Mind of Migg

New Year Image Board. We do fun stuff at the office sometimes.

Blogs are a difficult thing. One minute, you’re in a groove, getting in a couple posts a week. Then you miss a week. Then another. Then a month goes by and you wonder how you ever possibly managed to find the time to blog so regularly. It’s the same as going to the gym regularly. It’s easy to let it slip and it’s tough to get into consistent habits once you have slipped. This post is my attempt to start creating good blogging habits again.

Each year, I like to take a look back at how I did with my New Year’s resolutions and then set new ones for the coming year. Last year was a tough year. I wanted to call it the “Year of Rejection” last January. I was going to put myself out there, with the thought being going through a lot of “no’s” to get to a “yes” in regards to my work. I think the more appropriate title for 2010 was the “Year of Blink and You’ll Miss It.” 2010 flew by, and not in a great way. There were some positives, but it was a challenging year that required taking a step back to really see where I wanted to go with my work.

I had a few goals for the year. Let’s see how I did:

- I will submit to as many publications as possible to get a short story published.
Result: My short story writing fell apart by February. There was just too much going on. I started off the year working 2 part-time jobs, 1 job with a startup, and writing when I could. My only source of income was from one of the part-time positions. I finished the year with a full-time office position. No time for all the writing I wanted, sadly.

- I will apply to at least 5 different writing fellowships or workshops
Result: I only applied to one.

- I will apply to screenwriting contests
Result: I applied to one and was rejected, but received pretty positive feedback.

- I will apply to filmmaking fellowships and contests
Result: I applied to one and was rejected. The main reason I applied to so few was because of two reasons – lack of application fee money and lack of new material.

- I will send out query letters to at least 50 agents and managers
Result: The worst thing that can happen to a writing career on the verge of beginning is to get a nibble on a script. I got a couple nibbles throughout the year. Instead of reaching out on my own to get an agent or manager, it felt like these nibbles were going to do the work for me. Granted, one of those nibbles led to an option of Monsoon, which I’m very excited about. However, the lesson I learned last year is that the moment it seems like something is going to happen is the moment you need to work twice as hard as if it’s not.

- I will join a writers group
Result: I did not join a writer’s group for two reasons – some of them cost money, and I had none, and some of them I wanted to attend were full, so I couldn’t get in. I did join the South Bay Filmmakers Meetup Group though, and finally made it to a meeting this month.

- I will scratch, claw, and fight my way to getting Monsoon funded using as many creative funding techniques as possible (and good old fashioned, “asking everyone I know to pitch in” methods as well)
Result: The nibbles strike again. There was interest in an international adaptation and I sat on that longer than I should have. Then a wonderful thing happened and a producer really loved the script. He even wants to make it. Crazy. Monsoon is my baby all grown up and I’m comfortable letting it go. I’ll find another project to make my own this year and I am very excited about Monsoon getting made.

Once I started up with an office job again, the year flew by. There are moments when I feel I let it all go to waste. Then I remember that the only reason it flew by is because so much was going on. I finished a TV drama spec. I co-wrote a TV comedy spec. I wrote a web series. I outlined and started work on Tulsea Pictures’ first indie feature. There’s a lot to be proud of, despite the challenges.

New year now, so new resolutions. Here’s my 2011 resolutions:

- Engage more. In person and online. Go to more networking events, and TALK TO PEOPLE. Use twitter as more than a place to re-tweet. Rule #1 of 2011 is to engage.
- Comment on blogs and in forums. This sounds simple, but I always lurk rather than make my presence known. I find a lot of great articles and writing online, but rarely take the time to give kudos for the writing, or offer my opinion on an article. Rule #2 of 2011 is to comment.
- Make the time. There’s not enough time in the day to do everything I’d like to do. There is room to prioritize though. I need to cut back on frivolous TV and iPhone games if I want to get in some short story writing and reading in addition to writing scripts. Rule #3 of 2011 is to make the time.
- Enjoy the moment. It’s so easy to get caught up in counting down the hours until I’m out of the office. It’s easy to put things on a calendar for the following week and then overlook everything that happens in between. Last year flew by because I was more focused on crossing things off a checklist than I was on truly enjoying them. No more. Rule #4 of 2011 is to enjoy the moment.

