I suppose
there are easier ways to kick-start a writing career than building a yurt.
Alright, there were more reasons that just my writing career for building a
luxury Mongolian tent in 2010. Chief among them was getting out of show
business.
At that point (2010) in my
professional life, show business was everything. It was my job and it was my
lifestyle. Everything rolled into one. And yet, despite making a good living as
a film lighting technician, I wasn’t completely satisfied.
For
three years, starting in 1997, becoming a filmmaker was all I thought about.
Learning the industry. Gaining confidence. Contacts. Then I would make my film.
My move.
Sure,
I’d made a few short films before. I started making them in high school. A
couple in university. But I wanted to take the next step. Make my mark. Move
beyond being a crew member.
Finally,
in 2001 I completed “Shotgun Journalism”. It was a flop. After applying to
several dozen festivals it got accepted into exactly ONE. It was back to making
my living as a lighting technician.
That’s
not to say I was banished to Siberia. Film can be a very good job that provides
a good income….provided there’s work. For any number of unpredictable reasons
you could be as busy as hell one minute and famished the next. And then there
are the grueling days.
These
two (BIG) factors contributed to looking beyond film to find fulfillment during
those lean times. Though I continued to write, my confidence, not surprisingly,
had taken a bit of a hit. Instead I tried being a handyman. An apprentice
electrician. I even refocused my efforts into freelance writing. But no matter
what I did when film work picked up again I always went crawling back. I had
made a lifestyle choice that would require drastic measures to break free of
completely.
Enter
parenthood.
Or,
more accurately, accidental parenthood.
The
year my short film appeared in ONE film festival was also the year I would
fatefully meet my common-law heterosexual life partner Sylvie Mazerolle. During
one of the slow times in Toronto, I ventured out Atlantic Canada to work on a
couple of movies. The first was in Halifax. The movie: “Phase IV” starring Dean
Cain and Brian Bosworth. The second was “Vendetta: No Conscience, No Mercy”
starring Daniel Baldwin.
Now,
truth be told, I wasn’t the ONLY reason she moved from Moncton, NB to Toronto,
ONT. She was pursuing her dream of becoming a make-up artist. But, fortunately
for all concerned (and to the surprise of the many who’d seen a film fling come
and go) we’re still together.
Seeing
as how we were both established in our careers, parenthood wasn’t exactly top
of mind. Not until we started to notice the encroaching sands of time. We
decided to take a six-week trip to Southeast Asia to answer the question of
whether or not we wanted to become parents. (That trip became the subject of my
second book “Finding Asia”)
We
came back no more certain about that topic, but damn sure about our love of
travelling!
Luckily
for us, film was custom-made for people who liked to work their asses off so
they could have time and money for just such a purpose.
And
that’s when Drew Barrymore entered the picture.
Yes,
that Drew Barrymore, and no I’m not a celebrity stalker.
In
most of her films, what you see with her is what you get. She’s bubbly, funny,
sweet, cute and sexy. For most of her movies she didn’t exactly stretch her
acting chops to achieve box office glory.
But
every now and then an actress gets a chance to step out of their comfort zone
and push their limits. I just happened to be working on the film where that
happened.
The
name: Grey Gardens.
Normally
bubbly and fun with the crew, Ms. Barrymore employed the method style of acting
to accurately portray the character “Little” Edie Beale. She was in character
24/7. She wouldn’t answer unless addressed by the name of her character. Meh,
whatever it takes. I didn’t think twice about her chosen method.
In
addition to remaining in character during the entire shoot, there was also the
matter of extensive make-up, wardrobe and hair requirements. Shooting days
became marathon 15-hour days.
By
the time we wrapped on principal photography a few weeks before Christmas 2007
everyone was exhausted. But still up for a few festivities.
Not
often does A-List talent appear at the wrap party. Perhaps owing to the
grueling demands of method, or hair or whatever, Ms. Barrymore did indeed make
an appearance. I happened to run into her on the way to the bathroom. It was a
long hallway, separate from the rest of the venue. She saw me and stopped right
away.
