I was about to hit publish on this month’s blog when I heard what happened in the Old West End. I wasn’t able to attend the festival this year. Iâm devastated for the whole community and pray for those who were affected by what happened. The story is too fresh to comment so I will not detail it here. But keep in mind the actions of a few do not reflect the majority in a city or a community. It seems like most people in our area have some type of connection to the Old West End, I will briefly tell you mine.
As a young college student, many creative people I knew lived in these big old houses with big porches which were the best places to hang out in the summer. It was called The Old West End, one of the largest collections of Victorian historic homes in the country. It was always fascinating to me, so a few years ago I wrote a short screenplay set in the neighborhood. I convinced some talented friends to create the film with me and we had amazing support from members of the Old West End community. We even screened the film during the annual festival in 2023. That same year I was also hired to research and write development material and a short narrative script for a documentary about a prominent member of the Old West End community. Needless to say I was immersed and obsessed with the culture, the people, and every aspect of this dynamic and resourceful community. Iâm just really sad about this.
Now for your regularly scheduled screenwriting blog for June. Thanks for listening!
Summer has arrived in NW Ohio. Pools are open, gardens are growing, and writers get distracted. I see you out there enjoying the weather and getting that yard work done. I include myself in this distraction too. We have to get our vitamin D while it lasts and experience the joy of a life well lived, in order to write.
Look for ways to keep yourself on track with your writing. Sign up for a webinar, set up calendar reminders or read a good screenplay!
We are inviting anyone who is able to join us at the International Horror Hotel Film Festival in Cleveland, Ohio the weekend of June 20th. Come for a day or the whole weekend, this will be in lieu of our June meetup. Information at this LINK.
Final call for our annual tableread at the Maumee Film Festival. If you have a pilot or short film script to submit, please send it to glasscityscreenwriters@gmail.com by July 1st. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear your script performed by local actors at the festival in September!
We will have a regular monthly meetup in July and we are still planning the 10 year celebration, details to come!
Stay inspired to keep working on your writing â¤ď¸ See you soon!
A new year just like that. How’s it going for you so far? This year for me is the continuation of a major change in my focus on my feature writing. My next trip to LA is coming at the end of the month where I begin developing my pitching skills. đ Thoughts and Prayers to those affected by the horrific fires going on in California currently.
Let’s talk about pitching for a minute. Writing is such a personal endeavor, but filmmaking is not. The goal and dream of every script is to get made into a film. So how do you get that to happen?
First you need to find people that like you đ but seriously, if you want people to invest time and money, you have to get along right? The self pitch is as important as pitching your idea. Being your authentic self and sharing what you are passionate about will help you find the best collaborators for your work.
When it comes to pitching a project, simplicity and clarity are vital. You may only get five to ten minutes with that person, make them count by distilling your story into a powerful few sentences that create excitement and interest.
If you do it right they will have questions and want to read your script! Know your story and characters well enough to have answers to their questions and be ready to change things, because that’s how a script gets made!
The January meetup is at Freight House Coffee in Oregon at 12:30 on Saturday January 18th. We have a local group requesting scripts to possibly produce, join us to find out more details!
I donât know about you, but I love the fall. My garden is winding down and the chilly mornings bring a refreshing change I need to reinvigorate my life. We had another wonderful meetup in September at Freight House Coffee and our October Meetup will be at the same location. We may be able to return to the library in November when they reopen to the public.
I hope you are devoting time to a new writing project or polishing a sample for us to read this month. We will be table reading at this meetup so either bring a few copies of your short or up to ten page sample from a longer work. If you would like to share a PDF instead you may send it to glasscityscreenwriters@gmail.com and we can share digitally at the meetup. Itâs always fun and we learn a whole lot by hearing our work read out loud. We also welcome any local actors who would like to join us to read scripts, itâs a great way to connect and learn.
Freight House Coffee has two large patio areas. If the weather is good we can utilize the patio for the table readings to have a bit of privacy. Hope to see you at the Meetup!
If you missed the Maumee Film Festival last weekend of September, it was a wonderful weekend full of local and regional films and filmmaking panels. We had such an amazing time connecting with friends and meeting new ones. This was the last fest for Old West End. I plan to release it onto YouTube close to Halloween, so look out for that!
