Oreo cookies. Procrastination. Doubt. That's how my week is going so far. No progress AT ALL on the writing front. Writing is torture. I feel it in my mind. I feel it in my heart. I want to write so bad, but... I just can't.
I did watch IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY last night. A bit pretentious of a film, but loved the setting and story. It's about a 16 year old teen who checks himself into a mental facility after having suicidal thoughts. While there, he meets a patient(ZACK GALIFIANAKIS) who helps him see his troubled ways. It was a great indie movie to watch and it did jump-start my thinking about my own story. But my problem is, I want this creative flow of ideas to sustain itself and get me to have the passion to finish my outline... but it doesn't. It fades away, and I fade away further from my goal of becoming a working screenwriter in Hollywood. The week goes on...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Rehab
I think I need to check into rehab. Writers rehab. If it exists. It's almost Thursday and for this week I don't have much work to show for it. I don't know what it is. I knew this process was going to be tough, but I'm battling my inner creative demons to get my ass to write.
It's starting to bother me. Everyday I wake up with no job to go to, no pressing errands to run and no real purpose to do anything, and yet I sit here and don't have any desire to write. I just stare at my computer, get bored, and then fire up Call of Duty: Black Ops in hopes it will jump-start my creativity. But it doesn't. I just sit here, play and think. Then if I get bored playing Call of Duty, I turn on a show I need to catch up on or a movie I've been waiting to watch. What is wrong with me? Why can't I just sit down in front of my keyboard and work on my shit all day? Who the fuck knows.
But like most rehab patients, I relapsed in the first week. I'm not proud of it, but at least it was this early on in my quest to become a screenwriter and not six months from now. The great thing is... I don't give up easily. I know this is what I want to do with my life and I will have to bunker down and get through these next few weeks.
This is a disease affecting many writers in the world. There's no denying it. It's an epidemic in the screenwriting community. Dr. Drew should document my struggles and get me into group meetings. This is a disease. A horrible, disgusting disease I have. I need to get rid of it.
In the shadow of laziness, I did however finish my Premise Line, or Logline. A finished Premise Line can greatly affect your chances of churning out a good outline. I had most of my Premise Line done months ago, but knew it wasn't perfect. Now... it's as good as it's going to get. I can now start up on my 3-6-3 outline and then go back to the treatment I started last week. For those that don't know, I use a 3-6-3 that I learned as part of my Writer's Bootcamp training I received way back in the FOX Writer's Initiative. The basic idea behind the 3-6-3 is that you generally have 12 story beats in a major film. When you look at films, you can break down most of them into 10-12 major story beats that keep the story going. Three in the 1st Act. Six in the 2nd Act. Three more in the 3rd Act. Once you finish a completed 3-6-3 outline, your story has more clarity and reactionary plot points that provide solid structure to your screenplay.
So I do admit it... I relapsed. I relapsed bad. My disease took hold of me. My drive disappeared. But I won't give up. I can't. Writing is torture... and that's the way I like it.
It's starting to bother me. Everyday I wake up with no job to go to, no pressing errands to run and no real purpose to do anything, and yet I sit here and don't have any desire to write. I just stare at my computer, get bored, and then fire up Call of Duty: Black Ops in hopes it will jump-start my creativity. But it doesn't. I just sit here, play and think. Then if I get bored playing Call of Duty, I turn on a show I need to catch up on or a movie I've been waiting to watch. What is wrong with me? Why can't I just sit down in front of my keyboard and work on my shit all day? Who the fuck knows.
But like most rehab patients, I relapsed in the first week. I'm not proud of it, but at least it was this early on in my quest to become a screenwriter and not six months from now. The great thing is... I don't give up easily. I know this is what I want to do with my life and I will have to bunker down and get through these next few weeks.
This is a disease affecting many writers in the world. There's no denying it. It's an epidemic in the screenwriting community. Dr. Drew should document my struggles and get me into group meetings. This is a disease. A horrible, disgusting disease I have. I need to get rid of it.
