I set the deadline to complete the rewrite of my pilot for the 30th, which is only a couple of days away. Because of this, I haven’t written anything else, except a bit of fanfic when I’m at work. Actually, I’ve written quite a bit of that – 3,000 words. It’s been slow.
I was debating on which image to share this week…I was drawn to a few. I decided on this one:
Are you inspired? Happy Writing!
*Photo by Alina Orel
I’ve been slowly going from room to room, computer folder to folder, spring cleaning. I hate clutter.
I came across an old save from a website called Wordplayer.com created by the screenwriter/producer team of Scheherazade Productions, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. They wrote Aladdin and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, among many others. Considering the success of those films alone, it’s fair to say their advice is worth listening to.
The checklist was created to help Hollywood readers find scripts worthy of moving beyond the elusive gates. There are three sections total, and I will share the other two as well. The following are the 20 items readers should keep in mind in regards to “concept” and “plot”, and for writers it’s a resource to understand what may make or break the success of your script getting seen by those with the power to jump start your career.
It’s always said that you need to know the rules to break them, so these are just a few, or 20, things to keep in mind when you’re developing and writing your story. This checklist was created with the screenwriter in mind, but all writers should have an understanding of who their audience is, stakes, obstacles, etc.
Wishing you all the best! Happy Writing!
Some days I long for my childhood. Some days. Remember there was that thing…what was it called again? Oh, yes. Ignorant bliss. Our biggest concerns were homework and whether we were getting together with our friends on the weekend, or what have you. High school, and even college, were supposed to prepare us for adulthood, but honestly, I don’t think either of those institutions did their job properly.
I should demand a refund.
When you leave home for the first time, there’s this excitement (and delusion) about having newfound freedom, only to learn shortly thereafter that maybe, the whole adult thing, isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be.
In my college anthropology class, eons ago, I wrote a paper about how Western civilization doesn’t really have a “right of passage” for its youth. Yes, there are the time honored marks at 16, 18, and 21, but which of any of these offer you life lessons for your future? Where are our elders ushering us into this new phase of our lives? I proposed a class called Life 101 where you get an overall scope of the challenges you may encounter and how to deal with them.
Perhaps if I had taken such a class I wouldn’t be in debt. Maybe I wouldn’t procrastinate until there were (sometimes literally) minutes to spare. Maybe as an introvert, I wouldn’t exhaust myself trying to be an extrovert because I would have learned about my options, rather than finding myself cornered into my current situation.
Maybe.
It’s all just theory, isn’t it? Wishing that maybe we had been given the tools to live our lives better instead of just blindly meandering? How many of those things we’d like to change are just built into our DNA? Sometimes I look at some of my friends and wonder how they pulled themselves together. They were once like I was. What changed? Maybe they haven’t. Maybe they’re doing what I am – putting on a good show.
Sometimes I think of my life as a book someone is reading. We’re all stories, after all. They probably found the cover intriguing, but now, having forced themselves halfway through, they’re wishing they could put it down, but they just have to know how it ends. They’ve probably exclaimed aloud a number of times, wishing they could just slap the protagonist, but they can’t abandon such a tale after so much time invested.
My apologies.
I’ve written about this in the past, and I’m bringing it up again because despite my efforts, it seems I can’t make any head way. I’m still, months later, at that same impasse. I’m not one to wallow, I try to remain positive, but after a while, that becomes an exhausting endeavor when there is little evidence that change is on the horizon.
So I send this out into the world and hope for the best.
And I send this out to you, my friends: If you’ve ever made some big changes, how did you go about it? How do you stay positive? How do you “adult”?
As many of you are aware by now, I have a “thing” for lost worlds, history, etc. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to ruins and abandoned places and things.
Forget the obvious. What does this image say to you?
Are you inspired to join me in this week’s Writing Prompt Challenge?
Happy Writing!
I’m not really sure what happened to last week. I was here. I was up and mobile, but somehow, my computer remained in a dormant state. The room which houses it remained dark and almost imperceptible – like that thing you see out of the corner of your eye, and yet when you turn to view it fully, it disappears. My office was sort of like that, evidently.
And here I am, starting the new week off a day late. Sheesh. I think there’s an actual medical term for the state of permanent behind-ness. If there’s not, there will be one soon, and Marek will be somewhere embedded within that 10-syllable phrase with a picture beside it of me rolling my eyes. Maybe it will be slightly blurred from me shaking my head…I sometimes like to think it’s Fate’s way of keeping me out of harm’s way. Eh, it’s as good an explanation as any, I suppose.
Along our journey, we may find it hard not to compare our lives with other, sometimes more successful, or more put together, counterparts. In turn, there are those who may not grasp what it is we’re chasing. The above quote is a great reminder that we each have our own path (but may be a little late in getting there).
Don’t let the naysayers derail you from what you truly want to do. Dream big!
Have a great week!
I’m sitting on a restaurant patio overlooking the Las Vegas Strip with The Sis, my visiting brother, and his girlfriend. Day drinking was not how I planned on spending my day, but it’s been fun, and (probably) what I needed.
I have been so stressed about a number of things, and taking an actual break from my life is a welcome reprieve. I never really escape when I’m stuck at home because the reminders are all around me. I’m trying to build the life I want…it just needs a little help. That’s why this week’s quote speaks to me –
Have you found this feeling? Please share your insights, because I hope we are all so lucky!
Best wishes!
I present to you my works of flash fiction. My escape into free writing. I don’t think too much, I don’t edit too much, and I don’t give myself too much time. I hope you like ’em.
