Feelin' the Pressure

I thought that I had a good chance at an internship for a video production company for the spring but they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth so the search continues....

I've been keeping myself pretty busy this semester and to be honest, I feel like I'm cracking! I don't feel as confident in my ability to perform academically as I have in the past. I've been falling behind in classwork, getting C's on tests, feeling apathetic and plain tired most of the time. I think it has to do with the two long days I pull, or more importantly, the number of papers I've been writing. My poor printer is already out of ink and its only homecoming!

I'm nervous, but not scared yet. Like I said, I've been keeping myself busy.

I attended a screenwriters workshop a few weeks back  (Organization of Black Screenwriters) which I wished could have been more helpful to me. Once again, I gave up valuable sleep time to attend workshops that went on for a good chunk of the day and felt a bit unfulfilled, maybe because I got so turned around on day two when all the smaller specialized workshops were taking place. One thing I was able to gauge from the seminar though, was that my field is definately in writing. Granted I'm ok with the camerawork, a little nervous when it comes to editing, but the writing process is still something I enjoy.

It also made me think about what career path I want to take. I started to ponder the idea of becoming a television writer while writing film scripts on the side. A little ambitious, and I understand now that writing for television and film are very different processes but I'd like to know more about television writing, particularly 1 hour dramas, since the outline for dramas and comedies are very different.

What's more, I'm getting chewed out by my advanced scriptwriting professor because I made the mistake of having a really good idea and being a decent writer in her eyes. I'm not upset about it though, just the opposite actually. I appreciate her interest in my story idea, and the fact that she is so eager to tell others about the premise. It goes something like this:

In Zimbabwe, a  traditional housewife, Memory, seeks help from the village healer (priestess) when her son falls victim to a mysterious illness. However, when she is told that the secret to curing her son involves raping men, both her determination and faith are put to the ultimate test. Memory teams up with two other women, all seeking a cure to their problems, and all having a different reason to accept in this story that challenges the notion and nature of the power struggle between men and women. Inspired by true events.

Yeah, my scriptwriting professor is really excited. I have to write between 60 - 80 pages of this script and it requires quite a lot of research since I don't know much about Zimbabwe or their spiritual practices and she knows enough to realize that I don't. I'm currently at about 11 pages, which need to be heavily re-written so ... pray for me. I'm feeling the pressure.



written by Anept-het