CDL_09

i met a harlequin great dane here in mexico and they seem perfect – gentle temperaments, not too much barking and not much exercise required either. “a good apartment dog” is how the owner described it. im leaning still towards one of these giant breeds that dont require much exercise, other possibilities are an ex-racing greyhound or the breed i cant remember the name of – theres one on my street, like a newfie but less drooling.
my only reservation is whether i can be around for it when part of me wants to live o/s for a few years still. 16 months ago

tickets are booked! crazy. still cant believe i achieved both my biggest goals this year – to get a job writing, and to visit mexico. incredible. amazing what can happen when you put your mind to something.
am now just trying to learn as much spanish as possible. my plan is just to cruise, surf a lot and see where the wind blows me. 18 months ago

this is about to become hard again, im getting a job with no walking and free delicious lunches. ideas ive had are:

thursday night hip hop
surfing weekends
rowing with a friend
gym with my housemate

i know how quickly my weight fluctuates which is good and bad! id really like to get a new routine happening. it would be so great to go back to hip hop. and if i get a car i could nick off for weekend trips on a friday after work, just pack my board and go. 20 months ago

its been ages since i went to a class and i feel stupid because i finally found a great group. once i get my car ill definitely go. but till then i need to somehow put this into my daily routine at home. but the thought of waking up any earleir than 5:30 am…i dont even know if i can physically do it. and im always so so tired and sooky when i get home.
i suppose its alot easier to get up early in summer. it will have to be morning. 5 am it is. hey, if it helps me have a betetr day then its worth it. looking back, i am at leats much, much mor e comfortable sitting down to attempt 30 minutes now. 7 minute sused to be standard and now it feels like not enough. i still listen to my recordings which do help guide me somewhat, and are much easier than doing it solo when im getitng back into it after a break. have been considering another retreat but just have so many other things i want to do! surfing mostly gets all my free time :) 20 months ago

ive just been hired to write for an amazing tv show, so im planning to utilise these new skills to write a feature that incorporates commercial viability. being around story all day will give me so many ideas. i want to grow this feature alongside my work in the hopes it will propel me to the next level once it’s ready.
it began as a short, then i worked on it for 6 months in my course. after seeing Rober McKee talk about genre i realsied its not just a comedy – it has a thriller plot lying underneath which drives the story forward and carries the comedy with it, giving it room to offshoot everywhere (rather than having the pressure on the story to just be funny of itself). kind of like A Fish Called Wanda.
so despite all this prep im still at the early stages but as its my first having all this time and support to get it started has been great. im finally feeling like the core of the story – both characters and plot – are loosely locked in and im feeling pretty confident that my story is big enough to be a really juicy feature. its based on a concept that got really strong positive recation from my class and lecturer. and – bonus – they all thought the idea was very “me” before they even knew who wrote it! the thoought of having a signature style thrills me and i feel im really onto a winner.
im still meeting once a month with my screenwriting class which is great, its super helpful to feel accountable on a regular basis.
im cautious about setting goals and my aim at this stage is just to get it to first draft stage (aka vomit draft) and then let it sit. my main obstacle will be letting myself write without criticism stopping me before i reach the end. i can be kind of a perfectionist but im determined to do as much prep as possible before i sit down to actually write. again, im hoping the methods i learn in the writers room will be of huge help when it comes down to structuring my scenes.
this is an epic goal, but one that i know im finally ready for and am so excited to be doing. if i can have my first draft punched out by my birthday next year i’ll be really pleased.
obvs in future its ideal not to take so long but i think since im still learning and this is my first, its important to take lots of time and learn as much as possible along the way.
Yay!
In terms of my writing habits, i think until ive settled in at the new place i’ll probably be too overwhelmed to write after work, so will keep it to weekends. But after a few months when im feeling a little more stable there, im hoping ill be able to catch second winds at night and work on it then. i just have to keep it alive, im feeling very creatively inspired at present but unless i keep it fresh i know how these things can run dry and start to feel stale. 20 months ago

large breeds that are lazy=Mastiffs and Greyhounds. 20 months ago

even though i dont need to have my quarter life crisis anymore, i still feel i need to go to Mexico to release something. to be wild. and maybe pick up a tattoo via Philly, LA or NY on the way back :) i just have that Russia feeling again, but for Mexico this time. looks like ill have 6 weeks at christmas so this may actually happen! cant believe it. 20 months ago