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Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach

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Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach

Monthly Archives: June 2010

The Seven Rays Script a Scene Contest Winners

30 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in My journey into Hollywood writing :0), Writing (film & television)

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CONGRATULATIONS! Out of an overwhelming pool of applicants, your screenplay scene was chosen as a winner in The Seven Rays Script-a-Scene Competition Sponsored by Final Draft!
THE WINNERS ARE:

Grand Prize:

Mike Donald (Thame, Oxon, UK)

Second Prize:

Bill Arthur (North Hollywood, CA)

Sally Jackson (Austin, TX)

Stephanie Olivieri (Burbank, CA)

John Rainey (Redondo Beach, CA)

Bradford Richardson (Hatboro, PA)

Runners Up:

Carrie Brozovic (Plainfield, IL)

Drew Carter (Tampa, FL)

Rachel Durbin (Blue Springs, MO)

Frances Emerson (Geneva, NY)

Jaz Garewal (Tucson, AZ)

Jenna Hill (Philadelphia, PA)

Justin Ivins (Bloomington, IN)

Julie Knudsen (Milford, CT)

Aurelia Lavizzo (New York, NY)

Maria Lennon (Jackson, WY)

Keith Reagan (Eureka, CA)

Jenna Reback (Los Angeles, CA)

Michele Rieppel (Mansfield, PA)

Terry Rietta (Santa Monica, CA)

Christopher Schiller (Albany, NY)

First Assignment Done!

30 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

≈ 1 Comment

I just completed the first assignment for my comedy writing class-I have to say I much prefer analyzing comedies because with dramas it goes like this: How did the scene where the baby died make you feel? It made me feel like shit, and with comedy it is like this: How did the scene when Gloria strattled Jeremy in the bathroom make you feel? It made me laugh out loud-much better~

Top Five In Adapt a Scene Competition!

29 Tuesday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in My journey into Hollywood writing :0), Writing (film & television)

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Some good news from last week, and I am just now posting because I wasn’t sure I was able to.

I placed in the top FIVE, in Jessica
Bendinger’s, SEVEN RAY’S, Adapt-a-Scene Competition!

I found out late Monday night that I placed and there was going to be a last minute pitch meeting set up for Thursday. I got the final details Thursday morning and due to my crazy work schedule there was no way I could be ready in time. Sure I could have bullshitted my way through anything, but was working all day. It was just one of those things. Maybe that is a downside to working in the industry while out there trying to make a name for myself. Hrm? Nah, everything happens for a reason.

That said, I was so excited when I first heard about the contest and it was really fun and hard. I think all writers should do this because it is a great exercise. I basically took a couple scenes from the book that were all in the main character’s head and made them visual, because film is visual. That is the challenge. Showing how someone feels instead of explaining it.

I am so honored that Jessica liked my work and placed me in the top five because I was nervous sending it out.

In any case. I am so happy!!

*list of winners coming soon*

Future Shock is Right!

28 Monday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Uncategorized

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UGH I can’t believe they canceled FlashForward! I know I am a little behind complaining about this, but I LOVED that show and the season finale proved it even more. Because I do a lot of work, which is drawing, while I watch TV, this is one of the shows that I had to watch when not working. Tonight I finally took a break to sit down and watch the finale.

I am even more upset than I was in March, or whenever I heard the news.

There is so much crap on right now, but this got canceled? I am so sad! I mean really, have you seen some of the new shows? I can’t even watch a couple of the newest ones that don’t stand a chance, but this; smart, action packed, character driven, thriller, event drama get’s the ax :0(- So bummed.

Thank God I switched to comedy! Just sayin’~and I read the book as well-this show was so awesome. But I guess it didn’t have enough sex, bad dialogue, bad acting, and bad storylines to stay on.

Normal People Just Don’t Understand the Hours!

