Today, Variety has a neat little story in its email about how YouTube is going to be sharing revenue with its "millions of users" effectively turning it into another branch of distribution. This opens up many possibilities for those who can create compelling content ala LonelyGirl, and helps pry open the briefcases of those suits with the filthy monies (Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Madison Avenue).
So, the entrepreneurial mind would do the following:
- create serial content with advertising attached (to pay for some of it).
- upload the content up to Youtube, MySpace, Guba, etc...the wider the better.
- Make sure the content refers back to one's own website where one can sell all sorts of merchandise via CafePress or some other system with its own built-in accounting and sales.
- Publicize and market the hell out of it, generating strong brand identity and awareness.
- Collect the serial entertainment together (with additional must-have content) for either (or both) television and DVD distribution, domestically and internationally.
- Start approaching the venture capitalists (or Hollywood or Madison Ave or a ton of Mobile Phone companies) to build a library of content through acquisition and production and grow the company and number of properties.
- Understand this could all start from one's kitchen table with a video camera, some simple software and a laptop...
Welcome to the 4th Generation.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Vid Biz Talks Horror
The wonderful folks over at Video Business have an article on the state of DVD Horror that is worth reading. You can get the whole magazine electronically here. You can even download the mag as a PDF from the toolbar.
You can even see the final cover for the North American release of BOTTOM FEEDER, starring SHOOTING SIZEMORE television star Tom Sizemore which airs on VH1. Check your local listings.
Here's our sell sheet take on it for the international market:
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Rapid Gun Fire...
... Saw the premiere episode of THE DRESDEN FILES and liked same. It has potential and I'll tune in via the Internet to watch them.
... I installed the TVU Network stream on my laptop. It's still in its novelty phase, but it streams television from various network feeds around the world. I can watch a ton of stuff from Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, etc...
...Saw LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE - hated same. I give them credit for trying, but it's like watching a comedian on stage who's so bad you can't even boo...
...contemplating going to see BLOOD & CHOCOLATE (if it isn't already online) because it's a werewolf movie with a female protagonist, which if you've read me for awhile know this is the setup of my own WOLFSBANE. This is from the same guys who made the UNDERWORLD movies (entertaining if a bit mindless - hey, I resemble that remark!) and THE COVENANT (abysmal). The sad thing is B&C isn't even in the top ten this week - an extremely bad sign. Maybe SMOKIN ACES instead...
...Little bit of business from SECRETS OF THE MILLIONAIRE MIND:
What are you doing?
... enjoy your Sunday.
Edit: Oh and will someone up north kick the appropriate people in the ass and get them to upload the next bunch of episodes of INTELLIGENCE? I'm at episode 8 and holding... If I'm missing them from the web, send me the link via email. I've been watching them on Guba.com.
... I installed the TVU Network stream on my laptop. It's still in its novelty phase, but it streams television from various network feeds around the world. I can watch a ton of stuff from Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, etc...
...Saw LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE - hated same. I give them credit for trying, but it's like watching a comedian on stage who's so bad you can't even boo...
...contemplating going to see BLOOD & CHOCOLATE (if it isn't already online) because it's a werewolf movie with a female protagonist, which if you've read me for awhile know this is the setup of my own WOLFSBANE. This is from the same guys who made the UNDERWORLD movies (entertaining if a bit mindless - hey, I resemble that remark!) and THE COVENANT (abysmal). The sad thing is B&C isn't even in the top ten this week - an extremely bad sign. Maybe SMOKIN ACES instead...
...Little bit of business from SECRETS OF THE MILLIONAIRE MIND:
If you hear something you forget it. If you see something you just remember it.
If you do something you understand it.
What are you doing?
... enjoy your Sunday.
Edit: Oh and will someone up north kick the appropriate people in the ass and get them to upload the next bunch of episodes of INTELLIGENCE? I'm at episode 8 and holding... If I'm missing them from the web, send me the link via email. I've been watching them on Guba.com.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Roll Them Bones! (or what to do after you have an outline)
So, after reading the two previous posts (links at the bottom of the page) you went off and wrote an outline for your next great DVD Premiere opus.
Now put it away. Wait three days, and read it again. Rewrite it. Read it again.
Rewrite it again...and again until you have it "right."
Now comes the fun part - you get to write the first draft of the script. Many people are scared to do it, because they feel they don't know what they are doing. Don't worry - that's never stopped me! Seriously though, you do know what you are doing - you have an outline right in front of you with what's supposed to happen. It's not so detailed that it slows you down, but it's just detailed enough to point you in the right direction.
How fast you get there is up to you, but you do know where you need to end up.
Let's assume this is an assignment and you've been given 30 days to turn in your first draft. You've taken a week to get the outline in shape. That leaves two weeks to write it and one week to polish it up. Wow! That gives you two whole days off this month! I'm envious.
Don't worry because when writing that first draft - you're only going to be working two hours a day. Either in the morning or in the evening or both. This way, if you have a day job you can write the script without killing yourself. The goal is to hit a mark of 10 pages a day.
You read that correctly.
The reason I say that is you're going to turn off the critical, left portion of your brain and work primarily with the right, creative side of your brain. You've already done the editing in your outline. Your story is right there on that page and it works. What you want to do is put text to paper and fill those pages with as much creativity as you can muster.
That means letting yourself be bad. Terrible even. Boring dialogue. Misspelled words. Poor grammar - the works.
Oh sure, there will be some nuggets of cleverness in there, so smile when you hit those. They give you energy like those sugary marshmallow treats in Lucky Charms. Then get back to writing. Speed counts, not accuracy. Your accuracy you've already taken care of in your outline.
Just glance up after you've finished a scene and pull out a pen and mark that scene off the list.
And when two hours or ten pages are finished for the day - stop. Really.
(If it takes you longer than two hours to write ten pages then relax the following day and just keep winging it. This is for yourself. You aren't showing this first draft to anyone. Do not worry about making it perfect)
--------------
Now let's say you're going along swimmingly and you type "FADE OUT" on day 14.
Congratulations. You've made it further than 95% of other folks who say they have a script idea. Take the next day off. Relax. Don't write anything.
--------------
Take a printed version of your script and outline and a red pen (or green or blue, whatever) and read the script. Make a note where you veered off the outline - did it work better in the outline or on the scripted page? Why? Where can you make the scene move or sing?
