Sincerely Amanda
The Writings Of Amanda Read

…I’ll try my best to plan.

I’m a stickler for ideals, but I know that I can only accomplish so much at a given time.  A few months ago I mentioned studying for CLEP tests.  I never ended up taking any CLEP tests and it turns out they won’t really benefit me now.  I think I made a mistake in the CLEP decision - I was trying to use CLEP to get out of studying a subject I wasn’t particularly good at: math.  I put all my energies into attempting to pass the mathematics exam just so I wouldn’t have to study that subject in college.

It would have made far better sense to focus on the subjects that are my strengths and get worthy credit for them instead.  I would have had at least 4 exams down, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about the math.  They say if you tend to struggle in a subject you should just go ahead and take the college course in it anyway instead of trying to get credit for something you aren’t even that good at.  When I look back on that, it is so blatantly obvious!  What was I thinking?  I just blew away the time hoping that I would get out of having to study my least favorite subject.  You can only take two tests per test date and only nine students can get in at one time - and the last date is December 17th - and I’ve already registered for college courses, so CLEPing out of them would be pointless because I’m scheduled to take them anyway.  Besides, JSU told me they have some rule about earning “quality points” after you take credit by examination exams in order to receive full credit…so, whatever.  Just a word of warning to all of you (and my siblings) - don’t make the mistake I made!  Work to earn credit for something you excel at first and work on perfecting your weaknesses later when it comes to credit by examination tests.

As for college, all of my Spring 2009 Semester classes will be online.  My current plan is to major in History and minor in Political Science.  My courses will be American History, English, Geography and American Government (LORD willing and I can get into that class - I’m still waiting).  Introduction to Theatre Arts is another possible class I might enroll in.

Meanwhile, I plan to spend the month of December completing my screenplay revision and updating our Fair Hills Farm website to sell our e-books, seminar talks, etc. (check out the Girlhood Home Companion website as well - mp3 downloads and CDs are coming soon!).

~Amanda~

I finally heard from my manager on Thursday. Four script readers provided critiquing (called “coverage”) of The Crusading Chemist and explained how it needs to be revised before they can represent it. I confirmed the contract, which states that they will receive a 15% commission of the sales price if they find a buyer for the screenplay.

What I loved about their analysis is that they were completely objective - they had no idea who I was (at least one of them thought I was a man…haha…) and had never heard of the story before. While they each had unique opinions, they all agreed that the script needs to be shortened - with less of the long biographical beginning and more focus on the heart of the story - and that the characters’ emotions and personalities need some more depth. Here are excerpts from their comments (I didn’t get to edit some of the typos):

“A major issue throughout was lack of conflict. I believe the writer possess a strong and professional ability, which is obvious within format and dialogue, however the story truly suffers throughout due to lack of conflict.
Additionally there is little to no romance involved. A female interest isn’t even introduced until page 42. Even when the characters become close, there is no development of their relationship…”

“Extremely well written dialogue. It is a very difficult thing to write a period piece and make the dialogue believable. I thought the writer achieved this feat remarkably. It was very intelligent and complex.
There is a particular character in the very beginning that I really enjoyed. DR. JOHN W. SCOTT speaks with a very philosophical and humors tone that I really enjoyed. At times however I do believe because of the very intellectual speech there were many times that I believed the dialogue to be drawn out and unnecessary. “

“The script suffers from far too many scenes where characters talk about the problem of additives and unpure [sic] drugs but beyond the talk, little action takes place.”

“This story is non-fiction, so I’m assuming, if the writer has done his research, which it seems that he has, most of if not all of the characters appear to be real people. My thinking therefore is that the writer was to concerned with detailing an accurate depiction of HARVEY’s life, including every single person that he ever came into contact with, and not enough time on focusing on the characters that truly mattered. “

“I believe the writer possess extremely talented abilities overall. The script was very professional few to no format or grammatical errors, and it is clear that the writer has an informative understanding of the story.”

“I will however reiterate the need for conflict and establishing character relationships. I want to see more emotion in this story. Where’s the love, friendship, anger, etc? As it stands right now, most of the characters a very bland and uninteresting. Again I believe a lot of this has to do with the writer staying a true to actual events and characters as told in real life. However sometimes for the sake of film we must embellish on reality. In some way the heart of this story needs to be brought out, and it just can’t be through exposition and plot alone.”

“The writer sets up scenes for good conflict, yet lets these situations go without any dramatic climax. The main character could be much more pro-active, could have more reactions toward his obstacles that would reveal more about his character. There aren’t a lot of revealing moments for him. Some moments of dialogue stand out as unique and insightful. On page 17, Louis Agassiz has an interesting shpeal about Harvard. The script would benefit from more of these moments in which the audience feels intrigued by these quirky professors.”

