power

This pen-ultimate post will be a bit of a ramble - rather like that path up the mountain I drew. Last weekend went up Table mountain for the first time. The cable car was terrifying - packed with passengers steadying themselves on a floor which revolves 360º as it ascends. Up top, the rocky plateau teems with tourists brandishing cameras, standing here, there and everywhere, side-stepping along paths, some even clambering up on to rocks in tiny stilettos to pose holding up the sky. Grey-green lizards stare back from under every rock. Amazing view - when there's a quiet spot.

Been thinking about the script that I'm supposed to be re-writing and concluded that I'd better pursue it willingly and well later (when re-enthused) rather than rush and phone it in now. I rarely lose enthusiasm writing/ re-writing my own specs. (Think you're a bit like that too Pot?) So there you go.

A tangent now. Once when I was being interviewed to get into film school, the interviewers (tutors) handed me a pair of spectacles across the table and asked me to tell them about the owner. I held them in my hand, then up to my eyes - they were too small. I started talking; "Well he has a thin head. Dandruff." They smiled. "He doesn't care too much about his appearance but probably thinks he's rather stylish." They laughed. I carried on; "He wears these for driving." They grew silent. "He keeps them in his car - in fact the glasses match the inside of the car - the tortoise shell, matches the dash board." The listeners shifted uncomfortably as I continued to babble. Then I looked up at one of them and realised he was the person I was talking about. And I stopped.

Blogging is turning out a bit like that interview - which is probably the real reason I'm stopping. Words are power. At the end of the day - maybe better to channel intuition into scripts, films and art rather than unleash it untamed into the scribosphere. Oh but I'm glad I did.

One post left.

Laters

drawing

The result of my drawing analysis is:

Your friends and associates should generally find you a dependable and trustworthy person.
You are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.
You are creative, mentally active and industrious.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

Wooo! Go do it here
BTW this isn't one of the 2 final posts - just got a bit sidetracked ..

Ok have just been tagged by El and because I only have 2 posts left and absolutely can not waste them., I'm having to tack in on the end of here. Plus I may as well show a bit of the pic coming along too...



My Top 5 ways of distracting myself from writing

1. Daydreaming (while swimming / walking / cooking / hoovering etc) and/or talking to evasive animals
2. Internet: this is rather massive & includes facebook, IM, email, reading all kinds of stuff online, everywhere all the time, blogging and catching up on blogs.
3. Re-reading odd documents, bits of old scripts etc or trying to find them.
4. Drawing - recent - (enhances writing rather than distracts from it)
5 Taking photographs and then tweaking them in Photoshop

near

I was thinking about writing a 'wrap-it-up' type of post entitled 'final' since it feels like things are drawing to a close on here plus I don't seem to be offering much writing insight lately. But no doubt I'll get withdrawal symptoms being apart from you (boo hoo) - so maybe I'll just reincarnate elsewhere as a drawing blog...

Anyhow - I kind of compiled a final message in my head but realised I can't post it because I've forgotten the damn (oops) rabbit (the one that's likely wreaking havoc). I can't really leave a loose end like that - can I? ...even though folk probably know what to say, when.

Anyway my mum came round to see my 'legs & pool' picture (ooh and I'm having such trouble drawing water - all those surface dapples) so I asked her advice and she said she'd look it up. So will just have to get back to you on that....

Enjoy the weekend. Laters.

breeze

So what happen people? I miss scribomatic's 'recent-blog-post' scroller page as I don't have bloglines or any other of these fancy alerts and never know now when you've updated. Just to have to wing it - is anything else any good?

Producers sent me an encouraging 'keep going' email. Shame I had to quickly tell them that my word count on the redraft is still 0 and that I'm busy drawing instead. Ha! Actually I'm now thinking of converting the 10x10 re-write into a 20 x 5 - not exactly impossible is it? 20 pages per day for 5 days and just write like a blazing comet without bothering to get dressed, washed eat or anything..Hmmm, but do I really want to? Let's see.

What else? Builders in this morning - so all go right now - they just pulled down the garden fence.

