Script Kitchen

UPDATE: 

John and Tara report strong response to Script Kitchen, so they'll open a Sunday class soon. Date and time TBA. Questions? Want in? scriptkitchen@gmail.com

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Tara Samuel and my husband John Sandel finalized plans yesterday for the screenwriting class the two of them will begin teaching in--wow--just over a week. We're pretty excited around here.

Script Kitchen will include 7 students in 6 weekly classes, "focusing on story structure and how the hero determines the tale." John and Tara believe we all know deep down how a good story is supposed to work. (You know when a story doesn't work, don't you?) In their class you'll find out how much you know and how to apply it to creating a screenplay, full length or short.

I'm sorry they're not teaching novel writing. Next time, maybe? I learned everything I needed to know about story structure from John.

There are still a couple of openings. Here's the info:

In the picture, Tara is not taking dictation. I gave her the notepad as a prop because all she had was that little ole' apple and John had a whole bowl of chili. We offered Tara some chili. Really we did.

TM2READ

When I was a kid at 4H camp, the counselors used to sing a song at lunch in the lodge: "Announcements, announcements, announcements! A terrible way to die, a terrible way to die..." Then it just repeated itself. It was kind of terrible. But I'm grown up now so I like to think I announce better things than trash pick-up at the tether ball court.

A blood drive for Children's Hospital Los Angeles is taking place conveniently here in Pasadena from 7:30am to 1:30pm today. You can find the CHLA Blood Mobile at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green Street, right behind the Paseo. CHLA needs 1,000 units of blood every month. Take lunch early and be a hero!

And,

A short story of mine, called Portraits, will be published in April of 2013 in a collection called Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition. I'm honored to be part of this Prospect Park Books collection, along with local star authors like Michelle Huneven, Victoria Patterson and Jervey Tervalon. Michelle will contribute the introduction, Victoria was a guest author here on PDP, and I met Jervey once at a party! I'm in excellent company.

And!

My very short story, Belinda's Birthday, is now an audiobook (voiced by me), available on Amazon for 89 cents. Because it's an MP3 download it's listed under Music. You can click on my little ad at the upper left or just click the link right here. I'll be interested in your honest feedback and, if you're so inclined, your Amazon reviews.

We have two entries awaiting your judgement in the Camelot Where You Are photo contest. I'm holding onto them until I get a couple more, for competition's sake. It's your turn! (Details are here).

Have a great weekend!

Picture Picture

I'm reading an excellent book by Ann Patchett called State of Wonder in which a doctor from Minnesota takes a trip (for which she is unprepared) to the deepest Amazon. Patchett makes the jungle real in her writing. I wonder how she researched that. I mean, did she look it up online? Read books? See a movie? Or did she actually go there?

I might be able to research Patchett and find out, but for the moment I'd like to ponder the question.

In one scene an anaconda nearly kills a boy. I don't know a thing about anacondas and it would have seemed real enough to me if the danger had come from either constriction or the snake's bite. But let's say you know about snakes. Would it bother you if the author got it wrong? Or would you just think, "It's fiction, she's allowed to make it up"?

John and I discuss questions like this when we talk about writing. When we talk about photography, we don't. We just take our pictures from our different angles, and we're fine with that.

Margaret Finnegan: Goddess of Inspiration

Today is release day! You can now buy a brand spankin' new copy of the brand spankin' new novel, The Goddess Lounge (paperback here), by South Pasadena's Margaret Finnegan. That is a beautiful thing, partly because I love Margaret and partly because I love The Goddess Lounge (ebook here). Also partly because Margaret inspires me.

Margaret's blog, Finnegan Begin Again, would be inspiration enough to read her novel because one always wants more of her unique writer's voice. But she's gone further by involving her readers in the processes of publication and promotion. We've been reading about goddesses, we voted on the book cover, and when it was time to make book trailers we contributed photos of ourselves being goddesses.

Margaret has created two (two!) book trailers. Here's one:


Here's the other:


I'm in the second one twice! The first photo you see is one John took of me. Plus, that's my voice, reading from Chapter Two. I'm honored to be included.

