My Own Version of March Madness

Here’s a list of things I have to do in the next couple weeks (in addition to the normal thirty hour work week, going to class, working on my thesis, and skating):

• Write a 2,500 word travel piece
• Edit a 3,000 word short story for a graduating students magazine (I stayed up till 3 AM this morning writing it)
• Cut out another page and a half from my reading selection for Friday and then rehearse
• Find and apply to teaching jobs for next year
  • Revamp my resume
  • Write Cover letters
  • Find people to write me recommendations
• Do my taxes
• Edit an acting reel for a friend
• Figure out what’s going on with my security deposit, possibly file a claim in small claims court
• Figure out what the heck I’m going to do to pay my bills this summer
• Finish an overdue birthday gift for a friend

Bring it.

Resoluting 2010 Edition

Last year I resolved to eat healthier foods (for both me and the environment), work on this website more, and (as per the last decade) to floss more.  I think I have finally mastered the flossing!  Resolutions really do work! Scratch that one off the list.  I did okay with the website — still have some empty sections but I did blog on a fairly regular basis… It just gets put low on the priority list with all of my other commitments.  Again, I did alright with the eating healthier thing, but I didn’t always live up to the only-one-meal-with meat thing.  Think I’ll keep that one on this year’s list:

1) Healthy Eating:

Only one meal a day with meat, and eat beef a maximum of once a week (hoping to cut down my environmental footprint.)  Lots of fruits and veggies!

2) Go to the Dentist:

I finally mastered the flossing… now to face the scary truth of what sort of shape my teeth are in after a long hiatus in my regular checkups.  Think there’s any hope I’m still cavity free? I’m so glad my Christmas money is going to go towards such exciting things…

3) Learn from my Mistakes

I think this one’s pretty self explanatory. I don’t know what the solutions are to everything, but hopefully I can find them.

4) Finish my first novel!

Well, at least a good first draft.

A Writeous Day

I put my writing skills to a diversity test today:

1) Edited website copy (specifically the mission statement for the web design company I work for.)

2) Got an email from the Nicholl Fellowship people officially confirming they’d received my screenplay & payment (should hear whether or not I make the quarter finals by the end of July)

3) Put the finishing touches on the outline for my grad school thesis - and very first novel - and emailed it to my advisor. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow I have to go get shots for my trip to Ecuador, which is slightly less fun… but ending the day with a Yelp Restaurant Week dinner at Luna Park with Amy!

Just submitted my script to Nicholl’s… Fingers Crossed!

I just submitted my newest screenplay (officially - for now - titled “Gray Market,” but lovingly referred to as “Organ Mob” to all those who have read it/edited/helped me along the way) to the Nicholl Fellowship Competition in screenwriting, run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This contest is very highly regarded in Hollywood, and it’s one of the few worth entering, not only because if you do win, the prize is awesome ($30,000 fellowship to write for a year) but because it gives you a lot of exposure and street cred. Two years ago, I placed just outside the quarterfinals, but because I was so close the contest manager wrote me a hand-written note telling me I was in the top 10%. Based on that alone I’ve been able to get almost any producer/agent I’ve approached to read my work. (Of course, I haven’t been pushing that whole thing as hard as I should, but that’s another story.)

For all you other writer’s out there, here’s a list of the screen and television contests that are actually worth entering:

May 1 - Nicholl Fellowships - 5 winners receive $30,000 Fellowship to spend a year writing a new screenplay. Quarter and semi finalists also tend to get lots of industry reads.

May 1 -˙Sundance Screenwriter’s lab - Screenplay workshoped at Sundance

June 1 - Final Draft’s Big Break - $15,000 prize for first place. Reads by agents/producers.

July 3 - Fox Diversity Fellowship - TV Writing. “Diversity” means you can be white and male as long as you write about characters who aren’t. Winners get 6-week mentorship at Fox.

July 25 - WB Writers’ Worshop - I dunno much about this one because it’s TV-oriented. Seems to include weekly workshops/mentorships/help getting a staff placement after the program is over.

Augest ? - ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship Program (Both film & TV divisions) - Fellows get a $50,000 paycheck for a year, and are mentored by someone at ABC/Disney. They are required to attend workshops, etc. I believe TV winners are placed on shows?

The Definition of a Mailbox

According to dictionary.com:

mailbox
noun
1. a private box for delivery of mail
2. public box for deposit of mail [syn: postbox]

The English department at USC apparently does not agree. To them, dropping something off in a “mailbox” is the same as “coming by and handing something in in person during regular business hours.”

Essentially, I’ve tried (and failed) twice to hand in a short story I wrote to a competition they’re hosting. This frustrates me, so I’m doing the absolutely most productive thing I can think of and venting on the intrawebs.

Touching Our Clients

I work part time at a web design company. About 90% of our clients are in the Real Estate industry. In addition to designing and building their sites, I oftentimes end up writing or, more-often, rewriting their copy* since what they’ve submitted is a) a grammatical mess or b) makes absolutely no sense and makes them sound like a mentally challenged third grader. An example:

“Whoever we touch we will do so in a professional manner, completely open and accountable to our client to serve their needs in the manner they deserve.”

It should be noted that the man who wrote this not only went to business school, but has also been very successful; he started a $60 million dollar textile company with 200 employees.

I feel like this is the only way to adequately express how this makes me feel:

* The one exception to this rule is Matt Sweeney of Rich Kids Real Estate. He is one of the few real estate agents I’ve met who can form a coherent sentence, has some idea how the internet works, and seems like a genuinely good guy. If you’re in the market for real estate in the LA area, I’d definitely recommend checking out his website and then giving him a call.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom

My mother just sent this email to me and my sister:

From: Judy Goater
Subject: interesting opportunity
Date: March 15, 2009 10:47:55 AM PDT
To: shannon morr, kelly morr

Liz told me about this school and I thought I’d pass it on to you two or any of your friends that may be interested. It’s a high-end watch repair school – graduates typically earn $80,000 full time, but careers and locations are very flexible – easy to get part-time positions while you pursue other interests/vocations. And best yet – if you’re accepted Rolex pays all tuition!