Translating the Name…

Words have meaning and names have power.  ~Author Unknown

Today’s playlist:
Sister Hazel, Your Winter
White Demon Love Song, The Killers
Sex on Fire, Kings of Leon
I’m so Sick, Flyleaf
Tremble for my Beloved, Collective Soul
Boom, POD
and more…

 You know what your characters looks like. You know their hair color, eye shape, skin type/tone, height, and every freckle on their face—if they have any at all. You’ve broken them down, you know their weakness, and you know there is still so much to learn. But you are missing one incredibly element.  What are their names? 

My favorite and most stressful part of writing is playing the name game. Of course you have names you love, even ones that you can’t seem to kick out of your mind, but do they fit the person you’ve created? 

It’s said, a name can have a huge impact on a person’s life. If you’re writing a novel set in England, in the 1800’s, you would use a name popular back then. I’m sure names like Apple, Axel, Sailor, Mercedes…you get the picture. Maybe there were instances were people named their children that, but I’m pretty sure it would be a rarity. Anyways, a name is important. You have to think about who they, what they will become, and what journey they are going to take.

 This reminds me a lot of when my fiancé, Josh, and I talk about names we would like to name our kids—when we have some. He’s old fashion, I swear, he’s from the early 1900’s or something. He loves names like Edison, Walter, Theodore, etc.
My response? “Am I having a child in World War 1?”
No, we aren’t.
Names I like for my children? Nathan, Noah, Liam, Mason, Jonah…
His response? “Noah sounds like a pansy.”
Then I retort, “Well, he wasn’t a pansy during the flood, or did you forget that part of the bible?” 

Think of your time period, the character, and nicknames that may evolve. Also, if you have a romantic interest, how do the names sound together? Lucas sounds strong, Madison or Maddie could be, but I sense vulnerability in the name that I don’t feel with Lucas. 

Like anything else, people have name recognition. Instantly, if I hear the name Vanessa, Amber or Ashley, my guard is up. Alyssa’s always leave, Chad’s are always jerks, Liam is sexy, Michael’s are usually gay, and I tend to always date guys with J names. 

What are your name recognitions? When you hear a name, what do you think of instantly? 

Naming characters is fun, but also a lot of work. I like playing with names, and creating a personality I see for that name. Try it out, it might surprise you.

COLLIDE quote of the day:

“I cringed back the tears, but they didn’t stop. I couldn’t breathe, I was afraid that every breath I took would be sensed by his sadistic shark-like senses. Now, I understood him a bit more – why he was angry, why his moods were so erratic, and that horrid bruise on his arm.”

Ciao~
Angela Francis

P.S- The cast for the trailer is set, check out the new Collide: Trailer tab for details!!

Facebook!

find my page on facebook for updates and pictures of the collide cast!

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Jigsaw Falling into Place

Today’s playlist? One dead IPod….i’m music-less today.

I’m almost there! This week, I’ve cast the roles of Madison, Lucas, Bailey and Jill. All that’s left is Drew. I have a few auditions this weekend, and I’m excited. I hope to have a Drew by the weeks “official” end. Once he is in place, I will introduce you to the official cast of COLLIDE.

It seems like this is moving along nicely. I have a draft of scenes and moments I want to film. I sent it off to Joe, my filmmaker, and Erica, my assistant producer/director and everything else. She will be skimming for props . I am compiling a list of locations we need to find for filming, and hopefully we’ll start shortly.

This all seems surreal. I know, once I do this, and I’m still not published, that I can honestly say I didn’t go down with a fight. But I don’t do mediocre work. I truly feel this will bring my platform and my book to the next level. Hoping it will raise interest, and attract the attention of people everyone. Especially agents and publishing houses.

Wish me luck!

Stay tuned for production details, pictures, etc. It’s all coming from this site so check back!

Ciao~
Angela Francis

The ballots are in…

stay tuned to meet the cast of COLLIDE…..

When it rains…

It pours….

As of this afternoon, I’m getting a new shower in our master bath. After waking up almost 45 minutes late this morning, my shower my interrupted by Josh yelling for me to stop the water. Apparently, there’s a massive leak, and causing water to flood the guy below us. Can you say karma? Not that I believe in “karma” but I do believe in a concept like that. I guess you can say, that’s what he deserves for being such a prick. But as we’re taught in church, you should love your neighbor as yourself. In that case, does that mean I can put poop on his doorstep, too? =) 

Anyways, it’s been a rough twenty-four hours. Josh decided to “fog” our condo in the middle of the afternoon, causing it to be unlivable until late. Not fun. If all goes well, I’ll be making a fun phone call tonight, in hopes to take on my first actor in my project.