In the shadow of laziness, I did however finish my Premise Line, or Logline. A finished Premise Line can greatly affect your chances of churning out a good outline. I had most of my Premise Line done months ago, but knew it wasn't perfect. Now... it's as good as it's going to get. I can now start up on my 3-6-3 outline and then go back to the treatment I started last week. For those that don't know, I use a 3-6-3 that I learned as part of my Writer's Bootcamp training I received way back in the FOX Writer's Initiative. The basic idea behind the 3-6-3 is that you generally have 12 story beats in a major film. When you look at films, you can break down most of them into 10-12 major story beats that keep the story going. Three in the 1st Act. Six in the 2nd Act. Three more in the 3rd Act. Once you finish a completed 3-6-3 outline, your story has more clarity and reactionary plot points that provide solid structure to your screenplay.
So I do admit it... I relapsed. I relapsed bad. My disease took hold of me. My drive disappeared. But I won't give up. I can't. Writing is torture... and that's the way I like it.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Treatments and dry-heaves
The first week has ended and I did about 3 days of work instead of my scheduled 5, but only because I somehow ate something shitty and finished my work week by throwing up after a few hours of dry-heaving. But I feel better now and can't wait to hit it hard this coming week.
So what did I achieve in 3 days of work? Not much by normal standards, but made huge strides in writer's terms. I got through about half of a treatment for my spec, which I was amazed by because I found out that if I concentrate really hard, I can actually come up details about my story - plot, character goals, themes, etc. I mention this amazing feat because I came up with my high-concept idea about a year ago and wrote about 10-15 pages of spec, but became stuck like glue. What I learned for the millionth time this week is that a fully-detailed treatment is the best way to get your spec going. Of course, I've known this for years, but my lazy ass just couldn't put it into action. So with 3 days of doing nothing but thinking about my story, BOOM - I have half of a treatment!!!
I also got through 3 screenplays read and found good and bad things about them writing-wise, so my mind is zero'ing in on what I need to do to make my spec the best that it can be. I also applied for a script reader gig for a small-time production company, so we'll see how that goes as well.
And I have to mention my cigars. I'm a huge cigar lover and belong to a Cigar of the Month Club. I received my package for the month and was impressed by the Ave Maria St. George Belicoso. Amazing smoke. Smooth and sweet to be exact. I tend to think a lot about my stories when I smoke. It's just a relaxing time for myself and my neurotic thinking. I wish I could smoke in my room at my computer so I can hold the cigar and stare at my treatment. But the smell of the cigar is too much for my tiny room and I don't have a laptop to carry around. Actually, I hate laptops. I don't know why, I just do. I'm so used to powerful desktops that can do anything and everything. Mobility for me isn't a good replacement for speed and power, and laptops just aren't that kind to me. I have my HP hooked up to a nice 1080p display that lets me watch anything and everything I need at a moment's notice, not to mention my Xbox 360 and PS3 are linked to my PC for a seamless stream of content.
So for this week, I plan on completely finishing my outline/treatment. That's my big goal for the week. If I can get this done by next Friday, I can easily have the momentum to start rewriting my original 10 pages I wrote long ago and start fresh.
So what did I achieve in 3 days of work? Not much by normal standards, but made huge strides in writer's terms. I got through about half of a treatment for my spec, which I was amazed by because I found out that if I concentrate really hard, I can actually come up details about my story - plot, character goals, themes, etc. I mention this amazing feat because I came up with my high-concept idea about a year ago and wrote about 10-15 pages of spec, but became stuck like glue. What I learned for the millionth time this week is that a fully-detailed treatment is the best way to get your spec going. Of course, I've known this for years, but my lazy ass just couldn't put it into action. So with 3 days of doing nothing but thinking about my story, BOOM - I have half of a treatment!!!
I also got through 3 screenplays read and found good and bad things about them writing-wise, so my mind is zero'ing in on what I need to do to make my spec the best that it can be. I also applied for a script reader gig for a small-time production company, so we'll see how that goes as well.
