I received my first official movie contract today. It's for the short film project. Since it's very independent, there's no cash up front. It's all on the back end meaning that I get paid when (not if!) the film sells. I have points (meaning a percent of the sale) and they're gross points. My share comes out of the sale price, not the sale price minus expenses. (Which, since its ultra-low budget, won't amount to much anyway.) No six-figure lottery. Not even a four-figure option. Frankly I don't really care. I have a contract.

Way cool.

Now, I knew that this was coming. We've been talking about the characters back and forth for a while, so it was pretty much a done deal. Then I actually got the contract.

It's way cool.

I could blather on about affirmation, feather in the cap, prestige, justification for pulling up roots and moving across the country on a hunch and a dream, but mostly it's just cool. It's also a little scary. There's a whole production staff (okay, a couple of folks plus five or six actors, but still!) waiting for me to do my job so that they can do theirs.

Now this whole writing career thing is for real. It's not just a dream. It's starting to come down from the sky and into my lap, and if I get writer's block now I'm going to be one frantic puppy.

But right now, I'm just happy.

Someday, I'll talk about the story itself, but for now I'm going to keep it all in vague terms. Not because I'm afraid that someone will steal my idea -- every story's been told anyway, it's just a matter of me putting my own spin on it. It's not my idea, it's a vision that the director has, that I'm now putting into words. So, until he's satisfied, you'll have to bear with me.

Trust me, it's cool.