March has been absolutely amazing, and I haven’t written a single scene! And it’s not because of writer’s block or that I don’t have stories to tell or a script to rewrite; no, nothing like that. Remember I was planning to resubmit to the BlueCat Felini Awards, for the prize - selfish… IKR. Thankfully, at the beginning of this month, something happened that put things back in perspective. It’s pretty simple: I was reminded that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. In order to do that, I literally had to press pause on me.
So I hit the breaks, then I took a step back to observe. You know what I mean? I had to see me for you – because I refuse to get sidetracked! In other words, I thought, “What is the main thing or agenda?” So I answered – that’s introspection not crazy, “Write and produce entertaining stories designed to capture the essence of truth.” “Whose truth?” A truth I’m experiencing and want to share with anyone interested in listening.
How ‘bout I reiterate the “why I write scripts?” for anyone reading this blog for the first time. Let’s start with a simple fact, everyone has a story – good or bad, we all have a story or experience to share. In filmmaking, stories fall into a genre or category if you will. For the most part, the stories I write would be categorized as “Faith-based” (i.e. based in faith). Well, even that’s a broad category because of the many different faiths practiced. So then what is faith? Merriam-Webster’s definition is:
1. a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty
b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2. a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3. : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Okay, I would argue that “there is no proof”, but this blog is about my adventures in screenwriting.
Any whose, I remember early on in this script adventure, someone sent me a Facebook message pretty much asking for advice about telling “his” story. I had to be honest. So I replied, “What makes your story worth telling? Why would anyone pay to see it?” Honestly – there has to be value to whatever we do. And then the question is what value does your story have? If what you’re sharing is just about you, then why share? But not everyone agrees… to each his own.
After I pressed pause, took a step back, and observed, I had to redress the agenda. That’s when God's favor swooped me up, and I’ve been floating on it since: I’m surrounded by it. Thanks to Him, Black Women Film Network, AFFRM, and Rolling Out Magazine I’m closer to “projecting a vision in motion.”
So what’s the point? Say goodbye to self, and suddenly there are no limits.
Now, resume.
Happy writing,
/GM
Writing is rewriting until it's written!
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