And I have to mention my cigars. I'm a huge cigar lover and belong to a Cigar of the Month Club. I received my package for the month and was impressed by the Ave Maria St. George Belicoso. Amazing smoke. Smooth and sweet to be exact. I tend to think a lot about my stories when I smoke. It's just a relaxing time for myself and my neurotic thinking. I wish I could smoke in my room at my computer so I can hold the cigar and stare at my treatment. But the smell of the cigar is too much for my tiny room and I don't have a laptop to carry around. Actually, I hate laptops. I don't know why, I just do. I'm so used to powerful desktops that can do anything and everything. Mobility for me isn't a good replacement for speed and power, and laptops just aren't that kind to me. I have my HP hooked up to a nice 1080p display that lets me watch anything and everything I need at a moment's notice, not to mention my Xbox 360 and PS3 are linked to my PC for a seamless stream of content.
So for this week, I plan on completely finishing my outline/treatment. That's my big goal for the week. If I can get this done by next Friday, I can easily have the momentum to start rewriting my original 10 pages I wrote long ago and start fresh.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Over the hill and down I go
Well the first 2 days have passed of my writing quest and I'm optimistic about my chances with screenwriting. My original plan of waking up at 9am every morning has failed of course, with me waking up between 10-12pm. I'm not too concerned about it yet, but I haven't been able to go to sleep till about 4am-ish, so I think I'm ok for now as long as I wake up and immediately do something writing-related. You can probably thank Howard Stern for that, because of his show that goes live here on the West Coast at 3am so I always stay up and listen to the first hour while laying down and eventually I fall asleep.
But I'm hopeful because on my first day of hitting the outline, I started out writing a treatment. I was amazed that I wrote a one page treatment so fast within an hour. That's one more page than I've really written with purpose in the last 6 years, so I'm excited as shit! With the treatment, I probably beated out the first 30 or so pages of the story which has given me a clear sense of where it's going. Oh, and just so you know, the story I'm writing is a high-concept comedy. I usually don't lean toward comedies in my writing, but I feel so good about this one that I can almost hear it whispering to me, "write me, write me". If I had to describe it, it's PINEAPPLE EXPRESS meets DUMB & DUMBER meets ROAD TRIP. It's a great concept with familiar territory, so as long as I spend the time and execute it well, it should turn out funny as fuck, AND with purpose.
Last night, I also read MANUSCRIPT by Paul Grellong. It was an interesting look at three friends in New York trying to make a name for themselves in the book publishing world as authors. This script was also on the Blacklist I believe in 2008. It's a well-written script, with crisp dialogue and descriptions of a noir-like New York. I was actually happy about reading this ten pages in because I could tell this was a real writer with something real to say. However, I believe Mr. Grellong comes from the TV world as an Executive Story Editor on LAW & ORDER: SVU(per is IMDB page if that's him). Why I bring this up is because while reading the spec, I could totally tell he was a TV writer. The story moved at a very slow pace with no real sense of cinematics at all. By page 30, I almost wanted to stop reading it, but the writing was so good, I had to keep going. The characters seem shot out of an SVU or SIX FEET UNDER-like show. A few of the scenes had me loving this spec, but as it kept going, it seemed more like a one hour drama. I couldn't invest myself in these characters and root for any of them. They all seemed like pretentious assholes anyway. So I believe Mr. Grellong, because comes he from TV, hampered the screenplay a bit with his neurotic characters you would typically find on a TV show. The dialogue, although brilliant at times, seems way over the top, too pretentious for any audience to latch onto, and not real enough for me. Think DAWSON'S CREEK, but in New York, and it's about authors, and there you go. And I loved DAWSON'S CREEK(one of the rare perfect pilots in TV history, IMO), but it should tell you that this story is meant for TV and not a film. I give the script a B-, for it's pretentious characters and setting.
Other than that, I played too much Call of Duty: Black Ops last nite:/
But I'm hopeful because on my first day of hitting the outline, I started out writing a treatment. I was amazed that I wrote a one page treatment so fast within an hour. That's one more page than I've really written with purpose in the last 6 years, so I'm excited as shit! With the treatment, I probably beated out the first 30 or so pages of the story which has given me a clear sense of where it's going. Oh, and just so you know, the story I'm writing is a high-concept comedy. I usually don't lean toward comedies in my writing, but I feel so good about this one that I can almost hear it whispering to me, "write me, write me". If I had to describe it, it's PINEAPPLE EXPRESS meets DUMB & DUMBER meets ROAD TRIP. It's a great concept with familiar territory, so as long as I spend the time and execute it well, it should turn out funny as fuck, AND with purpose.
