Hi, I'm Selma and have been a member since September. I am a very late starter and feel very insecure and shy about all of this but I'm pushing myself forward! I was born and brought up in London but have lived in Cyprus for the last twenty years teaching English and lecturing. Three years ago my neighbor told me he was the son of the man who rescued Ernest Hemingway in Africa in 1954 and told me an extraordinary story. This changed my life. I wrote an article about it which was published in "The Hemingway Review" and gave a paper at a conference in Paris about it, and then I felt the need to dramatise the story in a screenplay which took me three years to write as I found screenwriting voice. I have submitted the screenplay to several companies, including Amazon, and am awaiting their response. I have written three more screenplays since then and hope that through Stage 32 I make new friends to support me.
Introduce Yourself : Looking forward to 2021 by Selma Karayalcin
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Hello Selma! Welcome to Stage 32 and the world of a screenwriter. I encourage you to be strong both through your successes and failures. Not every script you write will be a success and not every one will be a failure. Try to grow and get better with each one you write and don't let the readers and the gate keepers rain on your visions. Boats loads of good luck to you!!
Thanks, so much - lovely to read your message :)
I'm fairly new to screenwriting and Stage 32 also Selma. As an introvert, I've tried to trudge through the process myself, but now I really want to be connected. I feel that we need to encourage each other. We need to share the ups and downs because this can be a stressful business. After 3 unproduced screenplays, I'd like my next one to be with a partner. Hopefully, this collaboration will be an enriching experience. Wishing you the best!
Welcome, Selma. Wishing you every success!
The “good news” is, the more we write... the better we get! Welcome!
Welcome to the sometimes mad house :)!
Do you find creating the stories in scripts as much fun as I do?
I think so! I mean, it is so exciting bringing something to life - and yet so incredibly hard. It's like solving a puzzle in your head!
Go girl! Remember no one will have a voice like yours, so go ahead and roar!
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Hey, Selma Karayalcin! My name is Kay, I'm the Community Manager here at Stage 32. If you'd like to learn more about myself and the Stage32 Team, we have an intro blog: https://www.stage32.com/blog/Meet-the-Stage-32-Team Nice to meet you and welcome to the community!
Wow, congrats on your Hemmingway Grant and screenplays, that's fantastic! Where are you in the process? Do you need feedback (we offer coverage: https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage/buy?id=23&affid=mjm) or are you ready to start pitching? If you are developing your pitch, I would recommend starting with our free Stage32 Pitching Guidebook: https://www.stage32.com/sites/stage32.com/themes/two/pdfs/happy-writers/... And if you want to practice your pitch, definitely consider the Writer's Room - we host a weekly Pitch Practice on Thursdays at 7pm PST.
I’m sure you’ve already discovered the Screenwriting Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting), but definitely reach out on the Acting Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/acting) for insight into characters, dialogue, and even when you want to generate interest in a virtual table read!
Keep in mind that these lounges are like the VIP Filmmaker's Lounges at Film Festivals, so this is where you can meet the people doing the work, get advice on anything you're working on, and/or give back to those who may need advice. We're a very supportive and encouraging community! I think you'd also enjoy my intro blog post on how to engage with the Stage32 Community:
https://www.stage32.com/blog/Find-Your-Community-on-Stage-32
Enjoy exploring the lounges, and don't forget to comment and respond to others’ posts, too! It's the best way to really connect! And, of course, feel free to reach out at any time. Cheers!
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All this encouragement is wonderful - I have felt so alone and isolated during the process of writing and afterwards that it has come as a shock to the system to have so many like-minded people around me!
No need to feel alone, Selma - we're here with you! What's up next for you?
Hey Selma ! I too am new into the field of screenwriting and it's really nice to hear someone who's in the same boat as me. All the best for your future projects and hopefully someone picks up your script !!
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So nice to receive these messages. I've just listened to "Ask me anything...with RB" - really informative and engaging and there was this bit on being an introvert and how to get out there. Alot of advice but one thing he said is to try three days a week to engage - like I'm doing, to share something of value and for two days to join a thread in the lounge. What are you working on? I've just finished the second draft of a screenplay and sent it to a friend to read - he sent it back saying that the first page was littered with errors. I was so surprised - just goes to show that when you are too close to something, you can't see whats wrong with it. I loved Uncle Roger - Where the WOK!!!!
Hi Selma, I am a producer in South Africa and is looking for some material to produce.Anything you would like to send my way.www.phoenixfilms.co.za
Hi André, I'd love to send you "The Hemingways" - it's the 60th anniversary of Ernest's Hemingway's death this year and the story chronicles his decline.