Writer's Blog Hop/ Writer's Blog Tour/ Writer's Writer's Writer's

Hello!

Alright, well this was a great challenge to kick me in the rear and get this blog rolling with fun stuff-- I've been asked to join the Writer's Blog Hop by my dear and very talented friend Carlie, check out her post at http://twirlingskirts.com/2014/04/14/my-writing-process-blog-tour/. And at the end of my post you'll be in for a treat and a surprise when you see who I've passed the torch to! Exciting!

What am I working on? Whew. What am I not working on, am I right? Ha! I guess that’s the thing with writing, there’s always a blank page that needs words. I am simultaneously writing and shooting episodes for a new web show, Petitionerz, with my partners. You can follow us on Twitter @Petitionerz. It’s so much fun. We are marrying scripted content with a lot of Improv. It’s fresh, unexpected and constantly entertaining.

Additionally, I am slowly starting the rewrites on my first book. It is a hilarious and historic look at my Roommates from birth to overnight camp to adulthood and everything in between. Those are the two items I’m focused on at this very moment.

As a writer in the entertainment business I’m always working on show ideas, sketch content for the stage or web in addition to features. Which is all consuming, frustrating, exciting and disappointing at any given point in time.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? This is an interesting question… Over and over I’ve heard people say that “everything’s already been done, but it hasn’t been done your way…” I think that sums it up. Each of us has a unique voice and so our individual stories differ from one another in the way we capture the emotion of the characters on the page. I deal with everything through comedy. Pain, anger, sadness, in all of it I can find the humor. My humor can be compassionate or my humor can be painful, and it has forced me into some pretty awkward situations and conversations.

In my writing you can hear all of this… and I hope it makes people feel a bit embarrassed on my behalf as well as feeling like they relate to me. Life is a series of events that we all experience together in some way, shape or form. I’m just telling those events with my voice.

Why do I write what I write? Well, I love it. I’ve been writing stories since I learned the alphabet and telling stories since I could talk. I’ve always loved embellishing for entertainment value. I’ve always loved gossip for the content, emotions and of course the humor. And reading? Oh. My. Gosh. I have always been a bookworm. I’ll read anything. Anything. As a girl growing up in the Midwest, followed by awkward and naïve college years to leaving my home and settling in Hollywood the stories accumulated and not sharing them was a disservice to the public. Ha! When I first saw that my stories made people laugh and that I was never short an audience a sense of great satisfaction traveled through me and I knew that my humor and my stories made people feel good. I entertain, I make emotional connections, and I relate to people.

I know that writing and acting are not just the things I do, but they are who I am. I’m not me without them. If I can make one person feel like I get them or that they’re not alone, then I know I’ve done my job. And that is why I write what I write and why I create.

How does my writing process work? I start in a small, bare room, with a desk and a light-- just kidding! Process is hard to define for me, but the one constant is learning to be patient. The words will come as long as I don’t beat myself up. Writing is an adventure and much like acting it’s not a race, but a journey and so it’s important to remember that I will get there. It’s an important part of the process to experience life, people, and to feel all my emotions otherwise what would I have to draw upon to create a world or tell a story. Additionally, I have a lot of conversations with myself. Out loud, in private, in public on a recorder or just in the mirror. Talking out loud helps me hear the natural flow of the characters and the story. I’m terrible at outlining so I try my best to write out my beats, and I work with my partner to bounce off ideas. For me it’s important to have someone to talk it out with. I’m also always taking a creative class (writing or acting) and working out in a group, whether it’s a writing circle or an acting circle. I think that no matter how advanced you are, there is always something to be learned.

Now that you’ve had a glimpse into my mind I am sending you off to peer into the world of a few writers I am enamored with! Mary Lou Belli, Janine Venable, and Mark Sobolewski I now pass the blog torch to you…

First, Mary Lou Belli. I first met Mary Lou in her Sit-Com Career acting class and she changed my life. Those that have worked with her know what I mean, and those who haven't yet, she has the magic touch. I will never be the same...

MARY LOU BELLI is an Emmy Award winner producer, writer, and director. On BET, she has just fished directing “Hart of Dixie” on the CW. Last season she directed “Second Generation Wayans”, “Reed Between the Lines,” and “The Game,” the spinoff to “Girlfriends” which she directed for 7 consecutive seasons. She also directed a number of web series including “3Way,” winner of 2 Logo awards and The AfterEllen.com 2008 Visibility Awards for Best Lesbian/bi Web Series, “Jenifer and Shangela” one of IndieGogo’s top 10 web series of 2012, and “Work in Progress” now in post production.

With over 150 episodes to her credit, Mary Lou directed “Monk,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,”"Living with Fran” starring Fran Drescher, “Misconceptions” starring Jane Leeves, and “Eve” starring hip hop artist Eve, as well as “The Hughleys,” “Charles in Charge,” “Major Dad,” and “Sister, Sister.” Mary Lou received BET nominations for directing “Girlfriends” and “One on One” as well as a Prism Award for “Girlfriends.”

Read Mary Lou’s full bio and travel her world at her website: MaryLouBelli.com

And now, Janine Venable. I met Janine in Mary Lou Belli’s acting class. Janine performed her own written material and I was moved and awed by the words and her talent...

After running terrified out of her playwriting class at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT, home of the National Playwrights Conference, during her junior year of college, Janine Venable never thought she’d attempt to write again. Years later (okay, decades later!), in a strange twist of events, she finds herself writing, producing and performing Women of the 405, a collection of true tales of life in L.A. written and performed by an eclectic group of 6 women writer/performers. The group has been performing for sold out audiences for 2 years. Originally from the Boston area, Janine moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago to pursue acting. While performing Shakespeare over a bowling alley, she met her husband, actor Tim deZarn. Now with a beautiful daughter, Emma, a small zoo of pets and a house in Culver City, Janine writes about the humorous and heroic of every day life. Her passion for writing came out of desperation when her son, Travis, was tragically killed in a car accident. It was one of the only ways she could process this most profound loss. In her personal essays, she has shared her grief and then reconnection with her joy in living. Janine feels that thru her writing she can reach out to others who have suffered a loss and help them know they are not alone.

For more info on Women of the 405 head to Womenofthe405.com.

And of course, Mark Sobolewski! I first met Mark through our mutual Second City friends. As a fellow Detroiter I knew he was special. I cannot get enough of his commentary and am a stalker of all things Mark.

Mark Sobolewski-- Half of the comedy duo, Bitch & Fag, Mark has been acting, writing and directing in Detroit for fifteen years. Alumnus of the famed Second City, Mark's first love is satire. You can locate his glittery brand of comedy at his website Bitch&Fag.com, or performing around as 1/35 of the Planet Ant Home Team, or 1/2 of the galactic improv superpower MARS.

First, you're welcome - I know, I know they are great! Stay tuned for their answers to the above questions… I know I am!!!

#writersbloghop #writersblogtour #jaimeparkerstickle #jaimestickle