Last night, I also read MANUSCRIPT by Paul Grellong. It was an interesting look at three friends in New York trying to make a name for themselves in the book publishing world as authors. This script was also on the Blacklist I believe in 2008. It's a well-written script, with crisp dialogue and descriptions of a noir-like New York. I was actually happy about reading this ten pages in because I could tell this was a real writer with something real to say. However, I believe Mr. Grellong comes from the TV world as an Executive Story Editor on LAW & ORDER: SVU(per is IMDB page if that's him). Why I bring this up is because while reading the spec, I could totally tell he was a TV writer. The story moved at a very slow pace with no real sense of cinematics at all. By page 30, I almost wanted to stop reading it, but the writing was so good, I had to keep going. The characters seem shot out of an SVU or SIX FEET UNDER-like show. A few of the scenes had me loving this spec, but as it kept going, it seemed more like a one hour drama. I couldn't invest myself in these characters and root for any of them. They all seemed like pretentious assholes anyway. So I believe Mr. Grellong, because comes he from TV, hampered the screenplay a bit with his neurotic characters you would typically find on a TV show. The dialogue, although brilliant at times, seems way over the top, too pretentious for any audience to latch onto, and not real enough for me. Think DAWSON'S CREEK, but in New York, and it's about authors, and there you go. And I loved DAWSON'S CREEK(one of the rare perfect pilots in TV history, IMO), but it should tell you that this story is meant for TV and not a film. I give the script a B-, for it's pretentious characters and setting.
Other than that, I played too much Call of Duty: Black Ops last nite:/
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Unemployed Cheater
After my epic first blog post last night late I charged into bed ready to tackle this important screenwriting task, but I woke up and said, "Ehh, fuck it". I cheated. I said I was going to take this seriously and I woke up and did nothing.
I figure I needed one last day of relaxation before I dive in head first screenwriting till my heart's content. One last day of being lazy without a care in the world. I checked my email first and saw an email from my LA editor about a business luncheon this Thursday in Beverly Hills. Free food and everything. But my freelance position with this website is more of a journalistic position, and as much as I would love a free lunch in Beverly Hills, I'm going to have to pass. I'm here to pursue my screenwriting career, and a Thursday luncheon is going to fuck with my newly found schedule I'm supposed to stick to. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly write an article here and there if a story or person interests me enough to wanna write one, but my priorities lie with the craft of screenwriting and getting a first draft down of my spec.
So my laziness sat me on my couch to watch WELCOME TO THE RILEYS. An indie flick starring James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart. I liked it, but didn't love it. My biggest issue is every time I see Gandolfini in a movie, I can't help but think of Tony Soprano. The big T was such an iconic character to me and seeing Gandolfini in a different role is just odd to me. The relationship between Doug and Mallory felt genuine, but the ending completely missed a few key shots or cuts of emotional longing in the character's eyes in order for it to pay off. How could you fuck up an ending of a movie as a director? I don't get it. Any other part of the story is ok, but how could director Jake Scott fuck up the ending? Fuck, someone must have been high on set or in the editing chair who cut the movie to a black screen a la David Chase style. I wanted more. If you've seen the movie, you'll realize my point. But nevertheless, a B- effort.
After the movie was over, went to the bank, got some cash, then hit the grocery store. I love that because of my retail experience as a cashier, I always know what line to go to that moves the fastest. This guy's face when he saw me breeze through a line was priceless. Ha! When I got home, I threw in THE COMPANY MEN. I enjoyed it a lot. Probably because I've been fired twice in my life and know what it's like in those moments of complete shock and awe. I loved Tommy Lee Jones's character, along with Chris Cooper, who always seems good as of late.I give it a strong B. Not amazing, but good. Definitely worth the watch.
