Author Archives: Rachael C Marek

It’s Quote Monday

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GoodDaysHappy Monday, everyone!  I’ve been a little absent once again, due to a number of reasons, one being an unexpected wave of sadness last week.  I wasn’t sure if this was something I wanted to share, but this blog also acts as my journal, and the memories are bittersweet.  And who knows…maybe it will inspire someone to be brave when I was not.

I was talking about my first screenplay, Fate(s), with a coworker who asked about its inspiration.  One of the biggest influences came long after the initial concept of the story while I was living in Phoenix, AZ.

I was working in this little bistro in Scottsdale when I was literally hit by Cupid’s arrow.  A tall, dark, and handsome stranger walked in and I was struck, to my very core.  It seems like a foolish thing to say, even now, but it’s true.  I’d never felt anything like it before and I haven’t again since.

His name was Nicholas and he came in three times, but I was a wuss, and nothing ever came of it.  Nearly 10 years later and it’s still something I regret.

I’m happy on my own, mostly.  Every so often I have this pang in my chest that maybe he was “the one” and I let him get away, and that is a very unsettling feeling.  The Sis made a comment that despite my protesting, I would be happy with a man, and I retaliated with, “Not just any man”.

So I turned this angst into a predominant aspect of my screenplay when I began rewrites, and gave my couple the happily ever after they deserved – the one I’m afraid I may not get myself.  The idea of knowing someone without having met them, past lives, destiny – does it exist?

So for a couple of days these random thoughts swirled around in my head, you can imagine the variety, while my coworker suggested trying to track him down.  Yeah, that wouldn’t be weird at all…

I was eventually able to shake it off, but it’s left me wondering.

I write about it all the time, because that princess/Jane Austen side of me wants everyone to find that kind of love and that dreamy happily ever after in spite of “reality”, but what are your thoughts?

Do you believe in soul mates or love at first sight?

It’s Star Wars Day!

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In lieu of Quote Monday, I am honoring one of the biggest Star Wars fans I know, The Sis, on this day.
StarWarsDay

I would like to take credit for her appreciation (I did love it first), but she long surpassed me in her devotion, and has taken it to a whole new level.  It would have been nice to have the day off and celebrate properly with a marathon, a little gaming, and themed foods such as Attack of the Scones and such, but we’ll have to settle for well wishes instead.  Maybe next year.

Happy Star Wars Day, my fellow geeks!  And May the 4th be with you! And just in case, enjoy the subsequent days.

revenge-of-the-fifthRevengeofthe6th

Yes, I realize the images are all of Darth Vader, because….well, why not?! 🙂  Best villain ever.

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #11

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Irene SheriThis image makes me think of the poem by Byron, “She Walks in Beauty” and I feel compelled to write a poem, which I just don’t do.  Be kind.  😉

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She walks in moonlight with gentle grace

A coy smile upon her lips

A gentle sway in her hips

She knows he watches from a distance

The heat of his stare a fire upon her skin

A pause mid-step to relish the moment

Turns into a dance of seduction

At first she plays shy, ignoring the pull

She glances at the flowers

And tosses her hair

She hears the quick footsteps of her lover drawing near

Her heart skips a beat

And she waits

The footsteps have stilled

And yet she waits

A soft breeze stirs around her and she slowly turns

An innocent gesture draws his attention

One that stirs desire

She stands in moonlight

The embodiment of his heart’s silent yearning

He takes a step forward and reaches out

To find it all a dream

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The following is a little excerpt from my Dragon Age fanfic that I am hoping to continue now that contest season is drawing to a close.  I’m not sure where this section will fall in the series, perhaps it’s the opening for Chapter 2: Redcliffe…?  I had this visual of my mage taking a moment after a battle.

For those unfamiliar with what I’m doing, I posted an image of concept art some time ago as a Writing Prompt from the game, Dragon Age Origins called the Brecilian Forest.  I was frustrated with my writing at the time and took to writing some fan fiction.  I loved it!  If you are interested in reading Chapter 1, click here.  It’s written in the first person like a journal.  *The following is a rough draft sample.

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My feet swayed slightly across the surface of the water, causing a small ripple effect in the otherwise perfect stillness.  I sighed deeply, trying to gather my thoughts, when I heard the familiar footsteps of the one person I was trying to escape.

Should I do as Morrigan suggested or hold out for something more?  We had barely glimpsed the possibilities and I was feeling more compelled to play the paramour the more time I considered it.  What would it be like to be flirty?  How would he even respond?  Raised in the Chantry, I can imagine he’d blush.  Being free of the Circle was definitely expanding my horizons.

A moment later he was standing beside me.

