Revolving Door Etiquette...

Everyone knows that it's polite and good-mannered to hold open a door for somebody, particularly if you are a male, walking through the same doorway as a female at about the same time. It must be a dying practice, because whenever I demonstrate the courtesy, I always get a very thankful reaction, more so than if it were a regularly exercised tradition. It's almost as though it is not quite expected, or at least a rare occurrence.

Whenever I hold a door to let a lady pass through before I do, I generally receive something like "Well, thank you so much!".  I guess if the gesture wasn't acknowledged at all, I'd feel a bit put off too. But to me it is more ingrained as part of my upbringing. I even extend this courtesy to men, depending on the circumstances. It would be strange, I suppose, to hold a door open for a man, allowing him to pass through before I do.  However, I will not let the door slam in another guy's face if he is approaching and within spitting distance of me. Also, if there is a family, say entering a restaurant or theater, I will hold the door, if my family is not completely assembled yet. It's interesting - with a man, if you enter a space that has an outer door leading into a foyer space with an adjacent door, the first man to open the door will almost always find that the gesture will invariably be reciprocated when passing through the second set of inside doors. You held for me, so I will hold for you. Actually, I find the whole dance a bit awkward.

Elevators can be awkward too. Do you allow all the women to enter/exit first?  Is this determined by age/gender?  Often, I think this can also be dictated by whether or not a passenger's arms are full of parcels, if they have a baby stroller, if their party outnumbers yours, and obviously if you find yourself in the back or front of the elevator. And why do so many people who enter an elevator on a floor after you've gotten on and pressed the button for the lobby, feel the need to over-press the button? It's almost as if saying, you possibly couldn't have pressed that lobby button anywhere near as well as I just did. There is really enough material here for another whole blog post.  Maybe I will let that simmer for a bit, or pass it off to my good friend, Zep, the other Whine Press contributor.

Now I have to talk about revolving doors. I have no idea if there is a prescribed or proper etiquette for revolving doors. I guess when I approach simultaneously with somebody else, regardless of gender, I feel it most gentlemanly to allow that person to enter the building first. What makes revolvers tricky is that they require a little work. The courtesy here relies on who is doing the brunt of that work. Now you can seem courteous by allowing a person to go in front of you into the first open section.  But this can be extremely discourteous, if you then allowed that person to push the door around, while you just kept your hands in your pockets, wishing they'd only push faster. But you can also be the first to enter and at the same time, allow the people following you to do the pushing, while you are wishing they'd put a little more back into it.

Still, I usually opt for letting the other person enter first. I think you have the most control then.  And then, we have a revolving door down the street at a Marriott Hotel that has a huge tri-partitioned separation. This door is really weird because not only is each sector cavernous enough to accommodate 2 or 3 people, but it is driven by a powerful motor, activated automatically by a sensor.  Again... could be another post for this baby.

Now what about public buses?  Do you agree with my thinking in that if you are forced to stand for the duration of the ride, if all the seats are taken, that all standing, should be allowed to exit the bus first, before anybody whose had the luxury of being seated, texting and reading for the whole ride?  Apparently, there are very different feelings about this disembarkation protocol too. It seems when it comes to buses, there is very little sense of any real protocol, courtesy or etiquette.  Dog-eat-dog is the order.  I've never written a post, where out of it sprang forth so much potential and new ideas for subsequent posts...
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Jim Farina's Road to Refinement...

I've never made a formal pitch to a producer or agent to gain representation for my screenplay, Martin Eden.  I have had a few informal exchanges via email, but these were more or less in response to a request for the material.  That is nice to actually have someone ask to read the script.  It is especially encouraging when the person who's doing the requesting is familiar with Jack London's novel by the same name, and which I adapted my screenplay. 

I recently responded and entered a contest sponsored by The Wizard Academy, a non-traditional business school in Austin, Texas. The contest is The Quixote Windmill Challenge and it requires that entrants submit a two and a half minute video telling the story of  a business idea that failed, yet a valuable lesson was gained through the experience.  Here is a more specific explanation of the contest and rules:

 https://wizardacademy.org/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=414

As of this writing, there are only 22 submissions, including my own - Road to Refinement.  The short video turned out as somewhat of meta piece that echoes London's, Eden's and my own struggle for self-improvement, advancement and publication of our work with limited background or formal education. We are all self-educated and have a natural passion for writing.

