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.