In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

It's been a while, yes I know. Things in my life have been a little hectic. I should have joined the circus, because for the last couple of months it seems like I've doing a lot of juggling. I'm still adjusting to married life, which is different, yet the same. Although I don't celebrate Christmas, not in an official sense, like going to church, but I do appreciate the holiday season.  After Christmas, I will take some extra days off of work to catch up on the personal life stuff. This will be my perid of "taking stock." At the end of the year I like to look at where I am, versus where I was a year ago. 2009 was a good year for me. I've grown in so many ways and finally feel like I'm making progress as a screenwriter. I say that despite the fact that I received my rejection email from the ABC/Disney Screenwriting Fellowship yesterday. I'm bummed out by it, but I realize that the program is highly competitive. I will have another chance to apply...

It's been a while since I've posted an entry. Life has been crazy. I've been juggling work, getting married, and moving Karim into my mom's place. I know what you're thinking, still at moms. Yes, in spite of  the claims that the recession is over, I don't buy it. Karim are taking advantage of the opportunity to save, but that's another blog. Lately, I haven't felt the need to blog, not until now. I'm going to do my best to keep this short and to the point (which is sometimes hard for me). Last night, I saw the play Or , produced by Women's Project, written by Liz Duffy Adams and directed by Wendy McClellan. I was really looking forward to the production for two reasons. The first is that I can't even remember the last time I saw a play in the city. Needless to say, I was long over due. The second was that I was supporting women in theater. Back in September, Halima Flynn, a colleague, fellow thespian and theater director told me about a m...

I can't believe November is here. It all seems to quick for me. I'm not ready to face the fact that there is less then two months to the end of the 2009. Yikes! Every year I tend to get a little frantic as the end of the year approaches. I think it's because I begin to look at the year retrospectively and analyze my progress or lack there of. Even though I'm at a stand still now, the second half of this year has been good to me. I earned my MFA in Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University, got engaged (By the way, I will be married this Friday, officially off the market), and my short screenplay, After the Headlines, managed to get recognition by the Action on Film ( AOF ) International Film Festival ( www.aoffest.com ) and recently, The Urban Mediamakers Film Festival (www.urbanmediamakers.com ). I'm very proud of the achievements I've listed above, but for the past two months I've been at a standstill with my screenwriting. When I cam...

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Silk City Flick Fest's opening night gala. I still have a sense of shock and feel honored that they accepted my short film, After the Headlines . Today, I read The Daily Screenwriter , by Michael David Jensen. The Daily Screenwriter is a daily motivational blog where Jensen offers insight on things writers can do or should be doing to step things up in there creative process. Today's daily reflection was, "Success Means Showing up." Considering I've been at a stand still on the writing front, I really needed to read that. My work starts with putting down words on a page or typing them on a screen. I can't expect to get very far if I'm not showing up with an attention to write. That is what I've been lacking lately. The same point was echoed to me by a producer I met last night. I won't put the producer on blast, but he is an industry veteran who has worked on classic films like The Stepford Wives (...

I have some good news and I have some not so good news. I'll start with the good news first, After the Headlines (ATH)will be screened at the 2009 Silk City Flick Fest (October 8-11, 2009), www.silkcityflickfest.com , on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at Manchester Community College, 4:45 p.m., its first film festival. I would like to shout out all the folks who are hard at work to open the film festival this Thursday. Thanks for giving a Connecticut screenwriter and filmmaker a shot. Many thanks. Are you wondering what the bad news is? Maybe I shouldn't say bad, it's more like unfortunate. I will not be able to be at the screening this weekend. I'm going on a family vacation, which was booked long before I submitted the film to the festival. My plane ticket is nonrefundable, so the show must go on without me. I'm disappointed, but my hope is this will be the beginning for the film. I continue to submit to a plethora a film festivals, but alas, there are no guarante...

Stagnation, it happens, sometimes I put to much on my plate and then I have to take a few steps back and look at the whole scene, as if I were watching a film. I ask myself, "Where did I go wrong?" or "What do I need to change?" For a few weeks I've been writing about how I need to get more focused and back into my writing, unfortunately I'm still lagging on that front, but I'm ready for a change. If I want to progress I have to change. Since August, I've been talking about writing the feature length script of After the Headlines, which won't get written until I write the treatment and then an outline. After some failed attempts, I realize I have to do the first two in order to make it through a first draft. I'm not one of those blessed writers who can take it off the top of their head and crank out a script in a few weeks. I tend to self-edit as I write and that typically halts me in between the second and third act. The outline comes in ha...

