So I got flummoxed the other day because Big Bro was grilling me about what exactly I wanted to have happen with screenwriting. And it was hard not to say "ANYTHING! Anybody pay me to write anything...preferably in the next two months before Mom and I explode from anxiety!"
But truly, this is a reasonable question. And considering the freaky-ass powers of manifestation I have when I put my mind to it, a valuable thought to refine.
I want to option one of my scripts by July 15th, even if it's just for a $1 to one of my producer friends.
I want to be hired on a low-budget feature rewrite by August 15th, focusing on dialogue. Straight to video is fine by me.
Here me, Universe? That's pretty specific. After that, would loooove to be a staff writer on a low profile TV show. Preferably something not in the top 50, cable, like a Nickelodeon kids' show or scifi show. Somewhere with a laid back attitude, cool people, and an environment where I have time to absorb and learn.
In general, my writing specialty is dialogue, followed next by character development (those years of professional acting lessons paid off). I've developed a reputation for that in the Professional Program, and would be happy as a clam to be paid for doing that, especially anonymously, the rest of my life. But I hear that's a top notch job, so perhaps that is a visualization for the next decade.
And I publicly commit to writing every day, and having two of my seven scripts in polished, circulation-ready form by July 1st. And yes, you can all bug me about it. Please do.
8 comments:
hey KSIH -
well, if you liked Enduring Love you should defintiely go see Layer Cake with your main man Daniel Craig. Highest marks all around. The movie exists somewhere between the Long Good Friday and Snatch.
If you're interested in straight to DVD work, you should check out this guy's blog:
http://www.d2dvd.blogspot.com/
He's linked off of John Rogers' Kung Fu Monkey and seems like a good bloke. He even had a log line contest for D2DVD scripts a little while ago.
By the way, just a thought on committing to write "every day." I feel like trying to do this is setting yourself up for failure, and when you don't hit your mark, you feel terrible, which leads to depression, which leads to not writing, which leads to ice cream, which leads to more not writing, which leads to more depression...
Or maybe that's just me.
But I think it's true with writing, working out, dieting, whatever. Try something more manageable: "I will write four days a week, for four hours a day." Give yourself some flex time. You can always build up to 7 days a week if you need/want to. But starting off at 7 only gives you room to fail. I like the idea of page count a week...that way you are working towards an indentifiable goal, with tangible results. 14 pages a week = a script in two months.
Man, can I ramble. :)
and btw, as one of those people who stumbled onto your site (I think it was the "spoon" day) and then read back through everything; you're a very compelling writer, with, let's face it, a pretty interesting history. I'd imagine yo're going to see a lot more of those people going through the archives...
Too true. However, anything that leads to ice cream...
Okay, I have 60 more pages due in two weeks. So how about:
7 pages written every weekday until the deadline.
That seems reasonable. When I'm healthy and in the zone, I do 10 in two hours. Right now I'm slogging through at a rate of 6-8 in 5 hours. Frustrating, but doable.
I don't count all the thinking and researching parts -- this is just butt in chair time.
Hey, and thanks for the writing compliments. That's very cool. Someday I'll do something about making the archives searchable.
Pages in screenwriting isn't as bad as pages in prose. I know that a lot of writers set page (or word count) goals for each day. Graham Greene would set a goal of 300 words (500 in his youth) and after that 300 he would stop for the day--pen down no more writing. He would literally mark a little "x" after the 300th word.
The important thing is to set attainable goals, and then reward yourself for accomplishing them. I set the day's tasks, and then when I accomplish them I stop working.
Have you read the Artist's Way?
Fair enough on the D2DVD point. But hey, if nothing else, it's another blog to help you procrastinate. :) And he does have some good thoughts on writing.
And is that a new-ish picture? Or maybe it just looks sharper on my nice home monitor as opposed to the Commodore-64-esque one I have at work...
Break a leg with your pages. No doubt you'll get there...
Fair enough on the D2DVD point. But hey, if nothing else, it's another blog to help you procrastinate. :) And he does have some good thoughts on writing.
And is that a new-ish picture? Or maybe it just looks sharper on my nice home monitor as opposed to the Commodore-64-esque one I have at work...
Break a leg with your pages. No doubt you'll get there...
Fair enough on the D2DVD point. But hey, if nothing else, it's another blog to help you procrastinate. :) And he does have some good thoughts on writing.
And is that a new-ish picture? Or maybe it just looks sharper on my nice home monitor as opposed to the Commodore-64-esque one I have at work...
Break a leg with your pages. No doubt you'll get there...
Nah, picture's the same! I actually HAD a commodore 64, and was thrilled the day I got it...ahhh, floppy disks.
I still appreciate the link-I love reading what writers have to say. I just don't gel with movie content he's focusing on. My main reason for writing is to get empowering female characters out in the ethers.
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