I get a lot of emails telling me how to be a better screenwriter. And for anyone who has ever tried to write a script, and has done some research on screenwriting, you have no doubt come across some of the more famous teachers out there: Robert McKee, Blake Snyder, Christopher Vogler. These men have […]
Juggling Act
October 22, 2013 by 1 Comment
Heaven & Earth is deep into rehearsals. I have just finished blocking the play and now move onto acting. We are just about at the half-way point of this production which is a challenge for the actors as we begin to take away the safety of their scripts and work more specifically on acting choices. […]
Heaven & Earth
September 17, 2013 by 1 Comment
I have begun rehearsals for an upcoming theatrical production called Heaven & Earth. It includes a cast of 9 actors and 5 singers. Heaven & Earth tells the story of the Gray family and the Parker family who find themselves at a traumatic crossroad on Christmas Day. One year earlier, a shocking incident sent both […]
Pick Up the Pen and Go
August 19, 2013 by 2 Comments
A friend recently sent me this quote from author Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote “Eat, Pray, Love”: “Continuing to write after that heartache of disappointment doesn’t take only discipline, but also self-forgiveness (which comes from a place of kind and encouraging and motherly love). The other thing to realize is that all writers think they suck. […]
My Places
July 26, 2013 by 4 Comments
Some writers like to write in coffee shops, others in malls, in the park, on a beach, etc… I’m not one of those writers. I find I get too distracted. Most of my writing happens in my home (and I’m distracted enough just being there). I spend a lot time pacing, looking out windows, waiting […]
Plays On My Mind
June 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Two plays are on my mind these days. One is called Animal. The other has not yet been written. I have just completed the 3rd draft of my play Animal. On July 6th I will be having a reading of Animal with actors. I’m looking forward to finally hearing this dialogue read aloud by other […]
I Am Not the Genius I Thought I Was
May 28, 2013 by 3 Comments
A funny thing happened a couple weeks ago. I finished writing my 3rd draft of Circus (now called Animal), and I sat down to read the play from beginning to end. Although this is a 3rd draft, in all honesty it’s a 1st draft of a 3rddraft (if you know what I mean). The overall structure […]
Climbing
April 26, 2013 by 2 Comments
On my recent trip to California, a friend took me on a hike near and around the mountains where the Hollywood sign stands. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the top of this particular mountain trail. It begins nice but about half way up, your legs start feeling heavy, each step is harder […]
A Writer Writes
March 28, 2013 by 3 Comments
The hard truth about being a writer is you have to write. That may sound redundant, but facing a blank page or looking at a major re-write of a script you’ve poured your heart and soul into can often times be an intimating and exhausting process. Procrastination is your enemy and it comes in many […]
Thank You
March 3, 2013 by 16 Comments
Below you will find a short slide show of my weekend at the Movieguide Awards in Hollywood. My screenplay Play Ball took 1st Runner Up at the Kairos Prize and I want to personally take this time and thank every person who has emailed me, responded on Facebook or on my blog here. I have […]