Remarkable Madame has passed on the role of Jessica.  Her manager sent Andy a lovely Dear John e-mail expressing good vibes for the BTS script, but explaining that the timing just isn’t right since she’s got a series going into production and she’s just come off of a bunch of indie films, and etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  As my director JJ (not to be confused with ex-boyfriend JJ) pointed out, at least the project is moving in circles where it’s taken seriously and people are responding to it. Yes.

And weird as it sounds, I wasn’t all that bummed about the news.  Don’t get me wrong – Remarkable Madame is a fantastic actress and would have been incredible in the role.  Maybe I’m just getting more comfortable with the rejection roller coaster?  It’s become a normal pattern in my life.  One week I’ll get exciting news from a big industry contest only to be followed by an e-mail that a script of mine hasn’t even placed in a small, obscure contest.  I’ll have a terrific correspondence with a potential investor and then be met with total radio silence from another one.  I think at some point I’ve realized that the only healthy mental place for all of these up-and-down, high-and-low developments is a zen state of mind.

And recent events – specifically in Aurora, Colorado – are a good reminder about keeping perceived “challenges” in perspective.  In terms of life’s hard knocks, I have nothing to complain about.  As I came in from walking the dogs this morning and contemplated the day – my day – ahead, I offered up thanks to the universe for the fact that I’m healthy and mobile and surrounded by supportive family/friends/pets and that I do get to live this life each day.

Keep calm and carry on.

I really support you when it’s time for dinner, DLB!

And so we’re carrying on to another talented lady.  Here’s hoping Crazygood Actress is the one!

I survived the sweltering sunny heat of Wisconsin and have returned to the cool breezes of Los Angeles.  Wait a minute?  What did I just type?

Yes, another trip to the land of beer & bratwurst has come and gone.  As always, it was great to spend time with my family – especially my nieces and new nephew.  The girls are an endless source of entertainment and after spending a few days monitoring their activities at the neighborhood swimming pool, I think I’ve found material for a new screenplay.  Between the hunky lifeguards, hot mommies, and sugar-fueled splashers (does the Snack Shack really need to sell ice cream drumsticks at ten in the morning?), the place was a flashpoint of steamy summer recreation. (Although the steaminess was probably due to the fact that it was so bloody hot.  Triple digits, Wisconsin?  Really?!?)

Hot – and I mean meteor HOT – fun in the summertime

I’ve only been back in LA for a couple of days and good things seem to be happening, so I’ve been a busy gal.  Therefore, while I’ll try to make these blog posts more frequent, I will no doubt need to make them shorter.

The actress I told you about a couple of posts ago has not read BENEATH THE SURFACE yet because she just landed a role in a major film – and by “major” I mean that the cost of craft services could probably fund BENEATH THE SURFACE – so she’s on location for the shoot.  But it sounds like she’ll be reading the script soon and my unexpected-yet-welcome task today was to draft a letter to her explaining why she MUST take the role of Jessica.  Now that’s the kind of writing I can really get into!

For the love of Ashby, please grace us with your presence!!!

Here’s hoping my powers of persuasion go further than convincing my nieces to bypass the drumstick and go for the sun chips at the Snack Shack. (I was successful on that front, though, so maybe I have a chance with this remarkable madame?)

Is it already time for another bloggyversary?  And I once again celebrate it from America’s Dairyland where it’s been a bazillion degrees for most of my visit so far. (Thankfully, today brought some relief in that the temperature was no longer in the triple digits.  Good God, it’s been cooler in LA!)

A Cruel Summer

I’m two years into blogging about my independent filmmaking journey and have yet to make my independent film. <SIGH>  But I’m living up to my deliberate moniker, right?  And aside from the fact that making movies is inherently challenging (especially when you’re the one raising the money to make them), I think I’m also trying to approach this process in a thoughtful, responsible way so that it’s not simply a once-off experience.  I am so grateful for my creative freedom right now and I’m determined to sustain it.

Okay, that’s about all my heat-addled brain can spew forth right now.  My next entry will be more of a state-of-the-union address because, believe it or not, I’ve learned a thing or two about a thing or two in the past couple of years.  And, as always, I truly appreciate those of you who check out this humble blog from time to time.  I do feel that good things are in motion for Deliberate Productions and I hope to have some exciting news to share with you in the future.  Because it’s your support and encouragement that keeps me going.

