I’m really proud of myself because it’s the first time I’ve written creatively since November with NaNoWriMo [LINK], and it’s the first time in about 9 months in which I’ve written something that I actually want to go back to and edit and revise and submit.

Below is an excerpt for the screenplay, the screenplay of NO NAME. LOL It will have a title some day, but the one I originally had, Hell’s Angel, doesn’t really fit the story or character any more.

Remember, this is a VERY ROUGH, haven’t looked at it at ALL draft of the script. LOL Judge accordingly if you must judge.

Here’s a quick synopsis of story: A woman returns to her life after a 10-year bid for killing her husband with one thing on her mind: reuniting with the daughter who hates her.

INT. COFFEE SHOP – MORNING

Peighton, dressed up, is sitting at a small table in the corner, typing on a laptop.

She looks deep in thought.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Good morning, Peighton.

Peighton looks up and is none too thrilled to see Detective Deeks before her.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)

You look nice.

Peighton doesn’t respond.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)

See you’re fitting into the world quickly.

Detective Deeks points at the laptop.

PEIGHTON

I used computers in prison…while I was getting my degree, Detective.

Detective Deeks looks outside the large windows and spots a motorcycle in a parking spot. He points toward it.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Is that your cycle out there?

Peighton nods.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)

And you rode it here? Dressed like that?

Peighton looks up to him and nods.

There is a pause.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)

(clears throat) You mind if I sit here?

Peighton shrugs.

PEIGHTON

If you must.

Detective Deeks sits, stares at Peighton.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

I’ve done some research on you…

Peighton snaps her attention toward him. She’s angry.

PEIGHTON

What the hell for? I haven’t done shi…

Detective Deeks lifts his hands.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

I know you haven’t. I don’t suspect you of anything.

(softer) This is about your past. About what happened to you.

PEIGHTON

And why is that any concern of yours?

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Because my son is seeing your daughter, and I want to know everything about her. And that includes you.

Peighton returns her gaze to the laptop.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)

And I’m sorry.

Peighton eyes Detective Deeks.

PEIGHTON

For what?

DETECTIVE DEEKS

For seeing you just as a murderer when I didn’t know all the facts.

PEIGHTON

(shrugs) Doesn’t matter. Most of the world goes off indicting people without knowing all the facts. Why should you be any different?

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Because I work to be different. And I think you’re a good person.

PEIGHTON

And you tell me this, why?

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Because I don’t want you to get hurt.

PEIGHTON

By what?

Detective Deeks sighs.

Peighton shakes her head and points in his direction.

PEIGHTON (CONT’D)

Don’t even go there.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

I know things. Things you don’t.

Peighton closes her laptop and places it in her bag. She drops money on the table and stands.

She bends to Detective Deeks’ ear.

PEIGHTON

You just can’t believe people can change, can you?

Detective Deeks turns to face Peighton. Their faces are close. There is a pause as they stare at one another.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

I believe people can change. I don’t believe the people you hang out with have changed.

Peighton stands and takes a step back.

PEIGHTON

Well, they haven’t done nothing to prove me wrong yet.

Detective Deeks raises an eyebrow.

DETECTIVE DEEKS

Really? Nothing?

Peighton looks away.

DETECTIVE DEEKS (CONT’D)
Just protect yourself. If things start to feel funny, protect yourself and get out of the way of danger.

Peighton gives him a parting glance. Nods.

PEIGHTON

Heard you. OK.

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In Scene with Screenwriter/Educator Jana Williams

INTERVIEW EXCERPT

CLG: What are three books on screenwriting every newbie screenwriter should own?

JW: Syd Field – Screenplay is pragmatic and to the point (sometimes redundant as he seeks to make his word count for his editor!)

David Mamet – On Directing Film, is the other extreme and a very good counterpoint to Syd!

And then, maybe – Adventures in the Film Trade or some other memoir to illustrate just what kind of ZOO you’ll be trying to pick the locks to enter!

CLG: What is your fave beginning of a movie…and why?