The publishing industry has changed so much in the past few years that publishing the book yourself has become the way to go, or it's certainly at least as viable as the traditional way.  I love what Margaret's doing. Her energy and innovative ideas inspire me, and I can't wait to get my copy of The Goddess Lounge.

The Polish Devil

This rather dirty-looking truck was driving through Toruń yesterday and I couldn't resist taking a picture due to the hand-drawn English writing on the back. You know this was written by a Pole due to the lack of the definite article (the) in "Im Devil on the Run". There is only one devil... I hope!!! Like all Slavonic languages articles (an/an/the) do not exist in Polish, and therefore is one of the biggest problem areas for Polish learners of English.

Camelot & Grind

Who remembers the Coffee Shop Quest? Anybody?

Awhile back I was on a quest to find my ideal coffee shop. I wanted a place where the music was either non-existent or very much in the background, where the chairs were comfy and the tables were the right height for typing on a laptop, where nobody minded if I sat for a while and where the coffee tasted of miracles.

I'm shocked to realize it's been more than a year and a half since I've quested. But that's about to change because it's time to start writing a new book.

Have I mentioned I finished my novel? I finished my novel. Speaking of miracles.

It's called Camelot & Vine. It's about a failed Hollywood actress who dreams that King Arthur comes and takes her away from it all. Unfortunately for her, he does. It's an adventure of love, time travel and second chances.

(This is not the official announcement. This is the unofficial announcement.)

So, what next? Next I send letters to agents describing my book in pithy terms. And if there's a happy ending to this tale, one or more of those agents will want desperately to represent my book to publishers, publishers will clamor to buy it, it'll get published and one of these days you'll all be reading it. This part, though, is like an actor's audition process: you audition many times, you're rejected many times, and if you keep at it you eventually get to "yes." My novel has already received two rejections from agents, so I figure I'm that much closer to "yes." (Miracles happen.)

Rather than dwell on this it's time to write something else. Which brings me back to the Coffee Shop Quest, because coffee shops are a good place (for me) to create new and miraculous material, as long as the coffee is that good.

Take a look at the Quest link. Do any of those shops need updating on the blog? What spots would you suggest I visit? I'll take you up on your ideas as I can, returning to my quest and seeking out high adventure in a new novel via the coffee shops of the San Gabriel Valley and as always, sharing my results with you.

Slacker

I took a brain vacation yesterday. I couldn't make the thing work anyway, so I didn't have much choice.

Usually I work at my desk. I write stuff, move paper around, organize things and generally make myself look important to myself. But yesterday I could not figure out which paper went into which pile.

Coffee was no help. That brain would not apply itself to the meaningless crap I had to prioritize. So I left everything and went outside.

I repotted a plant. I swept the back porch. I chopped up the rosemary that's been taking over the back yard. (Hey! There's a passage around the side of the garage. I'd forgotten.)

At my desk once again, I moved a piece of paper. It didn't seem to be in the right pile.

So I went out for a cup of coffee. I took a note pad. I wrote things on it while I drank my coffee. It was the most work I got done all day.

It felt strange not to be my usual productive self. As most freelancers will tell you, when you work for yourself you work seven days a week, much more than 9 to 5. A day off is an anomaly. But I guess I needed it. It's a good thing my boss wasn't paying attention.

Idea

Sometimes you have a hundred ideas and no luxury to write them all down. Sometimes an idea for a story is a long time in coming. Sometimes you wonder if the idea for the story you just wrote is the last one you're ever going to have. Or maybe that's just me.

Then I sit at the keyboard, open a document and let my fingers go. Silly me, all this time I thought ideas came from my brain.

Guest Author: Amy Ratcliffe, Geek With Curves

For the third month in a row, I'm happy to present a guest post by a local writer. Today, meet Amy Ratcliffe.

I love her story. She wanted to be a writer. She thought about it. Then she decided to make it happen and bam! 

I think you'll like Amy as much as I do.

My name is Amy Ratcliffe. I'm a geek (that will be relevant in a minute). For most of my life I said I wanted to be a writer. However, I didn't do much to make that dream happen. I wrote as often as I felt like it in my writing notebook, and if you only write when you feel like it, the notebook doesn't fill up very fast. I participated in National Novel Writing Month a couple of times and actually defeated it once. I started blogging and realized it was fun to get feedback on the words I was putting out there. But I didn't know how to translate any of this to making my dream happen.