Note: this is the biggest reason why working writers create an outline (or beat sheet) it allows you to rewrite quickly and efficiently, and an outline is such a short, flexible document that if something different works better in the script all you need to do is rewrite the outline so you can see how it affects other elements of the script.
After you go through and make the changes in the outline you're ready to tackle a quick rewrite (7 days) so you can later turn that in as your first draft. I like to go through in stages and tackle the structure (and action), the dialogue and then the characters.
I wouldn't be able to do that in a timely manner if it weren't for the revised outline in front of me.
Putting in the Bones to Support Your Script
More Bones for Your First Draft
Now put it away. Wait three days, and read it again. Rewrite it. Read it again.
Rewrite it again...and again until you have it "right."
Now comes the fun part - you get to write the first draft of the script. Many people are scared to do it, because they feel they don't know what they are doing. Don't worry - that's never stopped me! Seriously though, you do know what you are doing - you have an outline right in front of you with what's supposed to happen. It's not so detailed that it slows you down, but it's just detailed enough to point you in the right direction.
How fast you get there is up to you, but you do know where you need to end up.
Let's assume this is an assignment and you've been given 30 days to turn in your first draft. You've taken a week to get the outline in shape. That leaves two weeks to write it and one week to polish it up. Wow! That gives you two whole days off this month! I'm envious.
Don't worry because when writing that first draft - you're only going to be working two hours a day. Either in the morning or in the evening or both. This way, if you have a day job you can write the script without killing yourself. The goal is to hit a mark of 10 pages a day.
You read that correctly.
The reason I say that is you're going to turn off the critical, left portion of your brain and work primarily with the right, creative side of your brain. You've already done the editing in your outline. Your story is right there on that page and it works. What you want to do is put text to paper and fill those pages with as much creativity as you can muster.
That means letting yourself be bad. Terrible even. Boring dialogue. Misspelled words. Poor grammar - the works.
Oh sure, there will be some nuggets of cleverness in there, so smile when you hit those. They give you energy like those sugary marshmallow treats in Lucky Charms. Then get back to writing. Speed counts, not accuracy. Your accuracy you've already taken care of in your outline.
Just glance up after you've finished a scene and pull out a pen and mark that scene off the list.
And when two hours or ten pages are finished for the day - stop. Really.
(If it takes you longer than two hours to write ten pages then relax the following day and just keep winging it. This is for yourself. You aren't showing this first draft to anyone. Do not worry about making it perfect)
--------------
Now let's say you're going along swimmingly and you type "FADE OUT" on day 14.
Congratulations. You've made it further than 95% of other folks who say they have a script idea. Take the next day off. Relax. Don't write anything.
--------------
Take a printed version of your script and outline and a red pen (or green or blue, whatever) and read the script. Make a note where you veered off the outline - did it work better in the outline or on the scripted page? Why? Where can you make the scene move or sing?
Note: this is the biggest reason why working writers create an outline (or beat sheet) it allows you to rewrite quickly and efficiently, and an outline is such a short, flexible document that if something different works better in the script all you need to do is rewrite the outline so you can see how it affects other elements of the script.
After you go through and make the changes in the outline you're ready to tackle a quick rewrite (7 days) so you can later turn that in as your first draft. I like to go through in stages and tackle the structure (and action), the dialogue and then the characters.
I wouldn't be able to do that in a timely manner if it weren't for the revised outline in front of me.
Putting in the Bones to Support Your Script
More Bones for Your First Draft
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Fifty Things Guaranteed to Horrify You
Okay , so in following the lead set by Scribe LA, Scott and Emily in their respective blogs, here are 50 things you don't know about me.
50. I used to work in a gym as a manager and trainer.
49. I also used to work in construction for a real estate company, renovating an old cotton mill.
48. I was shot once when I was 14.
47. I had my tonsils out when I was 21.
46. I used to hold a Top Secret security clearance.
45. I haven’t seen my sisters since I was 19.
44. I used to refuel the F-117A Stealth fighter.
43. I’ve been to Area 51.
42. I hate liver, even with onions. My mother once tried to trick me by grinding it up and making it as a hamburger but I knew better and spit it out on the dinner table.
41. When I was in 5th grade, a boy committed suicide after he accidentally shot his father during an argument.
40. I used to speak German well enough to be slapped in Germany, Austria and Deutsch speaking Belgium.
39. I went to a Catholic High school that is no longer. Good riddance.
38. I played football one season in High School. I hated it but if we didn’t all play the school itself wouldn’t have had a team.
37. I have two degrees - one in History and one in Media Arts (aka film and video).
36. I want to bring the movie serial back to the theater.
35. I once rode in the same elevator with Ron Jeremy.
34. I’m the baby of my family.
33. I resemble my father. When I was 10 and younger I resembled my mom.
32. My nickname used to be “BC”.
31. I had a hernia when I yanked a fuel hose out of a truck. I felt something tear, but it didn’t hurt until hours later.
30. I used to live in Vegas. No, I don’t gamble.
29. Star Wars and Close Encounters changed my life.
28. Dogs. I will not date a “Cat-woman.”
27. I’ve shot Craftmatic adjustable bed commercials.
26. I like good furniture.
25. Green tomato sauce pizza - My Father’s Pizza; Black Mountain, NC.
24. I shot a movie in the same town where the end of DELIVERANCE was filmed.
23. We used to get off school to go to the Masters golf tournament.
22. I went to my prom in my Dad’s tuxedo.
21. I once had a dog named Biscuit who had her puppies on my bed. I got rid of the mattress - fast.
20. I once stood barefoot in the snow to get a Coca-Cola (and to prove a point).
19. DC or Marvel? DC
18. The first time I went to NYC it was for a screening of the movie that I worked on in SC called RIPE.
17. I used to deliver chicken wings in college. It paid for a lot of things - especially during football season.
16. My first screenplay was called PATCHWORK and it was about a dead gangster resurrected by toxic waste, who must replace his worn out or shot off body parts with those of his victims - the former members of his gang who ordered his hit. I’m going to turn it into a comic.
15. I’m addicted to TRADING SPACES, PROPERTY LADDER, FLIP THIS HOUSE, AMERICAN CHOPPER, and yes, even DEBBIE TRAVIS (except when she uses that cheap ass silver leaf foil).