Eight o' clock rolled around and if you know me at all, that means only one thing - The Bachelor. The show is amazing and I can't get enough of it. I hope they expand the long two hour format to a six hour format that runs from 6pm till midnight. I'd be glued for six straight hours of laughs, romantic longings, and more laughs. Me and a good friend of mine used to have Bachelor parties, just the two of us. We'd order a grip of food and just pig out like two chicks. But he has since moved a bit farther away, so our weekly Bachelor parties now only feature myself and some sweet bread. Boo!
But onto the reason why I'm here. Screenwriting!!! Yay, I've made it. I read my first scheduled script tonight and I must say, THANK GOD IT'S OVER. I read the 2008 Blacklist spec "Twenty Times A Lady", which is now a completed film starring Anna Faris titled, "What's Your Number?", a romantic comedy about a woman Alley, who decides to visit her last 19 sex partners to see if she missed out on "the one". The read was simple and pleasant, but not a thing sparked my interest at all. I know the Blacklist isn't supposed to be the best unproduced specs in Hollywood, but this was downright average. Although I must say the script had structure and some snappy dialogue, but that was about it. The characters were two dimensional at best, the cinematic quality was scarce, and the pace was blah blah and blah. It was a normal rom com with no lasting value at all as a reader. I don't understand how this movie gets funded at all. Can't they tell this film will make no dollars and no cents? The movie probably has a budget of about 4-5mill, maybe more, but it won't even make that at the box office or dvd sales. I've read a lot of bad scripts, and this is certainly not a bad script at all, but the big question is why? Why write this story? What's so important about these characters that we have to engage ourselves in? And I know the script probably has changed a bit during production, but it can't be that far from what I read. So why would they make this movie? Why would Anna Faris attach herself to this? At least HOUSE BUNNY had somewhat of a hook and was relevent. This story seems shot out of a 1990's cannon.
So that's my first lesson in my screenwriting quest - always make your script idea the best it can possibly be. Make it unique with an amazing hook, and then when you do, make sure 100% the script's execution makes it different than anything you've ever seen, or at the very least, make it entertaining! Even if you have a simple story like WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, make the characters so amazing that it can attract A-list talent. There's a reason why WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER attracts an actress like Anna Faris. I love her to death actually, but picking these types of projects puts Anna Faris in the C list of actresses, not near A-list material. Her agent or manager should be fired immediately. BUT, the film hasn't come out yet, so I won't make a final judgement until I see the final film, but really... how different could it be from what I read? Could it be that much better? Me thinks not. I give the script a passable C grade.
Well the first half of my first day journey is over. I will wake up at 9am and brainstorm my outline for my spec and see how much I can get done tomorrow. I feel good. I feel ready. I feel writer-licious.
I figure I needed one last day of relaxation before I dive in head first screenwriting till my heart's content. One last day of being lazy without a care in the world. I checked my email first and saw an email from my LA editor about a business luncheon this Thursday in Beverly Hills. Free food and everything. But my freelance position with this website is more of a journalistic position, and as much as I would love a free lunch in Beverly Hills, I'm going to have to pass. I'm here to pursue my screenwriting career, and a Thursday luncheon is going to fuck with my newly found schedule I'm supposed to stick to. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly write an article here and there if a story or person interests me enough to wanna write one, but my priorities lie with the craft of screenwriting and getting a first draft down of my spec.
So my laziness sat me on my couch to watch WELCOME TO THE RILEYS. An indie flick starring James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart. I liked it, but didn't love it. My biggest issue is every time I see Gandolfini in a movie, I can't help but think of Tony Soprano. The big T was such an iconic character to me and seeing Gandolfini in a different role is just odd to me. The relationship between Doug and Mallory felt genuine, but the ending completely missed a few key shots or cuts of emotional longing in the character's eyes in order for it to pay off. How could you fuck up an ending of a movie as a director? I don't get it. Any other part of the story is ok, but how could director Jake Scott fuck up the ending? Fuck, someone must have been high on set or in the editing chair who cut the movie to a black screen a la David Chase style. I wanted more. If you've seen the movie, you'll realize my point. But nevertheless, a B- effort.
