Writing
WHY I WRITE
Writing isn’t something that I do for fun. In fact, it’s rarely fun. It’s arduous, demanding, maddening, thrilling, and sometimes- boring. But it’s mine. It makes me feel powerful and weak all at once, and I am compelled to do it.
That being said, I don’t consider myself a rigid wordsmith but more of a…story vessel. I write until the ideas come to me- which sounds counter initiative, but that’s what happens. I write, and then the ideas come.
I also adore brainstorming with other writers. I work with several writing groups and have a blast working out problems (usually in the second act), and finding brilliance in our collective brains. Collaboration is a rush!
I wasn’t always so willing to work with others, When I started writing as a young girl, I wrote plays for my family and friends and teleplays for my Barbies to act out ( heavily influenced by my Grandmother Juanita’s soap operas. ) Back then, it was definitely my way or the highway. Many a Saturday afternoon, I’d tearfully leave my friend’s house, walking home with my box of Barbies in hand, muttering about artistic vision and wondering how it had gone so horribly wrong.
I’m all grown up. I’ve had two different careers, battled addiction (winning), childhood trauma, got married, and raised some great kids. Now, I’m enjoying a renaissance of sorts- well, enjoy is a strong word.
My brain will not shut up
It started with an improv class I took in my late 40s. My creative side had been so out of use that it didn’t even try anymore. My “editing” brain was all-powerful, all-knowing. So, spending just a few minutes a day to allow that creative part to have a chance to play was all it needed. I stand daily at the abyss, daring the strange, the real, and the honest to come play with me.
Here are a few of my playmates...
“The Rally”: After receiving a new script from her agent, a troubled alcoholic falls into the movie fantasy world and journeys to heal her terminally ill daughter.
The Rally is the first feature that I finished. It’s now in its 7th or 8th draft and is an ongoing project of love. Truthfully, it may never see the light of day, but I don’t care. I will work and work and work on it. I love these characters. They are friends of mine, and I will never give up on them.
“ZKC”: A cocky air traffic controller navigates relationships, his personal demons, and the job itself in the pressure cooker arena of an Air Traffic Control Center.
Think “The Bear” meets “Pushing Tin.”
This one poured out of me. ZKC wants to see the world, and the response has been positive. As I am writing this sentence, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are still on strike, so I have not circulated this script to producers, etc. However, it was placed as a QuarterFinalist in the Los Angeles International Screenwriting Competition.
“Darlins”: After a writer cuts a creepy creature from her novel and turns down a would-be suitor, she finds her editing choices have consequences.
Teaser:
Darlins is pure scary fun! I’m thrilled to announce that my short thriller is complete! Looks for it at film festivals soon! Zach Uthman was our director with Adrain Fisk as our DP.