Then I was watching Star Wars for the nth time in January of last year, and I thought to myself: why not create a blog just for discussing your favorite geeky things?  So I started Geek With Curves. I signed up for Twitter around the same time. This started a new chapter (pun entirely intended) for me. I made myself sit down and write every day whether I felt like it or not. I started making connections. I also found a huge geek community on Twitter. People that didn't judge me for reading comic books or dressing up like Han Solo.

Through these people, I found writing work. Slowly but surely I am building a list of sites that are happy to accept articles about the politics in Game of Thrones or the female role models in The Clone Wars. I contribute to websites such as Tor.com, ScienceFiction.com, and the L.A. Times Hero Complex. I am doing what I love. A talented artist I know always tells people, "Don't tell me how bad you want it, show me." This is the phrase I keep in mind when I've had a long day at work and don't feel like sitting in front of a blank screen. I don't sleep as much I'd like, I definitely don't watch as much television as I want to, but I hope the sacrifices will be worth it when I'm doing what I love to do full time. And I believe I'll get there. Eventually.

Notes on the Sam Merrill Trail

We've had cool weather for a few days and the sky is clear. I took this shot from about a mile and a half up the Sam Merrill trail, looking out from alongside one of the electric towers. If you enlarge the photo you can see Century City and Santa Monica. That glow is the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.

Just looking at the photo makes me want to get on the trail--any trail. Each has different merits. The Sam Merrill trail is so popular I rarely use it on weekends. John and I like it for exercise because it has some steep parts and it gets your heart going, not to mention your lungs and thighs. And the views are great. Other trails in the area might be less well traveled and therefore better for bird watching, finding wild flowers or thinking.

I wrote a lot of the first draft of my novel on the Sam Merrill trail. John and I were living near the trail head while I was writing it, and I would stomp up the hill with a note pad in my pack, letting the characters talk to me. Whenever they said anything worthwhile I'd stop and write it down.

Most of what they said may have worthwhile, but not worth keeping for the final draft. But you have to write that first draft in order to get to the second, third, fourth, etc.

Walking is a great writing tool. I walk a lot, and I always have a note pad and pen with me. Camera too, of course.

Chris Cleave

I was at Vroman's last night, obviously. I might not have gone had my brother not asked me to get a book signed for him. He likes this author, Chris Cleave. I hadn't heard of Cleave but I like my brother and plan B involved doing nothing, so I went.

Chris has two books out right now: Little Bee and Incendiary. He read from the latter and it sounds riveting. I haven't read his books (yet) so I can't recommend them, but the woman next to me in the signing line afterward told me that "Little Bee" was the only book everyone in her book club liked.

Cleave drew a good crowd, but not so huge that he couldn't take a moment to chat with everyone who had a book signed. I swore to myself I wasn't going to tell him I'm a writer. With two books published and a third one almost finished, what's he going to say to every wannabe writer he meets? "Good for you, that's very nice, good luck in everything you do"?

It slipped out, and while I was ruing my blabbermouth he asked me what stage I'd reached with my book. I murmured "uh, finished, working on synopsis, it's very hard, blah blah." He gave me suggestions for how to approach the synopsis and was so kind and encouraging (as opposed to condescending) that by the time I headed for the cash register I had forgotten I was supposed to be kicking myself.

I learned a couple of things: attending such events might be a good use of my time at this stage of my career, and being a nice guy sells books.

Because I hadn't planned to buy one for myself, but I did.

Susan Stroh: Coaching it Out of You

Susan Stroh is one of those people who asks about you first. To start a conversation she says something nice about you--not your outfit, you. She points out something intriguing she heard you say, or mentions how well you carry yourself or how interesting your work is. She knows how to focus outside herself. I imagine this skill comes in pretty handy in her work. But I wanted to focus on her this time.

Susan and I met through the Women's City Club Business Boot Camp. A writer and editor (she published 15 personal essays in 2009 alone), Susan has an office but she'd rather work at Pasadena's Central Library, so we met for a cup of coffee at Central Grounds. With our shared backgrounds in acting and writing, we found a lot to talk about--my acting, my writing, my blog--wait a minute--I was supposed to be interviewing her. How does she do that?

