A Professional's Rant

I found this link to be an interesting and entertaining read from screenwriter Josh Olsen. 

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/i_will_not_read.php

I'm nowhere near a professional in my caliber of writing, and yet I understand where he's coming from. Sometimes. The article is a double edge sword (cliched phrase!) for me, because as a reader there are days when I dread having to come up with a tactful way to say someone's writing isn't that good. And as a writer, I hate to bother professional level people into reading my work.

But as writers, we have to do that. As writers, we need feedback. As screenwriters, we need to convince the right people to read our material so that it can be bought and, hopefully, made into an honest to goodness movie - or tv show - or web series. How do you do that with tact? 

So, thanks, Josh Olsen, for making me laugh and then depressing the crap out of me in one fell swoop.

Back to School

Hello, everyone.

It's that time of year. Back to school for the kids. Back to school for me. I am taking another library science class - acquisitions. As of now, the class deals more with the office management side of working in a library - much easier to follow than my previous cataloging class. Cataloging is a hard job. Maybe I'm relating better to acquisitions because I'm already familiar with general office procedures. Time will tell.

On the writing front, my script Spike has been chosen with ten other scripts to receive the John Muir Gold Award in this year's Yosemite Film Fest Screenplay Competition. I thought it smart to enter a script pitting loggers against environmentalists to a festival held in pristine wilderness. And I'm glad for the recognition! The festival itself will be held in October.

I continue to work on scripts, both new and old. Am almost finished with a retooling of The Schoharie, and haven't given up on writing about Oliver Curtis Perry, the train robber who resides within the branches of my family tree. I have also been working on a script that deals with Conquistadors, Pirates, Born Again Christians and... a librarian.

That's enough about me... How about you?

Until next time...