Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

E.C. Henry's Favorite Songs of All-Time; Retroactive Music Loves: Volume II

1. State of Grace by Taylor Swift
2. Escapade by Janet Jackson
3. Walk This Way by Aerosmith & Run D.M.C. 
4. Hysteria by Def Leopard
5. Ray of Light by Madonna 
6. God Part II by U2
7. Can't Stop Loving You by Van Halen
8. Who Made Who by AC/DC
9. Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eye Peas
10. Love Runs Out by OneRepbublic
11. Straight Shooter by the Mommas and Poppas
12. Live Wire by Motley Crue
13. I've Got a Feeling by The Black Eye Peas
14. Be Good To Yourself by Journey
15. Tall Cool One by Robert Plant
16. Promises by Def Leopard
17. Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bengals
18. Wildside by Motely Crue
19. Love Shack by The B-52s
20. Running Down a Dream by Tom Petty
21. Who Will You Run To? by Heart
22. How Bad Do You Want It? by Don Henley
23. Who Do You Love? by George Thoughgood
24. Wild Boys By Duran Duran
25. Dangerous by Roxette
26. Dreams by Van Halen
27. Love is a Stranger by Euyrhymics 
28. Disappear by INXS
29. When It's Over by Sugar Ray
30. Faithfully by Journey
31. You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift
32. Everyday is a Winding Road by Sheryl Crow
33. You Lift Me Up By Rachel Lampa
34. Unchained by Van Halen
35. How You Get the Girl by Taylor Swift
36. I Get Weak by Belinda Carlisle
37. Roam by The B-52s
38. You Might Think by The Cars
39. Treat Her Right by Roy Head
40. Vogue by Madonna
41. Nothing at All by Heart
42. Dragula by Rob Zombie
43. Say It Isn't So by The Outfield
44. Turbo Lover by Judas Priest
45. Girls, Girls, Girls by Motley Crue
46. I'm too Sexy by Right Said Fred
47. Alien Nation by The Scorpions
48. When It's Love by Van Halen
49. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats
50. Love Story by Taylor Swift
51. She's a River by Simple Minds
52. Dirty Laundry by Don Henley
53. Style by Taylor Swift
54. At the Hop by Danny & the Juniors
55. When Love Comes to Town by U2
56. The Zoo by The Scorpions
57. Love Comes Walking In by Van Halen
58. High on You by Survivor
59. Even Better than the Real Thing by U2
60. Getaway Car by Taylor Swift
61. Slang by Def Leopard
62. Man!  I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain
63. Talk to Me by Stevie Nicks
64. You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall & Oats
65. Let's Get Rocked by Def Leopard
66. Let's Go by Wang Chung
67. Supersad by Suki Waterhouse
68. Break It Down Again by Tears for Fears
69. Modern Love by David Bowie
70. Fearless by Taylor Swift
71. Photograph by Def Leopard
72. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift
73. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
74. I Can't Go for That by Hall & Oats
75. Breathless by The Corrs
76. Talk Dirty to Me by Poison
77. Gypsy Road by Cinderella
78. Numb by U2
79. High Enough by Damn Yankees
80. Poison by Alice Cooper
81. You Outta Know by Alanis Morrisette
82. Miss You Much by Janet Jackson
83. Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams
84. On Top of the World by Van Halen
85. December by Collective Soul
86. Lost in Love by Air Supply
87. Thunderstruck by AC/DC
88. New Sensation by INXS
89. Love In an Elevator by Aerosmith
90. Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leopard
91. Eternal Flame by The Bengals
92. Heat of the Moment by Asia
93. I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles
94. Mad About You by Belinda Carlisle
95. The Promise by When in Rome
96. Ordinary World by Duran Duran
97. All She Wants To do Is Dance by Don Henley
98. Don't Bring Me Down by Electric Light Orchestra
99. Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant
100. Lips Like Sugar by Echo & the Bunnymen

Retroactive Music Loves: Volume I; George Thorogood

Truth be told I never really got into the man's music when I was growing up.  Don't remember him being on any of the top-40, Kasey Kasem countdown shows on Saturday mornings in the 80s.  No, in the early 1980s it was Hall & Oats then Def Leopard who were my first musical loves.  Duran Duran was prevalent during my pop music days in my teens too.  The first time he came on my radar was --

Pretty cool use of the use of a song in a movie, eh?

Later in life the toast of this post came BACK into my life in the form of the movies AGAIN from the 3 minute montage introducing Matthew McConahuey character Benjamin Barry in How To Loose a Guy in 10 Days from 2002.  Soundtrack listing  

The funny thing about George Thorogood's music is that TO ME so much of it sounds the same: wailing guitar, mostly fun beat, sometimes diving into the realm of excess. 

