Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Bringing Sexy Back: Part E.C. -- Coming in June 2013

Well-p, now I've done it.  Hitting an even lower low than the low my loyal readers are accustomed to E.C. Henry delivering on -- I'm using an old Justin Timberlake song as part of the header for a blog post.  ACTUALLY, that's not entirely true.  What's more true is I'm acting on a recent celebrity who proved she could bring sexy back.  What's even more true is that this been on my mind to do for quite a while. 

The issue steams from my current lifestyle, and my desire to become a better me.  Basically right now, I'm not eating healthy enough, spending too much time behind the keyboard, and am not getting enough exercise.  So guess what?  I'm going to challenge myself.  Remake the fuck out of what I am right now. 

E.C. Henry is going to see if E.C. Henry can bring sexy back.  Time to drop some retro on yo' ass.  Cuein' up Justin Timberlake.  Take it away big fella: 

 

"Bringing Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake, isn't really my thing, but it seams to fit the given moment.  See I'm 43 years old right now, and on June 10, 2013 I'll be 44 years old.  So maybe it's time to see if I've any sexy left worth bringing back.   

Is E.C. Henry sexy?  I dunno.  Maybe...  I mean are we grading on a curve here?  I'm not sure I ever had a lot of "sexy" in the tank to begin with -- even in my prime.  Case and point.  Exhibit A:

Wow!  That's a lot of E.C. Henry.  Probably a lot more that you want to see.   But I first posted that picture back in December, 2011 in a "Sexy Writers" post.

But like it or not, that's the best gold standard of the ideal me -- if ever there was such a thing -- that I'm going to see how close I can come to approximating by June 10, 2013.  Call it a mid-life crisis.  Identity issue.  Whatever the fuck you wanna label it, but I'm going to start working out, and stretching.  I wanna see how much "sexy" I have left in the tank, and more importantly I want to feel better about how I'm taking care of my body. 

My dogs Michah and Sam are very excited about this new project of mine, as that will include them on more runs around our property, as one of E.C. Henry's favorite forms of exercise is jogging. 

Gunna be doing a lot of sit-ups too.  Really wanna get my abbs in shape.  You see when you hit a certain age, which I've already eclipsed, your metabolism slows and you're prone to packing on the lbs in the mid-section, ie. you get fat! 

Now I'm no girl.  Rather I'm a male writer.  Sooo my "looks" aren't as important as say some A-list movie, female movie star.  But by the same token I am a human being with a physical body to maintain.  And sadly, lately I've neglected that.  I'd be the first to admit that.

There will be no "before" picture.  Only the shot of E.C. Henry "peacocking" when he was 19.  There will, however, be a gunshow on June 10.  THAT I can guarantee.  Right now I don't feel real strong.  And I want to see over these next 3 + months what I can do to my arms. 

Am I insecure?  Fuck no.  If I fail, I fail.  Trust me at age 43 soon to be 44 living at home with my parents, with no girlfriend and no real legit prospects, no friends at all to go out and do anything with, working at job where my real ambition is a different job where I'm paid to be in the entertainment industry, all I know right now is failure.  So if I come out of this with egg on my face.  Well, that's just par for the course.  Loserville is place I know quite well. 

You know I COULD start lying, and NOT tell you all these things, but I'm resolved NOT to be that kind of guy.  RATHER, I'm going to to be honest.  Brutally honest at times.  I want you to like me for the me I really am, not for some fauxreason, not for misleading you by misrepresenting myself on this blog. 

And just so you know, I am very hard on myself.   I push myself very hard when I'm writing.  Even know doing final line editing on "Bubblehead Saves the Day" I'm slaving away on every sentence.  Pushing myself to write the best I'm capable of doing.  Doesn't mean that'll push me over the edge and guarantee a sale.  BUT I just can't let myself NOT do the best I'm capable of.  Especially when it comes to my screenwriting.  I do care very deeply about that.  More than the way I look, I think.  It's just now with this project about to wrap up, I feel it's time to invest in my physical body once again.  

So I'm bringing sexy back.  Or at least I'm going to try. 

One celebrity whom I admire greatly has successfully brought her own sexy back.  True, her appeal is very tied to her physicalbeauty.  But the reality is she had some unflattering pictures taken of her once.  And then her mother died this last summer.  But you know what, Jennifer Love Hewitt fought back.  She hit the gym.  And now as a promotion for her latest TV series (on cable's Lifetime network) Jennifer Love Hewitt dropped this promotion video on the eve of year two of her TV series, "The Client List":

 

And I won't lie to you, I've never seen "The Client List" and even after Jennifer's electric performance in this video I still have no plans to do so.  I just wish the best with her career, and hope that someday our career paths cross, as in my mind's eye she is Stacy Dutchmen from "Give It Up for Chimpy" and she is Jennifer Means and Holly Pearson (a duel role in the script) for "Cupid's Helpers". 

