Screenwriting : Writer/actress by Chenoa Natane

It’s great to hear you have made it off the streets. That’s a struggle more and more people relate to. But why do you think a mentor is the key to telling your story? You’re more than capable of learning how to write a movie without one. It requires patience and perseverance, but so would working with a mentor. I would suggest reading up on screenwriting (Story, by Robert McKee, is the normal primer) then start writing and get to know yourself as a storyteller. You are the only person who can ever be 100 percent dedicated to your story and your vision, so don’t hold back and jump in with both feet.

Congratulation on your survival. Having risien like the Phoenix, you are uniquely qualified to tell the tale but I caution you to make your story inclusional for greater audience appeal. Hint: Nobody really cares about YOUR particular story but lots of folk care (deeply) about THE uplifting theme. So yes - you write the story as part of your personal healing and once that's done, look for someone skilled in the screenwriting art/process to help get THE story on the big /little screen. All the best to you.

I'm glad that as you wrote this, you're no longer in the situation you once were. Really happy you fought through and overcame Chenoa!

I hope you find someone who can bring your story to life, as it would be amazing seeing it told.

But also, don't shy away from developing your writing craft and pushing forward with penning your story yourself, you know. You're at the right place on stage32 to learn and get guidance. I'm a newer writer than most, and I'm learning and growing to be able to bring my stories to life in the best possible way. I'll get there, slowly, but surely will.

Be present. Read screenplays. Write. Repeat until you're at a satisfactory level. If you get someone to mentor and guide you, great! But, if not, don't let it halt your story being told. We're always willing to help in this community, so don't hesitate to ask clarify on part of the writing process that confuses you (^_^)

Wishing you the best Chenoa!

I disagree with Doug Nelson's comment doubting the potential interest in "YOUR particular story." Nearly every writers' story is about the particular story of a particular person - fictional or non-fictional, or a combination of both. Stories are about characters, and sometimes they are based on real people. And there are many great stories written about someone's unique particular life experiences, too. But a story about a young woman who has lived and endured what you have...that's a pretty solid base for a story and a film, and especially in today's world and market.

There have also been many great films about peoples' struggles with homelessness. A few really great one are, The Soloist, a true story about a musician from L.A.; The Pursuit of Happyness, another true story; Where the Day Takes You; Time Out of Mind; and Shelter

Obviously, your story needs to be very well-written, and comparable to stories written by industry pros. And it has to be marketable. So finding the right writer/collaborator who is talented and competent is pretty important.

If you can't find anyone here to collaborate with, you should definitely focus locally on writer's groups, and more specifically, on L.A. Womens Writers Groups or L.A.Womens Filmmaking Groups. A quick Google search on both will yield a lot of info, and a few important ones that I can think of are The L.A. Women's Film Collective, Cinnefemme, Women in Film; and Dr. Stacy Smith at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at USC. You should also reach out to the Native American group in L.A., the L.A. Skins Fest.

Keep in mind that everyone is super busy, and everyone also has their own projects going on. But I bet if you start trying to reach out to those groups, you will find a local writer who would be interested in your story and willing to collaborate with you. And there are many great local L.A. writers here on Stage32, too, but most of them don't read the forums, unfortunately.

Best wishes to in your creative endeavors, and in the rest of your life, Chenoa!

Chenoa, I agree with Stephen, Sara, and Imo: You're the one who can tell your story best.

Soon as it's finished and as soon as you feel ready, by all means post it here on Stage 32.

Welcome back to 32, Chenoa...and all the VERY BEST to you!

I think Doug is right, in the sense that a movie with a narrow focus on one person’s literal experiences will interest few people outside of that one person. But such films that avoid narrow boundaries can be more appealing to a wider audience. For example, “Precious” was based on the experiences of the writer, but was not a literal depiction of her life. Instead it expressed the core of her experiences through a character whose vulnerability and struggle we could identify with on a broader scale.

Thank you very much for all your insight, Bill I especially appreciated yours!!! It's unbelievable that more and more people struggle on a daily basis from Mental illness, drugs and alcohol to becoming homeless due to domestic violence or a home fire and much more, I've heard story after story of how one has become homeless and it's gone as far as coming to this country escaping sex trafficking and some stories are unbelievable but it's important to get out as much awareness as possible and if I can find a way to creatively do this it could definitely be very good, I've collaborated with a few producers and have gotten great responses on this. Thank you again!

