It’s been ages since I updated this thing, but I can’t feel too bad about it. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to stop talking and start doing. I could have spent entries talking about how I was going to change my situation. I could have went on and on about how I’d break into the movie business, but, as they say, talk is cheap. I’ve been absent because I’ve been busy.
Blogging, believe it or not, takes energy. Whatever writers tap into to create work is pretty much the same thing a blogger has to do. Of course, blogging is less stressful, but it’s still brain power. I just decided to concentrate on my screenplay. Looking back, it was the best decision I made last year. This has been going on since October of last year and I have 185 completed pages under my belt. I’m at the point of editing and finding an agent.
Editing isn’t so bad, though. I actually have some friends who were willing to give it a read, which means the world to me. 185 pages is a lot for some people, especially the kind that have other obligations. There’ s only so much I can do on my own and I seriously think my mind plays tricks on me. I seem to have “auto correct” inside my head and I’ll subconsciously correct spelling and grammar mistakes in my head, overlooking the actual document. Extra eyes means that it’s a lot harder for mistakes to hide. Of course, extra eyes can let me know if the story is whack.
The novelty of having a completed screenplay wares off once you look at how grueling finding an agent can be. Hell, I have to wait until Wednesday to mail out my query letters because I can’t afford envelopes right now. Yeah, I’m that broke. Anyhoo, the agency list that the Writers Guild of America provides is good to look through, but it becomes daunting, looking at that massive list. I actually called quite a number of agencies and most of them don't ta on new material----unless I'm in their exclusive club, so to speak. I recently came across a pdf that marks down which agencies take on my writers. It also indicates which agencies stick to their own circle of talent. Unfortunately, the number of agencies who take time out to “break in” new talent are few. I counted seven, but I’m grateful for them. Hopefully, my blitz of queries will get someone’s attention. I just need one.
I recently looked through IamRogue.com’s website and they have a screenplay submission contest. I’m thinking I should enter my script, but the only thing that’s stopping me, besides taking time out to read the terms and conditions, is that I want the story and characters to be copyrighted. It’s registered with the guild, but not copyrighted…not yet. I want to make sure the characters stay with me, no matter what goes down. Ultimately, I need to read the fine print on the talent search.
So, I apologize for being away for months, but I’m a guy trying to break into the business as a screen writer. Hopefully, by the grace of God, all my hard work will pay off. I’m already brainstorming a sequel. I’ll totally wait for the first script to be sold before I commit to it 100%. I'm just playing around with ideas.
I’ll try to update often. I have some time now.
Cheers,
Kenny
Update: The Talent Search at IamRogue wants screen writers to submit no more than 100 pages. Well, there's no way I can condense my stuff down to a 100, so I guess it wasn't meant to be. Then again, I'm wondering if they mean 100 completed pages or just 100 pages of whatever I have...? I emailed them, so, hopefully, I'll get an answer shortly.
