The show went on

So this past week I put myself out of my comfort zone. I didn't realize I was in that position until I almost panicked for a full 24 hours! See, my writing group and I all cast actors for 8 pages of sample scripts and put on a showcase where we invited industry people. I think in the past when I had to bring pages to an event like an end of class type of thing, I'd just chicken out and not bring pages. But this was a premeditated event with programs printed and emails and postcards sent out. So there was no backing out for me!

The first night it was raining and I did get laughs for my comedy piece, but not as many as I would have liked. A comedic actor friend told me that rain can affect whether people want to laugh or not. Who knew! Then the second night, no rain in LA, and the laughs were huge and guttural. It was amazing to hear and I get why comedy writers love that feeling. And the best news out of everything? One of the producers I invited now wants to produce that script! Wow! I couldn't have asked for a better result. It just goes to show that sometimes we writers have to put our work out there and just see what happens.

So I learned a few things from getting out of my comfort zone:
1. You won't die if things don't go as well as you hoped
2. Sometimes you have even better results when you're least expecting it
3. Sometimes you have written something good and the right people appreciate it!
4. Keeping your work on your computer and not sharing it is not why we're doing this in the first place

So I've survived sharing my work with some of the public. And now, I'll keep doing it from here on out. I hope you do the same!

It's casting time!

So my all women's writers group is putting on an all-female writers showcase. There's nothing better than seeing real actors read the words you've put on the page. So last Sunday, in the pouring rain, we writers ventured out to a casting studio in Hollywood to await the actors that would audition to be in our showcase.

It was an all-day event with actors coming and going. The room was small and hot. I even had to leave at one point because couldn't take the sweltering room. But I have to give these actors kudos because as you can see from the picture below, there were a lot of us! So any actor that came into the room was surely surprised to see so many women staring back. Luckily we're friendly and I don't think we scared anyone! At least not too much! haha There were some no-shows. Because well, it's LA and most people don't leave their homes in drizzle let alone a real rainy day. But in the end, we got all our pieces cast.

Next, rehearsals and then the actual showcase that we have invited industry directors, producers, managers and agents. It's really exciting that we're making this happen. And I must give out kudos and thanks to Lily Mercer, the head of the Bechdel Babes writing group because she's done this before and has spearheaded the whole thing. Looking forward to the real event next!

It's a pretty important day

It's International Women's Day. And that's pretty cool. So what better time to take a moment out to be thankful for all the strong women in my life. 

I'm thankful to have an amazing all-female writing group that not only inspires me to write better but to keep wanting to see more women's stories told. 

I'm thankful to all the strong women in my life that inspire me to go after I want, because if it's my dream to be a writer, then why shouldn't I be? 

I'm thankful to the women in the film industry that are paving the way for other writers like me, today, to tell my stories and know that I too can do it if I want. 

I'm thankful to people like my mom, who even though she was afraid to go after her own dreams, she's always proud of me when I go after mine. 

I'm thankful to all my strong friends who even if they aren't writers or have no interest in the industry, they are going after their own dreams, no matter what they are. 

I'm even thankful for all the strong men in my life who aren't afraid to let strong women go after their dreams and don't feel threatened when they do. We need strong men too, that's for sure. 

So no matter what International Women's Day means to you, I hope you've found a way to honor yourself or the women in your life too. And if not today, it's never too late.