“Would you care to join me?”  I asked.  I looked up, shielding my eyes from the glaring sun, and found Alistair without his armor.

A casual Alistair was quite the sight.  After the battle, the weight of his armor must have felt heavy, and he was quick to remove it.  I wondered who had aided him.  Surely not Sten?  I laughed a little at the thought.  His tunic and wool pants hung just so, and I had to force my gaze upward.  He looked tired.

“I don’t wish to interrupt your solitude.”  He countered.

Since Ostagar, one of us would seek out the other after any battle.  I had never even thought about that until this moment.  I patted the spot beside me, and smiled as he came to sit with me.  He removed his boots, rolled up his pant legs, and dipped his toes in the water.  He shivered slightly at the cool relief.

He didn’t say anything.  Neither did I.  We just sat there, dangling our feet.  I let my mind go blank and just reveled in the moment.  We had survived yet another fight.  We were still together.  As I sat beside him, I realized that I had never had a friend like him.  Things were just different in the Circle.  Alistair, regardless of circumstance, was my friend.  One I knew I could count on like no other.  That thought brought a special smile.  After a short time, I laid back on the dock, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the silence.  He soon followed suit.

“You were marvelous this night.”  His voice sounded distant, as if he were drifting off to sleep.

I turned to look at him and let my gaze linger, knowing I was not to be discovered.  He seemed at peace.  “As were you.”

I felt his hand drift closer to mine, just enough to touch, and that small hint sent my pulse racing.  And instead of fighting every impulse, I succumbed.  I let my hand move to take his, and when I felt his fingers intertwine with mine, I finally exhaled.  Out of the corner, I saw him glance my way.  After a long moment, which equated with me building up some semblance of nerve, I turned toward him, and was caught off guard by the innocent, bright smile that greeted me.  He inched over and closed the distance and I could not but help to smile in return.

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Happy Friday everyone!

Writing Prompt #47

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Welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesdays!

Since I first saw this piece I’ve been wanting to share it.  There’s just something so….well, what does it inspire in you?

Irene Sheri

Don’t forget to share the product of your inspiration!  I plan on sharing a bit tomorrow, and a little from my Dragon Age fanfic that I’m still working on (it needs lots of work).

Happy Writing!

*Beginning by artist Irene Sheri.

Quote Monday

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Potential-FearAs I continue to send my first script out to contests and other opportunities, I’ve felt this nagging little feeling in the recesses of my mind, a little in the depths of my stomach, this odd sense of anxiety.  So many quotes relate to overcoming fear of failure, but this is almost more related to the fear of success.  Has anyone else ever felt this?

We work for months or years on something, love it, want it to go out into the world and do great things, only to fear that it might actually do just that…how weird.

I’m not sure how people will respond to my screenplay.  It’s been a total labor of love, years in the making with a number of variations until it got where it is today.  To think that it might do well, that I may have a chance to do what I really want with my life, to be a working screenwriter is kind of a scary prospect.

But every day someone in the world is getting to live their dream, so why not me?  Why not You?

And then there’s that flip side.  The other fear if things don’t go as I hope and dream.

What if it’s not good enough?  What if I have to wait another year?  What will I have to show for all of this in the end?  What other options do I have?  Ugh.  The questions.

Maybe it’s a little of the fear of the unknown.  No matter how much we read or hear about it, until we are actually a part of the process, it’s all unknown.

IMoving Forward love writing!  I love seeing my characters come to life and make their own choices and lead the story, and regardless, I will never not write, but to never achieve some modicum of the success I would like…I don’t want to know that regret.

So as I look to the end of the week and the opportunity to send my work out to two more times, I’m smothering the fears and looking to the future.

And this is what I wish for you as well!  Don’t let any fear deter you from achieving your goal, no matter how big!

Good Luck and Best Wishes!!

Screenwriting Opportunity

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Coffee!I apologize for my absence, but I come bearing gifts.  🙂

Thanks to Lee Jessup‘s monthly newsletter, I was introduced to this unique opportunity for women screenwriters over 40.  I now fall into this category…crap, I wasn’t ever going to mention that again.

The New York Women in Film and Television is offering The Writers Lab which will begin accepting applications May 1.  So get your screenplays ready ladies!

Other deadlines fast approaching are: Scriptapalooza, April 29th, the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship, May 1st, and the Sundance Institute until May 1st as well.  Final Draft is accepting until July 31, so you have a little more time there.  *See here for links, etc.

Good luck, my fellow screenwriters!!

Quote Monday

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Small Steps

I finally submitted my first screenplay, Fate(s), to two screenwriting contests – the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship and Final Draft’s Big Break.

