The 3 a.m. Screenwriter

The Mistress by Laura Hedges

Justin W Hedges — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:36:10 GMT

Justin has a mistress.

I know about her.

The kids do too.

She is the elephant in the room.

And she's not even pretty!

Justin was always upfront about his feelings for another while we dated and then when we got married. But like most people I thought he would outgrow it or at least get tired of it. After all, it took up a lot of his time.

But no. He's hooked. It's an obsession. Drastic measures had to be taken.

Justin tried to go cold turkey several times. No go. Then he tried only on the weekends. Didn't work. Finally he had to admit to his uncontrollable infidelity.

Being the good (okay, bitchy) wife that I am I kicked that damned mistress to the curb and put her on the top shelf of the closet to collect dust. Try fooling around up there Justin!

Damn video games.

Do you have a story like this? Is there that one thing in your life that you allow to creep into your life, your time, at the sake of the important things in your life? Don't diminish it, saying you're in control, you can stop anytime. You can't. You don't. You say you need it. Some, like Justin, kick their feet like a toddler when they can't have it.

Okay, your mistress might be different. Maybe you veg in front of the tv, or you surf the net, or Twitter, or Facebook, when you should be writing.

Contrary to what Justin may tell you, I am NOT a drill instructor, I swear! I indulged Justin's need for down time after work. After all, he IS the 3 a.m. Screenwriter, works a full-time job, is a father and husband. Everyone deserves some time to decompress.

But not at the expense of writing. Not if writing is the thing that you would rather do full-time instead of that day job. This is your dream. But it's also a job, kind of like child-rearing It needs its own personal time and nurturing.

"But I'm so busy! I need some downtime!" Yes, I know. We're all very busy. Jobs. Kids. Stuff with the kids. All those little things in life that require our attention. I worked a 50 hour week, commuted 2 hours a day for work, went to school full-time online, had 5 kids wondering what was for dinner every night, and I made A's. Why? Because I limited my distractions and focused on what was important to me (good grades). Yeah, I know busy. And hey, I'm not superwoman (but I could rock that outfit!).

So what's the answer? Get rid of the distractions that steal your time. Distractions do NOTHING to further the pursuit of your dreams. Instead they rob you blind, fog your brain, and fill you with guilt afterwards. Distractions are like a buffet; good idea in the beginning but oh so bad for you when you over-do it.

Small changes. Big progress.

Next on the 3 a.m. Screenwriter... Sustainable Disciplines by Justin W. Hedges

Until then, Keep Writing!

Doubting Thomas by Laura Hedges

Justin W Hedges — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:35:10 GMT
Guest Post by Laura Hedges

Do you wake up muttering "I feel good. I feel fine. I feel wonderful" like Bill Murray? Or are you Stuart Smalley, reciting affirmations of "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!"

Why are you doubting yourself?

I'm no expert in, well, anything. (see that? I just doubted myself!) I do hold a Masters degree in Psychology for which I am extremely proud. Obviously I am just like everyone else... NORMAL. Normal in the fact that not everyday is a Superman day. Some days you just question who you are, what your worth is, and if the life path you chose is the right one.

To which I say, are you happy? Do you enjoy what life throws at you? And are you working towards that goal you have set for yourself? Or, are you so afraid of success that you doom yourself to fail? You stutter step your way through your masterpiece, muttering to yourself that it's shit, and voila it is!

So what am I saying? (Mutter to self... what AM I saying?) I'm saying that you, yes YOU, are good enough but you have to believe. And you're not alone. I routinely kick Justin upside the head when he questions himself. When he gets stuck in a rut I remind him of his normalcy. For some reason writers think that if they're not churning out 20 pages a day that they're failing. I say you're crazy in the freaking head. That big old thing called life does not always allow for all day, every day uninterrupted writing time!! But even though you know this, you doubt yourself.

I've told people for a long time now... just write. If it's a pile of steaming poo then at least it's a written pile of steaming poo. And it keeps the creative juices going that help you to NOT write poo the next time. Just keep writing.