14. I was ranked as a Pro-marksman when I was a youngster.
13. I once stuck my finger down a girl’s throat to get her to throw up the half-liter of grain alcohol she chugged down.
12. I once came home drunk and tripped over the television in front of my Dad. He was not amused.
11. My Mother has a thing for dachshund novelties.
10. As a kid, I spent one summer in Iowa with my family at my grandparents house. I read five Shadow novels that summer, and I was hooked.
9. I learned the hard way that you should never get your honey where you get your money.
8. My Dad and I agree on a few things: James Bond, serials and Rumpole of the Bailey.
7. I knew I wanted to get into movies when I sat down with a bowl of popcorn and watched a serial with my Dad , and we both became these eight year old boys. The serial - DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE - was one he remembered as a kid and he never got to see how it turned out.
6. I was raised in the Lutheran church, went to a Catholic high school and graduated from Presbyterian College.
5. I start writing when there is absolutely positively nothing else I can do to use as an excuse - the research is done, the outline, the characters are real and all of the laundry, dishes and housecleaning has been done.
4. I was once run over (hit actually) by a car.
3. I once jumped into my Dad’s car and pulled the brake, letting the car roll down the driveway. I don’t know why. (and yes, the car was fine).
2. I was in the play K2 in college and nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Award.
1. When I first got here, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in Hollywood if I hadn’t cashed in the value on my life insurance policy.
50. I used to work in a gym as a manager and trainer.
49. I also used to work in construction for a real estate company, renovating an old cotton mill.
48. I was shot once when I was 14.
47. I had my tonsils out when I was 21.
46. I used to hold a Top Secret security clearance.
45. I haven’t seen my sisters since I was 19.
44. I used to refuel the F-117A Stealth fighter.
43. I’ve been to Area 51.
42. I hate liver, even with onions. My mother once tried to trick me by grinding it up and making it as a hamburger but I knew better and spit it out on the dinner table.
41. When I was in 5th grade, a boy committed suicide after he accidentally shot his father during an argument.
40. I used to speak German well enough to be slapped in Germany, Austria and Deutsch speaking Belgium.
39. I went to a Catholic High school that is no longer. Good riddance.
38. I played football one season in High School. I hated it but if we didn’t all play the school itself wouldn’t have had a team.
37. I have two degrees - one in History and one in Media Arts (aka film and video).
36. I want to bring the movie serial back to the theater.
35. I once rode in the same elevator with Ron Jeremy.
34. I’m the baby of my family.
33. I resemble my father. When I was 10 and younger I resembled my mom.
32. My nickname used to be “BC”.
31. I had a hernia when I yanked a fuel hose out of a truck. I felt something tear, but it didn’t hurt until hours later.
30. I used to live in Vegas. No, I don’t gamble.
29. Star Wars and Close Encounters changed my life.
28. Dogs. I will not date a “Cat-woman.”
27. I’ve shot Craftmatic adjustable bed commercials.
26. I like good furniture.
25. Green tomato sauce pizza - My Father’s Pizza; Black Mountain, NC.
24. I shot a movie in the same town where the end of DELIVERANCE was filmed.
23. We used to get off school to go to the Masters golf tournament.
22. I went to my prom in my Dad’s tuxedo.
21. I once had a dog named Biscuit who had her puppies on my bed. I got rid of the mattress - fast.
20. I once stood barefoot in the snow to get a Coca-Cola (and to prove a point).
19. DC or Marvel? DC
18. The first time I went to NYC it was for a screening of the movie that I worked on in SC called RIPE.
17. I used to deliver chicken wings in college. It paid for a lot of things - especially during football season.
16. My first screenplay was called PATCHWORK and it was about a dead gangster resurrected by toxic waste, who must replace his worn out or shot off body parts with those of his victims - the former members of his gang who ordered his hit. I’m going to turn it into a comic.
15. I’m addicted to TRADING SPACES, PROPERTY LADDER, FLIP THIS HOUSE, AMERICAN CHOPPER, and yes, even DEBBIE TRAVIS (except when she uses that cheap ass silver leaf foil).
14. I was ranked as a Pro-marksman when I was a youngster.
13. I once stuck my finger down a girl’s throat to get her to throw up the half-liter of grain alcohol she chugged down.
12. I once came home drunk and tripped over the television in front of my Dad. He was not amused.
11. My Mother has a thing for dachshund novelties.
10. As a kid, I spent one summer in Iowa with my family at my grandparents house. I read five Shadow novels that summer, and I was hooked.
9. I learned the hard way that you should never get your honey where you get your money.
8. My Dad and I agree on a few things: James Bond, serials and Rumpole of the Bailey.
7. I knew I wanted to get into movies when I sat down with a bowl of popcorn and watched a serial with my Dad , and we both became these eight year old boys. The serial - DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE - was one he remembered as a kid and he never got to see how it turned out.
6. I was raised in the Lutheran church, went to a Catholic high school and graduated from Presbyterian College.
5. I start writing when there is absolutely positively nothing else I can do to use as an excuse - the research is done, the outline, the characters are real and all of the laundry, dishes and housecleaning has been done.
4. I was once run over (hit actually) by a car.
3. I once jumped into my Dad’s car and pulled the brake, letting the car roll down the driveway. I don’t know why. (and yes, the car was fine).
2. I was in the play K2 in college and nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Award.
1. When I first got here, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in Hollywood if I hadn’t cashed in the value on my life insurance policy.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Further Exploits of Grindhouse
It's posters like these that take me back to my youth. I grew up in a small town in SC, and the two theaters in town showed relatively the same fare until Friday and Saturday nites when the "Bad" theater had a midnight show that was always an exploitation classic.
It's where I saw DEATH RACE 2000 and BIG BAD MAMA (Angie Dickinson...oh my) and THE BIG BIRD CAGE and LET'S DO IT AGAIN and...
(you get the picture)
Monday, January 22, 2007
I Like Living in the Future
If this were ten short years ago, I would be having a dilemma over this - both shows are on at the same time! That would mean I would have to make sure the VCR was set to record one or the other while I was watching.But no longer...
I can watch these anytime and go back and burn a copy or download to my laptop and take it on the bus with me... No setting switches nor dials...No making sure the VCR was set for one minute before and after the hour to make sure the whole thing got recorded...
