The Limb Less Traveled By

Now Playing: SKYRIM SOUNDTRACK by Jeremy Soule
Just Read: THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon--A great read. A bit slow at parts, but definitely one of the best written books I've read in a while. His prose is masterful.
Reading Now: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens

After a slow January (see previous post), February went off like a rocket. I got into my groove, got excited about something, and spit out thousands of words in a matter of hours.

One of my best and oldest friends in the world, Spencer, had this dream about a stranger in a hybrid land of old west and science fiction. He imagined this stranger being the main character in a television show, one done well like a Starz or HBO original series. Spencer is a great idea-man, and a great actor, but he came to me for thoughts on how to write it.

When he first told me the idea I knew it was a winner. It's original, complex, deep, and rated R. February's W1S1 piece was Episode I, and I'm incredibly excited about it. My kitchen table is overflowing with papers bearing jotted notes, character sketches, and episode plans. I am eagerly awaiting Spencer's thoughts on it, because I can't wait to dive into Episode II.

I didn't have the first clue about writing a screenplay when I started (and, let's be honest, I still don't, really). Apparently there's a very strict format, much like standard manuscript formatting in prose fiction. I had to research all those rules and configure Microsoft Word to work for me. Then I had to read a few examples, get a feel for it, and take off. I still don't know what we're ultimately going to do with it. It's called a "Spec Script" I believe, meaning we could submit it to someone like HBO on the speculation of them liking it and wanting to produce it. Way in the future, sure, but I want to know where, ultimately, we'll take this thing.

It's always been a dream of mine to have my novel turned into a movie, but this screenplay idea is really taking hold. And the best part is that it jump-started my creativity, and now I have a few other projects ready to be tackled while I wait to hear from Spencer. So wish us luck! And if you have some insight into screenplay submission, leave me a comment! It will be much appreciated.