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Friday, November 21, 2008

Paper I wrote this week

A little assignment we had in class. It was telling, so I thought I'd share.
Name of article: Hollywood Wanna Be By KM Welcher
In 2004, I started school and began working on my degree in Real Time Reporting. I have been working very hard for over four years to learn machine shorthand; and I am currently writing at 160 words per minute on the stenographic machine and am planning to open a Scoping business. (Scopist is the job title for the person who edits a court reporter's work.)
You would think that with all that hard work my ideal job would be in the Court Reporting field. Real Time Reporting is an important goal that I am working toward, and it will be one that I will continue to pursue; however, I am a dreamer and my ideal job may surprise you. I think that if I could have any job in the modern world, it would be a job as a screenwriter and director. I know this field is highly competitive, and I would spend most of my life trying to break into it; however, that is my ideal job. If I were still 18 years old, I would be putting all my energy and passion into this. Alas, I am not young. When I was young, the career paths for women were not as open as they are now. Equality had come a long way in the late 1980’s, but not as far as it seems to have come today.
I have always been an aspiring writer, writing poetry and prose; and for some time now, I’ve been lovingly grinding out a novel. My first choice for a screenwriting project would be my own writing. I write in genre of Inspirational Fantasy/Science Fiction. (I do not have a title yet) I have heard that authors, for example, JK Rowling, have no interest in transforming their novel into a screen play; however, I think I would love to convert my novel into a screen play. If it were mine, I would not be able to contain myself from being involved in a screen masterpiece as Harry Potter! How would you feel if you were given such an honorable task?
I first realized that I would desire to be a screen writer and director as I sat in the theater and witnessed the trailer for, Lord of the Rings. The visual art touched me to the core. I would have loved to be a voyeur fly on the wall watching Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh hash out the conversion of that great novel by JRR Tolkien into a major motion picture. You cannot imagine what joy it would bring me to be involved in such a project.
I think my ideal job as screenwriter would be best fulfilled by working with the production company, Affirm Films. This is a fairly young production company. They are mostly known for their recent box office hit called, Fireproof. The movie’s leading man was, Kirk Cameron. Fireproof, an inspirational film developed around a core story line of faith in Jesus Christ, was one of the first endeavors for Affirm Films and certainly its biggest. I imagine that, after the success of this project, they will continue to put out great films, and I would love to be a writer and director for them. It would be great to pitch them a script in the fantasy genre.
I do have a passion for real time reporting and expect a great second career in the field. I picture myself now performing Closed Captioning for a news show. (One can perform Closed Captioning from home in their pajamas! And work on my book!)
I can start working after I complete the national test. The test is called the RPR, which stands for, Registered Professional Reporter. However, until I pass that test, I will enjoy working from home and editing transcripts for other working reporters. I will be opening my Scoping business in December of this year. It is kind of scary, because that is just a month away. I hope to get a contract with a court reporting firm or a few court reporters.
However, you know, as I explore my career in shorthand writing, I will never give up on my writing. I will continue to love working on my book and networking with other, brilliant writers. I like to spend a little chunk of time on it each day. You’d be surprised how much that can add up. I think writing will always be my ideal job, but, as with all jobs in the arts, you must make your bread and butter somewhere and enjoy your passion on the side. By day, I will be KM Welcher, Closed Captioner, and loving what I do. By night I will be KM Welcher the dreamer writer extraordinaire. And, in my dreams, I will work on great screen plays and film masterpieces.

5 comments:

Avily Jerome said...

That sounds like fun! I bet you'll be a great screenwriter. When you get there.

You still have a lot of years left to pursue that dream, and pursuing your writing now is just one of many steps, but if you keep with it you'll get there!

I can't wait to see what you do with this dream!

Legal Beagle said...

Good Luck on your progress. If you have any questions you can't seem to find an answer to regarding court reporting, send me an email at travelinreporter@aol.com and I would be most than happy to respond. I am a court reporting agency owner with nearly 40 employees working for our company and have always enjoyed working with people interested in the profession. One of my favorite people and former employee is a realtime writer in SoCal and has provided services for the Emmy's.

Who helped you with your blog layout? It's awesome!!

KM Wilsher said...

Thank you Ajerome! I hope you know what a big part of the process you have been! My dream to write a novel/screenplay kicked into another gear when I met you! AND Lbeagle, nice to hear from you. I'll be emailing you soon! The blog layout is: Pyzam.com! -- check it out! Thanks for reading my blog guys, it means so much to me!

Amy Deardon said...

If you want to be a screenwriter, then do it! You have many more stories than you'd have at 18, and more maturity to develop resonant themes.

Can't wait to hear more about your novel...

Court reporting is also important; can't one do creative and court stuff???

Great post!

KM Wilsher said...

Thanks Amy! Sometimes I feel "greedy" to think I could do both. I want to really believe I can use ALL of my talents to glorify Him. . . what a thought, huh? Anyway, thank you!