Apr 30, 2013 | Inspiration
CenterStage Table Read April 28, 2013
A table reading of my Flipper Girl script at the Gottwald Playhouse edged me closer to one of the hardest goals I’ve ever set: to sell this story about a webbed-foot, half-mermaid teen, which tackles bullying, diversity and environmental awareness with a sprinkling of magic.
It took several rewrites and many critiques before I could build the roadmap to the heart of the story. As I listened to a dynamic cast of actors breathe life into the characters, my heart could not stop smiling. The audience laughed at the right times. The actors read with conviction and nuance in a lovely 150-seat theater I never dreamed I’d sit in as a writer hearing my story unfold. My script was one of three presented by the Virginia Screenwriters’ Forum and its Actors Ensemble. Each writer had 30 pages of a script read.
To have actors excited about your story is a blessing. They created accents, spoke in unknown languages and read with passion. For 35 minutes, the actors helped the audience visualize a story that’s aimed at young teens but has universal appeal. At what age do any of us stop wanting to fit in? Or do we get better at it as we get older?
I experience a twinge of apprehension as I put my work out into the marketplace, where intellectual property rights are a slippery concept. But I believe in Flipper Girl and its themes of self-acceptance, family and environmental connections.
More than anything, I want to see Flipper Girl as a film or TV show. I join numerous others with that desire. I’m willing to put in the work, and the actors’ reading served as the momentum needed to keep moving forward. I have actors and audience members rooting for me.
Without a plan, goals are nothing more than dreams. I’m wide awake.
Feb 1, 2012 | Inspiration, Writing Tips
Feeling exhilarated and empowered, I’m back to blogging.
I can thank the annual winter conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) for a feeling of rejuvenation that makes my toes tingly. The New York conference united 1,100 writers from around the globe for dynamic sessions on how to revise your work, write better fantasy, attract agents and other assorted topics that storytellers crave. It even wrapped up with an Oprahish ending.
The highlight revolved around Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine Books. This rock star demystified the revision process like no other. Her strategies were so precise, practical and powerful I stood in line to tell her that her session alone made the trip worth it.
I also enjoyed Arianne Lewin of G.P. Putnam, who led a fascinating session on how to write compelling fantasy. Listening to Regina Brooks, Ginger Knowlton, Chris Richman and Ken Wright riff about the current market for books and possible trends was another informative treat.
As a newbie member, I felt welcomed by members (a Virginian I met at the conference even gave me Klein’s book after I raved about it at the Saturday evening gala). But the best part is I left feeling renewed and clear-eyed about my need to write and push through another revision. It helps that I learned possible new rituals to shift me into writing mode. Given a sandalwood-scented tea candle (another gift, this one from Kathryn Erskine, the closing speaker who urged each of us to light it before engaging in wordplay) I will either accidentally burn my cluttered office up or hopefully, create a new intro for my creative process. Just a sec, as I raise my wine glass to accomplishing the latter.
Armed with my revision roadmap and a fiery focus, I must banish my love for procrastination and write like time is running out. Because it is.
Bad segue but check out this great stop-motion story I discovered from a SCBWI blogger, it’s a feast for book lovers. It’s been so long since I posted, I can’t recall how to insert the actual video here!
Until next time, warm wishes.
