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. I’m 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. I’m 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 ❤️ See you soon!
May your writing be prolific like the flowers after April showers.
Happy May everyone!
We had an inspiring meetup in April with a fun table read and discussion. Let’s keep the momentum going this month as we open submissions for the Maumee Film Festival table read.
We are seeking a pilot or short film script (properly formatted) up to 30 pages. Any genre, we will prioritize active members of the group for this opportunity. PDF can be emailed to glasscityscreenwriters@gmail.com If you have any questions feel free to email them.
The festival is in September so we will end submissions at the end of June with a decision to be made in July. Happy writing.
The next meet-up is Saturday May16th at the Oregon Library at 12:30. If you have any questions about the festival table read or other screenwriting questions join us! With all the distractions in our non-writing life, how do you stay focused and get things done? Let’s talk about strategies to keep working toward that next draft or new project.
Do you love horror? Looking ahead to June, instead of our regular meeting we invite everyone to join us at the International Horror Hotel Film Festival in Cleveland. Ohio. Here is a LINK
It’s a great place to watch films and network with other writers and filmmakers, and the drive is less than 2 hours. We will be there Saturday and Sunday June 20-21st. Tickets are very reasonable at 25 for Saturday and 35 for Sat/Sun.
Also in June watch for the FilmToledo open house! They have been working hard to create a space downtown that will be a creative hub for film in Toledo. Show them support if you can in the form of a donation. Later this summer we will have our 10 year Glass City Screenwriters celebration in partnership with them. So many positive things going on in Toledo!
So we all know that writing can be a solitary venture. Most writerly people I know, including myself, are very comfortable in that space, maybe to an extreme. Our meetups are a friendly place to keep pushing yourself to talk about your screenwriting, and to talk about yourself. I know that can be a scary thing to do. I struggle with it myself and have to really push to do some of the things people do without much thought.
Screenwriting involves a lot of interaction to move the needle on your career. You have to explain who you are (Writers Bio) and get people excited about your idea or script (Pitching). These are both skills to develop to be able to market yourself and have a screenwriting career.
This month we will look at examples of bios and pitches to get an idea of how to improve. Please bring your own bios and pitches to share with the group and get feedback. We are a very supportive group. And trust me, I find it awkward to talk about myself too!
This month we also have a table read! One of our screenwriters will bring a short script for the group to read and give general feedback. There are only four roles so we should have plenty of people and time during our normal meetup to do this for them. So excited for this writer to hear their work!
April’s meetup is Saturday April 18th 12:30pm at the Oregon library on Dustin road. I’m excited to hear what you all have been up to and what you have planned for your writing and filmmaking this coming summer!
Momentum
Life has so many twists and turns, redirection, delays, explosions. Maybe not actual explosions, but you feel the boom!
What may feel like a setback should never totally derail your plans to move in the direction of your dreams. Forward Momentum Always!
This month our meetup is Saturday February 21st 12:30pm at Oregon Library. We are in the smaller interior room this time. Come share and get feedback on your work in progress or general questions, you know we love to bring positivity and motivation, we’re in this together!
The Jupmode Here for Good program will be kicking off in March. This is the chance to support your local businesses and nonprofit organizations (especially the art related ones) simply by buying a really cool Jupmode t-shirt. It’s only a short window for purchase so we will share it multiple times on social media. We have a new design this year and we can’t wait to reveal it soon!
Winter has arrived in NW Ohio! For writing it can be good to be stuck indoors but for moving, not so much. We are mid move with stuff everywhere. If you know me, being disorganized makes me crazy and distracted. Do you find it hard to work in the middle of chaos, or do you thrive in that environment?
How’s your writing going this month? I’m honestly not getting much done with the move and the holidays. Keep it on your mind and make plans for the New Year. This is also a great time to reflect on 2025 as we approach 2026 with a fresh slate.
We are meeting for coffee and Holiday surprises again this year Saturday December 20th at Freight House Coffee in Oregon. Stop for a few minutes or longer between 12 and 3 to say hi! They have great coffee and ice cream if you need something cold 😆 Hope to see you soon, Happy Writing New Year!