I’m Queen of the World! (Or at least Hollywood.)

Alas, my fifteen pages of cinematic genius did not make the cut in the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest.  I am not one of the chosen ten finalists.  I will not be participating in the 12-week “story specialist” program.  Boo hoo.

Okay, enough wallowing.

I’ve decided to consider myself participant #11 and I will follow my own story specialist program starting next week – just without the story specialist.  I figure if I can write ten pages a week like the finalists in the program, then I, too, will have a first draft done by mid-September. (And if I’m feeling particularly inspired, maybe sooner.)  I’m going to ask VP Babs to hold me accountable for having at least ten pages to turn in to her each week.  She can read them to tell me if my story is still tracking or she can just use them as an antidote for bouts of insomnia or for grocery lists she needs to write up.  The point is, if there’s someone expecting my pages each week, then I am more likely to write those pages.  And if I stay on task, I’ll end up with my first political thriller script.

Political and Thrilling!

In the meantime, there were some very good developments this week.  Casting is officially underway.  Hooray!  Kudos to incredible Casting Director, Andy Henry, for hitting the ground running in his first couple of weeks on the job.  I met Andy through my good friend Monique and he has loads of experience and a keen eye for talent.  Oh yeah, he’s a really sweet guy as well.  Thanks to Andy’s efforts, BENEATH THE SURFACE made it past the first gatekeeper (a manager) and the script is now in the hands – or on the iPad – of an actress I admire a lot.  It’s definitely weird and exciting and humbling to think that she’s reading my work – I hope she sees herself in the lead role as easily as I do.   The gameplan is to get key talent attached to the project, so that potential investors will feel a little more security in putting their dollars toward the film.   If we get this particular actress interested, I don’t know how an investor could resist!

The Amazin’ Hazen – Shawn Hazen – is living up to his graphic design artistry and creating some cool poster concepts for BTS.  He’s honed in on an image very significant to the story, and it makes for a powerful encapsulation of the film’s themes and overall motif.  At first I worried that much as I loved it, it wasn’t congruent enough with the title (which, admittedly, I’m ambivalent about to begin with).  But then I realized that the poster doesn’t need to be that literal.  It probably shouldn’t be that literal.  An intriguing image will pique interest – and that’s the ultimate goal.  Hopefully, I can unveil his artwork soon.  I’m telling you, Saul Bass would be impressed.

Along the lines of this…

I’m Madison-bound next week, so if all goes well I’ll have more positive progress reports from America’s Dairyland.  And at least there I can wallow in fried cheese curds if need be.

Another Los Angeles Film Festival has come and gone.  I must admit it’s great to now navigate the fest and feel like it’s old hat.  I know where to park my car.  I know how to get to the theatres.  I know where the filmmakers’ lounge offering free drinks is located. (Very important!)  Yeah, I guess you could call me an LA Film fest veteran.  But the real jolt comes from the movies that are shown and the love for indie filmmaking that is expressed.  And that’s why I will continue to attend this festival whenever possible.

Like last year’s blog entry, I will lazily pull movie descriptions from the fest’s “film guide” to highlight my favorites and add my peanut gallery comments afterward.

Here we go!

FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES

CALL ME KUCHU: To be openly gay in Uganda is to risk imprisonment and death.  Brave men and women like David Kato, the country’s first openly gay activist, have fought back at great risk.  This intimate and impassioned documentary takes us inside this life-and-death struggle for human rights.

One of my best friends has lived and worked in Africa, so I’m always drawn to content regarding the country.  I didn’t know anything about David Kato going into the movie, but the fact that he was an out-and-proud gay man in such a regimented, patriarchal society piqued my interest.  One particularly disturbing element to Kato’s heartbreaking fight for human rights in Uganda is that a number of American evangelical churches are over there providing much needed services to the country’s poor while also preaching hate against the country’s gay population.  A complex and sobering situation that is intelligently chronicled in this doc.

THE IRAN JOB: American pro basketball player Kevin Sheppard signed on to play for the upstart Iranian Super League team A.S. Shiraz as one of two non-Iranian players (his roommate is a giant Serb).  Sheppard, a gregarious charmer, makes friends wherever he goes and forms a fascinating relationship with three strong, independent Iranian women who bristle at the restrictions of an oppressive theocracy.  Their touching, unlikely bond makes for an illuminating study in cross-cultural understanding.

