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Fade Out…

/ markmkane / Leave a comment

That’s the two words most screenwriters love to see and say out loud. Why you may ask? Basically it means that all your hard work toiling in front of the computer and pounding away on that keyboard has finally come to an end. The story that had been pining away inside of you finally came out…every character, every dialogue, every scene, every nuance that was worked out in your mind’s eye is now all within your computer.

You lean back in your chair, prop your feet on the desk, stretch your arms and take pride in your creation. Your “baby” has finally come to life. You think it’s a work of art, a complete perfection, the “best damn story” that was written in all of history.

Your mind drifts off to what might be as a result of completing this “amazing script.” Delusions of grandeur pop into your head, and rightfully so. It’s good to think that. It gives us a sense of self-confidence…realists see this as false hope. But who cares! You created something from nothing and that’s no easy task.

Once everything settles, reality sets in and you soon realize that this is just the beginning. The real work comes into play. You’re going to have to do a ton of rewrites…WHAT?! But you thought it was perfect, how can you improve on a masterpiece?! This is your “baby” we’re talking about.

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Sad to say what you thought was impeccable, now has a bunch of flaws. Parts of the story doesn’t flow well, terrible dialogue, nondescript scenes and useless characters are the defects that stings the very fiber of your core. What you once thought was great, has now been reduced to ashes; remnants a novice’s attempt lay at your feet.

You start to question your credentials as a writer and think how can this possibly be fixed. Doubt creeps in; stress and anxiety soon take over and all your creative juices are all out of whack. You’ve just made the possible something completely insurmountable.

Don’t really know if other writers go through this, but I’ve experienced this numerous times. At the moment I’m about to throw in the towel, an epiphany of why I write hits me like a lightning bolt. I take a deep breath (actually several), grit my teeth and press on.

My love of writing will outweigh any type of insecurities that I have. I look at it as if I’m polishing a diamond in the rough; my story has the potential, I just need to add a few key elements to bring out and display that passion that I had while writing it.

After completing my first rewrite, I’ll take a break and then come back to it to do a second and a third rewrite. For me, anything after three is overkill. Once my script’s done, I lean back in my chair, prop my feet on the desk, let loose a gratifying smile and bask in the satisfaction that I was able to endure the true writer’s journey…FADE OUT.

Dream a little dream…

/ markmkane / Leave a comment


There is a point in all of our lives where we aspire to be great, to do something big or to be famous beyond all belief. Call it delusions of grandeur, wishful thinking or lofty goals…but we all go through it.

I dreamed a lot…ages ago, when I was able to run like the wind, shake off the flu with ease and be pain free.  I had all these dreams…being a rock star, the hero that saved Earth from invading aliens, a star athlete, you know the usual stuff.  But there was one particular dream that I am most grateful for and that was to be a writer of cards.

You know what I’m talking about…birthday cards, wedding cards, anniversary cards, any type that you’d find in a Hallmark store.  That was my foray into writing.

You see, at that time I was extremely “girl crazy”…you would be too if you came from a Catholic all boys school like I did.  When I got into college and started to mingle with the hordes of beautiful women on the college campus, I decided that whenever one of my lady friends had a birthday I would give them the gift of poetry.

My type of poetry didn’t contain eloquent verses; it wasn’t even close to anything magnanimous, it was more of the rhyming sort.  The kind that you would find when you opened up a “Hallmark” card.  I would pine away at the right words to use to convey how I felt and would take pen to paper soon after.  Here’s an example:

“Some write songs of love old and new,

others write books of love so grand and true

But songs and books cannot describe,

the real true meaning of love…

A love that comes from inside

From within the heart a certain feeling grows

it cannot be hid for through your action it shows

It’s seen in the eyes of both the young and old

It’s shown through their smile that’s pure and gold

If everyone had one wish they’d probably say,

Love stay with me forever, never go away.”

Yeah it’s cheesy but it helped me on my path to becoming a writer…which was something that I subconsciously dreamt about when I was writing all those weird short stories in my high school English classes.  It was a start and like all dreams, you have to start somewhere.  Even if it seems illogical at the time, you have to try.

