First before we start this post, my kiddo who only eats healthy well planned meals, is sitting watching Peter Pan in her diaper with a bag of corn chips that were from my birthday 2 weeks ago (She found the bag on my computer desk as mommy had a late night nibble and forgot to put the bag away) and a tube of yogurt…..can we just say Mom is on strike?

So writing….it should be sort of a Love/Don’t really Love Thursday post because I LOVE writing. I have always loved it. Always, even when I was a little kid I would sit home and write stories, so okay….you get the picture.

I am really blessed that I do write for a living, that I can stay home with my kiddo and that I can pay these bills with my mind. I LOVE THAT. I love writing things that come out of my brain, but what I don’t LOVE….in fact not at all, is writing for other people…. blah!

Currently I am writing for people who don’t pay what they should be paying and think that because they are paying they can boss and order me around to write their HORRID movies. I am trying to make them better, but screenwriting is a craft and it takes careful timing and measuring to write a great script that will or will not make a great movie. They all think that their movies are going to get made right away and that their little pay is going get them a magnum opis. Well for the most part it will get them a really good script, but you can’t take the “them” out of the process. Their dumb ideas and their silly dialogue that MUST stay in the film, and frankly I lose my passion, I am just like…..You really rather your character say “you stupid fucking dumb ass get on that court and win or I’ll knock you five blocks” as inspiration for his son who is “I thought was” trying to get off the streets, but after a lengthy conversation about the film, just wants to be the meanest baddest street fighter there ever was, the biggest gangster, the most successful killer. HOW CAN I WRITE THAT? How? How can I take a black man and make him that….isn’t that exactly the stereotype we are trying to erase in this country??? Why would you and your sons, Mr. pay me for the script guy, as black men want that stereotype supported.

ARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH………I am so tired of writing for nimrods blah! TIRED!

So I dread sitting down to the computer and for the second year in a row squeezing a piece of drivel out of my brain and trying to make it good, when there just is not chance it could be good

So…..now on to my own writing. I have not been inspired for that either…..but I finally found the inspiration to begin another script FINALLY.

I have a trilogy as all good filmmakers should (Tee hee, dumb film school humor) but most filmmakers have a trilogy of films. I do as well. The first I have written already and it is about the drag queen who taught me how to be a woman when I was younger. NOT KIDDING. It is a musical as all three of them are and highly unsellable, which is great cause there will be no producer feeding frenzy for it, but the awesome thing is, it’s a beautiful film. An urban retelling of Cinderella with a emphasis on the “Fairy” Godmother and the amazing relationship between this young girl and the drag queen who are both outcasts in life. Truly beautiful I do have a producer who is trying to get financing for the film as he loves the story so much.

Well my next one is still in the gender bending musical vein, but it is about heaven and earth and the beauty, music and majesty of heaven which will be more like a dance party that pearly white gates. Its called The Wings of Maya Goldberg and is about a young girl who is accidentally killed in the beginning of the film by her “soul” mate. While in heaven she has a real beef with God that he took her out of the game too soon. He/She explains that every particle of sand has a part of the entire ocean and tells her that she can continue to live on earth and those who can see her will. So the only one who can see her is the boy who accidentally killed her in the beginning, as he slowly goes insane on earth, he falls in love with her (someone he can’t see but can) as he falls in love with her, his time on earth expires and he dies, but he is in love . The film is about four couples lives on earth and their connection to a loved one who has died.

The thing about my “trilogy” films is that they are classic themes. Cinderella, Heaven and Earth, Hamlet….that explore the very darkness and sadness of human existence with the joy of love and music and human expression as the uplifting parts. Very complex for a musical .

Anyway heaven is rich and colorful full of freedom and music as earth is dark, confusing and sad and the only way to find joy on earth is to see the parts of heaven in it.

Well….I have always loved (since the 80’s) the enigma that is Boy George, probably because I was raised by a Drag queen, maybe cause my first experiences in my young adult life was living in the theater as a young actor surrounded by gay men who protected me from the drugs and more dangerous elements of theater life. They also protected me from the divas and bitchy women who would try to eat each other alive.

I fell in love (literally) with them and while it was a confusing time for me, it was a WONDERFUL time full of life and joy. So…..I have watched Boy George’s career make it’s peeks and valleys and have always wanted him to play God for Maya’s Wings. I think it would be perfect. Most people think I’m nuts Yet most think that my trilogy is nuts. Except when they read the scripts then they love the films.  But I think it is something you’ll have to see to believe.

Anyway, this song….the one that I am going to link to is what helped me rekindle my passion for writing again. It was written for a friend of Boy George’s who died and I would love to use this song (with some modification of the words) as the song “God” sings to Maya when she reaches heaven and has her sit down with him/her about life not being fair . And God will have a conversation about how hard it is to see his “children” suffer. A beautiful moment in the film. And you have to hear the song. Now the video is a bit campy and meant to be a tribute to a flamboyant gay man, if you can see past that aspect see God in heaven sitting with an angry young woman and trying to explain his love

Should be fun.

Anyway here is the song.

This song will be a part of the film that explains that death is actually part of the arc of life, death and rebirth and that above all things, God loves those who live life, the song will be expanded to share how much God loves the children and watches them pass through the arcs of life until they choose to live in heaven forever .

So Love is: Finding a song that re-inspires my LOVE of writing (much needed!)