Obvious question: do I have a thing for Jennifer Love Hewitt?  Honest answer: no.  I don't think you can have a "thing" for anyone you've never met before.  Sure if I met her, and we hit it off -- and she actually like me (which would be the ultimate shock of them all) -- well then sure I'd take a shot at the title.  But that'll probably never happen.  It's just when I channelled up who envisioned the ultimate girl to be she was the actress I settled on -- and she reminded me, in a way, of a girl I knew in high school who I did have a secret crush on.  Not that, that girl would ever know that, I never told her.  But that is neither here nor there.  Just something about me to file away in the back of your memory banks. 

So as for tomorrow morning, I'm going running with the dogs.  The new goal is 1 hour of exercise in the morning.  1/2 hour after work.  Bringing sexy back?  Well, I'm going to try...

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA 

P.S. Writing update.  Still working on "Bubblehead Saves the Day."  Really going over and over and over the same stuff over and over and over again just to test if I can make it any better.  Truth; I am making it better, and that's what's keeping me going on this project at little longer that I wanted to. 

P.S.S. Watched the Oscars tonight.  Really liked Seth MacFarlane's voice.  He didn't bowl me over with how funny he was, but all-in-all I thought he did ok.  Only movie I was really pulling for was "Silver Linings Playbook."  Huge fan of all things rom-com, as you should well know by know having read some of my previous posts. 

Facing "Empty Script" Syndrome: Another One Almoast Ready for College

E.C. Henry here.  Happy to report that I've almost got another script complete.  I felt it on Sunday when I was line editing.  It was this pit in my stomach that told me this script was nearing completion and it's time to mentally move on.

I'm starting to view my scripts as children I've raised up, and am now looking at putting them through college.  College being my metaphor for Hollywood; I've written a bunch of stories that I'm ready to sell.  My writer's empty nest syndrome comes after the script is done and their a hole in my heart where that script used to be, if that makes any sense to you.   

Currently, I'm doing a final pass rewrite on "Bubblehead Saves the Day" then it's onto my guy in L.A., which is kinda like high school aged E.C. getting tested for possible college placement, he-he-he...   

Don't hafta fret writing faster to get my script ready for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association screenwriting contest, because this year they've dropped that category from their literary competition.  Can you believe that?  Kinda wanted to send "Bubblehead Saves the Day" to the PNWA competition, as each entry gets two written critiques.   And the funny part about that is every time I've done this, and gotten the critiques back I've gotten one flowery critique where the reviewer absolutely LOVED my script, AND I've gotten a 2nd review, usually written much more poorly that claimed my script confused them and they didn't get it. 

Polar reviews from PNWA has happened to me on several different occasions, so, yes; it is trend.

So what comes next?  Well, I need to finish "Bubblehead Saves the Day."  Right now I'm listening to the script in Final Draft and tweakingit, ever so slightly.  Working on the poetic side of the ledger exclusively now.  The script's already filed with the WGAw and U.S. Copyright office.  So basically I get the script to my guy in L.A., get his notes.  Do one last draft of the script after that, then it's on to the Nicholl's Screenwriting Competition, and glories untold!  

That's right, E.C. Henry, pretentious as always.  But in all seriousness, I know what happens when my script goes to the Nicholl's; I lose and get a form letter from Gary Beal sometime in late June/July/or early August.  In any regard, trust me, I know the outcome before I even enter, I lose.  So why do I even bother entering?  It's the chance to get my script read by pros.  Who knows maybe a reader likes me and recommends me to someone.  THAT'S the gold of the Nicholl's competition to me.  I could care less about the notoriety or prize money.  My goals, as its always been to get someone with the power to make movies reading my scripts and evaluating them for their consideration. 

I just want my chance to impress.  That's all. 

I'm going to miss living in the world of "Bubblehead Saves the Day," unlike "A Heart Built on the Sand," where because of its darker world I had a real hard time getting into that tragic story.  I knew the world of "A Heart Built on the Sand" very well, as I've spent YEARS of my life working in distribution warehouses, but the ultimate endgame of "A Heart Built on the Sand" isn't a very pleasant place.  True, now when I listen to the soundtrack it's easies to "go there," but when I was writing "A Heart Built on the Sand" I remember NOT wanting to be there.   Hence what started out as "slam dunk easy" script to write, took me a year to complete.   

I like the world of the screwball comedy.  And I think I've written some of the best lead characters in my history of scripts with the leads of "Bubblehead Saves the Day" which is a rom-com hybrid, which is weighted to favor the male lead in the story.  Don't cha just love how I can go back and reference earlier posts.  Done twice now -- just in this article alone!  Anywho, writing better leads has been a focus of mine for the last few scripts I've penned.   Not saying I'm a "master" of writing great leads, by any stretch of the imagination, but trust me it is a point of emphasis for me, I am trying to get better at it.   

So what comes next for ol' E.C. Henry?  Well-p, hopefully over the weekend I'll wrap-up work on the script.  I think I'm going to aim to start 4-6 new scripts.  Just start carding things up and see which one pops.  Also need to start work on becoming Chimpy, and leaning more about making films.  I've already got a book on directing, but I need one on the grand course of film making: beginning to end.  I've also got some household chores I need to help out with.  AND I'm already on the books as being at work on Saturday for 8 hours -- hey, gotta pay for that trip to L.A. last month somehow. 