“The story gets rolling far too late in the script. The juiciest part of the script, in which Harvey wishes to pass this bill, but can’t, and then subsequently reaps no benefits of his labor after it is passed, comes much too late in the story. Adding more conflict to his earlier goals (getting permission from his father to go to school, learning under the professor of his choice) will also keep the audience’s attention…”

“The author has obviously spend hours researching the period in which the story takes place as well as all the chemical reasons and legal ramifications that are explained in the story.”

“Harvey Wiley played an important part in United States history and this script is a window to allow people today to look at his contribution to food and drugs. Overall, the window is too wide, however, to sustain interest or allow an audience to feel that they are inside the man and can relate to his struggles.”

“I loved the scene where the performer is singing while we see Wiley’s experiment is being set up. More devices like this should be used. Also, the dialogue is not distinct enough, between characters. Vivian Mallory is a prime example of a character in this script that is fully visualized. I get the sense that she is a stereotypical social butterfly and a bit flighty. That’s awesome. Unfortunately, the other characters come across a bit bland.”

“As well written as this was, a major issue was with establishing seemingly influential and major characters and then never hearing from them ever again. This became more and more frustrating as it continues to happen throughout the entire story. There are many great characters that are introduced that I wanted to see more of. I lost count of how many characters were introduced on one page and by the next their existence it was ancient history. “

“The script could be improved if, instead of beginning to describe his life from his college years onward, the time span was focused only on those years where the maximum controversy over the act occurred. That would also limit the number of characters and dialogue.”

“Scenes that work well: The scene where Dr. Wiley resigns after being accused of writing a bicycle, the scenes when Wiley is with Anna; these give a peek that the “inner” man is not all scientist. “

“I liked the concept of “The Crusading Chemist” alot. It tells a part of US history that is not well known and should be. Bio pics are hard to do because the right balance must be struck between getting everything in there and not having the script lull or drag on in places.”

“This script is ambitious in its scope and, while that is admirable, it’s causing too much to be going on and the writer has relied too much on dialogue to get the story across. As, I have mentioned, there were some shining points, but the script needs to be focused and cut down. After it is revised, I think this script could be a much needed spot light on a part of our history that has remained the dark for too long.”

I appreciate their candid critiquing and am developing some ideas for a revision.  I’m looking forward to working with them on it.  One thing I found interesting is that one of the readers said that Vivian Mallory was the best example of a fully visualized character…and to think that Vivian is a completely fictional character out of my imagination!  That illustrates an interesting point to me: if I happened to be writing a completely fictional, imaginative story of my own, it would probably satisfy them because I would take full control over the characters and really make them my own.  But since this is a history, I’ve been a bit hesitant about that.  They seemed to agree that my primary weakness is attempting to be too detailed and accurate.

The reason why I wasn’t able to get very romantic is a two fold challenge: first of all, there was a point in the story in which Harvey and Anna barely saw each other for 10 years and secondly, their personal correspondence is hidden away in the depths of the Library of Congress which I have not yet been able to access.  Hmm…there is only so much I can comfortably imagine, especially when I consider that their real life historical romance was probably far better than I can fictionalize.

Well, do you agree with their comments?  You are welcome to read the first edition of the script yourself and share some comments!

~Amanda~

First of all, let me apologize for some link errors - first I misspelled “hear” (though “here ye” may very well make sense in some context). Secondly, I noticed that I messed up one of the links on my About page. The correct link is www.pricelesspurity.org.

Some of our aunts and uncles visited the other day. Aunt Laurel and Aunt Jenny would like me to paint portraits of their children. If I take on projects like that, I think I ought to get some more practice on painting childrens’ faces first.

For months I’ve had a painting planned to be based on some pictures of Beth and her little friend Jenny Clark.

We’ll see how that works out.

Secondly, the seat work portion of homeschooling for the siblings starts on August 4th. We’ve been working on a daily routine for that. I actually plan to be up doing chicken chores at 7:00 A.M. and then working on my CLEP study until 10:00 A.M. Then I’ll work with David and Beth and afterwards have the rest of the day open for my various projects. My GHC deadline is August 17th. I’ve considered entering a screenplay pitch competition which has a deadline of August 31st. To enter, you submit a film of yourself describing your story and why it would make a great movie. I certainly wouldn’t expect to win, but at least I would know that producers and directors would actually get to hear about the screenplay and perhaps one of them would be personally interested.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently passed a food-related bill. The other night Dad suggested that I send him a note telling him about my project and how his recent decision reminds me of that history…so I did. At least I know that someone will read that note, since active politicians have their e-mail/mail sifted much more frequently than film executives do.

After all, the point is to spread the fascinating story of The Crusading Chemist. I simply decided that a movie would be the best educational medium in our day and age to teach the public.

Yesterday our friend Lissette Maltass came over to show us some of the Mary Kay products she is selling. I very rarely wear makeup (with the exception of a little Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer), but every now and then it is fun to use.