“Gregarious charmer” is a perfect description of Kevin Sheppard.  And watching him navigate Iranian culture while playing basketball in the country is a fascinating journey.  The friendships he forms with three lovely, spirited Iranian women is at the heart of this movie.  It’s a good reminder that if we look beyond the rhetoric of what is supposed to constitute our “enemy”, we may find a surprising number of similarities.  And you’ll also see some exciting basketball games.

There is no “i” in “Team”

FAVORITE NARRATIVE FEATURES

EASY MONEY: A Swedish crime thriller that follows a poor student who leads a double life mixing with the Stockholm elite.  To support his lavish lifestyle and impress the upper class girl he’s fallen for, he’s lured into a life of crime.  His story will fatally intersect the lives of two others: Jorge, a Chilean on the run from the law and the Yugoslavian mafia, and the hitman hired to kill Jorge, whose job is compromised by the young daughter he has to take care of.

This was one of the final films I saw at the fest and I was grateful to end on such a high note.  The action films I love are steeped in well-rounded characters that you actually give a crap about and EASY MONEY provided this ten-fold.  As the lead character got more immersed in criminal activities, and the stakes got higher – and worse –  I was captivated over what was coming next.  This was the only narrative film that I gave the highest score of a “4” when it came time to vote for the audience award.  Yeah, it’s that captivating.

Unfortunately, all of my good will was jettisoned by the discovery that an American version is in the works and who do you think is attached to play the lead?  Zac Efron.  Yep, Zac “High School Musical” Efron. <SIGH>  Please, for the love of God, see the Swedish version first! (And I’ll go out on a limb and say you may as well stop there!)

TEDDY BEAR: Years of working out have given Dennis a massive build, but they have also left him socially awkward, especially around women.  Having an overly protective mother who obsessively dotes on him has only exacerbated his lonely situation.  So when he impulsively heads to Thailand after being told – but not fully understanding – that women there are “easy” to meet, Dennis finds himself treading in unfamiliar emotional waters.

It’s a simple story told more through behavior, gestures, and longing looks rather than dialogue.   Moving, poignant, and anchored by an incredibly subtle performance from real-life body builder Kim Kold, the film provides a touching exploration of a man searching for love.

Looking for Love

GAYBY: Neither Jenn nor Matt, best friends forever, is finding much luck in the boyfriend department, so when Jenn’s biological clock begins to tick, she decides to revisit a youthful promise they made to each other – to have a baby together.  As the seriousness of what they are trying to do creeps in, Jenn and Matt attempt to get their careers and romantic lives back on track in time to welcome their gayby.

This was one of the funniest, smartest films I saw at the fest.  The writing is sharp and insightful, and the chemistry between the two leads – who are long-time close friends in reality – makes it that much more relatable and engaging.  It’s going to play at Outfest here in LA, so you Angelenos still have a chance to check it out.

BEAST OF THE SOUTHERN WILD: On an isolated stretch of a land called Bathtub, in the midst of the Mississippi Delta, 6-year-old Hushpuppy and her father lead a fiercely independent existence, one seemingly built on the flotsam and jetsam from a recently struck catastrophe…or perhaps one that is yet to come.

This film was honored at Sundance.  And Cannes.  And all I can add to the conversation is that these accolades are well deserved.  At the Q&A after the screening, writer-director Behn Zeitln talked about his background as an artist (his sister, also an artist, was the movie’s production designer) and that was my “a-ha” moment.  The attention to detail throughout, from the excellent non-pro cast to the meticulously messy living environments to the thoughtfully composed set pieces, make BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD much like TREE OF LIFE in that it’s more of an impressionistic cinematic fable that one experiences rather than just watches.  I thought about it long after I left the theatre.

Welcome to a New World

Okay, enough of my needless pontificating.  I went.  I watched.  I conquered.

I have to say that the best part of the LA Film Festival was being able to share it with my friends.  A number of compadres made the trek to downtown LA to join me for a screening and it was fun to go out for dinner and/or drinks afterward to talk about what we saw and what we hope to achieve ourselves in this world of storytelling.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last year and a half it’s that it takes a village to make an independent film.  I’m lucky I live in a pretty cool village.

Well done, LA Film Festival.  I look forward to next year!