Will try to post a good contest post on Sunday or Monday morning.  Till then.  Stay well.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

What Role does Theme have in Romantic Comedies: Part I; Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies Volume XVII

"So what's it about?" 

Pilar Alessandra asked me at a recent Sherwood Oaks Experimental College event I attended on the Warner Brother's studio lot.  This was in response to the logline I gave her for my most recent spec. script, which is entitled, "Bubblehead Saves the Day."

If memory serves me right I told her "Bubblehead Saves the Day" was a rom-com hybrid - which it is.  And I asserted that the logline was right, this is a story where two high school seniors sabotage a robot they discover from space and change its focus from telling world leaders about a pending alien invasion in favor of helping the boys with their school work -- and scoring with chicks!

When it comes to on-the-fly communications, I'm a bit of a dipshit; I flub up a lot.  Had I been fluent in my Billy Mernit rom-com language breakdown, I COULD have picked up that what Pilar was really asking me was why the plot goes the way it does, and why do I think my story needs to be told.  Billy breaks this down in his "Developing Theme" section of his "Writing the Romantic Comedy" paperback book which you can buy on Amazon  for $11.63 -- what a steal!  If you have never read that book, and love the rom-com genre, you owe it to yourself to read Billy's priceless gem.  I just LOVE his section on structuring conflict and theme.  That's the heart of his book, in humble opinion, and well worth the $11.63 -- so go buy it now, you schmuck!

Back on task.

Never really thought much of Pilar Alessandra, UNTIL she told those in attendance her story as a logline.  Pilar Alessandra is a former sandwich girl who went on to become a reader for Steven Speilberg's Amblin Pictures.  Holy fuck!  Is that ever cool or what?  Steven Speilberg trusted this woman enough to screen incoming material for his company.  The minute Pilar said that about herself my perspective of her changed -- forever!  You see I had meet Pilar YEARS ago at a Screenwriting Expo event where she did a session on rom-coms, it was called something like "Don't Cry in Your Haugen Daus" or something like that.  I don't remember being overly impressed by her during that session.  But now that I know she was once a senior story analyst for Steven Spielberg my opinion of Pilar Alessandra has changed for-ever.

Long live Pilar Alessandra.  What a radiant woman -- and she's got nice legs too!

But Pilar's question, over which I stumbled, and re-reading Billy's book, got me to thinking a lot about theme.  More specifically the role theme plays in romantic comedy movies.

I think most of us out there think a rom-com's hit or miss factor mostly falls mostly on the leads.  Do they have "chemistry?"  Does their relationship work on the screen?  I know I'm very guilty of this, and have dismissed many rom-com's off hand simply because I did not like the romantic pairing of the leads. 

But now that the last couple of Sherwood Oaks events I've attended (in November of 2012, and most recently a couple weeks ago) have forced me to pimp up my game and come up with winning one-sheets to promote my scripts, I've been thinking more about this mysterious term, theme.  From my handy-dandy "The New American Heritage Dictionary":

Theme:an idea, point of view, or perception embodied and expanded upon in a work of art; an underlying or essential subject of atristic representation. 

So from this long-winded definition, let's distill down and say that theme is an underlying point-of-view in a story.  Make sense.  Or in other works theme is the hidden message that gets played out in a story. 

I really like what Billy Mernit has to say about "how theme is expressed" on page 95 of his "Writing the Romantic Comedy" paperback book in the "theme in character growth" couple of paragraphs.  And it involves factoring in the lead character's character arc to figure out the story's theme.

I think that factoring the lead character arc into what a story's theme is, is a  BRILLIANT approach to unraveling the mysterious "theme" issue.  Lemme explain.  Movie-goers are supposed to be rooting for the leads, following them on their journey throughout the movie's story.  Character arc is the lesson learned by the character.  So in the context of rom-coms -- as Billy Mernit is such a good proponent of -- it's how love affect the main character and how they react to the love story their involved with. 

So now we're bridging character arc into the realm of overall story theme.  Is that making sense?  Because that link is crucial to the overall breakdown of a given story and it's potential impact on a given audience. 

Why is that?

I'm glad you asked.  Because when you watch a movie you're supposed to think about the lead character's journey in light of your own experiences that you bring into the movie watching experience.  So as pertains to a lead character, you are supposed to identify with them and compare and contrast your own experiences against the overall theme as experienced by the lead characters.

Whoa.  Now we're all over the place, right?  Not exactly, Skippy.  Try to follow along. 