I view George Thorogood's music much like the 80s band, ZZ Top.  Both had a distinct sound that didn't have a lot of variance to it.  Back in the 80s I remember ZZ Top though, NEVER got into George Thorogood and the Destroyers, which made me think maybe that had a more regional appeal, as I grew up in the state of Washington.   

In scanning George's Wikepedia page you'll find that he's in his mid 70s now (as George Lawrence Thorogood was born on February 24, 1950), and that his musical act beginnings began in the early 1970s as the Delaware Destroyers.  

Spending some time over at Scriptshadow a regular who goes by the handle, "Erica" turned me on to this song --

After that I got back into a little Thorogood and gave more of his music a spin.  Here's a little ditty of George's that you may have missed:  

You feeling a Blues Brother's rock 'n' roll vibe?  I do!  That one actually made it into my soundtrack for the last spec. script I completed: Ya Know What Your Problem Is?  Thinking back over his music now, I probably could have fit at least one of his songs into the soundtrack for When the Motorcycle Calls, but back in 2017 when I was working on that spec. George Thorogood wasn't on my radar.  Lotta Don Henley -- and even a couple ZZ Tops songs made that soundtrack, but alas--in the spirit of truth--none of George Thorogood's songs were ever considered.

E.C. Henry expanded persona wise, George Thorogood is a good fit for how I see myself as a rebel maverick.  Remember, I am the original, content creator for the screenwriting aesthetic of  Lit Expression .  That's a little "bad to the bone" isn't it?

Who Do You Love?, Gear Jammer, and Get a Haircut are all fun songs with a bit of an electric guitar edge.  Not sure where George Thorogood and the Destroyers belongs on the overall pantheon of great rock acts of all-time, but they're fun entertainment in spots if the mood so strikes.  Definitely those three songs I listed are worth a spin.  Bad to the Bone is probably George's signature and most recognizable song by the general public and play over the radio air waves--and it's good song too in it's own right, just not one of my favorites, nor a song I seek out to listen to. 

Though he never achieved superstardom at least George Thorogood is a known commodity.  So here's to George Thorogood!  Here's to FUN music!

 

 

 

It Can't be All About One Thing

Hello 2025, goodbye 2024!What a   great image   to start the new year off with.  Apropos to!

Time to START 2025 talking about things that matter -- like me FINISHING my epic fantasy series.

One of my biggest problems is that I get stuck sometimes.  Editing and strive for perfection is a grind.  And, yes, I am a perfectionist.  But what's worse is that I can get get so consumed in the quest for perfection that I get stuck and stop making progress forward.  

Years ago, when I was attending PNWA Writer's Conferences a guy who had broken through Robert Dugoni, said as much.  "Do you wanna have books or a book."  It's been years, and I don't remember if I'm ascribing the quote properly, but I got his intention then, and it still resonates with me today.

Clearly, I'm the kind of guy who strives for the illusive ideal as opposed to churning out material on a more frequent basis.  

But who cares, all I want now is to finish the thing.  To write THE END and have a product that I'm satisfied with.  BUT I'm not there yet.  I'm farrr from a finished product.  So press on with a lot of decisions to make concerning this project.  Yet as I enter 2025, I do so with renewed resolve.  

It can't be all about one thing.

I can't just edit prose.  

Thankfully, I've got several other things that need to be done.  

• What about images?  Drawings?  Things of that sort.  Yep, I want each chapter in my epic fantasy series to have an opening picture.  So need to crank up my hand as pertains to drawing preliminaries.  Gotta hire an artist at some point.  But in the meantime I need to trying drawing these images myself, which is very hard for me to do since I consider myself a piss-poor drawer.  You don't need to tell me I'm bad, I already know it.  Still, the greater need outweighs my ego.  So in 2025 I need to become a more prolific drawer.
• At least two more screenplays need to be written.  While cleaning my desk drawer out I found STACK of unused index cards.  Time to start filling them with scene ideas.  Yep, I'm going old school.   Gunna use index cards to explore structure in writing the two follow-up screenplays to fill the third franchise in the greater echelon of E.C. Henry's storytelling.  The Commune is a dark sci-fi franchise, So Go Back and Get Her is a rom-com franchise.  A Legend in Thars will be an epic fantasy, adapted screenplay franchise. 
• Creating four more books.  Gotta take the Word Perfect manuscripts I have now and convert them all the Word documents: title page, table of contents, and entire book manuscript with footnote pages.  Still not set in stone how to handle the three pages of maps of Thars I have, but that's really small beans in the greater book build that needs to happen.
• Find an epic fantasy community to belong to.  My tribe.  Still looking...
• Find the means by which to self publish.  I'm leaning towards Page Publishing.  They seem friendly towards first time authors, which is something I've never felt from any other place I've ever been.  I'm sick of even talking to places that only want to deal with celebrities.  Try to stick me in one of your "programs"?  Fuck you.  I don't want to work with you either!  Probably not a very Christian thing to say, but all of my dealing with people in the publishing world have been decidedly negative.  And it shouldn't be that way.  