And every once in a while remind yourself of your worth. Stand in front of that mirror and shout to the world that you're good enough, smart enough, and people like you! Go back and read what you've written before to remind you that YOU DID THAT! You wrote that script, short story, book, chapter, music, lyrics, whatever it may be.

And if you need a swift kick in the head, let me know. I'm available by appointment.

Until next time...

Keep Writing

Blame Julie and Jessica: A Promise Kept

Justin W Hedges — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:34:14 GMT
Soasyoumayrememberlastweekitoldyouiwouldbetakingrequestsin2012fromyouyesyouthe
regularreadersofthe3a.m.Screenwriterthat'smeJustinWHedgesakathe3a.m.Screenwriteranyway

itoldyouiwastakingrequestsandJulieKingandJessicaKeckrequestedahighlycaffeinatedpost

sohereitis!

You can blame Julie King and Jessica Keck, or it could be Julie Keck and Jessica King, for this post.

Those crazy King Is A Fink girls asked for something highly-caffeinated, after all. Be careful what you wish for, ladies.

Until next time...

Keep Writing!

Blame Wonder Russell: A Promise Kept Pt. 2

Justin W Hedges — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:34:14 GMT
Who's to blame for this non-screenwritery piece of video? Wonder Russell, actress/writer/producer. I told you I was taking requests for posts on the 3 a.m. Screenwriter, and Miss Russell asked for a cat video via Twitter. Here you go:

Be careful what you ask for, Miss Russell.

Until next time...

Keep Writing

What To Expect 2012

Justin W Hedges — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:39:55 GMT

2011 Summary

Allow me to sum up my 2011 blogging experience as honestly as possible... it sucked big, nasty, hairy donkey balls.

There were some great highlights, sure: interviews with My First Three social media contacts Karen Quah, Chip Street, and Gary Sanders; announcing Joke and Biagio's new show on MTV, Caged, which premiered last night, and everything to do with Dying To Do Letterman; and a guest post from one of my favorite snarky Tweeps, Kelly Anelons, Twitter and the Savvy Screenwriter. Other than that, though, things have been stone cold silent, and that has got to change.

So, the question is, "What now?"

Now, it's time to make some commitments and follow through on them, show y'all I haven't lost my touch as a blogger.

2012 Focus

This year the 3 a.m. Screenwriter will be focusing on trying to help you. Although I'm still skirting on the edges of success, I believe there are several areas in which I can help you achieve your dreams like I'm going to do in 2012. I'm calling it the When, Where, and Why of Screenwriting. There are plenty of people out there who can teach you How to write a screenplay, and Marvin V. Acuna's Business of Show Institute pretty much has the business side of screenwriting covered. However, I'm pretty sure I can help you figure out When to write, no matter your hectic schedule; Where to write, no matter how on-the-go you are; and Why you should write, no matter how deep your creative funk.

What To Expect

A new post from Yours Truly every two weeks starting January 23, 2012, addressing the When, Where, and Why of Screenwriting.

A new interview/guest-post series in which I'll be asking some of my screenwriting and filmmaking friends to share how THEY balance their dreams and passions with non-screenwriting work, family, and other obstacles and obligations that can get in the way.

The Return of the Vlog! That's write, the Vlog will make a return in February 2012. Subject matter will vary from simple updates to videos that supplement visually that week's post on the When, Where, and Why.

There will also be the occasional unschedule promotional post like you've grown used to, promoting the projects of others like you've seen in the past with projects from Joke Productions, King Is A Fink, etc.

Finally, a drum roll please... In 2012 my wife, LAURA HEDGES herself, will be guest posting on the 3 a.m. Screenwriter. She's going to be sharing with you how she, as a screenwriter's spouse, helps to manage all of my little idiosyncrasies that challenge me as a screenwriter: writer's block, insecurity, motivation, etc. Drawing on her experiences as a wife and mother and her education in psychology, she'll be sharing a big chunk of that wisdom that prompted one of my favorite Tweeps to call her "the Dr. Laura of screenwriters." Laura is going to have free reign on these articles, so in addition to dropping some great knowledge on you, she also might just be pulling back the curtain a little on the great and powerful 3 a.m. Oz.

