#150 - Covid has left the building!

Finally got to sleep in my own bed again with my own husband, since his test yesterday was Negative!  I've never been so relieved.  Life really did get put on hold in a way.  Now, it's full steam ahead.

Today, I hope to spend time with my best friend before she leaves the area permanently.  And tomorrow I have a callback for a show that sounds really funny but I'm not sure about the overall direction.  And I'm not sure that Theatre has really returned to my life.

Spending a lot of time thinking about my script(s), and I rewatched the feedback from my pitch at the Castle, and typed up the notes.  Things I realized rewatching that:

1.  I am a writer, and a good writer.

2.  I know how to craft marketing material, and how to present it.

3.  I have to look at the overall of the script and the characters and their arc; why would someone want to watch this?

4.  Most important note of all:  characters must be compelling.  We must find commonality and a reason to want to root for them, warts and all.

Sigh.

I need to rework my other script; the one I'm planning to send to my mentor. It needs more depth; it needs to be something that catches the reader, and something that's producable.

At least today I'll receive the Frangos, and I have to craft a wonderful thank you to my Mentor, and then send them off.

This month is going to be on steroids, and I know it.  At least we don't have to kick Covid around anymore!

#149 - Who can read the tea leaves?

Had an audition/callback yesterday for a show that I'd love to be in.  It was the strangest audition.  One read, no direction and thanks for coming.  The best part was running into numerous old theatre friends and schoomizing and getting lots of info on things happening in the theatre circles locally.  Time sure will tell what the future will bring.

I wish I could be spending more time with my best friend and helping her out, but this COVID menace is hunkering around us, and until it's disappated, there's no going over there.  Hopefully there will be time next week before we sojourn off towards the edge of the River Stix.

See, when I'm around, I can actually jot off a few lines every day; now, to off a few boxes from the Vault Goddess and the Imperial Man every day - that's something to really strive for.

Oh, and I cannot control Mr. Covid in the other room, who insists on doing his weekly driving gig, covid and all ("I feel fine!").

Since I can't read tea leaves, let's see what the future brings.

#148 - Learning to be right on the writing

Trying to get off the COVID merry-go-round we're on (after this morning's testing, I'm clear, hubby isn't).  So even though we're sequestered where we were, the tasks have been flipped.  I'm masking and waiting on him, which is only right, since he did it for me for 5 days.  It is my hope that we'll manage to beat this thing by the end of the weekend (fingers crossed).

In the meantime, I'm doing a lot of thinking about the script that deals with the Vault Goddess.  Consistent feedback leaves me in a quandry. I have a good story, terrific characters, lots of subtext but NOT ENOUGH HIGH POINTS OF DRAMA/CONFLICT/STAKES before the point of change/point of no return/climax.  And that's where I need to delve deeper and write.  I know I must separate myself from the material in order to do so.

I think I must try some exercises using the characters and writing outside of the script, to try and amp up the stakes among these characters.  Also, I've gotten consistent feedback about too many characters, so I think I'll need to combine a few minor ones into one, and cut a few out as well.

I truly believe if I can master this concept of strolling into each scene and jumping out into the next, and learning to build small moments into big drama, I'll learn how to be a really good screenwriter.

The goal is to do this by the end of September.  Can I manage to make that a reality?  Let's see.

#147 - Decompression whether you want to or not

The best laid plans to write every day...

I really had hoped to journal here during the rest of my sojourn over the Pond, but the internet at the Castle absolutely sucked, and by the time I got to Bordeaux, I was full of wanting to fully explore Bordeaux.  Then, after my last minute why not upgrade on the flight home, I could feel a chest cold coming on. Nope, just COVID.

Hopeful that tomorrow bring 2 negative test results;  one for me and one for the hubby - he has started to feel not so good.  What sucky timing this all is.  But, we'll have to do what ever we have to do.

Tomorrow is the test I want to pass with a negative score.  And perhaps some writing will commence after that. I have been doing bits and bobs here and there, and ongoing chats with my Rocaberti Chez Loraine group, plus playing around a bit with final cut pro, which seems to be an upgraded version of iMovie.  Going to try and put together a very short (1-2 minutes at the most) sizzle reel for Beyond the Mask.  Really, it's just an excuse to tinker with the software in case I decide to try and make my own darned short film.

Let tomorrow be COVID free - for everyone in the house.