No worries.
We like that.How Was YOUR Weekend?
You know something of my weekend based on my last post, but what you don't know is I watched the first 8 episodes of the Canadian drama INTELLIGENCE, which I thought was good. It wasn't appointment television - yet - but it was worth a look.
Sunday I went and had a massage at the market, and after that went to the local beanery for some coffee and work.
Then I came back here to the mad pulp pad and watched the first four parts of the BBC Television serial QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (which was later remade as the feature film FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH). The BBC serial is in six parts (all online) and are in stunning black & white. I watched it as part of my research in creating my own six-pack series for television, but found myself really liking Nigel Kneale's characters and story which went far beyond its low budget trappings.
It also had me thinking: When did the Scientist-hero go out of fashion?
Used to be we trusted science and rational thought - or at least the process. When did we start turning our back on it? Have we? (We do after all have the CSI franchise to reinforce the idea that science and facts, not feelings, determine the outcome of a case).
Enough musing. Back to BTC.
Sunday I went and had a massage at the market, and after that went to the local beanery for some coffee and work.
Then I came back here to the mad pulp pad and watched the first four parts of the BBC Television serial QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (which was later remade as the feature film FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH). The BBC serial is in six parts (all online) and are in stunning black & white. I watched it as part of my research in creating my own six-pack series for television, but found myself really liking Nigel Kneale's characters and story which went far beyond its low budget trappings.
It also had me thinking: When did the Scientist-hero go out of fashion?
Used to be we trusted science and rational thought - or at least the process. When did we start turning our back on it? Have we? (We do after all have the CSI franchise to reinforce the idea that science and facts, not feelings, determine the outcome of a case).
Enough musing. Back to BTC.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
New Additions to the Pulp Library
I went to my friendly neighborhood Borders Bookstore today to purchase some new additions to my pulp library. There's nothing I like doing better...wait a second, scratch that...there's nothing I like doing better with my pants on than going to a bookstore and browsing the shelves for some "buried treasure." While the local library is good too, especially here in Hollywood where they have many out of print volumes on serials, the bookstore is unfiltered for the most part. You can find just about anything there.
Then of course, I ran into these two characters and I just had to say, "Hello." Nostalgia Ventures Inc. are reprinting their adventures (starting with the more obscure ones which haven't been reprinted before) under the direction of pulp scholar Anthony Tollin. Two complete adventures come in each volume. The Shadow has "The Voodoo Master" and "The Red Blot", and Doc Savage contains "Resurrection Day" and "Repel."
So with a cup of java in hand, I perused the shelves in search of said treasure...and I hit the motherload.
A Zorro novel by a noteworthy "serious" novelist. A New York Times bestseller no less. I look forward to reading it on my way to the office. I'll have to program some appropriate music into my ipod.
Then of course, I ran into these two characters and I just had to say, "Hello." Nostalgia Ventures Inc. are reprinting their adventures (starting with the more obscure ones which haven't been reprinted before) under the direction of pulp scholar Anthony Tollin. Two complete adventures come in each volume. The Shadow has "The Voodoo Master" and "The Red Blot", and Doc Savage contains "Resurrection Day" and "Repel."Both volumes are printed in their original formats with some added editorial material and background. Good Stuff!
Last week I went to the LA Comics and Science Fiction Convention over at the Shrine auditorium and browsed around there as well (I seem to be on a book buying binge). While there I picked up some bargain British comics annuals - Dan Dare, Victor, Ranger, Lion and Thunder from the 70's. Interesting material and is a different view of comics than the one I grew up with. Very enlightening.
I also picked up a few DVDs. This nail-biting DVD here , and a DVD with the grim visage and terrifying laugh of this guy:
Edit: I just realized all of my book and DVD buying has been going against my paper and plastic austerity program I was trumpeting just a few months ago to my friends. Won't you publishers and distributors put some effort into getting this stuff all onto the web so I don't have to kill trees and use oil-base plastics? Thanks, it would be so much easier to have all this stuff on my laptop instead of filling my shelves...
Friday, January 19, 2007
More Bones for your First Draft
Okay, so the last time we talked here, we discussed the basics of my "Rule of Threes" working method when it comes to outlining a DVDP script. I would refresh your memory a bit before tackling this section.
I'll wait...
So here's an example of an outline I've done for THE SKULL , a project born out of my love for film noir, Mexican Lucha Libre and cliffhanger serials. It's a simple revenge story at its heart, so with that in mind here is the outline I wrote for my first draft:
THE SKULL
PROJECT OUTLINE
Act One:
1. Who am I?
When a man is burned alive by a gang of masked men, he is somehow resurrected with no memory of who he was and no face except for a gleaming white skull.
2. Make them Pay.
When the man runs into the gangsters who now control the whole of downtown, he trains himself to destroy their organization.
3. The Skull Strikes!
When he destroys one of the gang’s nightclubs, The Skull not only draws the attention of the gang’s leader, El Diablo, but the police who think he killed a cop.
Act Two:
4. Complications Ensue
When The Skull confronts the hard-boiled lady detective chasing him, he learns that he was the cop he is accused of murdering, and she is his former partner and lover who also wants to take down El Diablo’s and his gang for what they‘ve done.
5. More than Meets the Eye
When The Skull confronts El Diablo both men learn that (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx), forcing El Diablo to up his timetable to take over the city‘s underworld with his designer drug, Hellfire.
6. Turnabout is Fair Play
After destroying many of El Diablo’s Hellfire operations, The Skull learns his former partner is threatened, and he races to the rescue only to find (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Act Three:
7. Taken to El Diablo’s headquarters.
Captured, The Skull pieces together that he was once El Diablo’s prisoner where they experimented on him refining El Diablo’s Hellfire, which is how he survived.
8. Game of Death.
The Skull must fight his way past El Diablo’s enhanced henchmen to the top of the headquarters in order to finally learn the question that has been fueling his revenge - why did they kill him?
9. Ending the Masquerade.
When The Skull defeats El Diablo, he learns that (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
So here’s how the basic spine of my story looks - pretty crude huh? I didn't even have a name for my main hero at that point. I’ve even neglected to mention one of the characters who will play a big part in the story. Well, it’s supposed to be crude because all of the subtlety and nuance you save for the first draft.