26 Saturday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

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Yesterday, well to be honest yesterday wasn’t the first time this has happened to me, and I am sure it has happened to you-if you work in the industry already-a friend of mine freaked out and started yelling at me via facebook messages because I have been working so many hours.

Here is the thing. Anytime I have tried to have any kind of relationship-friends or dating-with anyone normal-not in the industry-it doesn’t work. They do not understand the hours. They do not understand the flexibility needed, they don’t understand that I can’t talk on the phone all the live long day with them, they don’t understand why I can’t make plans weeks in advance. They just don’t understand, and then they get angry.

First of all, this is the business and personally I love it. I don’t like to make plans with people that won’t understand if I have to cancel, so 9 times out of 10 if you ask me to do something a week or more in advance I will say, “Check with me next week”. The reason I do this is for two reasons. The first being that I usually have no idea how many hours I will be working in the following week or weeks, so it is too hard to plan and the second being that I hate canceling on people. It is rude and I hate when it is done to me, so I would rather not put someone else through it. Now do I ever care if people make plans without me? NO! Never, not even once. It is what it is and I have been in this business long enough to know that.

But what seems to happen all the time is that people get really upset with me, and then when I apologize, I get bitched out and usually it is very dramatic and over done. I get accused of not caring, of being a Hollywood Princess, waiting for something better.

Here is what happened this time. A friend of mine, who I haven’t seen in months because she lived on the other side of L.A. and doesn’t drive, sent me a message a couple weeks ago saying she was house sitting in the neighborhood next to me. I was excited that I would finally see her and catch up. Oh yeah, side bar, this person is one of those, “I need to talk on the phone an hour a night” types-so that should have been my red flag. I sent her a message saying since she was close I would love to have coffee or a meal with her. She texted me last week trying to lock down a specific day. Well I couldn’t do that. I am currently working on a feature film, and knew that at any moment, I was also going to start on a short. The way it works is it is always last minute, and I never know when, so I said, “Let’s talk next week”. Then she said, “Well I am only there until Saturday and then I am leaving.” I asked her what that meant: was she leaving LA for good, going back to the beach? On vaccay? I got this “I am not like you, I don’t like to write, I will tell you in person-if I even see you”

Okay, fucking guilt trips have the opposite affect and effect-because you can literally see the steam from my anger leaving my ears when I get crap like this-on me.

I messaged her apologizing for not being able to talk on phone, but I would make time for her. I got slammed with work. I was busy, but I still tried to make plans for midday Friday. She texted me on Thursday asking if we were still on for breakfast early in the morning. I explained that I meant midday not morning, but I now had an unexpected deadline of 2 pm, so could we possible move our meeting?

That is when the shit hit the fan. It started with a “No, I am going out of town for the weekend so I guess this is goodbye, goodbye”. I asked her what she meant, she said she was leaving LA for good. I stayed up working until 4 am trying to finish in time to meet. She sent me a long email yelling at me calling me names telling me that the world does not revolve around me and she doesn’t care if I work in Hollywood. Etc etc.. this went on all friggen day. To be fair, I didn’t really care if she could meet at 2 instead of noon, I was tired, but was trying to make it work. I had to finally delete her from my FB and block her because she wouldn’t stop. I also didn’t understand why her leaving LA meant the end of the friendship when I have tons of friends elsewhere and I got the, “I’m not like you, I like to see people in person.” Followed by bullshit and guilt until after 8 PM, which means she could have easily met me at 2 instead of noon-but again, I didn’t care, I was tired from staying up all night.

About two months ago, a friend from out of state was coming in town. He posted on my wall saying that he would see me but I was “always too busy”-another fucking guilt trip-so I apologized and apologized and said I was working 7 days a week, and felt bad, and that I did want to meet up with him. He freaked out, accused me of the same, “world revolving around me” syndrome, but then flipped it and said he didn’t have time to see me and why did I expect him to drop everything for me?

