PAT PATTERSON

My screenplay, PLAY BALL has been re-optioned by producer Pat Patterson. Pat first optioned the script in August 2014 and since that time, she has held a reading in New York and has received tons of feedback on the script.  I have done a re-write and Pat has been moving forward with more re-writes and financing of the project.   When a producer re-options a script that’s a good sign that they are serious about getting the film made. Pat’s hope is PLAY BALL (now known as The Last Pitch) will go before the cameras this fall.

The Chronos Prize – a 50 thousand dollar screenwriting award – was handed out in Hollywood on Feb 5. I was one of 12 finalists vying for this award, and I was not chosen as the winner.   The prize went to Katherine Craddock for her screenplay American Exodus.   Was I disappointed? Of course. But I created a solid story in my screenplay The Great Surrender and I will be re-writing it to make it even better. I plan to write more scripts for Chronos next year and I hope to be in the winner’s circle.

Writing can be a lonely journey filled with such doubt and uncertainty.   People can give you much advice as to how to improve your script, but in the end you must do it yourself, you must dig deep within yourself to find what is special about the story you are telling. It usually does not come from inspiration; it’s just plain hard work and persistence.  The biggest enemy in this battle (or any battle where you are trying to achieve a certain goal) is procrastination.   I’ve had a rough few weeks as I begin to take apart and rebuild my play OverTime which played at the Toronto Fringe Festival this past summer/2015.   The deeper I get into re-working this play, the harder it is to try to make sense of where I’m going. Although the play was re-written a couple times before it played at the Fringe, the script needs work. The foundation of a great play is there….so I start there.

If you need a push today, I say to you: Get to work.   Don’t put off what you feel you need to do. I don’t just like to write, I need to.   And yes, it can be lonely and sometimes you may even question why you are doing what you are doing. But remember this, if you have a deep passion and if you can find some measure of persistency within you (and encouragement from others always helps), I truly believe one day you will stand out amongst the crowd.