This week’s writing prompt inspires another bout of poetry in me…huh, will wonders never cease?!
What does it inspire in you?
Happy Writing!
Author Archives: Rachael C Marek
Quote Monday
Happy Monday, my friends!
So yes, I was away last week, and I don’t even have a good excuse like I was on vacation or anything. It was just one of those weeks.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently, in regards to the future and the whole menial work situation, and have been rattling some ideas around about how to change all that. While living in LA, I discovered an organization that I wanted to be a part of just before we moved away. There is no such organization where I am now and I’ve been thinking of starting my own. A HUGE endeavor, but one that combines a few of my passions. When I draw some better conclusions, I’ll share more. So in that vein, I offer you the following quote:
Have you had similar thoughts? Please share!
Have a great week everyone!
Fun(ish) Fact Friday
Once again, upon clearing out my email, I discovered this wonderful series of infographics from Good in a Room entitled “Screenplay Writing Explained in 7 Infographics. I really need to be better about checking my email. This was an interesting look at the world of screenwriting as a whole and a bit eye opening. Take a look! There’s not only great information and tips, but some stats that show what one reader saw within 300 scripts.
And then there was this…
A couple of days ago while scrolling through Twitter, I found this article from Screencraft entitled “How to Survive the Screenwriter Grind“. I was left with a sort of “ugh” feeling. I don’t think that was its intended purpose.
*Disclaimer: I did not intend for Fun Fact Friday to be defeating in anyway. I just wanted to share what I read. Okay, with that being said…this is my train of thought.
In the first article and the first infographic, of those 300 scripts, it does not say how many are by first time writers. I think the first story we, as writers, put out in the world, should be one we are passionate about. I, personally, am not passionate about the horror genre. I’m not a fan in general. Horror was the most submitted genre – 49 scripts. I find this surprising, especially in light of Spielberg’s comments recently about superhero movies going the way of the western. I nearly roll my eyes every time I see yet another advert for a horror film/sequel.
Now, I did not see Ant-man, and that is in part because I don’t really care for the character of Hank Pym. Now his girlfriend, Jan, I do like, and she’s not even in the film. Then I discovered, it really wasn’t about them anyway, and we can’t get a Wonder Woman movie?! Yes, I am just like the rest of the geek girl squad calling out for a female driven superhero film. Lynda Carter already portrayed the Amazon goddess and she deserves a return to the big screen! Because seriously, did we need another Fantastic Four movie? Or a whole new series of Spiderman? ((sigh))
But I digress.
Screenwriting is a business. I understand this. All screenwriters understand this. And it is a tough business to get in and stay in. But what I learned is that until we make things happen, we need to live our lives. This is something that needs to be reiterated. We may have jobs we don’t really care for while waiting for the “big break”, but we don’t have to be unhappy in the interim.
I want to be a working screenwriter, so I’ve been taking jobs that maybe aren’t the best to allow me some extra free time to work on my writing, but, and this is a big BUT, I need to be satisfied in my daily life in order to write the kind of stories I want to tell. At the moment I’m going to a very unfulfilling job and finding escape in my writing. Now yes, I write fantasy and sci-fi so it’s easy to escape into those stories, but I’m not sure it should be a refuge from the outside world.
Finding balance, maybe that’s how I’ll survive the screenwriter grind.
What are your thoughts on surviving the writer’s life?
The Best of Writing Prompts (#57)
I was thinking that when I reached a grand number I would do a sort of “best of”. Instead of waiting for the distant future, let’s do it today!
I have chosen a few of my favorite images from the past 56 for you to choose from, and hopefully you will be inspired to write something and share it here, or use it towards your own work.
Happy Writing!
Quote Monday
I hope you are all well and ready for another week of creativity crammed within the confines of our “regular” lives, unless your creative life is your regular life, then good for you! 🙂
This week’s quote is something I struggle with…what others may think, in regards to all aspects of my life. I need to actively fight the urge to be concerned about any and all of it because as RuPaul says, “it’s none of my business”.
Be brave! Make bold decisions! And have a great week!
The Dangers of Casting Your Movie in Your Head
A couple of nights ago, The Sis and I were randomly discussing the actors I would like to see cast in my first screenplay, Fate(s). You can click the link for a quick overview. It really is brief. This story has a personal history, the male lead and some of the story are inspired by my own life, so deciding who should play “him” is a little hard to narrow down. This is of course fine, because in reality, when this film is made, who I imagine or hope for will of course not be the actor chosen.
So there we were, imagining all the people who would fill these roles, when I started to laugh. What if the powers-that-be decide they want Jennifer Lawrence for the lead when I envision Rosamund Pike. Huge difference. This would in turn change the whole perspective of the film. It goes from adult to YA.
Fate(s) involves a great deal of Greek mythology, and the character of Ares, in particular, is based on the Ares from the television show Hercules. I loved him. Kevin Smith played the role wonderfully, and to have someone fill his shoes, y
ou need the snark of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki with the looks of a Joe Manganiello or Jason Momoa.
