Description
Writing toward meeting a collaborator of a successful project to be developed.
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meglomaniac
I think meglomaniac is at a stage in his career that we all wished we could be at about twenty years ago. The sky is the limit, the industry lays at his feet, and he even understands that WILL have to go hungry to make it.
My response is that Joe Walsh had to live in his volkswagon for months before he made it, and even Michael J Fox will tell stories of living off of macaroni and cheese.
the neat thing is, if you don't suffer, I don't think you CAN make it in Hollywood as an actor or a producer, or anything else. Unless you were born into it, there is a demonstrative apprenticeship in that town as much as anywhere else. Here's the scary part - what if you area a conservative?!?!
My screenplay progresses even on the days I don't post. I'm thinking about it a lot. I'm looking forward to another post at the end of the week....It's easy to do this, since it was pretty much real life. The challenge is to tell the story, and cram it into two hours, and make it believable.... |
Posted: 12:56, 2006-Jul-27 by rofc2 |
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Thoughts near midnight in the summer
My nine-year should really be asleep right now. I want to work on my screenplay, but every time I start to concentrate he has something to say. And what are you gonnna do?
He's getting pretty sharp. I hope he's learning it from me. In fact both of my boys are pretty funny. I'm not just saying that. They really are. They have great senses of humor...
Here's the rub, the ol' lady's a stay-at-home-mom,; at least for another year. I want that magical memory for my children, of real summers, when as soon as school was out you slept til whenever. My mom was a teacher, so I lived that, and I want my boys to live it, too. Meanwhile, I get my best thinking done at night and I've lost the night to my nine-year old.
I know, I know, in about another year or two he'll be staying up and begging me to go to bed so he can be alone. I'll soon be checking under his mattress for you know what. That's all part of it. But not now. Every age has its blessings and its curses. Right now, the blesssings are that I can throw a baseball as hard as I want at him and he can catch it; and hit it, so when he plays with his peers he's a stud. And he can pick up after himself, and he actually WILL pick up after himself. And I could go on for an hour or more about the blessings....
The curses - he's smarter than I am. No, he's not as educated as me, but he's smarter. And so is my five year old. They haven't suffered any debilitating blows yet - to the head OR to the psyche. They haven't been stood up, or had their ass kicked, or blown a job interview. They are bullet-proof. The believe in themselves, and I have to prolong that for as long as I can. My curse is their blessing... I'm the only fairy that can help them, and I'm straight.
So the nine-year old is asking me what the difference between Elvis Presley and Jessie Canostpalis (sp?) on FULL HOUSE is. What are you gonne do? I'll sign of now. I'm gonna have to have a long talk with that boy.....
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Posted: 12:54, 2006-Jul-20 by rofc2 |
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synopsis paragraph one
| Van Mosley is a small time, small-town banker in Orange, Texas, who has a comfortable, but going-nowhere life. He serves on several local charitable boards, including the Orange Chapter of the American Red Cross. The office of the Red Cross is located across the street from his home. For 3 weeks this the chapter has been the site of a full-sclae recovery/refugee operation as thousands of refugees of Hurricane katrina pur over the Louisiana border into this border town. Now, inder beauitiful blue skies, Van and Martin Robertson, the Red Cross President, discuss what looms just days beyond the horizon. Another hurricane, this one potentially stronger than Katrina, and headed directly for them. Katrina, a curse to Louisianans, will becomes somewhat of a blessing to southeast Texans. Historically unheeded warnings from officials to leave when hurricanes threaten are taken seriously after the citizens of Orange realize that theses deadly storms are forces with which to be reckoned. Van does not want to leave, nor does his wife, but they have childeren to consider, and make an early decision to evacuate. All that is left is the preparation and the wait. After talking to his brother on the phone, it is agreed that Van should bring his father along with him. Knowing that the extra person will require a second vehicle, he then decides to ask his stepfather to join them in the evacuation. Somewhat devilishly, he arragnes for the two older men to ride together alone in a truck. The two men were once married to Van's mother, who has died just four months earlier. They have rarely talked, and have never liked each other. As they begin their evacuation from Orange to San Antonio, they fell as if an adventure has just begun. Shortly after they set off, they are entangled in a traffic jam of historical proportions. The next tweny hours will be hell on wheels. It will be frightening for Van ans his wife, and worse for the two fathers as they realize this will not be a quick trip......
