Getting Read

Dianne here. What writers really want, besides to get published, is to be read. Although my daughter learned that real writers write no matter what. So that’s what I’m doing today. Writing this blog.

However, I found out yesterday that my book, Single Women – Alive and Well!, is getting read almost daily by the hospice workers who visit my grandmother. They all told me how much they enjoy it and how happy it makes my grandma. Mainly because I refer to her in the introduction.

I wrote that I asked Grandma what her secret was to a long and pain-free life. She took my face in her hands and said to me, without pausing, “I don’t hold grudges.” So I thanked her for that in my book, because it has helped me become a better person, unlike the person I was becoming before I decided to change.

It is possible, you know, to change, even in midlife and later. It is a matter of attitude. I was just explaining to the hospice worker today how writing my book changed me, that it was a spiritual journey which I am still on today because I “got it,” that my happiness does not depend on outside forces.

Today I am grateful for my life, for the people who love me and tell me so, for the simple people who show me what it means to live life to the fullest. I embrace them and the coming season of giving. May you all find the blessings you already have…

Dianne is “Home Again” This Week Only

I’m enjoying a visit with my 102-year-old grandmother while my 81-year-old aunt is taking a much needed vacation. She lives next door to Grandma and feeds her twice a day. Fortunately, she was able to get help with bathing Grandma etc. this last year, but the constant stress of just needing to be here all the time has been wearing on her. For me, however, it’s like a spiritual retreat. I’m back in my Grandma’s house where she’s lived since my mother was a teenager. It was the first place I remember being happy.  And still today, Grandma tells me that she loves me, every chance she gets. That is when I tell her who I am. She always knows me then. So I consider it a pleasure to take care of her, but then I only do it one or two weeks a year. As I look out from the City Brew at the Montana mountains, I realize that I was born at St. Pat’s Hospital right next door. Truly, I am home and at peace in this place. And I am grateful for the wonderful women in my life who have been there for me whether I realized it or not. I am blessed.

Liz is Home Again, Home Again: Reflections on my week on the WGA Picket Line

So here I am, back in Denver after a week spent in L.A. and it’s snowing! And truth be told, it’s a welcome change from the constant sunshine and heat in Los Angeles. And while my mom’s RV is comfortable and cozy, my 400 sq. ft. studio apartment seems spacious and luxurious in comparison! But with that said, I must say this: I had a wonderful time last week picketing with the WGA writers, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. I met some great people from a variety of different shows (as well as some screenwriters) who were obviously dedicated to the strike, showing up every day to picket and make their voices heard. With picket signs urging cars to “honk” in support of the strike, it was amazing how the blaring of a horn from a car speeding by could lift the spirits of the picketers during long hours under the sun.

The days felt long, but the week went by almost too fast. It was an amazing week, and while I didn’t see any celebrity actors, and I didn’t make it to any of the big rallies,  I DID meet some very nice and very dedicated writers who gave me insight and valuable advice on how to “make it” as a writer in Hollywood.

Here’s some of the most important things that I learned from them:

1) You can write for television and live part-time in L.A.; you just need to be in town for the staffing and development season which runs from May to July.

2) These days, it is important to have a couple “spec” scripts (short for “speculation” scripts, which are television scripts written for shows already on the air); if you want to work on an hour-long show, you need to have at least one “procedural” script as well as another type of hour-long script. A procedural is the name given to shows like “Law & Order” and “CSI,” in that the plot for each episode revolves around a particular type of work, or procedure. A writer must also have a fully developed idea for an original series, as well as a script to back it up. This is something that has changed in the last couple of years as before, agents would merely want to see spec-scripts, not original ideas.

3) Even if you don’t write a sitcom, you MUST have a sense of humor and be resilient – for the times when there is no work (or when there’s a strike for that matter), if you really want to be a writer. Most of the writer’s I met not only write for a living, but they write for themselves, which is one of the most important things about being a writer. Because a writer must love to write, regardless of who reads it or whether or not it gets produced or published.

With that said, I am going to wrap up this post and start working on a new script!

Pictures from the WGA Picket Line-as promised.

Read my follow-up story on www.yourhub.com…

A Quick Post, Post-Picket Line (with more to follow)

So first, I want to apologize for not posting the last couple of days. After picketing in the heat for four hours on both Wednesday and Thursday, I was too tired those nights to post anything on the blog, so I hope that one post for the past three days will suffice!

Today (Friday) was my last day picketing, though the day ended early so that my dad and I could leave town ahead of traffic (ha! We got stuck in a traffic jam, anyway…). I did, however, stop by the Disney gate where I had picketed Wednesday and Thursday to drop off some breakfast (bagels and bananas) and caffeinated cold drinks for the 6am to 10am set (which was the only shift today due to Sen. John Edward’s stop at the NBC Burbank studio at 1:45pm; he was scheduled to “join the picket line” at that time). I picketed for a short time today, and then it was time to head out of town, but here’s what I’ve learned, or would like to share, about this past week:

1) Don’t believe everything you see (or don’t see) in the media about the WGA strike.

2) Most writers in the WGA don’t work steadily and often count on residual checks, even the small ones, to get by (if they get them at all).

3) Striking isn’t fun or exciting, but sometimes necessary.

