.writer.musician.skeptic.

I work with this guy that used to work in the FBI. I had heard awhile ago that he had done consulting for the film Untraceable concerning the portrayal of the FBI and whether it was accurately portrayed. My new project has a supporting character that happens to be an FBI agent. I sat down with my coworker today and discussed the plausibility of my rough idea. Besides finding out that I wouldn’t have to scrap any of my current work, I also found that this coworker is currently consulting for a television show, has an agent and is pitching three ideas next week to a network. He said he would let me know the outcomes of these transpirations as if any of them were to be picked up, they would need writers. Seeing as I am a writer–fine, an aspiring writer–I just may get a crack at an opening. I’ve got quite a few tentacles out there now. It’s just a matter of time before one rubs the right spot on the right person. That’s sounds kind of creepy.

I was in an earthquake today. It was weird. I had felt one before and unbeknownst to me, I apparently have been in quite a few earthquakes. Is that what you’re supposed to say, “I was in an earthquake.”? This site shows all the seismic activity upon occurrence. Depending on when reading this, the data may have shifted off the main page but at the time of this post, the 5.3 in red at the bottom is the one that shook my office building. I was standing at my manager’s desk when the building started shaking. I was thinking to myself, “It’ll stop soon. OK, now it will stop soon. Why is it still shaking???” Everyone was just staring at each other. It was evident that a lot of people wanted to run and were just waiting for the catalyst, the person that would set off the chain reaction of mass exodus. I won’t name names, but I saw some true colors today and saw that self preservation is hard to overcome. Then the building stopped shaking. Normalcy returned and I ate some pizza, the kind with no sauce and spinach. Pretty good. A coworker had been outside during the earthquake and said she saw the building wobbling. I thought about how many people would need to push on the building to make it wobble. Can’t wait for the big one. I am out of sentences.

I’m two classes deep in the UCLA class and I already feel like I’ve learned a lot. I had reservations going in due to the fact that I had just finished my first screenplay–pending rewrites not withstanding–and immediately had to come up with an original idea to begin developing as I was unable to secure the rights to remake Jaws. That’s a joke. I am definitely the most inexperienced person in the class. There’s one other person that hasn’t done much yet but she at least attended film school. Then again, this is LA and everyone tends to embellish their accomplishments so it’s best not to give much weight to such claims; they are in the same class as me after all.

I think I have a solid idea for the current screenplay and if I execute it well, it could be wildly entertaining. I’m definitely not going to get away with any laziness in this class and there’s the added pressure of trying not to look stupid in class. Despite the purported accomplishments of the other students, my idea and scene list yielded positive and very short commentary from the teacher. This is a good thing. Some of the more senior students had some critical issues with their scene lists. Not sure what that means. It looks like a good investment so far. I am out of sentences.

I’ve been a bit more than faineant the past two weeks. I’m not exactly sure why but it always seems to take me some time to get back into the groove after going home. I was in Pennsylvania for a few days for a friend’s wedding. Going home is weird now. I’ve been away for about two and a half years and when I come home, it’s like nothing has changed yet at the same time everything is some how different. What’s most discomforting is that I can never spend enough time with everyone and it will always be that way. Even if I moved back, it wouldn’t be the same. That doesn’t seem right. When you think of back home, that’s not supposed to change but it does; no matter how slowly it changes, nothing stays the same.

I will be coerced out my malaise starting July 10th though as I have been accepted into the advanced screen writing class at UCLA. It should be an intense two months. I guess I’m going to be a Bruin. Whatever comes of it, I know what’s behind me; I just have to keep going forward. Unchained, yeah you hit the ground running. Yup, that’s a Van Halen reference. I am out of sentences.

I know I haven’t posted in a while but I’ve been a busy, busy boy. I finished the screenplay about two weeks ago. It crashed in at 153 pages which is about 33 pages too long by Hollywood de facto standards. I set a date for the rough draft to be due June 1st and I beat that mark. I am currently rewriting and have until June 9th to tighten it up and apply for the UCLA class. I was doing script coverage but after reading the first few pages of the second screenplay sent to me, Redneck Vampires, I promptly ended that working arrangement. It wasn’t even formatted properly and was riddled with typos. It also looks like the company I was going to write some freelance articles for has either changed their mind or has been wiped off the face of the Earth as my correspondence with them has come to an abrupt end. I’ve also been doing other things like going to a Lakers playoff game and eating 60 dollar steaks(alright, just once).

They say to break into the business you need a great script and a great connection. I have one of the two and I may be in the process of rewriting the other part(this may be fiercely contested). There are really awesome things brewing in Nashville Tennessee of all places and I have a really unique and rare resource at my disposal. I learned a lot by just jumping in and writing a screenplay. The blank page is formidable but I just conquered 153 of them. The idea I started with has evolved from a simple premise to a tangled web of deceit, betrayal and loyalty. There is no way I could’ve planned it all out unless I forced myself to sit down and just write. There’s no magic involved; if you have an idea, pursue it. Well there’s a little magic involved. :O I am out of sentences.

So I am applying for the master screenwriting class at UCLA. They only take 12 students who are on the verge of producing professional quality work. Yikes! The deadline for submissions is June 9th. I have some time to finish and do at least one rewrite before then. I might also be doing some freelance article writing so I’m not wasting any more time on the craigslist writing fake posts about garbage for at least a little while. On a somewhat related note, a coworker of mine made this for me. It’s supposed to keep me motivated.

Alright, I am, I am!

I am out of sentences.