After the movie was over, went to the bank, got some cash, then hit the grocery store. I love that because of my retail experience as a cashier, I always know what line to go to that moves the fastest. This guy's face when he saw me breeze through a line was priceless. Ha! When I got home, I threw in THE COMPANY MEN. I enjoyed it a lot. Probably because I've been fired twice in my life and know what it's like in those moments of complete shock and awe. I loved Tommy Lee Jones's character, along with Chris Cooper, who always seems good as of late.I give it a strong B. Not amazing, but good. Definitely worth the watch.
Eight o' clock rolled around and if you know me at all, that means only one thing - The Bachelor. The show is amazing and I can't get enough of it. I hope they expand the long two hour format to a six hour format that runs from 6pm till midnight. I'd be glued for six straight hours of laughs, romantic longings, and more laughs. Me and a good friend of mine used to have Bachelor parties, just the two of us. We'd order a grip of food and just pig out like two chicks. But he has since moved a bit farther away, so our weekly Bachelor parties now only feature myself and some sweet bread. Boo!
But onto the reason why I'm here. Screenwriting!!! Yay, I've made it. I read my first scheduled script tonight and I must say, THANK GOD IT'S OVER. I read the 2008 Blacklist spec "Twenty Times A Lady", which is now a completed film starring Anna Faris titled, "What's Your Number?", a romantic comedy about a woman Alley, who decides to visit her last 19 sex partners to see if she missed out on "the one". The read was simple and pleasant, but not a thing sparked my interest at all. I know the Blacklist isn't supposed to be the best unproduced specs in Hollywood, but this was downright average. Although I must say the script had structure and some snappy dialogue, but that was about it. The characters were two dimensional at best, the cinematic quality was scarce, and the pace was blah blah and blah. It was a normal rom com with no lasting value at all as a reader. I don't understand how this movie gets funded at all. Can't they tell this film will make no dollars and no cents? The movie probably has a budget of about 4-5mill, maybe more, but it won't even make that at the box office or dvd sales. I've read a lot of bad scripts, and this is certainly not a bad script at all, but the big question is why? Why write this story? What's so important about these characters that we have to engage ourselves in? And I know the script probably has changed a bit during production, but it can't be that far from what I read. So why would they make this movie? Why would Anna Faris attach herself to this? At least HOUSE BUNNY had somewhat of a hook and was relevent. This story seems shot out of a 1990's cannon.
So that's my first lesson in my screenwriting quest - always make your script idea the best it can possibly be. Make it unique with an amazing hook, and then when you do, make sure 100% the script's execution makes it different than anything you've ever seen, or at the very least, make it entertaining! Even if you have a simple story like WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, make the characters so amazing that it can attract A-list talent. There's a reason why WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER attracts an actress like Anna Faris. I love her to death actually, but picking these types of projects puts Anna Faris in the C list of actresses, not near A-list material. Her agent or manager should be fired immediately. BUT, the film hasn't come out yet, so I won't make a final judgement until I see the final film, but really... how different could it be from what I read? Could it be that much better? Me thinks not. I give the script a passable C grade.
Well the first half of my first day journey is over. I will wake up at 9am and brainstorm my outline for my spec and see how much I can get done tomorrow. I feel good. I feel ready. I feel writer-licious.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Waterboarding
Well, here I am, finally with my own blog and a good reason for it. I'm Alex, 28 years old from Orange County, CA, and I'm trying to become a screenwriter. Yes, you heard correctly. And you're probably asking yourself the same question I've asked over the years, "Why the fuck do you wanna torture yourself like that?" Simple answer - who the fuck knows?
But here I am three months away from my 29th birthday and not much to show for it. Although I've had minor success over the past nine years(which you'll read about as time goes on), I feel my life is at a standstill. A road block perhaps. I'm like the Tom Hanks character in the final scene of Castaway. Which direction do I go? How do I get there? Do I follow the hot brunette North? Take my chances South? Head East? Or take the road West where they say all of your dreams come true? Fortunately for me, I already live in California, so I'm ahead of the game... or so I think.
One thing I know for sure is that I love film and television more than I think my own family and friends, which is harsh to say, but I'm not the one to tell a lie. They're everything to me. Take them away and I have nothing. Sure, I have a nice family, cool friends, an Xbox 360, PS3 and an undying love for animal crackers, but they don't complete me. A two hour film full of romance, adventure, mystery and drama is what truly completes me. Sounds gay? Probably, but it's the truth... my own truth... the only truth I know.