Bill - you've missed the entire point; again.

Chenoa - you have a worthy tale to tell; one that could easily be Oscar bait. But that all depends on how you shape it and who you direct it towards. All the best with it.

Doug Nelson: You said what you said, and it's very clear. How can you say that "nobody cares about YOUR particular story?" That's a pretty bold declaration about a story that you know nothing about, and another one of your inaccurate blanket statement generalizations. Most stories are about people, and what happens to those people.

As a self-proclaimed "producer, screenwriter and film festival director", please explain why nobody will care about her particular story that you know nothing about. Thanks in advance, Doug Nelson.

Bill, you’re dying on a cross you don’t need to.

Stephen Floyd: Doug Nelson made a rather presumptuous comment. I disagreed with it and rebutted it. I think you're wrong, too. Chenoa stated she has talked to producers who also think it's a potentially interesting story, which isn't surprising to me. But if it is to you and anyone else, then so be it..

PM me if you would like to carry this further. There's no need for you or anyone else to further side-track Chenoa's thread, or to discourage her from writing what she and what others think is a potentially interesting and marketable story.

Chenoa, my fiance and I are actually homeless in Los Angeles at this very moment - and I can certainly understand how important this is to you. If you're willing to put in the work, I can coach you through the writing process and help you get a finished screenplay in 5 weeks. Once you've got that, you can start your rewrites.

While I'm in no position to take on an unpaid writing project, coaching you is something I can do very easily over the email - and it's a service I've provided to writers all over the world. Writing a screenplay isn't like writing a novel, and you don't need to stress out over whether or not you've got what it takes. All you need is a little structure in your process, and the willingness to pound out those pages. Once you've got the structure and the framework down, you can take as much time as you need to make sure the script is as strong as you imagine it should be.

Drop me a PM if you'd like some help.

As a brief aside, my fiance is Aleut. Native voices in film is something we're both definitely committed to supporting, and there may be more we can do to help once the script is whipped into shape!

Bill, I don't know why but I'll try it one more time. Chenoa has the very seed of a potentially powerful tale to tell (there's no question about that). Now obviously she's the one to show/tell the story but my advice is to avoid making it an autobiographical tale. A paying audience (except maybe her family) will not give a hoot about her personal struggle. trials, tribulations and rise from the ashes but a wider audience will care deeply about the 'resurrection' theme and how it impacts them and their loved ones. So in that sense, it's not really HER private story - it is a story for us all. Obviously she needs to pen the story in first person for her own catharsis but in the end, it must become 'our' story (our being an audience). It's the sort of story that has 'Oscar bait" stamped all over it...if it's done properly. Got it Bill?

Doug I understand what your saying!! A friend of mine said the same thing and that's why I need some extra creative help because I can write about myself all day, it's turning it into the audiences preference.

Doug:, the thing that I do "get" is that you and Stephen have both made a decision on a story that you don't know anything about, other than that it's about a woman who overcame homelessness. I don't "get" how you've both reached your conclusions ("Nobody cares about YOUR story", and "It's too narrow of a focus") without knowing the story flow, the character developments/transformations, the plot line, the rising action, the conflicts, the tone, the voice, how it began, how it ended, the intended and the unintended consequences, etc.

But that's my issue with your statements. I would never make a presumption like that. So obviously we have different views about the importance of knowing what a specific story is actually about before making judgments on a specific story's potential merits.

Let's leave it at that - we believe what we believe. If you'd like to start a thread about "Presumptions About the Merits of Real-Life Stories Without Reading Them", or something like that, I would definitely contribute my beliefs to it.

Sorry for my part in the side-track of your mentoring and collaboration request, Chenoa. I hope the local resources and suggestions that I initially listed will help you connect with someone who is qualified to assist you.

Bill, you decry hijacking threads but have written more apocrypha here than the rest of us. I think, if comments remain germane, there’s no harm in exploring a topic in a thread more broadly.