Tag: writer journey

Recap: Sundance Collab Week 1.

Chasing The George

Hello artists! As mentioned last week, I got accepted into a screenwriting course at the Sundance Collab. This course will help me take an idea for a feature film and create a fully realised treatment for it. Also, as mentioned last week, I am recapping and sharing my personal experiences each week as I build a feature film treatment from scratch.

Recap: Week 1. Two things I wanted to share. 1) Everything really boils down to, “What is this about?” Whether I’m doing a scene in acting class or writing a movie, it’s all about understanding what something is about. That’s the driving force that helps paint the picture (or write the script, in this case) and informs the choices we make. Keep reading below 🙂

2) I also told myself to take the pressure off. Looking at the homework for week one, I felt I needed all the answers to everything in one day. For example, I felt like I needed to clearly and expertly articulate what my movie was about in one day. And when I couldn’t, I started to have a little doubt. “Uh oh, what did I get myself into? Perhaps this is a stupid idea for a movie.” I had to handle myself to remove this pressure and doubt. Once I did that, I allowed my training to kick in. I said that I have to be okay and comfortable with the unknown. I’m starting a journey from scratch. Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Why? Because I can ask the next question. I asked the first question that came to me. Great! I now had either a placeholder or a definitive answer. And from there, I kept asking the next question. Each placeholder or definitive answer allowed me to take another step forward. Each answer provided more clarity. I allowed myself to be patient with the homework and to let the answers come to me. I did what I could to fill in the blanks each day. As the days in week one progressed, I started thinking about other movies and art forms that could help me shape and articulate my answers. I also got on my feet, walked around, and attempted to answer my questions. By the end of the week, I finally arrived at an “a-ha” moment. I knew what my story was about. Keep reading below 🙂

Ask the next question no matter what it is: rehearsals for a scene, an audition, a script you’re writing, etc. See you all next week for my week two recap on developing the protagonist!

200 Blog Posts!

Chasing The George

WordPress alerted me recently that I have written 200 blog posts on their site!! Wow!! Also, Happy (early) Anniversary to Chasing The George!! I’m celebrating early! On July 15th, 2015, my teacher and mentor, Richard Lawson, encouraged me to write a weekly blog where I would share my artistic journey, advice, stories, and interests with other artists. A “Hollywood 101” if you will that reveals and shares the sustained effort, work, and fun it takes to have a career in this industry. Thank you, Richard! What a journey it has been! Walking the walk as you teach us to do. Fun fact: My blog originally started on Tumblr before I moved it over to WordPress (LOL for anyone who is doing the math and wondering how it’s only 200 blog posts since 2015…I switched platforms and also took a few breaks with my blogging.) Keep reading below 🙂

Thank you to everyone around the world who has supported my blog over the years. Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, commented, and continues to be inspired by this one artist’s bravery to put himself out there and share his artistic life and journey. Thank you for witnessing how I found and strengthened my voice through this blog. Thank you to those who encouraged me to blog again when I stopped for periods of time. I’ve shared wins. I’ve shared lessons. I’ve shared highs and lows. I’ve shared so many things from how to get an agent to how I got my script to James Franco to how I feel I can’t act when I start a new rehearsal process (and how I combat that) to how I outlined a feature screenplay in two weeks to how I booked a national commercial by following my impulse to cry. Keep reading below 🙂

Wow! 200 blog posts!! I am so grateful not only because of the sheer amount of writing I’ve produced, but because I’m still in the game. I achieved 200 blog posts because I’m still in the game. I haven’t given up. I won’t give up because I can’t live without my art. I NEED to be an artist, and I have a healthy, supportive career bus that keeps me going and holds me accountable. I have a wonderful community that I can lean on and grow with. I’m grateful to still be an artist in this industry. I’ll see you all next week! Onward and upward! Keep reading below 🙂

Which Writing Competitions To Submit To.

Chasing The George

For my fellow screenwriters and TV writers out there who are interested in submitting content to writing competitions, but don’t know where to start, I hope that my blog entry will help. I have been submitting to writing competitions this year (and in previous years.) And let me make it clear that because the writers strike is still going on, the information I’m providing is done with respect and support to their cause. The information provided does not go against the writers strike rules.