Finally, on a personal note, I am close to completing the first draft of the feature Iâm writing during the WGF Veterans Writing Project. Itâs always exciting getting that first draft out, even though you know there will be many more rewrites before it is ready to share. The things I am learning in this program are immensely helpful. I am so grateful to my mentors, and hope to pay it forward, helping Glass City Screenwriters by sharing the knowledge I have gained.
Donât miss the Film Toledo Fall Mixer, get your tickets soon! Dress up as your favorite movie or TV character to win prizes. Monday October 21st at Toledo Spirits.
Get busy doing what you love!
–Virginia
Summer in Ohio always feels like a mad race. There is so much to do, and so many events during the short months of warm weather. The stores have parents freaking out because it’s back to school season already and it feels like summer just started. August in a nutshell.
Last month we discussed beat sheets for planning to write a feature. We also read a really fun short script by a new writer to the group. I’m always amazed at the talent we have in the area!
Our next meetup is Saturday August 17th.
As I continue in the WGF program Iâm in, the next thing we work on is outlines. I can share some of what I am learning at our meetup. It’s gratifying to get positive feedback on my progress from the mentors. Getting feedback on your work is one of our most valuable tools to improve our work. Writers are often so close to their material, outside eyes give perspective that is often surprising.
Goodluck to everyone who entered the Maumee Film Festival 48 hour challenge! I was part of a team and we had a ton of fun. The films will be played as part of the festival September 27th-29th at the Maumee Theater! We will share details as it gets closer.
We will keep our meetup short and do the updates/educational component first. I know everyone is busy. After that anyone who wants to read a script for feedback or discuss other stuff is welcome to stay. I reserved the room for the whole afternoon!
Have fun and keep writing âď¸
-Virginia
Photo courtesy of Doug Hinebaugh
Last month’s meetup was so much fun! We plan to do these short script film events partnering with FilmToledo a quarterly happening in 2024! Thank you FilmToledo and Synergy Entertainment for collaborating with us.
Our December meetup is Saturday the 16th at Oregon Library from 12:00-4:00, pop in for a bit or stay a while to enjoy a holiday treat and talk Christmas movies and writing plans for 2024. We have a few changes for the group, hope you can stop in to hear what we have planned. Bring a movie snack or holiday treat if you are able.
This time of year can be challenging to be productive in our writing. Too many fun distractions. Memories both good and bad, happy or sad, pull us deep into our emotions. I find when this happens, it’s a good time to journal. Putting my feelings down on paper or in a document, helps me connect to and remember how the people around me give my life purpose and meaning. Journaling also helps to make a plan, to create the changes needed to grow. How are you growing as a person, and as a writer?
Praying for peace this holiday season
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Happy New Year 2024!
No Excuse November
Get motivated and do something practical this month!
Start small. If youâre feeling overwhelmed at starting to write a feature, try writing a one-act play or a short film. Just start with a scene, a character(s) doing or saying something.Â
This month we are going to do something fun, and we need your help! The exciting part of screenwriting is seeing your words come to life. How about a low-pressure project to flex those writing muscles? If you are rusty it will help remind you how much you enjoy writing.Â
So far from October we have 2 member scripts we are going to produce in the large meeting room in November. (meetup is Saturday November 18th, 12:00pm Oregon Library) There is still time to create a simple 1-3 page scene for this exercise, and even if you donât write something please come participate! We are inviting local actors to practice their skills and some experienced filmmakers will be helping to film our efforts.
Things to remember:
*Write something simple to shoot at the library (no stunts or action sequences)
*Bring any simple props or costume item needed for your script
*Print out a few copies of script for actors to read beforehand
(early scripts may be sent digitally so actors have more time to prepare)
If you have never been on a film set you will probably learn a few things just by coming. Obviously the library is not ideal for making a film, but this is a totally no pressure, fun practice session for everyone. If we get something good and shareable, fantastic! Completely voluntary, completely for fun and educational purposes.
That being said, magic happens when you are having fun and making connections. I have had some of my most creative moments in the midst of a 48 hour film challenge. So RSVP on the Facebook event, or send me an email (let me know if you are an actor) at glasscityscreenwriters@gmail.com to let us know you are joining us for the November Writerâs Jam!
See you soon,
Virginia
So the Eighth month of this year is here. Have you checked back at your resolutions or planning list for 2023? I need to do this so I can make a final push to accomplish more before the year is out.
For our regular members, did you read the feature script for the next meetup yet? It’s crazy and mixed up as far as the order. We will watch and discuss the first 30 minutes of the film with the script on Saturday August 19th. Anyone is welcome to join us as we learn more about the changes that happened from script to screen. Here is the Link to our meetup.
