October 30, 2003

The Christmas Photo

In light of the fact that I've been intending to post short story excerpts on this site since its inception and haven't, and because there doesn't seem to be much of a market for Christmas-themed short stories, I've decided to post The
Christmas Photo
in its entirety. I wrote this story a couple of years ago after witnessing the glut of Christmas photos my mom receives every year, and sent it out to a few friends in lieu of a Christmas card.

October 22, 2003

MAC Script Development

I recently received a Manitoba Arts Council Script Development Grant to write the first draft of Effective Immediately. I'll be working closely with Bevan, who will be directing selected actors through an improvisational/collaborative process pioneered by filmmakers like John Cassavetes and Mike Leigh.

The intent is to create naturalistic dialogue that will resonate emotionally with the actors when the film goes to camera. This approach affords me an opportunity unique to most screenwriters as we typically work in abject isolation.

October 06, 2003

Effective Immediately

I'm currently working with Bevan on a feature called Effective Immediately: a dark, domestic drama about a laid-off thirty-something systems analyst who relocates his family to a new city hoping to recapture his lost masculinity and sense of worth.