My Writing Life -- New Beginnings

I wrote on Facebook, about four days ago, that I had submitted my screenplay to Amazon studios to be evaluated and hopefully accepted and possibly get paid. Being this was my first screenplay, based on a short story I wrote many years ago, (I have a second script finished but I need to work on it also), I figured it was about time to get this career of mine jump started, once more.

Being that this was the first time I had ever written a script of any kind, I knew it wasn’t the best, but I gave myself an “A” for the effort of at least trying something different. I had gotten a book on screenwriting, but only read about a third and what I mean by a third, I truly skimmed through the book and tried to only read the highlights.

I then went and purchased the screenwriting program, Final Draft, (which, for some reason won’t work on Windows 10 and a new version runs about $160!). I took my story and tried to re-create it, as the program showed me how, step by step.  My Seventy-five word story was finished as a fifty-nine page script. However, the script sat on my desk (and in my hard drive) for at least eight or so years, collecting dust.

A few years back my brother was in town and I let him read the script and of course he liked it, (everyone who as read any of my stories always tell me they like or love my stories, of course they don’t count, to a point), and he wanted to take it back with him, to California, and show it to one of his producer friends. He later called me and told how those “friends” like it, too. Of course I have never heard anything about my script again, no matter how many times I asked. (Twice).

Anyway, today, I received an email from Amazon Studios, in regard, to my submission. It was rejected. It stated that they had determined that my script did not meet the needs of their development slate at that time. 

Where have I heard that statement before? About twenty years or so ago I sent this same story to a Sci-Fi magazine. It was returned to me, rejected. I know that the reader read the entire story because my manuscript reeked of cigarette smoke on every page. Their rejection letter indicated, almost word for word, the statement above. So, I made a bunch of corrections, re-wrote a lot of the story and re-submitted it.

A week or so later I got another letter from that editor saying that they didn’t ask for me to send it back to her. Ouch! That put a damper on that story for many years.

Looking back over the many years, I have been trying to edit my own works, apparently to no real success. I’ve had the knack of editing other’s works but have been terrible at editing my own. I majored in Journalism. Creative writing came later in my life.

Anyway, Amazon Studios finished their note with; if you make significant revisions to your work, you are welcome to re-submit it in the future. Whatever that means. Well, I do know what it mean…I just have to keep working on it until I get it right or enough money to send to my stories to an editor/proofreader.

In the meantime, I have dusted off all of the books I purchased many years ago on how to screen write. The one I have to pay attention to, “Screenwriting for Dummies”. I know I have a couple more book, locked or lost downstairs in my fortress of books, I just have to make the effort to get up from this comfortable sofa and put on my shoes and go down there to that scary place and get more books. Just kidding… or was I?

Anyway, it looks like I have a lot more reading to do and I mean slow reading. (I can speed read, but I usually read fast only when I am reading a novel.)  And, of course, save a ton of money so I can get my stories read. Does anyone know of anyone who wants to be a beta reader?  I want to, need to get this done before this year is out.

My only problem, right now, everyone I have asked, for help, tells me yes, but never come through. So, I have to read, read and do more reading, to get through this on my own. I will get it done…I have so much to do…I would like to say I have so little time, but that’s just a myth. I will work with one thing at a time and that time is now. 

Resolutions, again? I hope not.

            I know that everyone has kind of heard it before, and I just read something that kind of baffles me, to a small degree; "resolutions are for quitters". That is just plain and simple hogwash, BS, silly and a few other words I can’t think right now. Resolutions take a lot of effort and resolve to accomplish and you have to start somewhere.

            But, on the other hand, I really don’t do resolutions in the first place. I mean I can make stuff up as I go along but I gotta stick to it to make it work. I am not going to do things like, say, go to the gym and stick with it or save more money. Either you are going to do it or you are not. And I usually forget by the end of the month anyway.

            I would have made something up yesterday but, I had to take my son to the Airport. He and his wife are going on an Asian tour. A dream trip for me, one day, one day. Anyway, yesterday, after the airport, and it was snowing heavily and I live about 50 miles away from the airport, I had to make it back to catch the Red Wings play their winter classic game. Then the Rose Bowl came on right after that. A really Busy day for me.

            Well, the Michigan State Spartans finally won the Rose Bowl after 20 some odd years. GO GREEN!! Other than that it has been snow for the last 48 hours and it’s still snow, now. I say let snow…considering that my snow thrower it on the fritz.

But, I still decided to make a something similar to a resolution, in fact a few affirmations that I think will help throughout this year and I am going to stick with them, through thick and thin.

1.      WRITE. The biggest of them all, write and keep writing. I just finished one of my novels this past December and I finished editing it and I just have to read it a couple more times to make sure it’s right for publication. Or I will find an editor that won’t strip my skin off  if I can’t pay what they want. That motivated me when I finished. It’s part of a series of novels, five novels, that I would love to finish, heck, this year, if I can. But the goal it to WRITE THEM. Write, write, and write!

2.      READ. This goal is a twofold type of thing. In order to write I have to READ more. In the long ago past I was reading a book a week, sometimes two books a week, but I was reading nonetheless. And it helped, back then, with my writing. Now I must do it again. I purchased a Nexus 7 tablet this past November, just to have a modicum of entertainment.  And I put my Kindle account onto it. I had it on my cell phone, but even with my glasses the words were just too small to read. And to make me ever so happy, I found a site that finds free eBooks to read! Lucky me. Read, read, and read!!

3.      I know one shouldn’t use the word ‘try’ because if you try it just gets harder to accomplish. In the words of the master Yoda, and I’m paraphrasing here, “don’t try, either you do or you do not. There is no Try.” Anyway, I am going to try and write at least one post in my blog page at least twice a week. Not try, but Do!

4.      Complete the three short stories I have, kind of, finished. Or at least finish editing them.

5.      Find a publisher (maybe and agent) to publish my tomes

6.      Learn how to market my books. I have self-published two books and they languish in purgatory waiting from me to have them sold. Total sales, 40 and I have given away a few that I could have sold. But, that is another goal for this year.

I might really have to do something dramatic and drastic. Of course that is what got me thinking, I saw that someone else had tried it and I really shouldn’t, maybe? Why don’t I finish my screenplays and put it up for auction on eBay? Starting price; $10,000. Then I can see what happens. Hey it’s a start, and I gotta start somewhere. If, and I mean, IF, that works out, I will have to finished my other screenplays. Those will be the next to up for auction.

            There you go, resolutions or actions that I have to do, again, this year. I know one thing, I gotta stop talking about it and do IT! I am at the pinnacle of my life and I have to make do and not fail. That is in no way quitting, it’s starting again, because I don’t do resolutions.