My whole point that I’m trying to get at is that you truly can’t be afraid to dream.  Failure is not an option but merely an obstacle that you’ll overcome.  Even if it seems impossible, unattainable or just plain crazy.  If that’s what you want then strive to get there at all costs.

Dream#1

I’m a screenwriter and that’s probably one of the most unattainable dream that one could aspire to be…but I stuck with it.  It took me almost seventeen plus years to get representation but I achieved it…and I’ll go another seventeen years more to try and sell one of my scripts.  Persistence and patience are the key ingredients to achieving one’s dream…add a dash of luck to the mix as well.

So dream away and dare to be great.

Not your ordinary “Action Figures”

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It’s amazing how times have changed since I was a young boy.  Back in my time playing with the so-called boy “dolls” was done usually alone and in the confines in our room.  If we were caught with one in hand we had mental checklist to justify that it was merely a toy and not a “doll.”

I can now understand why the adults of that generation considered them dolls.  To them they looked like a Barbie doll in the guise of a superhero or soldier and it was used to role play.

The action figures of yesterday had only four stiff moving parts consisting of both arms and legs if you’re lucky…

And you really couldn’t pose them in a realistic fashion.  You almost also had to be a magician to get them to stand upright by themselves.  It was simple and did it’s job in entertaining us for hours on end.  We didn’t care if it got dirty or if it was missing an arm or leg.  It was cheap enough to go to the store to get another to replace it.

But the wonders of science changed all of that for the male generation. Technology had advanced to the point where stuff we once imagined was now a reality.  Growing up as a kid in the 21st century with the type of toys abound is simply mind-blowing.  The “boy dolls” were now know as “ACTION FIGURES”…doesn’t that sound more masculine.  And boys nowadays are proud to tote them about wherever they go.

The “action figures” in today’s society are TOTALLY INCREDIBLE!  Just take a gander at these:

They’re like sculptured works of art…don’t you think?  And the best ones have 26 or more points of articulation.

What does that mean?  Well, that enables you to pose them in more human like fashion.  It gives you the power to show them off in super cool action stances where they looked like they jumped out of the comic books and onto your floor.  It’s just AWESOME!

The only drawback to these type of action figures is that they’re quite expensive and is usually just meant to be displayed out of reach from young inquisitive and prying hands.

I for one tend not to remove them from the box.  WHAT?!  Yep, that’s right.  An action figure that is neither handled with human hands or displayed out in the open.  I guess it’s like my own personal Picasso that I keep locked away in storage; I relish in the thought that I own a priceless work of art only meant for my gaze.  One day I’ll remove them from the box and enjoy it in the manner it was designed for but until then I’ll just admire them from within the box and mentally list the poses that each one will be in.

Tribute to an old friend…

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Around this time every year I always stop to be thankful for what I have and most grateful for but it’s also a time when I reflect on losing two beloved pets.  What’s so ironic is that I lost them years apart in the same month all due to old age.  It’s something that all pet owners wish won’t happen but will inevitably face.  Today I just want to pay tribute to my beloved dogs Ginger, Remy and Tigger.

“My Friend, today you’ve left a space in my heart…a void that not anyone can make.  To do this one has to unselfishly give of one’s self.  You did just that and more.  You gave yourself freely, shown your love openly and unbiased, gave your ear for someone to bend and comforted a cold and lonely body.  With your warmth and tenderness, your companionship is unmatched and your heart is forever captured.  Right here in my private treasure chest…where your love is kept safe…until it is ready to be freely shared to the one who is worth and unselfish.  The one who will learn as well as accept the gift of unconditional love.  But until that time comes, my heart will not be whole…for the space that was left will be a most tremendous task to fill.  Because the love that I’ve received is but one of a kind…that is unique only to you…My Friend.”

