05 June 2009

Sarah might finally get the boost she needs...

UCLA Extension has just mailed me a flyer, announcing two residency programs that consist of three 10-week classes and a 4-day residency. One of them is for screen writing, and the other is for novel writing.

At over $3,000, this is a huge investment of time and money. But I am not writing Perfect Girl for profit; I am writing it in hopes of enhancing the world's understanding of the transgender experience. In order to be eligible for the program, I must submit a draft of the complete novel, and I have until mid-August to do so. I will also need a one-page synopsis of the novel. It'll be LOTS of work coming up with the material, but if I want it bad enough, I should be able to put something together.

With this level of commitment, I also need to ensure that the program's setting is conducive to my creativity. It looks like I will be limited to at most seven classmates, with whom I will get to have intimate friendships. Moreover, the instructor is none other than my longtime mentor Gayle Brandeis; I expect my instructor to be not only a good teacher, but also have good chemistry with me, and seeing Gayle's name is pretty much a guarantee on both counts.

I have already notified Gayle of my intention to apply. Now, I need to come up with a game plan as to how I will proceed with coming up with a few hundred pages of Sarah's life story in just a few weeks. The draft will be horrible, but since I know that I can count on great feedback from Gayle and seven classmates, I'll be better prepared for lots of great tweaks. (The better writing styles of my classmates will also help tremendously, as inspirations.)

The four-day in-person residency is in March. Given my privacy, I think I can pull it off. Will see what happens!

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