2019.
Doesn't it sound like a sentence?
Yup, I am starting the year off with questions. Crazy, right? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I'm doing it.
Why, you ask? ;+))
Well, because I have them. I have more questions than I have answers, so why not ask? Why not ask you, a possible stranger, the question: how do I begin this next project? Heck, how do I choose which story (project) to work on in the first place? Where do I go to get the money to create said project, when I do finally decide which one to work on next and do I multi-task (if that's even a real thing)?
Yeah, there are a lot of questions and a serious argument around the subject of multi tasking, ask my husband.
I am technically on my fifth short film: the said next project, and I have two to pick from. Slim pickings, I know. I am not the most disciplined of writers (unfortunately??) Regardless, I have these two stories: Abigail, Brody -- a conversation on gun violence and teenage suicide; and Hermit -- a portrait on dealing with loss.
Do I have the right to tackle either of these subject matters? That's a question that plagues me about everything I work on... Literally, plagues me. Because the first thing people want to know is why you? How does this story relate to you? But, they only want to know this when you are tackling subject matters that are very human, very universal, and very specific, which is usually the case when you tackle (sometimes tough) subject matters that are plainly human in any medium really.
I mean, really: no one is going to question you on writing, I don't know, the 100th Fast 'N Furious, or Lethal Weapon 5000, or even Mission Impossible 22. You might get questioned on tackling anything Marvel and I agree with that line of questioning -- whatever that line of questioning is. Ok, I digress.
So, I made Utopia and the question with that one was "Am I the one in the closet afraid to come out?" That I happen to have the answer to: no.
With Hermit, the story that seems to be pulling at me more at the moment, I am scared shitless to say out loud that I know nothing of that kind of loss and I am eternally grateful for it. I do not pretend to understand it, and I will not patronize you if you've suffered such a loss. Since the muses have chosen to assign me the task of sharing this story, I will say this: I will honor them and humbly do my best to tell it compellingly, empathetically and truthfully. My prayer is that it speaks to you on some level and if it's in the cards, that it helps you heal a little bit.
In regards to Abigail, Brody; I say the same thing I said about tackling A Day in the Life of Who and about Utopia: if you can't see that it is your responsibility to speak (if you can) on behalf of the world you live in (whatever that world looks like) then wait until you can and let's have a chat about it then; because my answer will make no sense to you unless you are open to seeing the world a tiny bit differently.
Now, with all that said, let's take a poll shall we? I still need help answering the story question, so --
Which story would you like me to tell you next?
A) Abigail, Brody. Or,
B) Hermit.
Leave your answer in the comments section below and keep your lovely eyes peeled!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, folks.
Cheers to a wonderful 2019.
And, thank you so much for acknowledging my existence :D
~Aimi
PS: Yup... Sharing is in fact, caring.