Odd Job Chronicles

The Writer's Road: Expect the Unexpected

Written by Tony LaScala Thursday, May 30, 2013, 6:45 PM

The road is fraught with peril,

An Odd-Jobbers life can take unexpected turns. Career altering decisions can be made with a single stroke of a pen, and the past few months have been filled with moments worthy of writing an Odd-Job chronicle article about. Somehow I could never find the words in between the frantic nights of scrambling to make deadlines, proposed and rejected projects, and the general disarray that is the life of an ADHD afflicted Odd-Jobbing weirdo just trying to get a foot in the proverbial door of this industry. Since I’ve last written, many a road have been travelled down; some have dead ended, some are still winding down the path, and one has lead me to the entrance of a much bigger road full of potholes and blind spots.

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To Those About to Write... Listen and Learn, Don't be "Arrogantly Ignorant"

Written by Tony LaScala Friday, February 22, 2013, 3:42 PM

When I was a wee boy with a red fruit punch mouth and dreams of entertaining the masses, I had no concept of “show” as being a “business” despite its sometimes ominous title. Members of my family and small community thought I was the bee’s knees, the real deal, a future star with limitless potential. Flash forward to 2013 and I’ve found myself surrounded by uber talented people who’ve come from equally supportive communities battling for the same position in life I’m eager to establish. The ugly truth of Hollywood is that while we would all love our friends and colleagues to succeed, we can’t help hoping that ours is the name on speed-dial from the Weinstein’s when they’re selecting their next award winner.

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The Writer’s Life: Should Old Failures Be Forgot?

Written by Tony LaScala Thursday, January 10, 2013, 2:04 PM

As many of us Odd-Jobbers tend to say most years-

INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT

TONY throws away his cheesy 2012 calendar. A cat is on the cover hanging from a branch. The caption reads: Hang In There.

TONY

This year went much too quickly.

Because I had to work most of the Christmas holiday, I was only able to go home for a few days and see my family. We don’t gather as a whole unit very often, so I always covet the time we have. This time of year I don’t get much writing done anyway, so I used the precious days to catch up and play board games (a family tradition). I’ve been feeling really down on myself lately (the job search has gone worse than my high expectations, and my writing has been sub-par for several months.) A few rounds of Zombie!, Axis & Allies, and Munchkin were just what the non-existent doctor ordered. (I in no way have health insurance; I’m not even sure what doctors look like anymore. Probably robots now… that would be awesome. I need to make an appointment with Dr. Robot. I digress. ) As I was heading home Christmas Day to drag myself into work the following morning, my stepfather gave me a hug and told he was proud of me.

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Navigating the Plight of Procrastination

Written by Tony LaScala Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 12:36 PM

(Insert Clever Intro Here Later),

For the past odd month I’ve been looking for a better job. When I’m not combing the Internet for job postings and crying myself to sleep (Being dramatic), I’m working on a novel. The basis for this novel is actually a screenplay I’ve already finished, so adapting seemed a logical step. Unfortunately, I made the mental error of believing adaptation would be a cakewalk. I suppose writing a novel from a screenplay is a cakewalk, if the aforementioned cakes were actually cleverly disguised landmines full of grammar blocking explosive particles and procrastination gas, and the walkee were forced to stumble over them blindfolded while the voices in his head shout about how improbable it is to create a cake worthy of publishing. (Fix mediocre metaphor later)

My original intention for this article was to set a schedule for how a writer could lay out their day to get the most productivity possible while still cracking out all of the necessary chores on a “day off.” What actually came to pass was a severe case of writer’s block that I’ve documented below. Said content has been unedited, so please excuse… everything that you notice.

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Writing in the Real World: Bohemian with Benefits

Written by Tony LaScala Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 4:07 PM

A few months ago I looked at one of my meager paychecks after a seemingly endless week of work. On my desk were a small pile of bills; student loans, car insurance, cable, water & power, and rent was just a few days away. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point I had decided that an artist’s “Bohemian” lifestyle meant that I shouldn’t have medical insurance and should panic every first of the month and engage in that mad dash scramble to move money around and search for loose change in my car seats.

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