This week I did accomplish my mission of submitting fifteen pages to the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest, working off of the intriguing premise they supplied.  I had a team of trusted advisers weigh in with their opinions (thanks, team!) and I think I’ve crafted some dynamic characters and compelling situations.  While I don’t have all of the answers regarding where this premise could go (here’s hoping an Industry Insider “mentor” will be helping me figure it out), I realized that I couldn’t write the fifteen pages without coming up with some sort of road map to get me to THE END.  Who are other characters to be introduced?  What are the action-packed set pieces?  How will the plot twist and turn?  Now that I’ve invested time and thought into this story, I’m pretty sure I’ll see it through its 100+ pages, whether I’m one of the fortunate ten finalists or not.  Results are announced in July so I’ll know then if I’m one of the lucky <1%ers.  In any case, thanks to the efforts of the past week-and-a-half, I’ll probably have one more spec under my belt by the end of 2012.

Tales to tell...

And what better way to celebrate turning in my contest submission than with the Los Angeles Film Festival?  Yep, it’s the time of year when I immerse myself in movies and panels and all things indie-film-related.  I’m kicking things off tonight by seeing BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, which won Sundance this year as well as the Camera d’Or at Cannes (Best First Feature Film).  I can’t wait!  I also have some fascinating documentaries on deck and tomorrow I’m attending a panel about the incredible – and incredibly intense – AMC series BREAKING BAD that will feature show creator Vince Gilligan and stars Bryan Crantson and Aaron Paul.

Bring on the Badness!

As usual, I’ll report in from the frontlines on my favorite films of the festival. (Wow, how’s that for alliteration?)  At the very least, I know I’ll come away from it with a potent dose of creative inspiration!

I am happy to report that I have finished my BENEATH THE SURFACE business plan and it is now in the hands of my trusted advisers.  Sure, it will require further tweaking and reviewing, but I’m relieved that the bulk of it is done.  The final stretch was much like completing a comprehensive college essay – the statistics, the data, the blocks of movie-making information. <YAWN>  I imagine that a lot of filmmakers lose steam at this stage and I can’t say I blame them – drafting a business plan can feel terribly, tediously uncreative.  I freely admit that I look forward to the day when Deliberate’s COO gets to handle this business-y stuff and I can just swoop in for investor meet-and greets at the Polo Lounge.  But until then, it’s a good and, let’s face it, necessary exercise for any budding indie film producer to go through.  If you’re asking other people to invest their money and faith in you, you have to present them with a well thought-out plan.

I’m ready to get back to some creative writing, though.  I pretty much took the month of May off to finish up the plan and the withdrawal was starting to set it.  I’m like Martin Sheen sitting in his hotel room at the beginning of APOCALYPSE NOW: “I’m here a week now… waiting for a mission… getting softer.  Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger.”  Yeah, I’m feeling soft, but I think I’ve found my next writing mission.

Searching for My Kurtz

The Industry Insider Online Screenwriting Contest (http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-screenwriting-contest) caught my eye because of its unique format.  (Oh yeah…and the winner of last year’s contest just sold his script for six-figures with Mark Wahlberg attached to produce and star.)  Basically, the contest provides a logline and you then submit the first 15 pages of a script based on that logline.  This year’s offering comes from BRAVEHEART screenwriter Randall Wallace:

A soldier returns from an 18-month deployment and finds that the family home is missing – even the address no longer exists.

Intriguing, non?  And so many directions one could go with it.

Out of the submissions, a panel of judges choose ten finalists who then enter into a 12-week Story Specialist Program that has you working with an industry mentor to help shape your script.  This consists of the mentor delivering feedback for every 10 pages submitted, with the goal of guiding you to complete a spec script.  At the end of the program, the scripts are submitted for final judging and a winner is chosen.

I love the mentoring aspect of this contest, especially since you get the opportunity to work with a professional screenwriter.  And I also like the fact that there are deadlines attached throughout – you’re pretty much churning out ten pages a week.  At the end of twelve weeks you should have a solid screenwriting sample in your hands.  And if it happens to sell for six-figures with Ryan Gosling attached?  Sign. Me. Up.

"This script is brilliant! I'M IN!"

But first, I need to come up with those fifteen dynamite-soaked pages…

In case you’re worried that I’m shirking my Deliberate duties for too much film festival fun, I assure you that the business of the business is very much at the forefront of my mind.  The past year and a half has been productive in terms of building relationships with potential investors and those who have been gracious enough to introduce me to potential investors.  Soon it will be time to pull the trigger on seeing if the rest of the needed finances can be raised so that I can get BENEATH THE SURFACE into production.  My strategy in June is to unleash my business plan to the moneyed masses with the hope of finding those executive producing angels who want to make quality movies with me.  It’s showtime, as in “Show me the money!”