Now that you have this spine in place and you can simply follow the progression of your hero's story with your scenes. What I do next is split the outline onto three pages, an act per page, and write down all of the scenes within each arc. For example:
1. Who am I?
When a man is burned alive by a gang of masked men, he is somehow resurrected with no memory of who he was and no face except for a gleaming white skull.
- Opening Scene: Junkyard. Hero’s murder, introduce villain & henchmen.
- Int. Cathedral: Hero survives- How? Introduce “Casey.” “Who am I?”
- Ext. Streets - background. Introduce world we’re in.
- Our hero sees gang, but can do nothing as they take down local businesses and the cops.
I try and keep the scene descriptions simple, on the page as sparse notes sending me in the right direction toward the moment I type “The End.” I find if I get too detailed at this point in the outline I can get bogged down in that detail instead of focusing on the structure of the story. I want to leave the creative stuff for the first draft. I also find that motifs and character start to come out in the outline phase - stuff I can use when writing the first draft. For example:
Every scene relates back to the main chapter title in some way, shape or form. If it doesn’t relate, it really sticks out like a sore thumb, and I get rid of it. I also like to dive in rather quickly and immerse the reader into the world of The Skull - I mean how often does a story start where the hero is killed by the villain right off?
Scenes, and the chapter titles also relate back to the main character. I titled the opening “Who Am I?” because there’s something not quite right with our hero - a) he has no face and b) he can’t remember who he is or why the masked gang killed him in the first place. His quest is to answer this question, and the only way he’s going to be able to do that is by taking down El Diablo and his gang. He learns that lesson when he sees the gang rule “downtown”, taking over all of the local hangouts and business as they push the Hellfire. The only thing they’re all afraid of is another “masked” gangster like themselves, so he becomes one - albeit without the mask.
You see how the first arc blends into the second arc? Our hero goes from being clueless and then having to learn all about this dark new world he’s in, to realizing that the guys who did this to him have the answers he seeks. He just has to destroy a super criminal empire to get it. All in the first ten pages.
And yes, the whole affair has the subtlety of a sledge hammer against a kneecap, but that’s the kind of story this is, and when you learn how to use the “rule of threes” you can learn how to be more subtle. (Start simple, remember?)
What's fun is when you see these motifs emerge from the outline and you refine them while writing the first draft. Just remember that no matter how your outline is structured if you mention it in the first act - it has to pay off by the third. Again, in the case of The Skull - I ask, “Who am I?” - a character driven question which I answer it at the end of the script…
with plenty of fisticuffs and frights along the way.
I'll wait...
So here's an example of an outline I've done for THE SKULL , a project born out of my love for film noir, Mexican Lucha Libre and cliffhanger serials. It's a simple revenge story at its heart, so with that in mind here is the outline I wrote for my first draft:
THE SKULL
PROJECT OUTLINE
Act One:
1. Who am I?
When a man is burned alive by a gang of masked men, he is somehow resurrected with no memory of who he was and no face except for a gleaming white skull.
2. Make them Pay.
When the man runs into the gangsters who now control the whole of downtown, he trains himself to destroy their organization.
3. The Skull Strikes!
When he destroys one of the gang’s nightclubs, The Skull not only draws the attention of the gang’s leader, El Diablo, but the police who think he killed a cop.
Act Two:
4. Complications Ensue
When The Skull confronts the hard-boiled lady detective chasing him, he learns that he was the cop he is accused of murdering, and she is his former partner and lover who also wants to take down El Diablo’s and his gang for what they‘ve done.
5. More than Meets the Eye
When The Skull confronts El Diablo both men learn that (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx), forcing El Diablo to up his timetable to take over the city‘s underworld with his designer drug, Hellfire.
6. Turnabout is Fair Play
After destroying many of El Diablo’s Hellfire operations, The Skull learns his former partner is threatened, and he races to the rescue only to find (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Act Three:
7. Taken to El Diablo’s headquarters.
Captured, The Skull pieces together that he was once El Diablo’s prisoner where they experimented on him refining El Diablo’s Hellfire, which is how he survived.
8. Game of Death.
The Skull must fight his way past El Diablo’s enhanced henchmen to the top of the headquarters in order to finally learn the question that has been fueling his revenge - why did they kill him?
9. Ending the Masquerade.
When The Skull defeats El Diablo, he learns that (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
So here’s how the basic spine of my story looks - pretty crude huh? I didn't even have a name for my main hero at that point. I’ve even neglected to mention one of the characters who will play a big part in the story. Well, it’s supposed to be crude because all of the subtlety and nuance you save for the first draft.
Now that you have this spine in place and you can simply follow the progression of your hero's story with your scenes. What I do next is split the outline onto three pages, an act per page, and write down all of the scenes within each arc. For example:
1. Who am I?
When a man is burned alive by a gang of masked men, he is somehow resurrected with no memory of who he was and no face except for a gleaming white skull.
- Opening Scene: Junkyard. Hero’s murder, introduce villain & henchmen.
- Int. Cathedral: Hero survives- How? Introduce “Casey.” “Who am I?”
- Ext. Streets - background. Introduce world we’re in.
- Our hero sees gang, but can do nothing as they take down local businesses and the cops.
I try and keep the scene descriptions simple, on the page as sparse notes sending me in the right direction toward the moment I type “The End.” I find if I get too detailed at this point in the outline I can get bogged down in that detail instead of focusing on the structure of the story. I want to leave the creative stuff for the first draft. I also find that motifs and character start to come out in the outline phase - stuff I can use when writing the first draft. For example:
Every scene relates back to the main chapter title in some way, shape or form. If it doesn’t relate, it really sticks out like a sore thumb, and I get rid of it. I also like to dive in rather quickly and immerse the reader into the world of The Skull - I mean how often does a story start where the hero is killed by the villain right off?
Scenes, and the chapter titles also relate back to the main character. I titled the opening “Who Am I?” because there’s something not quite right with our hero - a) he has no face and b) he can’t remember who he is or why the masked gang killed him in the first place. His quest is to answer this question, and the only way he’s going to be able to do that is by taking down El Diablo and his gang. He learns that lesson when he sees the gang rule “downtown”, taking over all of the local hangouts and business as they push the Hellfire. The only thing they’re all afraid of is another “masked” gangster like themselves, so he becomes one - albeit without the mask.
