Lex Thomas's Blog, page 10
March 27, 2012
TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING
So, that little, secret project we mentioned the other day? Variety broke the news this afternoon, and you can read the nitty gritty here. If you don't know, Variety is the oldest established source for industry news in Hollywood. When you move to Los Angeles in an effort to become a professional screenwriter, you dream of the day your name graces the pages (er, webspace) of Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and now Deadline Hollywood.
For us, today was that day. Tom and I didn't know each other when we moved to Los Angeles to give the movie business a go, but we both arrived around the same time, about ten years ago. Yep, a whole G-D decade ago. More and more, you read about how the movie industry has changed drastically in the last decade, but some things will always stay the same. When you cruise into this town, it's totally seductive. It's fun, it's got it all, and the sun is always shining. It's everything you've always heard. It has a way of making you feel vital, and you think you've got it all figured out. You think it's only a matter of time before somebody, out of the blue, just says "Hey, you. I like what you do. I'm going to make it all happen for you." But it doesn't work that way, and why should it? You haven't proved yourself yet. You haven't given someone a real reason to take a chance on you. So, you work hard. You make a lot of mistakes, but in that time you're honing your craft. You team up with someone who has the answers to the questions you can't figure out, and you answer the questions they can't figure out. You think, "How did I ever write alone?" And you still make more mistakes. But you're actually getting better, so that when someone says, "Hey, I want to hire you. Can you make this story the best it can possibly be?" you can say with confidence, "Yeah, I can do that."
So, now you can tell a story, but can you navigate the business aspect of being a screenwriter? You think you can. You say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You make more mistakes, but you're learning how the business works. You're getting smarter about how to succeed as a professional, and you're surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and can remind you that, "You're not half-bad at this. Don't give up just yet. You're almost there." Because every day, there's doubt. Oof, there's loads of it, and it can be a total, absolute bummer. The closer you get to your personal goals, the more every setback seems disastrous. Projects that seemed like they were going to work out fall apart, and you have no control over it. And you can't afford to not pick yourself back up and say, "Okay, what's next?" Because, don't forget, years have passed since you came to this town. Life has changed, you've changed, and you've watched other people blaze past you with ease. You have to make it happen, because if you don't, you've wasted years of your life. You start to wonder if you're not crazy in a charming way, and if, instead, you're just plain crazy, and nobody can bring themselves to tell you to call it quits.
And just when you think it can't look worse, that's when it all clicks. That story idea comes to you that seems too good to let drift back into the ether. And, believe it or not, you're actually contemplating letting it go back into the ether because to do this idea right seems like a hell of a lot of work, and can you really afford to put your heart and soul into one more thing?
Well . . . . we did. Tom and I took an idea we thought would make an awesome story and tackled it in a medium that would do it justice -- a novel. We'd always known this idea would make a killer movie, but the challenges we'd already faced trying to get a script produced made us wonder if we shouldn't try a different format. Neither one of us had ever written a novel before, and the thought of writing prose together seemed extremely intimidating. But with a lot of encouragement and guidance from our managers, our agent, and our friends, we dove in.
In March of 2011, Quarantine was purchased as a book trilogy by the amazing folks at EgmontUSA. Over the past year, through rewrites of Book 1 and drafting Book 2, the slow realization that our story will simply exist in the world for anyone to pick up and enjoy has been a huge emotional reward for us. Among some of the first readers of our book were two producers: Mark Morgan and Kami Garcia, two people that have a lot of talent and experience bringing stories to life. What they loved and responded to about The Loners (Book 1 of the trilogy) was everything we loved about the idea to begin with. We discussed at length with them how The Loners could translate well to the big screen, and they felt that the best people to write the screen adaptation would be us.
We agreed with them. :)
And so, somehow, our mad plan that started ten years ago when we crossed the Los Angeles County line (Tom from the North, and me from the East) has come to fruition. Today, we're in Variety. And you can bet your ass that tomorrow, we're going down to the newsstand to buy a bunch of copies, and we're each going to get one of those puppies framed.
Is it some cheeseball pat on the back? No, not at all.
Okay . . . . maybe a little. But it feels essential. Because this whole thing is just getting started, and there will definitely be bigger challenges than we've ever faced ahead, and, at some point, it'll be important to know how we got here. We'll have to remind ourselves to . . . . Stay focused. Think smart. Work hard. And never give up.
That's how the good stuff happens.