Besides her own writing, Susan's in the business of coaching other writers. It fits. Her gifts for getting people to open up and for seeing an individual's strengths are ideal for a writing coach, because each writer is different. With novelists, for example, coaching might involve a good deal of brainstorming. With those working on a memoir, a session with Susan might be about coaxing an idea to fruition. Susan describes part of her process as "finding what the client is doing right and encouraging them to do more of it."

I told her I'm so intent on my own work I don't think I could focus that hard on someone else's. I asked how she does it. Her answer: "Standing back and creating a vacuum for the writer to fill is so satisfying to them that it's satisfying to me."

She can be tough. She expects agreements to be kept and deadlines to be met. "So many people mean to write, plan to write, say they're going to write, and put off writing. I help them keep the promises they make to themselves."

"I know," I said. "I had to set a deadline, then tell people about it so I'd be accountable."

"What's your deadline for?" she asked.

And I was off again, telling Susan my story instead of getting hers. I'm not selfish. Really I'm not. She's just that good at coaxing my story out of me.

Morning classes for Susan Stroh's ten-week Memoir and Personal Essay Writing Workshop begin January 20th. Evening classes start February 2nd. For more information and to sign up, contact SusanStroh (at) sbcglobal.net or call (818) 497-7486.

Beacons

Sometimes I think I struggle. And it's true, I do. All humans have struggles. But our struggles are relative. So after a long working day it's good--no, it's a blessing--to enjoy a glass of wine, a backyard garden and good literature. Literature, in a variety of forms (reading it, writing it, discussing it) is my recharging fuel. Good friends and wine never hurt, either.

Everyone needs that thing that fuels them. (Maybe you recharge with music or a football game or a workout.) Last night while we discussed writing and literature, lights twinkled in the bushes and candles flickered on the window ledge and I was renewed.

I wasn't the last to leave. I walked home feeling fortunate, having forgotten whatever struggles I thought I may have had. Behind me, the voices of my friends spilled into the darkened street and saw me safely home.

Morning Doves

Someone who came before us attached a birdhouse to a post supporting the roof over our back porch.

This photo is oddly framed because Ms. Mourning Dove doesn't want me near her. She'd fly out of the nest if she could, but she's got eggs and doesn't dare leave them. I took the picture from several feet away, then cropped it.

As far as I can tell, Ms. and her Mr. are on their second brood this summer. The first was a successful pair of little ones, both of whom still gallivant around our back yard gorging themselves. We have a vast selection of bugs and they're welcome to 'em.

I like to sit on the back porch and write in the mornings before it gets too hot. The female tolerates me because she has to, but the male has just about had it. He flies to and from the nest but won't stay there if I'm around. Sometimes he brings sprigs of dried grass for the nest. When he flies he makes a noise like a wildly upset dolphin after too much caffeine. It wasn't until I read Wikipedia's article about mourning doves that I realized it wasn't a vocalization but his wings making all that noise.

I'll always be grateful to the person who put up that birdhouse. I wonder what I'll add to bring joy to the people who'll live here after I'm gone? (Maybe replace those gutters?)

Dianne Emley, Pro

Do you believe it? I was actually out again last night. After dark and everything.

John and I went to Vroman's to celebrate the debut of The Deepest Cut, the third book in Dianne Emley's Nan Vining thrillogy. If you follow Pasadena Daily Photo you know I profiled Dianne here last November with the first of her Nan Vining books. We followed that with a contest to win the second book, and now the third one's here.

I've enjoyed learning from Dianne about her process. As an actor, it took me a long time to understand that acting must be approached as a business as well as an art. As a writer, I'm learning much more quickly. Dianne approaches writing like the business it is, and she's a pro.

Last night she read from The Deepest Cut, then fielded questions from a full house about everything from publishing to process. The discussion went overtime, then we all lined up to get our books signed.

Many thanks to guest photographer Bob Reiter for this shot. It makes me laugh that Dianne and I both whipped off our glasses to get our picture taken.

And many, many thanks to you, Dianne.

First Cut Contest: How's It Going?

