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“Annabelle, My Love”

First, just a slight sound. Sort of I’m frightened,
but I want to do this. Not in words, but her eyes,
there a murky green with rounded pupils as large
as dimes.

They shed love on me. “Please, help me. Please,
I want to die.”

I leaned down to her ear. “Annabelle, I love you.
I will always be with you.”

She suddenly felt warm next to my hand on her
shoulder. Emaciated, six years old, and dying.
I stroked her. I nodded to Dr. Green.

She removed a needle from her white smock,
in one of those large pockets.

“I love you, Sweety. I’ll always love you. I
will always be with you.”

It happened in a short second, or less. Dr.
Green slipped the tip of the needle into a
catheter on Annabelle’s right leg, which was
wrapped in a royal blue cloth. Dr. Green
pushed her thumb on the butt of the needle
holder.

I looked at Annabelle. Her eyes looked at me.
Then, she died. Her eyes, frozen in death,
stared at me. No breathing now.

Her shoulder, skin and bone, some black and
white hair, quiet and dead now.

Where was I to go without Annabelle? Home,
I decided. That’s where she wanted to go, I
knew. I buried her under the cherry tree in
the shade, one of her favorite places.

It is so quiet without Annabelle. Who can I
turn to now? Annabelle’s eyes instructed me
to follow the bright star in the East, Venus, I
believe, someone named it that. She said that
is where you will find your direction “without me.”

“Go there. It will give you information you do
not now have. It will give you information that
you can utilize.”

When I looked at Venus the next morning at
4 a.m., during my run, I saw my life in front
of me. It was clear.

Dick Sutphen’s THE LAW OF NEW BEGINNINGS:

For each of us in our time, there are major life
turning points. There is a break in the energy
wave patterns and complete change results.
Everything is affected this change in flux; some
things to a lesser degree than others. Examples
would be: 1. A traumatic situation or tragedy,
such as the death of a loved one. 2. A religious
conversion. 3. A point in therapy when
something clicks and from that time on the
patient begins to get well. 4. A mother giving
birth to a baby. The lesson is to learn to take
advantage of these new beginnings.

This is Annabelle’s legacy to me.

I let go of Annabelle. I am writing, something I haven’t
done to any great extent for eight years
since I began “The Sand Creek Massacre”
film project. Although there is a physical void
without Annabelle, she is with me…always.

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“Market Ready Screenplays”

Writing screenplays and getting them
sold and produced are highly competitive.
One must write screenplays that are
market ready. To do anything less will
result in failure.

A market ready screenplay requires
dialogue, characterization, format, plot, subplot(s),
action, narrative, description, etc. that must
execute genres which people will go see at the
movie theater.

To write a market ready screenplay, the writer
must study screenplays that have been box
office hits. Once that is accomplished, the
screenwriter should then write their screenplay
that is fresh and unique, but yet, parallels
that of box office hits.

For example, a romantic comedy simply
requires the question, will the couple in
question, get together or not? The
twist here must be unique and fresh. “Must
Love Dogs” starring Diane Lane and John
Cusack exhibits the twist that Ms. Lane is
seeking a man through ads. The require-
ment, he must love dogs. Well, guess
what, Mr. Cusack doesn’t love dogs, but
she falls for him anyway, and on it goes.

Study the genre you’re interested in writing.
Study the format. The writing. Incorporate
a fresh and unique approach to your genre
of interest. This can be accomplished via
a new twist that has never before been
used in the genre of your choice.

Donald L. Vasicek
Writer/Filmmaker/Consultant
Olympus Films+, LLC
http://michaelc.nextmp.net/wordpress
dvasicek@earthlink.net

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“Writing” by Donald L. Vasicek

Writing of any form requires
study and research.  The strength
of any type of writing resides in
the application of what one learns
and research, and then, applies it
by writing, writing, and more writing.
Each time one writes something, they
become a better writer.

For you, you might want to think about
writing and producing documentaries.  It
is rare a writer is hired to write a
documentary film.  Many documentary films
do not have a script.  Those that do, are
usually written by the director/producer
of the film.

As for feature films, short films, etc., one
can learn how to write screenplays through a
variety of ways.  No approach to learning how
to write screenplays is inscribed in marble.  It
is dependent upon the individual writer.  Some take
screenwriting classes.  Others study screenwriting
books.  Some work with a script consultant until
they have their screenplay market ready.  And others
wing it.

You can determine what works best for you by knowing
who you are, how you best learn, why you want to write
documentaries, features, etc., and what audience you
want to attract with your work, and why.  Answering
these questions will give you insight into what to
write and the approach to take in order how to learn
to write.