“Captain, that volcano is about to blow. We have to get off of this planet, now!”
“Shields are at 5%?”
“The FTL’s are offline. It’ll take 30 minutes to reboot!”
Magma rained down on the ship.
“Joey, how many times have I told you not to play with my blowtorch?”
My laser is empty. I have nothing left but this stick.
I shouldn’t have gotten in the water without my shoes, I can feel them nibbling at my toes.
“Joey, how many times have I told you not to put the goldfish in the tub when you take a bath!”
“Damage report?”
“Captain, the wormhole dropped us off 80,000 light-years from home world. We are the only crew left alive.”
“Is that planet habitable?”
“Yes”
“Since we can’t go home I suggest we start a new, improved human race, here.”
“Captain, I’m a transgender female. We are on our own.”
I’ve been on Earth for five years now. I’m getting home sick, but I have a job to do.
I look at my face in the mirror and only see my transformation. I miss my blue skin and my cute antennas.
Time for another injection, earth girl. What a pity.
“Tapping day will be here in two days, son and you must be ready.”
“But, I like who I am and I like the skin I’m in. Why do I have to change now?”
“You’re just getting a second skin.”
“Blue skin? I don’t want to look like everyone else.”
I’m not going to cut this grass today, probably not tomorrow. I am going to sit here and finish off this cooler of beer and watch the sun come up and go down. This is the life…
“What happened soldier?”
“Joe took a laser blast to the head, he’s dead.”
“Captain, weapons are offline. They’re targeting our engines. What are your orders?”
“What do we have left?”
“The FTLs are still online?”
“Then get us the heck out of here! Engage!”
“We just came out of hyperspace sir.”
“Where are we, now?”
“In the middle of a spaceship mine field.”
I wrote on Facebook, about four days ago, that I had submitted my screenplay to Amazon studios to be evaluated and hopefully accepted and possibly get paid. Being this was my first screenplay, based on a short story I wrote many years ago, (I have a second script finished but I need to work on it also), I figured it was about time to get this career of mine jump started, once more.
Being that this was the first time I had ever written a script of any kind, I knew it wasn’t the best, but I gave myself an “A” for the effort of at least trying something different. I had gotten a book on screenwriting, but only read about a third and what I mean by a third, I truly skimmed through the book and tried to only read the highlights.
I then went and purchased the screenwriting program, Final Draft, (which, for some reason won’t work on Windows 10 and a new version runs about $160!). I took my story and tried to re-create it, as the program showed me how, step by step. My Seventy-five word story was finished as a fifty-nine page script. However, the script sat on my desk (and in my hard drive) for at least eight or so years, collecting dust.
A few years back my brother was in town and I let him read the script and of course he liked it, (everyone who as read any of my stories always tell me they like or love my stories, of course they don’t count, to a point), and he wanted to take it back with him, to California, and show it to one of his producer friends. He later called me and told how those “friends” like it, too. Of course I have never heard anything about my script again, no matter how many times I asked. (Twice).
Anyway, today, I received an email from Amazon Studios, in regard, to my submission. It was rejected. It stated that they had determined that my script did not meet the needs of their development slate at that time. 
Where have I heard that statement before? About twenty years or so ago I sent this same story to a Sci-Fi magazine. It was returned to me, rejected. I know that the reader read the entire story because my manuscript reeked of cigarette smoke on every page. Their rejection letter indicated, almost word for word, the statement above. So, I made a bunch of corrections, re-wrote a lot of the story and re-submitted it.
A week or so later I got another letter from that editor saying that they didn’t ask for me to send it back to her. Ouch! That put a damper on that story for many years.
Looking back over the many years, I have been trying to edit my own works, apparently to no real success. I’ve had the knack of editing other’s works but have been terrible at editing my own. I majored in Journalism. Creative writing came later in my life.
Anyway, Amazon Studios finished their note with; if you make significant revisions to your work, you are welcome to re-submit it in the future. Whatever that means. Well, I do know what it mean…I just have to keep working on it until I get it right or enough money to send to my stories to an editor/proofreader.
In the meantime, I have dusted off all of the books I purchased many years ago on how to screen write. The one I have to pay attention to, “Screenwriting for Dummies”. I know I have a couple more book, locked or lost downstairs in my fortress of books, I just have to make the effort to get up from this comfortable sofa and put on my shoes and go down there to that scary place and get more books. Just kidding… or was I?
Anyway, it looks like I have a lot more reading to do and I mean slow reading. (I can speed read, but I usually read fast only when I am reading a novel.) And, of course, save a ton of money so I can get my stories read. Does anyone know of anyone who wants to be a beta reader? I want to, need to get this done before this year is out.
My only problem, right now, everyone I have asked, for help, tells me yes, but never come through. So, I have to read, read and do more reading, to get through this on my own. I will get it done…I have so much to do…I would like to say I have so little time, but that’s just a myth. I will work with one thing at a time and that time is now.
I hate this war, but I had my orders. I was unaware the village had only women and children living here.
The screams and crying were deafening no one survived.
“What did he say, sergeant?”
“I am told he hears the whispers of the dead.”
“Tighten his straight jacket, Private.”
I’ve been a gamer since my parents gave me a tablet when I was three years old.
10 grand for this new system. I’m fine with that, but I should have read the instructions.
I can’t let go of the controller and this game is to the death. I Should’ve read…
Fred's Place 