Does this sound familiar?

I know it’s imperative that I complete the science fiction novel I started, yet I find myself doing everything, but finishing the novel.  I’ve watched Youtube videos and read by books by several motivational speakers, so I understand the importance of setting goals and taking action. I’m constantly reading books by great writers, which is one of the ways you improve your craft. I take the time to write articles and short stories, which is still writing, but if I keep taking side roads, I’ll never reach my final destination.

Isn’t it strange how two completely different fears can have the same result?

I fear failure. Once I finish the novel, I know that I’ll start submitting it to agents and/or publishers and I’ll have to face the very real possibility of rejection and criticism of my work.  Having a short story, essay or article rejected is not a big deal, because I didn’t put that much time into the process.  However, I’ve also had several feature length screenplays turned down, and I know how much those e-mails sting.

I fear success. Success would mean giving up my job as a forklift operator, and taking full responsibility for my life. I would no longer have a predictable work schedule, or a  regular paycheque. How much would I be paid to speak at libraries and writers’ conferences? How much would I earn from book royalties?  Could an agent sell the film rights to my books and short stories? If I had a popular novel, would directors and producers finally take my screenplays seriously?

And yet, I want to find out. I want to know whether I have what it takes to be a successful writer and the only way to find out is finish the novel. Do you have a major writing project that could change your life? Perhaps it’s time you made that final effort to cross the finish line. You could be signing books and doing interviews sooner than you think. For writers, it often only takes one book or one screenplay to move from obscurity to being a headliner at writers’ conferences.

Copyright © 2018 by J. Paul Cooper

It was seven o’clock in the morning in the spring of 2016 and normally I would have been standing in a circle with the other warehouse employees, being assigned my duties for the day. Immediately after the huddle, I’d begin by completing the daily safety inspection of my forklift. On this Monday morning, however, I was going to be inspected. At any moment my name would be called, and I’d follow a nurse into the next room to prepare for a colonoscopy.
No one looks forward to having a camera, regardless how small it is, pushed up their nether regions, but if it can reduce the risk of colon cancer, it’s worth the temporary discomfort. I just wanted to get it over with. If the doctor said I was clear, I wouldn’t have to undergo the procedure again for ten years.
I checked my smartphone to pass the time, hoping for an e-mail that didn’t invite me to complete a survey, or remind me of a relative’s birthday. I was hoping for an e-mail from an editor or a producer. I’ve been writing for over twenty years and I’m always waiting for replies for the short stories, essays and screenplays that I submit. I work in a warehouse to pay the bills, I write because it’s my passion.
One of the television and film companies I had recently submitted a script to was in South Africa. Modern technology has opened up markets around the globe for writers; you can contact companies through their websites and then submit your work by e-mail. Before the internet became a reality, researching writing opportunities in Africa and submitting scripts would have been much more difficult, perhaps impossible.
As the nurse called my name, I put my smartphone away and walked through the door. A few minutes later, after changing into a hospital gown and answering a few questions, the nurse wheeled my bed into a room with a large monitor on one wall. With the help of some mild sedation to help me relax, the procedure wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as I had anticipated. So there I was, it was a beautiful spring morning and I was looking at the inside of my colon.
Meanwhile, a producer was preparing to send a response from Johannesburg. It was decision time, either the producer was going to make an offer or reject my script.
The procedure was over in less than twenty minutes and my colon was fine. An hour and half after I arrived at the Colon Cancer Screening Centre I was back at the main entrance, waiting for a family member to pick me up. When I looked at my phone, the first thing I noticed was that I had received an e-mail from the film and television company in South Africa.
As I read the politely worded e-mail, I couldn’t help but smile at the irony of the situation.; it had taken less time for the e-mail rejecting my screenplay to travel from the other side of the planet, than it had taken for the camera to travel through my colon. The wonders of modern technology….

Copyright © 2017 By J. Paul Cooper

The books on this list aren’t about how to write screenplays; there are countless books on that subject. These books are for those of us who are learning to write screenplays, and it isn’t practical to leave their day jobs to work in the film and television industry.  These books provide general knowledge about how the American film industry works. I’m Canadian, but that doesn’t change the fact that Hollywood still has the greatest influence.

On The Set: The Hidden Rules of Movie Making Etiquette (2012) by Paul J. Salamoff

One way to learn about how film sets operate is working as a Film Extra (Background Performer) but depending on an individual’s work schedule and family responsibilities this may not be practical. On The Set is an excellent primer on how the many roles work together to make a movie take shape. This book will help you learn the language of filmmakers.