Theme involves the universal aspects of life that we all can feel -- not just the lead characters in a romantic comedy.  Consider the movie, "There's Somthing About Mary" (1998: Bobby and Peter Farrelly) which stared Ben Stiller and Camereon Diaz.  What's the theme of that zany, screwball comedy.  Easy.  The theme of "There's Something About Mary" is how a hot chick can make the boys go crazy.  Starts with Cameron Diaz's affect on Ben Stiller's character, but then as the story goes on the "hot chick" Mary makes a whole bunch of other potential male suitors go crazy.  Yes, it a farce theme, but it plays to something we all can relate to: pretty girl's affects on men.  No doubt you've seen in growing up.  In effort to impress a given girl, some guys have done some pretty strange stuff. 

E.C. Henry loves theme.  It is the deep side of the pool.  It's the good stuff that make you think AFTER the movie is over.  Okay, so what if you're shallow, or you're from another country and can't relate to the artists' "underlying message"?  I say enjoy the movie anyway.  These days the people making the movies graft in a lot of other stuff to make the overall movie-going experience a real treat.  Enjoy the comedy.  Enjoy the snappy dialog exchange between the characters.  Enjoy the cinematic images and special affects.  Good movies work on multiple levels.  Theme is just one of those levels.

So what is the romantic universal theme of "Bubblehead Saves the Day"?  Ha, Pilar, I've got an answer for you this time!   Actually, I even had an answer for you the day I talked to you at Warner Brother's studios, as my answer was on my one-sheet for "Bubblehead Saves the Day."

The romantic universal theme of "Bubblehead Saves the Day" is romantic misfortunes of the past can be remedied if you take action to do so.

How does that relate to the script?  Well, you'll hafta read the script and figure that out for yourself.  And just so you know I am refining the story even I write this post, and hope to have a new and improved theme for "Bubblehead Saves the Day,"  and this second one will factor in more the of the unique element which helps comprise the hybrid element of "Bubblehead Saves the Day."  Trust me I'm working on that RIGHT now.  Even going so far as to factor the theme into how I describe the action in the script.  That's right theme is affecting the very way I describe things in my script.  Is that deep or what? 

I do not like to say too much about the scripts I write.  Why?  Because I'm a showman, and I want you to experience the script for yourself.  If you tell people too much it spoils the story for them.  It's like watching the commercial for an upcoming movie that gives too much of the story away, which results in the movie-goer feeling unimpressed after wathing the show.   

Theme. Got a lot more to say about this topic.  Even how it pertains to rom-com movies.  Hence, in the title of this post I already labeled it "PART I."  More to come.  I'd like to tackle the question of distilling down the themes of some of my favorite rom-coms of all-time, and throw in some themes of the scripts that I've penned.  Don't know when these posts will come, but they will.  As the subject of theme in movies, and romantic comedy movies in specific, is a subject that I think merits much further investigation.  I hope you feel the same.  So till we talk again.  Peace, out.

Love,

E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

 

What Valentine's Day Means Today: Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies Volume XVI

Valentine's Day.  Wow, what does that mean for you today, here in 2013? 

It seams to me that every year holidays mean less and less to more and more people.  It seams to me that people are just through the motions of life and not enjoying or relishing special days like they used too.

Is Valentine's Day special?

YES, it is!  Why?  Because it's the one day of the year devoted to people expressing their love to someone else.  Think of all the articles that are associated with Valentine's Day: hearts, flowers, chocolates, Halmark cards.  We're talking stuff that breeds good-will.  And you don't want to be a part of that?  Well, I do.

Seams to me that every year I wish I had a valentine to express my love to.  Someone out there that I was genuinely attracted too, that was a potential love interest.  But such a thing is rare.  YES, their are more girls then ever before.  But of those countless millions, how many of them are legitimate, potential romantic material?  Sadly, not enough.  TRUE, this year I did actually send a box of chocolates out to a girl this year, but trust me, that's a total long shot, and I actually expect nothing to come of that gesture.  

I have gotten so used to my hopes being dashed, that nowadays I pre-dash them myself, figuring they're all bound to fail, like most everything else I've done.

Recently, my mother called me to task on this.  She said, "Son, where is your faith.  You're living in the flesh.  You're trying to do it on your own power."  

Wow, is my mom awesome or what?  Sold-out, born-again believer in Jesus.  A woman with her eyes on Heaven, eagerly awating the Lord's return.  I need to be more like my mom.  But it's hard.  

Every time I get my hopes up, they get dashed.  Dare to dream?  Well, that dream is probably not going to come true.  

A couple years ago Hollywood even made an ensemble romantic comedy entiled, "Valentine's Day" (2010: directed by Garry Marshal).  And I mean this movie had EVERYTHING going for it, actors and actress-wise I'm talking: Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Jessica Alba, Taylor Lautner.  Fuck even Taylor Swift is in this movie.  And isn't Taylor Swift like EVERYWHERE right now.  I swear I can't go five minutes in the day without hearing about SOMETHING in the life of that girl.  What did she ever do to get so famous?  Hmm...

So there's even a "Valentine's Day" movie, and even a "I Have Valentine's Day" (2009: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett) movie out there.  Neither of which arevery good, for diferenet reasons, but I digress...

Valentine's Day 2013.  Sigh.  And why is that?  Why is that when some of us think of Valentine's Day, a day that's SUPPOSED to be filled with suitors making their romantic intentions known to viable princesses in waiting, so filled with depressed angst?  

It reminds us of our own shortcomings.  For some people "Valentine's Day" is a reminder of a part of their life that is unfulfilled.  

So give your flowers, enjoy romantic dinners and all that follows afterwards....  Give candies to your loved ones -- if you have them.  The rest of us will just stew in our venom, untill it consumes us and we're wretches.   Hey!  That's NOT the way it's supposed to be.

Regaurdless of how shitty life is, and how it fails to meet your view of the ideal and fulfilled, you always need to keep your heart open.  You need to be ready for when that magic moment arrives.  God knows I've been waiting.  43 FUCKING YEARS!!!  And still waiting.  Sense the frustration?  Good.  Because it's FUCKING THERE!   

Still, not all of E.C. Henry is pent-up frustration, and bad things.  I still hold out hope of a better tomorrow.  Maybe Jesus will come back, and I'll be raptured out of here.  THAT'S much better than remaining here on Earth and being subject to all the deflating rejection and dashed hopes I experience on an all too regular basis.

The truth of the matter is that I WANT to believe in Valentine's Day.  I WANT to believe in the ideal: the giving of gifts and expressing love to a special member of the opposite sex.  It's just hard, because the mundane aspects of life keep rearing their ugly head, threatening to paint over the magical ideal, with the cold black, white and grays of everyday living. 

The movies are always cool.  They inspire me to reach for a better day.   A good rom-com will do that.  It will plant seeds of hope.  Hope that if this couple on the screen can find bliss, maybe you can too.  Some will argue that this a false reality.  If faux.  It's make believe.  But I counter with the logic that you need something to inspire you to a better day.  AND I counter with the fact that romance is a learned art.  It's something you learn how to do.  I don't know.  MAYBE it can be argued that romance is best learned from talks from mom and dad, but in my life I find the movies to be very inspiring.  I love how guys in the movies can come across and calm, cool, and collected -- and then get the girl!  No, I don't want to be just like those guy.  Actually, I want to be better!  There he goes again, E.C. Henry, pretentious as always.

So this Valentine's Day I eat my pride.  Suck in my gut and face the cold, hard stare of the man in the mirror.  Just like so many Valentine's Day's before, I'm alone.  Up shit creek without a paddle.  Going to the day job in less that 2 hours...  Sigh.  Another daily reminder of the failure that I've become. 

But I suck it up.  Man up.  Put on a happy face, and try to convince myself that today things will be better. 

So if you're not happy this Valentine's Day, realize you're not alone.  I'm right there with you.  But if you are happy this Valentine's Day, I'll try not to be an asshole to you.  I'm glad your happy.  And if you've got a single sister.  Hey, I know a guy...

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

 

Writing Can Always Save You

Life can be such a downer.  The day job: problems with literal "everyday Joes".  I'm talking people who literal live for their day job and without it have little else.  No big plans or dreams.  Rather, they are consumers.  Another perpetually downer of mine is the angst of being a undiscovered pre-pro, always wondering, "Will the Industry EVER take notice of me?!?! 

But through it all I've found a couple sources of solace.  Places where the pains of Earth come in, but and then soothed and go away.

E.C. Henry's places of solace:

1. The Lord.  Anytime I get real down, the bible and prayer is where I turn.  Why?  Because the Lord understands.  I believe God exists and is active in all of lives, whether or not we acknowledge Him back or not.  And I find that when I'm close to God things don't hurt as much.  I get His understanding, at least in part, and the petty schemes around me don't bother me as much.
2. My mother.  EVERYONE should have a mother as awesome as mine.  Think it's pitiful that my mom is my best friend?  Well fie on you!  My mother is a loving, spirit-filled Christian.  She's even got the gift of tongues.  She's a totally amazing woman.  She will not allow me to post a picture of her on my blogsite, but if I could...  You'd be blown away!  During my latest venture down to L.A. my mom even wore one of my promo tee shirt to one of the prayer meetings that she regularly attends.  True, sometimes my mom's "advice" hurts, but she is close with the Lord that no matter what I think, it doesn't matter, I hafta listen because God speaks through her.  
3. I find it so bittersweet that when it feels like my life is falling apart the most, THAT'S when the writing life is at it's best; that's when things at the keyboard are going well.  It's a perplexing teeter-totter of sorts.  And I don't get it.  Because left to my devices, if it were up to me, I'd never hafta experience pain or loss -- and the writing would always be awesome.  BUT that's not reality, as I currently experience it.  

Writing can always save you.  Not sure if I completely buy in to that sentiment.  Kinda like you wonder about the context of this picture of a monkey hugging a tiger pup.  But I know that I just can't stew over what may or may not happen in my writing career.  At this point in my life I could care less about the day job.  Yes, I'm making good $$ right now, but it's not where my heart is.  I find it very hard to connect with "average everyday Joe's"  and the mundane details of their life and the things they enjoy. 

Writing is a portal to the magic.  It's a place where I don't exactly know what's going to happened next, but I know that when I'm done with it, it will be good.  I believe in my writing.  I work very hard at it, and even now when I fail, like I get a bad review, or get stuck; it doesn't bother me like it used to.  I no longer feel the need to prove to other people that I can write.  I know I can write.  And I know I can write well. 

Right now I'm having a blast doing a beat-by-beat analysis of my latest spec. script, which is entitled, "Bubblehead Saves the Day."  Gone are the worries of crafting master scenes.  Now it's all about grafting in the poetic side, and telling a clean story beat by beat. 

One thing you may not know about me is that I have fun when I write.  The middle part of writing; after the 1st draft and before the final polish, is fun for me.  Writer's nirvana.  There's a lot of freedom I feel after I know the basic course of a story.  It's like now the fun can begin.  Of course that all ends on the tedious final pass, line editing, which sometimes for me can be more grueling than getting stuck with the plot logic of a 1st draft. 

Writing can always save you.  Throw the Lord and godly mother into the mix and you have an everlasting remedy to carry you though the darkest of days.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

Ice Water Amidst Toxic Pools

I've proven to myself on more than one occasion that when the pressure's on I have ice water in my veins.  

During this last vacation to Southern California their were two guys in our group that really graded on me.  One tried to come across as a "professional" amungst the rest of us pre-pros, the other came across as a hot-shot" winner of some contest and a black list script guy.  This guy was an especial tool, that by the end of the Sherwood Oaks event I couldn't even make eye contact with that guy.  When he looked my way, I looked the other way.  Nothing to be gained by talking to him.  Didn't like him.  Don't trust him as far as I could throw him.  Both guys also tried to make "we're in the know" talk with the guests on the panels.  Both were braggarts.   

There is only way to describe what these two guys brought with them everywhere they went: toxic environment.  They spiked the air with their very presence.   What are their name?  Dude, I'm not that kind of guy.  I don't throw other people under the bus, even if they are the kind of people who would throw me under the bus.  And one of them did just that to me at the Sherwood Oaks event, and it is something that will stay with me for a long, long time. 

Being a pre-pro amidst other pre-pros all vying for an in, into the entertainment industry is a contact sport.  It is not something to be undertaken if you are a wimp.  BUT if you stick it out, the experience will invariably make you stronger.  Kinda like competing in the Joker's "try-outs" as noted in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" which stared Christan Bale and Heath Ledger.  wise you up, and make you stronger.  What doesn't kill you always makes you stronger right?  But if you hang out with other pre-pro writers fair warning you will see the uglier side of humanity come out.  And it's not something you can plan for.  Peek out your window at one of these events where your fellow pre-pro writes have flocked and to your horror you just might see something like this --

The infected.  The pre-pro screenwriter gone toxic.  I'm starting to not like being with other pre-pro writers.  Chalk it up to having one too many bad experiences when I'm around them.  For the longest time I wanted to find others like me, and befriend them.  But after being around too many jerks, I don't wanna swim in those toxic pools any longer.  YES, I have meet some very cool pre-pro writers, people worthy of getting to know, nice, genuine people.  BUT I've also meet a lot of people who I NEVER want to know.  Don't want to talk.  Don't want to put up with their braggadocio bullshit.  Still, if they make it and I don't, I say God bless them; I know what it's like to work hard on you writing and be waiting for your big break to happen.  

Being around a lot of assholes has taught me a lot.  First and foremost it has taught me who I don't want to be.  I do not want to a big-shot talker.  Even if I had a lot of insider information, I do not enjoy such conversations.  They are exclusive.  Designed to alienate people.  Rather I favor conversations were are inclusive, which draw people in, in a spirit of good will.  E.C. Henry is not a braggart.  Rather, E.C. Henry is humble writer.  Writing has a way of doing that to a man.  I have thought I had everything right, then submitted it to my guy in L.A. only to find I needed to make corrections.  Going the humble route far exceeds the braggart's route. 

Pre-pro screenwriting clowns.  Gotta love 'em.   You see people are always smarter than you think.  I trust that people will eventually be able to see through the braggarts.  That's why during the Sherwood Oaks event I let those two clowns do their act.  Eventually they'll be called to the carpet.  Then it's put up or shut up.  And based on what I saw from those two guys, if I was an established commodity in the entertainment industry I wouldn't want to work with either one of them.

The head of Sherwood Oaks Experimental college is one of the coolest people I've ever met.  And he did something to one of those braggarts that made me smile inside.  When he did it couldn't openly laugh, as that would have been embarrassing for the guy he did it too.   The head of Sherwood Oaks Experimental College asked for volenteers for feedback on how they introduce themselves, so on of the braggarts gave his introduction, "My name is _____ (I won't give out his name) and I'm a professional screenwriter."  Not bad, right?  The guy gave his name and insisted that he's a pro.  Concise.  Confidant.  Didn't ramble on.  But immediately the head of Sherwood Oaks replied by saying, "That sucks."  Then went on to ask the guy for more details to make a better introduction.  Had a hard time not laughing given that responce.  I'm a professional screenwriter -- that sucks!    Funny stuff. 

Ice water.  E.C. Henry has it running through his veins.  And like an ice berg it runs deep!  The assholes of this world will not lure me into playing their games under their rules.  Wanna be a braggart, and big shot?  Great, you can go there.   You have that right.  And I'll wait you out, waiting for your reign of folly to end, to get to the place where the grown-ups can have a REAL conversation.  Pre-pro screenwriting assholes, our founding forefathers fought and died to give you to free speech.  True, if they's known 200 years later jerks like you would be abusing that right by being a braggart and wanna-be big shot, our forefathers probably would have laid down their arms, left the battlefield and said, "Fuck it.  Not worth it."  In which case we'd still all be under British rule and drinking alot more tea than we currently do. 

Still, from this last trip to L.A. I learned a lot.  Most notably that my personality needs to change.  From this last trip to L.A. I was amazed at how well those in the industry listen.  Most of them where soft spoken.  Quietly confident.  And gave off the appearance they knew way more then they were offering at these sessions.  They were bright, and they knew the trick of being in the momment and listening.  And that's a serious point of emphasis, a place E.C. Henry needs to work on. 

E.C. Henry needs to become a better listener, and not get so blinded by chasing my own agenda that I miss out on what the person in front of me is saying.  

During my trip my trip to L.A. I never slept more than 4 hours.  I was so keyed up inside.  "Did I maximise each and every opportunity to break in?"  "Did I miss out on an opportunity to make that key contact the makes a career?"  Their were nights in my hotel room that I just sat there and went over each session.  It was so bitter.  Hurt so much that I didn't have my breakthrough moment.

You see you're expected to go from 0 to 60 in less that 10 seconds in these outings.  I mean Hollywood is asking some of the shyest people in the world to be bubbling extroverts.  And I'm not kidding.  

So I've learned that I need to be a better speaker.  And I'm working on it.  Working on it at work actually.  Going to learn how to speak with everyone.  People who are my enemies, people who are friendly to me, and people who are indifferent to me.  I'm talking to them all.  One guy at work likes to bully me.  Shit happens when you're a soft spoken person.  Some people think that's an open invitation to shit all over you.  Not going to happen anymore.  You see I could give a shit less if I stay or go at my current job.  YES, I'm making more money per hour than I ever have at any other job.  But it's not my passion.  It's not going to be the rest of my life.  And I pity the people that this job is their destination.  It is their Mecca.  Their life. 

Can an introvertedwriter become a blabbermouth?  Well, that remains to be seen -- but I'm working on it.  Right now I feel very awkward.  Like a baby that's learning to speak.  But I'm also leaning the valuable lesson of repoire.  I'm leaning that even if my words aren't taken the right way I can make amends and rebound.  The fear of offending others has kept me quiet for much of my life.  I always feared I'd say the wrong thing, and would offend someone unintentionally.  

But being too guarded and quiet has some major pitfalls.  Most nobably you screw yourself out of the chance of developing repore with someone else and developing friendships.   

Fuck, having no friends sucks.  I hate all the shit I hafta do all by myself because I don't have any friends.  So in that case I have nothing to lose.  Who am I going to offend?  I already don't have any friends.  So theoritically it's all up from here.   We'll see...

Going forward I'm going to continue to write.  Still need to put "Bubblehead Saves the Day" to bed, as it's not as good as it can be with some more work.  And I'm going to continue to TRY to work on expanding my persona.  My new focus is to be the fool.  Be the guy that other people use and abuse.  As in the back of my mind I feel that's were I can fit in amongst Hollywood's comedic elite.  I don't hafta be the star.  RatherI can be the star's punching dummy.  I don't hafta be the headliner.  No, I just want a place at the table.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

A Writer Turned Inside-out: Chimpy Revisited

I got back from the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College's "Meeting and Giving Material to Actors Directors, and their Companies" Tuesday January 29 through February 1st sessions yesterday afternoon.  Any big breakthroughs to report?  No, not at the moment.  Didn't get a spec. script sale or an option -- but I'm still working at it, following some leads and composing thank you notes to some attendees in the industry I met. 

I guess the biggest news for me right now is an epiphany I had after my parents picked me up at the airport: I'm going to have show the world how one of the characters I wrote works via film.  That's right E.C. Henry is going to do a series of shorts which feature him acting out as the "Chimpy" character.

So why is a naturally shy person going to do this?  I mean you are a writer, are you not?!  Yes, I am a writer.  But something dawned on me after hearing some of the panelists in the industry speak: you've got to do it yourself.  You have to be willing to go WAAAY beyond the mere writing of the script.  You have to have a marketing plan, promotions, and be able to prove certain aspects of yourself and how the script works. 

It's all on me.  I can't really on anyone for anything.  As one panelist said, "You hafta do the thinking for them."

