THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY

Wow! It has been over a month since my last blog. Yikes! But, I have been very busy with Summer Ray and other author stuff too. Plus, skating has picked up on the training and I have been tired. But, back to it. I have been lacking in the marketing part of all of this. I have made the videos, sent out newsletters, written blogs, but…I need to expand and triple my efforts. I have journeyed this adventure, in hopes that I can be an inspiration to other Indie filmmakers. When I get enough blogs, I will then put them in a daily devotional book. I feel it is important to “pay it forward.” Yes! People will have to buy the book. But they will be able to have tons of inspiration that hopefully sees them through some of the bumps in the road, and believe me, there will be bumps…sometimes hills and then other times like Mt. Everest! I wish I was joking. But, it is a true saying. Winners never quit and quitters never win. I have put eleven years already into this project and there are times, when I really wish I could just hand it over to someone else and be done with it. But, I can’t. It is something that God entrusted to me and I will see it through. Meaning, I will stick it out, write the scripts and be involved where I am able. I cannot be a Director etc. But what I can do, I will do! I get excited when I start to see how the characters come to life and how they relate to “real” people. I feel that Summer Ray is very human centered. It focuses on life’s issues in true and alarming ways at times. There is really not much that is sugar coated here. Characters do not have to beg for attention. They come to life in ways that promotes their personalities. But, it took time for me to learn “Character Development.” Don’t be sparce or chintzy with your characters. Build them up and give them each their own purpose too. Make them vibrant and dull. Make them diverse. Make them have different hair colors and give them some contrast. Don’t allow them to be predictable all the time either. Make twists and turns inevitable. Don’t settle for mediocre. You don’t want a poor quality script just because you are impatient. Chillax!

I  have to trust that my scripts are better than good enough. I cannot linger another second on the pilot script. I have to move to the next one and get it ready, then the next and then the next after that! We are meeting with investors soon and I want them to have a good package to look at.  I want them to take us seriously because we truly do have our “ducks in a row.” We are well prepared and in order. But it took many years to get this way. The book series itself was 10 years from start to finish. The first pilot, took an estimate of 6 years. But, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had to learn the craft. I had to research, study and learn from experts. I did what they told me to do. I listened because I knew they knew what they were doing. It’s like my Figure Skating coaches. I could not do what I am able to now, just starting out. Doctors don’t go to school for a month and then graduate. This is a learning process. So, be patient and learn to do it right! You don’t want to send out a crappy script or an ill prepared business package. You will be rejected and won’t be taken seriously. First impressions are so immensely important.

Till next time! Winners don’t quit~~~~