 COLLIDE quote of the day:

“I thought my heart was going to fly out of my chest. Lucas Valentino was standing right in front of me. He was even bigger—vaster, than I remembered.”

 

Ciao~

Angela Francis

Part of Your World…

“In the days, and weeks that would pass, I knew only one constant—Drew and I weren’t meant to be. We never were, and we never would be.”

Today’s Playlist.
I’m still hung up on the Flyleaf Memento Mori album.
Great lyrics from the track, Again— 

“Here you are down on your knees again, Trying to find air to breathe again, And only surrender will help you now
I love you, please see and believe again”

Today I’m going back to character building. As I stated before, everything I know, I’ve learned from Michael Hauge, an amazingly talented guy. It’s a little long, but hopefully it’s worth it.

 We’ll begin with Outer motivation—the clear goal, or finish line, the hero must grow by the end of the story. Every story has one visible goal—whether it’s to win the game, get the girl, or make it to a location. This goal is the foundation of the story, it is what puts in line your characters inner journey, theme, and any through-lines. Too often, the outer journey isn’t strong enough to keep the story going. The outer journey can be difficult to master, though it seems easy enough; you really have to think if it is strong enough to keep your reader’s attention and capture their emotional by in. Like we’re always taught, eliciting emotion is number one—people read and watch movies to feel something. Maybe something their lacking, something they desire, or just to find peace away from their world and fall into your.

 Here are some questions to ask yourself, again, curtsey or Michael Hauge’s excellent teachings.

 Is my Outer Motivation VISIBLE? Since we are talking about novels, you really have to envision what everything would look like, and make that clear for the reader. I like to visualize my writing as a movie. What would it look like on-screen? What would they say, do, what’s really going on, and make that very clear.

 Michael says, “If that image isn’t essentially the same for all your readers, if success for your hero isn’t clearly defined in visible terms, your outer motivation is still weak.”

 Does my hero pursue her Outer Motivation until the end of the story? It’s essential that your hero’s goal isn’t reached until the climax of the story. If the hero accomplishes her/his main goal right away, what will keep the reader going? If Allie and Noah stayed together as kids, and the conflict, separation, and desire wasn’t there, what would keep you reading? Let’s face it, we all love conflict—we want to see people fall, and rise up to their goal.

When my hero accomplishes the Outer Motivation, will the movie be over? Not necessarily. You may have a visible goal, one that’s clear and consistent throughout the story, but maybe there’s another part to it. In THE NOTEBOOK, the movie doesn’t end when Allie chooses Noah. You have to show and after math. What is their life like after making this decision? You really do not want to write a story ending with them riding off into the sunset—very cliché. 

Is my hero’s Outer Motivation nearly impossible to accomplish? Michael words this perfectly, “If the desire is easy to achieve – if it isn’t the most difficult thing the hero has ever had to do – your story simply won’t be emotionally involving or entertaining enough.” 

Again, you need to capture the reader’s attention, grab them with emotion, and really bring them into your universe. Again, massive kudos to Michael Hauge. If you havent listened to his seminars, CDs, videos, or books you really have to. He’s the best of the best.

COLLIDE quote of the day;
“People weren’t meant to be together forever, the same way songs always end, like a final movement. Sometimes they fade away slowly, and other times they come crashing in, like an avalanche. But the truth of the matter was, everything ends—it’s the sadistic way of life.” – Madison, COLLIDE by Angela Francis

 Writing tip:
Listen to one of Michael Hauge’s lectures, you won’t regret it!

Ciao~

Angela Francis

Swept Away…

Today’s playlist? The new Flyleaf album, I bought it yesterday at Target, and I love it. I can’t belive I waited this long, it’s awesome. Every time I hear the songs it’s makes me want to sing in a band like that. I bet it feels good to scream like Lacey does.

Anyways, auditions went well. the show was medium, I expected more, but actors do that sometimes. I still need more guys, I only auditioned two, and while they were good, I want more options. Unless something changes, I’m 98% sure I found Madison. It’s amazing how suprising things are. I have three great girls right now, and I’m anxious to see what they do!! Anyways, beside that, I had fun. I was happy Erica, Josh, Joe and Torrey came out. Not that Josh really had a choice, but I do value his input.

