Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Weariness sets in

I worked on clarifying changes wanted in the company website, today, all the while battling an irritation in my left eye (some cat dander, I think) and finally got to the point where I couldn't focus on anything, I was so beat. Sometimes just sitting at a computer can wear you out more than physical labor. Didn't help that I couldn't get to sleep till nearly 3am. Working late on POS kicks my brain into fifth gear and makes it hard to shut down.

What makes things worse is, a guy I did a rewrite job for back when I was still in LA (which I did for free, and rewrote, twice, while living in SA) wants me to do another rewrite based on feedback he got on the script from an established screenwriter. And it was brutally negative feedback. Seems my non-linear style of telling the story is "needlessly confusing." He even suggested I should get Syd Field's book and learn how to write a script. So I told my guy that he should try and get this man to do the rewrite. What I didn't say was, "Because I don't want anything more to do with it."

You see, normally I can shrug such comments off (took me years to get to that point and I still have to fight to keep myself there), and the fact is, I was happy with how the script turned out. It's the story of how he wound up being driven insane while on the police force, and I felt the shifting timelines and disjointedness added to his growing loss of control. But being sickish and tired, those negative comments slipped a knife between my ribs and poisoned me with doubt, so now I wonder if I just screwed it up. Meaning, anything I write tonight will be second guessed by me all over the place, so I'm not wasting my time or Brendan's.

I'm just going to iron and watch a video. Then I'll crash early. Give my system time to regenerate itself. Then I'll get back to POS.

2 comments:

Brad Rushing said...

Screw that script guy and his "established screenwriter" friend. If the guy is recommending Syd Fields it pretty much says he is a damned unimaginative hack. They can both gnaw on bull testicles.

You may not be a salesman, but you are a helluva good screenwriter - and a damned fine writer period.

Yay for Kyle! Boo for the Hollywood fart knockers.

JamTheCat said...

Thanks, Brad. Dunno what I'd do without you, sometimes.

I watched "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" again with a new translation and thoroughly enjoyed it. And almost got my whole month's worth of ironing done. I'm in a better mood, now.