So someone who has no friends.  Who has been belitled, humiliated and spit on by just about everyone I've ever come in contact with since grade school is going to hafta re-invent himself, and prove his ideas can work on the big screen. 

E.C. Henry is going to do a series of short films in which I star as Chimpy.  

I am going to learn how to do a low budget film.  I'm going to hafta teach people how to work a camera, as I will be one of the perfomers on the screen.  I'm going to learn how to direct.  I am going ot hafta learn how to edit a film.  I'm going to hafta learn all of this and more.  I am going to hafta test and prove that my ideas do in fact work on screen.  

It has been a long time since I've done anything with "Give It Up for Chimpy."  My goal all along was to convince Hollywood to buy it from me and give it to the pros in the industry.  Then let them work their magic on it.  I am not a stand-up comedian.  And I'm not very good at carrying on a conversation.  There is a reason why people become writers.  They are generally shy, introspective people.  But if you want to make in Hollywood, trust me, you've got to prove you can be much more than just that. 

So what's the game-plan now?  Well-p.  This is going to be the beginning of a new chapter in my life.  And it's not going to happen overnight.  I am going to continue to write spec. scripts, and blog on this site, but I'm also going to work on my outward persona much more.  I can't just write.  I hafta change my personality.  I hafta become more outgoing.  I hafta become better at talking to people.  And you have no idea how hard that is going to be for me.  But I'm going to try.

E.C. Henry's Upcoming Changes:

1. Educate myself on editing film.  Buy a book on guerrila filmmaking, and buy the software needed to put together films.  I'm going to become a film-maker: I want to shoot film, then learn how to put the pieces together into something presentable.  
2. I'm going to come up with a "Chimpy" bible.  I am going to map this character out and know him inside and out.  What makes him funny, and how that can be expanded.   Back when I was writing Chimpy the first time, I remember how I used to just stand in front of the mirror and make up ridiculous faces, that I thought would work for Chimpy.  Now I'm going back to my roots and going to start doing that again.
3. I am going to become the first Chimpy.  I am going to physically put the monkey suit on, and make-up to play the Chimpy character.
4. I am going to "crew-up" and film some "Chimpy" shorts.

And all of this is going to take some serious time.  I've got a lot to learn.  But the key thing is, I'm willing to do it.  Heck even as of Feburary 19, 2013, a fellow poster off Jennifer Love Hewitt's message board even corrected me that it's "guerrilla" not "gorilla": guerrilla warfare vs. gorilla: the ape-ish animal.  

So...  DESPITE my misuse of the word guerrilla vs. gorilla an all the other obvious shortcomings I have set against me, I press on.  Falling forward.  Learn something from every exchange, even if it's negative in nature.   Still, there are a few reasons to believe that E.C. Henry will able to pull this off.

First off, I'm a dogged person.  Back in high school I remember how hard higher math was for me.  Just to get by I used to show up early for math, and stay for after-hours counselling sessions.  Thank God Orting High School had Mr. Gram as its lone, higher math teach.  Mr. Gram made himself available for after-hours tutoring -- and I took him up on that.  My whole life I've felt like I wasn't good enough and needed extra work just to compete with the rest of my peers.  And THAT'S not such a bad place to be; it teaches you work ethic and toughens your character .  

Second, as pertains to comedy, I think I know where my place can be: the fool!  I know how to act goofy, and am willing to be the constant butt of the joke.  Let the Adam Sandler's of the world continue to be the Adam Sandler's of the world.  And let the Rodney Dangerfield's of the world continue to be the Rodney Dangerfield's of the world.  Me being a stand-up performer would be painful to watch.  I just don't have that sharp mind you need to pull it off and interface with an audience.  BUT I am going to work on that aspect of my game.  As it is now plainly evident to me, that is what is expected of any screenwriter who claims to possess the ablilty to write comedy: you have to be able to perform.  

So, I'm going the fool route.  And you know what, I've done it before.  Long time ago, when I was in junior high I was in the choir.  But when I started singing the choir director found I was woefully off-key so guess what they made me the Almond Joy, guy in a box who danced out durring the performance and threw Mounds and Almond Joy candies up into the audience.  We're talking cuts in the box so you could see, and wearing tights.  Ridiculous.  Humiliating.  I was a fool -- but at least had a part in the performance.

Well-p, I've said enough for now.  And a lot of this is subject to change, like if some Hollywood entity is willing to take a chance on me.  THEN I have no choice but to pursue that lead, and try to land a sale.   Writing wise I'm working on a new beginning sequence for "Bubblehead Saves the Day", one that incorporates both leads on page one, as right now the leads first appear a couple pages in after some set-up of the unique aspect of the story.  I'm also going to start carding up cork boards for several scripts I'm considering doing after "Bubblehead" is done.  Then there is coming up with a new "Bubblehead" picture.  A funnier one, you'll see...

So E.C. Henry the writer continues.  AND now as you've just read, E.C. Henry the performer is going to start expanding as well.  Can I pull it off?  Stay tuned.  Time will tell.