-- Lex
For us, today was that day. Tom and I didn't know each other when we moved to Los Angeles to give the movie business a go, but we both arrived around the same time, about ten years ago. Yep, a whole G-D decade ago. More and more, you read about how the movie industry has changed drastically in the last decade, but some things will always stay the same. When you cruise into this town, it's totally seductive. It's fun, it's got it all, and the sun is always shining. It's everything you've always heard. It has a way of making you feel vital, and you think you've got it all figured out. You think it's only a matter of time before somebody, out of the blue, just says "Hey, you. I like what you do. I'm going to make it all happen for you." But it doesn't work that way, and why should it? You haven't proved yourself yet. You haven't given someone a real reason to take a chance on you. So, you work hard. You make a lot of mistakes, but in that time you're honing your craft. You team up with someone who has the answers to the questions you can't figure out, and you answer the questions they can't figure out. You think, "How did I ever write alone?" And you still make more mistakes. But you're actually getting better, so that when someone says, "Hey, I want to hire you. Can you make this story the best it can possibly be?" you can say with confidence, "Yeah, I can do that."So, now you can tell a story, but can you navigate the business aspect of being a screenwriter? You think you can. You say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You make more mistakes, but you're learning how the business works. You're getting smarter about how to succeed as a professional, and you're surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and can remind you that, "You're not half-bad at this. Don't give up just yet. You're almost there." Because every day, there's doubt. Oof, there's loads of it, and it can be a total, absolute bummer. The closer you get to your personal goals, the more every setback seems disastrous. Projects that seemed like they were going to work out fall apart, and you have no control over it. And you can't afford to not pick yourself back up and say, "Okay, what's next?" Because, don't forget, years have passed since you came to this town. Life has changed, you've changed, and you've watched other people blaze past you with ease. You have to make it happen, because if you don't, you've wasted years of your life. You start to wonder if you're not crazy in a charming way, and if, instead, you're just plain crazy, and nobody can bring themselves to tell you to call it quits.
And just when you think it can't look worse, that's when it all clicks. That story idea comes to you that seems too good to let drift back into the ether. And, believe it or not, you're actually contemplating letting it go back into the ether because to do this idea right seems like a hell of a lot of work, and can you really afford to put your heart and soul into one more thing?
Well . . . . we did. Tom and I took an idea we thought would make an awesome story and tackled it in a medium that would do it justice -- a novel. We'd always known this idea would make a killer movie, but the challenges we'd already faced trying to get a script produced made us wonder if we shouldn't try a different format. Neither one of us had ever written a novel before, and the thought of writing prose together seemed extremely intimidating. But with a lot of encouragement and guidance from our managers, our agent, and our friends, we dove in.
In March of 2011, Quarantine was purchased as a book trilogy by the amazing folks at EgmontUSA. Over the past year, through rewrites of Book 1 and drafting Book 2, the slow realization that our story will simply exist in the world for anyone to pick up and enjoy has been a huge emotional reward for us. Among some of the first readers of our book were two producers: Mark Morgan and Kami Garcia, two people that have a lot of talent and experience bringing stories to life. What they loved and responded to about The Loners (Book 1 of the trilogy) was everything we loved about the idea to begin with. We discussed at length with them how The Loners could translate well to the big screen, and they felt that the best people to write the screen adaptation would be us.
We agreed with them. :)
And so, somehow, our mad plan that started ten years ago when we crossed the Los Angeles County line (Tom from the North, and me from the East) has come to fruition. Today, we're in Variety. And you can bet your ass that tomorrow, we're going down to the newsstand to buy a bunch of copies, and we're each going to get one of those puppies framed.
Is it some cheeseball pat on the back? No, not at all.
Okay . . . . maybe a little. But it feels essential. Because this whole thing is just getting started, and there will definitely be bigger challenges than we've ever faced ahead, and, at some point, it'll be important to know how we got here. We'll have to remind ourselves to . . . . Stay focused. Think smart. Work hard. And never give up.
That's how the good stuff happens.
-- Lex
Ten Years In The Making
So, that little, secret project we mentioned the other day? Variety broke the news this afternoon, and you can read the nitty gritty here. If you don't know, Variety is the oldest established source for industry news in Hollywood. When you move to Los Angeles in an effort to become a professional screenwriter, you dream of the day your name graces the pages (er, webspace) of Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and now Deadline Hollywood.
