I really miss my characters

I having been writing a comedy Thirty and Counting. I really like my characters. I sorta miss them when I am not writing. Is that strange? The protagonist is Julie Johnson who has been bumbling her way through her boyfriends and, in general, her life. Her best friend Matt Howard has been looking out for her and has a secret crush on her.

Comedy in Thirty and Counting

I am in the middle of the second act now. Have been developing the relationships among the protagonist and four people. I know what the ending is, so now am writing the twists and turns to get there.

Thirty and Counting

The title of my screenplay will reflect the protagonist's age group and also the number of boyfriends. I have been working on the screenplay today and am taking the advice of an expert to just write it. Screenwriting is mostly rewriting.

Fun in Screenwriting

I''m having a lot of fun writing Fifty Boyfriends and Counting. I decided to write about various relationships of a girl who has never had anyone explain how to date and avoid the pitfalls of Mr. Wrongs when looking for Mr. Right. She bumbles along into her relationships. Writing the scene when all her boyfriends show up at the same event!

Fifty Boyfriends and Counting

Have been enjoying screenwriting a comedy. The young lady keeps a record of her boyfriends in her little black book, which she realizes has now reached fifty and counting. The screenplay starts with her waiting for the fiftieth boyfriend John Smith at a restaurant. She is somewhat clueless as to why her relationships end up failing. It is a fun screenplay to write.

When is a screenplay finished?

I have been working on Where Wildflowers Grow and am wondering when it will be finished. I think the answer lies somewhere right after the director says cut and good for the final scene. I do not think that I am selling a finished product as much as a product good enough for a director or producer to see the movie. I wouldn't be surprised if a director asks for another scene to be written after film production begins. I have enoyed working on the screenplay and am excited to see it become a movie.

The Character Breathes

Fall is here. The apple tree was overflowing with apples. I have never seen them so large, also. I am writing on my screenplay On Eagles' Wings. The young high school dropout is awaking amid the chaos of his dirty apartment that he shares with his mom. There is some interest in Where Wildfowers Grow. It continues to grow. I realized the character Chuck has taken over my writing. When I did a reading of it, the lines fit the character yet surprised me, the writer. Hmm.

Need more drama but just in my writing...

I need more drama. It has been interesting creating lists for possible ways to create more drama. My main character needs a better antagonist. I need to make a better antagonist or create a new character that is a good antagonist. I like the way the dialogue is improving. I still need to pay attention to the visual aspect of it. What are the sounds, the picture, the actions, the objects, and imagery? So, I will continue to work on the screenplay.

Revisions of Where Wildflowers Grow

Last night, I did another revision of Where Wildflowers Grow. I find that the drama aspect is improving and the character lines are simpler and better as I work on my revisions. Moving from the theater stage to screenplay writing means more visual and less dialogue.

First act of On Eagle's Wing

I am writing the first act of On Eagle's Wing. It is coming along well. The main character Little White Feather is a teenager on an Indian reservation who is living in a broken home and has joined a gang. Following the seventy percent of the other male Indian youth he has dropped also out of school. What happens when he gets arrested and sent to a boot camp? Coming soon in the second Act.

Beginnings of On Eagle's Wings

My family spent today working on the yard. Trees and bushes were trimmed; yard was mowed. I am spending time during breaks working on my screenwriting. I have been submitting my screenplay Where Wildflowers Grow (although I keep working on it) and I am working on my new screenplay. Tomorrow, I will work on getting the first act of On Eagle's Wings finished.

Apple season

I have been getting things done. I did another revision of Where Wildflowers Grow. I have been writing a lot more hours daily. I did another revision of Where Wildflowers Grow looking at the drama aspect of the plot. I really enjoy writing and have decided that it is just not a job at all. It is simply fun!

I made apple slices for freezing. I did three quarts. I have a long ways to go. The apple tree is full of apples. Already there is a full tub of apples on my kitchen floor that will make about thirty quarts. And there are more apples to pick. The local farmer promises to come by later to get some off of the tree. He also took the apples that had dropped to feed his donkeys. He says that we will be spoiling the donkeys and smiled.

So, I picked up the Screenwriters Bible. I also bought Elements of Style for Screenwriters and How not to Write a Screenplay. I have been using Elements of Style for Screenwriter the last week. All three of them will be referenced in my writing and this blog.

Off to finish my yard weeds.

Readings for Where Wildflowers Grows

I have one production company requesting to read it and I have another one company that wants to read it. It is great but it is unfamiliar territory.

I hope that tomorrow I can get some agent requests done as I can see it would be best to leave the requests for scripts and referrals up to the talent agents.

It was a lovely day. We went to town to get my husband's car. He does not like to change the subject at the table no matter what it is! Gave me another idea for a character in a play.

I am off to bed and will finish taking down most of the apples off the apple tree in our backyard tomorrow.

Production company request for Where Wildflowers Grow reading

I am so excited! I have a request from a production company to send Where Wildflowers Grow! I am working on some editing this evening and will submit it before midnight! It feels really great to have a production company ask to read the screenplay. I cannot wait to get it sent out!

Life Goes On

Today, I headed to the fields as soon as the morning rain stopped. I have only a small part of a field to do and it is not even August. I am behind on the garden weeds though. Today, I will harvest some cucumbers. I am looking forward to a salad made from cucumbers and onions sliced with a creamy sauce. In the past, I have followed my mother's recipe and used miracle whip with some cider vinegar, sugar, and pepper. I have added sour cream in the past, also. Now, I am thinking it might taste good to add vanilla yogurt into the recipe instead of using sugar.

