Openings
The first book I ever wrote was Scrapyard Ship. That was about 7 years ago. Before that happened, Kim (my wife) and I moved to Colorado from California. We had our own marketing and video production company, living in Thousand Oaks, CA. We lived there until the 2008 recession hit, and then we lost our corporate clients. Yup, time to move.
I have a sister (and her husband) and mom who I’m close to in Colorado, and so that’s where we headed. We scraped together some new marketing clients, but it was difficult to get a new business going in an unfamiliar environment.
We thought, we’re in a new state… we need a new state of mind, as well.
So, at first, we started making free promotional videos for artists near the Boulder area. We did 6 of them. It was a way to become familiar with our surroundings, meet interesting people, and spread some goodwill. Our business was still struggling, so then we thought…. Let’s make an independent movie.
I know, sounds strange, but I had always wanted to make a movie. I had directed numerous video productions and commercials, I loved great stories and great movies, and thought I had a very good understanding of what made them compelling. And Kim was a SAG actress when we met in Los Angeles and was familiar with the movie-making process.
So, I wrote this story, some taken from my own life, and embellished it. I wanted to write something positive, the type of story I needed for this time in my life, and the type of story I thought others might benefit from. The idea was that (if we listen) there are clues we can follow in life, that will lead us to where we need/want to be. I call these clues, ‘Openings.’
The protagonist, Harry, is down and out, and stumbles through a series of situations, until (through slowly opening up) he begins to find a fulfilling life. The movie became titled, Openings, the Search for Harry.
I wrote and directed the feature film and Kim produced and co-starred in it. It was the hardest thing either of us had ever done. We used all of our savings, pulled from our credit cards, and called in some favors. We hired a lead actor to play Harry and hired a LA writer to help with the script, and we got a slew of actors and crew to work for free (film credit).
One of the main locations was taken from a client we had at the time, Nighthawk Ranch (a camp for kids with cancer). We helped create this non-profit (Nighthawk Ranch), from the ground up… a place where kids with cancer could come and live in the wilderness (Guffey, CO) and experience horseback riding, archery, ATVing, campfire outings, wolf sanctuaries, and more. The couple that owned the ranch was happy to lend their property to us so we could film.
The process took around 6 months total to complete, and I was pretty happy with the final result. We received an offer to sell the film to Gaiam but wound up very much in the hole. We ended up going bankrupt, as a matter of fact.
What then? I turned to Kim and said, ‘I think I can write a best-selling book.’ She said, ‘Do it.’
Kim went back to the restaurant business, (worked a lot of double shifts), and I set out to write…. Scrapyard Ship. I got the initial idea from a scene from the movie we filmed – a scene in a junkyard for cars. It was a scene that didn’t wind up in the movie but being there, in that setting, with those rusty cars in that large dirt lot, sparked something in me.
The story flowed pretty well after the initial idea. I did reach out to people like BV Larsen and Hugh Howey and asked for their advice (since I have never written a novel before). And I applied what they shared.
In the end, miraculously, Scrapyard Ship was a hit, and I began to develop a fan base. Discipline, following advice, perseverance, and a bit of luck - all played a part.
Unbeknownst to me, the events after the movie (a crazy, financially draining thing to do) lead me to a writing career that I love.
What did I learn from this experience?
It’s not just one thing to lead you to the place you want to be.
If you start to feel sorry for yourself, focus on something or someone else.
If a successful person gives you sound advice, follow it.
Listen to clues, your gut, or whatever that ‘thing’ is for you.
If you learn something, share it.
Never give up. It can get pretty desperate, so keep that resolve.
Thanks for listening. Have a great Holiday Season.
Cheers, Mark
I have a sister (and her husband) and mom who I’m close to in Colorado, and so that’s where we headed. We scraped together some new marketing clients, but it was difficult to get a new business going in an unfamiliar environment.
We thought, we’re in a new state… we need a new state of mind, as well.
So, at first, we started making free promotional videos for artists near the Boulder area. We did 6 of them. It was a way to become familiar with our surroundings, meet interesting people, and spread some goodwill. Our business was still struggling, so then we thought…. Let’s make an independent movie.
I know, sounds strange, but I had always wanted to make a movie. I had directed numerous video productions and commercials, I loved great stories and great movies, and thought I had a very good understanding of what made them compelling. And Kim was a SAG actress when we met in Los Angeles and was familiar with the movie-making process.
So, I wrote this story, some taken from my own life, and embellished it. I wanted to write something positive, the type of story I needed for this time in my life, and the type of story I thought others might benefit from. The idea was that (if we listen) there are clues we can follow in life, that will lead us to where we need/want to be. I call these clues, ‘Openings.’
The protagonist, Harry, is down and out, and stumbles through a series of situations, until (through slowly opening up) he begins to find a fulfilling life. The movie became titled, Openings, the Search for Harry.
I wrote and directed the feature film and Kim produced and co-starred in it. It was the hardest thing either of us had ever done. We used all of our savings, pulled from our credit cards, and called in some favors. We hired a lead actor to play Harry and hired a LA writer to help with the script, and we got a slew of actors and crew to work for free (film credit).
One of the main locations was taken from a client we had at the time, Nighthawk Ranch (a camp for kids with cancer). We helped create this non-profit (Nighthawk Ranch), from the ground up… a place where kids with cancer could come and live in the wilderness (Guffey, CO) and experience horseback riding, archery, ATVing, campfire outings, wolf sanctuaries, and more. The couple that owned the ranch was happy to lend their property to us so we could film.
The process took around 6 months total to complete, and I was pretty happy with the final result. We received an offer to sell the film to Gaiam but wound up very much in the hole. We ended up going bankrupt, as a matter of fact.
What then? I turned to Kim and said, ‘I think I can write a best-selling book.’ She said, ‘Do it.’
Kim went back to the restaurant business, (worked a lot of double shifts), and I set out to write…. Scrapyard Ship. I got the initial idea from a scene from the movie we filmed – a scene in a junkyard for cars. It was a scene that didn’t wind up in the movie but being there, in that setting, with those rusty cars in that large dirt lot, sparked something in me.
The story flowed pretty well after the initial idea. I did reach out to people like BV Larsen and Hugh Howey and asked for their advice (since I have never written a novel before). And I applied what they shared.
In the end, miraculously, Scrapyard Ship was a hit, and I began to develop a fan base. Discipline, following advice, perseverance, and a bit of luck - all played a part.
Unbeknownst to me, the events after the movie (a crazy, financially draining thing to do) lead me to a writing career that I love.
What did I learn from this experience?
It’s not just one thing to lead you to the place you want to be.
If you start to feel sorry for yourself, focus on something or someone else.
If a successful person gives you sound advice, follow it.
Listen to clues, your gut, or whatever that ‘thing’ is for you.
If you learn something, share it.
Never give up. It can get pretty desperate, so keep that resolve.
Thanks for listening. Have a great Holiday Season.
Cheers, Mark
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