For us, today was that day. Tom and I didn't know each other when we moved to Los Angeles to give the movie business a go, but we both arrived around the same time, about ten years ago. Yep, a whole G-D decade ago. More and more, you read about how the movie industry has changed drastically in the last decade, but some things will always stay the same. When you cruise into this town, it's totally seductive. It's fun, it's got it all, and the sun is always shining. It's everything you've always heard. It has a way of making you feel vital, and you think you've got it all figured out. You think it's only a matter of time before somebody, out of the blue, just says "Hey, you. I like what you do. I'm going to make it all happen for you." But it doesn't work that way, and why should it? You haven't proved yourself yet. You haven't given someone a real reason to take a chance on you. So, you work hard. You make a lot of mistakes, but in that time you're honing your craft. You team up with someone who has the answers to the questions you can't figure out, and you answer the questions they can't figure out. You think, "How did I ever write alone?" And you still make more mistakes. But you're actually getting better, so that when someone says, "Hey, I want to hire you. Can you make this story the best it can possibly be?" you can say with confidence, "Yeah, I can do that."
So, now you can tell a story, but can you navigate the business aspect of being a screenwriter? You think you can. You say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You make more mistakes, but you're learning how the business works. You're getting smarter about how to succeed as a professional, and you're surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and can remind you that, "You're not half-bad at this. Don't give up just yet. You're almost there." Because every day, there's doubt. Oof, there's loads of it, and it can be a total, absolute bummer. The closer you get to your personal goals, the more every setback seems disastrous. Projects that seemed like they were going to work out fall apart, and you have no control over it. And you can't afford to not pick yourself back up and say, "Okay, what's next?" Because, don't forget, years have passed since you came to this town. Life has changed, you've changed, and you've watched other people blaze past you with ease. You have to make it happen, because if you don't, you've wasted years of your life. You start to wonder if you're not crazy in a charming way, and if, instead, you're just plain crazy, and nobody can bring themselves to tell you to call it quits.
And just when you think it can't look worse, that's when it all clicks. That story idea comes to you that seems too good to let drift back into the ether. And, believe it or not, you're actually contemplating letting it go back into the ether because to do this idea right seems like a hell of a lot of work, and can you really afford to put your heart and soul into one more thing?
Well . . . . we did. Tom and I took an idea we thought would make an awesome story and tackled it in a medium that would do it justice -- a novel. We'd always known this idea would make a killer movie, but the challenges we'd already faced trying to get a script produced made us wonder if we shouldn't try a different format. Neither one of us had ever written a novel before, and the thought of writing prose together seemed extremely intimidating. But with a lot of encouragement and guidance from our managers, our agent, and our friends, we dove in.
In March of 2011, Quarantine was purchased as a book trilogy by the amazing folks at EgmontUSA. Over the past year, through rewrites of Book 1 and drafting Book 2, the slow realization that our story will simply exist in the world for anyone to pick up and enjoy has been a huge emotional reward for us. Among some of the first readers of our book were two producers: Mark Morgan and Kami Garcia, two people that have a lot of talent and experience bringing stories to life. What they loved and responded to about The Loners (Book 1 of the trilogy) was everything we loved about the idea to begin with. We discussed at length with them how The Loners could translate well to the big screen, and they felt that the best people to write the screen adaptation would be us.
We agreed with them. :)
And so, somehow, our mad plan that started ten years ago when we crossed the Los Angeles County line (Tom from the North, and me from the East) has come to fruition. Today, we're in Variety. And you can bet your ass that tomorrow, we're going down to the newsstand to buy a bunch of copies, and we're each going to get one of those puppies framed.
Is it some cheeseball pat on the back? No, not at all.
Okay . . . . maybe a little. But it feels essential. Because this whole thing is just getting started, and there will definitely be bigger challenges than we've ever faced ahead, and, at some point, it'll be important to know how we got here. We'll have to remind ourselves to . . . . Stay focused. Think smart. Work hard. And never give up.
That's how the good stuff happens.