I read a great interview for pre-WGA writers titled, “Writers Strike Dos and Don’ts for Pre-WGA Writers, Explained by the WGA” that has confirmed and shaped how I’m writing today’s blog entry around writing competitions. Keep reading below 🙂

As with film festivals, there is a PLETHORA of writing competitions. It can feel daunting when looking at the myriad choices out there. For example, when I logged into my Coverfly account today, the dashboard listed 194 writing competitions. 194?! What?! By the way, “Coverfly is the industry’s largest screenwriter talent-discovery platform, connecting emerging screenwriters with literary managers, agents, producers and development executives.” It’s a central, convenient hub that contains a huge listing of different writing competitions. Keep reading below 🙂

Submitting to writing competitions as a way to get your work out there, to get noticed by the industry, and to receive feedback or coverage, can become expensive. Don’t just blindly submit because submission fees add up quickly. The best advice I can give you before you begin your journey is to do your homework and research. Aim for the big ones (because why not?) and aim for the ones geared to the type of script you have written for a more specific, bullseye approach. Not all competitions are equal and built the same way. Some have been around for a while and are highly-regarded and respected. Others are brand new and have only been in the game for a year. Some competitions come and go. Keep reading below 🙂

Some factors to consider: how long the competition has been in existence, its mission statement, its end goals for the writers who enter and win, the judges involved in the competition, the sponsors behind the competition, whether it is a genre-specific/niche competition that matches your script, etc. Do the research and decide for yourself. Listen to your instincts and use your common sense. Also, read the WGA interview at the end so that you understand the do’s and don’ts of writing competitions while they are on strike. Keep reading below 🙂

Below, I have listed 10 established, industry-recognized writing competitions that I have been submitting to this year (and in previous years.) Plus, I included a link to Coverfly. I found these writing competitions based upon industry colleague recommendations and through my own research. There may be a lot more established, industry-recognized writing competitions, but at least this list will get your wheels going. And with the exception of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships which only focuses on screenplays, the other competitions listed below accept both screenplays and TV scripts. If there is an asterisk (*) in front of a particular competition, it indicates that they have put out a written statement that they support the WGA’s strike efforts and will not go against their strike guidelines. For those competitions below (or any not listed here) that haven’t put out a written statement regarding their support of the writers strike, reach out to them directly. And before you submit, read what the WGA recommends in their interview below. Keep reading below 🙂

WGA Interview: https://www.moviemaker.com/writers-strike-rules-pre-wga/

1) Academy Nicholl Fellowships: https://www.oscars.org/nicholl

2) *Austin Film Festival: https://austinfilmfestival.com/submit/screenplay-and-teleplay-submissions-2/

3) *Final Draft Big Break: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/

4) Page Awards: https://pageawards.com/

5) *ScreenCraft: https://screencraft.org/screenwriting-contests/

6) Scriptapalooza: https://scriptapalooza.com/

7) Script Pipeline: https://scriptpipeline.com

8) *Shore Scripts: https://www.shorescripts.com

9) *The Black List: https://blcklst.com/

10) Tracking Board Launch Pad: https://tblaunchpad.com/

11) Coverfly: https://www.coverfly.com/ “At Coverfly, we proudly support the rights of writers and the WGA’s efforts to ensure fair compensation for their work. Coverfly stands in solidarity with the WGA and its efforts to ensure fair, livable compensation for the work of writers. For information on how you can stay within the WGA strike rules and procedures while submitting for competitions, please contact the competition organization directly.”

My Major Revelation About Career Policies!

Chasing The George

Hello fellow artists! Here’s to another week of moving my acting and writing careers forward. My goals for this year are to continue booking theatrical and commercial work and to sign with a new literary agent. These goals are tied to a larger postulate of mine within my DOIN (Declaration of Independence aka business plan.)

