I was scrolling through my quote board on Pinterest and came upon the following. Not exactly a quote, but as writers, it is something we should have prominently displayed, pretty much everywhere.
Have you ever been in the midst of a conversation and suddenly had an idea of how to fix a story problem? Did you overhear people talking and think, “I am so stealing that line!” Yeah, we all have. 🙂
Have a wonderful and productive week!
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!
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!
Happy Monday!
I had another rejection for advancement in a screenwriting competition. I didn’t take it nearly as hard as I did the first time, although it has caused a bit of introspection on my part, especially while I drive to a dead-end waiting job that has caused irreparable damage to a few body parts.
I’m not going to rant, much, but I’d like to be at least a little happy (not even excited) about going to work until things start happening in the writing department. The introspection was in regards to the same thing it always is – Am I a good writer? When I asked a professional writer-friend to read my first script last year, he suggested I make it more of a romantic comedy and completely change the format and timeline. I gave it some thought, but that was not at all the route I was taking with the story. I wanted it to be different, and yes, while it is chocked full of romance, it’s a drama, and I liked the format I had specifically chosen for this story.
So I stuck with my choices, rewrote the third act completely, and submitted it. And the rejections started rolling in. Should I doubt myself because a few readers didn’t respond to my story? The answer is a big whopping “NO!”. I am passionate about this story, and eventually someone will take notice and feel the same way. So for the quote of the week, in case you’re feeling like you’re in the same boat, I offer you this:
Posted @ QUOTEZ.CO
If you’re confident in your storytelling, don’t let anyone sway you to think otherwise. Advice does not need to be taken verbatim. It’s meant to be helpful, to help you find holes and mistakes, but if you love your story then follow your heart! Your passion will find itself onto the page.
As to my BIG Thank You, I have reached 300 followers, and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support. I have loved this space as an outlet to share my obsessions, geek out moments, and passions, while finding so much inspiration and creativity through your work. Thank you for making me want to be a part of this circle; to send out positivity and get some in return. *I couldn’t resist using this image. 😉
I apologize for my lack of interaction as of late, but I’m hoping to find some semblance of order and routine again soon.
I wish you all the very best and hope you are finding ways of working towards your goals!
xx, Rach
Last week was the craziness that is GiShwHeS (I’ll post more about it this week). In addition to working a scattered six day work week, early mornings and closing shifts, I discovered, not that I needed a reminder, that I am not 22 anymore, and that this type of schedule wreaks havoc on my body and sleep cycle. I was unable to get to the computer to do anything more than upload photos to get scavenger hunt points, so no blogging. The house is in shambles, the kitchen looks like a bomb went off, and my poor pups have been rather ignored. Thankfully, I have today off to get back to normal, or my version of normal anyway.
I’m still in zombie mode as I write this, but since getting the new job, I’ve been terrible about getting on any sort of schedule. No more. Here’s this week’s quote, partially inspired by GiShwHeS (yes, I’m writing it this way on purpose, we were told to). One of the items on the scavenger hunt was to: Post messages of love or support on or in lockers of students that you think might need it. We could all use a few words of inspiration now and again, and that’s what I want to put out in the world.
Have a great week, my friends! Best of luck to you in all of your endeavors!
I’ll just leave this here… 🙂
Have a great week!
Hello, fellow creatives!
I’ve enjoyed my time off, but now it’s time to get back on track. Yesterday sort of passed me by before I even knew it, so Quote Monday has been bumped.
I’m pining away for news about the screenwriting contest, fellowship, and lab I entered and it’s at least another month before I hear anything, and the internal struggle is real. I cannot help but check my email, Facebook, and Twitter fairly often for a status update or hint of any kind.
The Nicholl Fellowship posts top scoring script comments from readers nearly every day on Facebook, and I read each one hoping it might sound like mine, or I try to twist and turn the vague positive comment into some form that could resemble a review of my own script. This is what too much time on one’s hands will do. 
I decided to look up quotes on patience, and for the most part, they’re kind of lame. That “patience is a virtue” or “patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting” stuff is not what I want to hear. And you’ve probably heard it a thousand times too at this point. It’s hard to wait for action on the part of others, but having a little understanding of how things work in Hollywood, having patience, or practicing having patience, is a good thing, because it’s something that will have to be mastered.