I learned the Love and Logic program and I have been using it a lot in my daily life. Wow, does it come in handy! One of the skills is to offer choices when you can. Of course it has to be choices within your power to give. It can be even little mundane choices. It is important to offer choices for inclusion or that sense of belonging and also for a sense of control. Today, I offered choices and the teenagers felt a sense of control and contentment from getting to choose mundane things like whether we will choose raspberry tea or juice for our drink at the gas station, whether we will take a break or go to the garden first, etc.

Love and Logic workshop

I spent the last two days attending a workshop called Discipline with Love and Logic. It was designed to teach and to give practical application of the new information within the workshop. I believe that teaching workshops are more effective in changing a teacher's behavior because they have immediate application of the information at the workshop while a regular college class in education has the teaching but not usually the application. The exciting aspect of the workshop was I took it with another teacher, an older sister of mine. She is so experienced in many areas of teaching including resource room, special education, band, choir, art, regular classroom, and country school classroom that she has so much to offer in the class discussions. Anyway, we might do this again next weekend and attend another workshop in education, since this was so much fun!

I have not been doing my screenplay writing but I have been thinking about what changes I need to do in it.

Staying close to the projects or trying to catch up on my work

I have summer vacation coming soon. I am not looking forward to leaving behind any field work,garden work, or forest work. So I am busy trying to get as much as I can done. The children are helping me and they are a big help. We have finished half of the field work. The onions in the garden have been harvested, also.

Timely

I actually worked on my screenplay during hours close to when I want to be doing it. I was able to get to bed almost by the right time. Tomorrow I want to be finally on target, so tonight it is off to bed by ten. I will be getting some errands done today and visiting my daughter's family. So having almost accomplished solving one impedient to my writing, I am looking at the writing itself. I want to pick up two books on screenplay writing that have been recommended to me. More on that in my next blog.

Who is having fun writing screenplays?

I am rewriting parts of Where Wildflowers Grow. The best time in screenwriting is when you have that moment of recognition that you are no longer writing it, but the character has taken over and is writing it. Knowing who is your character helps to make this moment occur in your writing. Visual your character physically, know it's habits, likes and dislikes, and know its philosphy of life. Then, dialogue becomes easy and the character will hopefully take over the writing.

Juggling Life

Today, I realized I could be in four places and be getting significant things done. Well, that was impossible, so I needed to prioritize. I took some time to work on my script Where Wildflowers Grow, so I did not work on screeplay On Eagles' Wings. Then, I am heading out to work on my fields, next the garden, and finally going on an errand drive this evening. I am hoping this afternoon to get more time to do my writing and work on my homework. How is the sleeping schedule coming along? For me, it is a struggle to get to bed on time. But, it is something I need to do to get more early daytime for writing.

All Participants win by being involved in the competitions: Winners announced by PageAwards and BOSI video pitchi

Today, two contests will be announcing their winners. I am entered in both of them. I think having taken the journey and entered the contests is the most important thing. Of course, I would like to be a winner of the BOSI and travel to Hollywood to pitch my screenplay Where Wildflowers Grow! However, if I do not win, I have learned many skills by entering so I am a winner in that sense. The other contest The PageAwards is announcing who will be advancing as quarterfinalists. I would like to be in that group, but I have gained many new skills by participating in the contest, so I am a winner already. Every experience brings new skills and sharpens old skills. So congratulations to the winners whoever they are and good luck to everyone else the next time!

Keeping the schedule

If you find that the time you want to work on the favorite activity is not happening, ask why. I am sleeping right through my designated time for screenwriting from five am to seven am. My household runs late at night, partly because people come in late and go out to activities late. As the mother hen of the household, I wait for everyone to be in bed before I am in bed. Then, I am tired in the early morning and sleep on. I think I will have to get to bed at my designated time for bedtime and let the rest of the household figure out their needs. I really like screenwriting in the early morning. I will work on screenwriting today but I look forward to a session in the early morning tomorrow.

On Eagle's Wings

Wondering what my new screenplay will be about? My main character Harold Little White Feather lives in a wrecked world of drugs, poverty and gangs on the Indian reservation. Rusty, a counselor, will try to save Harold Little White Feather and his gang leader Jerry from their dangerous world on the reservation when they are assigned to his boot camp for teenagers.

I have had an outline for my second screenplay that was half-done for two years. I actually worked on it today and have it almost finished. I can start writing the actual script this week. Setting time aside to work on the screenplay writing was an important factor in removing distractions from this favorite activity of mine. My eighth grade son read it and has approved the scenario that I have outlined. I am writing my screenplay for the general audience, but still appeal specifically to the middle school through high school age level.

Where Wildflowers Grow -BOSI Video Pitch Contest

Clearing away the distractions

I have decided that in order to spend more time on my favorite things which includes screenwriting and educational work, I need to remove the distractions. Today, I am going to spend time making a list of things that distract me from my favorite things. The first thing that comes to mind is that I do not have a set schedule for my screenwriting. Because I am creative when I am alone and the house is quiet, I have decided the early morning hours will be my writing time. I enjoy my educational work and have decided to do updates in the morning after screenwriting and then take a workshop this next weekend.