The Plight of the Screenwriter #2
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ByRiley
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You have no idea how much I wish I were one of those with power.
I think I have some idea. You are pretty forthcoming with your thoughts. And I appreciate it 🙂
Okay, good. 🙂
A couple of things I would do with my power.
-First I would fire everyone with power. Well maybe not fire but demote. We’d still need someone to fetch us coffee and wash our cars.
-Then I would greenlight any screenplay or TV pilot of your choice. And of course you could hire any actress and actor you wanted because they would become instantly available – if you’re gonna have power you might as well have lot of it. 😉
That’s what I would do for starters.
That sounds like a good start. While you’re at it, can you wrangle us up the rights to WMC and cancel R&I so that Angie is available to flirt with Redhead again?
Because no matter what in life is going wrong, knowing you would get to watch Lindsay and Cindy have eye sex every Friday night made it a little better.
It’s been what, 9 years since I saw you last, and in that time you’ve made a feature film (!) and written I-can-only-imagine-how-many words. You arrange your entire life around your creative impulses. It amazed me then and it amazes me now. I fear my writing all that makes it sound like I wonder how many times you can bang your ahead against the wall before you give it up, but that is not at all my intention because I admire your determination so very much. It’s a trait I’ve never really possessed, and I think I’m worse off for it, because I always wanted to be a creative person first and foremost, but life seemed to always make me shelve those ambitions–and even when it didn’t, I’ve gone and done it myself.
So, wow, that was a long way to say not much at all, amirite? I really just wanted to say don’t let the bastards get you down. Keep being creative, keep being true to your muse, keep remembering that there’s no accounting for taste, and keep in mind that one good success makes years of non-success (I don’t say failure because you are NOT a failure–the only failure is failing to try, as somebody or other said) worthwhile. You’ll get there, I’ve never doubted that. 🙂
This is why I think my wanting to work in the film industry is a pipedream. I don’t handle rejection well and I rarely say things I don’t mean. *shrug*
On a different vein, I’ve been meaning to reread Inamorata. Recently someone over at P&P requested recs in the law enforcement/mystery genre (SVU, NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc), and I took the opportunity to pimp certain fics in various fandoms, but for you I just gave her the link to your fanfiction tag and told her to read everything.
xo
Thanks, Kelly 🙂 I have to say that my determination certainly does waver from time to time. And at least you are still being creative in your off-time. I don’t think anyone would mind you putting some original songs out into the world on occasion though.
What do you want to do in the industry, Rev? And I’d love for you to reread Inamorata. Feel free to leave new comments if you want 😉 Thanks for sending people my way. I really appreciate it.
Is it sad that I aspire to be a PA? I’ve done that and I’ve been a boom op, and both were cool. I just want to be some blue collar shmoe on set, since my dream of being a stunt actor is even more of a pipedream. I’d need to have a martial arts or gymnastics background, and by the time I rack up years of training to get level with the women already working, I’d be just about too old to be doing it.
As for Inamorata, if you like I can do my usual commenting, which is picking out lines I liked or reactions to sections or phrasing. Normally I do that in the comments of each chapter, but since I’ve got the whole story pasted together in one Word file, I could just write notes on that and then e-mail it to you…
It’s not sad that you aspire to be a PA. I also don’t think that it’s a pipedream. The biggest problem with being a PA, I think, is that so many indie films score their PAs for free (or pay their friends squat). And when the budget is ridiculously low, some of us can only dream of having extra people around to help out on set.
That would be cool with Inamorata… no pressure though 😉 I like your particular brand of commenting.
I’m with Kelly! Don’t let them get you down! You are CRAZY talented and I love ya like CRAZY! xoxo
I know after hearing it from me over the years and with our being such good friends it doesn’t have as much weight, but “YOU. ARE. BEYOND. TALENTED. AND I CAN’T WAIT TO READ MORE OF YOUR WORK!” I, too, wish I had some power.
When you said this: “That it makes them ache and yearn and fear. And that it can also bring them joy and comfort.” That is exactly what good writing does. That is exactly what your writing does. Love you, Riley.
You are very talented. There are maybe 5 fan fiction writers across the various genres I read that I wait impatiently for every word and you are one of those 5. Definitely publishable standard. Don’t lose confidence.
Having said that, screenwriting competitions is a different thing entirely. It’s not just the quality of the characterisation and the dialogue for example. It’s the plot ideas and a bunch of other things that are entirely dependent on what the particular readers like and what they felt like the day they read it. Hopefully you get useful feedback about what was good and what could be made better.
I also face constant rejection. I am doing research that sits between two disciplines. This means that my papers aren’t really competitive against others for the top journals in either discipline. It also makes it near impossible to obtain research funding. Fortunately I don’t need equipment but it does mean that my research, like your writing, is essentially unfunded and I have to find other ways to make an income as well as the motivation to continue. It can definitely get hard.
Don’t give up. Do what interests you and if you ever need a boost of confidence or commiseration, send me an email and I will do my best (though I am a mathematician so the best words is not my strength).
Sadly, few screenwriting competitions offer feedback, and this one doesn’t. And while logically I know this -> ” It’s not just the quality of the characterisation and the dialogue for example. It’s the plot ideas and a bunch of other things that are entirely dependent on what the particular readers like and what they felt like the day they read it.” <- unfortunately, I am a wildly illogical person 🙂
Thanks for stopping by with encouragement, Dit and Pammykins. Love you guys too.