Resurrection of Chicken Salad

 Shadow Beast 112 page Horror Feature

Shadows terrorize a city as a seasoned homicide detective struggles to solve a string of grisly murders, where the killer cannot be seen, caught, or killed. 

 

Pleasant Hill 104 page Horror Feature

Things are not so pleasant at Pleasant Hill Memorial where a doctor inadvertently infects her patients with evil causing disturbing behaviors, dark humor, and crawling horror. 

Completed Works: by A.C. Michel or Amanda & Charles Michel

Shadow Beast - 112 page Horror Feature 

Pleasant Hill - 104 page Horror Feature 

  

Independent Complete Works: by Amanda Michel 

The Good Samaritan - 113 page Drama Feature  

Get Off Your Butt Girl

That is my motto this week, and already I have missed yesterdays post. Sorry folks, I sometimes don't adhere to schedules since I retired. I have been busy this week with my shops. When I checked them today I noticed Etsy is running a post on female business owners, interesting, here is the link.

https://www.etsy.com/international-womens-day?ref=womens_day_hp_hero_primary

Aside from the my small business tasks, since the last post that is. I have decided that my hang up on my script " The Good Samaritan" is going to take much more work than the amount time I have to complete it for the Austin competition, on back in the folder it went, and I have redone the  storyboard. I am moving forward with a re-write of "State School Road". Here's a teaser, not calling it a logline because it needs to shortened..

Death stalks internal affairs investigator Rachel Warren as she seeks refuge in an undercover assignment after the tragic loss of her husband and son. What was suppose to be a fact finding mission to reveal the truth behind an inmates unusual demise leads into a twisted paranormal occurrence where everything is relevant, but not always what it seems. 

In short its a ghost story that takes place in a prison. I will discuss this in greater length next time, as I should be working on it instead of blog. I now have 38 days to get it done.

So words of the week.

1) beta-wave (noun) an electrical rhythm of the brain with a frequency of 13 to 30 cycles per second that is associated with normal conscious waking experience___also called beta, beta rhythm.  

I wonder what happens when the cycles are off? Hmmm there could be a story here:)

2) brash- (adj) 1: brittle (wood) 2a: tending to act in a headlong fashion. 2b: done in haste without regard for consequences.

This one describes nine out of ten Houston drivers!

3) bug-eyed- (adj) having eyes bulging. 

I can really use this one.

Song of the week.

Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkADj0TPrJA

I chose this song today to put me in the mood as write my script "State School Road". I actually used this in a scene when she was driving to the prison for the first time.

Movie of the Week

The Amityville Horror (2005) 
https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-amityville-horror-2005

The Amityville Horror (1979)
https://binged.it/2oVTePf

Last week I saw a documentary on Reels channel about Amityville that sparked my hunger for a good scary movie night. Searched my collection for hours, and finally found my DVD of the original movie (which is the best in my opinion) of Amityville, but it didn't have captions. Damn it, getting old sucks rocks, I don't hear well so I like to tread the movie on by big TV. So I didn't get to watch it.
My hubby seeing how disgruntled I was found the 2005 version with captions at a used game and movie shop and brought it home so I could have my scary fix. Hubby is sweet like that:)
This version is not the original by far, but its a decent remake, if you have already seen the first.
I included a link to the 1979 version, but I have never used this before, not sure it will work for you.

Okay, I gotta run. I am behind for the day and its almost suppertime. Peace Ya'll.

The Box, My Hub

Welcome to writing and business office, my hub, which I call...The Box.

My office is in a studio out back facing my mini forest, only a small portion of the studio is dedicated for the office and its box like so I made this sign to dress it up a bit. Studio is a stretch word, it's really more like a fancy shack. ha ha

I spent a good deal of time sprucing it up, so I could be comfortable and have access to few things I need on hand. I even made shelves for my writing books and script files.

And several cork boards line the walls. This one is general, containing of things I want, photos, tid-bits, and a schedule (which I am sorry to say I rarely adhere to). Oh, check out the little Goddess plaque my hubby made about me.

My story board which is in the early stages right now. I custom made this one, so it would be more functional and big enough to hold an outline of all three acts. Above it, is place/setting I have for my next story idea.

I have a wide variety of tastes when it comes to reading. So please do not judge me from the books on the shelves. I read a lot of different things to expand my view on the world in which I write.

Inside the folders are script bibles, on stories already in the works. Except for Big Black folder, which is my story idea book volume 1. (volume 2 is in the works).

So there you have it, small and dusty, nothing "glam" about it. This is where I write, plot, and dream. I also handle nuts and bolts of business stuff from here too.

I decided that to keep things interesting here that I would include on Words of the Week. I use to do this when I worked as a night guard. It's a good way to kill time and learn too. I would suggest if you have kiddos at home to do this. Buy a cheap dry erase board and a dictionary (you can use the internet if you like) and let the kiddos have fun with it. You don't have to just define, let them come up with sentences or story idea's based off the words you've chosen for the week.      

