MOM, 45, sits at the table with Mar, now 18 -going through piles of pamphlets and handbooks.
MOM
Did you pick your classes yet?
MAR
(clearly ecstatic)
Yep! English 101, Theatre Practicum, History of Art A-
MOM
(skeptical)
And this is all towards your major of...?
MAR
(caught off guard)
Oh...I'm not really sure yet. I don't really have to declare a major until, like, the second year or something, so I'm good.
MOM
Oh...so you're good? Just because you don't have to declare a major in two years doesn't mean you shouldn't. Come on, didn't you always want to be a doctor?
MAR
Yeah when I was like, three though. If i remember correctly I also wanted to be Shee- ra and marry He-man. That was a nice try though, mom. (she grins)
MOM
(exasperated)
Well what are you going to do with your life? This is the time to know!
MAR
What?! I thought this was the time to figure it out...?
MOM
You've been in school for twelve years and you still haven't figured it out?
Mom is making air quotes with her fingers while Mar becomes bedraggled by the conversation. She pushes aside the papers.
MAR
(hushed)
What if...I do have it figured out but you won't like it?
Mom sits back, knowing.
MOM
Baby, being an actress isn't a career-
MAR
(defensive)
Yeah I heard you...'it's a lifestyle.' Whatever that means! I...I
want to write. Like be an author or like be a journalist. I don't know yet. But I want to be a writer of some kind.
MOM
The thing is about being a writer is that you're either stuck in obscurity or you're famous -there's no real in between.
Mar is now deflated, giving up. She gets up for a beverage abandoning the conversation.
MOM
Hey...Not that you're not good -you should write but you just need something stable to fall back on...
As Mom continues to speak, we see
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG, MORNING
Throng of eager freshman, bright eyed, bushy tailed with moronic grins, hop into the main building.
INT. UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG, MORNING
Mar trying not to look terrified, walks through a more adult mass of students waiting to get into a room.
O.S. MOM
...I'm sure that when you figure out what you need to do everything else will fall into place.
INSERT (label on door) Education 101
Mar sighs and slumps against the wall. A fresh looking boy, typically tall, dark and handsome -his back slumped in the same crescent shape, across from her. They lock eyes and she smiles...
*****
It's true, I was told that a writer's life is as black and white as obscurity vs. fame. The rest of the scene, well, only I'll be able to tell which was fiction and reality -unless you know me real well then you probably know too! It took me a while to realize what kind of writer I wanted to become. With that said, it took me LONGER to accept the fact that I should probably just write already and stop pretending to fit into a branded mold of 'contributing to society adult.'
I could probably even have my own line of How to Make it in America Dolls: Retail Sales Associate Mar, Laundromat Store Supervisor Mar, Receptionist Mar, General Contractor Mar... The most nondescript doll would be Writer Mar -I don't even get a name tag. I'm ok with that though. Learning fast that a writer may be able to write an immortally incandescent line, but also can be a horrid conversationalist. M.Soriano would throw an eraser at my head if she could hear me now. A writer's life is lonely. When I work I would often stop and imagine talking to the characters in my story asking "Would you really say that?" or "Why are you so angry in this scene?" Also acknowledging that when one of screenplay goes into production I'll probably get driven out by the directors and producers so they can have their way with my baby...
With that said, this is it. Even if I'll have to blog here until I'm fifty before realizing my goal, I feel like I've already won. Writing means a lot, but it's not everything. Writing means a lot, but it's not everything... But it means a lot, so stick with me because we are on our way to the Oscar's friends!
luckily there is no b.a. in rapping. as far as writing, i don't agree with the dichotomy.
ReplyDeletecould have sworn i commented on this already but i dont see it up here. piss me off! i think i was saying something along the lines of blah blah blah "it is what it is" blah blah blah "was never asked for my GPA" blah blah blah "school is a platform for experience and education not just a piece of paper..." etc. the main information i am required to provide when soliciting my screenplays are my writing credentials, my website, my logline (which is btw the hardest thing in life to write), what contests I've won and contact info (so they can pretend like they're gonna call me back). I'm usually also asked if i've optioned any of my screenplays, which have been produced, etc. i already pretty much feel like a douche bag after simply submitting a logline! Anyway ^ ranting. i do intend to go back to school to take classes that will inspire me...history, anthropology, religion, etc. dont know if it'll amount to an almighty degree in the end, but im gonna bet it'll make for some great screenplays:)
ReplyDeleteOh mar you're so cool and we are (somewhat) alike. I'm glad I know someone who appreciates writing as much as I do and perhaps appreciates it a lot more than me. I mean we differ in that I wouldn't want to make writing my career ... I'm far too shy and self conscious about my writing to ever submit anything aside from anything academically, but I've always loved writing. People have their own safe haven. Mine has always been writing. I guess that's why I majored in English. If I can't write a successful book I can at least teach children to appreciate the written word right!? Can't wait for your visit! *highfive*
ReplyDelete*highfive* good teachers play big roles in my life of why i would even consider writing as a career. the best teachers i had pushed me to my limit and did not take any of my bull****-a mix of mary poppins and hitler haha. I can still name my awesome teachers since the day i was shipped off to journalism camp in 6th grade: Ms. Sta Maria, Mrs. Yakulic, Ms. Chalmers (who was the biggest b****)and Ms. Vlitas (who actually was a history teacher that just loved reading m stuff). I hope that in your career as an educator you are able to inspire a new generation of 'original creativity' and that they remember you with the same respect and gratitude as i have for my mentors. awesome pawesome.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, I wanted to go into journalism -- print journalism. My high school freshman year english teacher thought I had great potential to become a writer. She even went as far as submitting some of my work - poems, short stories, or simple musings - to our local newspaper. Unfortunately, she was the only one that believed in or even encouraged me. We lost touch when my family moved after my mother died, and I had to transfer to another school in another district. I tried to reconnect with her after I graduated, only to learn that she too had passed away. I lost my one and only supporter, my champion. I think that's why I didn't pursue writing any further. I guess what I'm trying to say is......you have a host of "champions" who will always support and encourage and believe in you. You have a wonderful gift, and I, for one, can't wait for the that day when you realize your dream, and see the culmination of your talent, imagination, wisdom, and perseverance -- on the big screen, and/or on the theater stage.
ReplyDelete