JW: LYRICS & MUSIC, the opening title sequence made my sister and I laugh so hard we nearly peed ourselves! Very fast and witty 1st ACT; all four main characters (actors) are really flawless. And the film is a great sendup of pop stars; and in particular pop stars and their fascination with RELIGION!!

CLG: After you contacted me, I was instantly drawn to you as a writer and as a teacher…pretty much because I have that insatiable need to teach what I know, too. Your need to teach has brought about your site WORDSMYTHE. What is the mission of WORDSMYTHE?

JW: Truly, I LOVE helping people get their film idea out of their head and onto the page. We would have such a vibrant and exciting film culture in N.A. IF we could only cajole each other into telling our own stories with all the passion and heart with which we lived them!

To read the rest of Jana Williams’ interview, head to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING!

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING
Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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Writer of All Trades: Kristin Johnson

INTERVIEW EXCERPT

CLG: Talk to us about one of your first YES moments – a time when you received positive reception for your words.
KJ: Reading the wedding poem for my sister and brother-in-law, “On Our Wedding: Ahava,” that later won first place in the Blue Mountain Arts Tri-Annual Poetry Competition. That poem was my wedding gift to them. When a local playwriting group staged a reading of my one-act play “Greetings and Salutations” (that later appeared in its playwriting festival and was nominated for five local theater awards), one of the audience members, an actor, jumped up and said, “I love it!”

CLG: You’re strutting down the street – looking, feeling like a million bucks – what’s your theme song?

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This week, we wrap up our March series with a woman who offers GREAT advice to any writer: screenwriter Cynthia Dagnal-Myron!

For the month of March, I asked SEVERAL questions regarding fave sites for writers, advice, differences and similarities between the different media platforms in regards to writing, etc. When I asked, For those of you who write for different arenas – big screen, boob tube, stage, page, web – what are elements that differ for you as the writer in regards to how you SEE the story unfolding in each arena, Dagnal-Myron replied, “I only write for the big screen and the “page,” so I can only speak for those two. But the difference is that when writing a novel or an article, I can offer both action and the “motivation” for what the character is doing in words on that page. A script is all “action.” You’re showing, not telling. What a character does has to carry that story, and the power is in what the character does even more than what he says. In fact, if you write about what a character is thinking in a script it will receive a quick “pass.” When writing a “story,” you can have the character ruminate, think aloud, discuss.

“You can also spend a whole page on description, to set a mood or make a point, when writing fiction. You create a whole world with words. Script writing has to be very economical, and exposition is to be avoided like the plague. In other fiction I can tell you what music is playing, what the character looks like, what perfume she wears. In a script, they frown upon this, because in the end, none of that will be decided by the screenwriter. So there are remarkable differences–glad you asked! I hadn’t really thought about it this seriously before, though it’s something I work with everyday.”

To read the rest of Cynthia Dagnal-Myron’s comments on screenwriting, head to All the Blog’s a Page!

And while there, check out the screenwriting features from Stephen Kogon, Brian Spaeth, Kristin Johnson, and John W. Bosley!

ALL THE BLOG’S A PAGE (AtBaP) – Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

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JOIN ME AS I GET THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM SEVERAL TALENTED WRITERS AND THE WORLD OF SCREENWRITING

WWW.BLOGTALKRADIO.COM/SAMARAKING

Time: 4:30pm EST

Call-in # (347) 215-9311

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This week, we feature someone I’ve been following for awhile because I LOVE his web comic Studio Reader Stan, screenwriter and novelist Stephen Kogon!

For the month of March, I asked SEVERAL questions regarding fave sites for writers, advice, differences and similarities between the different media platforms in regards to writing, etc. When I asked, What are three sites that writers of your field should bookmark for great information, Kogon replied, “This is a tough one for me because there’s SO much information about the craft of writing on the Net I feel overwhelmed by it and end up not visiting those sites very often. The sites (like Drew’s Script-O-Rama) where you can download screenplays for free are invaluable. I’ve found the best way to learn is to read well-written material. A site like moviebytes.com is good for finding information about all the various film festivals. Done Deal is also a great site for information about agents, production companies, and script sales. And if you want some wit and humor to go with your learning about who’s buying what, then Script Girl’s videos on YouTube will work for you.”

