Thursday, August 23, 2012

long weekend

 This is from www.badcb.blogspot.ca:

Aug. 7 Long weekend: I worked in the mornings of Sat. and Sun. as usual.  However, a producer sent me a script to read, and I read it and made notes on it.  I then sent it to him.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

magazine consultant/ story editor/ creativity

This is from www.badcb.blogspot.ca:

Aug. 3 Magazine consultant: Ryan Dorhn works with business owners, marketing directors and publishing companies.  This is his business site called Brain Swell Media.
http://www.ryandohrn.com/2008080766/internet-strategy-magazine-consultant.html 


Aug. 7 Story editor: I Google "How to be a story editor."

Ehow: This is a helpful article.  A story editor reads the script and forms it to the director's view.  I did learn that time frame has an effect on how you work.  There are priorities that change that as soon as funding is in, you're working on the script because it will be shot soon.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6545136_story-editor_s-job-description.html

TV story editor: There's one part for scripted television.
1. Write a script for a TV show that already exists, or write an original story. 
2. Submit your scripts to TV agents.
3. Get hired on a TV show and learn as much as you can.
4. Lobby for a promotion from staff writer to story editor.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2151305_be-tv-story-editor.html

Career planner: I did find this site where you can look up job descriptions.
http://dot-job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/STORY-EDITOR.cfm

SBPRA: I found this bookmark on my desk.  It stands for Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Association.  It's something I picked up when I was at Coles bookstore at City Centre.  I remembered it was either in 2011 or 2010. 
The author Lord Ronald Streeter was promoting his picture book called Grumpy Brother Christmas.  The story is the Father Christmas broke his leg, so his grumpy Brother Christmas who doesn't like kids has to do his job.
 

You can pitch your story to them.  There are author success stories and testimonials.
http://sbpra.com/
 

Aug. 9 Script pitch: Today is my day off and I spent 3hrs this morning looking for an office job.  This afternoon, I pitched my script to this production company.  I found this note on my desk that I wrote back in 2010 that told me to pitch to them.
There were also a few other production companies I was supposed to mail my pitch, synopsis, and submission release form to.  I did that earlier this week.  I had lost this piece of paper, and I was also busy focusing on my office job search in 2011 that I didn't do this.  Also my printer wasn't working, but now it does I can print out that stuff to send in.

Stephanie Levac: Also her name was written on the same paper.  I checked my email account to find her, but it must have been deleted.  I then Google her and she's on Twitter.  This must be her because she's part of the National Film Board.
I decided to follow her on Twitter.  On another note, she kind of looks like Amy Winehouse.  I've been listening to AW on Youtube, but these two look alike with the same dark hair.

Page Master: I found this note in my 2009 agenda to submit to Page Master Publications.  I did some research, and it's really a self-publishing company in downtown.  It publishes your books and art.  If you're interested, check it out:
http://pagemaster.ca/

Carte- Blanche: Also from the same agenda it said "Submit to Carte- Blanche."  It's a literary magazine.  I heard about it through one of my creative writing classes in college.  I submitted a story.  I have submitted short stories since Oct. 2011.
http://carte-blanche.org/submissions/
 

Aug. 10 Creativity: This is related to my writing email.  I need to be more creative in my scripts.

Tim Handorf sent me this article "101 Creativity Tips for Teachers."  There are 101 tips, but it's a fast and easy read.  It's not just for teachers, but for anybody who wants to be creative.  #55 was "Give freedom, but have a focus. Give students a focus so that they have a goal to work towards."

That's like me with my job search.  I'm imagining other jobs like a dance teacher.  A little out of the ordinary, but there was a focus to a job.  
 

The sections are divided: Finding creative inspiration, capitalizing on the creative spark, inspiring students, creative activities, sharing and collaborating, and educate yourself."