And so I'm launching a new sidebar tracking my progress to publication in 2025.  It's gunna track EVERYTHING form editing to drawing to outreaches made.  I'm gunna do it MY WAY too.  As you can tell, I'm very down on the publishing world.  That's because they make themselves to to ivory towers that are unavailable to all. 

Time for  this eagle  to get his fish!

Publishing companies, you're in the Entertainment business too.  No wonder you're all suffering.  You're not open to new voices.  You're not growing the business. I'm charting my own course.  And when I do make it, I'm not going to say nice things about you, because none of you deserve it.  You will suffer for your own lack of vision, and shortsightedness. 

Negativity isn't my jam.  So I wont be focused on the unfair system, but rather about just creating something special that I'm proud of, and that honors the Lord. 

2024 End of the Year Wrap-up

Got a lot of time off work at the end of the year.  Now at the end of 2024 looking back over it, not a lot to report in all honesty. 

Right now my Seahawks are playing out the string... just last night the L.A. Rams officially eliminated them from contention with strength of schedule tie-brearker so their final game with them is meaningless.  But when you lose back-to-back home games to the Packers and Vikings in all honesty they probably don't deserve to make the playoffs.  Going down to Atlanta to see the Seahawks play the Falcons in October was one of the biggest highlights of the year for me.  Great game.  Seahawks not only won, but were actually fun to watch that afternoon, which was one of the few times of the year I can honestly say that.

2024 SCOREBOARD for E.C. Henry:

2 - New spec. scripts written in 2024

28 - Blog posts written

[January: 3, February: 1, March: 2, April: 1, May: 4, June: 2, July: 2, August: 2, September: 3, October: 1, November: 1, December: 7]

So in looking at this productivity, it's not impressive.  Another year, outside of writing two, new original spec. scripts: Night of the Otterroid (Creature Horror) completed in March, and Ya Know What Your Problem Is? (Romantic Comedy) that I completed just before Christmas). 

In the end, I'm still an undiscovered writer.  :(    

JUST starting to ease back into Thars.  Hoping to wrap up all work on this epic fantasy series in 2025: 4/5 books, 1/2 screenplays -- already have one done!  I've done numerous posts on that on-and-off again project over the years.  But I'm determined to made 2025 THE YEAR it finally gets done!  Most of the hard work is already done.  Right now I'm looking at other on-line sites to "connect with my tribe" and also look into self-publishing options.  Yeah, I'm gunna hafta go that route, no publishing company wants to take on unknowns.  They ONLY want to deal with established pros, that's true even in the Christian arena.  

Did buy the house I'm living at a pressure washer, that should be fun to play with some more in 2025.  Did a little pressure washing with it so I know it works.  

Projects wise in 2025, I need to see what I can do with the solar panels my mom bought that a contractor left towards the end of.  Also need to build reinforcements into a retaining wall and then repaint it all.  I also wanna repair the self-drive in a mower that went out, and rebuild a weed wacker that a family friend gave us when we first moved to NE Tennessee.  Not excessively big projects, but stuff that needs to get done, and since my younger brother is incapable of doing any of that, the buck falls on me.

Still waiting for the rapture.  

Faith-wise, the most immediate need I have is to buy a new daily devotional.  In 2024 I read from David Wilkerson, but that's from the early 90s.  If I can't find a suitable devotional, I need to read the bible on a more consistent basis.  Currently I am in a bible study of the book of Isaiah, but we've been on break since Thanksgiving.  If the job continues I hope to continue with a dedicated hour of prayer on Monday mornings at the church I attend, Calvary Church in Boone's Creek.

Not a lot else to report.  If another screenplay idea takes hold I'll re-evaluate my writing goals for the year.  But as of Monday, December 30th, "the plan" is to pick a self-publishing route, join an epic fantasy site for comraderie, and forge ahead on that front. 

Overall, I don't like living in Northeast Tennessee.  If my mom were to die, I think I'd cut bait here and move to Florida.  The one nice thing about this area is it's just outside of most the hurricane's brunt, and it's got a mild winter.  The drawback is the food and culture.  The food in NE Tennessee sucks.  There is nowhere I want to see out here.  I need to get that excitement back in me, used to have that in Washington and when I lived in Idaho in the 90s.  But I'm getting older now.  In June of 2025 I'll turn 56.  Father Time stops for no one!  Not that I'm complaining.  I thank the Lord all the time for the length of life I've live, I just need a kick.  Something besides writing to look forward to. Hopefully 2025 will be better than 2024.  