-- Lex
For us, today was that day. Tom and I didn't know each other when we moved to Los Angeles to give the movie business a go, but we both arrived around the same time, about ten years ago. Yep, a whole G-D decade ago. More and more, you read about how the movie industry has changed drastically in the last decade, but some things will always stay the same. When you cruise into this town, it's totally seductive. It's fun, it's got it all, and the sun is always shining. It's everything you've always heard. It has a way of making you feel vital, and you think you've got it all figured out. You think it's only a matter of time before somebody, out of the blue, just says "Hey, you. I like what you do. I'm going to make it all happen for you." But it doesn't work that way, and why should it? You haven't proved yourself yet. You haven't given someone a real reason to take a chance on you. So, you work hard. You make a lot of mistakes, but in that time you're honing your craft. You team up with someone who has the answers to the questions you can't figure out, and you answer the questions they can't figure out. You think, "How did I ever write alone?" And you still make more mistakes. But you're actually getting better, so that when someone says, "Hey, I want to hire you. Can you make this story the best it can possibly be?" you can say with confidence, "Yeah, I can do that."So, now you can tell a story, but can you navigate the business aspect of being a screenwriter? You think you can. You say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You make more mistakes, but you're learning how the business works. You're getting smarter about how to succeed as a professional, and you're surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and can remind you that, "You're not half-bad at this. Don't give up just yet. You're almost there." Because every day, there's doubt. Oof, there's loads of it, and it can be a total, absolute bummer. The closer you get to your personal goals, the more every setback seems disastrous. Projects that seemed like they were going to work out fall apart, and you have no control over it. And you can't afford to not pick yourself back up and say, "Okay, what's next?" Because, don't forget, years have passed since you came to this town. Life has changed, you've changed, and you've watched other people blaze past you with ease. You have to make it happen, because if you don't, you've wasted years of your life. You start to wonder if you're not crazy in a charming way, and if, instead, you're just plain crazy, and nobody can bring themselves to tell you to call it quits.
And just when you think it can't look worse, that's when it all clicks. That story idea comes to you that seems too good to let drift back into the ether. And, believe it or not, you're actually contemplating letting it go back into the ether because to do this idea right seems like a hell of a lot of work, and can you really afford to put your heart and soul into one more thing?
Well . . . . we did. Tom and I took an idea we thought would make an awesome story and tackled it in a medium that would do it justice -- a novel. We'd always known this idea would make a killer movie, but the challenges we'd already faced trying to get a script produced made us wonder if we shouldn't try a different format. Neither one of us had ever written a novel before, and the thought of writing prose together seemed extremely intimidating. But with a lot of encouragement and guidance from our managers, our agent, and our friends, we dove in.
In March of 2011, Quarantine was purchased as a book trilogy by the amazing folks at EgmontUSA. Over the past year, through rewrites of Book 1 and drafting Book 2, the slow realization that our story will simply exist in the world for anyone to pick up and enjoy has been a huge emotional reward for us. Among some of the first readers of our book were two producers: Mark Morgan and Kami Garcia, two people that have a lot of talent and experience bringing stories to life. What they loved and responded to about The Loners (Book 1 of the trilogy) was everything we loved about the idea to begin with. We discussed at length with them how The Loners could translate well to the big screen, and they felt that the best people to write the screen adaptation would be us.
We agreed with them. :)
And so, somehow, our mad plan that started ten years ago when we crossed the Los Angeles County line (Tom from the North, and me from the East) has come to fruition. Today, we're in Variety. And you can bet your ass that tomorrow, we're going down to the newsstand to buy a bunch of copies, and we're each going to get one of those puppies framed.
Is it some cheeseball pat on the back? No, not at all.
Okay . . . . maybe a little. But it feels essential. Because this whole thing is just getting started, and there will definitely be bigger challenges than we've ever faced ahead, and, at some point, it'll be important to know how we got here. We'll have to remind ourselves to . . . . Stay focused. Think smart. Work hard. And never give up.
That's how the good stuff happens.
-- Lex
March 25, 2012
ALMOST APRIL ALREADY?
After months in a writing haze, we have finally emerged. The first draft of Book 2 is done. The sane thing to do after handing in a book would be to use that down time to rest and reflect until we receive notes on the draft from our editor. That would be the sane thing to do. We've opted to dive right into a new project only a few days later.
What's the project? At the moment, we have to keep it under wraps, but soon, very soon, we'll shed some light on what it is. It's an incredible opportunity and something that takes us back to our writing roots.
Lex and Superman have never been so close.
Just because we got right back to work doesn't mean we haven't had any fun. We went down to Anaheim to check out WonderCon 2012. It was our first con, and it lived up to the hype. There was a lot of spandex, a lot of fake blood, a Joe Hill sighting, and a squadron of fully automated R2D2s. We hung out with Kami Garcia and Ransom Riggs at the Mysterious Galaxy booth and got a little taste of what it's like to interact with readers of your book. Exciting stuff.