Do you see the slippery slope I am on?
In my head I know what the characters look like, in general. I have some more specifically envisioned than others, but my fear is that where I am looking for women and men (and I mean “women” and “men”), I will suddenly have a teenage rom-com where the role of Ares is played by Zac Efron. Super adorable. Wrong. So wrong.
It is one of the first lessons you learn in your film school screenwriting class. Don’t cast your film. I’ve been told it’s good to have an idea of a few actors you’d like to see in choice roles, to give the execs an idea of your “vision”, but it’s all a matter of chance and fate. See what I did there? Who has an available schedule? Who’s even interested? So many little things that may hinder the right choice. Although, sometimes a different (let’s not say wrong) choice really comes out on top.
Tom Selleck was originally cast to play Indiana Jones. Eric Stoltz was cast to be Marty McFly and actually shot quite a lot of footage. Thinking back, can we think of anyone else who could’ve filled those roles better than Harrison Ford and Michael J. Fox?
So we cast my entire film, although I’m still uncertain about a few choices, then recast it according to the actors that would most likely prevail. Obviously, I want to be a part of the Hollywood system, but when put into this perspective, I had to cringe, laugh, and try not to cry. We’re pretty sure Meryl Streep will be Hera, in any casting choice, because as it was once stated on Modern Family, “she could play Batman and be the right choice”.
It was a fun exercise, but not one I’ll be repeating again any time soon if I can help it. It was just a little too real and painful.
How about you, my fellow creatives? Do you cast your stories? Does it help or hinder your vision?
Writing Prompt #56
Wednesday flew by before I had a chance to catch my breath and post an image…better late than never, right?!
Here is this week’s Writing Prompt – an image that stirs the imagination in a variety of ways. Are you inspired?
I look forward to your creations.
Happy Writing!
Quote of the Week
This one’s not so much a quote, but a way of looking at the life of a creative.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #13 and It’s My Anniversary
In addition to finally doing some writing, I’m also celebrating an anniversary, according to WordPress. I’ve been blogging (on and off) for two years! I can’t believe I got off my buttocks and started this blog two years ago…?!?! Wow. How the time has flown. Thank you so much for your support, my friends!
And now on to the WPC…
I had a very specific idea when I posted the image of Venice on Wednesday. Honestly, I don’t know where it came from. Actually, I could probably guess – smutty fanfiction and one of my favorite films, Dangerous Beauty. I decided to go a different route, as it was a bit NSFW and not generally what I write. Venice was once known for its courtesans, and I planned to write something in regards to that. Maybe I still will. As for the angel, I sort of had an idea for that too right off the bat, but this one I didn’t fight. I hope you like them, and if you’d like to share how you were inspired, please link your work in the comments, and I’ll be sure to share it on my page as well.
Honeymoon
She woke up to the golden dawn gently rolling through the window, setting everything on fire in its warm glow. With the morning came the realization, the reminder of the previous night. The faintest hint of a satisfied smile crept to the corners of her mouth that she tried to bite back. She stretched languidly, her bare flesh exposed to the golden glow; her peaks and valleys casting shadows on the figure beside her.
Sliding from the inviting warmth of the bed, her impression lingering, she moves silently to the window to take in the view. It’s almost as if she’s seeing it for the first time, it’s slightly different. Maybe it’s the early morning light…maybe it’s her frame of mind. She’d never thought to be satisfied with one person, to find happiness by saying two little words and gaining the world with a new one. She turned to take in the full form of her lover tangled in the sheets, a blush spreading from head to toe, and not from the warmth of the rising sun.
The Fall
I had fallen hard. Through a roof of a suburban house. Four bedrooms, two and a half baths. It was sort of charming except for the fact that it looked just like every other one on the street. Everything hurt. I hadn’t experienced pain like this in a millennia. Not since the Great Battle of ’02, B.C. The light flicked on behind a closed door at the end of the hall, and the sliver of light grew wider with its opening. A small child holding her cat appeared in the doorway with large eyes. On a second look, no, not a cat.
I walked towards her, hoping to assuage her fears when I had to catch myself from sliding on the hardwood. Looking down, I discovered what had cushioned my fall. Despite my entire existence as a warrior, a vessel of reckoning, I grimaced at the sight. An involuntary shudder caused the loss of a few feathers, heavy in a blood not my own, nor the demon I had been fighting. Kneeling down, I reassured the small human that all would be well. In an instant, I restored all to right. The young woman had her life returned to her, and the memory of the angel in the hallway would be nothing but a bad dream.
Happy writing and have a great week!
Writing Prompt #55
Welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesdays!
I had an idea almost immediately upon looking at this image, so I’m planning on taking up the Writing Prompt Challenge this week. Will you join me?
Happy Writing!
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 