~Amanda~

The Crusading Chemist is now available for public reading.
Let me know what you think!

~Amanda~

I hope that this upcoming week I will actually work towards doing everything I’ve planned on doing.
This past week I’ve just felt a bit worn out and uninspired - perhaps because it has been just a week since the ACT.

Abbott Management has still not contacted me. I have no doubt that they are exceedingly busy. They may very well end up being helpful to me, but until then I will have to try contacting individuals on my own. I haven’t worked very hard towards the producing goal recently because I was so busy studying. Now I should have no excuse!

Here is an interesting piece of information that Dad sent me:

Bill could lure movie stars, money to Anniston
By Megan Nichols
Staff Writer06-19-2008

Movie stars and money could stream into Anniston if the state Legislature passes a package of tax breaks to lure them here, local and state officials said.

A bill that would have given film production companies a 25 percent rebate on production expenses, a 35 percent rebate on salaries paid to Alabama residents and an exemption from sales, use and lodging taxes did not make it to a vote in this year’s legislative session. Local legislators said it could come to a vote if Gov. Bob Riley calls for another special session this summer.

Alabama, along with Delaware and New Hampshire, is one of only three states not offering incentives to the film industry, according to the Pew Research Center.

Joint Powers Authority member Pete Conroy, who is a proponent for bringing the movie industry to McClellan, said the state had already missed opportunities by not having an incentive package. He said the Lifetime television show “Army Wives” could have been filmed at McClellan if the state offered incentives.

“That one project would have brought in nearly $90 million in on-the-ground spending to this area,” Conroy said. “We’re talking to friends in California who have a really strong interest in bringing projects to Alabama.”

Conroy said he had heard that George Lucas was working on a film called “Red Tails” about the Tuskegee airmen that could be filmed at McClellan if the incentives package passes.

“I don’t know where that project is right now, but the point is that this is no longer a specialty industry,” Conroy said. “It’s one that every state should be part of. We’re missing out on some low-hanging fruit.”

Todd Stacy, deputy press secretary for Riley, said the governor supported the incentive package and wanted to see it pass.

“When it comes to economic development, Gov. Riley wants to see bills like this succeed,” Stacy said.

JPA board member and Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he has supported the tax incentive bill.

“I thought it had a pretty good chance last session, but it just wasn’t one of the bills that managed to get through,” he said. “I think it would have a good chance of passing.”

Marsh said he believed McClellan would be an ideal spot for filming movies because of its scenery and buildings, like the old barracks.

Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, also said he supported the bill. He said if it was placed on the legislative calendar he believes it would pass without a problem.

Bringing the film industry to town could be an economic boon to northeast Alabama, said Rep. Steve Hurst, D-Munford.

“It’s not a goal that’s out of reach,” Hurst said. “I will do what I can to help pass the bill.”

But Reps. Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston, and Lea Fite, D-Talladega, had some reservations concerning the film incentive package.

Boyd said that although she believes McClellan would be a beautiful spot for movies, she was worried about films that would showcase the city’s issues with environmental contamination. She also said she would have to research the idea more before she could vote for film industry tax cuts.

Fite said the bill was a “pie in the sky issue.” He said he would continue to support the bill, but wanted to see proof of a guaranteed return on the tax cuts.

Proponents of the bill have said that is difficult because the film industry would simply move its productions to one of the 47 states offering incentives, rather than pay more to film in Alabama.

As for the Lucas film about the Tuskegee airmen, Fite said if that deal was concrete, he would support the bill.

“Maybe if George called me at home we could work things out,” he said. “We’ll sit down over a cup of coffee down here at the Waffle House and make this thing happen.”

So, perhaps the producers will eventually come to us!

Among my other goals for this summer: Finish my landscape painting of the pond and begin on some more paintings. To be precise, there is one photo of Beth and her friend Jenny that I really want to attempt capturing on canvas.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t sketch the chicks when they were at their cute stage (I might resort to using Abigail’s photos as models). However, we do have another hen setting now, so if all goes well I’ll get another chance next month!

I’m trying to sketch out new writing ideas as well. Quite awhile ago I began planning a blog series of writings about dramatizing history based on things that I learned while working on The Crusading Chemist along with an in depth look at other plays and screenplays based on historical events. Yes, that actually sounds like fun to me.

I would also like to research movies and plays that were based on novels and other works of fiction. It would be interesting to see what styles different people follow as they adapt the writings of other authors. Especially when their worldviews may be completely different!

Last night we went to Aunt Betty’s (our great-grandmother’s younger sister) house for a cook out. Granddaddy came along with us. We had a great time…Ben especially loved catching lightening bugs after supper!

The tiny default font size on this blog is driving me crazy! I’ve got to get this blog template fixed…

~Amanda~