I wish I could report that I've gotten some screenwriting done, unfornately that is not the case, but I'm back to writing my morning journal entries and I've been finally tackling the mess that is my office. Over the weekend, I finally organized my receipts. I had a pile on the floor that went back to the month of January. It was made up of gas, grocery stores, retail, dry cleaning, AAA, and a bunch of other places. I still have to finish organizing my receipts from the production of After the Headlines. At least I have them all in one place, the production binder. It's a start. One of the reasons I have haven't written down a word is because I've been busy looking for screenwriting contests for Finding Patience (I've done a mini revision) and film festivals for After the Headlines. Every couple of days I get an email blast from the folks at Withoutabox, a website that lists film festivals across the globe, http://www.withoutabox.com/ about potential festiv...

I'm going to take a break from writing about me, truth be told, this has been a weekend of more procrastination than progress. I shouldn't make excuses, but it is so hard to stay inside and write when the weather is so nice. There weren't be many more of these days in Connecticut. Truth be told, I have probably spent as much time watching TV late at night as I've spent enjoying the weather. Watching television is very easy for me to do, it becomes that much easier when I anticipate the return of one of my favorite shows. Earlier in the summer it was the second season of True Blood, but now with that getting ready to wrap up on September 13, 2009, I have switched gears. The labor day weekend may mark the end of summer, but for me, it also marks the beginning of season two of Sons of Anarchy (SOA). FX's promos and trailers have been my fix, keeping my level of anticipation up for most of the summer. Now, the moment I've been waiting for is almost here. Tomorrow ...

I'm not ready for summer to be over. I know we still have til' September 21, but with evenings in the 40s I have to accept the fact that the summer season is slowly slipping away. My body sure let me know this weekend. All the rain on Saturday, sent my allergies on attack and my body is currently battling a sinus affection. The fact that I'm also fasting makes it a little tougher, but I'm hanging in there. As we approach the fall, I'm reminded that there is a little over four months left to this year. I start to think about all the good and bad things that have taken place within the year. I'm in that reflective phase. So far I feel like I've made some good strides in 09, especially as a screenwriter. I finished After the Headline (still working on packaging the film for cast & crew), achieved my first film festival win at the 2009 Action on Film (AOF) International Film Festival, attended a Script Writer's Review Sponsored by Nickelodeon, graduated...

I can't believe summer is halfway over, even though its been 90 degrees most days this week, I still feel like Connecticut hasn't had much of a summer. The weather this summer has been a wash, luckily my life is not. Some really good things have happened to me and I consider myself blessed. A couple of weeks ago, I had a screening for After the Headlines at Western Connecticut State University. That was a major accomplishment for me. Right now, I'm submitting the film to some festivals. To date, I think I've submitted to about seven. I will probably add one or two more by the fall. I have no idea if I will get in, but I'm crossing my fingers. In my mind it's a potential opportunity that is worth a shot. For a few of the festivals, I've submitted in the student category. I've gotten a few confirmations that the film has been received. Now the waiting game begins, but it will be months before I now. I'm trying not to focus on that, instead I need to g...

Hello all, Earlier this summer I had the privilege to participate in the 2009 Connecticut Film Industry Mixer. The link attached is my interview, where I talk about After the Headlines, my passion, and Western Connecticut State University's MFA program among other things. Here is the link: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=62105318 One thing I can say, is that I need to work on my ums.

I've had a pretty good week. I want to say thank you again to all the folks who came to the first screening of After the Headlines (ATH) on Tuesday at Western Connecticut State University's student theater. PJ Moretti gave me a wonderful introduction. I was really nervous about showing the film and I'm sure it came across as I introduced the premise of the film and told the audience why I wanted to direct it. I know I said one to many ums. I'll try to work on that. After the introduction, I left the theater. I didn't want to watch and audience watch my film. I probably should have stayed, but I had seen it many of times. I think part of me was worried that people were going to hate it. I was wrong. Grant it, ATH isn't the next Citizen Kane, I'll have to work up to that. Do I think the film could be better? Yes, but I will stop being so critical of myself (which I have been), because I can say I got it finished. Back in May, I had the great opportunity to mee...

