The Rough Draft

“The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.”

Ursula K. LeGuin (Author - “The Lathe of Heaven”

Some months ago, I promised one of the big guys over at Think Film a synopsis of one of my current specs. Not to get them involved in the development of the script or back a project. That’s not their business model but to have something for him to pass off to any director he might think would be interested in the project.

Like most writers, I hate writing any form of synopsis. We’re used to dancing round the bigger ideas or working up a treatment. Not paring everything down into a few scant paragraphs. We really would rather you just read the script… Less work for us, less heavy lifting.

Besides, something came up and as that had a Producer possibly attached, my spec and its synopsis got pushed to the back burner. Now here we are on the last day of the year and the other project has been handed off. Time to get the other stuff back on track. I’m almost finished the synopsis for my spec and it’ll be in my contact’s inbox for his first day back at work. Something may come of it, or nothing will come of it. If you don’t try, you don’t risk and risk is what makes it all worth while.

This is going to be an interesting year. Lots of things are very undecided, there’s a lot of chaos in the air. It could be fraught with perilous endings and frightful new beginnings. New paradigms of how we do business in film and TV are being bashed out. The slippery slope could get far more slippery or it could flatten out.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

But I have a plan if not a timeline.

I’ve always maintained that people who used AOL were… well, a bit thick. They had to navigate the internet by being hand held by others. They were to my mind, the lowest common denominator on the internet. Of course I forgot that while they might be the great unwashed, they still had dollars in their pocket and the people who run AOL were smart… PT Barnum smart that is and then they bought out Netscape and suddenly my sedate little news and email service became AOL overnight. Then it changed into a people’s forum in blog form and then back to a sort of news service when that didn’t pan out. The biggest change however, was the comments box.

You see, as a Canadian I expect a certain amount of debate. In that I say my bit, you listen. You say your bit, I listen and then we debate the points. And by debate, I mean we use logic not volume to establish our position for better or worse. Notice I did not say win our position. Debate allows for changing of opinion for or against your original position.

Not so in America or at least the America of AOL, where it would seem you are a Christian, Atheist, Republican, Democrat or a Liberal (which would appear to be a particular slur against you if used by a Republican / Christian) and a middle ground is not to be tolerated in any way.

It would seem to these folks, that Global Warming, Evolution and the Age of the Earth are just theories. You can catch being Gay and AIDs is God’s punishment on Gays and Africa. It makes me wonder what my Grandfather fought and died for in the Second World War? I mean I can sort of stand the positions (well not really but it is a free society we live in) but I can’t stand the venom or the ignorance.

The problem lies in the use of the word, “Theory.” Which sounds like, “We’re not sure but we think this is the way it works.” In reality it means. “This is the conclusion ascertained from the data we have processed.” Laws for the most part work in the realm of Physics but they just like Theories, are always up for challenge. So, instead of reasoned debate or a sound conclusion based on available data, we get ignorance and stupidity. A sort of self centered smugness of the already, “Saved.” Where it’s God this and God that and thanks be to God and it always seems to end up in God wants me to kill your entire civilization.

So until I see a Bear driving an SUV pass me on the freeway or buy up an Aluminum smelter, I’m going to assume, that we’re the reason it was six degrees C the other day instead of minus six like it used to be. I’m going to roll with Darwin and believe that people are what they are because it’s who they are, not who they associate with and last but by no means least, I’m going to believe that God is love, not hate and fear and that maybe in that spirit, we should take a good look around, stop bashing each other’s heads in. Agree to talk it out instead of shooting it out (no I don’t think it’s possible) and work together to put this world of ours back together. It can happen. Ireland is booming right now and I’m pretty sure it’s surge coincides with the end of, “The Troubles.”

It can happen, we just have to want it and be prepared to do it and that is the real challenge.

So we’re past the 21st! Every day from here on out gets a little longer and the time to when I can throw my leg over the saddle of my bike gets a little shorter and for the first time in a long time I can look forward to a relatively smooth (mechanically) riding season.

