Made for TV?

This semester, I'm enrolled in a screenwriting class at Boise State University. In the first class, I learned that we will have the opportunity to create three 30-min episodes for television. This is not just a class assignment--it's a competition and the winner will likely get to help edit, shoot and produce the episodes. 

Of course, I am going to select scenes from North Pine Dove and maybe even Ben's Story. The series needs to have a beginning, middle and end and stand alone, so there's so much to consider. What I'd REALLY like you to do (if you've read it) is send me a message describing your favorite scenes and the scenes that you think would best tell the story. Also, what would work well for TV?

If have not read it, I will send you the link to the book if you email or message me.

So much to consider. Please help!

Ben's Story

So much has happened since my last post nearly two and a half years ago. I'll skip all the irrelevant stuff and jump right to the news that I'm working on the sequel to North Pine Dove! 

I'm debating about whether to start a new blog that more accurately tells the story that I'm going solo this time. Wish me luck!

First, what is the current status of NPD? I am continuing to edit it, but I'll have to either hire an editor or come up with another plan to get it published. It will happen!

In the meantime, I've taken two fiction workshop courses at BSU. They've both been useful, as I don't have a degree in English or Creative Writing! I've learned some new concepts that have improved my writing. More importantly, the assignments have kept me writing, when I might have lapsed.

Most of the focus in my classes has centered on the short story, but both professors have found that several students in each class are writing novels and have tailored the assignments to suit our educational/artistic goals. Bottom line, I'm making progress on the sequel, which I call (working title) Ben's Story. Cindi and I had crushes on Ben and could not let go of him, so it only fits that he is the focus of the sequel. Other key characters are Norah, of course, Ginny and Fianna.


The plot is only developed so far and I have a couple of possible directions in mind. I won't give away too much, but in the beginning of the sequel, Norah's old phone is found and it seems to have not lost its powers. Who will get their hands on it and what kind of trouble will they get themselves into? Will Ben buy the old Johansson farm? Will he and Norah have a second go of it? Do we know Ben and his past as well as we think we do?

My brother Larry who lives in Portland, ND is a black powder enthusiast. He was instrumental in helping me learn about guns that may have been popular a hundred years ago when Ben's great uncle was mixed up with Al Capone. I'll be depending on him from time to time--especially now, without my dad's help. (My dad DID get to read NPD more than a year before he passed in April of 2016. His feedback was so important to us and a motivator to finish the book.) I mailed the first 30 pages of Ben's Story to Larry last week and hope to hear his reactions (and his wife, Schela's) soon. (Larry is a Louis L'Amour aficionado and Schela loved NPD, so they provide a diverse sort of feedback for me!)

Finally, if you haven't read NPD and want a copy, email me at pmgrich@gmail.com and I'll send you a link to it! The more feedback I get, the better! It'll keep me motivated to get it published!