Finally, A Request

Recently, a Tweep DM'd me on Twitter while pulling long hours trying to meet a deadline and asked me, "How do you do it?" This person was referring to my schedule and 3 a.m. Screenwriter-iness. The answer was simple: you get used to it. This gave me two ideas. First, the first true post of the year on January 23rd will be a detailed answer on that question, How Do I Do It. Second, I want to know more about WHAT YOU WANT. Tweet me. Facebook me. Tell me what you want to know, what your questions are about the When, Where, and Why of Screenwriting. I'll do my best to answer, either personally or on this blog.

Until next time...

Keep Writing

Dying To Help Dying To Do Letterman: Part Two

Justin W Hedges — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:58:43 GMT

Let's call this the 'movie version' of Dying To Help Dying To Do Letterman, and I am dying of embarrassment over it. I promised the supporters of the Dying To Do Letterman Kickstarter campaign a video of me reciting a poem in honor of Steve while wearing a musketeer costume if the campaign goal of $37,000 was reached. Like I needed to. Filmmakers Joke and Biagio and fellow producers Steve and Denise Mazan reached that goal in just FIVE DAYS.

It's now August 29, 2011, the campaign has raised over $49,000 and has just six days left. Joke, Biagio, Steven, and Denise are committed to using every dollar over the $37,000 goal to tour the film around the country to as many places as possible. If you want to contribute, just go to the Dying To Do Letterman campaign site and pledge as little as $1 to the campaign. There's great swag to be had for contributing, and you'd possibly be helping bring this amazing film to a theatre near you!

Following the video, which includes a funny twist for you Game of Thrones fans out there, I've posted in full my re-imagining of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's epic poem The Charge of the Light Brigade in honor of Steve. Without further ado:

The Charge Of The Mazan Knight

by Justin, Lord Hedges

Special thanks to Alfred, Lord Tennyson for writing a great poem like the Light Brigade for me to butcher.

Two years, three years

Four years onward

As bravely and as wittily as he might

Rode the Mighty Mazan Knight;

‘Letterman,’ the Knight declared!

‘I’ll reach for my dreams’ he blared:

Into the face of the Unknown

Rode the Mazan Knight.

‘Letterman,’ the Knight affirmed!

Was his dream to be confirmed?

Not when the Knight knew

Eddie Brill had refused;

His not to make reply,

His not to reason why,

His but to do or die,

Into the face of the Unknown

Rode the Mazan Knight.

Naysayers to the right of him,

Deniers to the left of him,

Only the dream in front of him,

Confounded and flustered;

Stormed at with No and Never,

Boldly he joked, so clever,

Facing down the Unknown,

Doubting his might as he lay alone,

Rode the Mazan Knight.

Laying all his soul to bare,

Exposing his talents to strange air,

Cracking up the doubters there,

Chasing an impossible dream while

All the world wondered;

Plunged into the journey body and soul,

Right through all skeptics he rode; Brill & Letterman

Reeled from his tale,

For his talent did prevail.

Proudly he rode back, his trials not

Without avail.

Naysayers to the right of him,

Deniers to the left of him,

Only the Unknown in front of him,

Enlightened and at peace;

Stormed at with No and Never,

While hero struggled with disease;

He that had joked so well,

Laid waste the power of the Unknown

Achieving an impossible dream,

Living on in spite of his disease.

When can his glory fade? Never!

‘Cause o’ the wild journey he made!

Honor the journey!

Honor the ride!

Honor, Honor the Mighty Mazan Knight.

Dying to Help Dying To Do Letterman

Justin W Hedges — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:59:50 GMT

In December 2010, the 3 a.m. Screenwriter blog featured its very first exclusive. Joke Fincioen, Biagio Messina, and Steve Mazan joined me in an hour-long podcast about their documentary film, Dying To Do Letterman. My exclusive was carrying the very first announcement of the new website for the film. Here’s a brief synopsis of this extraordinary documentary film:

“When 35-year old stand-up comedian Steve Mazan learned he had cancer, and might only have five years to live, he dedicated his life to living his dream: performing stand-up comedy on The Late Show with David Letterman.”

