Writing my demons away

As a participator in NaNoWriMo since 2009, I think my writing is...okay.  I've finished a script and I'm working on another but I feel like I need more.  My writing mentor randomly sends me roundtable discussion videos with scriptwriters - which I adore - and sometimes, he'll send me inspirational interviews to read from novelists or scriptwriters to help me get into the zone.  While I love all of that, I have all these stories stacking up in my head just waiting - no - screaming to get out.  Just yesterday morning, I woke up from a dream that had the perfect framework for a suspenseful film and in my spare moments, I'm writing the second episode to my soon-to-hopefully-not-be-fictional-anymore TV show.
Okay.  So...now what?
Luckily for me, I was scrolling through my iPad's open tabs and saw this post from Becky at The Pink Samurai.
Yes, I want that Gipsy Danger shirt...yes, I want to do a hand-printed galaxy wall in my house...and then I saw the link to an e-course called "How to Write and Pitch a Book Proposal" and I HAD to click on it.  And buy it.  And read it immediately.  And download the PDF.  And print it out.  And scan through it a million times.
I'm so insanely inspired!  It made me think back to this article by Hello Wordsmith.  You know, the tough love thing.  So I spent most of yesterday afternoon and the afternoon before that (after work, of course), revisiting the previously finished script.
I have to admit that I'm a little afraid of revisiting that particular story because it's really tough on me emotionally but I have to power through it (like Hello Wordsmith says) and get it out.  It will be a little different this time, though.  Last time, I stuck to the most important details in the story - like you would for scriptwriting.  This time, I get to explore the emotions that particular situation brought out in me.  I think I'm partly afraid of revisiting this particular story because it's based on something that actually happened to me and, while I think it's movie-worthy (think Blue Valentine sorta kinda), I don't really want to revisit that particular time in my life.  Maybe it will be a good energy exercise to release that negativity?  Who knows.  I'm hoping that with this, I can expel it once and for all and move forward.

As for the other stories, well, we'll see how they shape up.  I put my old man in charge of episode one of my soon-to-hopefully-not-be-fictional-anymore TV show and he's not delivering.  I took it upon myself to give him the benefit of the doubt and have a little faith in the pilot, hence the reason why I'm writing the second episode.  I might just wrap up episode two and back track to pick up episode one.  Or make episode two episode one instead.  I need to do a little more research, though.  Ah yes, good ol' research...

Are you working on any passion projects?  What are they?  I'd love to know!
Happy Wednesday!

SPSH2014: Sent Mail + gifts for myself (because why not?)

 

Yesterday was a good - NO - a GREAT day for mail!  I got my items from Adam JK's shop - which felt like Christmas morning - AND I packed up my parcel to be sent to my pen pal!  In fact, the post man left with it about two hours ago, so it should be able to start its journey very soon!

I can't wait to get my parcel!  While I was lurking through the #SPSH2014 tag on Instagram, I came across mine, I think.  I'll know when it arrives, which should be Friday because that's what the receipt says!

I had such a blast putting this project together!  I hope the recipient likes it.  I had one more thing to pack in the box but I haven't gotten an email regarding the status of my order.  It's all good, though.  I guess I should've warned my pen pal that I would mail her something separately.  Of course, I thought about that AFTER I sealed the box.  Duh.  Silly me.

This week has not been my week.  I feel like the only good things have been getting my package ready for my pen pal and receiving all the fun stuff I ordered.  Oh, and also completely changing my script.

That's right - I flipped the script (lololololololol NO) and changed the ending completely.  In order to make this new ending work, I had to add an element in, which I hadn't planned on at all but it turned out being a lot less scary than I thought I would be.  Once I get it typed up, I'll proofread for cosmetic things (like typos and such) and then send it off to my friend to edit.  Phew!  I'm excited and scared about this story but I love it so much and I'm hoping I can get it on the track to being made!

     

How is your Wednesday going?

January Resolutions: Cross one off the list!

                                   

January is in full swing and there a BIG item on my list of resolutions that I can cross off.  That's right - on Sunday, I finished my very FIRST script.  Granted, it's only the first draft and my red pen and I went to town on it last night with tons of revisions and formatting notes but still - I fucking finished it.

Why is this such a huge deal?  Because, like I've said before, I have NEVER finished a story...EVER.  It's too final!  It's too absolute!  One thing that plowed me forward on this was a great roundtable discussion my writing mentor sent me.  It's an hour long and I'm only able to get through the first 15 minutes before I get interrupted but those first 15 minutes are intense and so full of knowledge!  And remnants of this article from Hello Wordsmith kept moving me forward, too.  I can tell when I read that because my attitude changes mid-script.  It doesn't take away from the story or anything but you can feel the determination in my writing, that's for sure!

There are a lot of cosmetic things I need to do with it before I can start pitching it - like formatting, adding scene headings where they need to go, some name changes, and adding a few extra scenes so that it flows a little better but I'm determined to get it to a good place by the end of the month.

As I read through it last night, I was really proud of myself for actually finishing it.  And I think it's a good story.  One of the things I took away from the roundtable video (all 15 minutes of it) was that every writer / artist thinks their story / art is great (so true) but not everyone is going to like it (also true) but you just have to believe in yourself and write / make what's true to you.  That is my one biggest takeaway.  My mentor said it and I've heard it time and time again for ANY creative project.  This story is very important to me (so much so that I had a bit of a breakdown when I finished it) and I want to make sure I get it done the right way - which my mentor and I have to talk about.  We talked about it briefly before but now that the first draft is done and I have recruited my bestest best friend to help me edit (because he's a far more excellent writer than I am), I need to talk about how we're going to get this damn thing MADE.  In my Master List journal AND my Unraveling 2014 Workbook, I put in there that I would like to start pre-production for this film in Novemeber 2014 at the LATEST.  Lofty, yes, but I really want to get this done...like, NOW!