There’s only four resolutions, but they’re going to each require some effort. I’d like to build on the learning experience of last year and really capitalize on real opportunities that are finally so close. I hope it’s a fun year.

It’s time to dust off this blog and get ready for the New Year. What better way to start than with a review of the Doctor Who Christmas special? I know I’m a little late, what with Christmas being two weeks old now, but I have to start somewhere, right?

I’m thinking one way to post regularly can be to write reviews of shows I really enjoy. I know a whole lot of other people do that, and much better than I ever could. But they don’t do it for the random cool shows I like. So instead of tackling the popular ones, I’m sticking with Doctor Who and Torchwood reviews this year, and maybe any other British show that catches my fancy.

So, the Christmas special. First, I’d like to thank BBC America for finally airing it on Christmas day. This meant I was able to watch it on my TV instead of on my laptop, which is nice. It was a great cap to Christmas to be able to watch it in the living room with family. This year’s Christmas special followed the Christmas Carol storyline, somewhat. The Doctor had to change the convictions of a grumpy old man and do so in a way that involved his past, present, and future.

Time and again, Steven Moffat has been able to tell wonderful stories that make full use of time travel. While most other Doctor Who stories revolve around using the TARDIS to get to and from a location, Moffat is able to use the act of traveling through time and space as an essential part of the plot in his stories. We’ve seen it in “The Girl in the Fireplace”, “Blink”, “Silence in the Library”, and “The Big Bang”. He does much more with time than plopping the Doctor and his companions in a strange new time or world.

In “A Christmas Carol” he does it again, with the Doctor playing the ghost of Christmas time. Rather than show his Scrooge, Kazran, how he had changed over time and the consequences of his continued course in the future, the Doctor attempts to change his experience and gel him into the man he could’ve been. What results is a touching story that delves into how experience shapes who we are, and how often youthful optimism and aspirations can be crushed by adults too old to realize the terrible cycle they are perpetrating. We all sometimes get caught up in the cynicism of real life and forget the things that truly matter.

The Doctor allows Kazran to experience things he never originally had an opportunity, such as true love with Abigial, a woman who’s days are literally numbered, but who’s spirit is always positive. Thanks to the wonders of time travel, the Doctor is able to grow up with Kazran, allowing him to spend every Christmas Eve with Abigail as he grows up.

The changes are seen in real time as old man Kazran watches. When all of the Doctor’s efforts appear to have been in vain, he uses a last resort of showing young Kazran what old Kazran has become. The situation is overwhelming for him. Can you imagine, as a child, seeing that you’ve become a bitter old man? It might make you reconsider the actions you take along the way. It had that effect on Kazran, and allowed a bittersweet ending. Abigial’s song saved the ship Amy and Rory were on, and she was able to spend another night with Kazran, her last night.

This has to have been the most creating and touching twist on the Christmas Carol story I have ever seen. It was the perfect finish to Christmas and it ended with an awesome trailer of the coming season. I can’t wait for the series 6 premiere now!

We meet again NaNoWriMo. When last we spoke, I was four chapters into my short stories masquerading as a novel. Then we went our own ways. It’s not that writing a novel in a month is an impossible thing to do. It isn’t. It’s just that it’s a bit overwhelming if you’re not ready for it.

I thought I could do my NaNoWriMo writing as a side project. Let me tell you, a novel is no side project, and a novel in one month is crazy enough as a primary project. Las year, I was juggling a job at Borders, a Producer’s assistant job, helping Tulsea startup and going to AFM representing the company, doing a rewrite of Monsoon, and assignments for a sci-fi writing class. There was little room for sleep in all of that, so there definitely wasn’t room for a novel.

This year is different. I have a sense of what to expect and the highs and lows that will come. I’ve also blocked out my schedule (as best as me blocking out a schedule can go). So besides the day job I always speak so highly of, I’m only working on a little experimental short film this month. The rest of my time is going to NaNoWriMo.