Recently at Scriptshadow, Carson tried to rally support for movies letting his readers post their "top-10" of the year.  Here's what E.C. Henry sees that his top movies of 2024 were:

Reagan: the biography of Ronald Reagan was the best movie of the year and the biggest surprise I had at the movies in 2024.  Went into it with low expectations, but thought the writers did a good job choosing what the spend the most time with, which was Reagan's growing anti-Communism push to keep Communism out of Hollywood in the early 1960s.  Rated: 8 out of 10.

Inside Out 2: Really was impressed by how the main character, the teenage Riley was portrayed as she engaged in league hockey.  Rated 7.5 out of 10

Megalopolis: Enjoyed the attempt at the grand by Francis Ford Coppola, but ultimately found that his forced attempt at comparing the old Roman Empire to the America of the near future didn't work.  High lofty concepts were bantered about, but ulitimately don't make any sense.  Rated 5.5. out of 10 

Dune Part II: Another attempt at the grand, but in the end never really cared about the title characters quest.  The sand worm spectacle was pretty cool visually, but the story and characters both are lacking.  Rated 5 out of 10

Beverly Hills: Axel F: Never really cared if Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) reconcilled his relationship to his estranged daughter.  Thought this was an unispired sequel for the most part.  Did like the original when it came out many years ago.  Never been one to give a movie anything for relying on past nostalgia.  Rated 4 out of 10

Joker Foile a Duex: Too much lounge singing and not enough comic book action.  Lady Gaga turned in another fine performance, but Joaquin's Arthur Flex is dull and un-engaging.  Rated 3.5 out of 10

Alien Romulus: Very derivative film that caniblizes heavily off past past Alien movies.  Did like the "Andy" the synthetic, but every other character were ones that you wanted the aliens to eat.  Yikes!  This series needs to end.  Hollywood STOP making Alien movies.  Rated 3 out of 10

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: World-building off Fury Road really doesn't work in this one, nor does Chris Hemsworth "Dementis" character or Anya Taylor Joy's "Furosia".  Even the car chases are forggetible.  This is another series that Hollywood needs to walk away from.  Rated 2 out of 10

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Some of the background visuals of overgrown cities was cool, but other than that this movie is a complete disaster.  Uninteresting apes and culture.  Even worse humans!  Rated: 1 out of 10.

Nosferatu: Saw this movie a couple days ago.  Very GROSS gothic horror on display.  At the end of the movie the Nosferatu demon pukes up black blood while having sex with this story's main heroine.  There is also a man who goes demonically insane practicing the occult who is sickening in every shot he's in.  This is a very poor horror movie with high production value in the care they took to capture 18th century Europe.  But in the end the grossness of images shown on screen eclipse all, and make this a movie you wish you've never seen.  This is the worst movie I saw in 2024 -- and as you've read, there was more competition for stinker of the year, than Oscar-worthy material.  Rated 0 out of 10

 

As for 2025, the only movies I've got some buzz about is 28 Years Later, which is a zombie horror movie, the Danny Boyle & Alex Garland belated sequel to their horror masterpiece 28 Days Later... which originally came out in 2002.  Will probably go see that one when it comes out, but to be honest my interest in horror in waning.  Mildly interested in Happy Gilmore 2, as Happy Gillmore from 1996 was one of my favorite comedy, light rom-coms of all-time.  

Final and lost words for 2024: glad you're over with.  Glad Kamala Harris didn't win the presidency.  Hoping for brighter days for America in 2025.  Hoping for peace around the word -- especially for those in Ukraine.  Realize the best I can do these days is stay strong in the Lord and let Him guide me.  My greatest joy continues to be being one of His children.  To God be the glory!
  

 

Costuming Description in Rom-com Spec. Scripts; Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies Volume 79

Should writers suggest what the characters wear in the screenplays they write?

I think that's a pretty interesting question and topic to broach, and it's been on my mind lately as I've just finished work on a romantic comedy where I had to answer that question for myself.  

Romantic comedies are interesting places.  If you watch enough of them you find they women dress pretty well in them, and they tend to have varied looks throughout as the story unfolds. 

Yes, the primary function of a screenwriter is to create a working plot for actors and actresses to perform. And screenplays are scaled down prose when compared to novel and other fiction.  But what about creating aesthetic?  What about enforcing a feel? 

