Crazy Week
Hey everyone,
This post will be a little different. I just wanted to talk about my week, which was pretty crazy. Mostly my weeks just involve things on Netflix in between homework and independent projects.
Monday: My short story “Lagomorph” was work shopped by a guest instructor David Francis because our normal instructor Judith Freeman couldn’t make it. Although, it was very well received and the world was loved, there were a lot of great comments from my classmates and Mr. Francis.
I went home to try to write something like 8 more pages to my already written 2.
Tuesday: I woke up early and I finished my first 10 pages of my first real attempt at a feature length screenplay. They were shitty, but entertaining. I now have a copy of my screenplay with Syd Field’s notes on it. He mostly wrote that I’m really good at dialogue and my pages failed to have the most important things you need to have in the first 10 pages, dramatic need of your character. Which I knew I needed. I’m that guy who is always talking about the dramatic need. But I panicked to be honest. Screenwriting isn’t my strongest genre. So my deadline made me lose my shit.
I work well with deadlines in fiction. The first draft of “Lagomorph” was finished hours right at the deadline. Most of which written within 12 hours of it. But with screenwriting, it is a different beast. With fiction you write a story logically, and it will flow. When you write a screenplay it’s like you’re writing a story to a flow. One is like Eminem on a bus writing words and performing to a beat later. The other is like George Watsky writing a song to a beat.
Wednesday: I got e-mailed from David Francis. He was saying how he was still thinking about my short story and was giving me more suggestions about many of my choices in the piece. We e-mailed back and forth. Although, many people would see it as “This guy kept messaging me to tell me how bad my work is,” I look at this as, “This author was intrigued enough by my story to keep investing his time to make sure that it becomes something.” This is both a testament to David Francis’ character and my draft of the story.
Later someone on Facebook who I only kinda knew from chance encounters in the program, posted something about her thesis being trapped on a laptop which had suffered an attack from a cup of coffee. She needed help. Last time something like this happened, a girl I kinda knew needed a ride to the dentist and I volunteered. She is now one of my closest friends. So again I offered to help her. Her hard drive was whirling in the enclosure, but my computer couldn’t access the files. She thanked me anyway with beer and introducing me to her friend. So I made 2 friends in one afternoon.
Also I work got a humor piece looked at by one of my writer friends while she was at work. So she got paid to read my manuscript. If you workshop with someone who works at a writing center or tutoring service that offers free edits, turn their work hours into a workshop and help them get paid and have more free time.
Thursday: I got a call from my community college tennis coach. He was asking how I have been and said it was around the time of the Ojai tournament. He wanted to hear from “The Legend of Ojai” (me). This title was not earned through tennis ability. I’ll tell this story at another time in another form.
Most of this day was studying and homework and preparing for my reading on Saturday. My friend Angie canceled on our plans to play tennis, so I was free to hang out with The Brony Clubhouse who were hanging out at the Buffalo Wild Wings right by my house. We sang karaoke. I did “Prince Ali” from Aladdin and at Cayci’s request did “Material Girl” by Madonna. Some girl thought it was cool to record me. So if you see video of me singing “Material Girl” kidney punch that bitch.
Of course later Spenser sang “You Got a Friend in Me” and stole the show. I also got to meet some bronies like Dan. I got to catch up with other bronies that I’ve met before who are cool and I can never spend enough time with them like Briston, David (Discord), Tyler, Rina-Chan, Nick, and a dude named Jeremy. I’m sure I’m forgetting people. Brony Clubhouse crew is like overwhelming with cool people.
While there, actually, some guy approached me to take pictures of some toys people at our table had. They were custom painted OC’s. I said sure. As he was taking the pictures he said, “I’m going to make fun of you guys on /b/.”
I said, “Don’t worry. Bronies are the internet.”
He said, “You guys are the cancers of the internet.”
I said, “You realize if you post that on 4chan that everyone is just going to ask where they can get their own.”
It was noisy, and I don’t think he heard me. So if you see OC pony toys on a cup of Sprite, then that was us.
Friday: This day started rad. I found great parking and I had my first meeting with my thesis adviser, Trinie Dalton. Getting a thesis adviser is always scary. I’ve heard horror stories (My adviser never meets with me. My adviser made me write a horror novel and I hate horror novels! My adviser was literally on drugs the last time we met). Trinie was really cool! She understands what I want to do with my writing. She knows the type of writer I am and is flexible about my multi-genre thesis. I decided to push my luck “I want to include a comics section to my thesis.” She was down.
One problem, she scheduled a meeting right before EQLA. I told her, “I’m going to a MLP convention and I may or may not have a panel that I may be giving on creative writing.” She was like BAM! RESCHEDULED! YOU TAKE CARE OF THAT MY LITTLE PONY CONVENTION!
Go back to my car to see a parking ticket. I also noticed that someone hit my car and scratched the paint. I was on the 110 going home and picked the 101 to Universal Studios in order to cheer myself up and inspire me to write my next 10 pages of screenplay.
I lost my phone there. I found out when I go to pick my friend Mike (from Westcoaster) up and I couldn’t call him. He called my phone though:
Woman: Hello?
Mike (kinda drunk): You’re not Sharif!
hangs up.
So I called my phone and it is with the Sheriff’s department in City Walk.
Saturday: Late that night Mike and I watched “Red State,” ovened a frozen pizza and rehearsed for my reading the next day.
Instead of going to awesome shit at the LA Times Festival of Books, I went to Hollywood to get my phone. That night I read to a packed auditorium. A small auditorium, but with every seat filled. Most of the people were my friends, whom I had guilted into coming or who came because they loved me (more on this later probably).
The reading went really well. I met a brony named Michael who came to check out my reading of “Best Pony.” Afterwards he came to me and said that we need to get a reading of “Best Pony” on Equestria Daily. I might be biased, but I agree with him.
Sunday: More book fest. More panels. Worked the MPW booth a little bit. My friend Mike got some shit signed by the people who do “Knott’s Preserved.” I dropped Mike at home and did a mad homework blitz.
J. Eric Lynxwiler and Christopher Merritt with Mike.