2006-Jul-19 - HAVEN'T MET THE NEIGHBOURS YET... BUT NICE VIEW!
Haven't unpacked yet so there's not much to say except to say hello, my name is Paul from Auckland, New Zealand.
In case you don't know exactly where that is - turn right at Australia and head towards the South Pole. We're two little islands floating in the Pacific and it's where you can find Middle Earth, thanks to Peter Jackson. In fact, we're not too far removed from Hobbits and like to party and enjoy ourselves 'till the wee hours of the morn. I can't vouch for hairy feet, but we pride ourselves on making sense in worldly affairs at the best of times.
Since I'm boasting about where I live I may as well talk about me and put myself in a good light. I'm proud that I hang out with writers learning this craft. In fact I could be taken for a wannabe groupie given the amount of time I've spent belonging online to a number of screenwriting discussion lists. I even have a few of my own - 120pages2go@yahoogroups.com and screenplaysdownunder@yahoogroups.com to namedrop a couple. The first is for newbies (honestly, 'newbie' is not a bad word, it's just an anagram for "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."), and the latter is for fellow kiwis and Aussies interested in screenwriting. There are some good lists out there like
SCRNWRiT
screenwriting@yahoogroups.com
greatscripts@yahoogroups.com
I've spent the past 20 years writing reviews on music and even spent a year with my own music show on radio, KEYWEST, 90.2 FM. A few years ago I switched over to DVDs, and since I love talking about movies, and I love getting free movies to look at and talk about, it just made sense to write about them. That was the simple way of looking at it. In the real world you would need to look at the visuals, the audio, the hours of extras, etc. Luckily I had a good friend and editor who helped me learn this skill in providing a worthwhile review. I also wrote a number of articles for SCREENTALK and enjoyed following a number of writers who had won the prestigious NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP award for a year. For the same magazine I interviewed two of the screenwriters for LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS. From that I learnt that top writers love to tweak what you've written about them before it's printed. I joked with my editor that they must have been paid in the millions to write an adaptation of Lord of the Rings, and they did it for free with my interview article!
I also created and directed an online screenwriting competition called MAKE A SCENE where 60 writers had but 2 days or so to write 5 pages of rivoting story. Those that got to the top were judged by LEW HUNTER and one chosen as the winner. The best bit for me was how many writers who I value came onboard as judges, as well as the companies who gave generously of their products and services - such as FINAL DRAFT, SCREENTALK, the craft book writers and script analysts. This was free, live, online, a lot of fun, and sheer bloody terror behind the scenes. Would love to do it again if the time was available.
I love to write Science Fiction and Fantasy when ever I can. The part I like best in writing is the conception of the idea. You should get that idea quickly on paper and start building it up from there. You'll know if it is a good idea or not by the passion you generate for it and from it. It has a life of its own. Only from there can you use all the skills of the trade you have or will learn to get it down on paper or on screen in an acceptable format.
As said - I wasn't going to say much. Time I started emptying some of these suitcases and boxes cluttering up the hallway..
Not sure where I'm going to put the stuffed moa yet...
See you in a bit then!
Nice view, though...
Paul :-)Nz
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