finish my first screenplay

Following my Breakthrough (see post from 3 days ago) I learned how to create an encrypted disk image so that my journal can be truly private.

I always wrote my journals with the thought in the back of my mind that someday people would read them, and it would seem like a suicide note—although I’m just fine. I didn’t write just for myself.

Yesterday, I wrote 7 typewritten pages, just for me. Some of it was about the screenplay, working out the characters.

I finally feel that maybe my notes are actually secret.

I’ve been thinking about why this is so hard for me—just to write something, make a draft, edit later.

I remembered something from my childhood—I was somewhere between 6 and 8 years old. My Mom had asked me to go find something in a drawer of her dresser, and I found some things I’d written. Just doodly things, but they seemed very personal at the time. I think one of them was supposed to be a newspaper, but all of it was private, just for me. I was very upset that she’d taken my writings without telling me.

She said she wanted to keep them for when I was older, that she’d been impressed with my creativity. She apologized and gave them back. Somehow it’s still embarrassing to think about it, although it shouldn’t be.

Since then, more than thirty years, I’ve kept my creativity on the inside, not written much down. I can brainstorm with my friends about stories, but the actual writing is a chore.

I wonder what might have happened if my Mom had asked first, since she really didn’t mean to intrude. I wonder if I’d be churning out story after story, instead of having a history of turning papers in late.

Mom has said for years that I should be a writer, possibly based on that early experience, since for a long time I couldn’t figure out what could possibly make her say that.

Now I have an image in my head of the curly-headed kid I was, cranking out pages of silliness without embarrassment. Maybe I can find her again.

well, carrying too many ideas around with me, i want to leave a bit of them around in some scripts (i normally try myself on more fictional stroytelling or poetry), but actually i’m not well focused and can’t relate to a single project. it’s more like a patchwork on several pieces, with none of it really progressing… i simple want to change this, concentrating on one draft and get it – however – to an end! one thing i do to prevent myself from serious working is to tell me, that my ideas are quite grand but that i will ruin them while working em out – a really bad and blocking habit based on some small self-lies that i want to break! beside this i set myself the goal to write one day the screenplay for the most frightening, creepy, heebie-jeebie-givin’ movie ever made! :)

I wrote a pivotal scene yesterday – just one page with no dialogue in it, but it should have huge emotional impact.

Seven pages in the last two days. Considering what a perfectionist I’m being, I’m pretty happy with that.

I pitched my (unfinished) screenplay at the Hollywood Pitchfest last weekend. An agent wants to read it, a production company wants me to send it to them, and another agent whose agency used to rep Drew Barrymore said to send it to her company, and use his name. I’m pleased.

A few other reps I pitched to said basically, “it’s not our kind of project, but I’d go see it; keep at it!”, which was really encouraging. A few others took my business card, time will tell if they get in touch with me.

A few didn’t take my card, but they were mostly polite and seemed to follow my story with interest, to “get” what I’m trying to accomplish with the story. They have my name and number.

One of the companies I pitched to is Edward James Olmos’ company, and I knew I was pitching to his son—then I realized as I was walking away that I had just pitched to Hot Dog from Battlestar Galactica. He was nice, seemed to like the story, so it’s all good.

Now on with the writing. I changed the structure a little based on feedback (read: encouraging attentiveness) I got from my 5-minute meetings. Much work left, but I feel really good about the story.

Let this be a lesson to me: don’t try to reformat an outline in Final Draft. Maybe I was just doing it wrong, but the app kept crashing. I need to write in script format and edit later, not just doodle all my thoughts onto the page.

/rant.

I’m working on an outline for the romantic comedy, getting it out of my head and typed out. I have a free screenwriting class on Saturday, but I’m not sure what they’ll teach that I haven’t already had in school or learned by watching. I need good habits, and I need to work on my pitches.

I’ve signed up for the Hollywood Pitch Festival at the end of July, and I’d love to have my romantic comedy and my supernatural action TV series at least in some optionable format by then. Possibly my roadtrip movie and my 1890’s-and-1920’s romantic comedy as well.

My “sci-fi West Wing” I’m holding in reserve until I can demand creative control. That one can be really big.

I’ve done everything I said I would do since 1995—moved to Orlando, went to Full Sail (eventually), earned accolaides, found a niche or two in production, and moved to L.A.

What I haven’t done is write the damn thing. I know I have a winner, I just need to do the work.

I’ve got everyone around me believing in me (except for one or two who have fallen away), my Mom is proud of me, my family and friends are supportive, as though I’ve already proven myself. Much to my surprise, once you move to L.A. people give you the benefit of the doubt as to whether you can do what you say. I’m referring here to folks back home and random strangers in L.A.

I look at how far I’ve come, and I think of how much farther I can go. Just about the only thing in my way is the typing and refining.

I fully expect the Pitchfest to lead to money. It’d better—I’m functioning under what in storycraft is called a timelock. If I don’t do “x” by the time “y” happens, “z” will explode.

“Z” is my finances. Which is pretty inspiring, actually.

I’ve had this amazing story kicking around in my head for almost a year. It’s really grown in the last few months. I took a few notes on my last trip down to Naples.

But I only started typing yesterday.

I really need to get on this. A first draft is no time to be a perfectionist.

I’ve pitched the idea that’s been foremost in my mind to a few non-production people, and they’re all enthusiastic about it. My career development (for film production) advisor is impressed, too.