“This documentary chronicles his five-year journey, as he races his own ticking clock to achieve a nearly impossible goal. Hilarious, heart-breaking, and ultimately inspirational, Steve’s journey brings a brand-new perspective to living with cancer. This is a story that proves it’s not how much time you have, it’s what you do with it. As Steve says, ‘If you stop chasing your dreams, you’re already dead.’”

In March 2011 I had the honor of flying out to San Jose, California to see the worldwide theatrical premiere of Dying To Do Letterman at the 2011 Cinequest Film Festival. I attended the premiere with friends and fellow screenwriters Chip Street and Sean Meehan. The film premiered on a Friday night to a standing-room only crowd.

Chip, Sean, and I were blown away by this film. As Biagio and Steve are fond of saying, this isn’t your typical documentary about cancer. In fact, they didn’t want it to be your typical documentary about cancer. They didn’t want to do your typical sad, dark, man-facing-cancer story or just another documentary indictment of the healthcare system. Steve’s story is a journey. A hero’s journey. A comedian’s journey. And this film is a reflection of that. Inspirational and funny, touching and hilarious, Dying To Do Letterman is unlike any documentary film you’ve ever seen.

And the audience responded like it. I’ve been to quite a few film festivals now, and I’ve never seen the kind of audience retention that D2DL gets for its Q&A sessions after the film. At that premiere, three people left the theatre before the Q&A. THREE. The other 327 stayed riveted to their seats to hear Biagio and Steve talk about the film, answer questions, etc. And that continued throughout their Cinequest experience.

There were four screenings at Cinequest, and all four SOLD OUT. Standing ovations and packed Q&As for all four as well. That is by far the greatest reception and compliment a festival film has ever gotten in my experience. Dying To Do Letterman picked up two awards at this festival, for Best Documentary Film and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film.

Slight sidebar here: I spent the Saturday after that Friday premiere helping the D2DL Street Team get the word out about the film for its next screening. That night, Joke, Biagio, Steve, and I filmed a short interview that I called the Restroom Confidential, which went up on YouTube but never actually made it into a blog post. Well, here it is, in its entirety:

The Dying To Do Letterman freight train kept on rolling. At the 35^th Cleveland International Film Festival they won The Greg Mund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition sponsored by the George Mund Foundation, a very emotional moment for Cleveland native Biagio as this video shows. D2DL has shown at a few more festivals since, including Steve’s hometown of Chicago at the 2011 Just For Laughs Film Festival, and captured more awards.

Now they’ve been selected to participate in the International Documentary Association’s 15^th annual Docuweeks Theatrical Documentary Showcase. For those of you who don’t know, this is big. Really, really, really big. The IDA’s Docuweeks program provides theatrical runs for short and feature documentary films that qualify them for Academy Award consideration.

How BIG is this? As they say, the proof is in the pudding, or in the IDA’s own words, “Since its debut in 1997, 17 worthy documentaries [qualified through Docuweeks] have gone to be nominated for the Oscar® and 7 have won the coveted award.”

That’s huge. HUGE. This is how it works. In the Docuweeks program, the IDA shares expenses with the filmmakers for weeklong theatrical runs in Los Angeles and New York City, the minimum requirement for Academy Award consideration. Since Joke and Biagio have sunk their life savings into Dying To Do Letterman, the ultimate in self-funded filmmaking, they need our help to meet their obligations for this huge event. To that end, they’ve started the Dying To Do Letterman: Kickstarter for an Oscar & Beyond crowd funding campaign.

Crowd funding is a way for artists, entrepreneurs, and more to raise funds for their projects through donations from regular Joes like you and me. Kickstarter hosts the campaign, collects the pledges, etc. and collects a fee in the end. Here’s the kicker: the D2DL team only collects if they reach 100% of their funding goal within 60 days. If they don’t reach 100%, they get nothing (and you get charged nothing). If you wish to donate, follow this link and show your support in qualifying Dying To Do Letterman for Oscar consideration.