I'll be your Executive Producer!

I am also staying focused on my writerly business, too.  It seems that May and June are the deadline months for a lot of major screenwriting contests and labs, including the Nicholl Fellowship, the Page International Screenwriting Awards, and the Sundance Screenwriters lab.  So, I’ve been a busy bee getting my scripts submitted to all of the above.  As I’m learning with the Screenplay Festival Honorable Mention, a little contest recognition can help open doors and generate some script reads; I figure I may as well enter every reputable competition out there.  But the results of these submissions don’t emerge until July and August, so it’s another exercise in patience and anticipation.

And my search for representation continues.  A few agents are currently reading my scripts, which is certainly a step in the right direction.  As a “newbie” writer you’re not on their radar like their working/getting paid clients, yet you’re still on their clock.  Agents and managers are incredibly busy people and it can take three or four+ weeks for them to read your staggering work of heartbreaking genius.  All I can do is wait…and remain politely persistent.

"I'm ready when you are, Hollywood. GET WITH IT!"

Is the waiting frustrating?  Of course.  And the clock ticking for me is the one reminding me that my money runs out at the end of this year.  So I’m trying to temper the occasional anxiety with focus and forward movement.  Just call me a professional plate-spinner these days.

There is something I can dive into when I have to sit back and wait for these investors and contests and ten-percenters to respond.  I can WRITE.  That’s the one thing I still have control over.  And there are always revisions and new script ideas that are waiting for my attention.

Remember us?

The LA Film Festival is upon us!  My pass is purchased and I have some intense schedule-planning ahead of me so I can fully soak in cinema from June 14th through June 24th.  However, before I turn my attentions to the independent fare offered by my fair city of angels, I want to share my recommendations on movies from Madison, my other fair city and home to the Wisconsin Film Festival.    Out of the thirteen films I saw, I have four favorites that you should put on your Netflix queue immediatement!  That’s right – the French – and French Canadians – ruled this year.

1) MONZIEUR LAZHAR – Set in Montreal, an elementary school teacher commits suicide and her young classroom struggles to make sense of the tragedy.  Enter a kind, contemplative substitute teacher, Monsieur Lazhar, to help in their healing process.  An Algerian immigrant, Lazhar has his own personal demons to battle and the pain of his past finds solace through the new friendships of his present – particularly with one young student, Alice.  While I know the premise is heavy, the film is a beautiful balance of pathos and levity.  It’s subtle and true.  This one is still in select movie theatres so catch it if you can.

2) TOMBOY – Another nuanced, meaningful film that left me with a lump in my throat.  I missed it when it screened at the LA Film Fest last year, so I’m grateful I got the chance to experience it in America’s Dairlyland.  It’s a French film that tells the story of Laure, a ten-year-old girl who moves to a new town with her family.  It’s clear from Laure’s short, cropped hair, athletic clothing, and tomboy tendencies that she’s not one for ribbons and dresses, but you can’t help but worry when the kids in her new neighborhood mistake her for a boy and she happily – and effectively – plays along with the ruse, even adopting the name Mikael.  What will happen to her when they find out the truth?  Like MONSIEUR LAZHAR, the film has a soft humor to counteract the deeper social undertones and it observes the behavior of children in an energetic, realistic, and occasionally heartbreaking way.  This one was my favorite of the fest.  And you’re in luck because you can rent it on iTunes.  C’est magnifique!

Just one of the boys

3) PELOTERO – Major League Baseball has two offices: one is in New York City and the other is in the Dominican Republic, a country from which 20% of professional ball players are recruited.  The documentary PELOTERO follows the recruiting process in Santa Domingo and how it represents an escape route from the country’s intense poverty for those young athletes gifted enough to get signed.  In profiling two such talented teen players, Jean Carlos Batista and Miguel Angel Sano, the movie also reveals the exploitation and corruption that occurs when future hall-of-famers are seen as simply a monetary prize being bartered.  The film is due in theatres and on demand in mid-July, so keep an eye out for it.

4) PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE – this documentary caught my eye because I remember Paul Williams guest starring on all of my favorite childhood shows, including THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW and THE LOVE BOAT.  Obviously, he’s known for much more than that, which is why filmmaker Stephen Kessler wanted to film a documentary about him.  Williams was the quintessential songwriter of the seventies, penning hits like We’ve Only Just Begun, Evergreen (for which he and co-writer Barbara Streisand won an Academy Award), and, of course, The Rainbow Connection.  But like many people who achieve staggering success, Williams fell victim to the excesses that often accompany the lifestyle.  Kessler’s documentary finds the present day Williams twenty-years sober (in fact, he’s a certified drug and alcohol counselor) and still playing a variety rooms, ranging from small San Francisco cabarets to arenas in the Philippines, to his very devoted fans.  Williams isn’t comfortable just having Kessler follow him around with a camera, though – he pretty much insists that Steve engage with him during the shoot.  And the result is a humorous, sometimes contentious relationship that reveals an artist who continues looking forward despite his own setbacks and the filmmaker who admires him.  While you may go into the movie thinking you’ll feel sorry for Williams, you come away from it feeling inspired by him.

Alive and Kicking!

I do want to note that I had one disappointment at the Wisconsin Film Festival.  Well, “disappointment” doesn’t really suffice.  It was a film that was simultaneously boring and infuriating – the few glimmers of interesting character moments or thoughtful dialogue were far outweighed by its laborious, painful pretension.  I actually felt angry after spending two-and-a-half hours suffering through the piece.  And this happened to be a film by a respected indie filmmaker, populated with an impressive, recognizable cast – many of whom have enjoyed massive Hollywood success.  Just another reminder that bigger isn’t always better.  So here’s to the small films out there that get the job done and pack an emotional punch without the marquee names and inflated gravitas.

Okay, I’m off to pore over the LA Film Fest schedule!  Thanks again for another encouraging film fest, Wisconsin!

One hundred pages in thirty days.  And I’m happy to report that I DID it.

(Sort of.)

I won’t say I went into this year’s Script Frenzy thinking it would be easy, but it did seem doable since I’ve done it a few times before.  But, it ended up being a challenge for me.  A big, friggin’ frenzied challenge.  Why, you may ask?

THE LITANY OF EXCUSES

1. It didn’t help that I spent most of April traveling.
2. I was adjusting to iPad-friendly screenwriting software where the overall page count was a not-so-educated guess and my cursor seemed to enjoy jumping to random new positions on the screen, making it a demonic, infuriating “Where’s Waldo?”
3. You know the NHL playoffs are happening, right?
4. I saw thirteen films at the Wisconsin Film Festival in five days.  My eyeballs were on cinematic overload.
5. How exactly is one supposed to muster creativity after enjoying a basket of carb-crash-inducing fried cheese curds?

  

A little ranch dressing and you're set!

Yeah, it was no surprise (yet still soul-crushing) when, with four days left to the Frenzy, I finally figured out my progress.  I was on page 48.  Oof.  That meant I needed to churn out at least thirteen pages a day to get to 100 pages and “win” the challenge.

Now I’m really liking this new feature script I’m working on.  It’s a little weirder than what I usually write and I’m not entirely sure it’s working, but I have every intention of completing it.  However, I knew on 4/27/2012 that I wasn’t going to be able to finish it per the Frenzy-allotted clock.  Too much of it was still fuzzy in my head and I wasn’t going to have enough time to problem-solve and think things through.

But I had to finish the Frenzy!  I committed to it!  I blabbed to my friends and my esteemed blogship that I was doing it!  I was ACCOUNTABLE. (Grrrrrr…I hate it when that happens.)

My New Enemy

So, I turned to two short script ideas that have been percolating in my brain for a long time.  One is a comedy and one is a drama – both are under half-an-hour.  The only thing that kept me from writing them earlier was sheer laziness.  But now I had the perfect excuse to plow through them – and because I knew their worlds and their respective beginnings, middles, and ends I could do it quickly.

So fueled by a combo of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, Mom’s yummy cooking, some lovely Pinot Grigio, and the stash of Jellybeans Dad keeps on hand for my nieces, I set to work purging out the two short scripts.  It made for four bleary-eyed days and nights and brought about a mucus-machine of a sinus infection, but it felt good to generate some new material.  Material that now has to be combed over and rewritten, but new nonetheless.  AND the combined total of script pages written during the month of April – half a feature plus two short scripts – amounted to 102.

I will gladly consider it a win.

Now it's *your* turn, Kings!