Aspirations of Greatness

It is Sister #2's birthday today, so if you find the time, please feel free to psychically transmit some good vibes in her direction, since she has had the severe misfortune to have the anniversary of her birth coincide with her grade 12 diploma examinations. Such used to be my trouble, but no more - now that I'm at University, my birthday takes place the week after Winter Term starts, when there's absolutely no homework to be done.

As for me, I've been practicing for the upcoming Little Mermaid callback audition. I think I might actually have a shot. I've also, er, rethought (at my mother's insistance), my particular plan to grab my Bachelor of Arts diploma in a year and a half and tramp off to the Kingdom of Unimpeachable Moral Character and Unimpeded Creative Progress, Los Angeles, in order to become an Instantly Famous and Wealthy Screenwriter.

She actually suggested that I try taking some Screenwriting programs at one of our nation's fantastic film schools, like the Vancouver Film School. Tuition's pretty pricey, but since I've been able to pay for about 75% of my tuition this year and have at least 50% of next year's tuition practically in the bag (once "My Brother's Own Words" goes to press), my parents are less adverse to financially helping me in that area.

I know I must appear to be horribly flighty (or gullible) to so firmly agree on one idea, only to be easily swayed away from it, but my particular idea hasn't been killed, only postponed. While I haven't decided exactly on the Vancouver film school yet (as opposed to the others in Toronto and such), I'm sort of basing my expectations around their curriculum. A year's worth of studying at one of those schools would actually give me the one thing that would have proven to my severe disadvantage if I'd rushed off to L.A. without it: knowledge of how the film industry actually works. Plus, I'd have gained contacts with other writers, and I'd be introduced to the Canadian film industry, which is supposedly quite active in Vancouver (as is the American film industry in Vancouver - ha ha!).

Some people have advised me not to place too much importance on a film school education, so I don't think I would want to go for, say, a four-year screenwriting program - but a one-year program with contacts and stuff might do me a world of good. Plus, I'd gain the experience of living away from my parents without having to start in the Kingdom of Unimpeachable Moral Character and Unimpeded Creative Progress, Los Angeles.

Once I finished, I could start out small in Vancouver, or if I really discovered my potential, then I could run away to Los Angeles and sell my brilliant romantic comedy script. Seriously, it's good - everyone that I've related the general plot to thinks it'd be a great movie. Ha ha ha ... Now I just have to learn to pitch it.

And as for more writing news - I finally received the CICADA edit for my novella "My Brother's Own Words." Reading back on it, I have to say I was a little embarassed. Sure, it's only been two years since I wrote it, but my style's changed a lot since then - for instance, I used an assload of ridiculous speechtags like "offered, relented, chuckled". Thankfully, the edits toned down a lot of the floridness of it. I okayed the edits (suggesting only a few word changes), and the editor says that if I'm lucky, my novella will make it into the March/April 2007 issue of CICADA Magazine!