Frustrated Writer

Ya know, over the Christmas holdiays I went to a very cool party here in Atlanta where I met a very cool actor. A friend made an introduction and we chatted for a few minutes, a brief conversation that led to him agreeing to read my screenplay (he mentioned that he wanted to get into producing).

So I sent him the script and a few weeks later I actually heard from his manager. He left me a voice mail saying that they'd gotten the project and that he had a few questions...yada, yada, yada. It was a very nice message that looked like maybe things would move forwards. Anywho, I returned the call and left several messages, but I haven't heard anything further about him or his manager about the project. Whoopdido right? It's Hollywood, people make a living out of bullshitting others. But it's just that at times it's so frustrating. I'd rather have more rejection letters to add to the pile of exactly two that I've received about my script, than to hear nothing at all. Especially with all the false starts.

I'm plowing ahead still nonetheless, but if you're an artist like me who has ever dealt with the frustration of query letters (w/SASE) that still go unanswered or agents and managers who give you the run around, please give me a shout out. I KNOW I am not alone in this.

Why I write

I write because it keeps me centered, focused, and provides a natural outlet for my wandering mind, always looking, always questioning-- trying to figure out the best way to express something, to stay alive and to feel. I write because I am a storyteller, filled with an endless supply of ideas. I write because it keeps me grounded, human and connected, communicating thoughts and feelings and frustrations I’d be too shy to express otherwise. I write so that I live. Without this, what else would I do?

Voiceless

I was reviewing some short stories I had written, thinking I may put together a collection when I realized how distinct my writing has become. Like a mixture of short and long sentences that come together in an interesting cadence. It’s my signature I think. For a while there I was beginning to think that my work seemed too heavily influenced by some of my favorite authors like Terry McMillan. I didn’t want to write like Terry, I wanted to write like me. But what does that mean really? Will I have the courage to keep my characters free and honest, using language for example, that I’d be embarrassed for my grandmother to know that I use, but that’s really how people talk.

But I am proud to say that I seemed to have developed my own distinct voice. Whether or not that’s a voice that others connect with…well that remains to be seen. I will keep you posted.