You want realism? Go outside.

You invoke the ‘i’ word? I beg to differ

“…the idea of a female train engineer during the time of steam locomotives or even into the early decades of the twentieth century is, I think, virtually inconceivable.”

This was part of a comment that pointed out the historical and factual inaccuracy and basic impossibility of the concept behind my western-adventure.

My problem isn’t with what this person is saying. They’re entitled to their opinion.

What bothers me is that they seem to just flat-out refuse the idea that such a story could, or even should be considered.

Which is exactly why I want to write it.

We don’t go to the movies to watch a reflection of our lives. We go to see a story told in an original and interesting way. The more original and interesting, the better.

I happen to think this one has the potential to be both.

It may not be a 100 percent-accurate depiction of the era, but I’m not setting out to make a documentary.  This is escapism. Pure and simple.

Besides – how could I pass up the chance to give my imagination a workout like this? This is why I write.

There will always be those who shoot your ideas down, or at least find fault with them.  Listen to what they have to say, take what you want from their comments, and ignore the rest. Then go write what you want.

If they think they can do a better job, by all means  – let ’em try.

Lo, the cowboy ponders his fate

Guns + horses + good story = winning combo

Ah, air travel. When it works in your favor, it’s a very pleasant experience.

When it doesn’t…well, let’s just say it’s a good thing I had a pen, some paper, an outline to work on and an abundant supply of spare time.

I worked my way through the first act of my western-adventure, making changes and setting up setups where applicable. I still like how this is coming together. All that work fine-tuning the previous script is really paying off for this one.

But there’s one thing still nagging at me. Some significantly high-profile westerns are headed our way: Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED at Christmas, Verbinski/Rossio/Elliot’s THE LONE RANGER next summer and Chan Wook-Park’s THE BRIGANDS OF RATTLEBORGE sometime next year (in theory). All very different takes on the genre, and no reason why none of them won’t be successful.

So while I plug away at my story, the angst that plagues every writer kicks in: is it still worth the time and effort to do it?

In the end, there’s only one definitive answer:  Of course it is.

This is a story I’m very enthusiastic and passionate about, so to not write it would simply be a big mistake. It’s got familiar elements but based on an original idea to make it fresh and exciting.

And if those three films are successful, that could potentially create a demand for more scripts of that nature.

Which is where mine comes in.

All the more reason to hunker down, dive in and make sure this thing is done right.

Not yet, but almost

Must…stay awake…finish…rewrite….zzzz

Man, am I pooped.  But it’s a good pooped. Which actually sounds somewhat disgusting. But back to my original point.

K’s out of town this week, which makes me the guy responsible for getting V to school on time. As a result, I’ve had to stay home but have been really busy.

Apart from the usual dad stuff (rides to school, soccer, etc), this week has been prime “getting stuff done” time, especially in terms of running and writing.

For running, I’ve been getting ready for the Los Angeles Half-marathon this Sunday. If you’re anywhere along the route, I’ll be the panting, sweaty tall guy.  This’ll be my third half-marathon this year, and I’ve beaten the 2-hour mark for the first two. I’m hoping to hit  1:55 in LA, but don’t know if that’ll happen, although it would be very nice.

Running’s been good to me this year. That, combined with the biking everywhere, as well as trying to eat healthier and avoid crappy stuff, has resulted in me losing about 15 pounds. I’m hovering just below 200, and my jeans are 5(!) sizes smaller than the ones I wore in high school. Not to shabby.

Next up – upper body.

As for the writing, I dove into this rewrite with the intention of finishing it before week’s end.

Mission accomplished.

It’s 7 pages longer than the previous draft, but there’s lots of editing and fine-tuning to work through. Bet I can trim at least 3-4 pages before all is said and done.

Those notes I got over the summer really helped.  I was able to make changes where necessary, as well as throw in some improvements I never even considered before.  The hardest part was coming up with and implementing those changes. At first I resisted, but had to keep reminding myself “This is a rewrite, not a cut-and-paste. There are some things that need to be different.”

You’d be surprised what you can come up with when you throw willingness and openness to change into the mix. It’s almost freeing.

I wasn’t used to being able to spend so much time on a project. Several hours at a stretch.

I came pretty close to burning out at the end, but knew enough to step away when necessary. A short game on the iPhone or some brief internet surfing can actually be beneficial to one’s productivity, but don’t quote me on that.

-Movie of the Moment – still working my way through Season 2 of THE WALKING DEAD. Man, that is some quality stuff. Practically addicting. Looking forward to Season 3, and I still have 4 eps left of Season 2.

And the rebuilding continues…

Hammer. Saw. Write. Repeat ad infinitum.

Oh, how I loves me a challenge. Which is what this rewrite has become.

But in a good way.

I’ve figured my way through several problem areas, came up with (hopefully) better ways to show important story/plot points, but still have quite a ways to go.

Bonus – what originally seemed like an insurmountable task is slowly becoming an opportunity to push my creativeness beyond its limits and turn this thing into even more of a thrill ride.

Which was my original intent to begin with.

So far, the hardest part has been forcing myself to stop hanging onto the contents of the previous draft. Which ain’t easy.  A lot of it is material I thought worked fine, but as always, can be better.  Letting go of something I slaved over and hammered out is tough, but it has to be done.

Once I come up with new or revised scenes and sequences I like, working them into the story shouldn’t be too hard.

At least that’s what I’m hoping.

I suspected this would happen

Baklava has nothing to do with this post, but I could really go for some right about now

My creativeness did it again.

Looking over those notes* I got the other day has triggered the inevitable: more ideas for more scenes, or at least trying a new approach in some of them.

I originally thought the necessary rewrites would be quick and painless.

Ha. Silly boy.

The more I think about how to implement the suggestions from those notes, the more I devise potential alternate ways of telling the story while still keeping everything intact.

As always, it’s all about making the story stronger.

Going through this process also reminds me I don’t have to be hesitant to change things around. Chances are I could come up with something even better. Never know if I don’t try, right?

Most importantly, I want to avoid that burned-out feeling I was getting as I neared the end of the edits and polishes the last time around. If this ever starts to feel like work, then it’s time for a short break.

Which, knowing me, would probably trigger more ideas.

*Can’t believe I forgot to mention where I got the notes – right here. Definitely worth your while.