At the top of the steps, a supporting post of the arcade bore four plaques commemorating officers killed in the line of duty since the city's incorporation in 1886...Vining reflected that she had nearly become the fifth name...

Okay, you know we're doing a contest, right? Read The First Cut by best-selling Pasadena author Dianne Emley, answer questions about it and win a copy of the sequel, Cut to the Quick. (The rules are here. The questions are here.)

In the story, Pasadena Police Detective Nan Vining is wrestling with her own demons while trying to track down the real-life demon who murdered LAPD officer Frankie Lynde and dumped her body under the Colorado Street Bridge.

Until Mademoiselle Gramophone pointed it out to me, I hadn't realized you could get The First Cut at the library. But of course! And Pasadena's library has several branches. So if you like a heart-pounding read, check it out. Literally. Of course you can also get The First Cut at any book store. The contest deadline isn't until January 27th so there's plenty of time.

You're allowed to ask questions, either via email or in the comments. And hey! Is there a Pasadena location in the book that you want to see? Send in your requests (include the page number where it's mentioned) and I'll do my best to get you a picture of the site in the book.

How's it going? Check in!

Update: Rereading the post this morning I note a couple of things: First, the real-life officers who died in the line of duty gave their lives making Pasadena safe for the rest of us. Second, since 1886 many officers have died, but only four died in the line of duty. That's an amazing record of safety.

The First Cut Contest: The Fun Begins

In Dianne Emley's thriller The First Cut, the body of LAPD Officer Frankie Lynde is found beneath the Colorado Street Bridge. And no, she didn't jump.

A job for the LAPD? Nope. The bridge is Pasadena territory.

It's the first day back on the job for Emley's heroine, PPD Detective Nan Vining. Vining's had some time off after a close call of her own and her attacker is still out there, waiting. In tracking down Frankie's killer Nan feels more than sympathy for the dead officer. She can almost hear Frankie's voice. Or maybe what she hears is real.

Today The First Cut is released in paperback. So I'm trying something new: A CONTEST! And you don't have to be in Pasadena to play.

Here are the rules:
1. Read The First Cut (available at Vroman's or your favorite book store). You can read a description of the book on Dianne's website.
2. Answer four easy questions about the book, which I'll post January 6th.
3. Email your answers to me (link at upper left of blog) by the January 27th deadline.
4. Feel free to email me any questions you have about the contest, or post them in the comments section.

Three winners will be drawn from the correct entries. Each will win a copy of the second book in the Nan Vining Thrillogy! It's called Cut to the Quick, and it'll be released as a paperback original on January 27th.

Just for fun, throughout the month of January I'll post photos from Pasadena locations mentioned in the book. I'll even take requests (or make the attempt) as long as you send me the page number. (Enlarge the photo above to see where the body was found in The First Cut.)

I plan to do more features with other local writers in 2009. If you're a Pasadena author who'd like to try an interactive something on the blog, let's talk.

I love writers, writing, books and Pasadena, so what could be better than a Pasadena writer who set her story in Pasadena? Many thanks to Dianne for her participation and support!

This Contest Can Be Won

Pasadena's police headquarters is a dramatic building, with high arches and fancy scroll work that would fit right in on the Walt Disney Studios lot. But there's no funny business here. Whether you like the Pasadena cops or not, they're serious about what they do. Mess with the law in Pasadena and they don't just send a squad car, they send helicopters.

Call it overkill, but it seems to be working. I was able to find a few statistics on the web that show a dramatic drop in crime in Pasadena from 2005 to 2006. I'd like to know how we've been doing since then but wasn't able to find statistics for 2007. Could be it takes a while to compile them. PIO? Anyone?*

Pasadena's finest are featured along with their headquarters in The First Cut, a novel by Pasadena novelist and crime writer Dianne Emley. I introduced the soft-looking but tough-as-nails author here on PDP November 1st. Emley's Nan Vining Trilogy is finished. The First Cut comes out in paperback December 30th, to be followed in rapid succession by Cut to the Quick and The Deepest Cut.

So heads up, book lovers, especially those who love a scary, gritty, down and dirty read. Get ready to get your copy of The First Cut, because we're going to have a contest here on Pasadena Daily Photo. Watch for the official announcement here on December 30th.