There was even some research put in this time. The problem with research though, is that once you begin, you realize how little you truly know about a subject and then have to immerse yourself further. I will be learning more as I go. I won’t allow the research to be an excuse for lack of writing, but I will be doing both at once.

At first, I thought I’d continue the work I started last year. However, that would be cheating and defeat the purpose of writing the entire thing in one month. So I had to settle on a new topic. I watched a lot more horror movies leading up to Halloween than usual, so they kept creeping up as I was tossing around ideas. I’m still a little uneasy of how long I will be able to stretch the topic and story I’ve chosen, but that’s the fun of it, right? I won’t let this one fizzle after only four chapters.

NaNoWriMo – a day in, and the only writing I have to show for it is this blog post. Procrastinating already. But it’s fine, I can’t wait to get into the zombie story. You heard right: zombies! Introspective zombies. I have a deep explanation of this idea that goes into ideas of consciousness and isolation, but for these early stage purposes, when ideas aren’t fully fleshed out, I’ll stick with, “lots of zombies, lots of blood, a little humor.” On to the writing.

This'll be getting plenty of use the next few months.

Working two jobs isn’t very difficult, especially when they are in entirely different industries. I’ve been able to easily balance life between Tulsea and the day job without one affecting the performance of the other. This only works because I fit production work in wherever I can, responding to emails here and there, reading scripts after work, and staying up late when I need to. The flexibility allows me to do both.

It becomes completely different when I’m writing though. I have a great story that was supposed to be a rough draft script by now. The problem is, I can’t write tidbits of content here and there throughout the day. It really isn’t possible to sit down and write for 10 minutes, walk away, and write for 10 more the way I could with, say, an email.

Now I have the challenge of writing an entire script while working full time during the day. Sure I’ve done some TV scripts for fun since returning to work, but this one is much more involved. I’ve never written a feature while holding down a day job. So I’ve set up a couple rules to make sure I don’t go crazy trying it.

1. Set specific writing times

This should be a given regardless, but when I wasn’t doing anything but writing, I had the luxury of moving my times around. If I wasn’t feeling it in the morning, I’d do something else and then write in the afternoon. No more. 8pm to midnight are my new hours.

2. Set rough deadlines

Writing deadlines are always tough for me. If I know when something is due, I will wait as long as possible before getting it done. But if I tell myself I should finish Act I by the end of next week, it’s a little flexible. Maybe I’ll reach Act II by next Thursday, or maybe I’ll wrap up Act I next Saturday. It’s open, but I still have some general direction.

3. Don’t overdo it

I plan to allow two late night writing sessions a week, where I can write until the crack of dawn if I’m on a roll. I’m not going to force myself to stay awake, but at least on those nights, I can let the story take its time. The other nights of the week I plan to be in bed at a reasonable hour (if we count 1am as a reasonable hour).

4. Take breaks

I’m not going to have a whole lot of time, but if every waking moment is spent working, I’ll go crazy. On my non-late night nights, I plan to get in some good reading and watch a couple of movies (while also catching up on Dexter. I’m halfway through season 3). I’ll also get in some writing once or twice a week unrelated to the script. There are a couple side projects that I’m very excited about working on once this draft is done and getting a head start on those would be nice.

5. Drink lots of coffee Stay healthy and energized

I will limit my caffeine intake as best I can, maybe even try to exercise or go for walks to keep the energy up, but I won’t make any promises. I’ve never written a feature script under these conditions.

These are 5 simple rules to juggle work with writing. Overcoming writer’s block, online distractions, and a swelling fear of self-doubt – those are topics for other blogs. But at least I’m set to take these next two months head on. This may be rough.

We were really sad to leave Redondo.

Moving sucks. The cost to pay people to move all your junk (a lot of which should’ve been thrown away years ago) far outweighs the savings of doing it yourself. If only I had the money. Sadly though, I didn’t. So we moved, for the third time in three years.