I realized when I'd completed the video entry, that now resides on YouTube, that perhaps with a bit of editing and some refinement of its own, this could serve as a pitch to producers, agents and literary managers.  Maybe not.  Do people do that?  It seems like a good idea to me.  Anyway, it would be another avenue at least of gaining a little more exposure.

The contest closes next Sunday. The competition is getting fierce, but hey, the odds are great at 1 in 22 at this time.

Anyway, here is my video, wish me luck:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hWnTA7Arjs&index=17&list=PLfjfvigJckJa28N-sSewkU1OkcCOget-7

Mccounaughy - A Real Class Act...

I thought that Matthew Mcconaughey's acceptance speech for Best Actor awarded at the Oscars last night for his role in Dallas Buyers Club was very appropriate. I love that he gave thanks to God at the beginning.  I thought it was also fitting to acknowledge that all of the gifts and talents that have allowed him to succeed in his work and family, he attributed to God, saying something like no other human influence could achieve such things in him.

 I thought that his speech, overall was eloquent, sincere and from the heart. I heard him on another award show - maybe it was a talk show, where he also impressed me with his sense of level-headed and articulate perspective on many points.

I used to think of Matt as a self-absorbed, narcissist type - an arrogant bad boy who might punch a photographer in the face or get caught up in some illicit Hollywood sex scandal. I put him in the same class as say a Woody Harrelson. Not that I follow the celebrity tabloids enough to know that Woody is a bad guy, but he does exude a certain air of cocky arrogance and eccentricity that would intimidate me enough, where if I ran into him in public, I would pretend that I didn't know him. I would not feel comfortable asking for Woody's autograph. Now that's how I'd always imagined Matthew to be. That is until I saw him interviewed and now after his beautiful acceptance speech at the Oscars, I hold a completely different opinion.

Now to me, Matthew is someone I'd love to have a beer with, somebody I'd like to discuss theological ideas, family, his thoughts on success. His hero, being his future self was rather interesting too. On one hand it did smack a bit of self-absorption and narcissism.  On the other hand, the way he explained it as being a completely unattainable goal - sort of an ever-dangling carrot, was quit grounded and real.

I thought Matthew's speech was by far the best of the night - and you don't say things like that, honoring God and holding such objective and existentialist observations, without being well grounded and sincere.  

I am now a big fan of Mr. Mcconaughey and to lift up God the way he did in a place like Hollywood, really gives me hope!

Where is Martin Eden?

Where is Jim Farina for that matter?  I'm still here and winter is kicking our butts here in Chicago, just like it is for almost everybody else in the country.  I did get a short break in January when I joined a small team of 9 to serve our sister church in Haiti for a week. The average temperature during the day was about 82 degrees. What a way to reset your thinking and priorities in life.  I think everybody who lives in the U.S. should visit a third world country, even for a short time. I guarantee that you will return with a different perspective. You will appreciate our country's  benefits and opportunities in a very different way.

This was my third visit to Haiti and I have hopelessly lost my heart to the people of that country - they are so gracious and generous in spirit. I was tasked with writing a blog of my experience and have include the link, should you be interested in what my church, The Orchard, has been doing in Haiti for more than 30 years.  I'm really proud to be a small part of that.

 http://theorchardhaiti.wordpress.com/

Now I understand that I've lapsed in my commitment to blogging here at Arkenstone and my other blog that I share with a good friend, Whine Press.  I need to think about writing more, if not daily.  Every successful writer has that in common, they keep writing and never give up.  I think it is a good exercise to write every single day.  I believe Jack London committed to about a thousand words a day. this brings me back to Martin Eden, the 1909 novel by London.  A wonderful story and semi-autobiographical account of London's own life and times. In 2009, I completed a screenplay based on this work.  I know it is good and it has garnered some nice recognition from some of the more prominent competitions where this script has been entered and has placed well in at least half a dozen.

Well spring is coming - the thaw is upon us.  It is time for me to wake from my metaphoric hibernation and begin marketing, blogging, writing another script or perhaps a short story. It is time to arise and seize the day!

You Want Me to Tell Your Story?

Last week I received an email message that was from a name unfamiliar to me.  The subject line just contained one word: "Inquiry". Well this could've been anything from a spam virus to a marketer attempting to sell me something that I have no use for.