To read the rest of Stephen Kogon’s comments on screenwriting and to see the first video of his web comic Studio Reader Stan, head to All the Blog’s a Page!

And while there, check out the screenwriting features from Brian Spaeth, Kristin Johnson, and John W. Bosley!

ALL THE BLOG’S A PAGE (AtBaP) – Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

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Last month, the hilarious and talented writer Brian Spaeth came to AtBaP for an interview, and this month he’s back to talk about screenwriting and the upcoming project 2WO G2N G2Y!

LATEST PROJECT: 2WO G2N G2Y

2WO G2N G2Y tells the story of a man with no memory, no name, and two guns.

Embroiled in an international revenge plot between a pair of secret, international revenge seeking organizations, who are international and want revenge, he must rely on the only things that his body remembers how to do – be really tough and use two guns at once.

He wears four belts.

2WO G2N G2Y is a 30-part web series, which is made exclusively to be online, on the internet. Told in 30 parts, it’s for the web. It’s broadband, how you like it – online.

What does it all mean? The internet is officially on fire. More on fire than anything as ever been ever.

Check out the trailer!

For the month of March, I asked SEVERAL questions. When I asked, What three things should writers/filmmakers have in their arsenal if they want to heighten their chances of success, Spaeth replied:

a) Multiple Ideas – You need to be seen as an ongoing revenue stream for anyone you’re working with, i.e. agents, producers, etc., and also – sometimes the throw-away idea you think is garbage might be the one someone else sees as gold.

b) Humility/Muzzle – Know when to shut up and listen, even when the person talking to you has no idea what they’re talking about. Telling them they’re an imbecile does you know favors, and nobody likes a pretentious artist.

c) Knowledge – Read as much as you can about the business, so you understand how it works. Go to the WGA website and read the sample contracts if you’ve never seen one. Follow box office and know what kinds of material the industry will be looking for. Research agents or producers before you meet/contact them. Watch old movies – have a working knowledge of film history.

To read the rest of Brian Spaeth’s comments on screenwriting, head to All the Blog’s a Page!

And while there, check out writers Kristin Johnson’s and John W. Bosley’s wonderful features!

ALL THE BLOG’S A PAGE (AtBaP) – Where everything relates to writing
[http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com]

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Come hang out and read my latest interview with YouTube sensation, ScriptGirl – who talks about screenwriting, movies, and more!

Check out the excerpt below!

CLG:  Now that you are a YouTube celebrity, are you planning to use your ScriptGirl image to benefit your career, and if so, how?
SG:  Well it’s odd. A lot of opportunities have come my way due to ScriptGirl, but they don’t necessarily jibe with my career goals as a screenwriter. I’ve been offered some TV hosting gigs and those folks could not care less about some brilliant rom-com I have in my car. Likewise, the producers I meet with aren’t the least bit impressed by my Internet alter ego. In fact, I think it may actually diminish my credibility.  Well, that and the fact that I tend to show up at meetings late, inebriated, and wildly belligerent! (laughs maniacally)

CLG:  What are three pieces of advice you would offer to those wanting to break into screenwriting?
SG:  Make friends with rejection. The numbers are always going to be against you. That’s a fact, Jack.

Optimize all opportunities, big and small. Actually, just assume they’re all big.

Write from your heart. But get a good agent or manager to handle your business. Financially raping writers is a sport to producers. Like golf or polo.

Head to ChickLitGurrl:  High on Lattes & Writing now to read the rest of ScriptGirl’s interview!

About CLG:  Since 2005, ChickLitGurrl has been a place to talk to women writers about writing, craft, inspiration, and anything and everything else that falls into being a female writer. Nearly 70 women writers have been interviewed, to include Carly Phillips, Bernice McFadden, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Mary Castillo, Jennifer Banash, and Paula Chase-Hyman. In ‘09, CLG branches out to include ALL women of words – scriptwriters, freelance writers, novelists, essayists, memoirists, and more! In addition to the interviews, you’ll also find information on writing-related news and tips.

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