As I pursue these goals, it’s important that I have policies in place. With any business, policies are essential to keep it running and operating on a high level. Policies keep it afloat and on track to achieving their various short-term and long-term goals. Here’s the definition of policy: a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc. a document embodying a contract of insurance. I’ve always understood this definition on an intellectual level and have had various degrees of success with implementing policies to keep my business (aka Jorge Ortiz Inc.) alive, healthy, and on track. Keep reading below 🙂

At the beginning of each year, I create a postulate DOIN for that year (A sub-DOIN from my main DOIN, if you will.) It’s a way for me to choose one postulate from the list and focus on it for the year. When I got to the policies section, I couldn’t help but feel uninspired and disconnected from what was there the year before. I had several policies listed that I wasn’t executing or honoring. These policies weren’t a contract of insurance. They weren’t things I had to do. Let alone, I didn’t even understand why I had to do them. For example, consume at least 50% organic food every day. Okay, I love organic food. I like being healthy. But WHY is this a policy? How is this policy connected to WHAT I’m trying to achieve as an artist? Why is this policy here in my DOIN? Keep reading below 🙂

And then, I had a major revelation. I realized that policies are connected to a specific postulate! BOOM! I am on a journey to achieve a postulate. A postulate sits at the very top of the mountain. So, what policies do I need to establish to help me get there? BOOM! It all made so much sense to me. Of course! Armed with this revelation, I identified five policies that I felt would support my journey towards my postulate. I understood the WHY behind these policies. I understood WHY I needed to do them. These five are enough for now. If I add a few more arbitrarily, I will set myself up for disappointment. I need doable, tangible, executable policies that SERVE my postulate. Below, please see the postulate I’m focusing on for this year and the five policies attached to it. Keep reading below 🙂

Postulate: I am one of the top, consistently working, bankable, and respected actors, writers, & executive producers in Hollywood. Keep reading below 🙂

  1. Execute at least one item of career administration Monday through Friday. Administration means the actions I’m taking to achieve my acting and writing goals. I know when to execute these actions each day. I know what these actions will consist of because I pull them from the administration plans written within my DOIN (On Sundays, I look over my DOIN and write out my administration for the week in my calendar.)
  2. Use social media as a platform to engage with others and to share about myself at least once on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Pretty self-explanatory! I’m consistent about the times I post on social media and what exactly I post on it.
  3. Practice and memorize sides once a week. I know which day of the week I do this on. This is important to keep my mind sharp.
  4. Return communications within 24 hrs. In terms of how I want to be seen and respected in this industry, this is a must.
  5. Take Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements every morning at 8am. Healthy brain regiment so that I can operate at the highest level possible as an actor and writer. Keep reading below 🙂

Those are my policies! And here’s the other thing that I realized about the power of policies. For the last two weeks, I’ve felt somewhat uninspired and discouraged. I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. And then I remembered what Richard Lawson once said about policies: “If you don’t do your policies, you take a loss on them…Policies also determine the quality of the trip and the consistency of it. These things help to sustain the effort of the trip when they are applied, and when you start breaking policies–policies are directly connected to statistics. If you keep statistics of certain things, you will notice that your statistics will drop when your policies deteriorate.” Keep reading below 🙂

Of course! I fell off my policies for the last two weeks. That’s why I felt uninspired. My administration statistics went down because I got off track with my policies. DUH! That being said, the beauty of this is that I can quickly get back on my policies. (My apologies to anyone if I didn’t return communications to you within 24 hours over these last two weeks!) Keep reading below 🙂

What policies are keeping you on track towards your dreams? Let me know in the comments section below!

How A Teacher’s Letter Impacted My Career.

Chasing The George

Hello artists! Something compelled me recently to pull out my Vassar yearbook. Perhaps I wanted to look at my senior year photo (I did, and LOL, I had a full head of hair.) Anyway, a handwritten letter fell out of my yearbook. It was a letter from a teacher I had in fourth grade named Ms. Rosen. I totally forgot about her letter and the fact that I tucked it away into my yearbook.