#66 Get Hypothetical. Creating hypothetical situations is one way to get creative. When you consider what could happen, potential solutions, and likely reactions, you can open up whole new avenues of thinking."  I do that with my creative writing situations for my script.  As in "What if the story was about this character instead of this one?  What would happen if we make the story about him instead?  Would it be darker?"
The thing is to focus on productive hypothetical situations like for my writing and job search.  Don't think about my hypothetical daughter working at Hooters and what I would do.  That's not a productive way to use my time and creativity.


Aug. 13 Common Ties: I'm feeling kind of down after I got another reject from a job.  I switched gears to writing.  I was going through my old emails and found that I have submitted some stories to Common Ties magazine back in 2007.  I tried to find the website and it said it had "problem loading page."  It may not exist anymore.

http://www.commonties.com/  


Accenti: I then found Accenti magazine also from my 2007 emails.  I did find a writing contest, but the entry fee is $20.  The magazine still exists.  The website looks good.
https://www.accenti.ca/writing-contest

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

magazine consultant/ script reader/ I got published

Aug. 2 Magazine consultant: I found this magazine called Template, back when I was in college in 2007. I read some of it, and it mentioned being a magazine consultant. I Google "How to be a magazine consultant?"

I got a lot of consulting magazines like one called Consultant:

http://www.fcsi.org/?page=TheConsultant

I see beauty, traveling consultants.

It did lead me to this website about good consulting books:

http://managementconsulted.com/consulting-jobs/must-read-books-and-periodicals-for-management-consultants/

It didn't lead to me to any sites on how to become one and pursue that career.

Script reader: This was last month, but I was trying to be a script reader. I emailed TV producers and production companies if they had any scripts for me to read. One producer emailed me some scripts and then I read them and wrote notes about it. It was to gain experience.

I guess I thought up this idea because I email my script to producers and production companies. After a few weeks I ask if they read it yet. They often say no, and to email back in another three weeks. I have gotten reader reports and it has harsh comments. I also have Writer in Residence's reports on my scripts.

The reader reports I gave have a lot to do with punctuation and proofreading. I do ask questions in the script like "Is this scene necessary?"

Here's a good article on how to be one:

http://gideonsway.wordpress.com/2010/06/19/so-you-want-to-be-a-script-reader/

As for this other article, it's kind of snarky and funny:

http://screenplayreaders.com/the-top-5-skills-needed-to-be-a-great-script-reader/
Zeitgeist Films: I was going through my old notes and found this. This is NYC company that distributes independent films all over the US and the world. It looks pretty good.

http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/about.php

Liquid Crystal Productions: In college, I remember getting an email in my school account, that this film company called Liquid Crystal Films was looking for scripts with a strong female character. I was going through my old notes and found it.

I then Google it, and all I got was construction about how to make glass. Then I found this. It's like a New Age film:

http://www.liquidcrystalvision.com/film.htm

Then I typed in "production company" and I found it. It's called Liquid Crystal Productions.

Idiom.ca: I see in my old notes to email "kenneth@idom.com." I checked idom.com, and it's an engineering company:

http://www.idom.com/en/industry-and-energy/mision-ie-e/

There's nothing in idom.ca. I tried idiom.ca, and it's not a TV production company site.

http://www.idiom.ca/open-webcam-search-terms-oh-my/

Idiom.com doesn't have a TV production either. I got this site:

http://www.aerioconnect.net/acquired/

This note was written in 2009. I checked my email account, but nothing was there.


Incendo: I go through more of my notes and find the production company Incendo. It had made the TV movies Lethal Obsession and Lies and Deception. You can read my reviews by searching the titles on my blog. It did make more TV shows you may have heard of like Crusoe and Metropia.
http://www.incendo.ca/en.html

Aug. 3 Question: I have written down the question: "What other TV production jobs are there that I can apply to?"

Script reader: I emailed all these production companies to be a script reader and got rejections. Only one producer emailed me these scripts for me to read to build experience. It was a good job lead.

Script consultant: I Google "How to become a script consultant" and "How to be a script consultant." I mainly got articles about it, but it doesn't answer my question. There were some schools, mainly American and it's not necessary to go there.