Now what bugs me the most is that in the last six years of my life I've written a television spec, one screenplay and a half of another screenplay. That's it! In six years that's all I have to show for myself. And I actually consider myself a real writer too, that's the sad part. But from what I hear around town, real writers WRITE. They don't talk about wanting to write. They don't talk about how famous they're gonna be after they've sold their screenplay. They don't envision what house they'll buy along Sunset in Beverly Hills. You know why? Because writers are too busy WRITING. Because they know the second they stop writing, the party is over. The entire process of writing for the screen is pure TORTURE, and they know it. And you know what? I envy those people. I want the torture. I welcome the torture. I NEED the torture, because I am after all... a real writer.
So the time has come. No more waiting around. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. I choose to become a screenwriter, and I'm here to take the plunge...
Why now, you ask? Well, I've always wanted a time in my life where I could do nothing but write all day and night. The last 6-7 years I've been working steadily and figured the only way I would be able to write all day and night without having to worry about rent or bills is if I was ALREADY a working screenwriter. But 99.99999% can't wake up the next day, write a few lines and sell a spec to become a screenwriter. We must all find the time during our busy or lazy days to write something that shows promise. Most of us have jobs and cannot simply wallow around the house all day in our underwear and write screenplays...
... But I've caught a break. Not a lucky break, nor a good break for that matter. But a break that gives me the time to write in my underwear if I wanted to - it's unemployment. Turns out I was lucky enough to get fired from a job I hated which granted me a cool 26 weeks of unemployment. That's six months of writing time, uh I mean finding work. My unemployment started back in September, but I was lucky enough to find freelance work for a website, so I was not collecting at all. But now my freelance work has dried up and my claim can start kicking in. This is it. This is what I've been waiting for - the chance to sit around ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT and work on my writing and make it as a screenwriter!
Now, I'm not happy to be on unemployment and looking for work, BUT I did wrongly get fired from a job and thankfully we have laws in this country that entitle me to unemployment that I paid into. Sure I'll be looking for work, but all the work I need is right in front of me. I have ideas and a computer, what other work could I possibly need at this time?
And I'm not a religious person or anything, but something tells me deep down that this is my moment. This is the time in my life where I buckle down and WRITE. I plan for 2011 to be a big year for me, making huge strides in my goal to become a working writer in Hollywood. Now that I have the time to write, I'll know once and for all if this Hollywood thing is for real, or just some dumb fantasy 99.9999% of us have.
To start, I will be reading one screenplay each and every night. five days a week or more. I'm going to try and dig through the previous Blacklists and visit every screenplay site online to find available scripts, whether they are produced or unproduced. Think of it as my primer to the actual writing and developing of my own spec, something that will get my mind focused each and every day before I even attempt to look at my story at all.
Next, I will wake up every day at 9am or earlier and work on my story for at least eight hours each day. I will only take breaks for lunches, bathroom needs or short naps. No movies or TV shows are allowed to be watched between the hours of 9am and 5pm. During the course of these seven hours, my writing will consist of outlining and scene writing... hopefully. As long as it has something to do with my story and my writing, then I deem it allowable.
So that is my quest. I shall in the midst of looking for employment, write each day, turning the process of screenwriting into a full-time job. This is a make or break year for me. The time has come for me to shut my mouth and put in the work that so many real writers do everyday. My hope is that I fall in love with the process even more and passionately complete a great screenplay that I'm truly proud in the next six months or less. I know there will be roadblocks and challenges along the way, but I'm going to stick with my plan and not waiver in doubt.
I just figure writing like crazy, day in and day out has to get me somewhere, right?
But here I am three months away from my 29th birthday and not much to show for it. Although I've had minor success over the past nine years(which you'll read about as time goes on), I feel my life is at a standstill. A road block perhaps. I'm like the Tom Hanks character in the final scene of Castaway. Which direction do I go? How do I get there? Do I follow the hot brunette North? Take my chances South? Head East? Or take the road West where they say all of your dreams come true? Fortunately for me, I already live in California, so I'm ahead of the game... or so I think.