With the year almost done, I’m doing a bit of reflecting on what I’ve learned over what turned out to be a really tumultuous twelve months. Some of course, you’ll be going, “Of course, how come you’re so thick you couldn’t figure that out?” But the reasons are simple, it’s easy to see how the battle can be won after the fact but much harder, when you’re slogging it out in the trenches.

So here goes…

Crazy is as crazy does. When a Producer gives you a set of impossible conditions to a story’s characters and how they are to executed… Walk. You’re hired because of your particular style of writing. If they aren’t going to go with your skill set, leg it.

Go with your gut, it’s smarter than your brain.

Keep your friends close and tell your enemies to, “Go the fuck away.”

Family is best experienced in small regulated doses. They don’t get you, they never got you and for the most part, they think you’re weird and wasting your time on whatever it is you do, that they don’t get.

I’m not Wedding photographer guy, I’m special moment guy, which is why I’ll take four hundred shots and print five.

Frustration can lead to some pretty cool results. While most of the writing for other interests was shit this year. The stuff I did for myself, was very satisfying.

Good producers / directors, et al. Listen to every idea and weigh it’s merits. Discussion leads to creation and a stronger product.

True friends, really do have your best interests at heart and don’t expect anything in return. Which ultimately means, if we all work together, we really can present a united front and create change.

All the world is indeed a stage and for the most part, it’s filled with very bad actors. A lot of shit falls down in the third act too.

Last but by no means least.

While I may want something, I may not actually need it. It might look really good but ultimately in the end, is it good for me. Sometimes it’s okay to just walk away.

I hope everybody has a great New Year.

So I guess I didn’t have too much to say in November. The writer’s strike in the US grinds on with both sides dug in for a long seige. Which sort of sucks because I’m flying out to LA in Mid February and if the strikes still on, the most I can do is shake hands and tell them I’m a writer, no pitching allowed. Unless of course I hit the non union shops. Not a bad idea but the money those guys pay ain’t enough to lift my ass out of the day job if you get my drift.

December as always is a rough month for me, I miss my son and no matter how much cheer you’re subjected to, there’s still an empty place at the table. My wife had some basic surgery earlier this month. Nothing serious but I was put back in the position of wound care, which isn’t as bad as it sounds but she had a couple of drains in place at the beginning of her recovery and I had to empty them about every four hours. That subtle smell of blood and body fluid from the subsequent effluvia is still deeply rooted in my subconscious. Sure it’s not as bad as I’ve experienced in the past but it’s enough to make your mind get back on that hamster wheel of bad thoughts. At least these days I can recognize the signs and not succumb to self medication through booze or pills.

I had hoped that the year would end on an uptick as opposed to the downward slide it started on. New Year’s resolution? No more listening to the brain, 2008 will be the year of the gut. I’ll also be taking the advise of another good friend and writing out an agenda of achievement. Like any good pilot I know the best way to get out of a tailspin is to steer into it and gain velocity enough to get back into level flight.

So what are the plans for the coming year?

Well I’m deep into the rewrite for Whiskey Four Two, a Canadian military drama set in Afghanistan. We’ve got some initial interest in the project, we’ll see if that translates into real cash and a commitment to production down the road. The draft should be completed before the end of the year and then it goes off to do it’s own thing while I wait in the wings. This does however free me up to go back to my horror roots and work with some dear friends over at Cygnet on a tale of a giant Beaver up to no good in Northern Ontario. It’s crazy enough, it just might work. We’re doing this one fast and dirty and straight to DVD so at the very least, it’ll be a ton of fun and right now, that’s worth more than money to me right now (though if you want to lavish huge cash on me for this project, I will not protest). Lastly I’m looking for a suitable piece to adapt for my friend Audrey. I’m open to suggestions on this one.

So there’s the update. I wish everyone the best of the season and success in the new year.