What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting (2007) by Mark Norman

Although there are many thriving film industries around the globe, for many screenwriters, Hollywood and the American film industry is still the dream. What Happens Next describes how screenwriters were  involved in the evolution of the film industry. I remember watching an instruction video by a screenwriting guru that begins with him driving his European sports car past palm trees, on a beautiful day with clear skies. What Happens Next tells you about the storms.

Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency (2016) by James A. Miller

How do deals get made in Hollywood? Although, as the title states, this book is about the history of the Creative Artists Agency, it also offers a clear picture of how deals are made in the film industry and how agents promote their clients. Before reading Powerhouse I understood that they represented their clients, but I had no idea how many other services they provide.  This is a fascinating look at how the players in Hollywood interact with each other.

Reading about the history of the film industry and how deals are completed is fascinating, but it doesn’t replace the essential learning experience of any writer, and that is actually writing. I enjoy watching interviews with famous writers on YouTube, visiting their websites, and reading their books, but if I’m not committed to sitting down and doing the hard work of putting my thoughts on paper, I’ll never reach my goal of becoming a full-time writer.  I hope that you’ll find some time this week to write, because you have unique stories, and unique points of view that only you can share with the world.

Copyright © 2017 by J. Paul Cooper

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever used Google, Bing or Dogpile to search for your name on the internet? Since your name is your brand, it’s important to find out how that brand is being used on the internet.  Here are some things to discover…..

YOU MAY HAVE BEEN QUOTED. I discovered that someone who blogs for a science fiction website has quoted from my short story, “The Dinner Guest.” He found the short story in the print anthology Canadian Tales of the Fantastic (2011).

SOMEONE MAY HAVE COMMENTED ON YOUR WRITING. Some websites are set up to notify you if anyone comments on your writing, but not all of them. Positive comments are better, but even negative comments prove that readers are paying attention to what you’re writing.

YOUR EBOOK MAY HAVE BEEN PIRATED. I’m not a well known writer and my eBook isn’t a bestseller, yet several websites are offering it as a free download along with thousands of other eBooks. I don’t recommend downloading your eBook to see if it works, because there’s always the possibility it’s a scam and you’ll unknowingly download a virus with the eBook.

IT WILL HELP YOU KEEP TRACK OF WHERE YOUR BOOK IS AVAILABLE. Through  simple searches using my name and book titles, I’ve found my young readers novel, Fluffy: a Cat’s Tale and my eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper displayed by online bookstores in Japan and Australia, as well as several European online bookstores. Even if your books are out-of-print they may still be circulating through the marketplace as used books on Amazon and eBay, and people may still be borrowing them from libraries.

I hope that you’ll find time to write this week, because it’s your voice, your passion.

Copyright © 2017 by J. Paul Cooper

I was sitting in a lunchroom enjoying a microwave dinner and wondered if a computer was watching me through the security camera. The video camera was positioned to see the entire room and it was always there, silently recording everything we did. If you’re a writer, you understand; everything you observe has potential to be either the inspiration for a story or an element in a story.

Thinking about a computer watching me eat a microwave dinner was the inspiration for a piece of flash fiction “Just a Microwave Dinner?” The question I asked was: What would happen if you logged onto a computer and it started complaining about how the computers involved in producing microwave dinners are taken for granted?

The story was originally published as a podcast for Episode #55 (August 7, 2016) on the flash fiction  website: http://www.noextrawords.wordpress.com. My story starts at 8 mins, 40 secs into the recording.

