Well hello everyone and Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great week. It was a little long for me but I’m glad a new week is beginning. Chicago was hit with a big snowstorm on Wednesday and I think it’s the most snow we’ve had in a long time. I’m just glad we got through it. The book is coming along nicely, and I had to make a few plot changes and a name change that knocked me a little off schedule but I’m getting back on it this weekend. Writing novels is a lot of fun for me but it was not my first love when it comes to writing. I strongly believe that if I wasn’t writing novels, that I would be writing original screenplays.

I don’t remember how old I was when I wrote my first screenplay, but I do remember being still in high school. The script was a science fiction musical and I don’t remember the title anymore. But I had so much fun working on that. I remember having to ask my former best friend about the latest slang words because I was writing about street gangs. Although I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood, I never really used that much slang when I spoke. Neither did my family or most of my friends. At the time I had a major singing star in mind that I patterned the main character after, but I won’t say who because he is someone that is considered very controversial now. But screenplays were my first love as a writer.

Writing screenplays is much easier than writing novels. You don’t have to be descriptive when writing screenplays because it focuses more on dialogue. For those of you who have read any of my books, you may have noticed that I am stronger in writing dialogue than I am at being descriptive. I am not afraid to point out my own weaknesses as a writer. This is how I learn and being more descriptive is something that I am working to improve.

Since I have started writing novels, I have been forced to pay more attention to being more descriptive in my narratives and it’s been quite a challenge. I mean let’s face it when you go somewhere, how often do you pay close attention to every single detail of your surroundings? Usually your too busy just trying to get from point A to point B. Unless you are a photographer or just exploring or sightseeing. With screenplays you have to write camera directions and whether or not it’s an exterior (Outdoors) or Interior (Indoors) setting and whether it’s day or night.

I used to have the desire to write an Oscar-winning film, and I guess I would still like to someday. Can you imagine going to the Oscars and being around all of those celebrities? I’m not starstruck and they are just people to me, but I have to admit, it would be pretty awesome. My partner and I had an idea for a screenplay last year that we were planning to work on, but I never had the time to start on it. I would like to eventually go back to screenwriting again. But for now, I’m just enjoying being an Author.

Until next time…