Here’s another kicker: they keep all the funds they raise, no matter how much more than their Kickstarter goal of $37,000 they actually raise. And the D2DL team has plans for this extra money, too, if we can ‘em there: bring Dying To Do Letterman to the world. Every dime raised over the $37,000 goal is going to be used to bring the film to as many cities and countries as possible. They want to share Steve’s story with the whole world, and we can help by continuing to pledge and get the word out and raise as much money as possible in that sixty-day timeframe.

I cannot tell you in mere words how much I believe in this movie, its message, and how it can change the lives of everyone who sees it. It really is that special. I not only think that Dying To Do Letterman will qualify for Oscar consideration, I believe wholeheartedly that it WILL be nominated for an Oscar and WIN.

In fact, I believe in this movie so much, I’ve made a commitment to Joke, Biagio, Steve, and Denise. You may remember last year I pledged to do a movie monologue in an elf costume if another crowd funding campaign reached 100% funding, this one for Tilt the Movie by Phil Holbrook and the Kfink girls, Julie and Jessica. Well, they did, and I did. You can still watch the film here.

In honor of Steve and his incredible journey, I have rewritten a famous poem. If we can get the D2DL Kickstarter campaign to 100% funding by 5 p.m. PST this Friday, July 15^th, I will upload a video of me reciting this poem. In a musketeer uniform. I even have a sword.

MARK MY WORDS: 100% FUNDING BY 7/15/2011, 5 P.M. PST, AND YOU WILL SEE ME IN A MUSKETEER UNIFORM RECITING A POEM I WROTE IN HONOR OF STEVE MAZAN. Well, re-wrote anyway.

What are you waiting for, people? GO PLEDGE NOW!!!

And As Always, Keep Writing

UPDATE:

At approximately 6:30 p.m. PST on Monday, July 11, 2011, Dying To Do Letterman exceeded it's $37,000 Kickstarter goal after only six days!!! If you haven't pledged yet, there's still 54 days to do so. Every dime they make over this goal will go to bringing the film to as many cities and theaters as possible, maybe yours! Go pledge now.

I haven't even had time to memorize my poem, but rest assured that video is coming soon.

A Widget, A Request, and A Girl Named Alice

Justin W Hedges — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:06:06 GMT

Friends, this post has nothing to do with screenwriting, though there is a valuable lesson about dreams in it. I wanted to share with you a new passion of mine by discussing three things: a new widget, a heartfelt request, and a story about a girl named Alice.

THE WIDGET

You’ll notice to the left I’ve added a widget, “DKMS Bone Marrow Donor Center – Become A Donor Today!” This widget will take you to the bone marrow donor registration page of DKMS America, the American branch of the largest bone marrow donor center in the world with over 2.7 million registered donors worldwide. I added this widget to the site because of one person.

A GIRL NAMED ALICE

Alice Pyne is a fifteen-year-old girl from Great Britain with terminal cancer. After a courageous four-year battle, Alice now knows she is going to lose the war. But she isn’t going down without doing a few things first. Alice created a blog called Alice’s Bucket List. For those of you who don’t know and/or haven’t seen one of my favorite Morgan Freeman movies The Bucket List, this is a list of the things one wishes to do/see/experience before they die (kick the bucket, get it?).

Alice made her list and started ticking off what she could. She created the Alice’s Bucket List blog to share with family and friends about her bucket list experience. Then, something amazing happened: Alice’s Bucket List went viral. Everyone from the BBC to Good Morning America to CNN had the story.

I learned about it in this manner from the Twitter account of another terminal cancer patient, Steve Mazan. Steve is a stand-up comedian with terminal liver cancer, the subject and star of an amazing documentary I’ve talked about before, Dying To Do Letterman, produced by Steve, his wife, and two of my favorites as you well know, Joke and Biagio, who also directed it. Dying To Do Letterman is currently racking up awards on the festival circuit, and there are hints at big news to come in the near-future on their website. Having met Steve and seen the movie and been inspired by both, Alice's Bucket List was something special I wanted to share with you as well.

For Alice, things have kind of taken off. She’s ticking off list items left and right. Be a worldwide trend on Twitter? Done. Swim with sharks? Done. Meet the band Take That? Done. She’s even meeting the British prime minister soon. She’s a worldwide sensation and a true inspiration.

