Syndication, here we come! Today marks my 200th blog here at delafantastika.blogspot.com, so let me take this opportunity to thank the academy for their support and tell the haters to eat dirt. Delafantastika forever, baby!
Yesterday, I downloaded my favorite album of all time. No, it isn't "Thriller" or "Frampton Comes Alive". It is the one and only "Anything is Possible" by Debbie Gibson. Eternally uncool to most, this album came into my life at a time of transition. I was fourteen and had my first job (summer hire), my first serious boyfriend, (a twenty-four year old soldier who happened to be a dead ringer for Rick Astley) and my best friend was moving away. When I first heard this record, I thought every song, every lyric was speaking to me. The experience would have been almost spiritual if it weren't so stupid. Anyway, I downloaded it from iTunes yesterday and am listening to it right now. Funny thing is, the songs still have the same effect on me. Debbie Gibson rules.
The real reason I'm writing is that I'm putting off crafting my Statement of Interest for the Disney Fellowship. All I have is one sentence "My name is Delafantastika and I really, really want this fellowship". No amount of encouragement from the Dalai Gibson can mask its lameness. That's it. I've got to get off my butt and finish it. The Statement is the last thing I need for the packet (it's even been notarized) and the packet must be postmarked by tomorrow. There's the ball and I'm getting on it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
extra limbs for Pusherman
One of my neighbor-lady friends is a Republican. Not sure how I feel about that.
I received producer notes on "Pusherman" and am now undertaking the rewrite. I thought I would be offended that someone wanted to take my already-perfect (ha) baby and attach more arms, legs and another head to it, but it's not like that at all. In fact, it is validating to know that my vision was not only clear enough to understand, but powerful enough to pull someone in and make them want to expand on it. My hair appointment is in forty-five minutes, but after I'm fried, dyed and laid to the side, I'll be right back here adding those arms and legs...
If you haven't heard "Chasing Pavements" by Adele, I highly recommend it. As long as Amy Winehouse keeps dancing with Mr. Brownstone, Adele has a bright future.
I received producer notes on "Pusherman" and am now undertaking the rewrite. I thought I would be offended that someone wanted to take my already-perfect (ha) baby and attach more arms, legs and another head to it, but it's not like that at all. In fact, it is validating to know that my vision was not only clear enough to understand, but powerful enough to pull someone in and make them want to expand on it. My hair appointment is in forty-five minutes, but after I'm fried, dyed and laid to the side, I'll be right back here adding those arms and legs...
If you haven't heard "Chasing Pavements" by Adele, I highly recommend it. As long as Amy Winehouse keeps dancing with Mr. Brownstone, Adele has a bright future.
Monday, July 28, 2008
new friends
Oh, I forgot to mention that I met my neighbors here in this Stepford town. Two of the ladies are cool as shit and I plan on hanging out with them. One is a stay at home mom (SAHM- ever heard of that acronym before??), but was a teacher for ten years before getting pregnant again. The other works part time, has five kids, but grew up in rural Oregon and drinks and smokes like a geezer. Never thought I'd use the terms "Cool as shit" and "Stay at home mom" in the same sentence, but there you go.
Side note- I still haven't heard from the editor of the Fucknut Gazette (I emailed him on Friday to ask what the f*ck was up with not printing my piece). Wanker. If I had balls, I would lay them across his stupid forehead.
Side note- I still haven't heard from the editor of the Fucknut Gazette (I emailed him on Friday to ask what the f*ck was up with not printing my piece). Wanker. If I had balls, I would lay them across his stupid forehead.
script notes
I had planned to submit my script yesterday, but of course, that didn't happen. That's another reason I don't like having visitors. They want to do things, see things and experience the town. All the while, I am attempting to carry on with my normal life. My normal life- as boring as it sounds- consists of a job search, mailing scripts and writing my butt off. Not quite as interesting as a Dallas Cowboys game, but it's all I need. As soon as I finish this blog, I'm off to the post office.
Speaking of scripts, I've been knee deep in "Camp Responsibility" lately. Thirty-eight pages in and I've made a startling discovery: the dialogue is terrible. The dialogue is lacking because I don't really know my characters. So, after I'm done playing the happy hostess to family, I'll sit down and write character sketches. I'm having trouble with the relationship between the mother and grandmother. The main character, Michael, is pretty fleshed out. I know this all sounds like gibberish, but I promise it'll make sense when you're watching it on the Disney Channel. How's that for moxie?
