Heading off to my Act One adventure!

This blog normally is about the adventure of self-publishing, freelance writing, and the progress I'm making on my self-published book Deliver Me.

But I need to take a temporary turn for another adventure. I'm going to be gone for the next few weeks because back in April, I applied to a screenwriting class in Hollywood and guess what? I got accepted!

I first heard of the Act One program about ten years ago when a representative came to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Barbara Nicolosi talked about how she and some of her Christian friends working in Hollywood felt increasing concern about what they saw coming out of Hollywood and they wanted to figure out what they could do about it. Their answer: train Christians to write for and work in Hollywood. And so they opened Act One. Although writing moral, decent content for Hollywood to produce is part of their vision, Act One also is training Christians to become excellent producers, directors, assistants, and more to work in Hollywood right alongside those in Hollywood who don't share our faith. In this way, Act One hopes to shine a light to others about what Christianity really is (since Hollywood seems to have a pretty skewed view of us Christians) and affect what comes out of Hollywood for the good.

What is produced in Hollywood is seen in countries other than the United States -- in fact our entertainment is seen around the world. That's why two veteran Hollywood professionals who have been on faculty at Act One, Jim and Karen Covell, challenge the church to see Hollywood as "the world's most influential mission field."
Ten years ago I never thought I'd be going to Act One. But over these past ten years, I have studied screenwriting, attended screenwriting workshops and seminars, and practiced through opportunities like http://scriptfrenzy.org/. A year ago, for my birthday, my beloved husband took me to Hollywood for my birthday! We stopped in to visit at Act One, and I was encouraged to apply for the writer's program.

Viola. Here I am. Done applied. Got accepted. And...I fly out Monday morning and classes start Monday afternoon! So...for the next few weeks, instead of writing about my book-in-progress, I'm going to chronicle my adventure at Act One.

I'm hoping to blog daily and let you know what happened in class each day, but that promises to be challenging since Act One has told us classes will run from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm! Nevertheless, I'm hoping to post a daily update (although it might be late at night before I get it done!).

If you're the praying sort, I'd appreciate your prayers for God's guidance (and stamina!) through this adventure. I'd also appreciate your prayers for all my classmates. There is a writing class going on, and an executive's class simultaneously. I believe we'll be together at least some of the time. I have challenged my class to be the "best Act One class ever," meaning the most fruitful for God's kingdom. You can be a part of that by upholding us in prayer.

And whether you're a visitor to this blog, a classmate at Act One, a Christian writer from CWFI, or a dear friend, please feel free to leave a comment of encouragement or a prayer to let us know you stopped by and you're thinking of us.

(And please continue to pray for the book, Deliver Me. Perhaps it's a good time for me to take a break from that project because I am terribly frustrated with it. I...um...I could go on, but... Time for a break.)

My thanks in advance to each of you. Another God-directed adventure! Here I go!
Next post: Hopefully on Monday and from Hollywood!

~*~*~*~*~
If you're interested, here is more information about Act One :

The class I'm heading out to: http://www.actoneprogram.com/programs/writing-program/

What Act One past classes are already doing in Hollywood:
http://www.actoneprogram.com/about-us/accomplishments/
http://www.actoneprogram.com/people/alumni/

Act One's mission statement: http://www.actoneprogram.com/about-us/who-we-are/

Updated Count on Contributors

Can you believe that letter I sent out on Monday, June 7th, already found that writer and she has already contacted me?! Another Hurray! She is working on her Publishing Agreement, too. So I'll update the count:

Contributors (Need Publishing Agreements from): 43

Publishing Agreements received from: 22

Haven't received Publishing Agreements from: 19 (Got a call from a writer yesterday with some questions. Now that he has the answers, he'll be sending me his P.A.)

So far can't locate: 2

Dianne's artice "God on the Spot - Part 6"

The latest part of my series of articles, "God on the Spot - Part 6: Protecting His People in the Desert (and Painting a Picture of Himself)" has been posted to www.TheChristianPulse.com . Find it in the "Faith" column for June 4, 2010.

Please stop by and leave a comment. You can also rate the article. Thanks!

Updated Count on Contributors

Last Friday I heard from a writer I hadn't been able to contact! Hurray! (I found a newer e-mail address for her.)

Yesterday I was able to contact by phone one more writer that I hadn't heard from! Hurray!