Tom shrugs it out with Bane.
Speaking of book events, our publisher, Egmont USA, gave us the official publication date for The Loners (Quarantine #1). Look for it everywhere on July 10th of this year. And guess what's only two days later....
Comic-Con.
It's on, San Diego!
-- Lex
What's the project? At the moment, we have to keep it under wraps, but soon, very soon, we'll shed some light on what it is. It's an incredible opportunity and something that takes us back to our writing roots.
Lex and Superman have never been so close.
Just because we got right back to work doesn't mean we haven't had any fun. We went down to Anaheim to check out WonderCon 2012. It was our first con, and it lived up to the hype. There was a lot of spandex, a lot of fake blood, a Joe Hill sighting, and a squadron of fully automated R2D2s. We hung out with Kami Garcia and Ransom Riggs at the Mysterious Galaxy booth and got a little taste of what it's like to interact with readers of your book. Exciting stuff.
Tom shrugs it out with Bane.
Speaking of book events, our publisher, Egmont USA, gave us the official publication date for The Loners (Quarantine #1). Look for it everywhere on July 10th of this year. And guess what's only two days later....
Comic-Con.
It's on, San Diego!
-- Lex
February 6, 2012
CURRENTLY.... WRITING OUR FACES OFF
So, here's what's happening. Right now, we're working on the first draft of Quarantine: Book 2. I know, I know. How bold are we? Book 1 hasn't even come out yet! But believe it or not, these suckers take time. So, February has become Book 2 Month in the world of Lex Thomas. It's also become beard month (and pale month and six cups a day month and body odor month). But those are more of byproducts of the former.
Anyway, needless to say, we've got little time for much else at the moment. But come back to us in late March for a new look to the website and more news on Book 1. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook (in the sidebar) for tangents and panic attacks as we procrastinate in our writing process.
Until then,
Lex Thomas
photo via: http://dribbble.com/shots/230092-Face-Melting
Currently.... Writing Our Faces Off
So, here's what's happening. Right now, we're working on the first draft of Quarantine: Book 2. I know, I know. How bold are we? Book 1 hasn't even come out yet! But believe it or not, these suckers take time. So, February has become Book 2 Month in the world of Lex Thomas. It's also become beard month (and pale month and six cups a day month and body odor month). But those are more of a byproduct of the former.
Anyway, needless to say, we've got little time for much else at the moment. But come back to us in late March for a new look to the website and more news on Book 1 as we get closer to the April 24th release date! (Holy crap!) In the meantime, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook (in the sidebar) for tangents and panic attacks as we procrastinate in our writing process.
Until then,
Lex Thomas
Anyway, needless to say, we've got little time for much else at the moment. But come back to us in late March for a new look to the website and more news on Book 1 as we get closer to the April 24th release date! (Holy crap!) In the meantime, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook (in the sidebar) for tangents and panic attacks as we procrastinate in our writing process.
Until then,
Lex Thomas
November 16, 2011
IF YOU'RE GOING TO PAINT ROBOCOP, YOU'VE GOT TO GO FOR IT
I mean, this artist gets his point across.
Robocop looks like he's 200 feet tall. His gun is coughing fire over your head. But he's cold. Unemotional. The bottom third of the painting is in flames, and the top half is red apocalypse sky.
The whole painting screams do not break Robocop's rules.
I don't know about you, but I'm convinced.
-- thomas
If you're going to paint Robocop, you gotta go for it.
I mean, this artist gets his point across.
Robocop looks like he's 200 feet tall. His gun is coughing fire over your head. But he's cold. Unemotional. The bottom third of the painting is in flames, and the top half is red apocalypse sky.
The whole painting screams do not break Robocop's rules.
I don't know about you, but I'm convinced.
-thomas
If you're going to paint Robocop, you gotta go for it.
I mean, this artist gets his point across.
Robocop looks like he's 200 feet tall. His gun is coughing fire over your head. But he's cold. Unemotional. The bottom third of the painting is in flames, and the top half is red apocalypse sky.
The whole painting screams do not break Robocop's rules.
I don't know about you, but I'm convinced.
-thomas
August 31, 2011
Get The Hell Out Of The Way
Reading GLITZ by Elmore Leonard and noticing an almost complete absence of simile and metaphor and...
August 15, 2011
Deadline in 7 days.
Deadline in 7 days.