In elementary school, I wrote several short stories where I reimagined/adapted existing movies or TV shows like “Nightmare On Elm Street” and “The Bionic Woman”. There was something so wonderful about writing these worlds and being able to escape into them. As soon as I finished a short story, I shared it with Ms. Rosen. After sharing several short stories with Ms. Rosen, she wrote me a letter. Keep reading below 🙂

As we know, teachers can play a pivotal role in our lives. And sometimes, it can be for better or for worse. Teachers can make or break us at any point in our educational journey. They can make or break our dreams, our confidence, our ability to see further, our sense of possibilities and havingness. I’ve met many students with a deferred dream or failed purpose because they had teachers who discouraged them and tore them down. Fortunately, Ms. Rosen’s letter was uplifting and encouraging. She praised my writing and challenged me to tap into my point of view and imagination moving forward. She knew that I had more interesting, original stories to tell. What does JORGE have to say? What is UNIQUE and PERSONAL to him? What is in Jorge’s IMAGINATION? Create new worlds, don’t be derivative. Ms. Rosen’s letter wasn’t a “make wrong”. Her letter impacted me and laid the groundwork for writing about things that are personal to me, compelling, different, and a little dangerous. Her letter also laid the groundwork for the type of teaching and instruction I respect and admire (it’s why I have studied with Richard Lawson for so long. He he draws out my voice, uniqueness, and imagination by asking the next question.) Fun side note: I attended Vassar because of my guidance counselor. I knew nothing about the college application process. I didn’t know what colleges to research. I walked into my guidance counselor’s office one day during my junior year with all these brochures I randomly picked up at a college fair my high school was hosting. My guidance counselor looked through the brochures, put them aside, and said, “No. You can do better than these. You’re going to Vassar.” She saw something in me. She knew I was worthy of something higher. She added Vassar to the list and helped me identify other great schools that best fit me and what I wanted. Thank you so much, Ms. Ham! Keep reading below 🙂

Below is the front and back of Ms. Rosen’s letter. In case you can’t read her handwriting, I transcribed her message below the pictures. Thank you so much, Ms. Rosen! Time to keep moving forward with the first draft of a feature film I’m currently writing with my friend and colleague. Keep reading below 🙂

Dear Jorge, First of all, let me apologize. I am so sorry it took so long for me to get your story back to you. I hope it didn’t upset you or cause you any inconvenience. I also hope you will continue to share your work with me. I promise I will not delay in returning anything else to you. It gives me such pleasure to see how your writing is developing and I hope you will trust that I won’t let such time elapse again. As always, your descriptions and use of details are marvelous. You create vivid images, which all good writers in any genre need to do. You use powerful verbs which give your writing an energy-one that keeps the reader’s interest. Let me explain my feelings about gore and scary stories. It’s not that I don’t particularly like them. It’s more to do with my feelings that gory is not as original as other types of works. “Freddie” and “Bionics” are not new to literature. I believe that with your talent, your gift, you can, might, explore other avenues for where and how your writing may excel. I’m happy to learn that you are indeed branching out and have written a soap opera. It’d love to see your character development on that. I’m also interested in seeing your essays. Are you writing any for school? Is the soap opera for you or for an assignment? Please keep me posted. I wonder, have you given thought to writing news editorials or book reviews? Keep up the good work! Keep in touch. I have enjoyed speaking with you tremendously! Fondly, Ms. Rosen.

The Final Chapter: 7 Story Ideas in 7 Days.

Chasing The George

Last Sunday, I updated everyone on how it went with the challenge I gave myself to generate 7 story ideas in 7 days: https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/03/26/7-story-ideas-in-7-days-part-2/

I ended up generating 12 story ideas! I also mentioned last Sunday that I would complete the second part of the story generator exercise in chapter one of “My Story Can Beat Up Your Story”, by Jeffrey Alan Schechter: Try to give your story ideas a strong wish fulfillment, emotional dimension, market-savviness, and originality. Any that don’t hit all four points, take out behind the barn and Old Yeller ’em. Of the ideas that survive, put the best one aside for later.

Here are some of my observations. 1) Of the 12 story ideas I generated, two were a YES because they fulfilled the four categories above the strongest. Four story ideas were MAYBES, and six were a NO. These maybes and nos were weak in at least one of those four categories. Keep reading below.

2) With the exception of three story ideas, I was able to find similar movies within the same zip code for the other nine story ideas. And at some point, I’ll watch the trailers of all the movies I wrote down during my research. Fun fact: For one of the story ideas I generated, there were a ton of movies already made about it. Who knew that feature films about bakers were so popular? LOL. Keep reading below.

