My Current WIP: The Secret of the Leather Satchel

Hi everyone!

I'm so sorry for my long absence. Due to complicated circumstances, I have not been able to blog. However, I have some exciting news to share that I think will make up for the recent lack of posts! :)

I mentioned in my last post about how I was inspired to write a screenplay. Today, I'm finally ready to tell you about it!

So, after I finished writing My Father's Princess, I became inspired to dabble in filmmaking. (An interesting little tidbit: My first big writing project was an American Girl play that I edited/wrote based on the Felicity books and another script for my 8th grade drama class. So I guess you could say that my first written work was a play.) Last year, I took an online course for filmmaking and I found the whole process very fascinating. It seemed like a fun opportunity to combine my love for storytelling with my organizational, leadership, and multitasking skills, as well as learn something new. I began applying what I had learned in filmmaking and chose to make an 8-minute video about the Trail of Tears called "Escaping the Removal" for my historical literature class project. I had a ton of fun researching it, writing the script, planning out the shoots, making the costumes and props, and casting my friends and siblings for the roles. However, due to several logistics not working out in my favor, I ended up with half the cast I originally needed, and one day to film in five different locations what should have realistically taken two or three days (and that one day turned out to be cold, rainy, and miserable). To top it off, no one had studied their lines and most of them were exhausted and hyperactive from their youth group lock-in the night before. Despite how stressful it was, completing that project was one of the most exciting learning experiences I've ever had, and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was also applying what I had learned about screenwriting. I had an idea for a movie inspired by the color we painted our basement ("Leather Satchel") and an old suitcase that my dad and honorary uncle brought home one night. The original idea was for my siblings and I to act in and produce the movie together after the model of The Runner From Ravenshead,  but the project quickly got drawn out a bit too long. Finally, after almost three years, I finished the first draft of my original screenplay, The Secret of the Leather Satchel! It needs some serious editing; I will probably spend a ton more time on it. I don't know what will happen with it once I finally finish, but I thought that y'all would like to know what I've been working on. Here is a little blurb in summary of the story:

Jem, Harvey, and Alex are just three detective kids trying to make a living in a small town which is as un-mysterious as you could imagine. However, everything changes when a stranger shows up with a leather satchel. With all odds against them and while being pursued by a shady gang, the three intrepid explorers set out to find the truth regarding the mysterious leather satchel. What secret could that stranger be guarding so closely? A fun story filled with action, mystery, and adventure, “The Secret of the Leather Satchel” illustrates the blessings that follow when we truly search for God’s wisdom as if for hidden treasure.

Tell me what you think! I might do some more blog posts in the future about the characters and sneak peaks on the story. Enter your email address and click the "follow" button to stay tuned! :)