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Posted: 10:07, 2006-Jul-13 by rofc2 |
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getting help from friend
Whenlightningstrikes has agreed to take me under his wing. This is especially encouraging, although some of his comments may appear to indicate that he doesn't have much confidence in my story, I don't buy it. We've swapped a few e-amils, and he is right, the story needs to be "sexed up" with bigger disasters and more interesting characters.
But here's what encourages me. Lightning is responding. I would think that if he really didn't give it any hope he wouldn't be responding to my e-mails. Maybe he's just bored, but I doubt it. I think he likes the idea, and knows that the title of this blog is very true... I need help. Thanks lightning... I hope you get something out of this, because if nothing else, when you ask me for information I feel obligated to provide it...
I know this is a long shot, but my kids are too young to golf, and too old to take to the zoo every weekend. If nothing else this is a great hobby......
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Posted: 01:30, 2006-Jul-9 by rofc2 |
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quick pitch
As the second hurricane to hit the gulf coast looms south of Louisiana and Texas, the protagonist prepares his family for an evacuation he does not think he will make. Eventually as the storm becomes the third strongest in the Gulf's history; he, his wife, their two children, his father, and his stepfather hit the road and head for San Antonio.
The legendary problems of that hurricane's evecaution are experienced first hand by the family as they endure hours on the highway moving at an average speed of 1 mile per hour in most places. The group stops for shelter at a small church where the preacher passes his time getting drunk and playing rock and roll music. The family helps and is helped by a hispanic family, whose 9 year old daughter is the only one in the family who speaks English. Other evacuees include a family with a child afflicted by a pretty serious case of ADHD, and a threesome who have kicked their heroine habit, but are now strung out on methadone.
After surviving the hurricane, they make it to their destination, a friends house. Within hours, the video from ground zero reveals that their town was hit hard by the storm. Their house is standing, but a lot of damage has been inflicted.
Many problems hit the group, some minimal, like flat tires and maxed out credit cards; and then the ultimate tragedy - the death of the protagonist's father of kidney failure.
Through all of this, the couple stays as positive as possible, they grow closer together than they've been in years. They decide to relocate to the San Antonio area, not expecting a perfect life, just a better one...
The father manages to mend some fences with everyone befores he dies, he had amost refused to goon the trip, but relented, as if he knew his time was short.
Unfortunately, the stepfather (his wife, the protagonist's mother had died barely 4 months before) is unable to recover from his loss and the stress, and goes back to his lonely apartment, with no power, content in his misery...
That's the pitch. The main character finally understands that he has to grow up, even though he thought he was already grown. He and his wife finally stop hoping and searching for the perfect life and accept that in all of the bad, there is so much good, so many things of which to be thankful.
A recurring theme when there is a problem, is "Well, so we had a flat, at least it didn't happen in the middle of the hurricane," or "So the alternator went out, at least it waited until we made it to San Antonio."
At one point when the father is in the hospital; cognisant, but unable to speak because of his stroke; the main character sighs and looks at his Dad, not realizing at the time that he has only days to live. "Well, Dad, at least we haven't been shot at." The father struggles but manages to raise his fingers to his lips in the "shhh." position. Through it all, they never lost their sense of humor.
After his funeral, the couple stop at a bank to renew a loan. When they are in the bank, it is robbed at gunpoint, the main character almost gets shot (maybe he should get shot in the screenplay).
This is all true. Everything here really happened, and then some.
I think it would make a good story and would be fairly easy to write....
What do you think?
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Posted: 11:00, 2006-Jul-5 by rofc2 |
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Running from Rita
| I am a decent writer with no experience. I have a great idea for a script, and need help writing. Since the story is 98% true, I know it will work. The subject is timely and real. This story provides symbolism, courage, great loss both matrially and emotionally. This story is about love, hate, and the main character has a total life change in the course of three months. He grows as a person as his life and lifestyle and loved ones die around him. The story is set in Southeast Texas in the early fall of 2005, so do the math. I have the story, I even have an outline, but I can't seem to get over the hump of putting it into a complete screenplay since I have never writtine one. I so desperatley need to tell this story, I think it can help a lot of people. I need help from just one person to make it happen. Any takers? If not I'll keep plugging along, maybe someone can tell me if I'm on to something, or if I should keep my day job... |
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Posted: 04:12, 2006-Jul-3 by rofc2 |
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