Two years ago I was working on a project and a friend wanted me to drive an hour each direction to have coffee with him and I kept saying, “I can’t, I have a deadline” he would reply with, “It’s only coffee, you don’t have an hour?” I would say, “I have an hour, I don’t have three for the drive.” He didn’t talk to me for 2 years.

Last summer a girl I had recently met and I were going to a Dodger game. I had an unexpected deadline come up. I asked her if she could wait FIVE MINUTES so I could sent the file to my boss, and she didn’t She refused to wait, called me a flake, bitched about me to everyone and let the ticket go un used. She couldn’t wait FIVE minutes? She was like “You work and get off at a certain time and that is how it is done.”

The point of all this, and I am not playing the victim-it happens to everyone who works a lot-especially in entertainment. ALL of my entertainment friends talk about this with me. Their spouses, their friends and family don’t understand.

Chuck Lorre makes reference to it in his vanity cards, Bill Prady talked about it the other night, the working all hours, sleeping over, never seeing your family. It is part of it. I have friends on Grey’s Anatomy that literally sleep there breaking the stories sometimes. In animation when it is close to the end, we would sleep over, or work 18-22 hours a day. It is how it is done.

To be fair, I am not going to apologize anymore, because I could not see my life any other way. I love not knowing what I am going to be working on. I love working late nights and ordering food in. I love being spontaneous and going out last minute when I get a night off. I love the breaks, I love the flexible hours, so to the people in the real world-if you can’t deal with it, don’t be close to people who work in entertainment.

To the aspiring writers, actors, producers, animators-this will be your life. This business is not one of 9 to 5 with weekends and holidays off. It is long hours, many over nighters, last minute deadlines and meetings, it is never being able to plan things. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care about your family or friends,but it is part of the business and you have to know what you are getting into.

I met an aspiring TV writer last week that said to me. “I am not going to work those hours, that is crazy.” Well then, to this person-you shouldn’t be working in TV.

The hours are long, think of it like lawyers and doctors in the real world.

ASSistants? LLLOOOOYYYDDDD!!!

24 Thursday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

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I have been working in Hollywood forEVER, and I have even been an assistant: assistant to a director, assistant to an actress, assistant to an agent, assistant assistant assistant, so I get it.

Your job sucks. You work long hours and are usually under paid. Hell I have not one but two NOVELS out, comedies fictional, about being an assistant in this town. (Look up under Micheline McAllister) okay, so point is, I know how hard your job is.

There are Lloyds and then there are the assistants that I like to call ASSistants.
The onse that screw everything up and yet your hands are tied. There is nothing you can do because you can’t yell at them, complain too much or even write a blog about it, because assistants run this town, so you sit there an smile and say thank you when you want to say fuck you. UGH!

I think I am starting to understand why ‘talent’ sometimes goes off on ‘assistants’-

Where is the real Lloyd?

Saving Grace Had the Guts! FINALLY

23 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

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So many of you know I wrote a spec of Saving Grace last year, spring 2009, that included Leon Cooley, and I loved it. I got great response from it, then they went and killed him off and thus killing the show as well.

I personally believe that when they did that, it changed the show and then they struggled, but it is sort of like a bad act 3 in a film, the ending can bring it back.

I have been saying all year, “the only way for Saving Grace to redeem itself is by killing off Grace in the series finale” Thank God, or thank Earl, they did that.

I am not saying I entirely love the path it was going on, because it left too many unexplained answers, but at least they had the guts to kill off their main character.

Good on Nancy Miller for having BIG cojones!!

Good News Monday

22 Tuesday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in My journey into Hollywood writing :0)

≈ 2 Comments

I placed very high and won a pitch meeting from a scene adaptation contest! I got the email last night and was so excited!!! I don’t think the winners have officially been announced so I am not sure how much I can say, so just hang with YAY! for now.