Drawing is doing just fine - here's a tiny corner - washing on the line. A gentle breeze. Can you feel it?

soul

I think I had what scriptwriters call a 'long dark night of the soul' last night (ha!) Insomnia, churning things over, wondering what's going on in the whole wide world and here on this little blog - whether we are authors of our own fate or whether destiny is predetermined and so on etc. And also thought about choices - the tough ones. Didn't really come to any real conclusion - beyond the whole scriptwriting transference 'cause and effect' thing. Perhaps for each change (we bid or undergo) in our life (large or small) there is something we forfeit or give up - which is often the reason why people are reluctant to undergo or accept change in the first place.
Is this true - what say you? What would you give up to achieve your dream?

everywhichway

Latest scripting update was the tense 'thrash-it-out' phone call on the script beats. But no flies on Far Away. We've now gone past the point of 'no return'. I can't step off the script even if I wanted to (and *sigh* I do in a way. I'm finding it hard to put my heart in it now). Even if I scream, cry, or spit - we've now crossed the bridge. There's an 'understanding'. Now it's become a test.

But I had an epiphany today and realised the deadline is theirs not mine so I'm not going to worry. Stuff that 10 x 10 plan. Ha! In the meantime I'll re-enthuse myself everywhichway whatever. Mainly by drawing...

Yes the last picture is all finished now. Paper is pasted up for the next one. Bought myself a giant box of soft, luscious pastels. Mmm. Will eat those up.
And I'll be rifling through your facebook photos again anytime soon.

Amazing how, in a blog post, you can come up with 150 words that are really about nothing at all. Innit?

Peace, love and custard

see

here.

*guffaw*

space

Back to the grindstone. Have received more notes on the 20% of the beats that still needed addressing (seems more like 35% now - but anyway) so will hunker down and do a 10 x 10 (pages per day) now and get the thing re-written. Going back into scripped after ages to see what's happening there. Something that came out of the extended to-ing and fro-ing were name changes (apart from the main character), so hope their technical issues (like find and replace) are sorted there now.

Elsewhere, the first drawing is coming along - nearly finished now. For those who want to take a look I re-posted the latest photo below - see progress. Am also working on a small sketch for the next one (the one with the big legs in). Think there's going to be a swimming pool too - why not?

I'm throwing that one open - so if anyone wants to be included, please email me (address in profile) a photo - preferably of you doing something dynamic (*titter*) and I'll try and accommodate it. The main problem I'm facing is space - the drawings are so huge: 3m x 2.5 m. There's one other clear wall I can work on - but after that I'll be stymied. Maybe I can do one on top of the other - with layers of tissue in between. Could be a bit lumpy... Hmmmm

What else? The jazz book moves forward. One text to edit, another one due any minute and the third still up in the air...

Lara should take note of a full moon tonight in Aries - lovely. Actually I was taking a look at the nearly full one last night and could see a rabbit in it. Rabbit again - yeah yeah, you may snigger but wait and see...

Laters

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

Please forgive my writing as English is not my first language. I want to tell you about my wife. Am worried lately because she thinks she has magic powers and can influence the world through her blog which she started 2 years ago. She spends the whole day in front of the computer - because she is trying to write film scripts - though I keep telling her to do something more worthwhile.

Lately she is convinced that the blog can predict the future and change world events. She thinks the same thing about her status updates on facebook. There is a group of bloggers who are just as cuckoos as she is. They all join in and leave comments and encourage her. Now my wife is using up our 3 gig internet cap by mid month.

I love my wife dearly even though we have nothing in common and she talks too fast. She has a nice smile and sometimes cooks tasty chicken though I wonder at times if she is of the lesbian persuasion. I think she just misses her friends who all live in London. She finds it hard to get on with all my family and didn't want them to slaughter a goat for our 7th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

Miss Lonelyhearts, I don't understand and have no idea what to do. I try and talk but she snaps back and threatens to jump on a plane back to the UK. Lately she started covering the walls of the house with huge drawings of her facebook friends. I think she has lost the plot and has no idea what is real anymore.

Please help me Miss Lonelyhearts and tell me what to do. I posted this quick while she is in the bath.

Kind regards,

Far Away's husband

legs

A bit incoherent this post maybe since I'm a bit flued up and my mind is fudge after eating gummy bears, lucozade, malt and whatever palliative remedy I received via fb. Thank you all.