So as we generally do with such messages, I proceeded with caution. It was from a Rob H. Rob explained in his message that he'd had this burning idea for a story concept and that he was hoping to find somebody with a creative mind and a flair for charter development to help him tell this story.  Rob went on to explain in the message how he had shared his idea with a few book publishers.  He said that one author was excited enough about his idea to base two books around it.  This writer has a track record as a courtroom thriller type storyteller, in the vein of Grisham.  As Rob explained it in his email to me, this already successful writer had agreed that his concept had merit and he was prepared to write a novel, or 2, based on this theme.  From what Rob explains, the writer's publisher did not like the idea of his contracted author taking on the task as it was out of his regular genre of work. The publisher felt that this project might somehow hurt his established readership.

So Rob H., a bit discouraged, but not ready to throw in the towel yet, was directed to another author, where a similar roadblock had kept his story from coming to life.  So the idea was shelved for a time.  At some point Rob was told that he might have better luck seeking out a good screenwriter and bringing this idea to life int he form of a film.  So after some time, and as Rob works as a professor at a Kansas University, the slower summer months apparently afforded him the time to begin his search for that screenwriter, who might bring his vision to life on the screen.  I don't know how long Rob combed through the resumes of possible scriptwriters for his vision, but somehow he came across my profile and was impressed.  This was flattering to me, as I wouldn't exactly consider myself an established screenwriter.  Though I suppose the ambiguous way in which I present myself on LinkedIn could make you think otherwise.

I was intrigued enough to send Rob a message, give him a call and listen to his amazing story for almost an hour. I have had a handful of email exchanges with Rob over the past several days. I was upfront with him regarding my rather limited experience as a screenwriter.  I explained that I have the one script, Martin Eden, that was adapted from Jack London's novel. I made it clear that I have not sold anything yet, but that my work has done very well in the competition circuits and has been requested by a handful of some high profile producers.  I do like Rob's idea - they need quite a bit of fleshing out and development, but there's a solid foundation there to springboard from.  I could use another screenplay for my resume. So, yes... I am considering going through the
process again....

Write a New Screenplay, As Martin Eden Waits for Discovery?

Jack London's Martin Eden, the screenplay, is still waiting for an option, representation from a connected film or television producer, agent or literary manager. I'm guessing the best scenario for a screenplay writer would be to have a producer, who was interested in developing the project contact the writer directly and offer an option deal. At least, it seems to me, that you would cut out much of the middle-man complication. Though even with the agent/manager scenario, at least you would have somebody, who's presumably connected to the insiders who is actively working to showcase your material.

I feel good about my screenplay, Martin Eden.  I am confident that it will sell one day.  Maybe this year, or maybe a few years down the road, but I have no doubt in its value, which is a nice place to be for a writer. I've never had second thoughts about my work.  I have faith in my work and know it is a great story that was adapted in a way that does engage readers and would make a wonderful and thoughtful film or television movie, given fair treatment.  I think the fact that Martin Eden placed so prominently in 4 international screenwriting competitions is testament enough to that end.

So I will wait patiently, much like both London and Eden. I will continue to market my work, blog about it, and enter it into other competitions in an effort to gain more exposure, readership and to keep my resume current.  I have entered Martin Eden in the CWA (Creative World Awards) Screenplay competition. Those results will begin posting the week of August 11, and hopefully I will have another good, and more recent placement or award under my belt to leverage.

In the mean time, I am giving serious thought to beginning a new screenplay project.  A college professor, from a University in Kansas, who'd been shopping for a writer had recently come across my profile on LinkedIn and contacted me last week.  He said he was impressed with my profile and that he's been looking for somebody to write a story that's been swimming around in his head for some time.  It sounds as though he had actually had a New York Times' bestselling author lined up to write a book on his concept, but it later fell through, due to publisher's concern for the writer's readership, by deviating out of their normal genre of work.

The ball is now in my court. I can call this man, listen to his ideas, and decide on a course.  It might be a good exercise for me, and will get me back in the saddle of screenwriting.  While at the same time, I will be creating something new to add to my credit, while Martin Eden waits for the time to sail...

Summertime - A Good Time to Sell Your Script?

Next week is Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial launch of summer.  The summer blockbusters will hit the movie theaters, TV series take a break until the fall, or worse, get cancelled. I was wondering what all the industry people are doing during this time.  Are they taking time off?  Are they working harder on developing material for the fall?  Are they seeking new material and reading scripts for next season's potential hits?

I have no idea.  Perhaps it's a little of everything. What does this mean for writers like me who have a potential success on our hands, just waiting for the right producer to get as excited as we are about it and to find a home for our story?  I wonder if the summer is a better time to ramp-up marketing efforts than any other time of the year?