When we left a place we really loved in Redondo Beach back in 2008, we moved everything into storage. That’s easy, you throw everything into boxes and you’re done. Violet lived with Britt and Andrew for three months and I spent time in Phoenix, Santa Fe, and couches (rough time, long story, involved a three month job in Vancouver that fell through).

We found our new place in West LA and only had to transfer big boxes out of storage to the new place. A year later, we moved from a one bedroom, to a two bedroom two doors over. That didn’t even require packing. We mostly just carried things here and there over the course of a week.

So we may have done a lot of moving, but it was never really “moving”. Until this recent move, we never had to load up, unload, pack, and unpack, all at once. It’s exhausting.

West LA was never our style. It’s crowded, loud, and expensive. Moving back to South Bay was always in the back of our minds as Violet was finishing up at Pepperdine. When our plan of moving somewhere new, like New York or San Francisco didn’t happen, we knew we were still moving.

A move allows a chance to make a fresh start. Unpacking allowed me a chance to go through reminders of road bumps overcome along the way:

• My acceptance letter to the Chapman School of Film and Television for 2004, and provisional acceptance for 2005, neither of which I was able to accept.
• Bottle of anxiety medicine to help me sleep post-accident back in 2004. I saved the last pill to prove to myself that I didn’t need it.
• My 8^th grade short story assignment – 3 pages were required and I turned in a 20 page story.
• The first chapter of two other stories I started as a freshman in high school.

Strangely reassuring to see little mementos I saved to remind me of my passion and motivate me to get healthy. Strange too to see snippets of my writing style so early in the few pieces I did when I was young. A little sad that I stopped writing altogether after those unfinished stories until five years later when I realized economics wasn’t for me.

Now that the new place is unpacked and livable, I’ve realized I don’t need to save everything. The writing samples are fun, but the painful motivators are no longer necessary. I read a quote earlier today, from a screenwriting motivation blog:

“Finishing unfinished business casts us into the next phase of our lives.”

A new place let’s me do that. A few letters to send out, a few things to throw away, a new phase to start. It’s good to be home.

There’s a couple quotes floating around about what to shoot for, but I find it best to stick with the original:

“If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s ok. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.”

This quote is saying that if you aim as high as possible, you can still end up hitting something pretty big. The other version is:

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

This one is saying to aim for something big and far (but not the biggest or furthest) and you’re bound to hit something large.

The original gives a sense of having a plan, the other sounds like throwing ideas out hoping to strike it rich. So it should be no surprise that the original comes from Confucius and the latter comes from a motivational speaker. When you aim as big as you can, you can hit nice big things along the way, but if you aim big, hoping to hit anything and become a star, then you’re bound for failure. You have to have a plan, especially when you have big goals.

Don’t expect one swing of the bat to get you there

There’s nothing wrong with singles. So don’t step up to your first major league at bat, or even your first AAA at bat for that matter, thinking that all it will take is one swing to hit the longest shot out of a stadium. You’re not going to write the most epic script ever your first time opening Final Draft. You’re probably not going to make the highest grossing film of all time in your first attempt.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t expect a home run. But even if you do, hitting a single home run doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the Hall of Fame. Maybe that night’s highlight reel, but not much else until you produce over many seasons.

My point is, you can’t swing for the fences from the start without appreciating the ability to get a lucky slap single, hit a nice double to the gap, or even be the ultimate team player and take a sacrifice. If you think all or nothing, you’re likely going to end up with nothing.

Know what it takes to have a successful swing

Worse than going for nothing short of a long bomb is doing so without knowing how to swing a bat. You can’t assume that just by reading up on how to swing a bat means you know what you’re doing. This is true even if you think all the other players are swinging it wrong. They’ve still spent countless hours taking batting practice. Sure the theory of your swing may be genuis, but you won’t know until you take a couple of live pitches. When you stand in that batter’s box for the first time, don’t lower your expectations, but respect what it takes to simply get a hit.

There’s no shortcut to the moon.

