In The Trenches—The Founder’s Daily Report: Day 298—What can happen in 68 days?

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In The Trenches—The Founder’s Daily Report:  Day 298—What can happen in 68 days?

Day 298:  68 days.  Including today.  That’s what we have left in 2012.  If you believe the world is going to end when the Mayan calendar does, then we only have 58 days left.  Wow.  This year has flown by.  Would I still think it went so fast if I wasn’t counting down the days?  Probably.

So, what can happen in 68 days?  A lot, I hope!  But a better question is what am I going to do during and with these last 68 days of 2012?  Yes, definitely a good question.  One I know the answer to.  Whether I actually “do” the answer, well, that’s TBD.

The four things I plan to do in the next 68 days include:

1.  I’m going to finish my editing pass—or die trying if the world does end.
2.  I’m going to continue to develop the scripts and their creative teams for my first two feature film projects.
3.  I’m going to publish an article for the College Desk Column by a new guest writer for the site—next week.
4.  I’m going to finish developing three new columns for the site—travel, high school senior, and Dear Friend’s.

And that’s it!  Although, I had a total anxiety dream last night about an audition I turned down that would have been today.  It was supposed to be Monday but I let my manager know I would be out of town.  They offered to reschedule and have me come in today but I still turned it down right before I left last week.  Not because the project doesn’t look good, it does, very funny, but it’s not only a SAG New Media contract and there’s no pay but it’s also shooting in November.  I just can’t.  For starters, I already committed to playing a small part in my friend’s web series Gossip Boy that is supposed to shoot in November…hmmm, guess I should have added that to the above list.  But also, there’s just simply too much on my plate!  The anxiety probably cropped up because the casting director of “turned down the audition project” emailed me directly last night.  Oy.  I instantly felt guilty about saying “no” (I just mustered the courage to say no in an email reply back to her).  I also wondered how she got my direct email as opposed to having to contact my manager—who I had already told it was a “no” for the reschedule today.  I checked this morning.  Turns out I had my personal email and cell phone on my Actors Access resume.  My bad.  Double oy.

Film Project Three is officially on hold until 2013 because I just do not have time to finish writing the script with such an intense editing schedule.  That was not easy to admit or an easy decision to make.  But, I’ve been to that barbeque before back in April during Script Frenzyand we all know how that went.  I did set a deadline of April 18, 2013 for finishing the draft because I have a consultation on it booked for that day.  But, I can’t think about that right now.

Maybe a nap first before I start?

Right now all I can think about is scene 10.  I was supposed to start editing on it yesterday but it was such a cluster f*ck getting home from the airport—taxi driver got lost on the way then it turned out I had the wrong address for where I was picking up the car—it was a comedy of errors and not the best way to start my day after a flight.  By the time I did get home it was almost noon and then it was all about playing catch up, running errands and transitioning back to reality.

And the reality is that I have 31 scenes to make watchable in 68 days.  I’m not going to lie.  It’s going to be tight.  There can be no dawdling on my part, no meltdowns, and no pity parties—again, not going to lie, I’m tempted to have a pity party and then take a nap after right now.  But, I have to focus instead!  I have to do the work, which is actually very creative this time around.  It feels even more like writing with this pass.  Even though I love writing, I still resist the editing.  But I can’t resist!  Bottom line, I have to finish this film—not that I can fully do that in 68 days but I can take us one step closer to completion.  And that’s what matters and, ultimately, it’s all I can do.

Now, the hard part begins:  doing it.

Until tomorrow, create from what you have…68 days left in the year.

Kelli Joan Bennett is a filmmaker, actress, writer, entrepreneur, advocate for creative thinking and Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Think Outside The Box Inside The Box Media.

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