Yesterday, my niece (the one who is four and begging for a BB in the butt) kept jumping on me and giving me kisses. I know it's supposed to be cute, but damn if it didn't make me want to vomit. Look, I don't like to be kissed, touched or breathed on by ANYONE, especially children. I told her to stop kissing me because it makes me itch, but she thought I was kidding. Then she kept trying to spank me, so I just body slammed her fat ass. She looked up at me like "Ha ha!" but I could tell in her face that she was also contemplating a good cry. Good. Maybe she'll start ignoring me.
Gotta go mail this script and call the landscapers again.
Speaking of scripts, I've been knee deep in "Camp Responsibility" lately. Thirty-eight pages in and I've made a startling discovery: the dialogue is terrible. The dialogue is lacking because I don't really know my characters. So, after I'm done playing the happy hostess to family, I'll sit down and write character sketches. I'm having trouble with the relationship between the mother and grandmother. The main character, Michael, is pretty fleshed out. I know this all sounds like gibberish, but I promise it'll make sense when you're watching it on the Disney Channel. How's that for moxie?
Yesterday, my niece (the one who is four and begging for a BB in the butt) kept jumping on me and giving me kisses. I know it's supposed to be cute, but damn if it didn't make me want to vomit. Look, I don't like to be kissed, touched or breathed on by ANYONE, especially children. I told her to stop kissing me because it makes me itch, but she thought I was kidding. Then she kept trying to spank me, so I just body slammed her fat ass. She looked up at me like "Ha ha!" but I could tell in her face that she was also contemplating a good cry. Good. Maybe she'll start ignoring me.
Gotta go mail this script and call the landscapers again.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
did I say I didn't do defeat..?
Funny things, those tag lines. Yesterday, I was up on my horse talking about how I don't do defeat, tomorrow is another day, as God is my witness, I shall never be rejected again and all that yang. Well, this morning I woke up and checked my email on my mobile and what was waiting for me, but a nice, juicy rejection from a little theatre in England. No love. I gets no love.
My in-laws and sister in law and her four children are here. If I weren't so fond of my current cut, I would pull my hair out. Those little fuckers are so loud and obnoxious, it's difficult to concentrate. My kitchen is a wreck and I can't get a moment's peace. In my world (a world with one well behaved eight year old and a husband who is more gone than home), the kitchen stays clean. I put things down; they stay put. I wish I had a blowgun so I could pop a BB into the youngest's butt. She is annoying. Little girls who like princesses are bloody annoying. I want to take her aside and tell her, "Look. There's no such thing as Prince Charming. But there are mortgages. So you might wanna take a break from brushing your hair and singing to the fucking animals and see what's up at the community college."
We got a letter from the HOA President yesterday saying that we have to weed our front garden. This bitch is starting to get on my nerves. I should send her a letter and tell her that 1986 called and wants its Ogilve home perm back. As much as I rail against the machine (no matter how fat and tragic it's capri pants are), I am as much a cog as the next person. I'll call a landscaper today and have him come out on Monday.
Writing news- I'm submitting my Fort Bend Writer's Guild (egad! I used the actual name!) scripts today. This is one contest that I can honestly say is worth the moolah. See, for $25 and the price of postage, you can get a scored feedback sheet on your first fifteen pages. Anyone who has ever paid for coverage knows that this is a bargain, indeed. So, off it goes today. I'm sending in "Mixtape" (currently being read by an L.A. management company, thanks very much!) and "Big Eddie Bound". You may remember "Big Eddie Bound" when it was known by the silly name "Pop Life". It was my very first screenplay and I never received any decent feedback on it, so off it goes. Wish me luck!
My in-laws and sister in law and her four children are here. If I weren't so fond of my current cut, I would pull my hair out. Those little fuckers are so loud and obnoxious, it's difficult to concentrate. My kitchen is a wreck and I can't get a moment's peace. In my world (a world with one well behaved eight year old and a husband who is more gone than home), the kitchen stays clean. I put things down; they stay put. I wish I had a blowgun so I could pop a BB into the youngest's butt. She is annoying. Little girls who like princesses are bloody annoying. I want to take her aside and tell her, "Look. There's no such thing as Prince Charming. But there are mortgages. So you might wanna take a break from brushing your hair and singing to the fucking animals and see what's up at the community college."
We got a letter from the HOA President yesterday saying that we have to weed our front garden. This bitch is starting to get on my nerves. I should send her a letter and tell her that 1986 called and wants its Ogilve home perm back. As much as I rail against the machine (no matter how fat and tragic it's capri pants are), I am as much a cog as the next person. I'll call a landscaper today and have him come out on Monday.
