Now the Fun Begins

To date, I have not actually admitted, within these pages, to writing a Viking screenplay, and now I’ve written one. Sure, it’s a first draft, the beginningest of beginnings, but it’s something, and it’s done.

And it feels gooooood.

Yesterday was the first actual, honest-to-God weekend day I’ve had in the 29 days since I began drafting, and I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. Did you know that there are parks and people in them, and little children flying things rumored to be called “kites”? It was fabulous.

It also feels good to know that while I’m living underground, eating from a can, Holy Embers continues to provide value-added content. No blog can be all things to all people, but I’d like to think Holy Embers comes darn close. If you need to Google something urgent like “meatcake recipe norway,” you can rest assured that I got you covered.

But back to the Viking script. I’ve never written a draft so fast. I can’t tell you what’s in it, of course, but I do feel quite confident in revealing my methodology. I now wholeheartedly vouch for (1) researching, (2) outlining, (3) treating (treatmenting?), and (4) packing off your significant other to where the water goes the wrong way down the drain.

Incidentally, Jenifer is doing quite well in New Zealand, thank you, and I shall join her on Sunday (to recuperate, not teach yoga). The next edition will probably come from Nelson, on the South Island; so until then, have fun Googling “europa repetition OCD.”

The Girl Who Married Coyote

No, not Jenifer. Well, I suppose that could be true. (She's doing great, by the way. Teaching is going well, and she went kayaking last "Sunday" -- these uppity Kiwis have to get everything in a day early.) The title belongs to an upcoming workshop you may consider attending if you're within striking distance of the Pacific Northwest. The subtitle is "The Conflict of Longing and Expectation," which I'm guessing sounds a tad familiar to you writers out there. And the teacher is the incomparable Daniel Deardorff. He's a gifted singer, storyteller, and mythologist, as well as the author of the excellent The Other Within: The Genius of Deformity in Myth, Culture, & Psyche. I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel at last year’s Minnesota Men’s Conference, where his irreverent skaldic wit was in full force. For workshop details, click the Coyote pic below.