Back in the Saddle Again
I’m back in Raleigh after a wonderful week along the Outer Banks. Beaches. Lighthouses. The Wright Brothers Memorial – it was all good and over way too soon.
On the bright side: I’m back at my coffee shop where I can get good, hot coffee and tasty Bear Claws (alas, there were no Panera Breads at the Outer Banks – bummer) and where I can write. As I have mentioned before, for some reason, I can not write at home. What would Freud say about that? Any way, I’m deep into ACT II of my latest script (a thriller, tentatively titled: BLACKRIDGE OMEGA, INC.) and breezing along at a pretty good clip. With any luck the first draft will be completed by the end of the month and then it will be rewrite after rewrite after rewrite until I get the damn thing as good as I can.
I have also been pretty active on the query-front-lines. Not many ‘yeah, send me the script’ and plenty of ’sorry, not for us’, 
but I soldier on. I have compiled a new list of production companies/producers (around 150 – look out Hollywood, I’m out to get you!) and will start pestering them starting next week. If anyone is interested, I get most of my contacts from a new service called Contactourage (http://contactourage.com/). It costs about $70 per year and is well worth the money. Here’s why. They don’t have a gazillion names in their database — it is growing daily– but more importantly, you can get a company’s email address structure (eg. FirstnameLastinitial@company.com) and use it to construct dozens of other contacts. Do this by uncovering manager and producer names/companies by subscribing to IMDB PRO or the CREATIVE HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORY – neither free – and build your own Hollywood rolodex.
I guess that’s a wrap for today. Time to get a refill, open Final Draft, and,
Keep Writing!
Glad to hear your new script is progressing. The new spec I’m penning, comes along in spurts. Filling in the missing pieces on the map can be a frustrating endeavor, then all of a sudden it looks easy; hard, easy, hard, easy…
Thanks for the tip on contactourage. Sounds interesting.
Hope something works out for you in all your querying efforts. People are still breaking in — maybe you’re next! Glad to hear the vaccation was fun.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
E.C.
Good luck with your spec also. Have you posted it over at the GITS Club yet?
Keep Writing!
The new one, no; And I’m not planning on doing that either. It’s a matter of professionalism. I’m a staunch believer in ONLY showing something that’s your best effort; you never know who’s watching…
This last week I re-edited a script for a 2nd entre into the Nicholls. (Wanted to take advantage of the $30 early entry, which I did) NOW, I’m re-editing a script I wrote a while back entitled, “The Judas Project.” When that’s done I’ll post Act I on the GITS Club for comments. IF that’s recieved favoribly (enough people show interest) I’m willing to show the whole thing. I’ll probably run a poll first; no sense boring people, if they don’t like what they’re reading in ACT I, why force them to read the whole thing?
Besides reading a beginner’s ENTIRE SCRIPT is asking a lot. I wish more people at the GITS Club posted JUST ACT I of their script — it’s more manageable.
People SHOULD get to know me A LOT better after they read this script. “The Judas Project” is a low budget, dark urban drama. For the longest time I thought this would be my “breaking in” script. And it was inspired greatly by something went through in real life, passed throught the filters of Quinten Tarrantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.”
Yesterday, I started re-writing this script, and got to page 8 or 11. Was suprised how rough it was. Amazing what the perspective of time gives you.
Anyway, thanks for showing interest, Mike.
I think you’re doing a great job moderating over at the GITS Club. Time to go running with my dog, then write some more on my new script, and edit some more on the “Judas Project.”
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA