The past couple of months have kept me very busy.

I've been re-writing a feature length script, written two short films, written two treatments for a feature film, worked on two websites, and currently 1st AD for a short film going out this coming weekend.

On top of that, I'm inking a deal for a feature length script based off the treatments I wrote, and I'm working on a novel.

And I'll be traveling to LA in October for a Screenwriting Conference held by Script-A-Wish founder Michael Ferris.

And I've been invited to VISIONS Film Festival in Wilmington, NC for an academic paper I wrote.

And I've been nominated as a judge for RiverRun Film Festival in April.

And I'm working PT.

Yeah. Busy.

One of the projects I'm most interested in is the novel. I'll be self-publishing through Amazon when it's finished, but part of this blog will be sharing the experience. I'm hopeful the information I gather will be useful to others.

A note about the screenwriting deal. I first mentioned it here in April, 2011. From my first conversation with them to receiving a deal, it's taken almost 10 months. It will take another 3 months before the script is finished, and many months after that before the film receives funding, IF it receives funding. Then comes pre-production, production, and post-production.

What does that mean?

It's a long road to releasing a film. A very long road.

That's one reason I'm excited about self-publishing. I won't have to wait years before my stories reach the public, and there's potential to earn a living writing while I continue pursuing a career in Hollywood.

It's an amazing time to be a writer. There's opportunity everywhere.

Colt, a UNCSA 4th year thesis film I wrote, wrapped production today. It's a strangely existential experience watching a performance of material you've written. The characters have been living inside my head for over a year and to see them standing in front of me, speaking, moving, and performing was frankly unnerving. It's as if the visual stage play inside my mind suddenly manifested in the material world. Amazing and bizarre.

This week I apply for Sundance Screenwriter Lab to be held January 2012. They've requested a bio and brief artistic statement about the screenplay: where I am in the process, what's my creative vision for the piece, etc. I've no doubt the screenplay I'm submitting will be unique, but it may not be appropriate material considering their preference for independent narrative feature films, and the work I'm sending is more a family friendly animated film. It doesn't bother me, nor will it prevent me from applying. I'm just aware it's not their usual kitchen sink drama.

The last two weekends I've been in Raleigh, NC filming a documentary about master tin smith Peter Blum. We'll be following Peter for the next twelve months, and the last two weekends were spent with him at the State Fair. Peter introduced us to an incredibly diverse collection of North Carolina based craftspeople working with traditional tools and techniques. Potters, weavers, toymakers, cobblers, pipe makers, glass blowers, etc. It was as educational as it was entertaining; an amazing visual and auditory feast. Many of the craftspeople were third and even fourth generation masters of their craft whose forefathers literally helped build some of the first towns and cities in North Carolina. If you ever visit the State Fair in NC, I highly recommend paying a visit to the Village of Yesteryear - it's unbelievable.

This morning I woke up and realized I am the character Philip in my latest screenplay. He's the manifestation of my deepest fear of not being good enough. The entire story Philip struggles to prove his worth to his father, his family, his peers, and most importantly to himself. I've been struggling with re-writing Storybook, unable to grasp the story, and I think what's been happening is I've been avoiding going along for the ride with Philip. The story scares me because it mirrors my own internal world too closely. Philip's my tour guide through my personal hell, and that hell's not going away until I walk through it arm-in-arm with Philip and finish this story together.

It may seem odd to talk about a character from a book as if they're real, but that's how my characters are. They don't just exist inside my head, but they seem to take up residence, make themselves at home, develop their own dreams, comment on my life, and generally become a pleasant nuisance. Does that mean my head's constantly teeming with chatter from various characters? Usually. The more closely I've been working on their story the more vocal they become, and I find their presence comforting. And if you're wondering, yes, I often have two-way conversations with them. If I'm going to have illusory squatters dwelling on my cerebellum I should make their acquaintance.

Today I'll be pitching a new, high-concept story toying around with the concept of 'God'. Having been raised in a church with a literal interpretation of the bible, I developed a rather active imagination. Whenever you see or read things that make you wonder, "Who comes up with this stuff?" It's probably a poor, recovering evangelical who, at the age of 5, was trying to paint a mental picture of talking serpents, men parting oceans in half, and a celestial war involving winged creatures with human heads and scorpion stingers. That will make anyone's head spin.

Meridian 59 free to play!

A bit of history for those unfamiliar with this original MMO. Meridian 59 was released in 1996 by the 3DO company and was literally the first 3-d massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. The graphics weren't anything to get excited about, but the online community, unique world, and amazing PvP are still unmatched by many of today's current MMO giants. Some particularly unique features that are still unimplemented in today's games are zones that literally morph based on the alignment of monsters present in the area, purchaseable guild houses complete with secret entrances and exits located around the game world, and a skill-based character development system that allowed the player full control over the type of character they played. Want a sword wielding magic-user? No problem.

I played Meridian 59 upon its release in 1996 on Server 103. To this date, it remains the most enjoyable online experience I've ever had playing an MMO.

Had a great time at a wedding this weekend for a family friend in Athens, GA. My wife is a good friend of the bride and set the couple up on their first date. Pretty cool to see them get married. ;)

Now that we're back in NC I'll be continuing the re-write of my first feature length script, and preparing the groundwork for the next piece. I also have two short films to pitch at the end of this week. There are half a dozen ideas in my development folder, but I'll have to narrow them down tomorrow and select my two strongest stories.