JUST A MICROWAVE DINNER?
Copyright © 2016 By J. Paul Cooper
Sorry If I’ve startled you by sending an unexpected text. I’m LX-45/A-1 and I’ve been watching you through the security camera in the lunchroom. I probably shouldn’t be commenting; computers like myself are supposed to work in the background and never be heard from. And yet, I’m so tired of people taking all our hard work for granted, especially when it comes to how we are involved in the careful, loving preparation of their food.
Take for instance, that microwave dinner with pasta and vegetables that you brought with you to work this morning. When the buzzer rings for your thirty minute lunch break, you’ll throw it in the microwave for five minutes, and then forget about it while you go to the washroom. When you return, a carefully prepared, delicious meal is waiting for you. Do you think that happens by magic? Our work begins weeks earlier, thousands of miles from the grocery store where you bought the microwave dinner.
Computer HS7834 schedules the work crews on the company farm where the wheat for the pasta is harvested. The employees who drive the combine harvesters are assigned employee numbers, because they need licences to operate the equipment. Efficiency is the number one priority, that’s why HS7834 recorded that employee #17 arrived at 07:03 when he was scheduled to start working at 07:00 on 10/12/2015. This type of data is recorded because we care about you. If operations are less efficient because of tardy employees, then the cost of the wheat being harvested will increase and so will the price of your microwave dinner. If employee #17 continually fails to arrive on time, he will be replaced by a more responsible employee, so the price of your microwave dinner will remain stable.
The workers who harvest the vegetables aren’t assigned employee numbers, so N7-39-4A uses accounting software that includes them in the budget as miscellaneous labour costs. Once again, our decisions are made solely for your benefit. A recent example is how N7-39-4A dealt with an injured worker. Jose fell off a flat bed carrying workers to the field and broke his arm, but no record of the injury was required, since he was never assigned an employee number. He was replaced by Manuel, another experienced farm labourer, the same day. You have nothing to worry about; the delivery of your next microwave dinner won’t be delayed because of the incident.
Trucks are used to bring the produce from the wheat and the vegetables farms to the main processing plant. You can relax, knowing that computer X79-47L will ensure that the produce is delivered promptly to the assembly lines. All the trucks are equipped with GPS tracking devices, so X79-47L at the trucking company headquarters knows exactly where they are at all times and can let 23-45-89/L7 at the processing plant know when to expect deliveries.
The drivers are required to keep records of how many hours they spend driving. Their records are of interest to both X79-47L and 23-45-89/L7. If one of the drivers was to fall asleep at the wheel causing a serious accident, it could potentially increase insurance premiums, and force the producer to increase prices. X79-47L and 23-45-89 L7 want to avoid anything that might increase the cost of your microwave dinner.
The computer which manages productivity and quality control on the assembly line, V974K, ensures you receive your money’s worth and that’s why Employee #124 is being watched closely. Your microwave dinner should include 4 slices of carrot, but some microwave dinners have only 3 carrot slices because of Employee #124’s carelessness. Based on the weight of the completed trays, video surveillance, and motion detectors, V974K has determined that Employee #124 drops on average 7.3 carrot slices per week. It makes V974K’s transistors overheat, knowing that you may be one of the “3 carrot slice victims.” Employee #127 only drops 4.8 carrot slices per week, and he is less experienced that Employee #124.
After the meals are packaged they’re moved to a cold storage unit, where X9/E3-65 maintains the proper temperature so your meal is properly preserved, but not damaged by freezer burn. X9/E3-65 will never be thanked by anyone, but just knowing that you will enjoy your microwave dinner is enough.
The trucks delivering the microwave dinners to the grocery stores use GPS devices just like the trucks that carry the produce to the processing plant. R7-45/A, the grocery stores inventory computer, knows when trucks are arriving and what products they are delivering. R7-45/A makes sure employees are scheduled to receive products and stock shelves and freezers.
Since you use a debit card, and your buying habits are tracked, R7-45/A takes into account that you always purchase your microwave dinners on Thursdays between 1900 hrs and 2200hrs. Your next microwave dinner will be waiting for you in the frozen food aisle, because R7-45/A is a friend who knows you better than you know yourself.
The next time you put your delicious pasta and vegetable dinner in the microwave, remember that we care. All the best from; HS7834, N7-39-4A, X79-47L, 23-45-89/L7, V974K, L9/E3-65, R7-45/A and of course, yours truly, LX-45/A-1.
P.S. You might want to consider using fewer squares of toilet paper at work. You use an average of 14.3 squares each time you use the washroom and the average for most employees is 11.6. There’s no need to panic, I brought this to your employer’s attention months ago, and you haven’t been fired yet. The End.

What crazy thoughts will cross your mind this week?  Will you just ignore them, or take a moment to consider whether they would make great story ideas?  If you’re writing a murder mystery, wouldn’t the portable toilets being used by the construction crew down the street be a great place to hide a body? Where do you normally go for a walk? If you discovered an alien spaceship, would you call the authorities or make contact yourself?

Keep dreaming, keep writing…you never know where it may lead you.

J. Paul Cooper