It’s a little hard to describe how the Austin Film Festival makes you feel. Most festivals are about the directors, actors, and filmmakers in general. The unique part of AFF is that it puts the Writer center stage. As a writer among so many writers, it is easy to open up and connect. You are sharing the same creative struggles and joys.
The crowds are a bit overwhelming. Thousands of people, this was the biggest year yet. The panels and talks are an education on the career of screenwriting and making films, TV, podcasts, games, and more. The inspiration is real, the love of craft is real. I don’t mean to make this sound like a commercial. There is just nothing else like AFF, sharing my joy!
My pitch went well, I got great feedback. There were many amazing pitches, so much fun! Seeing Troublemaker Studios and meeting Robert Rodriguez was really cool too.
Let’s turn inspiration into action now. The next meet-up is November 15th 12:30 at Oregon Library. Bring your loglines, current script, or pitches and let’s help each other. Even if you haven’t written, our meetings are a good place to get answers or bounce thoughts around with a friendly group.
I have narrowed my next feature WIP down to two. Help me pick which one gets finished first!
This months resource is John August’s Script Notes podcast. A great listen for the craft of screenwriting.
See you soon!
Happy October! Have you ever written a horror themed script? It’s a great way to explore what you fear. Even if you steer away from the traditional blood and gore, there is a rich well to draw from. We all have personal things that cause us anxiety. Why not share the scares?
Still feeling the love from the Maumee Film Festival table read. We had an excellent turnout and I hope it encourages writers to get their work out there! Thank you to the many actors from our group and Toledo Talent who participated. Thank you to the Maumee Film Festival and Film Toledo for hosting. Big thanks to Amy Piero for sharing her pilot script Smoothie Crew!
We always leave time to table read a short script or pages of a longer work at our monthly meet-up. October 18th (12:30) at the Oregon Library is the next meet-up.
**Warning 😆
Virginia will practice her pitch for the Austin Film Festival.
Have you ever pitched before? As an introverted writer it can be incredibly difficult to go outside of your comfort zone to speak in front of people about yourself and your writing. But it is essential to move forward, connect with people, and share the passion you have for the work.
This month’s resource: I’m sharing a Substack. If you don’t use it already, it’s a great place to follow your favorite creators. Eventually I may create more on that platform, for now here is a link to Jen Grisanti
https://substack.com/@jengrisanti?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=43zbsd
Last month at our meetup it was inspiring to see new interest and new people showing up to work on their writing!
The main purpose of this group is to gather creative minds and help each other navigate the process and career of being a screenwriter/filmmaker. No matter where you are on that path, finding a supportive community is important.
A writer from our group submitted a pilot that we are currently casting for a table read at the Maumee Film Festival. It will be performed Sunday at 2pm downstairs. Table reads of an unproduced script help the writer experience their words come to life. Actors get to interpret the characters and perform. Consider volunteering at the festival for a great experience. Get more information and tickets here.
Our next meetup is Saturday September 20th at 12:30 at the Oregon Library. This month we invite the actors to our meetup to practice. I will bring some hard copies along for the read. It’s a pilot script so the read will take about thirty minutes.
This month’s resource is a podcast: The Screenwriting Life
It’s a great podcast about not just the work of a screenwriter, but the experiences in day to day life.
Just write! That is the theme for this month.. With about six weeks away from the Maumee film festival we are looking to have a pilot length (20-30 page) script ready for a table read at the festival. Glass City Screenwriters is pairing up with Toledo Talent (local actors group) for a Table Read segment on Sunday during the festival in September. If you have a properly formatted script that you would like to submit, bring it to the meetup this month!
Our meetup is next weekend already. August 16th at 12:30. This month we are inside the Oregon library in one of the smaller meeting rooms.
The summer is breezing right by! It can be hard to keep up with everything and everyone as we try to work and have fun while the days are long but seem short. Push yourself to fit in the time to move forward in your writing. Think, plan, outline, jot down notes and keep finding the inspiration to create those stories dancing around in your head.
This month I’m sharing a very important resource for writers.
Check it out if you haven’t already, and keep working on those goals!