But it was mainly script consulting services like "If you need someone to look at your script, contact us." This wasn't a really good job lead.

I found this Script Consultant Institute. If I go to screenwriting classes at MacEwan and FAVA, I can use that education for this position.

http://www.scriptwritercentral.com/sci/about.html

Here's an interview with Linda Seger on how she got into script consulting. It was inspiring.

http://theprospermagazine.com/2010/01/interview-with-linda-seger/
Artful Writer: I then found this blog post. It's good and does diss Seger and script consultants. Here's an excerpt of the post:

"Let me say it loudly and clearly: IF THEY WERE ANY GOOD, THEY WOULD BE DOING WHAT I DO, NOT DOING WHAT THEY DO.

Dig? Simple rule of thumb: don’t spend a dime on a book, a lesson, a seminar or advice if the person selling DOESN’T HAVE A REAL MOVIE CREDIT."

http://artfulwriter.com/?p=1095

Story editor: It did lead my search to be a story editor. A script consultant is pre-production on working on the script. A story editor comes in when there's development and funding in place. Like when the script is going to be produced.

http://www.productionheads.com/2010/09/1378/

On Wikipedia it says the position is like a "supervising producer." They edit stories for screenplays. It maybe called "Head writer."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_editor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_writer
Raindance Alberta: I don't believe I've heard of this better. It's like FAVA. Raindance holds workshops, conferences, and networking events. There are locations all over Canada like Toronto and Montreal. There's one in the UK. There's memberships for $100 a yr, or $10 a month.

http://raindancecanada.com/

Aug. 4 Publishing companies: I applied for jobs at some publishing companies. There are some in Edmonton.

Lone Pine Publishing: They make those Ghost Stories in Alberta.

http://www.lonepinepublishing.com/

Tanner Young: They produce magazines.

http://www.tanneryoung.com/

Aug. 13 I got published: My poem "Downtown Streets" is going to be published by the Poetry Institute of Canada. It will be in the anthology called Island Wonders. Remember last year, I did get that poem published, but then I forgot to send in my author release form. So then it was delayed and I had to submit again.

Today when I got that letter, I immediately filled it out and sent it in. You can read my poem if you look it up on my blog www.badcb.blogspot.ca.

Blue Skies Poetry: I went through my old emails and found that I have submitted a couple of poems including "Downtown Streets" to them back in 2007. I got rejected by them, but that's okay because the Poetry Institute of Canada published it. Here's the website:

http://blueskiespoetry.ca/

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

internships/ never assume/ why are you writing?

This is from my www.badcb.blogspot.com

Jul. 23 Internships: This was a couple of weeks ago, but my brother's friend said I should try to get an internship at the Edmonton Journal or at a magazine.  One of my classmates got an internship at Avenue magazine and is now getting paid as a writer there.

I found a blog by Linda Hoang who was an Edmonton Journal intern.

http://linda-hoang.com/category/edmonton-journal/

Here's her old blog:

http://ayoungreporter.wordpress.com/about/

She attended the Journalism program at Grant MacEwan University.

Article: I thought this was an informative article about getting the most out of your internship.  It turns out there are a lot of lawsuits about unpaid internships.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/food/interns+employers+benefit+from+internships/6877827/story.html

I don't know.  I feel like I'm too old to be an intern.  I graduated out of college in 2008.  If I was in my 4th year and I have to do a practicum, then I might qualify as an intern.

Agents: Today I started emailing agents again.  I was going through my old emails in my draft and I emailed all those agents again.  The last time I emailed them was back in 2008.

Jul. 24 Unpaid work: There are some internships that are unpaid.  However, you are gaining experience and you can put that on your resume.  You are networking and building connections with people that would lead to paid work.

My job search is unpaid work.  I guess in a way I am gaining experience, but you can't really put it on your resume.  I sit in front of the computer and read and analyze job ads.  I apply to them.  I network by using Facebook and Linked In to find a job. 

