Zombob's Zombie News and Movie Reviews: In Banning, zombies, from a zombie's point of view...

Zombob's Zombie News and Movie Reviews: In Banning, zombies, from a zombie's point of view...: In Banning, zombies, from a zombie's point of view Courtesy photo — Shannon Elizabeth Smith feasts upon the brain(s) of James Mars...

My 2nd Job that Doesn't Pay

I got a nice surprise today. It seems that a zombie blog has featured our article from the local newspaper AND liked our page. Awesome. You can check it out here.

Next up, my novel. I haven't worked on it except a few notes. Enough said.

Next, videos! I have a few in post production right now and a few new ideas that I cooked up. Tomorrow I get to do a book trailer with Witness Pictures, which should be fun. And maybe I'll even get the chance to snap some photos! Maybe.

I found an inspiring story on Yahoo today (they are few and far between!). A young girl on YouTube who used to get bullied and felt insecure about her acne is now modeling. How cool is that? I had seen her video a few weeks ago and I didn't know who she was and no she's walking runways. That's awesome. Read it here.

Is anything else cool happening? I don't know. Will anything else cool happen? God, I hope so!! In the meantime, I've got vids to edit. Watch Chronicles of the Dead and I'll be back later! 

 

Inspiration & Validation

Today should be a happy day because a lot of great things are happening. We just released Episode 3 of Chronicles of the Dead, a new m0bRYa video is out,  I work a FULL shift tomorrow and I get to do a little film work on Saturday for which I will be paid. Awesome.

 

I've been browsing Twitter a LOT lately and I found some interesting people to follow. One of those people in Dallas Travers. This woman is an Actor's Advocate and she gives great advice to people like me who want to make it in the acting world. I've been watching her videos and reading her blogs and she gives a lot of tips and inspiration. She doesn't ask for money in return which I can appreciate. I'm sick of casting directors and other people who are less qualified to teach than my college professors asking for big bucks. Check out this video where casting director Billy DaMota puts the crackdown on shady casting agents and pricey workshops that do little for an actor in the long run. 

The saddest news I have is that I didn't write anything last night. I sat down with my laptop with every intention of writing, but as I said before it's a struggle. I couldn't organize a single thought for my life! It was awful. I can take comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one. JK Rowling had a TON of issues as far as being suicidal, but look how things turned out for her.

I always get a little dose of reality when I see someone on YouTube who reveals a ton about themselves in a video, whether they meant to or not. When I was first getting started on YouTube, a girl came to my channel and left a comment. It was basically a small gesture saying that she liked my videos and she wanted me to check out her channel as well. I did just that. Although they were a little weird at times, I could see that she was really trying hard to make something of herself and she really did. Then, she posted this video a couple of weeks ago and it kind of made me sad because I can relate to it. It's nice to get a little reminder that everyone is still basically human.

That's all I have right now but there's more coming later!

 

I Struggle to Write

Have you ever watched a mystery movie? You get pulled in right from the start and before you know it, you're trying to piece together all the clues to figure which character committed the horrible act. 

I feel like my novel is swimming around my head like that. It's a big mass of confusion. All the clues are telling me where to go, if only I could get there. I have everything I need, I just need to organize it in a way that would make sense to a reader. 

I've read plenty of books that ended in ways that made me want to curl up and die. How did those people get published? I used to whine to myself about it. There's obvious weak parts and everyone can see them but somehow they go on to be best-sellers and blockbuster hits! 

This is the part where I stop and realize I'm jealous, and why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly capable of putting a story together just like those other people, but I just have to do it. I get my motivations from one scene in Limitless. Bradley Cooper has just taken the drug and after cleaning his apartment, he sits down and writes his novel. The. Entire. Novel. All in one sitting. That scene blew my mind.

I don't want to take drugs. I've learned from my dad how bad they are, but I do want to be able to get out of my way and tell myself to shut up and do what needs to be done. I would love that.

So I'm going to work on it now. Yes. At 2am, I am going to go write and see how long I can go. I'm going to work until I can't work anymore. Fuck sleeping. I'll sleep when I die.   

Updates & Reflections

We are nearly done editing Chronicles of the Dead. The first two episodes have already been released and you can watch them here. The next three episodes have already been uploaded to YouTube and are patiently waiting for their "go live" dates. The finishing touches to episode six are being added as I type.

For me, this isn't just about getting something done and sent into the world. This is about creating something that I can have forever. No one cane take this experience away from us. Everything we've done until this point has been carefully documented and signed with our hard work and dedication.

I would like to do season two but we have a lot of work cut out for us if it's going to go anywhere. I've been doing lots of research, trying to figure out where we can submit it or where we can get advertising and it's tough. There are so many talented people out there and it seems like everyone is trying to stand out with loud colors. Well, what do you do if your colors aren't so bright? You outwork them. If we prove that we're dedicated and that we have staying power, stamina and longevity, we will win out against those who popped up overnight to claim to the spotlight.

Right now, I have about three projects going. My novel, this webseries and my own personal channel. My comeback has been a slow one but I have to give it enough time. I've brainstormed a lot of different video ideas and I'm trying to keep up with the same characters that got me noticed in the past. With an entire year off, I'll have nothing but time to figure out what works and what doesn't. I may even make two videos a week instead of one and never pass on the opportunity to do a good response when I get the chance.

YouTube has approved me for custom thumbnails which is pretty awesome. I make them in Paint because I don't have Photoshop, but it works just as great! Now if I could only make some decent money at work, I'd be set! It's sad that jobs don't even pay livable wages anymore! 

Oh well, I think I'll keep doing what I'm doing, trying to progress and take an inventory of my situation in about six months. Until next time, shine on you crazy diamonds!

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Third Draft Hell

My boyfriend took this pic because fuck you!

I'm writing and thinking. Then I stop writing to do more thinking. After I've thought some more, I get up and drink some coffee. Then I look at Facebook, then back to writing. I write a sentence. I don't like it. Delete. I'm in third draft hell!

I've also discovered that I'm not funny. Although my boyfriend says I'm funny, I know that I'm not. I'm only funny on accident. When I'm not trying, I am. When I try, it's a disaster. No wonder my YouTube channel is sinking faster than the Titanic. I'm single-handedly running it into the ground.

Sad? Yes. Fixable? Yes. 

In the meantime, what's wrong with making videos about my hair? Let's face it, there is a serious lack of black haircare in the mass media. Everything I know, I learned from YouTube so why not give back? I'm going to do it, but the actual doing part is what I have trouble with. Also, my style is a bit quirky and I'm not your average "black girl." Sometimes I feel like a poser...but that's another blog post all together.

I'm going to have to suck it up and do the thing that scares me. Write my third draft, be funny or die and for God's sake share my hair!