I guess you have to factor how much costuming affects the plot.  Some times what you wear doesn't really matter, and is up to taste.  But sometimes in a script what an actor or actresses wears figures directly and my partially dive a given scene, and in those cases you definitely could use some added descriptors -- again briefly and succulent because of the the compressed nature of wring in screenplays.  

Costuming does have an impact on rom-coms.  Two of my favorites: 13 Going On 30 and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days; really have an accent on varied heroine looks that Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner's character) and Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson's character) implored.  Guys-wise probably the most notably costuming that stood out to me came from Andy (Steve Carell's character) in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.  You'd think Hugh Grant would stand out in my mind, or Tom Hanks; but neither of the attire in the rom-coms they were in do.  And sometimes like in Dan in Real Life, the attire is all comfortable and supposed to be homey for all in the cast as it's a suburban styled rom-com.  

As far as "dazzlers" go, I don't think anyone tops Jennifer Aniston.  Meg Ryan never really stood based on what she was wearing, I think appeal was more in light, breezy on-screen persona.  Katherine Heigl was always to talkie and bitchy in the rom-coms she was in to merit discussion.  Andie McDowell didn't have the raw goods so it never really mattered what she wore.  Sandra Bullock was so-so, but I can't remember a scene in which she "dazzled" as a combo of looks and wardrobe.

One of the most beautiful girls EVER --

Jennifer Aniston pulls off short skirts like none other!

As a pre-pro screenwriter trying to dazzle and advance the genre, I think we're allowed to have excesses that works for hire aren't allowed. 

E.C. Henry is not Richard Curtis, the famous British rom-com writer

E.C. Henry is not John Hughes, the famous American teen, rom-com writer of the 1980s - early 1990s

As a screenwriting pioneer I found a way to use Lit Expression to help bring alive costume "suggestions" for characters in Ya Know What Your Problem Is? (my latest raunchy rom-com) and also to a lesser degree in the So Go Back & Get Her franchise of three spec. scripts, which penned earlier. 

I will admit that you have to be careful when using Lit Expression to not go so overboard with it, that it lends itself to a cartonish veneer over your project.  A romantic comedy should never been confused for being a cartoon, they're more serious fare -- even if you're writing a screwball comedy.  So clearly taste factors in to how you describe things in romantic comedies even when imploring the use of Lit Expression. 

I just got a critique back from a guy at Scriptshadow of my latest screenplay, and it didn't sound like the costuming aspect and use of Lit Expression took him out of the story so that's good. 

I favor limited description of costuming in screenplays -- especially if you're writing on spec.  It's on the writer to convey the look of the project to the reader.  I'm not an advocate of leaving it all up to the reader's imagination.  The writer is supposed to be a guide. 

SPECIFIC choice of clothing sure matters in a scene like this one:

In the end, it's all a matter of taste, I suppose.  Screenwriting is a tricky art. How much to describe.  How much to leave to the reader's imagination. The costume departments in the movies to today is a underappreciated art.  It's not all about the story.  You have to decorate that story too.  And to that extent, I, as a fan movie do tip my hat to the costume departments and those in charge of wardrobe.  I can't think of any movies where I can point to and say they failed.  Rather, it's costume and wardrobe that ADD to the movie and additional layer to savor when you camp on a movie you love.       

Abnormally High Stat Count!

790 page views today -- and were less than 8 hours into it?!!  276 the day before!

Thanks, I guess.  Lotta refers back to --

Even from Twitter and Facebook, two accounts I USED to have, but deleted them and that was like four years ago!  So word to the wise, even when you delete your social media accounts, those institutions may not honor requests, and they may still exist outside of your consent.  

Glad you're coming back, but just so you know Kaya and I never connected.  I tried to reach her, and failed on multiple ocasions.  Such is the life on an undiscovered, pre-pro screenwriter; things never work out.  It's the story of my life.   A couple months ago I reached out to Taylor Swift's management too.  NEVER heard back from them.  But, I get it.  Celebrities ONLY wanna work with their fellow celebrities.  It's a vicious circle that makes it impossible for those on the outside.

Well-p, always best to work on and control the things in your sphere of influence.  Though I "finished" Ya Know What Your Problem Is? earlier this week, I've been putting in some extra time on it.  Got a new rom-com post coming with NEW SUBJECT that I don't think has ever been broached before so be looking for that.  That should be so much more interesting than a post I did TWO YEARS ago about the amazing, Miss Kaya Jones! 

Still, you can't go wrong with Kaya Jones, she's beautiful inside and out, and has a million different looks all of which are classy.

The Best Christmas Present in the World

Growing up in Chicago in the mid-70s I had my share of moments like this.  