Read this girl’s blog, people. There’s no sad sack there. No woe-is-me. No dwelling on what she might not accomplish. She has a limited amount of time left, and she’s making the most of it. The motto of the 3 a.m. Screenwriter blog is It’s Never Too Early, Or Too Late, For A Dream. Alice has redefined that motto for me, and she will for you too.

Alice’s toughest bucket list item is also the most touching one, the one that we should all wish she accomplishes, the one we can help her accomplish: to make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor. Thus…

THE REQUEST

Sign up. Click the DKMS widget and become a registered bone marrow donor. There's a continuous need for more bone marrow donors, because 6 out of 10 patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases never receive the bone marrow treatment they need. More donors in the registry will help reduce those numbers. Help Alice help everyone like her. I did.

It’s a fairly simple process to register as a bone marrow donor, receive your swab kit, and send it back to the registry. Please read the Get Educated page first, because I do understand that the actual process of donating (not the swabbing, the extraction if your donation is needed) is invasive and might not be for everybody. It truly could save a life.

In truth, I believe it’s worth it even if it only gives one terminal patient one extra day. One extra day to tell their family and friends they love them. One extra day to see the sun rise and set. One extra day to tick off just one more item on their bucket list. One extra day to convince just one more person to make Alice’s dream come true.

It’s never too early, or too late, for a dream.

With All My Heart,

Justin

Joke & Biagio: A New Show For My Favorite Visual Storytellers

Justin W Hedges — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:01:22 GMT
Hands-on producers Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina have done it again. On top of their IFC show, Commercial Kings, premiering this June 24th, our favorite husband-and-wife producing team have had a new show picked up, Caged on MTV. This new docu-series will follow "young cage fighters in small-town Louisiana." On the MTV side, the show will be executive produced by Dave Sirulnik and Amy Bailey, and on the Joke Productions side Joke and Biagio will executive produce. I'm super-excited about this announcement for several reasons.

First, this is another Joke and Biagio passion project. I've seen Dying To Do Letterman, their documentary passion project, and I can testify that a Joke and Biagio passion project is nothing short of brilliant!

Second, I'm excited for co-executive producers Travis Bible and Steve Harris. These two young editors brought the idea to Joke and Biagio, then followed their mentors' advice and made great tape about the idea, remembering that that great tape could be on VHS if the story is powerful enough. It was.

Working together, the four of them put together the final pitch that landed Caged on MTV. Travis and Steve are proof that Joke and Biagio weren't just blowing smoke up our behinds when they said there are just 3 things they look for in aspiring filmmakers: great tape, humility, and flexibility.

Last but not least, Joke and Biagio are first and foremost STORYTELLERS. Yes, their Hollywood success up to this point has been in reality television, documentaries, and docu-series, but they are still storytellers. And very good ones. Whatever they are filming, these two keep their primary goal in mind, the primary goal they expect you and I (or Travis and Steve) to keep in mind as well, that great tape (or a great screenplay) tells a compelling story. Whether you're making it up in a spec, or adapting an existing novel/comic/graphic novel, or putting together film clips for a video pitch, you TELL A GOOD STORY.

And that, first and foremost, is what has me most excited about their new show, Caged on MTV.

As Always, Keep Writing

Twitter & the Savvy Screenwriter: a guest post by Kelly Anelons

Justin W Hedges — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:47:00 GMT

I was touched and honored when I found out one of my favorite new Twitter friends, screenwriter Kelly Anelons, joined Twitter because of something I had said about it and using social media to build/further your screenwriting career. When I read Kelly's blog, I knew I wanted to get that 'voice' on the 3 a.m. Screenwriter in a VIP guest post. So, I asked (fingers crossed). She accepted (girly squeals of joy ensued), and here she is (dun-dun-dunnn).

Twitter & the Savvy Screenwriter

My "Screenwriting Career Plan" was naively simple. I would write an excellent script filled with uniquely entertaining moments and character-driven narrative. The script would place in at least one of the top five screenwriting competitions, and I would fly into L.A. to sign a management deal with a studio executive using a shiny Mont Blanc pen.