Writing news- I'm submitting my Fort Bend Writer's Guild (egad! I used the actual name!) scripts today. This is one contest that I can honestly say is worth the moolah. See, for $25 and the price of postage, you can get a scored feedback sheet on your first fifteen pages. Anyone who has ever paid for coverage knows that this is a bargain, indeed. So, off it goes today. I'm sending in "Mixtape" (currently being read by an L.A. management company, thanks very much!) and "Big Eddie Bound". You may remember "Big Eddie Bound" when it was known by the silly name "Pop Life". It was my very first screenplay and I never received any decent feedback on it, so off it goes. Wish me luck!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
small town newspaper blues
About a month ago, I had contacted the editor of our small town newspaper here- for the sake of argument, let's call it the Fucknut Enterprise- and asked him if I could write for them. Well, he hemmed and hawed and talked about how he didn't have a budget for freelance writers and I wrote him back and told him that I would write for free; I just want the byline (I need more editorial work in my portfolio if I'm going to get back onto the newspaper staff in Hawaii). Anyway, he said it was okay if I submit and article. Well, I get excited and got to work. I went out to this local hotspot, slaved over this article and turned it in this last Monday. Did I hear anything back from the editor? Anything like "Got the article, thanks" or "This is complete bollucks"? Nothing. Silence. I thought, "Oh well, this must be the way things are done in this small town". Ha. Silly me.
The paper comes out on Friday. So, yesterday I got up early and trucked it on down to my local bookstore. I picked up the paper and looked through, hoping to see my article. As I continued scanning the sections, hope faded fast. Finally, I threw the paper down in disgust and resignation. That fucker didn't use my piece! Not only did he not have the balls or the decency to let me know; he just ignored it. Forcing myself not to cry, I walked to the nearby Kroger- feeling silly for getting up early for this bullshit. At Kroger, I was hoping to find a copy of the local glossy "Image". Perhaps they need a writer. After all, they are a new mag. No dice.
Long story short: I drove around town, visited the library, etc formulating my next plan of attack. I didn't want to drive home, though. For some reason, I thought that driving home would be an admission of defeat. And I don't do defeat.
The paper comes out on Friday. So, yesterday I got up early and trucked it on down to my local bookstore. I picked up the paper and looked through, hoping to see my article. As I continued scanning the sections, hope faded fast. Finally, I threw the paper down in disgust and resignation. That fucker didn't use my piece! Not only did he not have the balls or the decency to let me know; he just ignored it. Forcing myself not to cry, I walked to the nearby Kroger- feeling silly for getting up early for this bullshit. At Kroger, I was hoping to find a copy of the local glossy "Image". Perhaps they need a writer. After all, they are a new mag. No dice.
Long story short: I drove around town, visited the library, etc formulating my next plan of attack. I didn't want to drive home, though. For some reason, I thought that driving home would be an admission of defeat. And I don't do defeat.
Friday, July 11, 2008
mac bastards
I forgot to tell you about my iDrama. So, I took my old laptop into the Genius Bar (genius. ha!) to see if they could recharge the battery and/or keep it awake long enough to migrate the information off of it. Well, these genius' told me yesterday that they couldn't take the information off my hard drive. What?? They couldn't take the information off the hard drive? How hard is that? So anyway, my husband and I are going to pick it up today so he can replace the DCM board (which is the only thing wrong with it in the first place) and I can keep it alive long enough to migrate my info.
If I lose everything on my hard drive, I will be a mad bitch. My entire life is on that computer. All the latest versions of my screenplays, plus those germinating gems like "Responsibility Camp" and "The Joneses".
Oh yeah, my office is a PIT. My husband has moved into the office with all his grad school work and now I can't concentrate. I cannot create among chaos. Resolved: I'm going to Ikea today for some storage solutions because this shit isn't working. He leaves for two weeks on Sunday, so I've got time to organize.
Gotta go wash my 'do...
If I lose everything on my hard drive, I will be a mad bitch. My entire life is on that computer. All the latest versions of my screenplays, plus those germinating gems like "Responsibility Camp" and "The Joneses".
Oh yeah, my office is a PIT. My husband has moved into the office with all his grad school work and now I can't concentrate. I cannot create among chaos. Resolved: I'm going to Ikea today for some storage solutions because this shit isn't working. He leaves for two weeks on Sunday, so I've got time to organize.
