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!
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?
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!
This one’s not so much a quote, but a way of looking at the life of a creative.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
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!
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
Time to get back to back to writing! It’s Writing Prompt Wednesday, and here’s this week’s image.
Something about this image really struck me, and there’s a ton of possible story ideas…let’s see what you’re inspired to write. Remember to share!
Happy Writing!
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 have started drafting (actually that’s too precise a word…more like mapping) my sci-fi pilot, and as much as I love research mode (that’s not sarcasm, I really do!) at what point do you know enough to start writing?
As a screenwriter, there is often much that is left in the hands of others. Our screenplays are blueprints from which all other departments create our vision – this new world. Obviously in the case of historical time periods there is plenty of opportunity to do research and find the “right” look or aesthetic, but in the case of science fiction and fantasy, where much of the idea is in the writer’s head, how much information are you supposed to give in order to allow the reader to see the story as you do?
I’ve been doing research on show bibles and how to create one (Bang2Write has a great article), and much of that information can be included in that, but as a screenwriter, you need the script to engage your reader with all those details, but be easy to understand so that they can visualize the story, and yet not get burdened down by too much description. And therein lies the fine line.
Tentatively titled, The Demeter, my story is about two sisters who are picked up by the cliché version of aliens (you know the ones), experimented on, and then readied for sale within the galactic slave trade. The younger is sold and the elder escapes to try to get her back, but upon nearly getting recaptured, the elder sister finds herself aboard a ship with a crew of interesting characters that will teach her a variety of things and help her try to get her sister back. Of course there will be romance, because that was one of the first scenes I had in my mind when I decided to write this story.
Not a convoluted tale, a sort of fish out of water-search & rescue kind of thing, but here is where it starts to get tricky. In my head I have all these great scenes and moments, and I thought writing a pilot wouldn’t be too difficult, until I sat down to start plotting the story. I thought it would be, not to sound ignorant, but easier because it’s just a snippet of the overall story. A teaser. I’ve written five full-length features, so writing a beginning to a greater story arc seemed like a simpler endeavor. Not quite.
First off, there are a ton of questions I can’t answer yet, such as why these girls? Why are these different characters on this ship? Secondly, I have no idea what I want the aliens to look like, Pinterest has been my friend – see here – or even what they should be called. Like this little guy. How cute is he?! Whoever created him…well done!
*
There are a number of space themed films, TV shows, and video games, and anything I come up with that even remotely sounds like something I’ve heard elsewhere goes right into the bin. There’s that phrase of, “there are no original stories”, so I’m trying to stay clear of any similarities, even if it’s something I like the sound of.
There have been a number of influences for this particular idea, some may even seem odd. I don’t want all my aliens to be a variant on human physiology – two arms, two legs, etc. Obviously there’s Star Wars, but shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed us a number of characters that didn’t all walk on two legs. Men in Black and Galaxy Quest were great for that too. I liked a lot of the ideas within the show Farscape, and they made great use of puppets from the Jim Henson Company. I liked that. There’s the video game Mass Effect 2 which is so much fun and has some great stories. And then there is Doctor Who. No explanation necessary.
There are many things to consider, and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I will continue more specifically with some of the information I’ve found in another post soon. These are just a few things to consider, if you’re like me, in the beginning stages of writing a pilot as TV has reached a new golden age and you’d like to be a part of it.
I’m off to discover all the whos, whats, and whys.
Best of luck to you in your writing endeavors!
*If you have info on sites to visit, boards on Pinterest, etc. where I can find ideas for races, worlds, ships, and what have you, please share!
Apologies, once again, the day disappeared before I had a chance to post. Here is this week’s Writing Prompt, an interesting image just waiting for a story!
I took the Writing Prompt Challenge this week and will post a few flash fic pieces I wrote tomorrow. Ready to join me?
Happy Writing!
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 