3) From doing these chapter one exercises, it helped me to revisit an idea I’ve been wanting to develop further for a while. I was able to carve out this idea a little more, and it won’t leave me alone. I ran it through the four categories and it came out as a yes as well. Keep reading below.

4) I was pleased that I was able to set up the orphan status for each protagonist I created over the 12 story ideas. Some were more orphaned than others, but they were all orphans. What do I mean by an “orphan”? According to “My Story Can Beat Up Your Story”, every protagonist travels through four character archetypes within a feature film (orphan, wanderer, warrior, and martyr.) Each archetype represents a specific moment of the protagonist’s journey, and they help them fulfill a complete arc of change from beginning to end. Every protagonist starts as an orphan of some kind. They stand out or are different in some way because of their choosing or because society sees them as that. Some unfortunate or challenging circumstance has already fallen upon them when the movie starts or will fall upon them. We immediately empathize and root for the protagonist because we see their orphan status in the first act. Keep reading below.

5) Even though I came up with 12 story ideas, there were only a couple that I would consider developing further. Again, I’m not being critical of or judging what I generated. What I mean is that I want to be passionate about the things I write. I don’t want to devote my time to writing a script I’m not passionate about. Being passionate about what I want to write was a big takeaway from this exercise (and a reminder.) Now, I think it’s time to throw my hat into the ring and take this nine-week feature film course through the Sundance Collab. I just have to choose which idea to take with me!

7 Story Ideas In 7 Days. Part 2.

Chasing The George

Hello my fellow artists! Last Sunday, I challenged myself to generate 7 story ideas in 7 days by utilizing the story generator exercise in chapter one of “My Story Can Beat Up Your Story” by Jeffrey Alan Schechter. Here is the link to that blog entry: 7 Story Ideas in 7 Days. Part 1.

And as promised, here is part two where I update you all on how it went! Below, I have italicized Jeffrey’s prompts for context. I also copied and pasted the story generator website at the end so that you can try it at home!

Pick a description from Column A such as “ugly,” “creative,” “brave,” etc. Turn that word into the ultimate expression of that description: “ugliest,” “most creative,” “bravest.” Pick a profession from Box B such as “astronaut,” “soccer coach,” “school teacher,” etc. The first few times I did this, I wanted to be intentional with the pairings. Meaning, I went through the descriptions in column A until one resonated with me. Once that happened, I went through the list of professions in column B until one resonated with me as well. Then, I paired those words together to arrive at a newly-invented character. For example, Bravest Disc Jockey. Keep reading below.

Set the timer on your phone for five minutes. Without stopping to think, crank out a story idea for the “somethingest character” you just randomly invented. The “ugliest blacksmith” or the “most fearful pilot.” Once I invented a character, I was on go. I followed whatever impulses came to me. I did not question or critique the spontaneous story idea I was generating in real time. Once my five minutes was up, I let it go. I didn’t dwell. I moved on to generate the next character combination and story idea. There were a few moments where I stopped in the middle of a story idea, and it was in those crucial moments that I made sure not to get in my head or become critical. I just told myself to be patient and see what else occurs. There were a couple of times where I chuckled (in a good way) to myself because the story I was generating was so fun, wild, and imaginative. I was like, “Wow, look at what I’m writing down. This is pretty funny and cool!” Keep reading below.

The next few times I did this exercise, I decided to just pick a description from column A and a profession from column B without thinking about it. Just quickly pick one thing from each column and generate a story idea. I wanted to see what would happen if I went with this approach versus the one above where I was more intentional with the pairings. I was pleasantly surprised with this approach because I still found myself generating a story idea for each character I created. Keep reading below.

I ended up generating 12 story ideas! I’m proud of myself because I came up with something each time around, no matter the type of story, the genre, the boldness of it, the simplicity of it, etc. Now that I have done this part, I need to tackle the next steps of the chapter one exercise: Try to give your story ideas a strong wish fulfillment, emotional dimension, market-savviness, and originality. Any that don’t hit all four points, take out behind the barn and Old Yeller ’em. Of the ideas that survive, put the best one aside for later. Keep reading below.

Let’s see how this goes! Hmmm, I feel a part three coming up. Here is the link to Jeffrey Schechter’s story generator exercise: http://mystorycanbeatupyourstory.com/mix-match/