Full-time employment has been hectic. Which is good because if I'm going to have to work 8 hours a day then don't let me be bored. I also hate routine. Actually, I'm quite enjoying it but still not used to the early starts and can't for the life of me go to bed at a respectable hour on a "school night". Having money again though is fabulous - paid a $1000 off my credit card after the last (monthly) pay day. Also get to go see movies at the cinema again!
To the writing.
Working on the next draft of the thriller script which will have a public reading currently earmarked for 27 March through PAC Script Lab. Very excited about this and starting to get into a groove with the rewrite. More details to come and the hard deadline is a good incentive to balance my work and creative commitments.
The second Filmbites short I scripted finally wrapped and the edit is being done in LA by an ex-pat who has worked as an assistant editor on such films as Avatar. Very happy about this.
Two short scripts are currently with directors. A second draft of the ostensibly zombie short was delivered last weekend and the other script is awaiting notes from that director. Who, as an aside, asked if I could send an editable file so they could work on it. The short, sharp reply: "you director, me writer." Nice try but I don't think so!
Other than that I haven't been writing many paid scenes or doing script notes as I simply don't have the time and don't need the money anymore. However, I wrote a nice little scene for the lead actress from the CIT short for her show reel which looks like it could be shot through one of the film institutions. Also had a request to do a polish of one of the scenes I wrote for another actor as a paid gig so those things occasionally come up.
I'm enjoying the sporadic conversations with the couple of young writers I have a de facto mentor role with. Even though work has cramped my meeting style! Finally, I am keen to see the progress of the short films I've had some minor involvement with last year as either script editor or by giving notes. There might be a raft of these being completed soon and can't wait to see how they turn out.
Working again means I have to narrow my focus and that may not be a bad thing at all. Excited about the feature and encouraged by the director interest in the couple of shorts which will get prepped for funding rounds.
What's everyone else been up to?
**Addendum: I wrote a guest blog for actor Molly Kerr about actors working with writers which you can read here.