Is summer is a better time to make a marketing push than fall, winter or spring?  I think it might be better to just maintain a regular effort of generating awareness for our work throughout the year. I think it would be wise to always be involved in some phase of improving our work, making contacts with industry people, blogging, sending queries, revising our work and even developing new content.

I am in the process of re-working a query letter for my script, Martin Eden, which is a rather faithful adaptation of Jack London's 1909 novel.  In my mind I can see it come o life on the screen. I believe, beyond any doubt, that it will find a faithful audience of both young and old alike.  I see it as more of a thoughtful Indy film or series that would attract an impressive international viewership. I know it won't be the next Star Trek Into Darkness, but I am convinced that if treated well, it will make some very impressive profits.

Like many success stories through the ages, what do we hear over and over... believe in yourself (and your work) and never give up on your dream...

Martin Eden, Meet the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory...

It has arrived!  I just received my Spring 2013 Hollywood Screenwriting Directory from The Writers Store.  This directory is said to contain more than 2500 listings for prominent industry insiders, both from studios and independent financiers for film projects. The HSD also includes how-to instructions on preparing query letters, treatments and other formatting guides.

It appears to be a very nice tool.  It should be, at the tune of $49.95 U.S.  In flipping through the 300+ page resource, it appears to be neatly organized.  It begins with 2 pages on how to best use the directory. It then describes and illustrates very nicely, how to structure a screenplay to comply with industry standards. Though in my mind, if you don't already know this, you should not have this directory.  It takes many months, even years to write a screenplay that is fit for the marketplace. If you don't know the basics of screenplay structure, by the time you craft your script and drag it through the many revisions that are necessary to get it near perfection, then a directory like this will have become obsolete. Things in Hollywood are changing  constantly - industry people are moving around all the time, while new production companies emerge. I feel like much of the information in this directory will have changed by September.  I suppose that is why this volume is called "Spring 2013".

Moving on through the contents is a section on writing query letters.  The well crafted query letter is essential in getting your foot in the door of industry professionals.  In fact most producers, agents, managers, will not even look at your script until they first see a query letter that briefly introduces you and your idea.  I know this to be true as I have had a half-dozen requests for my script Martin Eden as a result of a query letter submission. I also think it helps that Martin Eden has done well in the screenplay competition circuits. Any awards or accomplishments that you or your work has achieved should be leveraged and showcased in your query letter.

Before the directory of industry insiders begins, the directory has a final section on treatments and log lines. A logline is a very brief description of your story its most bare essence - and I mean very brief, like one, at he very most 2 sentences.  My last logline reads:


Martin Eden is an impoverished sailor whose ambitious pursuit of love, fame and fortune ultimately leads to one final voyage, to the very brink of his own self-destruction. 

or

Martin Eden is a rough, working class sailor whose ambitious pursuit of self-education and personal refinement, for the sake of love, eventually elevates him to a new class status. But Martin’s view from the top was far from what he had ever imagined. 

or

Martin Eden is a working-class sailor whose love for an upper-class socialite and pursuit of literary fame ultimately brings him on one final voyage, to the brink of self-destruction.

I've used each of these with varying degree of success. 

Lastly, the treatment is described in the same section as the logline. I have never put together a treatment and I need to look at this more closely, before I begin casting my nets. A treatment is a summary of the major themes and elements of your story.  I need to do that soon... very soon.  

I want to begin getting into the directory and sending out my query letters. I will likely do this in small waves. I do have a full time job as a logistics manager, I do have a family and children.  And at this moment, with 70 degree temperatures finally here in Chicago, I have a backyard calling. I have a vegetable garden to plant and some clean-up yet to do...

 

I Think I'm an Aspie, but We Often Make Good Writers...

It seems that I display an adequate amount of traits to place neatly on the spectrum for being classified as an “Aspie”.  An Aspie is the affectionate term for a person having Asperger's  syndrome.  Asperger's syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's disorder (AD), is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported.  In short, Aspergers is a high-functioning form of autism. Most Aspies exhibit profound intelligence in selective areas, as well as the capacity to be highly creative and imaginative.  

This explains a lot! And the more I explore those traits and behaviors that define and characterize an Aspie, the more that I'm convinced that I can classify myself as such.  My wife and children have no doubts whatsoever in accepting my recent self-diagnosis. It was like an "Ahaa!" moment for the entire family, once I began to share my findings.