It’s a long way up there. Further even to the stars. Moving away from baseball analogies and into NASA, think about it this way: we can’t get the stars until we get out of our solar system. We can’t get to Mars until we can comfortably get to the moon. And we couldn’t get to the moon until we could make it out of orbit. There’s a path to greatness. Yes, you should aim for the targets way out there, but have a plan for the steps along the way.

Shooting for the stars doesn’t mean you take one giant whiff after another. It means you have a plan to lofty goals. You need to have the guts to take the chance, but you also have accept that it’s a long process. That’s why it’s not so bad to wind up hitting the moon, when you realize how far away it truly is.

Goodbye Tennant, hello Smith!

David Tennant was my Doctor. Sure, Christopher Eccleston paved the way for the reboot, but I saw most of season 2 before season 1. So I was all about Tennant. I was skeptical heading into series 5 that things would never be the same.

Then Matt Smith made me smile after a tragic regeneration scene to finish the 2009 specials. I tried to stifle the smile, not wanting to appear a traitor to Tennant. It nearly worked, except that the series 5 teaser trailer blew me away. I found myself excited for Doctor Who all over again.

The season premiere episode did a great job of defining the new quirks of the Doctor and companion as well as paying homage to the previous Doctors. It was a strong episode and had the Steven Moffatt flair for adventure that I was hoping to see in the new season. It’s hard to describe how I felt about this season – it was familar, but different. Actually, I guess that wasn’t so hard.

Moffatt appears to go more for entertainment value, less for dramatic epicness the way Russell T Davies did. I love both approaches so it’s hard to choose a favorite, but I do miss some of the moments where Tennant’s Doctor would stand up and save the universe with a wink and a nod. Smith’s Doctor prefers to point out he’s brilliant in smaller doses and is much less cheeky about his actions while saving the universe. Still, he has that Doctor charm.

My favorite episodes, in no particular order:

• The Eleventh Hour – Great intro to the new Doctor and new companion.
• Amy’s Choice – The Doctor holds a mirror up to his darkest side.
• The Hungry Earth – Excellent characters and lots of suspense and adventure.
• Cold Blood – A strong finish becomes tragic with a crazy surprise ending.
• Vincent and the Doctor – One of the most touching episodes of Who I’ve seen. I dare you to not choke up a little at the end.
• The Pandorica Opens – All kinds of epic. Sets up a great finish to the first season of the Matt Smith/Steven Moffatt era.

Of course, there’s things I didn’t like about this season. Sometimes it felt like the ‘science’ aspect of the ‘science-fiction’ was sacrificed in the name of entertainment. A few of the episodes felt a little to rushed, or problems too easily solved, like in “The Beast Below”, “Victory of the Daleks”, and “The Lodger”. And don’t get me started on the finale.

I think paradox’s are fun when used sparingly but I felt the paradox used to get the Doctor out of the Pandorica was a huge cheat. For all the setup of the outstanding previous episode, I was let down by the finale. Strange too, that I had no problem accepting that one word, connected by a psychic link can defeat the Master, but when Amy uses her memory to bring the Doctor back I was disappointed. Maybe the entertainment over science? Maybe the low key epicness? Maybe I’m not fully connected to these characters yet? Maybe a lack of execution? I can’t decided so I’m going to go with all of the above.

Make no mistake, despite my criticisms I loved this season. It has a strangely nostalgic feel. The way so many shots were framed and just the overall vibe of the show feels like a throwback to the older seasons. I’m excited that the mystery of “the silence” wasn’t solved this season and along with the mystery of River Song, will unfold over the course of next season. It’s nice to have a sense of continuity with all these new characters. And one more thing…bow ties are cool!

Well, you don’t have to be your job, if you don’t want to. A few months back, I was speaking to a friend who had recently been laid off. Here’s how the conversation went down:

Him: “So how’s it going?”

All I need - headset, coffee, and a reminder that the job could be much worse.

Me: “Well, I have a job.”