As we get older I think our enjoyment of Christmas lessens.  My childhood memories of Christmas were always fond ones.  My parents always bought me more toys than I needed.  I never went without.  It wasn't until I got older -- probably around 17, that Christmas stopped being about the gifts and learning to...

No matter your station in life, we all must make our peace with Jesus

I think these days it's the MUSIC that appreciate the most about Christmas.  So many great festive songs.  Silent Night will always get me somber and remembering.  Getting older has only made me appreciate the music more.  I actually like Christmastime music more now than I did when I was growing up. 

This year I gave myself the greatest present I've ever received on Christmas.  I completed my 32nd spec. script.  Truth be told I thought I would have had it done a lot earlier than now.  But as of Christmas morning, 2024, I'm ready to show the entire script for Ya Know What Your Problem Is? to people who want to read it. 

There is no better feeling for a screenwriter than completing a script.  For me "completion" comes after I file for WGAw and U.S. Copyright protection.  And did just that a couple days ago on Tuesday the 22nd.  And on the very same day I sent it off to a couple people...

 "I know what you want for Christmas, E.C. Henry"

Funny thing is, honey, this year  I gave that gift to myself!  Ya Know What Your Problem Is? is a raunchy romantic comedy.  No, it's not a "Christmas story", but it definitely is comedy with some romance thrown in for good measure.  AND it has several "hotties" which are always very fun characters for me to dive into and explore.

To say I LOVE sexy women is a gross understatement.  I love them!  They are so fun to speculate on, and toy with.  Sexy women are what keeps me interested in the genre. 

And so I'm a happy camper this holiday season.  Still waiting for my critiques back on the screenplay, but working on this story is fun!  God has blessed me.  I may not have all the things I have in life that I want, but story-wise I am a very rich man.  Richer than Bill Gates.  Richer than Jeff Bezos.  

Not to say there won't be more drafts or toying with the story.  But I now have it to a point that I feel as an author it's ready to show, and that's one of best feelings in the world.

Now, it's on to mastering the new family popcorn machine.  I bought a kettle style popper from Vervor.  It looks a lot like the ones they use in the theaters.  Found out something cool, use Coconut oil and the salt called "Flavacol" when using kettle poppers to achieve an end product similar to the movies.  Should be fun playing with this.  

Gift-wise the Holy Spirit granted me victory yesterday helping me get a really cool, last-minute gift for my mom.  Got her a silver heart charmed necklace from Belk -- and she loved it!

As for the physical gifts I got from my family.  Nothing Earth shattering, some clothes, some money, some candy.  

Of course Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus, I'm not trying to take away from that.  But one of the key tenants of the holiday is the giving of gifts, and this year the best I gave was a gift to myself -- a fresh new spec. script that ready to show to the rest of the world!  E.C. Henry is an entertainer at heart.

Page 1 of Ya Know What Your Problem Is

Settling Into the Groove of Rewriting

Now THIS GUY is groovin'!

Sometimes in life we get ahead of our skis.  When I When I typed THE END to the 1st draft of my latest romantic comedy which is entitled, Ya Know What Your Problem Is?  I thought was pretty much done, the hard work was done and it would be ready to show in short order.    

But then as I attempted to listen to the script in Final Draft I found I couldn't even go a page without finding something that I wanted to change!

Did E.C. crash on his latest screenplay?!

After 30+ of these suckers I've learned that writers need these releases, where they vent, and claim a greater success than the current status point of their project deserves.  In a long arduous journey you need breaks, and you need reassurance, and you need to keep going!

This last script of mine took a LA-ONG time for me just to finish a preliminary draft.  6 months is about 3 times the amount of time that a first draft for a spec. should take, IMO.  Even when I took a YEAR to write a biblical adaptation of the story of Saul and David, I think I had two scripts COMPLETED in a year.   And I wrote real long first drafts, then parsed them down to something respectable.  

No sense bemoaning the past.  Now that I'm in re-writing, I find that I slide into a certain groove. 

I wanted to listen to the whole thing and come up with a bullet point checklist of changes.  My problem is once I hit a rough spot in the script I have a tough time letting that go.  

A lot of edit is instinct.  You can learn a lot about writing.  But in creative writing it's really on the writer how they apply the discipline.  I don't think I'm very efficient 1st drafter or re-writer.  I think I'm pretty bad at everything, really.  My only asset is that I'm willing to work, and that over time I do replace weak writing with stronger stuff.  

And sometimes that all it takes.  

Are you willing to put in the work?

I am.

Also the more you write the more internal confidence you build in yourself that you can do it.  If I did it once I can do it again!

Comedy is a lot of fun to write.  I would rather write something comedic that horrific.  I hope I never get another horror story again.  I do, however, hope, I get tons of rom-com material.  As that's my favorite genre to write in. 

