Writing is... well, it's writing

Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays. I hope the end of 2011 brings good memories of a well lived year. Mine was okay. I accomplished a few writing goals - an option, a few accolades from screenwriting festivals, and most recently the completion of a TV spec for the show Supernatural.

Will the script ever make it to the screen? Probably not. That's not the way TV spec writing works. Would it make a good episode? Well, I'm biased. But that's not the point. The point is that I wrote it after years of swearing to myself that I would never write something for TV.

Why, you ask, would I limit myself? Good question. Part of it most likely has to do with the desire to procrastinate instead of grapple with a challenge. I always believed the writing for TV would be hard. Too many fans hope their scripts will make the cut. Shows already have their writers, so staff is extra critical when they read your spec - IF they read your spec. Chances are they won't. If you're lucky to get someone to read it, it's for a show other than the show you wrote the spec for because, like I said - that's just the way the TV industry works. The rules for writing TV are a little bit odd.

But I'm proud of myself because I did it anyway. I wrote a Supernatural spec, and I think I did well. And now I feel excited at trying my hand at another. Maybe a comedy. Maybe another supernatural themed show. The point is that I was inspired to write it, and I followed through. And now I have another script to showcase my talent. Or at least I have another script to showcase my learning curve. It felt good to do it and to complete it in spite of the odds of it ever getting made. It felt good to overcome writer's procrastination.

Hopefully, the new year will see me continue to overcome writer's procrastination. I wish the same success to all my friends and family in their 2012 endeavors as well. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

Slowly, But Surreality Part 3

It's a bit of an agonizing wait when updates keep dribbling in over the course of weeks, even days. That's what I've been going through over the entire summer!


But this is a good thing, because those updates continue to foster progress on several fronts.


My short Pwned has progressed to finalist status at Shriekfest. Check out their website for tickets and event passes for the festival. There are some great horror indie features and shorts in the lineup.  Save the date for some horrific fun - September 30th through October 2nd.


Surreality is moving along, still slowly but surely. I'm still looking forward to the next phase of development.


Finally, option/sales negotiations for that unnamed feature of mine is close to being complete. I'm looking forward to seeing it happen - and to getting the pic made!


That's it for now. Keep writing!

Paranoia Film Fest

On the weekend of March 13th-15th, 2009, there is a horror and scifi film festival taking place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. If you want to find out more, or buy tickets for the event, you can log onto www.paranoiafest.com .

This is their first annual festival, and it looks like fun. Of course, the main reason I bring it up is that one of my scripts has made it to the finalist list of their screenplay competition. A Good Soul. Yay!