Hello all, Some of you may have read the tweets, others may have seen my facebook thread, but for those of you who haven't I'm hear to share that After the Headlines won the award for 'Best Dramatic Scene' at the 2009 Action on Film ( AOF ) International Film Festival, http://www.aoffest.com/. I think I mentioned before that AOF was my first acceptance into a major film festival. The way they gave the award was pretty cool. They read the names and titles of the nominees and the winner would come to the podium once they heard their script being read out loud. It was exciting to hear my name among the nominees and I felt like a winner for being in the company of the festivals best screenwriters, but when I heard the words from my script being read, I almost didn't believe it. I ran to the podium and was handed a mic to give a thank you speech. Tears of joy ran down my face and I cried as I accepted my award! I sort of wish I didn't break down in tears, but peopl...

I've been really enjoying the California sun since I arrived in Seirra Madre and have been attending the Action on Film ( AOF ) International Film Festival, http://aoffest.com/. I think I enjoy the weather even more as I hear about the on and off rain back east. A big thank you goes out to Pauline for letting me crash at her place. I flew in late Friday night and missed the showing of my taped scene from After the Headlines . I'm a little bummed by that because it would have been cool to see the audiences reaction to the scene. Before they screen the films, screenwriters who have been nominated have a scene from their script performed by actors and recorded for the audience. After the Headlines has been nominated for 'Best Dramatic Scene.' So far, I've been enjoying ( AOF ) International Film Festival. I've seen some interesting short and feature length films. Not all of them have been to my liking, but I have to credit all the filmmakers who have been acc...

In two days, I'll be flying out to Pasadena, California to attend the Action on Film ( AOF ) International Film Festival. Part of me still can't believe that After the Headlines was selected for 'Best Dramatic' scene. It feels surreal, probably because I've submitted to countless screenwriting competitions and film festivals. Getting in is a make-good to the rejection letters I've received earlier. I'm a person who saves the rejection letters and emails, I do it because I looking at them every so often reminds me that I still have a long way in becoming a viable screenwriter in the industry. The acceptance into AOF reaffirms that I'm getting better as a writer, I'm making progress. AOF is my first acceptance into a major film festival. In 2006, Moonshine, an indie feature I worked on as a production coordinator was accepted into Sundance . Theo, an actor from the film and I flew out to Park City to attend the screening and enjoy the thrill of the m...

For Immediate Release: Contact: Aaliyah Miller (203) 232-3712 or amiller_12@hotmail.com Waterbury Screenwriter’s Script After the Headlines Becomes Official Selection for the 2009 Action on Film International Film Festival JULY 21, 2009, WATERBURY, CT – After the Headlines, a short screenplay written by Aaliyah Miller, resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, has been chosen as an official selection for the 2009 AOF International Film Festival. Her screenplay was selected from thousands of entries. The 2009 Action on Film (AOF) International Film Festival announced their line-up of film and scripts selected from a record number of submissions submitted nationally and internationally. AOF Screenwriter's Series' is the only festival to take the written word submissions and create short scenes that will be showcased at the festival on the big...

Hello all, I did not think I would be writing a blog entry about Michael Jackson ( MJ ), but with his public viewing on CNN all day, the many facebook ( fb ) postings, and the tweets, MJ is on my mind and has been for a few days. I know it probably may seem like a cliche at this point, but that is not my purpose. I'm a fan of MJ , have been since childhood. I remember when I could do the Thriller and Beat It routine from beginning to end. I don't think I can move that quick these days. Although I'm a fan of his music, I did have some personal grievances with him, like his transition from being what I defined as a black man to the way he looked at the end. They way I feel about what Michael did to himself throughout the years doesn't matter, or does it? He was a profound individual. Many words, both exemplary and not so have described the King of Pop. However, when I think of all the pressing issues in the world, I wonder if so much media attention should have been pai...