I’m feeling pretty good about it, and now I can finally move forward on the other stories I’ve written or need to.

What small (or big) step will you take today?

Wishing you all the best!

The Looming Deadline

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FinishLineAheadHello, my friends!

I wanted to let everyone know I’m still here, and aside from the continual exhaustion I face from my day job, which until recently had been sapping all my creative energy like some sort of vampire, I have been on a fiendish race to finish the rewrite of my first screenplay (again) in time to make the regular deadline of the Nicholl Fellowship tomorrow.

For those of you who have been with me for some time, I have complained from time to time (and time again) about that blasted 3rd act.  For once, I’m feeling pretty good about it, which is perfect since I don’t have any time to really mess with it if I want to get it in on time.

There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush of an impending deadline to kick one’s creative butt into shape.  I’ve been anxiety ridden all week and that flush of emotion and the stress to reach that goal have been both nerve-wracking and welcome.

I’ll be back to my ramblings next week, and hopefully working towards new goals.

If you’re entering the contest I wish you lots of luck!  And I hope you’ll do the same for me! 🙂

Happy Writing!

Discrepant Writer Reviews – Death Comes to Pemberley

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DeathPemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley recently popped up on Netflix, and as a Jane Austen enthusiast, I was excited to see they had picked it up.  I had been seeing articles, set photos, etc. for some months, so I made the effort to watch it almost immediately.  If you are wondering why I hadn’t watched it sooner, it’s because we haven’t paid for television in over 3 years.  So yes, I’m fairly out of the loop on most things.

Based on the novel of the same name from 2011 by P.D. James, I have to say I have been less inclined to read any of what is basically fan fiction of one of the most famous love stories in all of literature.  This is not a judgement in any regard.  I love fan fiction, I write some myself, but what I have discovered in some of the reading I have done is that it lacks the…hmm, what’s a good word…magic?

Jane Austen ran in the circles she was writing about.  Modern day writers can only emulate what they’ve studied, read, and seen because we have not lived it first hand, and again, by no mean is this a shortcoming.  I love period pieces, and if we only wrote about what we “know”, we wouldn’t have the wide range of diversity we do in any medium.  As writers, we each have a voice, and when it comes to something as widely beloved as Pride and Prejudice, you have to get it just right.

So here is my quick review.  Twoandhalfstars

The film was broken up into three parts.  I’m pretty sure it could’ve been told in two.  Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Rhys play our leads, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy in their sixth year of marriage planning their annual ball when tragedy strikes.  A murder.  Because of the people involved, a wedge is slowly driven between the couple and we are given a glimpse as to the repercussions of following one’s heart instead of one’s head – or at least in the minds of these characters.

The actors are both very good, but I felt Elizabeth was cast incorrectly.  She was not the same spirited woman I have come to love and this is where I blame the writing.  She seemed weak, and that spark that had attracted Darcy to her in the first place was replaced by insecurity and she was kind of dull.  Darcy was too distant, even from the beginning of the film, and because so little is really known of him from the original material beyond those honorable traits we know and love, he too came off a bit dull.

Now, I haven’t been married, so maybe after six years of marriage in this world, they’re a little bored of each other, but when we leave them at the end of Pride and Prejudice, it’s not that I expect the permanent happily ever after, because it is based in “reality”, but I expect more than this.  Of course there will be hard times, etc., but I also expect that the challenge they presented to one another would carry over.  They should have spirited debates, and still have some spark…well, I think so anyway, and that was missing entirely from this tale.

I didn’t feel/see any spark between these characters, and I almost felt like the obligatory “romantic”, oh, let’s call it what it was, the sex scene was meant to reassure us that they did indeed have “something”, but that doesn’t happen in Jane Austen’s stories, so I know it was meant specifically for modern day audiences, and for me it felt out of place.

There’s an odd side story involving Wickham, played by Matthew Goode, and that does have some bearing on the story overall, but in the vein of a mystery, it was still rather convoluted.  The other failing was the absence of Jane and Bingley, the two people dearest to our main characters.  I think there were two scenes with Jane, and they didn’t amount to much.

I love the idea of seeing more of two of my favorite characters, as I’m sure does every Janeite, but I would almost prefer to imagine their fates as an open-ended tale without any real knowledge of what happened.  Looking back on what I’ve written, it doesn’t sound that promising of a film, but it had its moments, and I was glad to have the opportunity to watch it.  If I were flipping channels and it was on, I’d most likely leave it for a bit, but it’s lack of overall charm doesn’t compel me to go out of my way to watch it again.

Well, that’s my take anyway.

Happy Sunday!