Our Film Showcase was a big success last month, bringing in the filmmaking family of Toledo as well as many new faces to watch our films at the Maumee Theater. Thank you to FilmToledo for co hosting and Matt Erman for running the tech side of things for the evening.Â
Old West End had It’s local Theater Premiere at our Showcase in July. Now we are headed to Virginia Labor Day weekend for GENREBLAST! We are so excited to play at this super cool genre festival. If you are thinking of getting out of town for the holiday weekend, join us! They have reasonably priced festival passes and four days of amazing films.Â
Keep pushing toward those writing goals, and make new ones, you never know how far you can go unless you try. â¤ď¸
The weather has been amazing lately, and my garden looks great! We haven’t had rain so I’ve been watering the garden instead of writing. đ Such is life sometimes.
Recently a filmmaker friend shared his lack of passion in creating another passion project.This is something we all struggle with. At the beginning, the idea and script stage are the dream. It’s exciting, fun, and essentially free, other than the time and research part. The production part costs real money, real risk, sweat and tears.
After you manage to complete post production, which is a mind numbing amount of hours editing and fixing things in post, you have to enter festivals $$$ or four wall the film $$$$. Independent filmmakers generally do not have major money for advertising so we rely on friends and family along with social media to spread the word.
It’s painful to hear that a super talented friend feels discouraged by the lack of support, mainly financially, for all of the work it takes. Film is our creative expression and an artistic pursuit. Yes it can be commercial, yes it can be “content “, but it can also be beautiful art and be socially relevant.
Do what is necessary to make money and continue to do what you love creatively. Hopefully you can do both! Supporting local films and filmmakers by going to our events means the world to us, sharing our work and making back some of our money also feels good.
Saturday June 17th is the next meetup at 1pm at the Oregon library. We will continue a bit of free writing time as a regular feature to focus some time on our personal projects. I will also share news from the festival road for Old West End.
Upcoming: Saturday July 8th will be the Glass City Screenwriters film event at Maumee Theater. Doors at 630, films at 7pm full details soon, you are all invited!
The month of April has brought showers and storms in our area that brought down a number of old pine trees. We had our tree which was over 70 years old, get blown down with straight line winds. It took out the telephone pole in our backyard, snapping it in half, impaling the transformer in a shed and catching the neighborâs grass on fire. My wheelbarrow was completely flat, half buried under the trunk. This happened on a Friday night and we were without power until Monday night, and without internet until Tuesday.
When things like this happen you go into a survival mode. A hundred questions swirling in your head about keeping safe (power lines everywhere, fire) and about damage, keeping warm, lighting up the house, losing all of the food in the fridge and freezer, the list goes on.
This has me thinking about when you write characters in crisis. They respond to a crisis differently depending on who they are. Some take charge, doing the necessary things to protect and respond. Some spiral out of fear, become frozen, not sure what to do. Others help but need to be told what to do.
It wasnât quite the zombie apocalypse, but I feel like we went through an experience as a family. Trying to keep warm and living with a teenager deprived of wifi for three days was definitely something to remember.
Our next meetup is April 15th 1:30 at the Oregon Library. Keep writing, hope you can join us soon!
The next screening of Old West End is at the Adrian Film Festival April 22nd at the Croswell Opera House in downtown Adrian, Michigan.
Time to get serious. Spring is around the corner and letâs face it, the warmer the weather gets, the more distractions we will have. I have been very busy getting the scribbles of ideas from my notebooks put on to the computer into easy to access files. I am trying to use Google docs more to jot down quick thoughts digitally, but many times the ideas still flow better when I get out a little journal or legal pad and a nice pen. How does your process work?
Old West End got its festival premiere at the end of February at the Youngstown Film Festival! It was a great first year for this festival with some amazing films and cool people. They got over 200 submissions which was amazing for the first year. We were honored to be selected to screen, especially since only 13 films got that honor. We hope to have many more selections so we are able to share the film with more people.
Our March regular meetup is Saturday the 18th at 1:30 at the Oregon branch library. This month we are in the smaller conference room within the library. Thatâs plenty of time to recover from St. Patrickâs Day and get back to your writing, right? If not, itâs a nice quiet library to recover in đ
Stay curious. The universe provides so many weird and powerful stories and opportunities to tell them. All we have to do is get off our phones, listen, and be open to receive.
Have fun writing!