I had never adapted anything and it was a challenge because once I chose which scene(s), I actually merged a couple into one, I wanted to adapt, I had to start thinking visually instead of literally. The scenes I chose were all in her head, so I had to translate what she was feeling to her actions. I was proud of what I wrote, and of course sent it off, un-vetted, worried that they would discover I am a fraud and have no idea how to write! My usual mantra when I send things off-you know that second of “OMG, what if I actually can’t write?” which you know isn’t really true but wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel it? That is what I mean.

As well, since I am always spinning in 900 different directions, I sometimes worry that I am not giving my full attention to something. I am soooooooo EXCITED! I get a pitch meeting this Thursday! Wish me luck!

On another note, I had sent my original spec pilot drama, The First Year, out last year, and got some great feedback from some folks, passed on by some and almost had a deal with a studio-but ultimately didn’t-you know my having no track record, it was always a long shot. Yesterday I got an email from an exec telling me that while they loved my idea and pitch, the actual pilot was kinda slow and did I have a newer version. After thanking her for the great feedback-that never happens, so when it does, always thank them-I explained that I felt that way too and since I had received similar comments on other “dramas” I had sent out, I switched back to comedy and no I didn’t have a newer version, but would be interested in selling the rights and or working on it with someone because I still love the idea, just not sure I am ready for something this serious. Well to my surprise she loved that idea AND I got the highest compliment ever-besides a deal and a check- I got the oh so coveted “What else you got?” I told her about my novels and that I am working on a new comedy pilot-well, they want my first novel because they are interested in turning it into a series! Meetings in a couple weeks about my pilot, and I am sending the novel today.

This weekend I went to a seminar given my Michael Lent of Breakfast With Sharks, and he was talking about how you just never know what is going to hit when and how sometimes your failures turn into successes in a different way. I feel like I am finally starting to see this kind of thing. I have so many things “in the works” that when Hollywood realizes and I become an “over night” success, it will really have been years in the making.

To end this ramble, I am so excited about all that happened yesterday, and even a Monday! Thanks for all the support!!

Another Jewel of Inspiration I Found

21 Monday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

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Tags

Chuck Lorre, Two and a half Men, Writing Sitcoms

Wow, so I got a few personal emails this morning about the last post and how it “inspired” some of you, and here I thought I was just bitching and moaning about all the rules and regulations of “how to”. Just kidding, I was sort of complaining, sort of saying get off your duff and write something brilliant and stop thinking so much. THANKS for the messages. I am just saying, you have to do it, and not worry so much. Worrying to a writer is the worst kind of cock blocking to a player-don’t even allow it to happen.

NOW:

On the lines of inspiration, sometimes we need to hear from our heros, and not just the Johnny Cashes of the world-because we all know that musicians have a whole different life than the rest of us. Even the tragic life of a musician is somehow more sexy than the sad, lonely, depressed, life of the struggling writer-let’s face it, no on ever tossed their panties on the stage of a hit ‘shot in front of a live audience’ sitcom.

I was watching the very first episode of Two and a half Men, this morning-researching the funny- and saw this vanity card from Chuck Lorre. What I love about this particular one is that while I have always thought Chuck-you know I say Chuck like we are fast and steady BFFs hanging out breaking stories every weekend sipping over priced coffee in Malibu-I always think of Chuck as someone who never fails and every piece of writing he does is brilliant. Well here is the truth, told in a funny way-cuz you know he is a comedy writer-but still the truth, makes him a little more human, and lets us know that we all fail, and even when we are top showrunners we will continue to fail and fail big, and fail repeatedly until one day we don’t, then the network cancels us and it starts all over again.

Read this, be inspired, write your heart out, keep up the hussle, and ENJOY!

