54 Days in LA (5): Tips for selling your script

Mark Needham
Sep 6, 2018 · 6 min read

On Life

I got up and did some Qi-Gong first thing in the morning and it made all the difference in the world. It made my back feel better, it cleared my mind and put me in a productive mood.

I realize I am basically in a constant state of stress lately. I’m not sure how I let it get there exactly, but I can feel it now, now that I’m looking at it. It’s everywhere. In every breath which itself feels pushed back down by my body. Every step comes with a thought of worry about the future, sadness about the past.

I remember being a Zen Master with my stress. I remember peace and even periodically, just plain old happiness.

I’ve lost that part of myself. Is it jadedness? Is it “getting older?” I’m not sure. But it doesn’t quite matter. I’ve seen 70-year-olds with the heart of a child and 20-year-olds who think life is close to over every time they fail. It’s spectrum, it’s broad and it is 100% perspective. Ask a person breaking the age record the reason they made it so far. What do they always say?

I laughed.

I had fun.

I found my happiness.

I did what I loved.

I had good friends.

See the trend?

Even if that John Lennon story about him being a kid in class and schooling his own teacher on the meaning of life is an urban legend, the meaning behind the story is still significant.

It’s about what makes you happy.

I stared at the LA skyline through my window this morning, drinking my chestnut tea and wondered how I get to the top floor of the Ritz Carlton and use the helicopter pad.

“Is that what I want?”

Maybe on Fridays, on my way to the lake house in Tahoe.

But really, what do I want?

Well, like many people, I want financial freedom. Financial freedom to the point of saying, hey let’s go to Egpyt for the week. Or, let's open up a meditation retreat for overworked people in the woods, live there for six months and heal people.

Is that what’s important? I think so. At least for me. Beyond telling stories, I want to live them, and I want to help other people find theirs. Though that feels so far off in the day-to-day.

It’s hard to tell when you’re neck deep in the rat race.

Speaking of.

On Work

I’m consistently getting managers telling me to get an agent and agents telling me to get a manager.

I picked up a third job as a script doctor (Which I’m really excited about). The teacher in me goes well with the math freak in me to create a nice and organized step by step growing process for writers. I start my first gig today.

But amidst all that, (9:30am and I’ve already tutored one of my students, networked on Linkedin, called some management agencies and halfway finished this article) I yearn for the quiet of the Adirondacks back home and the quiet on the inside of my own mind.

If only to just to figure out what the hell I actually want out of this life.

After all this time I can only say I want to be happy. I’m just clueless about what it is that will get me there.

I’ve decided to start working on additional episodes of the show. I watched a great couple of film courage videos (Links below) that inspired some new strategies with the LA trip.

I’ve been itching to write the third episode because this one, in particular, is so important to me, and professionals recommend that as soon as you start submitting work that you should get started on new stuff. It helps to keep the mind focused on things that will be rewarding and give you a sense of success while you repeatedly fail to find representation.

Plus it helps flesh out the story more.

If you’re down here, remember to stay with your story. Don’t get lost in the beat on the difficult parts of LA. You’re gonna get 99 No’s and 1 maybe. So make sure you balance that with what matters out of all of this, your story and your passion.

Daily Networking: I’m taking the advice of my good friend Andy in Beverly Hills. Good old Andy, a great friend of mind I just met for the first time yesterday told me it’s all about the showrunner. So first thing is to start reaching out to some of them on Linkedin. My hope is to simply find the watering hole where this stuff all goes down. I’d love to get on projects and start collaborating and conversing with the local, passionate filmmakers.

A fellow writer in the same spot as me gave me a few great words of advice. She was lovely and I hope to be able to brainstorm with her in the future. She has a great attitude and an encouraging disposition.

Survival Pro-Tip: Thor’s Hammer brand Spirulina and Chlorella. It’s a superfood that is loaded with good stuff, gives you 2000 pills for $40 (Serving is 20 pills) and I honestly used to live off ‘em. It makes me feel electric. A supplement without all the bullshit.* You can find it on Amazon.

“Thor’s Hammer! Smash through the Day!” **

  • *No I’m not getting compensated for this shoutout, it’s just good stuff.
  • **Yes I just made up that ridiculous slogan.

Writing Pro-Tip: I watched this incredible video last night

It’s about the fundamentals of character and story.

A couple weeks ago, while Luciano and I were discussing the finer, more subtle parts of constructing a story, I came across a question in my brainstorming.

What are the fundamental elements that exist with or without a specific storyline? In other words. What are the things that always need to happen in a story and to the characters, that make it worth watching?

Basically, the fundamental framework of great storytelling.

Watch the video above. It explains everything.

Something about the Show: Yesterday I watched a small essay on Alan Moore, who I discovered uses magical principles to tell his stories. This is something Mr. Moore and I have in common.

Among many things, my story is about the transformation of self through extreme sacrifice and willingness to change, which brings about unspeakable rewards. Whether or not the characters are willing to do what it takes, is of course, what makes the story interesting.

You can argue that this is at the heart of every story, but what I think makes mine and Moore’s different, is the use of magical principles to turn that process into a science. That may sound contradictory, but that’s because practices such as Alchemy and Tarot are widely misunderstood. The watered-down versions that we often see on the screen and in psychic shops (this does not discount all practitioners) are not true to the real power that these practices have in bridging the subconscious mind to the conscious one. My story is an Alchemical process of transformation, for my characters, myself, and my audience; with intention, to improve the state of all three.

I hope I’ve sufficiently freaked you out.

People: Have been getting emails from me today regarding past transgressions. It’s cathartic and necessary.

People in LA: Are getting back to me, slowly. 1/100 roughly. I will try to increase that fraction to a whole number

I Am: A bit less cynical today.

Thanks: To Eric. An awesome young fella with a ton of wisdom for his age. He is a true friend, of the ones Aristotle spoke so highly of. I deeply value his character and virtues, which is extremely hard for me to do these days. Cheers to you sir.

Additional Links:

Have a great rest of the week and good luck.

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