I wanna do some cool Lit Expressions in this script...

I wanna reverse beat-sheet the first draft and hone this story...

I wanna live in the moment and direct the camera to write comedy though shot stacking and post-production editing.  

Just gotta be patient.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and any work of art can't be edited fully in a single setting.  

So it's time to settle into the groove of rewrite.  

In years past I have down-hill skied so I know what it feels like to cruise and fun speed and enjoy the traverse down the mountain.  Don't know if I'll ever down hill ski again, mind you, but in my past I've done it MANY TIMES.

A time to focus on elevating the material to be best I can make it.  

Life's a journey...

... So have some FUN along the way!

 

 

Vanity Inspiriations

You see this in vanity interviews.  Question to stars, or notable people.  Questions like, "Who are you influences?"  Or "Who or what inspires you?"

Being asked such questions is a great honor, as it means that people are showing interest in you and want to know more about what helped fuel your career early on before became a success story.  Ever once in a while I'll catch an interview excerpt where a star or someone I admire goes into what inspires them.  I'd be curious to know what inspired:

To be a screenwriter, then director, then producer.  

I'd be curious to know what motivated --

To pursue a career in music.  T.S. didn't just "pop" out of the air and became a phenomenon in 2014 with the release of 1989, she existed before then; and put in the work to start a brand years before that breakthrough record.  

As for me, I don't really have a lot of people I look to for "inspiration".  I'm more of a great art admirer.  If you do something well I'll take notice of it, and why I perceive it's so good.

One of my earliest "inspirations".  Used to watch the opening line-up of Planet of the Apes movies (the ones made 1968-1974) growing up the suburbs of Chicago when I was a kid.

I just loved the world building in these movies.  They helped shape my creative mind.

 

 

 

One of my earliest "inspirations".  You can chalk that one up to TIMING.  I was JUST starting to get into rock and roll when Def Leopard's Pyromania album came out.  

Maybe it's a blonde thing, I don't know.   Maybe it was the need for a mentor.  But for the longest time I lauded THAT MAN.  Even when I knew that some of his music was blasphemous, Like Rock of Ages...  That's a blasphemous song, but I digress...

Joe Elliot used to be Joe Cool to me.  But that flower wilted once I became saved and aware of Jesus.  I always thought Def Leopard did Steve Clark wrong by releasing the song White Lightning on their Adrenilize album (1992).  

It's taken some years to get that "inspiration" out of my blood.  But the hold that Joe Elliot USED to have on me is no more, thank you, Jesus.

Sometimes in life you choose the wrong mentor.  Joe Elliot isn't worth being a mentor to anyone.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first movie I can ever remember binge seeing while had its theatrical run.  I was living in Boise, Idaho at the time.  Had a good paying job, but was socially empty.  This heart-warming movie filled a void in my heart, and really started the ball rolling as to me shaping my own ideas of how I wanted my romantic comedies to be.

YES, I'll always be more Amy Schumer/Judd Apatow than Sandra Bullock/Bill Pullman.  But While You Were Sleeping had a profound impact on my development.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing wise, I can't think of anyone I ever wanted to emulate.  So to claim anyone ever "inspired me" would be a lie.  Growing up I read a lot of Conan the Barbarian books, read the Chronicles of Narnia, and read several Stephen King novels; but when I writing, myself, I always took the position that I want to be favorably compared the all-time greats.  But I've NEVER aspired to copy their style.  I'm a maverick.  I wanna develop my own style.  

Images like this one --

Remind me of the script I wrote at the onset of my Lit Expression phase.  When the Motorcycle Calls was FUN to write.  Hopefully, I'm able to convey a similar feel to ALL writings I back by phrase, "written by E.C. Henry"; but I'll let others be the judge of that.  All I can attest to is that I tried and gave it all I had.  

My "inspirations" fuel ALL my writing.  Who or what you deem as "cool" matters.  It helps define the color and texture of your feel as a creative.  

 

Stereotypical or Original Characters? Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies; Volume 78

It takes some writers a while to figure out what style and flavor of genre they want to write.  Doing so it's inevitable that they fill out their stories with characters. 

So how should writers who write romantic comedies approach the subject of filling out their rom-com material with characters?