*Vanda contributed three crime maps including this one from Realtor.com, with a 2008 copyright on it. (Click her links in the comments.)

There's now an ongoing art exhibit in the lobby of the building.

A .pdf about the building's design and architects here.

Weston DeWalt

When I met Weston DeWalt, he said "Nice to meet you, Petrea Celeste."

Celeste is my middle name. I don't use it much, and it's not exactly all over the web. I said so.

"I'm a researcher," he said. No kidding.

Gary Weston DeWalt is a Pasadena author who came to worldwide notice in one of the most compelling stories to hit recent Los Angeles headlines. It began when his imagination was sparked by a single sentence he'd read about a boy who went missing near JPL in 1957 (on my 2nd birthday). Tommy Bowman was never found. DeWalt's idea was to write about how that loss affected Tommy's family over the years. But his research led him deep into a complicated tale involving bulldozers, bad men and even, peripherally, Charles Manson.

Mostly, though, DeWalt came across more and more unsolved cases of missing children, and all those children pointed their fingers at one man: Mack Ray Edwards.

The Pasadena author with a penchant for research helped solved a case that had gone cold more than 50 years ago. And along with LAPD Detective Vivian Flores, DeWalt may have unearthed even more crimes and at least one more criminal. The full story hasn't been told. Yet. DeWalt and Flores are writing the book.

Weston is no stranger to headlines. In 1997 he co-authored The Climb with Anatoli Boukreev, partly in answer to charges made against Boukreev in Jon Krakauer's bestseller, Into Thin Air about the 1996 Everest Disaster. The Climb sparked controversy which DeWalt had to answer because Boukreev died tragically soon after publication.*

It's a delight to converse with Weston DeWalt. He's smart, engaging, well-read and full of stories, some about his research. And after an hour or so it becomes clear that though crime and controversy may intrigue him, it's the people who hold his deepest interest. He cares about Anatoli Boukreev, who saved lives on Mt. Everest then didn't live to fully answer charges against his character. He cares about Eldon Bowman, who after fifty years has experienced little closure regarding the loss of his son. He cares about Detective Flores, who worked so hard on the case of the missing children. It has affected her career, DeWalt says. "It's affected her whole life."

There's more to know about Weston DeWalt, but this post is getting long. I know how Weston feels when a subject just grabs you.

*(I recommend Wikipedia as a beginning, not an end, to research.)

The Zephyr (#5 in a Quest)

I tried again.

The Zephyr Coffee House and Art Gallery on east Colorado Blvd. is a popular spot in an old Craftsman house, with an atmosphere like no other place I know in town. You can sit on the serene, outdoor patio or the closed-in front porch, or in one of the comfortably-decorated, well-lit rooms.

I know there's going to be music playing wherever I go, so I've got to get past this music thing or else stay home. But at the Zephyr the other day it was a little ridiculous. There was different music playing inside than outside and something else playing in the kitchen and all of it was loud, so if you sat near the doorway from one section to another you'd be listening to two different kinds of music. Near the patio door, which is by the kitchen, you could hear all three.

ARGH. (Is that how you spell "I can't stand it"?)

At the Zephyr they accept cash only. That's unusual, and something folks need to know before they go planning a lunch on the Visa or debit card. But I made a point to go when I wasn't hungry. I've had one greasy omelet there and one crepe that was maybe enough for a snack. I don't think of the Zeph as a lunch spot, but I'm in the minority. It's always busy there at lunch time.

I got an iced coffee (no complaints, no raves) and sat outside near the speakers so as not to mix it up with the music from inside. It made me mad that I had to choose my seating that way. I had a negative attitude and was off to a bad start. But I was determined to sit there and write. And lo and behold...eventually I did. The bubbling fountain and the pretty patio finally got me into a groove.

A variety of international music played outdoors. Good stuff. A woman near me worked at her laptop wearing earplugs. A clue for me for next time.

Mind over music! Late in the afternoon I moved inside when the air grew chilly. I ordered tea (they serve Tazo teabags) and sat in the porch area. That room seems quieter than the others. The music changed to the kind of stuff you hear in a yoga class - background. As the sun went down, they forgot to change the CD and there was no music at all.

Bliss.