It may seem as if things move quickly in Tinsel Town, but in reality, it takes sometimes years to make something happen. There’s a phrase, “the 10 year overnight success” which is used in regards to screenwriters who seem to find success out of nowhere. They’ve been working, for a long, long time. Everything takes time, and waiting for news about the advancement of my career is just one such test of my endurance.
If you’re in a similar boat, I suppose there is some comfort in the knowledge that there are others who are feeling the same. My advice, which I am taking to heart, work on something new. Pour yourself into a new project. As an aspiring screenwriter, we can absolutely not have only one story in our arsenal, because of the question we are all supposed to be prepared for…”What else have you got?”
That story you’ve always got at the back of your mind, that one where you randomly see or hear something and tuck it away as part of that world, start to develop it. We only become better writers the more we write – we are better able to develop our style and voice.
I’m working on my space odyssey pilot and rewriting my second script. I love the development aspect of a story, thinking about characters and scenes. I had an idea this morning, a fun scene between two characters that I haven’t even created yet, and it’s created an eagerness to get them into action to start exploring this relationship. Squee! (Yep, I’m giddy.)
I wish you all the best of luck as you continue forward! And if you need a chuckle, there’s always this:
How do you handle the waiting game? Advice and tips welcome!
I once jumped without a parachute, figuratively not literally. When The Sis and I moved to Los Angeles, I worked for a restaurant chain that allowed me to have a job upon arrival and to change locations with each subsequent move around the city. Unfortunately, with each move, the money worsened until at a total loss, I up and quit, feeling there had to be something better on the horizon. It was LA after all.
Nearly 2 1/2 years later, I could not find a job to save my life. I sent out nearly 250 resumes in the first year and only ever received 2 responses. Those are some pretty bad odds, especially for a girl from Vegas. I was lucky in that I had the support of The Sis who eventually told me to stop worrying about finding a job and to do what we had moved there to do in the first place – for me to become a working screenwriter.
Easier said than done.
The only problem with that was that the guilt of not working nearly ate me alive. At my age, having my baby sister take care of me was a big pill to swallow, and the screenwriting career took a hit. How does a fairytale writer write happily ever afters when they are wallowing in self pity and depression?
Cut to living in Las Vegas, again, and working for a company that is legitimately shady. Nearly 7 months of trying to find another job have failed to produce any results…again, seriously?! But this time, I’m taking the moral high ground. I will not continue to work for people that A) do not respect their employees B) operate under suspicious terms and C) do things that are, in fact, illegal.
Besides the mind numbing effect of the work, I don’t make enough money to support The Sis which is why we decided to move back to Vegas in the first place, so that she could go back to school. I don’t write my own things when I get home because I’ve stared at a computer for 8 hours writing nonsense. Sorry blog. I’m usually brain dead, and to top it all off, I think I’ve gained weight because I sit around all day. Sheesh.
So here I am, ready to jump without a parachute, again. I’m choosing to be brave and to expect good things. ((crossing my fingers)) I hope this will lead me to bigger and better…please let it get better!
The life of a creative is a difficult one, always trying to balance work with what we really want to do. Maybe when I’ve found some measure of success (of what I consider for myself), I’ll look back on these days with no regrets. As of right now, it’s tough to endure. Am I making the right decision? I have lifelines here, but I feel making this decision on the grounds of self respect is, well, a bit haughty.
I’ll let you know how I feel about it next week when I find freedom…in the mean time wish me luck!
How about you? Have you ever made a leap of faith? What was the outcome?
I would like to thank those who took the time to share my post regarding my furkids’ recent behavioral changes. It truly means a great deal! Although we’re still waiting to hear back from a behaviorist, things are slightly better.
It’s hard not to get bogged down in all that life has to throw at you sometimes, but it’s important to still do things for ourselves. It’s not selfish, it’s self-preservation…or so I’ve heard. 😉
This is one of my favorite quotes, and I think I’ve shared it before, and today it definitely felt apropos.
Here’s to the start of a great week! ((crossing fingers))
Now that I’ve accomplished (some of) the goals I set for myself, I’m ready to make some new ones. It’s the middle of May and we’re rounding that mid-year point, where I feel it’s time to do some reevaluation. How about you?
What are your plans for the remainder of the year?
Write them all down. Tack them up so you can see them everyday. Large or small, each step moves you toward that bigger goal. Keep moving forward!
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 