One thing I know for sure is that I love film and television more than I think my own family and friends, which is harsh to say, but I'm not the one to tell a lie. They're everything to me. Take them away and I have nothing. Sure, I have a nice family, cool friends, an Xbox 360, PS3 and an undying love for animal crackers, but they don't complete me. A two hour film full of romance, adventure, mystery and drama is what truly completes me. Sounds gay? Probably, but it's the truth... my own truth... the only truth I know.
Now what bugs me the most is that in the last six years of my life I've written a television spec, one screenplay and a half of another screenplay. That's it! In six years that's all I have to show for myself. And I actually consider myself a real writer too, that's the sad part. But from what I hear around town, real writers WRITE. They don't talk about wanting to write. They don't talk about how famous they're gonna be after they've sold their screenplay. They don't envision what house they'll buy along Sunset in Beverly Hills. You know why? Because writers are too busy WRITING. Because they know the second they stop writing, the party is over. The entire process of writing for the screen is pure TORTURE, and they know it. And you know what? I envy those people. I want the torture. I welcome the torture. I NEED the torture, because I am after all... a real writer.
So the time has come. No more waiting around. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. I choose to become a screenwriter, and I'm here to take the plunge...
Why now, you ask? Well, I've always wanted a time in my life where I could do nothing but write all day and night. The last 6-7 years I've been working steadily and figured the only way I would be able to write all day and night without having to worry about rent or bills is if I was ALREADY a working screenwriter. But 99.99999% can't wake up the next day, write a few lines and sell a spec to become a screenwriter. We must all find the time during our busy or lazy days to write something that shows promise. Most of us have jobs and cannot simply wallow around the house all day in our underwear and write screenplays...
... But I've caught a break. Not a lucky break, nor a good break for that matter. But a break that gives me the time to write in my underwear if I wanted to - it's unemployment. Turns out I was lucky enough to get fired from a job I hated which granted me a cool 26 weeks of unemployment. That's six months of writing time, uh I mean finding work. My unemployment started back in September, but I was lucky enough to find freelance work for a website, so I was not collecting at all. But now my freelance work has dried up and my claim can start kicking in. This is it. This is what I've been waiting for - the chance to sit around ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT and work on my writing and make it as a screenwriter!
Now, I'm not happy to be on unemployment and looking for work, BUT I did wrongly get fired from a job and thankfully we have laws in this country that entitle me to unemployment that I paid into. Sure I'll be looking for work, but all the work I need is right in front of me. I have ideas and a computer, what other work could I possibly need at this time?
And I'm not a religious person or anything, but something tells me deep down that this is my moment. This is the time in my life where I buckle down and WRITE. I plan for 2011 to be a big year for me, making huge strides in my goal to become a working writer in Hollywood. Now that I have the time to write, I'll know once and for all if this Hollywood thing is for real, or just some dumb fantasy 99.9999% of us have.
To start, I will be reading one screenplay each and every night. five days a week or more. I'm going to try and dig through the previous Blacklists and visit every screenplay site online to find available scripts, whether they are produced or unproduced. Think of it as my primer to the actual writing and developing of my own spec, something that will get my mind focused each and every day before I even attempt to look at my story at all.
Next, I will wake up every day at 9am or earlier and work on my story for at least eight hours each day. I will only take breaks for lunches, bathroom needs or short naps. No movies or TV shows are allowed to be watched between the hours of 9am and 5pm. During the course of these seven hours, my writing will consist of outlining and scene writing... hopefully. As long as it has something to do with my story and my writing, then I deem it allowable.
So that is my quest. I shall in the midst of looking for employment, write each day, turning the process of screenwriting into a full-time job. This is a make or break year for me. The time has come for me to shut my mouth and put in the work that so many real writers do everyday. My hope is that I fall in love with the process even more and passionately complete a great screenplay that I'm truly proud in the next six months or less. I know there will be roadblocks and challenges along the way, but I'm going to stick with my plan and not waiver in doubt.
I just figure writing like crazy, day in and day out has to get me somewhere, right?
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