I do have some thoughts for you.  Perhaps most importantly, write, always, and freely, even poorly (since you can edit and improve later).

Remember that a character's observations of their immediate environment describe themselves and their emotional state as much as the world around them -- a valuable way to show rather than tell. Read poetry and study the myriad ways it achieves meaning.

I wish you luck, and thank you for reading.

Best,

Roy Freirich

The DVD will be available August 6.

Best,

Roy Freirich

I recommend composing a brief paragraph review of WINGED CREATURES and posting it on Amazon or Goodreads, to jumpstart the flow!  

Seriously, I would begin by examining your assumptions: sitting down to think of the right idea for a story is way too much pressure.  Instead, free yourself to write badly, with no expectation, or attachment to outcome. Some examples: describe the room you're in -- from a shallow bachelor's point of view, an angry teenager's, a snobbish woman's.  Think of how a newly bereaved person might behave, in a small but telling way you have never seen.  Think of things that compel your imagination, and worry about quality or proper basis for stories later.  Eventually, you'll have words and sentences, paragraphs and ideas that may suggest others.  Trust that some will be unworthy, but that some may intrigue.

Please let me know if it works!  Thanks so much for your kind response to my book.

Roy

I recommend composing a brief paragraph review of WINGED CREATURES and posting it on Amazon or Goodreads, to jumpstart the flow!  

Seriously, I would begin by examining your assumptions: sitting down to think of the right idea for a story is way too much pressure.  Instead, free yourself to write badly, with no expectation, or attachment to outcome. Some examples: describe the room you're in -- from a shallow bachelor's point of view, an angry teenager's, a snobbish woman's.  Think of how a newly bereaved person might behave, in a small but telling way you have never seen.  Think of things that compel your imagination, and worry about quality or proper basis for stories later.  Eventually, you'll have words and sentences, paragraphs and ideas that may suggest others.  Trust that some will be unworthy, but that some may intrigue.

Please let me know if it works!  Thanks so much for your kind response to my book.

Roy

Best,

Roy

The movie is very similar to the book, since I wrote the screenplay, too.  The main differences (aside from ages of characters for casting reasons) were due to time and budget constraints.

In the movie, I miss some of the moments in the book and screenplay -- the idea that Jimmy felt he could have done more and was guilty about it, that the psychologist and Anne's mom are trying to help her more, and I really miss the fly that haunts Carla -- her winged creature.  There are also moments missing of Anne trying to be a normal girl again by going to a party, of Carla beating up a drunk guy who makes a pass at her, of Jimmy's dad becoming physically abusive with Jimmy's mom.

Thanks for your questions.

Roy

Thanks for your note.

Yes, I just found out the movie will be out sometime last quarter this year.

And yes, I have met the actors -- I was lucky to be on set for lots of the filming.  Josh Hutcherson throws a pretty good football between scenes.  The movie would not have worked without his heartbreaking, brave performance.

Please don't hesitate to write again if you have any more questions, or even just comments.

Best,

Roy

I was permitted on set for awhile, but was careful -- per the director's specific request -- never to discuss book or script with actors, so the film is really the director's own interpretation of the material.  I guess that's why responses to the book are so important to me -- that's where I was able to tell the stories directly to readers, with no one in between.

Thanks so much for writing, comments like yours (especially on Goodreads or Amazon) can encourage the publisher to promote the novel, and the studio to release the film.

Best,

Roy

The idea came from an actual event in a San Ysidro McDonald's Restaurant, in 1984.  James Oliver Huberty killed 21 people in an afternoon before killing himself, and over the years I became haunted by what the lives of the survivors might be like in the weeks following -- their emotional balance with their spouses and children, their ability to work, their trust in the ordinary physical world.

I hope your aunt was able to deal with what certainly sounds like an overwhelming event in her life.

As far as the release date for the film -- I'm not seeing that date on moviefone and suspect it was an error.  That said, I'm with everyone else in awaiting word of the actual release date.

In any event, comments like yours mean everything to me; the novel truly represents my vision of these stories.  Reader responses (and reviews on Amazon or Goodreads) helps widen the audience, and I know they encourage publishers to believe in me as a writer,  and the studio to believe in this film.

I'm in the LA area, and would be glad to drop by your local bookstore to sign some copies.  Meanwhile, of course, I'm glad to answer any questions and consider any comments about the book or film.

Thanks again!

Best,

Roy 

Please recommend the book to your friends; it's readers like you who can help a story reach a wider audience.

Thanks again,

Roy

In this era of movies spawned from comic-book heros and television shows, studios sometimes need to be convinced that there's an audience for original stories.  It's lamentable, but understandable: movies cost a fortune to make and market.