Done and Done!

Did you notice? The change made to my project tracker, over on the right-hand side?

I’ve had to switch from calling it  “Writing Project Tracker” to just “Project Tracker,” and yeah… add a section for completed films.

Last week was a huge deal for me. I finished the novella on Thursday, which wound up being a very emotional event. The ending turned out quite different than I’d originally planned and definitely more upbeat. It’s funny, since I’m generally a very upbeat person, that my writing is usually pretty dark. This novella was no exception – but it uncharacteristically took a turn for the best, right at the end.*

Then, on Friday, after eight straight hours in the editing lab and with only fifteen minutes to go until the DFA closed for the night, I finished my short film. (Let me just note that editing is a VERY addictive process – you could literally just go forever and ever if you wanted to.)

Now, I realize that I’m living in an age where a lot of people, and a lot of kids younger than I am, know how to create short films. It’s the era of YouTube, when anyone can post a video. But, in my case, despite being born into a technology-prone generation, all this stuff has always seemed like Greek to me. Last Friday, I achieved something I wanted to achieve since I was little, something I put off for years and years, always finding excuses not to try.

And now it’s done. I made a film, and I know all I need to know about making another. And I will make another.

I. Am. Elated.

Is it perfect? No. Will I probably make some changes before it’s screened? Probably. But it’s a tangible, finished product that taught me everything I set out to learn about film-making… and made me interested in learning even more.

*As far as writing goes, of course, I’m now eager to start a new project. However, I received some words of wisdom from my husband this past weekend: “perfect the one you have before starting something new,” and this is advice I plan on taking. Starting tomorrow, after this mini, three-day breather from projects, I’ll be diving into revisions – with an aim to get the novella submitted to prospective agents by June.