 

Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

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Normally the phrase “Out of the frying pan and into the fire” means escaping a bad situation and ending up in an even worse situation but in the past several weeks this phrase is more associated with our current weather here in the islands.  It’s been the worst weather ever since I’ve been alive.  You jump in the shower to rinse off the stickiness but a few minutes later, you’re hot and sticky all over again.  Just trying to combat this heat has been a physical and intellectual battle and mother nature has been winning.  The main question is how to stay cool and comfortable without the advantage of having an air conditioner in your humble abode.  (Damn you board of directors for not allowing us to have A/C’s within our units and curse you El Nino weather system.) Your mind’s going into overdrive and put on your best Einstein face just trying to figure out how to beat the heat.  In an attempt to be creative, sweat pours out of every orifice and you succumb to your basic escape plan…jump in the shower for a cold rinse.  Staying in the shower until the weather changes for the better is simply out of the question.  Stripping down to your underwear and constantly drinking water helps; even placing ice packs on your body and lying in front of a fan also beats the heat. But alas nothing lasts forever and you’re back to feeling hot and sticky.  Yes it royally sucks but what can you do; guess I’ll go jump in the shower for my 20th rinse and feel cool for a couple of minutes.

Teaching an old dog new tricks.

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“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” was a saying that I’ve heard over and over growing up.  For awhile I literally took that phrase to heart thinking that it just pertained to my pet pooch. As I grew older and learned what that saying was really trying to convey then it all clicked.  I knew that you could teach an old dog something totally new because I was able to  train my dog Remy to roll over which is a feat unto itself.  I’ve recently come to realize that in this day and age, with the way technology is evolving every passing second that I need to learn new things even in my advanced stage in life.  It is not so much a want, more like a need of necessity in order to survive.  In order to function in the world we live in, we need to adapt.  It’s funny though, I know of some people who are resistant to learning the new ways of technology and trying their all to holding on to their past and the “old ways.”  It’s funny how they make an attempt but soon give up whether it be frustration or the fear of feeling obsolete.  When you think about it, a lot of the things that I’ve been learning and am learning helps to make life a little easier and faster.  If my “old school” colleagues take this to heart then maybe, just maybe they wouldn’t be hesitant to trying something new.  But I guess it’s their prerogative to get left back in the dark ages while the rest of us accept modernization.  Learning something totally new is very stimulating and re-energizes the soul…but the only freakin’ hard thing is the amount of information that needs to be taken in to gain this new skill or knowledge.  It takes twice as long and double the determination to do accomplish this…well, at least I know I can overcome this.  “AND” if I can overcome this then I can surely conquer whatever’s in my path.  ONWARD, AND UPWARD!!!

Talent or persistence? That is the question.

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When it comes to pursuing your dreams, what is more important…being talented or having persistence? Most would say that both are key to achieving one’s dream. I guess it all depends on what you’re striving for. For me as a screenwriter, you would think that having talent is way more crucial and I felt that way…21 years ago. With aspirations of becoming a screenwriter, I worked and slaved through countless of writing classes both in college and outside. Along the way I’ve met numerous people with the same aspirations, with differing degrees of talent but all with the same drive. I’ve gotten a chance to peruse their writing styles and felt quite intimidated to say the least. Seeing their words flow like art on paper made me feel like I had no business being in their league. Who was I to think that I could make it as a writer. Let me tell you, it was a bit disheartening at first, but it was something that I knew in my heart that I just had to do. I had the opportunity to meet a highly regarded and established screenwriter at a writing conference years and years ago; I’ll never forget what he said to all of us fledgling writers. He told us that the key to attaining our goal, while talent is important, is “persistence.” Some of the best writers he met while pursing his dreams were way more talented; but in the end, no matter what obstacle he faced, he was the victor because he was relentless in his pursuit of his dream. To this very day, those words are etched in my memory. I’ve been tirelessly writing, trying to better myself and my craft; I’m not the best writer in the world but I know for certain that I’m not the worst. I’ve even met up with some of those “aspiring writers” from my past and suffice to say, they are no longer in the game. Despite feeling inadequate about my writing ability, I was tenacious in my pursuit. So to answer the question “Talent or persistence?” , I’ll take persistence all the time. Although success has eluded me, I know that if I keep trudging on…one day it’ll happen. I can dream can’t I?