Aaaaand, cringe. Only I didn’t mean it to be rude. It was a sigh of resignation because I had recently returned to a “day job”. The way I meant it was that things weren’t going so hot for the stuff I truly had a passion for. It was one of those moments where I wished I could hit “undo” on the words coming out of my mouth. (side note: my friend is brilliant and has since found a job that is not only better than his previous one, but he found the time to do some amazing writing work and come up with a great concept for a new feature during his time between jobs.)

Being a creative person who needs a day job to make ends meet is tough. Too often, we are labeled by the positions we have. We allow it to define us. But that’s not fair. I can still call myself a writer, even if the only time I’m writing is when I stay up late, get up early, and spend weekend afternoons struggling to get in writing time because I have to work 40 hours a week in a completely unrelated field.

Many times I would doubt myself. I’d hesitate to refer to myself as a filmmaker or a writer because I didn’t feel I had “made it” yet. That is backwards thinking. You don’t need an external measure to decide who you are and what you do. I write, so I’m a writer. I make films, I’m a filmmaker. I recruit financial advisors (which I do well and don’t mind), so I’m also a recruiter. And that’s not the end of the world.

Even if the job you have is your dream job, you eat, sleep, and dream it through other actions. If all I did was write and make movies, eventually I’d run out of things to share. My life would be confined to such a limited scope. I’ve realized that trying to fit work into every waking hour is counterproductive to my goals. So I travel. I play sports when I can. I cook. I read (scripts and books). I try things outside of my comfort zone because when I look back, I almost always tell myself, “yeah, that was worth it.” Even when it’s not worth it, the experience gained becomes hindsight for later stories to tell.

People are more than the work they do. Having a mundane job, an exciting job, or not having a job at all doesn’t determine personal success and satisfaction. There’s a lot more to it than that. Experience. Share. Cringe. Have fun.

This guy knows how to engage.

One of the great things about an iPhone (besides all the awesome apps) is that when you have one, you can always look busy.  Or at least give the appearance of being busy.  Ok, it really doesn’t fool anyone, but when you’re the one standing alone in a corner because you’re incredibly shy it helps give peace of mind.

I used to think this shyness was only the result of preferring the written word to the verbal one, but then I realized I even do it online.  I hesitate to comment on blog posts I read, I retweet people I admire, but don’t make an effort to speak to them directly, and I even keep my blog in it’s own quiet corner.  I don’t promote it, I don’t talk about it, and I’ve just quietly written personal notes here and there without really letting anyone know.

That all is going to change.  I’ve redesigned this site to be a little more organized and speak to an audience.  I really don’t expect the audience to grow beyond its two regular readers on its own either.  That will be the biggest difference.  Too often it’s easy to become passive in life, thinking a break will happen on it’s own.  I forget that things are only going to happen if I actively create my own big breaks.

One of the most important and inspiring things I took away from the (DIY)stribution and Marketing Symposium at the LA Film Festival a few weeks ago was the need to engage – engage an audience, engage other filmmakers, engage anyone who will listen.  It started with Ted Hope’s talk and became a word used several times over the course of the weekend.  It really resonated with me.

So this new launch of my website is the beginning of my attempts to engage.  I’ve got cool categories on my main page, mostly focused on film and writing.  I’ll still throw in the occasional post about the Phoenix Suns or what I’m doing over the weekend, but they won’t even necessarily pop up on the homepage.  I saved some of my favorite posts from the last two years, although I apologize to anyone who’s commented, because I couldn’t save those when I moved to WordPress.

It’s not going to be the little blog in the corner anymore.  I’m going to be more active in engaging in real life and that will give me more experiences that I won’t hesitate to share.  I will make an effort to engage with like-minded people, not just through writing this blog, but through as many outlets as I can find the time for.  No more hiding behind a phone, absentmindedly checking my email every minute.  Nope, I’m going put the phone away…and then continue standing in the corner, but slightly closer to the crowd.  One step at a time.

When I was a freshman in college, I had an internship that I walked away from because I was unsatisfied.  The internship was through an organization dedicated to placing talented minority youth in business positions.  I walked away because I felt it was training interns in how to be middle management, instead of truly successful leaders.  I wanted more.

Read more…