Remember back in May when I said that the Wildsound Festival had done a reading of The Union Infirmary, my part two of Day Three of the Fast and Furious Festival Here, and I was offered the chance to do a video pitch for the Wildsound Festival?
The pitch was accepted, the video was made, and here it is -- just look at this! Just look at how that story done here is meeting and about to meet the international audience!
The filmographer decided to connect my short story to the price our servicemen have paid across all of history to the present day ... as the daughter of a veteran, it was a LOT to take in ... POWERFUL ... at the edge of too-much-ness ... the power of film to take that gritty story to the next level was riveting.
I was told by the film coordinator that the usual time it takes to do a project like this is 6-8 weeks -- selection of legal images, music, audio, etc, but because of the challenge of the subject, they really wanted to make sure to represent things well and so took a little extra time -- at no additional charge to me for those extra work hours -- to get this RIGHT.
Now, I should mention: this wasn't free. Generally, it is $100 PER MINUTE of film, so, you can do the math -- but because my story was so strong on the reading side and they really wanted to do it, the price was knocked back to $200.
Don't let money be an obstacle, though -- if this is something you want to do, go by the monthly reading path FIRST, and see if you are accepted for a reading. That's only $20 for a short story reading (https://novelwritingfestival.com/onepage/), and $35 for a novel chapter (https://novelwritingfestival.com/). I'll help you with the cost if you let me know you need it -- my writing on Hive means I have a few HBD lying around -- and perhaps others will help too. We're a HIVE, remember? Even big whales around here will go for "The Takeover of the Wildsound Festival, coming out of the Ink Well Community on Hive" -- it promotes what we are all doing here on Hive!
ANYWAY, I digress -- apply for a reading first. Go through all the Ink Well tips on how to write a compelling story, because the rules are BASICALLY the same. Again, don't be afraid to ask for comments ... we all can read your stuff and give you ideas to improve before you put money and your work out there -- remember that "two comment" requirement we ALREADY HAVE? If your stories are solid, Wildsound may make YOU an offer and knock that price down, and AGAIN, don't let money be an object, because the process rolls over again EVERY MONTH and you have TIME to get that together. The deadline for August just passed, but there will be another opportunity in September, and October, and November, and December! I'll help you. Others may as well! If you believe in your work, and this is something you want to do, don't be afraid -- get your work ready and DO IT.
Big THANK YOUS (AGAIN!!!!!!) to @theinkwell, @shanibeer, @jayna, @agmoore, @gracielaacevedo, and EVERYONE in and around The Ink Well for the encouragement to become a better writer every week -- and, do check out https://novelwritingfestival.com/ for yourself (yeah, I'm talking to YOU, @iamharryianne, @sunnyag, @wrestlingdesires, @amirtheawesome1, @kemmyb, @riottales, @justclickindiva, @bruno-kema, @katleya, @young-boss-karin, @ricardo993, @iyimoga, @kaerpediem, and anyone else I've enjoyed reading whose name I cannot remember right now) if you would like to have the chance to hear your work performed by voice actors and have the chance to have your work turned into a professional video and be noted by international audiences!
Congratulations my friend!
I'm glad to see your dreams come true. And certainly, if you follow your ideals you can't let them change you, even if the cost decreases, follow what you believe is right.
Many successes my friend, I am really happy about that.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
I find that GENERALLY, patience and persistence and hunting high and low helps me to find resources for the opportunities that come to me ... I also find that GENERALLY, gratitude and generosity toward others who might be wanting greater access also is important!
Thank you for sharing this, @deeanndmathews. It's wonderful that you have a goal and go for it. It's even better when people see the value in what you do.
Congratulations!
Thank you ... like I said, the door is open to everybody ... there's so much talent in the Ink Well and I hope more of us can really stretch out on the fact that what we do here is both valuable and a valuable step to doing even more of value! We've been through a lot of changes in these two years ... but doors are still open to us...
@deeanndmathews Thanks for sharing and mentioning me in this post. I appreciate your efforts and congratulate you on achieving your goal. As for I am concerned, it's too early for me to try anything like this as I am still in the beginning stage. But, maybe one day I will follow in your footsteps. Thank you!
Well, it did take me a few years to get confidence up ... but hey, the path is laid out now -- follow whenever you feel ready!
What a fabulous outcome!
So great to see the progression of an idea, a story that started as an exercise to get the creative skills working.
Congratulations @deeanndmathews! 😍
Thank you for your support for the writing community!
You're welcome and THANK YOU!
❤️
That's pretty darned awesome!
Thanks for encouraging me to seek video opportunities -- haven't yet gotten there for the Kirk Family Universe, but I am now on my way!
Very cool!
This is so awesome :) !!! Congratulations :) !!! You really deserve this!
I'll have a look - but which one would I even submit!
They do this every month -- so pick TWELVE! The short story one has to be one page (400 words if I remember right), so that will help narrow it down!
It certainly would, I don't think I have even one that short, lol
See how easy that was? So, you will have to create one with that in mind ... and that's what you'll send in!
I'll think about it :) Maybe I should wait until my writing is more polished?
They do want you to "edit the heck out of it" ... but consider that you can use the commentary in the Ink Well over time to help you get to that point. Think about what you have written from week to week ... is there a core around which you can wrap a shorter story? REMEMBER: I reached back and got a short story from the Ink Well from last year and submitted it ... so, consider looking at the prompts and getting some feedback, and then polishing that up with the feedback you get...
Sounds like a plan :) I love what they did with yours! How did you hear about them?
This is the coolest thing, @deeanndmathews! I somehow missed it. Great job and thanks for sharing. I really do need to look into this.
I'M TELLING YOU -- the Ink Well could basically take this over with TWELVE opportunities per year! The readings -- entry cost is just $20 for a 400-word story reading -- and they would take practically EVERYTHING because the rules are just about the same as the Ink Well! We have so many authors that write evocative, powerful stories -- it would HAVE TO BE that some of those would get the movie pitch offer, and there are enough of us here to help with the costs if that were an issue!