You know it's almost autumn when...

I'm making the first applesauce of the season. And we picked our first ripe pumpkins. The squash is almost gone. The yellow finches are losing their brilliant mating hue. The chickadees are stopping by our feeders on their way south. The geese congregate in the nearby fields and ponds as they, too, wing toward warmer winter climates. And...we return to school.

It's the end of an awesome long holiday weekend. And the end to summer. Bittersweet perhaps, but the sweet scent of cinnamon and apples is worth celebrating.

Weird. For about a month and a half I could not add a new blog post to this, my original blog. Now that I can, I am faced with the question: do I remove Poetry in Motion Pictures, Take Two, or do I finally launch my "How to Write Screenplays" blog at my Take Two site, and reserve this blog for posts of a more varied nature?

And in asking the question, I've answered it.

So as of this moment, right now, (and hoping, trusting that I can continue to post new blogs on this original site) I officially announce to all two of my readers that Poetry in Motion Pictures [the original] is my personal blog site, while Poetry in Motion Pictures, Take Two, shall be my "How to Write Screenplays" site.

And while you may be asking yourself why you're still reading this rather redundant post, you can thank the ever-changing role of the internet in my life (in all our lives, perhaps) and a small book by David Meerman Scott that I use in teaching my Media Writing classes at the University of New Hampshire: The New Rules of Marketing & PR. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and read it. Soon.

World Cup Workout

Who can run a solid half without even stopping to nurse a bruised ego…uh, I mean shin? I can. Who’s surprised by this? My friends & family, I’m certain. But also me.

I have been addicted to this football not-so-American that has united the rest of the globe (except maybe France & Italy). So today as I prepared to head outside for a jog, trying to convince myself that I could live without seeing the result of the Brazil-Portugal match, I found myself procrastinating inside: one more set of pushups, another set of running on the stairs, a few more stretches. Until finally the second half erupted. And it hit me: there are NO fat footballers (unless you count several of the Football Americans).

As I regarded the inches I can easily pinch in the mirror that is so not my friend, I decided to challenge myself: could I run in place for a solid 45 minutes, plus whatever time the refs added to the clock?

I am happy to report I did it. Fifty minutes. In place. While also yelling at the television (my son will corroborate this), which was muted since I only get the Spanish channel during these games (shame on you, ESPN*, for not gracing the cheapest of us with seeing the games via our cable “providers”). Paul Simon’s Graceland and a little Metallica kept me running the “distance.” And engrossed as I was in the game, I hardly noticed the clock. (Well, that last part might be a wee bit of a lie.)

And so I have my new workout routine. Until July 11. After that I guess I’ll have to return to the trail. Or maybe I’ll give the pitch a go. As long as you promise not to laugh.

* But thank you, ESPN, for making it possible to stream the English version on my Mac.

Wanted:

Interns – Now & This Fall Semester

Though summer session has already begun at UNH, I am suddenly in need of a screenwriting intern to help me read & evaluate screenplays for the New Hampshire Film Festival Annual Screenplay Competition. One or two interns needed. All on-line work, no commuting necessary. Three to four credits. Screenwriting experience necessary. You may be able to assist with a two-day youth screenwriting workshop in early July too, if you're interested.

This Fall I am looking for an Assistant to help with numerous events. We can tailor the internship to your needs and interests, ranging from reading and evaluating screenplays to assisting in leading playwriting and directing workshops. I also need someone interested in helping with on-line marketing of the various events. Four credits. Combination of face-to-face meeting time and on-line assignments. Prefer someone who has taken both my Screenwriting and Media Writing courses, but am willing to work with a Media Writing student who has not studied screenwriting.

If you’re interested in applying, contact me at danabiscotti@gmail.com or contact the internship coordinators at UNH-Manchester.

Photo above taken during taping of "To the Power of YOU" this past winter.

Friday Flowers

Pawprints on our hearts . . .

We bid farewell to our lil' elfin doggie (the half-sized Norwegian Elkhound) as he returned to his owner's family this week. It was an unexpected interruption in what we thought was a doggie adoption process, but we're getting adjusted to the quieter and furless lifestyle, even if we're sad to see him go.

I feel like there are at least one or two lessons to be learned and perhaps even shared, but for now I'm just happy that we were able to provide a temporary home to "My Buddy" (as I came to call Zhanka) these past few months. His short stay with us has left an indelible mark upon us all; his cheerful demeanor was a welcome respite to our cold New England winter and soggy spring.

Thanks to all the animals in our lives--past, present, and future.

Cheers!

A Tweachable Moment?

I'm taking my Media Writing Students to a Seminar on Launching Your Career with Twitter. None of them regularly Tweet (am I supposed to capitalize that?), so we will be in the computer lab the following week signing up for Twitter accounts and Tweeting with the @VistaPrint guy in a Tweet Chat Room (until a couple weeks ago when he suggested this option for meeting with my students, I had no idea this was possible).

But am I buying into our overly plugged-in society too eagerly? I feel like a pusher.... And it's making me second-guess my plan for the fall semester. I'm thinking of requiring all my Media Writing students to sign-up for a Twitter account at the beginning of the semester, so they can practice using the uber short method of marketing communications during their 15-week tenure with me.

My students currently blog. It began a handful of semesters ago as a last class of the term assignment. It soon became a first class assignment, with weekly blog posts and comments to classmates' blogs due regularly.  As a writer, blogging is a great way to practice your skills. As a professor, it's a fabulous tool for tracking the progress of your student writers.

But Tweeting--I'm not so sure that's necessary.

I'm a newbie to the Tweet scene. And like an addict's first taste of a powerful, mind-altering substance, I'm hooked. I Tweeted constant updates at our town's absurdly long and mind-numbingly tedious town meeting. I Tweeted as my husband and I drove to Red River Theatres last week, and later as we left after seeing the incredible GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO. I Tweeted when I was tired of having my floors torn up during our recent home make-over. And I Tweeted when I nearly stepped on a sizable serpent out sunning itself in the woods path where I was running with my dog.

And the responses to my Tweets? Since they are automatically uploaded to Facebook, a surprisingly high number of friends respond to my thoughts and commiserate with me during other harrowing snake-like incidents. 

But in the Twitter world I've been surprised at how one word or phrase woven into my update can spark someone to follow me.  I gained a follower in the "Work from Home" crowd when I happened to mention how much I was enjoying working at home while my car was in the shop. And a local reporter began following me during one of my moments of citizen activism. Meanwhile a do-it-yourself site tagged along after my first update on our home's progress.

So is Tweeting a necessity to furthering your career and/or your business? Or is it a procrastination tool for the terminally chatty?  I'm hoping my friends and colleagues in my Social Community Space can help me find the answer; in fact, you can bet I'll be Tweeting about it.

(Photo above of a chalkboard drawing by Leo for some of the B-Roll footage of the Boys & Girls Video we've been working on.)