I will be behind the scenes of the show as a producer but I will have none of the production work as that is going to be handled by 5 of our volunteers. Wow, go figure.
And now, I get to write like crazy!
I have to say I am thrilled. I have been wanting to focus on my writing for a while but life just gave me path to do just that. I have NO excuses now
Finished 1st rewrite
Sent to people
Got great reviews and feedback
Gathered feedback into nice laundry list
Sat down to implement them
Except only one problem…looking at all I have to fix I dont think I can get it all done before the October contest. Kinda on the bummer side but it is sounding more and more like this story may actually have a chance to impress a reader at a contest. And if that is the case why not take the chance and skip the contest and make it even better?
*sigh* this has been quite the journey. I really didnt start out on this story line to make somethng marketable. All I did was try to write a story that Iiked. Just pullig from what I know and graving ideas from movies I liked.
Just in case you were keeping score those are:
Matrix
Fight club
Harry potter
Quills
I know, strange combo. But now I have an official script reader telling me that I have a really original story and that I am only a rewrite or two away from a killer and marketable script. I still shake my head at it almost not believng.
So the plan for now is to keep plugging away at things and sees where I am by the end of August. By then I should know where this story stands in terms of the contest.
WOW. I just got back notes from the president of ou screenwriters group about my screenplay. He had some amazing comments.
Reading his comments has given me such a tremendous clarity that I so want to just gut the second act. However that might mean I miss the October deadline for this first contest.