Here's an initial way of thinking of character rosters and groupings in romantic comedy stories:

1. Main couple: typically, a man and woman.  (Not to say there aren't same sex pairings out there, but if you write that kind of material you really are aiming for smaller and nitche audience).  Your main couple is the driver of your rom-com story and pits the central question: Will this couples foray into the romance result in romantic satisfaction for them both.
2. Buddy/mentor characters:  When a man a female embark on a romance inevitably they are councilled or lead by others in the circle of influence.  Buddy/mentor characters help the main couple cope with dealing with the prospective romance in question.
3. Comic relief characters:  These can be buddy/mentor characters OR unique characters that exist in other ways as rom-com story unfolds.  Comic relief characters bring zest and relief to rom-com material. 
4. Romantic thwarts/Bellamies/wrong guy or gal:  These are characters that threaten the central romance in rom-com material.  Sometimes these character fuse with comic relief characters or buddy/mentor characters.  Though many rom-coms in the last lexicon of romantic comedies released over the years have used straight-laced thwarts.
5. Setting characters:  These are characters that arise out of the setting from which you've placed your story.  Workers at places that you main couple goes to, coworkers. 

The first four in this five group set I've listed aren't really ideas of my own.  A lot of that thinking/logic came from the great Billy Mernit and his great paperback, Writing the Romantic Comedy which really helped me see how romantic comedy movies and stories worked from a story construction function outline through character placement.  The term "setting character" is an E.C. Henry original designation -- to best of my knowledge as I've heard that said before.   All of this is really useful to WRITERS of rom-com material.  And though we don't have to agree on everything, I think this construct helps unify rom-comers in a way of looking at this from the prism of characters looks back at structure and story to find their proper place in it all.  

Some MAY argue that the power couple trumps all when it comes to writing romantic comedies...

A good "meet meet" is great, but that's now where the story ends!

Me, however, I disagree with the universal application of that axiom across the vast spectrum of this genre.

Over the course of many years writing, I'm finding more and more, I that I prefer a broader look at STORY when it comes to romantic comedies.  I'm more in the Judd Apatow camp when it comes to comedy material.  

So what is the Apatow camp like?  Well, if watch some of his movies and movies that fit comprably to his.  It's a BROADER approach to characters in story.  It's less of focus on the main couple.  Don't know what your feeling about The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) are.  Heck it's been nearly 20 years since that gem was released.  But it's significance in the overall rom-com umbrella should not be minimized.  That cast of characters was AWESOME!  This movie was farrr from a one-note focus on Andy and Trish. Eventually the movie turns to that, but it takes a long time to get there.  In the meantime you have a focus of Andy's coworkers at Smart Tech, and even Trish has comprable issues with her daughter, who is getting serious about being sexually active herself.  

Now throughout this post I've place images from the cast of  Dan in Real Life .  Though this movie stars Steve Carrel, who was the star of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, its supporting cast is equally if not better than that of Judd Apatow's opus -- and that show is know for its lasting impact of launching such stars as Elizabeth Banks, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill.  

Throughout its history, however, I feel confident in saying that the rom-com genre has been dominated by the prevailing thought that the leads must carry the story, and that all other characters and sub-plots needed to fall so the wayside that cliche characters were commonplace and acceptable commodities.  

Great characters in rom-com material -- gotta pin them down!

Now, even in my earlier five groupings of rom-com characters that does lend itself to stereotypes.  I, however am NOT an advocate of that style of storytelling.  I do not like character that just seem to exist in function of the lead couple in question.  

Of course every MEANINGFUL story can't just dive into the inner workings of every character that appears on screen.  But I believe the overall mix of characters: main to bit roles; should be believable entities unto themselves.  So put in the necessary effort for that feat to be achieved!  Yes, rom-coms do have core tenants of romance that is intimate.  But life is dynamic with many things in play.  Romance seldom happens in a two person vacuum with no one else involved.  

Hup, you're in a romance -- and you've been found out!

It's taken me some time to "get" my forte in writing, and the "gifts" I have to offer.  Over time I've come to appreciate BROADER stories -- even in rom-com material.  For my $$ I want lots of characters and conflicting agendas.  I don't favor stories from small minds who put all their eggs in the main couple basket. 

Of course your main couple matters in rom-com material.  My argument is that's not the end-all.  You should have more.  So bend stereotypes into real characters who could exist outside the vacuum of your main characters foray into romance.  Challenge yourself as a writer to know your supporting characters BEYOND the limits of being a product of function in the plot.  You should make every characters so interesting that they COULD BE the main subject of a story of their own.  

So, yes, I do believe in plot.  Big fan there.  But your characters matter too, and if you're a good writer you SHOULD be able to pen characters that trigger the mind and desire of the reader or viewer to want to see more of them: both in primary character function and secondary.

Dan in Real Life (2007) is one of the the best movies ever made -- and it just so happens to be a romantic comedy witha STRONG  Thanksgiving  accent.  So pop it in over the  holiday season , treasure it, and consider my writing advice.  

Till we speak again,