Collide quote of the day: (longer today than usual)

I was going to walk away, but Lucas caught my eye. His magnificence stood out against every other man in the room. His arms were crossed over his chiseled chest and his pale skin displayed every vein in his muscular arms. Lucas was standing with Ashley Morgan, another cheerleader. She was desperately flirting with him, but I didn’t see any ounce of interest in his expressions. His onyx hair was shimmering in the light of the room, and his eyebrows were tense as she spoke to him. He ran his long, pale fingers through his hair, while looking around the room. He was obviously looking for any type of diversion from his existing conversation. I smiled to myself. Some girls were so clueless.

Have a great night!

Ciao~

Sky fell down pulled us in…

Torrey, Fiance and i in Cozumel

 

I may be bias, but this is the best song ever. 

So exhausted and frustrated from putting out fires I would love to take a shovel to the head so I would forget everything and start over. lol. just kidding…kind of. Burnt out. 

Tennessee Williams once wrote: We all live in a house of fire. No fire department to call. No way out. Just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns down the house…with us trapped, locked in it. 

Here’s the best song in the world from the most amazing band, Sister Hazel. 

Here’s Ken Block’s description he gives at his concerts: 

“This song is actually inspired… We were talking about some friends of ours who met and had a big night… They watched the sun go down on the West coast of Florida, and throughout the evening the meandered their way back to the East coast and watched the sun rise. We talked about what that night meant to them, and that kind of started the idea of “Chasing Daylight” is what it did for us… I think, after having said all that, it’s really just a song about having sex on the beach.” 

“Come Around” 

Sky fell down and pulled us in
Stole away my oxygen
And left me standin’ breathless there with you
The ocean wrapped around the sun
The smell of June – the taste of your tongue
Was all I’d ever need 

I – well I wanna be clear
Well I needed you here
And I’m waiting you out
But you – you don’t have a clue
And I’d drive right through
To find you anywhere 

[Pre-Chorus]
Sky fell down and pulled us in
Stole away my oxygen
And left me standin’ breathless there with you
The ocean wrapped around the sun
The smell of June – the taste of your tongue
Was all I’d ever need 

[Chorus]
But you – you keep on waiting
For the sun to come around
And you – you keep on waiting
For something better – better off to come around 

You – well you wanted more time
So I gave you more time
Oh but I am the sun that waits to come around 

[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus] 

Oh but you were a restless soul
Where’s the next best thing
While I waited for you
All my life waited for you to come around
Come around 

[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus] 

Come around – come around
You’re better off to come around
Come around – come around 

Well, if you followed all the way down, you deserve a quote…=) 

Ciao

Supermassive Black Hole…

Is it wrong to say, as much as I love auditioning people, I can not wait until it’s over.

Playlist? Flyleaf, POD, Fireflight, Switchfoot, Muse, and Paramore…

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything seems to drag, and all you can see is what needs to get done, and yet you see no progress? Yeah, that’s how it’s been for the past two and a half weeks. Finally, the auditions are approaching. The worst part is, even though I’m exciting, I’m dreading it. I feel ill-prepared with scripts and overwhelmed. I’d like to pass the crap stick on and take a break—maybe sleep for a day straight. The thought of sleeping makes me happy. The fact is, I’m sleeping eight hours but my damn dreams keep my mind racing. Anyways, I’m ranting.

Tomorrow I have two auditions, and I’m excited for both, but inviting people over means I have to clean. Luckily, the condo is pretty darn clean and it’s just a matter of re-dusting, sweeping—again, and making sure the laundry gets done.

Once these auditions are over, I’ll be touching on identity and essence, going back to the foundation of character building!

Writing Tip;
Write every day, even if it isn’t toward a book or a story. Imagine scenarios and put them together. It’s good to keep the juices flowing.

Ciao
Angela

Use Somebody…

Last night, between watching as Josh flipped between the Rays game, and other useless television programs, eating Chinese from Happi Wok, and gossiping, Erica and I spent a few hours finalizing the scripts for the auditions…..TODAY’S PLAYLIST:

When it Comes, Tyler Hilton
The Good Kind, The Wreckers
Not Myself, John Mayer
When I Look at You, Miley Cyrus
Wonderwall, Oasis

Erica and I picked out three scripts, all deep. A fight between Madison and Lucas, realization between Maddie and Drew, and a fun group scene, as well as a monologue for Madison (for those that didn’t contact me for one).

We also compiled a list of items to bring Saturday, and a schedule for how we want the day to go—and a list of jobs for those helping out on that day. So far, I may be one person short. If anyone doesn’t have plans Saturday between 10:30 and 2, please let me know!!! 

Ciao~