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #108

When Dharma was cancelled my heart was broken. Over the next few years my efforts to mend it by creating a new show led to an even deeper emotional nadir when I noticed that I had somehow become the author of a seemingly endless succession of failed pilots and pilot scripts. This was not a big enough string of stinkers to lower AOL-Time Warner’s stock price (that had already been done by people more incompetent than myself), but my ill-advised attempts at heart-mending were sufficient enough to cause people in suits to not look up from their cobb salads when I ambled into the WB commissary (in Hollywood even has-beens amble). But I was indomitable. I kept writing… and failing… and ambling. And then, about a year ago, my good friend and favorite cross-to-bear, Lee Aronsohn, told me he needed to write something fairly quickly in order to keep his Writer’s Guild health insurance. Everyone — friends, agents, execs — told me not to get involved. They assured me that I was too big, too successful, for such a partnership. You see where this is going. Lee and I wrote “Two and a Half Men.” Which brings me to the glaringly obvious spiritual lesson in all this. How do you mend a broken heart? The Bee Gee’s never figured it out, but I did. You help a friend keep their health insurance from lapsing.

More on TV Specs-My Thoughts

21 Monday Jun 2010

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Writing (film & television)

≈ 2 Comments

Maybe it is just me, but listening too much to every single piece of info-which is always different BTW-to find how exactly “how” get in, break in, start your career, etc, is a big waste of time to me. Here is why.

The thing is, I believe that all of it is great information, but sometimes when over loaded with too much, people, writers-creative beings-start to think, or what I like to call OVER THINK, then immediately self doubt follows, and worry, dread, self loathing and the eventual not handing in of the script. Or even worse handing in something you don’t love and isn’t great because you changed your mind half way through, or minutes before the deadline.

As well, everyone and their dog will follow everything everyone says, then you will NOT stand out. If everyone does the same spec script and writes the same letter of interest etc, how could you possibly stand out?
You think you will stand out because your script is “brilliant.”? Ha! Unless the title itself is beyond brilliant, if you are number 1202 of Modern Family, Community, (you get the point), how will you even get read?

I also can’t stand all the, “don’t write this, write this” advice going out there. Look it is simple, write a show you love, make it brilliant. I mean there is a chance that if you are writing a really popular choice this year, EXAMPLE: Castle, or Modern Family, then it will be harder to be seen.

So I say, break the rules just a little. Be ready with back up scripts, so when they ask what else you have, you have something that makes you different. This is a line from the film, Walk the Line, about Johnny Cash.

The set up is that Johnny is auditioning for a Sam Phillips and he is playing it safe, he is playing what everyone else is doing. Now, was Johnny talented? Did his voice stand out? Did he have star quality? Yes, yes, yes, but at this point, he wasn’t showing it.

Sam Phillips: Bring… bring it home? All right, let’s bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you was lying out there in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing *one* song. Huh? One song that people would remember before you’re dirt. One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up. You tellin’ me that’s the song you’d sing? That same Jimmy Davis tune we hear on the radio all day, about your peace within, and how it’s real, and how you’re gonna shout it? Or… would you sing somethin’ different. Somethin’ real. Somethin’ *you* felt. Cause I’m telling you right now, that’s the kind of song people want to hear. That’s the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain’t got nothin to do with believin’ in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believin’ in yourself.

So then Johnny played a song that he wrote that was from his own truth, it was real and he got past, and broke in, the rest is history.

Obviously we as aspiring TV writers don’t have that much freedom, but we do in a way.

Like I said, I think all the info out there is valuable, but you have to take it all in and then make it work for you.
In any case, I just had to share my thoughts on this because it is summer and the followships/writing program deadlines are upon us, and everyone is talking talking talking which is turning into worry worry worry, second guessing and I think people are hurting themselves.

But for me, I am different, I don’t believe in “can’t” I don’t 100% believe in paying it safe, and or following all the rules and while I may not be working full time in the biz as a writer, I am working in the industry and would not be if I listened to everything and worried and hung onto every word everyone said. If you do that you’ll end up crazy, frustrated and at your sucky day job until one day you wake up 60 & depressed.

Wait! Why am I telling you guys this? Aren’t you my competition? Okay, forget all that, read everything, follow every rule, play it safe! Hahaha

Happy Writing and GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WRITING SPECS! We are the future of television!

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