4).Being ‘down in the trenches’ on the WGA picket line with working writers is better than gawking at an actor through a crowd at a ‘fan appreciation day’ anytime.

5) WGA writers are friendly, funny, and nice.

…more to follow soon! (as well as pictures)

Life: A Zen-Like Cop Show

Dianne again. First, I need to brag. My online article about Liz leaving for L.A. got published in the print version of YourHub.com. In it I put down the new TV season, but that was before I discovered the new cop show, “Life” (NBC Wednesday). It is intriguing enough that I actually went online to check out the storyline and previous episodes.

In short, “Life” is about a detective who spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Apparently, he learned to practice Zen while incarcerated. He currently lives in a multi-million dollar mostly unfurnished mansion with his former cell-mate. In the walk-in closet as big as most people’s apartments, he keeps track of his research by pinning photos of people from his past and present on the wall with connecting lines and thoughts.

You’d think that he’d be out for revenge; instead, he keeps himself in a state of serenity even while investigating current murders. This makes me want to watch every week, enough to Tivo the series. I’m all for forgiveness and truth. It’s a much needed change from other cop shows where the characters too often get angry at the criminals, even when they are obviously sick individuals (e.g. Law and Order: SVU).

I applaud the creator(s) and writer(s) of “Life” and NBC for airing it. What it needs now is a strong audience – so please watch. You can always catch up at nbc.com. The link I’ve provided is of the book explaining Zen, which proves that television is not always a wasteland.

94 Degrees on the picket line today —

Will post tomorrow……

Mountain Time: A Book Review

Dianne here. Do you ever read a book that you know is good insofar as the writing is excellent, but somehow, it just doesn’t connect? That’s how I felt about Ivan Doig’s Mountain Time. Being from Montana like the author, I’d heard he was a great writer, so when I saw this book in a gift shop in Montana, I bought it. Since my husband is from Great Falls, I’m fairly familiar with the location so I thought I would relate.

Alas, I never did. And I struggled to get 2/3 of the way through the book when I finally just put it down and went on to the next book in my to-read pile. I have nothing against the book. It just didn’t hook me. Maybe because I don’t have a fairy-tale version of Montana in my mind. Because I’m from there. It’s not like reading a novel about Queen Elizabeth I, one of my favorite characters of all time.

I guess when I read, I like to be taken somewhere besides my backyard. For the same reason, I prefer to travel outside the Rockies and even the U.S. So if you’re not from Montana or the Rockies, and you want to know a little bit more about the people who populate the mountain states, this is a good book for you. Plus, like I said, it is well written witih good characters, an interesting-enough plot, and certainly one terrific setting.

March, March: Liz’s 2nd Day on the WGA Picket Line

So my morning was spent at the NBC Burbank studios, walking the picket line once again with WGA members. The sun was blazing, even early in the morning, with the temperature rising into the mid-80’s (I really should have packed some shorts!). The heat did n0t deter the picketers, however, and with signs held high we walked back and forth in front of a gate at NBC. Two other picket lines were also in place at additional gates.

Many WGA members were once again surprised to learn that I came from Colorado to support the cause. One writer informed me, after learning that I was from Denver, that he “blew up Denver once in a screenplay” (though he assured me it was nothing personal…). I also chatted with a writer who wrote for “Cheers” back in the ‘Diane’ years who is now developing new shows, and also met some other hopeful writers who were not yet in the WGA.  A couple of picketers from Monday (yesterday) recognized me, referring to me as “Colorado Writer” (as my sign states: Colorado Writer for WGA) -which made me smile; it’s always nice to be remembered and recognized.

Tomorrow I plan on picketing a full day, so that I can meet some writers who work the 2nd shift of the day. Of course, it will depend on how my feet and legs feel after the first 4 hours. It IS good exercise, however, and as one writer stated to the normally more sedentary crowd: If the strike goes on for weeks like this, at the end of it we’ll be in the best shape of our lives! (The comment was met with laughter, and the writer was quick to emphasize that he hoped that the strike would not go on for weeks on end…as is the general desire of the writers I have encountered…).  So that is all the news I have to report from Hollywood today. P.S. The picketers wear official shirts and tell vendors who try to sell ‘Souvenir WGA Strike Shirts’ for $20, that they are not wanted there….

Liz’s First Day on the Picket Line

  So here I am on the left. Today was my first chance to picket since arriving in L.A. last Friday. Got up early and headed down to the NBC Studio lot in Burbank. I told the strike captain on hand that I was not a member of the WGA, but that I would like to show my support. He seemed happy to hear that, and after signing in I grabbed a sign and wrote: Colorado Writer for the WGA. I found a place in the picket line and started to walk with the others in front of one of the gates at NBC. Right away a picketer noticed my sign and asked if I was from Colorado, and after telling her that I was, she seemed surprised and intrigued that I came all the way from Denver to show my support. Such was the reaction I received most of the day, with the WGA members offering advice on my ‘next move’ as an aspiring writer, and thanking me for coming down.

I picketed for about 5 hours, and plan on doing the same tomorrow, with more posts to follow. I am still getting a sense of the mood of the writers on the picket line, but based on the number of cars honking their horns in support, it seems that in Burbank, at least, the ‘locals’ approve of the strike.