SHOOTING SCHEDULE --WHAT NEXT?

I've never seen a "shooting schedule" before.

Now I have. I found it on my e-mail. My producer says it's designed for 35 days.

Thirty-five days!!

As I look it over, it's 35 days of jumping around like a cricket. Scenes coming and going, all out of sequence. First you're crying then you're laughing. As I read them, my emotions jump around, too--as out of order as the pages. As an actress, I'd never know which face I was supposed to be wearing.

I vote for a certain middle-age actress (whose name I won't mention because of course we'll never get her.) Whoever she is, I trust she won't mind that the crying and the laughter are all mixed together like a cobb salad.

Is THIS how movies are made?

When I find out, I'll tell the rest of you. Meanwhile, I'm trying to stay calm.

MOVIE UPDATE--HIGHER THAN EAGLES

My Producer, Steve Ecclesine, has given me permission to post an update on movie prospects for my book, “Higher Than Eagles.” He says it’s okay to release the news that he is in preliminary discussions with Brook McNamara Entertainment regarding the movie version.

This would be a follow-up to the film “Soul Surfer” that BME produced for Sony/Mandalay Pictures—about the young woman surfer whose arm was bitten off by a shark. The movie will be released April 8 in 2500 theaters.

A few weeks ago, BME productions purchased 10 copies of my book, and Steve Ecclesine furnished 10 copies of the screen play to go out to potential investors.

Some of you will remember that it was Steve who persuaded me to write the screen play for my own project. Though I protested I didn’t have the expertise, he said, “I’ll mentor you,” and he did—gently coaching me for several months. As is the case with all writing, it was never as easy as one would imagine--though I found the reliving of old events at times exhilarating . . . and at other times heart wrenching. The good news is, I kept remembering moments of family drama that had never reached the book.

By the end I’d re-written it at least 8 times. And I felt huge gratitude to Steve, who was kind enough during the first mile not to mention that we still had 26 miles to go.

As is still the case, I can’t say this will actually happen until it actually happens. But I’m letting myself celebrate each baby step as it occurs. And I will definitely keep all of you posted when there’s something new to say.

TOO SOON TO CHEER . . .

I'm not exactly superstitious, but I'd tell any athlete: Don't let them put you on the cover of Sports Illustrated until you've won your event.

The same goes for movie options: Don't tell anyone your book is being made into a movie until they've begun shooting--and you've cashed the check.

So I'm not telling anyone Higher Than Eagles will soon be a feature film. All I can say for sure is that two movie producers asked me for ten copies--and an invoice. The good news is that somewhere, somehow, investors with money will be asked to read my book.

Beyond that, all is speculation. Right now, the bottom line is ten sold copies. And a future that's wide open.

Am I cheering? Well . . . not yet.

HANG GLIDING -- A BEAUTIFUL, MYSTICAL SPORT

Welcome, fans of hang gliding.

Now that my book, "Higher Than Eagles" has been re-printed by Stephens Press (in Nevada), it's time to share some recent magic moments. And talk a little about the book. No writing lessons in this one--just a deeply-felt family story about our magical years in hang gliding. And our equally magical years with our oldest son, Bobby.

We still remember the poetry in the way Bobby flew, how he "felt" the wind in ways that others seemed to miss. When he flew, you could almost hear the music, as if he were dancing. But Sports Illustrated summed him up best. They said, "Like Paul Elvestrom, the great Danish sailor, he seems now to own a special part of the wind that not even he can see and no one else can find."

Thanks to hang gliding afficianodo--and now friend--Bob K, this fall I attended three hang meets--at Sylmar, Torrey Pines, and Crestline. I talked to the pilots at each one, and was reminded, once again, of the mystical beauty of the sport.

As some of you know, I wrote a screen play for my book. The play is now in the hands of Hollywood movie producer Steve Ecclesine--and I can only hope that Steve finds the director and actors who want to make this movie.

If there's any refrain I've heard a hundred times since the book came out, it's this: "Your memoir ought to be a movie."

If any of you have ideas for this movie, let me encourage you to send them to Steve. His e-mail address is: Ecclewood@aol.com. Perhaps he should know that thousands of people are eager to see a major Hollywood film about hang gliding, a sport that's been too long neglected.

Thanks for your interest in this blog. About once a month I plan to post stories about Bobby. Maralys Wills

This site is still under construction, but please visit this site again soon. I'll be including stories about Bobby Wills and his family.