I've been busy writing and querying.
Last time I posted I was trying to get an intership with Warner Bros. That didn't work out but there was no time to cry about it. Onto the next! I applied and interviewed for an internship with the Entertainment Industries Council or EIC. They're a nonprofit located on the NBC lot in Burbank. Their goal is to support the accurate depiction of health and social issues in entertainment. Their mission is directly in line with my career goals which are to take what I've learned in my formal education and in my own personal life to shed light on social issues, issues affecting women, issues affecting disenfranchised populations, and issues of interest to all of humanity, by transforming them into non-intimidating mediums (screenplays and memoirs) that educate and inform a lot of people. (This life purpose became clear to me as I've been going through my graduate studies in the humanities.) Anyway I'm still waiting to confirm which days I can come in.
I submitted my original pilot script The Moorish American to the Set in Philadelphia (SIP) http://www.film.org/film/greater_philadelphia_filmmakers/filmmaker_programs/set_in_philadelphia.cfm
screenwriting competition. The Moorish American is about a mother of four who believes she's been chosen to deliver the word of a dead prophet, but struggles to juggle her familial obligations with her sacred responsibility. I also wrote a query letter for this script and submitted to Queen Latifah's production company Flavor Unit, as well as her agent and publicist. I chose Queen Latifah because I believe she's the ideal actress to bring to life the main character.
I finished the first act of my new script, currently untitled, and I also started working on my autoethnography (kind of a combination of memoir and social analytical commentary), working title A Predetermined Life: The Story of a Poor Person's Pursuit of the American Dream. This book will also be a part of my final project for grad school, so not only does it fulfill a school requirement but also a lifelong goal to complete a memoir. It's also in line with my life purpose by shedding light on social issues, issues affecting women, and issues affecting disenfranchised populations. I wrote a query letter for this project which I intend to submit to James Frey, the infamous author of A Million Little Pieces. It's a long shot but for someone with his background I think it would be a bold move to publish someone else's controversial memoir.
Finally I decided to purge my life of negative energy. After all, as one friend put it "you can't have conflicting energies in your life. If you want something positive you have to make space for it." And so I have separated from my controlling, manipulating, and sometimes abusive husband and have an appointment with a divorce attorney. I am no longer blocking the blessings from my life. I have opened up a space for positive energy and success to come in.
I guess my point of this posting is to say that as an aspiring writer/screenwriter you have to be looking at all aspects of your life to see what you can do to further your goals and also considering all avenues to make your goals a reality.