Jul. 25 Never assume: A lesson I learned is to never assume.  You can kind of guess, but you should get all the information first.  I remember my friend Angela telling me she didn't apply for a scholarship because she didn't think her grades were good enough or had enough classes or something.  Then she found out one of her friends who didn't get as good as her grades and took less classes, got the scholarship.

Yesterday I talked to my Counselor and I talked about how I may not exactly qualify as an intern because I've been out of school.  She says: "Well that doesn't mean you don't qualify and you can't do the job."  That kind of pushed me.  So today I did apply to the newspaper.

I sent my resume and cover letter to be a writer or an administrative assistant.  I discussed that I was flexible and I can work in other departments there.  I did my research.

You never know until you try.

Editorial Freelancers Association: I found this through my Freelance Writer's group emails.  However, this is American.  I need to find Canadian.

http://www.the-efa.org/about.php

Editor's Association of Canada: I did find it.  Here it is.  Looks like these emails are good starting point.

http://www.editors.ca/branches/prairies/index.html

Merge magazine: That talk with my Counselor had me talk about pitching to magazines.  I told her about the Edmonton magazine Merge and after a year, it closed down.  Then it got back up with new sponsorships.  Now I think it's gone again. 

I changed my password on Twitter (again because they sent an email to change it.)  Then I see Merge has last tweets were in 2011.  They must have closed down.
https://twitter.com/MergeMagCA

Book: I was going through my Two Bits writing emails, and I found the author Saul Weber.  He had written a children's book called A Lesson my Cat Taught Me.  The book seems to be about a young girl learning a lesson about seeing people with disability as a person.

http://highlightedauthor.com/advertising/by-saul-weber/

https://www.createspace.com/3447169

Llumina Press: Two Bits also lead me to Llumina Press.  It looks like another self-publishing company.

http://www.llumina.com/book_publishing.html

Why are you writing?: I was on Two Bits and the question was posed.

Martin Gifted said this: "Why am I writing.
It's an interesting question, one I have tried to figure out just about all my life and only 3 years ago found the answer to. To fully understand my answer you have to know me, I am not an emotional person. Sure I can cry, yell etc, but I rarely do, I hold back, why, I still don't know. Maybe it's how I was raised, maybe my PDD-nos (autism) has something to do with it or maybe it's vice versa, I got my PDD-nos because I didn't/don't know how to emote.

I remember my first puppylive, I was 4 or 5, the kind elders go all awww about, carrying a torch for a niece of someone and so I often went round there just in case the girl was there. I was so head over heels I wanted to give her my most beloved possession, just so that she would love me back.
As a child I used to cry for attention, but I remember the day, I was 6 or 7, when I had busted my ankle badly and cried and realized no one was coming to get me, I was completely alone. If I had been really hurt it would have taken them days to find me, unless I manned up and limped out of there myself. And from that moment on, I don't cry anymore.

But when I write, I feel. I feel what the characters are going through and regularly when I write and reread what I've just written I cheer for their successes (sometimes loudly, annoying other guests where ever I am at that time) and cry for their losses, actual tears.
This is why I write. When I write, I am me, the me I want to be; when I write I am alive."


Someone complimented him and I have to say what he said, was really good.

My answer: I write because I have something to say.  On my weekly emails/ blog: I have to tell my friends and I guess the entire world something.  Like if you missed an episode of 20/20, well here's my description of it.  I want to inform you.  Here's my opinion of it too.

Or I want to entertain you like I heard or saw a really good joke on TV or the internet, and I want to share it with you.  I don't get to see my friends very often, so I email them weekly so we can keep in touch.

As for my scripts, I want to be creative.  It's also fun. 

Jul. 26 Screenwriting contests: I had written down a note to check out screenwriting contests.

I found Cinestory.  They hold a retreat for screenwriters who are winners, finalists, and semi-finalists.  They meet Hollywood producers, writers, and agents for 4 days.  There's a video where they talked to one of the finalists and he gushed about how helpful it was.