What initially prompted my exploration into Asperger’s syndrome was hearing speaker and author, David Finch at our local community college. Finch was diagnosed with Asperger’s later in life (age 35). The undiagnosed condition nearly ended his marriage.  Finch wrote the New York Times bestseller, Journal of Best Practices, a memoir.  My wife and I have been lately attending literary, celebrity and book signing events at the college.  We’ve find it makes for an enlightening, often entertaining and relatively cheap night out and a good break from routine.

Mr. Finch’s talk was scheduled to run an hour and a half.  I believe this event was free, so we decided that we would stay for some of it and bolt once it started getting boring.  He ended up speaking for 2 hours and we stayed for the duration.  David Finch recalled his experiences with Asperger’s from grade school through adolescence, his college years and professional career.  We found him to be entertaining, while at the same time he painted a painfully close-to-home account of an Aspie who’s learned to adapt in a neurotypical world.  All I could think as Finch spoke was, WOW!  That is me!  I could completely relate to his journey through life.  My arm was bruised as my wife kept nudging me in that way as to express her thought…”sound familiar, Jim?”.

There are a couple online tests available that further reinforced my suspicion that I might be an Aspie.  In the first quiz that asked 50 questions, I scored 3 points from what is considered being full-blown Asperger’s.  Apparently, most who received a similar score were 86 percent likely to be diagnosed with the condition.  The second test I took, the Aspie Quiz, asked 150 questions.  In this test I placed more between Aspie and Neurotypical, but weighing slightly heavier on the Aspie side.

I always suspected that there was more to my peculiarities – my social awkwardness and avoidance of social interaction and frequent need to be alone with my books.  This also explains much of why I found it almost impossible to focus and learn in a classroom setting, unless it was a topic that I was really interested in.  This could also account for the fact that my formal education ended in 10^th grade.  Most people, until they know better, naturally assume that I’ve had a college education.  It’s very awkward for me when asked what university I’d attended.  There was no diagnosis back when I was in school for conditions such as ADHD, ADD, ODD, OCD or Asperger’s syndrome.  Everybody just thought me shy, awkward and odd, well actually, I’m still all of those things, but much like Finch, I’ve forced myself to adapt as best I could to a neurotypical  world.  It’s not easy, but through the years I have found coping mechanisms to help with my social anxiety. 

I often find myself scripting out dialogue in my head before going to social functions, almost as if assuming a character role.  Hmmm…I wonder if this is why I seem pretty clever at writing screenplay dialogue?  Sometimes the use of props is helpful to me.  Holding onto a pen in my pocket or fiddling with a rubber band has always been a great aide for some bizarre reason.  I must always have an escape plan.  A few weeks ago I attended a wedding shower for a co-worker.  I care and respect this person very much and sense that she herself has had some difficulty conforming to what’s been deemed as the neurotypical model. My friends must also be intelligent, or I find little use for their company.  I will force myself to engage in social situations if the person who’s the focus is someone important to me.  Generally, I do well once I adjust to the surroundings, have a couple drinks and seek out a comfortable and familiar group to converse with.  This particular event also had a definitive time frame, which helps.  I do very poorly with ambiguity.

The party was at a house and an unfamiliar setting for me, but I’m good as long as I have an escape plan in place.  When I walked into the house, the party was in full swing.  I was greeted at the front door by a familiar face, the daughter of a dear friend, who offered to take my jacket.  I immediately asked where she was meaning to store it.  She offered to take it upstairs with all the other coats.  Oh no!! Panic…  I said that doesn’t work for me – so I neatly tucked it near the front entryway, in an alcove that nicely accommodated an antique chest of sorts.  I never felt the need to make an escape, but I always like to know that I have the option.  And as usual, I did have a good time.  I always leave these situations wondering why I obsess so much at the prospect of social engagement, creating so much unnecessary anxiety.  

I have a new found freedom in knowing I’m an Aspie. This is actually a positive breakthrough in understanding some of my oddities – it would fill a book in itself if I actually took the time to chronicle all of my strange do’s and don’ts, my aversion to certain noises, forcing myself to look people in the eyes, my abhorrence for small talk, my ritual practices and strict adherence to routines.  I’ve learned to keep much of this stuff at home, so it is really my poor, patient and loving family that must endure the brunt of it. But at least we now have an explanation after all these years.

Next week we are going to a Q&A session at HarperCommunity College. The guest speaker is Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie Greene on AMC’s television zombie drama, The Walking Dead.  Now what revelations could that possibly bring?  

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