It was my birthday yesterday. Yessirree, I am one year older. Darn, time flies, no?
I will have a little get-together tomorrow night, mostly just my theater company people and some friends of Vern's and mine. I have rehearsals all weekend--my show opens a week from today. Am I ready? Probably. Do I feel ready? Never.
Love,
Clare
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Lately
Well, I have a new job....It's actually a substitute teaching job, and I've been substituting for the last school year, ever since I got back from my wedding. But this one is interesting because it is a long-term job. The woman I am subbing for is out on maternity leave, so this is a three-month job! It is really great so far. I am teaching 11th grade Honors English, plus Newspaper and Yearbook. I really like it so far, particularly the Honors English, which is right up my alley--I was an English Literature major. I am now in my fifth week!
Also, this last weekend was quite an important one for me. It is interesting when creativity strikes you. Vern was out mowing the lawn, and I was out watching him, when suddenly a screenplay--that I have had in my mind for about 4 years now--came to a sort of fruition. I was finally able to write an outline of scenes--32 in all--which will eventually comprise my script! It was a huge moment for me, because as I said I have been mulling it over and over in my mind for 4 years. It is huge that I was able to put it down in the order that I want, to make it a movie worth watching. I read it to Vern when he was done with the lawn, and he said "that's a movie." And it is.
Now, of course, I have to commence with the actual writing of each scene. Which is daunting, to be sure, but not nearly as daunting as it was before I had this outline. Now I can skip around--if scene 8 isn't coming easily to me, then I can skip to scene 13, etc. It's really a huge step for me.
My plan for this screenplay is to finish writing what I'm hoping will be a FANTASTIC piece, and then "shopping it around" to studios. I don't exactly know how to go about it yet, but I feel that if I have a really good script, I will be able to secure an agent (for screenwriters) and then to get it seen by the people that would produce it. Writing is something that, if you do it well, agents are interested in you no matter what--at least as far as I know, that is the case. It's different with acting, where you could be phenomenal, but if you weren't in something recognizable then they don't want you. Writing is a totally different ballgame. When I am done with the script, I will consult my friend, Sy Rosen, who was a TV writer for 30 years or so and see what advice he can give me. Hopefully he can help me out and teach me about the avenues I need to go down.
A caviat to this screenplay--which I wholeheartedly intend to see through--is that I am only offering the script if I am attached as the lead. I wrote it because I identify with the main character, and I intend to play her. The best part about it is that it is a true story, but one that a lot of people don't know about, so I think it will be a great film. It will likely be very independent, but I'm aiming high in my mind right now and throwing around the names Miramax and Lion's Gate and New Line. Those are the production companies that I hope will fund it. And it will need a LOT of funding--it's a period piece, set in the 1940's and 1950's.
Anyway, that's my big news. It engulfs my mind--the other day I was driving to a play rehearsal, and I got there in what seemed like no time (really about an hour), because I was thinking of my script and the characters the whole time.
Well, I think Vern is done with recording now, so I am probably going to go.
Talk to you soon,
Clare
Also, this last weekend was quite an important one for me. It is interesting when creativity strikes you. Vern was out mowing the lawn, and I was out watching him, when suddenly a screenplay--that I have had in my mind for about 4 years now--came to a sort of fruition. I was finally able to write an outline of scenes--32 in all--which will eventually comprise my script! It was a huge moment for me, because as I said I have been mulling it over and over in my mind for 4 years. It is huge that I was able to put it down in the order that I want, to make it a movie worth watching. I read it to Vern when he was done with the lawn, and he said "that's a movie." And it is.
Now, of course, I have to commence with the actual writing of each scene. Which is daunting, to be sure, but not nearly as daunting as it was before I had this outline. Now I can skip around--if scene 8 isn't coming easily to me, then I can skip to scene 13, etc. It's really a huge step for me.
My plan for this screenplay is to finish writing what I'm hoping will be a FANTASTIC piece, and then "shopping it around" to studios. I don't exactly know how to go about it yet, but I feel that if I have a really good script, I will be able to secure an agent (for screenwriters) and then to get it seen by the people that would produce it. Writing is something that, if you do it well, agents are interested in you no matter what--at least as far as I know, that is the case. It's different with acting, where you could be phenomenal, but if you weren't in something recognizable then they don't want you. Writing is a totally different ballgame. When I am done with the script, I will consult my friend, Sy Rosen, who was a TV writer for 30 years or so and see what advice he can give me. Hopefully he can help me out and teach me about the avenues I need to go down.
A caviat to this screenplay--which I wholeheartedly intend to see through--is that I am only offering the script if I am attached as the lead. I wrote it because I identify with the main character, and I intend to play her. The best part about it is that it is a true story, but one that a lot of people don't know about, so I think it will be a great film. It will likely be very independent, but I'm aiming high in my mind right now and throwing around the names Miramax and Lion's Gate and New Line. Those are the production companies that I hope will fund it. And it will need a LOT of funding--it's a period piece, set in the 1940's and 1950's.
Anyway, that's my big news. It engulfs my mind--the other day I was driving to a play rehearsal, and I got there in what seemed like no time (really about an hour), because I was thinking of my script and the characters the whole time.
Well, I think Vern is done with recording now, so I am probably going to go.
Talk to you soon,
Clare
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Books I Read in 2008
So, it is my new goal, after having done this the past two years, to read an average of 12 books a year--or essentially a book a month. Last year's reads are in one of my earlier blogs, and this year's are as follows:
1) The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3) The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
4) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5) The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster
6) Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
7) Rebellion by Nora Roberts
8) Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
9) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
10) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
11) Holes by Louis Sachar
12) Capturing Paris by Katharine Davis
13) Equus by Peter Shaffer
14) The Best American Poetry 2007
15) The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
These books range from the positively prolific to the simplistic, but they were wonderful to fill my head with. The Journals of Sylvia Plath were amazing, as she is one of my favorite poets and people. And in fact, two of my now all-time favorite books are two that I read this year: The Time-Traveler's Wife and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It just goes to show that you can never stop finding beauty as long as you keep looking for it.
Happy New Year,
Clare
1) The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3) The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
4) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5) The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster
6) Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
7) Rebellion by Nora Roberts
8) Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
9) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
10) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
11) Holes by Louis Sachar
12) Capturing Paris by Katharine Davis
13) Equus by Peter Shaffer
14) The Best American Poetry 2007
15) The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
These books range from the positively prolific to the simplistic, but they were wonderful to fill my head with. The Journals of Sylvia Plath were amazing, as she is one of my favorite poets and people. And in fact, two of my now all-time favorite books are two that I read this year: The Time-Traveler's Wife and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It just goes to show that you can never stop finding beauty as long as you keep looking for it.
Happy New Year,
Clare
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