The site said one of their alumni wrote Cowboys and Aliens.  On imdb.com, it got 6.2/ 10 from 88,000 votes.  Another alumni wrote Beastly and that got 5.2/10 from 25,000 votes.

http://www.cinestory.org/news/

Screenwriting classes: I found this NAIT flier from 2006.  It mentioned the Producers Emergence Program.  It also had The Craft and Business of Screenwriting (CABS.)  I went to the NAIT website, and CABS wasn't there.  I then called the school today, and they said they didn't have it anymore.  I asked when they stopped and if they will bring it back.  He said the last class was in 2007 and is unlikely it will come back.

I can always take one at MacEwan or FAVA.  Or I'll check out screenwriting books from the library.

Jul. 29 Bookmasters: I got this in my email and Bookmasters is another self-publishing company.  It seems okay, but it's not really my focus to self-publish a book.

https://www.bookmasters.com/what_is_bookmasters.html

Sunday, August 5, 2012

consultant/ writing consultant

This is from my www.badcb.blogspot.com

Jul. 21 Consulting: I was brainstorming some job ideas after seeing my career counselor.  Maybe go into consulting.  I found this article about it here, "How to become a consultant."  Also there are more pages like how to start a consulting business. 
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384

The article says that a consultant is: "an expert in a particular field who works as an advisor either to a company or to another individual."

I should do some consulting in writing, editorial, publishing, communications.  I would say I have knowledge in it because I have formal education in because I went to college for Professional Writing.

TV shows: Interesting how I didn't think about being a consultant before even when I watch all these shows about it.  We got The Mentalist where a mentalist/ psychic works for the California Bureau of Investigations to solve crime.  There's Castle where a mystery novelist follows a detective around as they solve cases together.  There's The Listener where a telepath works for the IIB to solve cases.  

Jul. 23 Start a consulting business: Here's the 2nd page on how to start a consulting business.  They're hired to teach, provide objectivity for the business and see things that other employees don't, or do "dirty work" like lay off people. 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384-2

Then the pages go on, and it applies to being an independent business.

Location and employees: Work at home, and maybe hire someone to do boring stuff like stuff envelopes.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384-3

Income and billing: This is a little more complicated with project rates and retainer fees.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384-4

Marketing: Make your own brochures, cold calling by following your script, advertising, make your own newsletters, and get referrals after you done an assignment for a client.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384-5

Resources:  Here are some associations and books for you to check out.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384-6

The above is more geared business consulting because it's from the business magazine Entrepreneur

Writing consultant:
It's probably easier for me to be a writing consultant, because I have a formal education in writing by going to college for it.  If I were to be a business consultant, then I would have to take business in college.

I found this webpage, and it's about more of a writer for business.  Interview the company workers, gather info and write about it.

http://www.jobprofiles.org/buswriter.htm

Here's a good Yahoo article tell the duties: "He or she will likely not have anything to do with the writing itself, but will help you brainstorm and formulate your ideas as you come up with them."  It's kind of like the Writer in Residence at the Edmonton Public Library and at Grant MacEwan.
http://voices.yahoo.com/hiring-writing-consultant-218085.html

Dream: This reminds me of a dream I had months ago.  I was reviewing a 13 yr old girl's short story.  A little bit of a reversal of situations because I'm the one asking for help for the Writer in Residence.

Editing consultant:
I Googled "How to be an editing consultant" and I mainly got editing consulting services, but now how to be one.

I Googled "How to be an editorial consultant."  I then seem to get companies that are like writing consultants.

Here's Fish Publishing that sounds like the above Yahoo article: "The Service is designed to provide writers with on-going, constructive feedback on their work, whether it is a complete novel or just the beginnings."

http://www.fishpublishing.com/editorial-consultancy-service.php

Dating coach: I was looking up consulting and found Coach Marcie who's a dating coach.  She also coaches empowerment life coaching and sexual assault coaching.  This looks like a good website:

http://www.coachmarcie.com/services.php
Script consultant:
This is something I'm really interested in.  I did find this really good website about a script consultant named Catherine Kretz.
http://www.scriptconsultant.ca/