The Deal
It’s a common misconception that only the desperate seek me out. The greedy, the vain, the shallow, the scared, the lonely, and even the righteous have found their way to my door. Take a look at the world around you. Do you truly believe that all those people you envy got where they are on their own merit? No, my dear. Actually, that is quite laughable. And before you say a word, let me ponder what category you fit into and what it is you think you want.
Another misconception – the price. It’s never the same. So worry not that you may need x-amount of dollars, or a first born. My stocks are full and money hardly has its uses where I’m from. No, I will know the exact payment to accept from you.
You’re sweating. You’re worried. You should be. You have but mere moments to retreat. You won’t. I suppose it is the desperate that seek me out. They think they have no alternative. They lack the capacity for hard work, perseverance, mediocrity. That is why you are sitting here yourself…your own shortcomings. So let us strike the deal, and in the blink of an eye you will have all you ever dreamed of. I can’t wait to meet you again, to hear if it was worth it.
*The following Writing Prompt is a line of dialogue I included in #75 with the above image. It was a two-fer. As I had no image for it, I put the line in bold lettering, but it barely shows up, so it’s underlined as well.
Solidarity
We stood on the battlements side by side as we had every day for the past three years. It was going to be a beautiful day. The sun was still low on the horizon, but the sky was clear and the air was crisp. I turned my face skyward and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath hoping to smell the lavender planted in the garden, or the citrus trees that lined the path. The image of my love flashed once before my eyes, as it usually did, a bewitching smile upon the most alluring lips. Had I not looked down, it could be mistaken for any other day.
“Is this one of those times you want me to lie to protect your delicate emotions?” My queen asked slyly. She stood tall with her hands behind her back, her chin defiantly jutted outward, and yet there was that gleam in her eye. She was a clever one, and it was one of the reasons I had stood by her. I unsheathed my sword and stretched my arm, feeling the weight of it. I lowered my gaze to the imposing army marching through the valley. I replied with my own air of nonchalance, “Seems as good a time as any.”
Waiting
He sat alone in “their place”. The tentacles of dread weaving their destructive way through his mind. It didn’t stop there. The tingling continued down his spine, while it’s icy touch lingered around his heart. She had never been late, even when he expected her to be. After the many long months of separation, he was certain he would have found her running across the field in the hopes she would be running into his open arms. He stared out to the horizon for what felt like hours, trusting that one of those dots would grow larger and take her form. No such luck.
He did not fidget. He sat immobilized with the thoughts of the unknown. What if she did not return? How would he find her? He didn’t even know where she had been. What would he do…without her? His body felt heavy, crushed under the weight of the despair that had quickly materialized. Why did he not give her more credit? Clearly she had been able to take care of herself all this time. He swallowed back the lump that threatened to choke him, when he felt her warm touch. His whole body went slack with a relief that was almost as crushing.
The Signal
It was quiet, quieter than I expected. Without the engines humming, the normal sounds of operation, or even the sounds of life, it was as if we were walking into a crypt. Perhaps we were. The emergency lights gave off an eerie red glow, while some overhead lights flickered, each played with our vision equally. I swear I could see things moving in the shadows, but I knew it to be a trick of the imagination. We decided to split up, search the vessel for survivors and what may have happened to silence an entire ship and her crew.
I decided to head to the command deck in the hopes of retrieving the captain’s journal and the flight logs. The team would search the rest of this level before we headed further into the belly of the ship together. As I ascended the ladder that would allow me access to the upper deck, I called back in a harsh whisper, “If I need you I’ll give you a signal.” My companions all looked up with inquisitive eyes. “What signal?” “I’ll imitate the scream of a terrified little girl.” To that I received obligatory snorts and the shaking of heads. I winked once and continued upward.
~
I’d love to read what you create, so don’t forget to share! Take a look through the Writing Prompts and see what inspires you. Happy Writing!
This week’s Writing Prompt is in the form of a dialogue prompt. I have found a number of wonderful snippets that could be the beginnings of an intriguing story.
What do you think?
Are you inspired? I don’t know why I see someone going off to kill a big spider..?
Happy Writing!
Besides the adorable-ness, the lessons are a great reminder of things (sometimes) forgotten with age.
As writers, I think we, generally, embody 2 of the 3, with happiness getting lost from time to time. Writers, historically, have been known to be melancholy, depressed, repressed, vice riddled, isolated, and any variant of the above and much more. I think it’s a good lesson to remind ourselves to find happiness where and when we can, and to embrace it.
Curiosity is a staple among writers. We wouldn’t write the stories we do if we weren’t full of wonder at the possibility of what if. Our stories lead us to amazing places, and we learn about topics we may never have even considered before creating our new world. Keep learning and keep growing because you never know where your next great idea will come from.
Another staple – the fight. We fight for our characters. We fight for our stories. We believe in our babies and in order to get others to love them as we do, we have to fight to get them out into the world. Even when you’re tired, don’t give up. Success may be just a moment away.
I then thought about these words in regards to my characters. They’re people too and they have their own lives to lead, and could probably use a friendly word. Amidst their trials could they find a moment of happiness? Do they have a cause or a reason to keep fighting? A little food for thought.
Wishing you all the best! And Happy Writing!
I’m feeling a little romantically inclined today. Perhaps it’s because, in part, I’ve dreamt of Tom Hiddleston 4 out of the last 5 nights…I haven’t even seen him in anything recently, so who knows?!
The other part could be that I’m thinking about rewriting one of my scripts that is heavily imbued with romance, and so I’m trying to get in the right frame of mind. Whatever the reason, you all get the benefit of a biased Writing Prompt this week. So enjoy. 😉
I had a specific idea when I saw this image, so I’m in. Are you inspired to join me in this week’s Writing Prompt Challenge?
Happy Writing!
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 