Plus, I received another Publishing Agreement yesterday in the mail. Another Hurray!

Updated count:

Contributors: 43

(Wondering why the change? I had previously counted "families" instead of contributors. I have 41 families, but two contributed two stories, one from the wife, one from the husband. So add two for a total of 43 contributors.)

Publishing Agreements received from: 22 (Whoo-hoo!)

Haven't received Publishing Agreements from: 18 (Many are supposed to be sending me theirs. I'm waiting... )

So far can't locate: 3 (Still trying. I sent a letter to the last known address of one yesterday. May have leads on the other two.)

Excuses, Excuses

I'm still running to catch up with the Publishing Agreements that are coming in! What's taking so long? you ask.

I was at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for almost a week in May. Had a great time with doors opening possibilities for other book projects, including a novel, a non-fiction book about living married but childless, and a Bible study. Then, of course, in the aftermath I'm scrambling to get material to the people who requested it.

Also, my really big news is that I've been accepted to attend Act One Program's "Writing for Film and Television" two-week seminar in Hollywood, California, later this month! So I've been scrambling to read the "required reading" books, view the "required viewing" movies, and read the "required reading" screenplays. It's all fun! And they call this homework?

But I've been working on processing the Publishing Agreements all along. It just takes way longer than I ever anticipated. This is me trying to make sure I'm not missing anything: like a change a writer requests, a bio they sent, and question about the Publishing Agreement, a needed Permission Form... There's a lot to do, and every one of my writers is unique. And I have over forty writers. So...it's taking some time.

Those are my excuses.

Here's an update:

Of the 41 writers, I have Publishing Agreements back from 16!

Some writers I still haven't been able to contact, though. Still working on that. Which is what I'd better get back to.

Publishing Agreements are coming in!

Last week I managed to send out ALL the Publishing Agreements and Permissions Forms for every story in the Deliver Me book!

And I've heard back from many contributing writers. What fun! I've heard from so many, in fact, that I haven't been able to keep up with the e-mails. They're stacking up waiting for me to answer the many questions and make many changes to the stories. I'll get to them. I promise!

Meanwhile, five of my e-mailed Publishing Agreements bounced. So I'll have to try the phone numbers I have for those writers, and I'll hope they're still good. I hope to get that done this weekend.

There are still two other writers that I know their e-mail addresses, the phone numbers I have for them, and the addresses I have for them are not good. I'm trying everything I know to track down these two writers because I love their stories. I had one glimpse this week that I might be able to find one of them, but I haven't heard from her yet. So...I'd appreciate any prayers that I'll be able to find both of these writers.

I know there are other writers I haven't heard back from yet. But with sending out forty e-mailed Publishing Agreements pretty much at once and then having many coming back, I've kind of lost track of how many I've heard from and who I haven't heard from yet. As I'm able to go through the e-mails and Publishing Agreements that have come in by mail, I'll be able to figure that out.

So much to do. It's a lot of work. And it's not like this is the only project I'm working on. But I'm so extremely pleased I'm working on it!

Thanks for your patience and support!

Milestone! - Contacting Writers Who Contributed to Book

It's another milestone to celebrate with this book! Now that I have the manuscript in place, it's time to start contacting the writers who contributed stories that are in the book. (The book that was formerly titled "Where Grace Abounds" and is now titled Deliver Me: Hope, Help, and Options When You're Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy.)

I started contacting my writers this afternoon!

I tried a few by phone and didn't get anyone, but then it is Friday afternoon...

As you might imagine, because this book has been in the works for so long some of the e-mail addresses and phone numbers I have for the contributing writers are no longer good. It may prove to be a challenge to contact some of my writers.

(Note to writers: Let this be a lesson to you. If/when you move, send a change of address card or e-mail to the editors/publications you've submitted to!)

But then I got one voice mail...and not a generic message but one with the name of the writer I was trying to reach! I left a message and followed with an e-mail.

Then on my next try I actually got one of my writers! Whoo-hoo! She sounds (almost) as excited as I am about this book finally coming to fruition. I met this author, Ann, at a writers conference in 2004 and she sent me her story after that. That's (at least) how long I've been working toward this point with this book.

Do I hear Patience and Perseverance, anyone?

I have 60 stories in the book written by 41 different authors. So I have a lot more writers to contact.

But today I got a hold of one. I'm thrilled! Hey, it's a start.