We
started chatting and she professed her guilt at not being more social while on
set (which, apparently she is known for). I reassured her it was okay, but she
would have none of it.
“I
so wanted to talk to you,” she pleaded, “You seemed so nice. I’m really just a
hippy valley girl.”
And
then she gave me a big hug and a kiss before going on her way.
I
floated back to the dance floor as I met up with my wife. Remember me, Jason
from Palmerston. Farm boy who just had a chance meeting with a beautiful
Hollywood star. Those butterflies must have lasted a bit longer than I
anticipated.
That
December we drove to New Brunswick to celebrate Christmas. Sylvie’s parents
greeted us as we stepped in the front door.
Flo
Mazerolle greeted her daughter with a tight, warm hug before she noticed
immediately that something was amiss. Something wasn’t right. She didn’t hold
back what her mommy instincts were telling her:
“YOU’RE
PREGNANT!”
Being
in show business is grueling. Doing something you didn’t set out to do even
more so. Being a new parent, living on a main street in a major city without
family help all contributed to our decision. It wasn’t arrived at arbitrarily.
Not long after our son was born, Sylvie and I were putting in the time to
figure out an exit strategy from film. There was a catch. How do you translate
film experience into the real world?
I
saw it as an opportunity. Y’see during those long slow times on set I’d
salvaged my sanity with the help of a notepad. About two dozen of them over the
years. In addition to all of the other things I tried to get out of the
industry, I also managed to get a few articles published. I took a Copywriting
course. I thought if I had just the right shove, a clean break away from film,
I could find a full-time position as a writer.
THAT
was my goal. What I got when I first moved to New Brunswick in 2010 was
freelance work. I tried to make the best of it but it didn’t go well. I
switched careers and jobs a few times. But the experience of making the move
from Toronto to New Brunswick was perfectly suited, in my eyes, to a book.
Unfortunately a book takes time. Time doesn’t wait. I needed to get some kind
of income that was going to lead to something. I parlayed my film lighting
experience into an electrical apprenticeship. Once again I was far away from my
goal of becoming a writer. Only this time the monetary remuneration wasn’t
nearly so good. And to add to my misery I was working for a man who, when
provoked, could scream and yell like a banshee.
My
only salvation: I went back to my notepad. I wrote like crazy. I also I pitched
the hell out of “Life, the Yurt and Everything” and I also vowed to make that
unwelcome tyrant the bad guy in my first novel. In the evenings I would pitch.
In the mornings I would write.
I
quickly wrote the rough draft of my first novel “The Prince of Acadia & the
River of Fire” in the car before my dreary workday would begin. I was also
feeling hopeful that “Life the Yurt and Everything” would get picked up by a
publisher or an agent.
After
several months (and the occasional earful of indignation) I finally got the
break I was looking for. I had a New York agent interested in the idea. He
asked me for a re-write on the sample chapters I sent him. I was FINALLY going
to get out from under the foot of the John Gerryston (not his real name) aka
the White Wizard!
And
then the agent regretfully declined. I kept pitching for another ten months. I
finally had enough. The idea needed to get out. I needed to get out from under
it. Turn the page on that chapter. Find the resolution to the story. Put it to
bed. I took it upon myself to publish.
Two
books and NO marketing plan. Evidently I had it backwards. I thought
distribution was the most important thing. I’ve since learned marketing is the
key. The rest will take care of itself.
I’m
now putting some of that hard earned wisdom to use with my first novel. Once
again I have the book ready before I have everything else. Well, not
everything. I have a domain. I have a Facebook page. I have the beginnings of
an email list. I started public speaking.
In
short, I’m putting in the building blocks for a career. It started with “Life,
the Yurt and Everything” and continued in “Finding Asia” and now I’m going in a
slightly new direction with “The Prince of Acadia & the River of Fire”.
It’s
taken me six years, five careers, four jobs, and one yurt to get to this point.
All things being equal, I might concede a weekend writing retreat might have
been a cheaper alternative.
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