Introduce Yourself : Hoping to find post-retirement success doing what I've *really* wanted to be doing for a living since I was 6 by Christopher Neal Fisher

The Southern Gothic pilot sounds like an interesting concept!

Thanks! I think the blend of elements and influences in it are quite unique, if I may say so myself. :)

Never too late to start a new chapter in your life.

Thanks! Of course, I agree completely. Writing can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I’ll take it any day over working a regular “job job”.

Good luck Christopher, I’m also a late bloomer who got a film degree but only produced a family while in college. ;-) Decades later I have produced a handful of shorts that have had success at major festivals, and am fishing around for my first feature project. Your Gothic Soap Opera sounds promising, best of luck and stay focused!

Good luck with your project. I’m a late starter too and really enjoying learning about the business surrounding screenwriting.

Thanks, Joe and Jeffrey! Joe, it sounds like you've already had some success, so here's hoping that translates into helping you get that first feature made! Jeffrey, I don't know if you'll agree or not, but I think one of the things that's both most fascinating and most frustrating about being involved in this thing called screenwriting is that no matter how much you may have read up about it prior to giving it a shot, you're always finding out you know less than you thought you did, and that half of what you thought you knew turns out to have been wrong! lol

Tbh, I had made various stabs at writing a screenplay or TV pilot on and off over the years prior to my being retired, but found that working an 8 hour a day soul-sucking regular job, plus dealing with the everyday stuff involved in living, having a wife, etc., usually left me with little time or energy to devote to writing on a consistent basis, so that's why I'm only now making for the first time a concerted effort to break into the "biz". But in a way, it turns out to maybe have been a blessing that I couldn't until now; in the last decade or so, technological developments (including the Internet) have opened up a ton of new venues for entertainment productions that never existed before. Is it still highly competitive? Of course. But the fact is, there's probably never been a better time than now to actually have a shot at seeing your "great idea" for a movie or TV show become a reality.

You are absolutely right, there’s so much to learn in this area. In the last twelve months it’s amazing to learn just how much is out there to assist. I’ve taken seminars, webinars, Uni lectures and still everyday I learn something new for a script. I am 40 pages into a new script following lots of planning and research for this one. Like you it’s a juggling act with work and family but I am determined. I am also producing an 8 episode fiction audio podcast at the moment and we are in the post production Stage, so very little spare time For me as well. Good luck and let’s keep in touch to stay focussed on our projects.

Christopher, it sounds like an interesting story to be sure! I'm also someone who got back into films and writing after some time away, and it feels good to start working with those creative stories. Good on you for taking another shot at it. You'll definitely have a lot of help and support every step of the way here! Good luck.

I am a documentary producer, but since I am semi-retired from that career, I'm now turning my hand at screenplay writing as a late comer to this skill. Learning a lot from fellow writers and Webinars here and in the Writers' Room.

Hi Jill, nice to connect with you as well

Hi Joe, nice to connect too

Your story sounds intriguing and shines like a new penny. I wish you success in the TV pilot contests. Happy Writing!

Very cool.

Sounds like a fun concept! (Said by a native New Orleanian!)

Thanks, Gayle! I do think I've come up with a unique combination of elements in the series, and truly believe it's one that could be a real winner in the hands of the right producer, one who believes in its potential like I do.

Thanks, Michael!

Thanks, Kelly! Part of the reason I set it in the Acadiana region was because I felt it was the perfect locale for a show that combined elements of Supernatural Suspense (Dark Shadows), Crime Drama (The Sopranos), and Family Drama (both, plus Williams, Faulkner, O'Connor, etc..); but also part of it was because I'm 1/4 French (my paternal grandmother was from Limoges, France, and was a war bride at the end of WW I), and I wanted to pay tribute to and make people more aware of the French cultural contribution to the American landscape (especially now, when there appears to be a certain political/philosophical faction in this country that actively seeks to extricate from American life all non-Anglo heritage cultures and their influences). Anyway, I think I've come up with an engaging protagonist family, interesting setting, and fascinating antagonists -- now I just need to find a producer who agrees with me!