I'm already planning the next one in the series H of H drawings (part # whatever) and seeing what (new) photos I can plunder already. But I know there's going to be a huge pair of legs on one side.

There's a giant who works at the swimming pool who has the tallest legs in the world - that reach up to the sky - literally. I don't ever remember seeing his face - just a pair of scuffed bovver boots and expanses of sinewy calf and knees and - much higher up - in the clouds, the fringes at the end of his shorts. I think his job is skimming bugs from the pool surface or something like that. The legs stride around while everyone swims. Innocuous. And after a while everyone forgets he's even a giant

I was off to the art shop the other day to buy aquamarine, tangerine and dusty pink when the mile high legs stomped out of the sky right by me and a voice boomed "Why are you not swimming this year?" I giggled shyly and explained that it was a little bit cold just yet. He guffawed loudly and strode away. Phew.

Still I hope the temperature picks up soon.

Other than that what else? A few posts back, I mentioned doing a post about romance and stuff - but that's hard. I'm not romantic in the least, I don't think What about you? I thought rather I could rather do a post about synchronicity and romantic fate or something like that. I've met so many people in my life in the strangest of ways - people who've stayed I mean - that now I've learned to accept it.

So what do you think lovely people? Do we care? Speak to me, let's go...

urban

A couple of writing or filmy opportunities related to 'the city' / urban connectedness.

African Cities Reader [A creation of the African Centre for Cities & Chimurenga Magazine] seeks submissions for its launch issue.

'All African cities are the product of multiple trajectories and origins.'

The Reader is open to writing and art in multiple genres (literature, philosophy, faction, reportage, ethnographic narrative, etc) and forms of representation (text, image, sound and possibly performance) by practitioners, academics, activists and artists from diverse fields across Africa in all of her expansiveness.

All published work will be remunerated @ $500. Deadline is Friday 31st October 2008. Full details are available by clicking right here.

Call for Proposals for Cape 09

The Cape Africa Platform (CAPE) is a groundbreaking cultural project located in Cape Town, South Africa. CAPE aims to culturally connect Cape Town, South Africa, Africa and the Diaspora by creating a contemporary African art event - rooted in the local but global in impact.

The 1 minute video call out for the project can be viewed by clicking here.

CAPE 09 is about life today: the people, the connections and networks they make up. CAPE 09 seeks to explore networks that accentuate the contemporary characteristics of Africa and provide a stage for communications between communities and citizens' activities.

The narrative of the event is initiated from the city of Cape Town itself. The city as a network requires a re-imagining of how we move and engage with each other. Artists are therefore asked to propose public interactions rather than exhibitions.

Deadline for proposals: 30 October 2008

For full information email: info "at" capeafrica.org

percent

Was told that my re-beated sheets are 80% 'there'. Hmm. This must be the most arduous and rigorous script re-writing process I've ever been through. First the treatment - which was re-drafted to 17 pages, and finally moved on to script, then script notes and notes back and forth then 10 pages of re-arcing, then more notes resulting in a near spat, then the new re-beats - and all before I've even moved on to 2nd draft. Maybe it's a good learning curve or summat but quite frankly - I think if the results aren't spectacular, I won't be going this route again. I reckon 90- 95% 'there' would be fine. After all you need to cut some slack to allow the magic to happen..

In the meantime, happily cracking on with drawing - down the art shop every morning for more glorious pastels. Banana, ultramarine and peach today. A box of 15 different shades of grey yesterday. (Imagine trying to put 15 different shades of grey into a script - well actually probably not that hard - ha ha ha ha) So am eating up colour right now. Relatives and neighbours keep coming through to take a look; 'Oooh can you do me one with ostriches, please?'

What else? (other than chaos in the whole wide world.) Bought a lovely pair of earrings for my mum's birthday yesterday - mmm wanted to keep them. Still eager to take the first swim of the season. The pool's been open since October 1st, but still a bit too ice, icy cool to take the plunge just yet.

Hope you're well. Stop by.
Laters.

progress

Latest update: very nearly there now...13/10

nicely

Picture is coming on a peachy treat - maybe I'll post a photo soon (the morning light is better.) Producers are being all nicely nicely and I've delivered the re-beated sheets. So right now I'm enjoying the calm.
Laters.