So here we go, with my massive Webster's Dictionary, (I know most folks don't own one anymore, what can I say, I am old school) I am going to pull 3 words with definitions starting with the letter A.

1) aero-pause: (noun) 1. The level above the Earth's surface where the atmosphere becomes

ineffective for human and aircraft functions.

2) agonist: (noun) 1. One that is engaged in a struggle. 2a. A muscle that is controlled by the action of an antagonist with which it is paired. 2b: a chemical substance capable of combining with a nervous receptor and initiating a reaction - compare to antagonist 2b.  

3) amenable: (adjective) 1. Liable, to be brought to account: answerable. 2a. capable of submission (as to judgement or test) 2b. Readily brought to yield or submit.     

Hmmm...#1 could be used in a sci-fi story. #2 and #3 I could use a lot in my stories.

Okay, more fun, Song of the Week. My hubby is a big you tube fan and is always playing music from there, mainly old stuff...since we are old. he he

This one always puts me in a good mood. Here we go, Sugar Sugar by the Archies 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o

I watch a lot of movies, well I write them. I am a huge paranormal fan so I watched one on Netflix called 'A Haunting at Silver Falls'. Good little flick, so that's my Movie of the Week. Here is a link to it hopefully you have a Netflix account.

https://www.netflix.com/title/70268249

Well it's time to sign off for today. I have writing to do on my script 'The Good Samaritan'. I have 46 days to complete it. I am going to enter it in the Austin Film Festival this year. Which I hope I will be able to attend. I don't know financially if I can afford it this year. Last time I attended, I spent a lot. 

I am going to make pages for my/our completed works. So check back. Peace ya'll

Writer's Block

I pitched a story idea called "The Good Samaritan" at the 23rd Austin Film Festival. I say story idea because at the time I did not have the script finished. I still do not. I have been sitting (75 pages worth) on this story/script for over a decade. However, it is my goal to finish it and submit it into the Screenwriting completion at Austin this year. I have until May 15th to accomplish the task.

     Instead on working on the script today, a day that I had designated for writing, I have managed to complete to orders for my websites, written out bills, check emails, and now I have resorted to eating funyuns and working on my writing blog, which I might add, I have not written a thing on in over a year. ARGHHH What is wrong with me? I definitely don't need these chips.

     Welcome to my world. Have a seat and enjoy the crazy until you can feel better about yourself.

I have two outa three acts written, a decent outline, this should not be this difficult. There must be something wrong with it, that keeping me from pushing forward.

     This is not the first time I have had a block, it's just the longest. My life has kinda sucked rocks for the last decade, and I seem to be having trouble contacting my muse. She probably ran for the trees when my life exploded and sent pieces of my heart, body, and psyche to decompose at my feet.

Oh well, lets be a least productive. The goal of this blog is partly therapy and partly about my writing. Let's discuss the beginning.

     I began writing a novel back in 1997 entitled Death Decree. I have about 30,000 words written on that novel, which is how long it took to realize I wasn't a novelist. So after pouting for a few weeks, I came across a writing website that had a copy of a movie script. I had never read a script before, and this one was about monsters living in a world underground (had Fred Savage in it); well my kids were fans of the movie, so I had seen it at least ten times, so I could follow the writing visually in my head.

     Anyways, I pulled out my novel and compared it. Basically while reading the script I noted fact and organization. After attempting to turn a short story in a screenplay, I quickly realized it wasn't as simple as I thought. So I recruited my husband who had a degree in theater to help learn to write more visually.                                                                                                                              Together, we completed 'Ol Scratch' which later became a re-titled 118 supernatural thriller named 'State School Road'. From there we completed two more in the horror genre 'Pleasant Hill' and 'Shadow Beast'. We had quite a few reads between the three.

     In 2003, I began writing alone. My first project was a "short" that was an adaption of  a story my daughter Liz wrote for her high school English class. It is entitled 'Seekers', and of course she was given 'story by' credit.

     Then I started developing 'The Good Samaritan' 2005. The Good Samaritan is a "feel good" drama about an ex-con who wins a huge lottery jackpot. I was really rolling with it when my job transfer came through. So story got shelved while we worked on our ranch Wishing Creek that we purchased in Texas. It was our attempt at becoming self sustaining.   

All was going good but then in 2008, my life, my world derailed, and I have been on a dark road searching for the light ever since. In 2012, the hits just kept coming. I became disabled with an on the job injury which ended up in my forced retirement in 2015.

     I have attempted to put pencil to paper through out all the hardships of the last decade, but have been unable to focus, everything seems to go to a negative route, and so I stop. Then last year, I decided to try to break the hold, and get back on the horse. I miss it, I need it, it keeps me sane.

I will do this.

Just Another Unknown Writer - Screenwriter

Welcome.
I choose chicken salad is work in progress much like me.