Heather Hamel's Blog, page 5

New Working Title – TV Pilot

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at the ranch – not only have I been able to ride BOTH my boys, but I’ve put together a very rough draft of the pilot based on the crypto series AND it has a working title…

Ready?

But first, thank you to everyone who tossed out suggestions…I really find it helpful! The biggest thanks goes to Summer DeFeo for this one:

Unforeseen Adventures

It seems to sum up perfectly not only where the series and I am currently but where we are going – this is definitely an adventure I didn’t see coming!

The pilot is currently out for coverage – then the work will begin again…but for the next few days I’ll enjoy the horses and the cooler Florida weather!

And whatever adventure turns up next!

Back in the Saddle Again

I hope you are hearing Aerosmith in the background as you read this post – It’s playing while I’m writing!

It’s embarrassing how long it’s been since I have graced the seat of saddle – no more excuses! The Florida heat finally broke this weekend, the bugs have found another place to torment, and it’s not raining (at the moment!) Not to mention, the horses are finally healthy too – the stars have finally aligned.

It felt amazing!

Which made me think, what else have I been procrastinating on and making excuses NOT to do. The list was longer than I thought. Accountability is the best form of motivation for me – so here goes my updates in the hope that it will get me back in the writing saddle too!

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The Vortex: The responses were very favorable to continue to work toward a TV pilot, so I’m writing on that while I tweak the dialogue and add subtext to the feature screenplay (so much to learn – so much to do!)

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Rebel Yell: It should be coming back from the editor any day now…but it isn’t ready for it’s final edit – yet. So I have more work to do and at least one more round of edits before it’s even close to being ready for a friends/family final set of eyes.

So that’s the status of the current projects that I’m wanting to wrap up soon – If you need me, I’ll either be behind the computer or in the saddle!

The Vortex on TV?

I’ve been receiving more interest on The Vortex lately – but the question that keeps coming up is as a feature or a TV series?

I’d love to know what you think!


Take Our Poll

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International Movie DataBase (IMDB)

I attended a screenwriting class this spring and while there were many great takeaways, one was “Get a listing on IMDB”  –  since nearly every time a screenwriter submits a query letter, one of the first things managers and producers will do is run the writers name against the database to see if they’ve successfully written anything.

Guess who has a listing? Click to find out!

It’s obviously not fully updated (yet) but was an amazing thing for me to find – that I received credit for writing that short for the 48 Hour Jacksonville (link to that blog here).

If you didn’t get a chance to see the short – no worries – you can always watch it  now!

Pink Sombreros and Birthday Churros

The weeks leading up to my 43rd birthday happened at whirlwind speed – and I don’t mean the fun fluttering of activities, I mean the Wizard of Oz kinda tornado where you see witches flying by.

Hurricane Irma tore across the state two weeks ago. We were so fortunate here at the Triple H Ranch, only a few trees blew down and had the decency NOT to hit any structures – but we were out of power for nearly a week. Natural disasters put things into perspective – how fortunate we were to be able to withstand hurricane forces, whatever category they were.

In the midst of clean up, I started a new job – a virtual teaching position. Very exciting, but without power or internet it was impossible to actually start. So I started the new job last week. I still have no idea what I’m doing, but I get to do it all in the comfort of yoga pants!

Then I turned 43…

and landed in the beautiful Technicolor land of Oz!

I woke that morning to a pumpkin muffin (courtesy of Les) and bacon on a stick (courtesy of my parents) – and it keeps getting better! I have had well wishes from family, friends and people I don’t even know. While enjoying my free birthday lunch yesterday, the manager came over to congratulate my big day and ask if I’d had any work done (yet) because I looked great! What?! Not one to turn down a compliment – I took it!

And the world didn’t come to an end either!

Then less than 36 hours later,  I found myself wearing a spectacular pink sombrero! If I had know that turning 43 would be this much fun, I’d have done it 10 years ago!

Seize the day my friends – I am!

 

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Building the Plane

I had the pleasure of talking to my personal cheerleader today: Sheila Kennedy. She always seems to know when I need a shot of positive energy & today was one of those days!

We started by filling each other in on the progress of our extensive projects and the lack of sleep that seems to go along with them when I made the comment that I was ready to ‘step off the cliff’ with regard to my writing (both novels and screenplays) and see if I would fall  – or more importantly – fly. I love her response!

I’ve already stepped off and made the changes in my life necessary to make the commitment to my craft – and I’m building the plane on the way. All the pieces are here, I just need to see where they fit together…

and fly!

Alternate Endings

I recently received coverage for The Vortex – a professional reader’s opinion as to whether or not a screenplay would be recommended for purchase. While it’s not there YET, I received some amazing feedback as well as suggestions on where and how to make it stronger and therefore saleable.

The reader commented that it was a strong start to a clean draft which shows my strength as a writer and pride I take in my work (thank you!) The other considerable strength is the concept which “has a lot of legs to make it to the big screen. It has sort of everything you want in a family movie.”

The main area that I needed to work on was the ending – too many loose ends. While it’s going to have franchise potential (just check out the book series), I need to tidy things up in order to make it feel complete and whole – think Harry Potter at the end of each movie.

So with that said – the ending has changed! Loose ends are tied up (but Fiona still has goat legs!) More details to come!

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The Vortex – Update

I recently received some amazing feedback regarding The Vortex – which I’m sure I’ll share later…but they mentioned an interesting point that I haven’t thought much about – having it animated.

Being as I LIVE in the vortex – I’ve always seen it as a ‘live’ action kinda thing, but with animation it would free up the creatures to be even more fantastic.

What do you think?

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Inspiration

Sometimes we all need a little inspiration to keep up going. I was faced with that recently when I wanted to start the third (and final) screenplay for The Vortex franchise.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I figured a visual would give me the kick I needed to stay the course. It worked!

A friend of mine is a graphic designer and created this masterpiece!

 

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What more can a girl ask for?

Rebel Yell Cover Reveal

The novel itself is still being edited, but a sneak peek of the cover can’t hurt!

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A gunshot in Kentucky changes Bess’s life forever. A misfired gun in New Orleans allows her to take it back.

In 1886, Bess joins up with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Experience – throwing the small town girl into a world of cowboys, Indians, and wild horses. Running from her past, she has no idea what to expect when she joins the troupe. In the very first week she is stabbed, thrown from a wild horse, and falls in love with a rugged cowboy, Eli.

Will she be able to survive the second week?