You see how the first arc blends into the second arc? Our hero goes from being clueless and then having to learn all about this dark new world he’s in, to realizing that the guys who did this to him have the answers he seeks. He just has to destroy a super criminal empire to get it. All in the first ten pages.
And yes, the whole affair has the subtlety of a sledge hammer against a kneecap, but that’s the kind of story this is, and when you learn how to use the “rule of threes” you can learn how to be more subtle. (Start simple, remember?)
What's fun is when you see these motifs emerge from the outline and you refine them while writing the first draft. Just remember that no matter how your outline is structured if you mention it in the first act - it has to pay off by the third. Again, in the case of The Skull - I ask, “Who am I?” - a character driven question which I answer it at the end of the script…
with plenty of fisticuffs and frights along the way.
It's Friday...
and I am swamped with a bunch of marketing work for a client - writing sell sheet copy ( taglines, synopses, sell points) for a new movie featuring Kathleen Quinlan, another movie with Julie Warner and another with Lou Diamond Phillips.
I will post part 2 of my outlining essay tomorrow. In the meantime, you'll have to be satisfied with this.
Other than that I have a few observations about one of the recent DVDs I've screened, LIGHTSPEED, from the mind of Marvel comic book publisher Stan Lee. I came upon this movie at Amoeba with the hope that it might be half-decent.
I was disappointed.
(and in case I'm being too subtle - Don't rent it. Don't download it. Step away from the crap.)
I will post part 2 of my outlining essay tomorrow. In the meantime, you'll have to be satisfied with this.
Other than that I have a few observations about one of the recent DVDs I've screened, LIGHTSPEED, from the mind of Marvel comic book publisher Stan Lee. I came upon this movie at Amoeba with the hope that it might be half-decent.
I was disappointed.
(and in case I'm being too subtle - Don't rent it. Don't download it. Step away from the crap.)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
I'm Going to the Navbar to get Joost...
The creators of Skype and Kazaa are coming out with an internet television model that's just that - more like television. It's called Joost ("Juiced")
Read about it here at Content Agenda.
More and more people are taking the disc out of discontent.
Read about it here at Content Agenda.
More and more people are taking the disc out of discontent.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
4 and Counting...
For those of you who have to have them, you can get the first four episodes of this season's 24 here for a mere $11.00. Also available on Netflix.
This is in stores today, near day-and-date of the broadcast. This way studios are using television to spur DVD sales, and using small packages of discs to keep the franchise alive on the retailer shelves.
I'm thinking of calling these "bump" discs because they bump up the DVD sales. If they release 6 sets at $11 each = $66.00 which is about $10.00 more than a complete set would cost.
Fox is also running a deal on the older seasons sets where you can get those for only $25.00 each.
Does anyone else remember...
This?
I have many fond memories of this show that was produced for a dime, but featured really cool special effects (for their time). I'm anxious to see if it holds up to elder scrutiny.
Comic Movies coming Our Way...
Rachel Deahl of Publisher's Weekly talks about them here.
(and it's not all spandex and pulp either... okay, not the spandex)
(and it's not all spandex and pulp either... okay, not the spandex)
Monday, January 15, 2007
Hey, You Serial Writers Out There...
Since the serial is making a comeback of sorts - not only with LOST and DAYBREAK (Moon...Bloodgood) and one of my favorites PRISON BREAK - it would behoove you to listen to one of the critics (USA TODAY) who pretty much hits the nail on the head when it comes to the video-drama. He's talking about 24, but this applies across the board:
… that's what you get with Sunday and Monday's four-hour return: TV's top action/adventure, reinvented once more, the same and yet completely, thrillingly different. … what's remarkable is that 24 still finds so many ways to surprise us, to take our knowledge of how things are done and turn it against us. Once again, it's a hugely enjoyable if daunting lesson, for anyone planning a serial, on what a serial should be. ……
Have fun watching the second half tonight.
Spoiler: it just confirms my reason not to live in Valencia....
… that's what you get with Sunday and Monday's four-hour return: TV's top action/adventure, reinvented once more, the same and yet completely, thrillingly different. … what's remarkable is that 24 still finds so many ways to surprise us, to take our knowledge of how things are done and turn it against us. Once again, it's a hugely enjoyable if daunting lesson, for anyone planning a serial, on what a serial should be. ……
Have fun watching the second half tonight.
Spoiler: it just confirms my reason not to live in Valencia....
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Jack is Back!
I've just finished watching the first four episodes of the new season of 24...
OMG!!!!!!!
This WILL BE a must-have DVD set for anyone who watches the adventures of CTU Special Agent Jack Bauer. The premise is nail-biting and done with such style that it works, and works well. The 24 team have really raised the bar...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Weekend is Approaching...
and we haven't had an "Ask The Mad Pulp Bastard A Question" Day in awhile.
So, feel free to shoot me a question tomorrow and Saturday and I will answer them all in the comments section. The rules are you can ask me anything you want and I have to answer - my writing, producing, lovelife, hobbies - all those burning questions you just have to know.
The intent here is to promote discussion and allow everyone to meet one another, but it usually means I get to find out what's really on my readers' minds (such as they are), and you get to have your worst fears confirmed.
The clock starts ticking...now!
So, feel free to shoot me a question tomorrow and Saturday and I will answer them all in the comments section. The rules are you can ask me anything you want and I have to answer - my writing, producing, lovelife, hobbies - all those burning questions you just have to know.
The intent here is to promote discussion and allow everyone to meet one another, but it usually means I get to find out what's really on my readers' minds (such as they are), and you get to have your worst fears confirmed.
The clock starts ticking...now!
RSS Feed
Hopefully it is fixed and those of you subscribing can get it.
Let me know otherwise. The link is just below the Archives and is active.
Also let me know if there any other feeds I should put into play here.
Thanks!
Let me know otherwise. The link is just below the Archives and is active.
Also let me know if there any other feeds I should put into play here.
Thanks!
The Man of Bronze & The Master of Men
Here's something that's really cool used to promote a pulp anthology coming out soon from Moonstone Books. This is a great use of technology and a free distribution method.
The Future is Right...Now!
John Rogers has an especially excellent post on the future of television and how things are changing.