Well, I wrote the script, which placed in the Top 5 of Final Draft's 2010 Big Break; was named one of the "Top 25 Comedies" in the PAGE Awards, and earned me some coveted L.A. meetings. After a whirlwind Hollywood adventure, I arrived back at my little desk with a read request for my sitcom pilot. Unfortunately, the loop on my screenwriter tool belt labeled "TV mentor" was empty. How could I find a generous guru to guide my way?

After days of studying books and scanning blogs by professional TV writers, I had plenty of ideas, but no process. In desperation I let an intrepid pal haul me up a mountain to shout my quest to the world. He claimed that there was magic in hearing your own voice echoing back with the multiplying strength of the cliffs. I envisioned my words blasting forth like Thelma and Louise in their 1966 Thunderbird convertible, exploding in a fiery ball of passion and destiny. But I was too winded from the hike and couldn't gather much air. My meek declaration rolled off the cliff's edge and disappeared like an old VW that had been left out of gear.

Back at my desk and looking for some inspiration, I read an article about Justin W. Hedges, "The 3AM Screenwriter". He's a family man, a business man, and as an optioned screenwriter, a successful man. He spoke of the wonder of Twitter and like a late-night QVC shopper, I bought the whole shebang.

I attacked Twitter with the exuberance and innocence of a toddler. "Please come check out my brand new website!" That was my first tweet. Naturally, no one did. And that was when I entered the Five stages of Twitter.

1. Denial: I stared at my blank "followers" list and mumbled, "It's not me, it's them." I started following famous writers hoping their tweets would reveal the secrets of their success. Instead, I learned that they are as insecure as the rest of us. I wasted hours searching for a champion in the chuff, while the calendar dropped another page.

2. Anger: I struggled to forge fascinating tweets that would attract followers like Bruce Willis to an action script. As a writer, I always focus my energy on communicating ideas clearly and effectively using colorful vocabulary and...complete sentences. Tweets, at first glance, are digital hieroglyphics. I despise acronyms and cannot understand why people use punctuated smileys to depict emotions. Why had I listened to this crazy Hedges dude?

3. Bargaining: Please, writing gods, let me write a brilliant tweet that is the perfect combination of personality, purpose and presentation...all in 140 characters or less? Oh boy. I was back in high school hoping to make the popular kids like me. Twitter had become a huge writing distraction and after three failed outline attempts, I had mangled my sitcom beyond recognition.

4. Depression: I couldn't write. I couldn't sleep. Disappointed with the Twitter-verse's lack of interest, I retreated to my friendly Facebook page where an eclectic collection of friends shared Red Sox stats, gossip, and pictures of their pets in Halloween costumes. I was connected but I wasn't networking. Time was running out and I needed a plan.

5. Acceptance: I finally realized that neither Hollywood nor Twitter owed me anything. I got those first L.A. meetings by writing my best script and approaching all my professional contacts with gratitude not "gimme-buyme-getme's". Logging into Twitter, I pretended that I was at a gigantic cocktail party and searched for interesting people. Once I found them, I asked them about their projects. I had conversations that lasted over days as various Twit-pals shared their thoughts and posed questions. I made friends and professional contacts, including several TV writer gurus.

In the end, it wasn't about followers or retweets. Twitter can be a virtual Purgatory where lost souls cry out for redemption, affection and attention. But for a savvy writer, it is a fantastic clubhouse filled with creative, funny, experienced teammates, available around the clock to share ideas. Now, I hear a faint sound. As I listen, it grows to a rumble and then a roar. It's the echo of two hundred Twitter voices, all shouting my dream to the world. I now know that my first script sale is coming up fast. I know, because a little blue bird told me so.

Before letting you go, I must tell you that Kelly has quickly become one of the more savvy social media users among screenwriters on Twitter that I've seen. I'm honored that something I said brought her honest, unique voice to Twitter, and can't wait to see what she does (and Tweets) next.

You can follow Kelly on Twitter, and don't forget to check out her awesome blog.

As Always, Keep Writing