Gotta go wash my 'do...
a writing fool
The last few days have been nothing, if not totally productive. I'm back to querying ten times a day and it is working. I don't think I ever discussed why I chose ten times a day. See, back when I was a practicing real estate agent, my mentor would constantly stress how success is a numbers game. "The more people you talk to," she was say in her Brooklyn-ese, "the more opportunities you have for somebody to say 'yes'". And you know what? She was right. That's why sixty or so queries a year just wasn't cutting it! Now that I've been shooting out these queries, I've gotten some measure of success.
So far, I received two requests- TWO- for my full Lucas Donovan script. I've also received another option on a short film and several requests for loglines. Yay, me.
Yesterday, the results of the Script Pimp TV writing contest were supposed to be announced. I haven't heard anything, so after I finish this sentence, I'll check their website to see if my name pops up in the winner's circle. Wouldn't that just beat all?
So far, I received two requests- TWO- for my full Lucas Donovan script. I've also received another option on a short film and several requests for loglines. Yay, me.
Yesterday, the results of the Script Pimp TV writing contest were supposed to be announced. I haven't heard anything, so after I finish this sentence, I'll check their website to see if my name pops up in the winner's circle. Wouldn't that just beat all?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
new Mac
Guess who's typing on her brand new computer?? My husband bought me a new MacBook for my birthday (he's going to be out of town for my birthday, so is this guilt?) and I just set it up. Tomorrow, I'm off to the Apple store in town for a new Fire Wire so I can migrate all the stuff from my old Mac to this one. In the meantime, I gotta find my Final Draft CD to really get the party started!
It's almost midnight and I'm super tired, so I'm off. Call me crazy, but I just felt the need to christen my new keyboard.
It's almost midnight and I'm super tired, so I'm off. Call me crazy, but I just felt the need to christen my new keyboard.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
a moment of peace
It is the day before the 4th of July weekend. My husband and son have buggered off to watch Hancock, so I'm sitting on the couch watching the Twilight Zone marathon on Sci-Fi. Many of these I have already seen, but these old episodes are like a pot of spaghetti- even better the second time around.
My husband is good at everything! He's been exercising his ass off lately and that, coupled with the fact that my butt is getting bigger and bigger, doesn't make me feel good. He also has this wonderful relationship with our son that I could never hope to duplicate. It is downright depressing. To not think about it, I've thrown myself into my writing.
My strategy has paid off, as "Pusherman" has been optioned. I also have a stage play version that I am submitting to a small theatre. Hopefully, they like it as much as I do. A side note about option: it doesn't mean that it will be produced. On the contrary, it might never be produced. An option is giving a production company the option to produce the piece within a certain amount of time. If they do, you get paid. If not, you're free to shop it around. At any rate, this is good news.
Gotta go write. Enjoy your 4th.
My husband is good at everything! He's been exercising his ass off lately and that, coupled with the fact that my butt is getting bigger and bigger, doesn't make me feel good. He also has this wonderful relationship with our son that I could never hope to duplicate. It is downright depressing. To not think about it, I've thrown myself into my writing.
My strategy has paid off, as "Pusherman" has been optioned. I also have a stage play version that I am submitting to a small theatre. Hopefully, they like it as much as I do. A side note about option: it doesn't mean that it will be produced. On the contrary, it might never be produced. An option is giving a production company the option to produce the piece within a certain amount of time. If they do, you get paid. If not, you're free to shop it around. At any rate, this is good news.
Gotta go write. Enjoy your 4th.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
bullets
1. My grandmother died yesterday. My mother isn't doing so hot, so I'll be visiting her on Saturday for the memorial service. My sister flew in from L.A. to lend a helping hand.
2. I just optioned my short "Pusherman", like, fifteen minutes ago. In my haste, I neglected to mention payment. I'll write him back and tell him $50. That's enough to cover the cost of my next Inktip listing.
3. My husband agreed that my ass is spreading, so I've been on a terrible, destructive diet. I'm so hungry, I can't concentrate. However, my abs are quite defined.
4. My son told me he wants a Link Larkin Hairspray doll. Hmm. Not quite sure what to make of that. If I wasn't so hungry, I could analyze it.
5. I've really gotta write that guy back about my money.
2. I just optioned my short "Pusherman", like, fifteen minutes ago. In my haste, I neglected to mention payment. I'll write him back and tell him $50. That's enough to cover the cost of my next Inktip listing.
3. My husband agreed that my ass is spreading, so I've been on a terrible, destructive diet. I'm so hungry, I can't concentrate. However, my abs are quite defined.
4. My son told me he wants a Link Larkin Hairspray doll. Hmm. Not quite sure what to make of that. If I wasn't so hungry, I could analyze it.
5. I've really gotta write that guy back about my money.
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