This dovetails into what Piers was talking about here...and here. Which was based on my thoughtbleed.
My (random)thought is:
Is John's premise that "nobody gets rich but everybody gets paid" model based on a single series or has he factored in "multiple series overseen by the creating entity or brand?"
(I've seen this happen at York, where we had a small part of the audience embracing the York brand. I would get letters from folks who rented or purchased everything we put out, presumably to find another diamond in the rough, but they really watched them all. Not even I did that...)
This dovetails into what Piers was talking about here...and here. Which was based on my thoughtbleed.
My (random)thought is:
Is John's premise that "nobody gets rich but everybody gets paid" model based on a single series or has he factored in "multiple series overseen by the creating entity or brand?"
(I've seen this happen at York, where we had a small part of the audience embracing the York brand. I would get letters from folks who rented or purchased everything we put out, presumably to find another diamond in the rough, but they really watched them all. Not even I did that...)
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
No Matter What Your Agenda...
you'll want to be scanning Content Agenda.
This site (still in beta) aggregates news from around the world concerning the ongoing weaving of the computer, the internet and your television set and DVD player. New tech, new content and where it's all going.
Brought to you by the fine folks who publish Variety and Video Business.
The future is now...
This site (still in beta) aggregates news from around the world concerning the ongoing weaving of the computer, the internet and your television set and DVD player. New tech, new content and where it's all going.
Brought to you by the fine folks who publish Variety and Video Business.
The future is now...
Monday, January 08, 2007
I've Said It Before...
In this post no less, but let me say it again.
Your DVDP movie story and script has to be of quality so it can be realized on film. It has to be a great tale told well.
That's how you get hired to write again.
That's how you build a career.
That's how you make yourself into a brand the way Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carpenter and Robert Rodriguez did. They did it by writing ripping yarns. (And then Carpenter and Rodriguez went out and filmed theirs while Burroughs licensed his tales to (silent) films, comic strips, television, serials, and many features).
That's how you win.
There's a lot of ways a movie can turn out crappy. What I would suggest you do is peruse the archives over at Sex-in-a-Sub. Bill has a few stories there about how some of his scripts got mangled in the process.
Or read John Rogers' tales of Catwoman. Same process more money.
Your DVDP movie story and script has to be of quality so it can be realized on film. It has to be a great tale told well.
That's how you get hired to write again.
That's how you build a career.
That's how you make yourself into a brand the way Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carpenter and Robert Rodriguez did. They did it by writing ripping yarns. (And then Carpenter and Rodriguez went out and filmed theirs while Burroughs licensed his tales to (silent) films, comic strips, television, serials, and many features).
That's how you win.
There's a lot of ways a movie can turn out crappy. What I would suggest you do is peruse the archives over at Sex-in-a-Sub. Bill has a few stories there about how some of his scripts got mangled in the process.
Or read John Rogers' tales of Catwoman. Same process more money.
"What Do You Mean Flash Gordon Approaching?"
Yes, SciFi is developing a series with the help of some of the folks I've mentioned on this blog before (ssssh! Top Secret!)
You can read the preliminary rumours here.
(Art by Dean Zachary from his site)
Friday, January 05, 2007
One Man's Trash...
Someone on the Retromedia Forum (see sidebar and join up) posted a link to dozens of 1980's and 90's VHS box covers from independent companies (some of whom folded into what is now Lionsgate).
Putting in the Bones to Support Your Script.
We’ve been talking about the new show HEROES and how the first arc of the show - these first 13 episodes - have been summed up by the wonderful NBC marketing department under the umbrella phrase, “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
To be quite frank, the phrase originated with the writers/creators, but it was quickly latched onto by the hive mind because it teased you with a question and provided you with a direction. It summed up the skeleton of the plot for this story arc…
Which leads us to this new story arc, “Are you on the list?”
These are like chapter titles aren’t they?
That’s really important to remember because when you’re building a story you start with the bones and work your way up to a head. You flow from chapter to chapter until you have a novel. You go from the simple to the more complex…
And if it doesn’t hold up at the skeletal stage, it WILL NOT hold up no matter how much muscle, skin and blood you add to it. It will collapse on you.
You can also use the skeletal analogy with comic book art (for those uber-geeks like me who delve in such matters). In the 90’s, artwork took the lead in the comic book world with incredibly detailed images filling page after page. But looking at the stories as a whole, the art didn’t serve the story (Image Comics we are looking at you). The art was there to look pretty. Ultimately, those books and that style of art fell to the wayside…
It didn’t hold up.
In the DVD Premiere (DVDP) world, the story has to hold up, because often that’s all you have to go on. The SFX may fail you, the direction may be for shit, the camera work shoddy… you name it I’ve seen it and experienced it.
But if the story holds together - that other stuff doesn’t matter. You forgive the shortcomings because the strengths are so strong they completely overshadow the weaknesses.
(From the production end of things it’s so much cooler to work on a movie where the story rocks. It forces you to bring your best game to the table - lighting, camera, design, costume, acting, SFX - everyone gets excited)
All this pontificating on my part begs the question: “How DO you structure a 90 minute “pulp” script, ya Bastard?”
Okay, here’s how:
I think in terms of Threes.
- Three acts of thirty minutes each.
- Three arcs per act. One statement (theme?) sums up each arc.
- Three main characters (The Hero, The Villain, The Dynamic Character).
Symmetrical. Clean. Easily modified.
Each 90 minute screenplay is a progressing series of arcs (the skeleton) coming to a head (The finale). That story can be broken down into nine statements that provide the overall structure to the story. If those statements don’t flow from one to the next, then I need to go back and ‘fix’ those statements until they do.
Act One:
STATEMENT ONE
STATEMENT TWO
STATEMENT THREE (THE TWIST)
Act Two:
STATEMENT FOUR
STATEMENT FIVE
STATEMENT SIX (2ND ACT TWIST)
Act Three:
STATEMENT SEVEN
STATEMENT EIGHT
STATEMENT NINE (FINALE)
Okay. I lied a bit. It’s not as easy as it may appear. It’s like writing haiku - a rigid structure that can be unforgiving, but very beautiful and meaningful when used properly.
(Disclaimer: a lot of this is based on my experience with Writer’s Boot Camp. They use a 12 statement structure which I found a bit too much for a 90 minute show. For more information about WBC you can go here.)
There’s also some of you folks out there who are saying, “Well what about Syd Field’s structure?” Fine. Let me get my gun…
(loads bullets)
This 90 minute, three-act structure doesn’t violate anything set forth in Field. What it does do is break that three act structure down into manageable units. That is the whole point - go from the simple to the more complex.
What I’ll end up with is a page filled with nine statements- an outline (or structure, or beat-sheet. Whatever is in vogue these days.) that will allow me to build scenes that reinforce the outline. I could even put each statement on an index card and put scene cards under each statement (but that‘s kind of messy if I'm in a coffee shop). If a scene doesn’t fit under one statement, it could go under another, but will probably need to be tossed altogether.
I can take a look at this one page and quickly see where I’m going wrong and what I need to do to fix it.
Which is real important when time = money, and when you're learning how to write a script.
NEXT TIME: A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE OF THE STRUCTURE
To be quite frank, the phrase originated with the writers/creators, but it was quickly latched onto by the hive mind because it teased you with a question and provided you with a direction. It summed up the skeleton of the plot for this story arc…
Which leads us to this new story arc, “Are you on the list?”
These are like chapter titles aren’t they?
That’s really important to remember because when you’re building a story you start with the bones and work your way up to a head. You flow from chapter to chapter until you have a novel. You go from the simple to the more complex…
And if it doesn’t hold up at the skeletal stage, it WILL NOT hold up no matter how much muscle, skin and blood you add to it. It will collapse on you.
You can also use the skeletal analogy with comic book art (for those uber-geeks like me who delve in such matters). In the 90’s, artwork took the lead in the comic book world with incredibly detailed images filling page after page. But looking at the stories as a whole, the art didn’t serve the story (Image Comics we are looking at you). The art was there to look pretty. Ultimately, those books and that style of art fell to the wayside…
It didn’t hold up.
In the DVD Premiere (DVDP) world, the story has to hold up, because often that’s all you have to go on. The SFX may fail you, the direction may be for shit, the camera work shoddy… you name it I’ve seen it and experienced it.
But if the story holds together - that other stuff doesn’t matter. You forgive the shortcomings because the strengths are so strong they completely overshadow the weaknesses.
(From the production end of things it’s so much cooler to work on a movie where the story rocks. It forces you to bring your best game to the table - lighting, camera, design, costume, acting, SFX - everyone gets excited)
All this pontificating on my part begs the question: “How DO you structure a 90 minute “pulp” script, ya Bastard?”
Okay, here’s how:
I think in terms of Threes.
- Three acts of thirty minutes each.
- Three arcs per act. One statement (theme?) sums up each arc.
- Three main characters (The Hero, The Villain, The Dynamic Character).
Symmetrical. Clean. Easily modified.
Each 90 minute screenplay is a progressing series of arcs (the skeleton) coming to a head (The finale). That story can be broken down into nine statements that provide the overall structure to the story. If those statements don’t flow from one to the next, then I need to go back and ‘fix’ those statements until they do.
Act One:
STATEMENT ONE
STATEMENT TWO
STATEMENT THREE (THE TWIST)
Act Two:
STATEMENT FOUR
STATEMENT FIVE
STATEMENT SIX (2ND ACT TWIST)
Act Three:
STATEMENT SEVEN
STATEMENT EIGHT
STATEMENT NINE (FINALE)
Okay. I lied a bit. It’s not as easy as it may appear. It’s like writing haiku - a rigid structure that can be unforgiving, but very beautiful and meaningful when used properly.
(Disclaimer: a lot of this is based on my experience with Writer’s Boot Camp. They use a 12 statement structure which I found a bit too much for a 90 minute show. For more information about WBC you can go here.)
There’s also some of you folks out there who are saying, “Well what about Syd Field’s structure?” Fine. Let me get my gun…
(loads bullets)
This 90 minute, three-act structure doesn’t violate anything set forth in Field. What it does do is break that three act structure down into manageable units. That is the whole point - go from the simple to the more complex.
What I’ll end up with is a page filled with nine statements- an outline (or structure, or beat-sheet. Whatever is in vogue these days.) that will allow me to build scenes that reinforce the outline. I could even put each statement on an index card and put scene cards under each statement (but that‘s kind of messy if I'm in a coffee shop). If a scene doesn’t fit under one statement, it could go under another, but will probably need to be tossed altogether.
I can take a look at this one page and quickly see where I’m going wrong and what I need to do to fix it.
Which is real important when time = money, and when you're learning how to write a script.
NEXT TIME: A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE OF THE STRUCTURE
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Are You On The List?
Give yourself some clues to what this phrase could possibly mean. I mean, after all you were hooked on "Save the cheerleader, Save the world," weren't you?
ALL of the episodes online here.
I think this will be one kick-ass DVD set when it comes out...
I'm Mad, I'm Worldwide...
and I've been interviewed at $1000 Spielberg. You can read my mad words of pulpy wisdom (aka a rant) here.
They went all out and scoured the (bottom of the) net, dredging up a little podcast I did last year. So now you can put a voice to the face made for radio.
.
(This is a re-creation of actual events. Mouth portrayed by a trained actor. Don't try this at home.)
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Who are you?
I've been noticing a lot of blogs that have linked up, so I thought it might be nice to start 2007 off with a bit o' the pimpage.
If you've linked up to DISContent and I'm on your blogroll this is your chance to announce yourself and your blog. There's a lot of people out there who I don't know - and I want to.
Tell us who the hell you are, where you're from, what you do and what you want to do. Tell us what your blog is about. Tell me why you're reading my blog.
If you're in my sidebar the same rule applies please. If you've just been lurking, then announce yourself to your fellows. Say something - likes, dislikes, quips, quotes, conundrums, passions, addictions...
Let's get to know one another and get this 2007 party started.
If you've linked up to DISContent and I'm on your blogroll this is your chance to announce yourself and your blog. There's a lot of people out there who I don't know - and I want to.
Tell us who the hell you are, where you're from, what you do and what you want to do. Tell us what your blog is about. Tell me why you're reading my blog.
If you're in my sidebar the same rule applies please. If you've just been lurking, then announce yourself to your fellows. Say something - likes, dislikes, quips, quotes, conundrums, passions, addictions...
Let's get to know one another and get this 2007 party started.
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