Last week was like a flash of lightening for me. I was on the go until Sunday afternoon when the youth conference I worked concluded. The American Black Film Festival was great (wish I could have experienced more), but my main reason for being there was to attend the Nickelodeon Script Writer's Review and that alone made the 1.5 days in Miami, Florida a worthwhile trip. I'm pleased to report that the youth conference was also a good event. The lack of sleep paid off in the end. The highlight of the weekend was the evening performance from Young Legends. Young Legends is a group of foster care youth with my agency's Bridgeport Division who write, dance. produce, and perform songs that reflect their thoughts and feelings on growing up in foster care. The four songs they sang were profound and inspirational. I find Young Legends so inspiring because they are wonderful storytellers. They let me and an audience of about 100 people into their world. While their tales are heartbr...

Hello all, Today's my birthday. I'm happy to report that I made it through another year. We live in a crazy world, where life can change in an instant (for better or worse). The older I get, the luckier I feel to have the blessing making it through another year on this earth. This year, I decided I not to go all out. 31 just doesn't seem like I need to party like it's 1999. Maybe that will change for next year. This weekend, I celebrated my birthday with Natalie Roy (her birthday was June 21st) at the Portuguese restaurant O'Porto, located in Hartford. The food was good, but our service was not. We had one waitress for 17 people, yes, hot mess! Later that night we found out the restaurant also had a party of 60, which is probably why our food took so long to come out, but I feel like the management should have been better prepared and informed of us the issue first hand. Since they did not, I have to say I won't be returning. Despite the lackluster service I sti...

Around this time last year I was asked to support a small Off Broadway production called Black Man Rising , the stellar play is written by James Chapman. When Lawrence Floyd, a fellow acting colleague, who was cast in the show asked me to contribute I wasn't familiar with the plot, theme or other cast members in the show. Lawrence is a professional actor who is serious about honing his craft, I knew he wouldn't be part of a half-ass production, so I was happy to donate. As a gift I received to complimentary tickets to the show. I asked my girlfriend Catherine to attend with me. It was a hot and sticky New York City day and the air conditioning (AC) in the theatre's hallway wasn't working. There was a long line of people waiting to see the play. We all were profusely sweating. It was a long wait because another performance was wrapping up in the same theatre. I was a bit peeved, but told myself "I should be used to this, ish happens all the time in theatre world....

I made it through the hectic and eventful weekend. I'm still recovering, but I feel good about my participation in the 4 th Annual Connecticut Film Mixer and the Cab and Lunch Actors Showcase. Both events had a solid turnout. The wonderful, warm weather was an added bonus for me after a week of mostly cloudy skies and rain. Before I get into my take aways from the events, I feel the need to share some good news in my personal life. I think most of you probably know do to my posts on facebook and twitter, but for those of you who aren't part of the social networking world, Karim and I got engaged! Even though I've been off the market for five years this June, it's now official. I'm really off. No date has been set and details still have to worked out, but I can assure you it will be low-cost and small, but still nice. I'm past the days of when I envisioned the fairy tail wedding. For one fairy tales aren't real, and I refuse to go into debt over the speci...

Although I should be thinking about this weekend and how nice it will be for the sun to finally come out, instead my head is all about my planned activities for next weekend. Having graduated last weekend (note the pic:)), you would think I'm ready to relax and try to catch up on my sleep, no, not me. Next weekend, I have two significant projects on my plate. The first is the 4th Annual Connecticut Film Industry Mixer, June 6, 2009, 5 to 10 p.m at the Holiday Inn in Danbury (tickets are currently on sale via the website at http://www.filmindustrymixer.com/ ). This networking event offers producers, directors, actors, musicians, photographers, and other artists from the state the opportunity to network with their peers as well as promote the film and entertainment industry within Connecticut. The industry mixer is in partnership with the Connecticut Film Festival, http://www.ctfilmfest.com/ , June 2-7, 2009. I will be the staff manager for the event. My job will be to assist registr...

The sun is finally out, I just hope it stays for more than a day. I'm feeling good. On May 22, 2009 I will be graduating. Yes! I can't believe I made it through the MFA program. I take it back, I can believe it, considering all the hard work that has been put in, but it still feels surreal to me. For those I haven't told, I received an A on my thesis project! I need to give special thanks to Catherine, John, and Karim, for helping me review my thesis. While I'm happy with the present, I can't help but think about the future. What's next? I have a few answers to the question. Number one, I've been accepted to the American Black Film Festival's Script Writer's Review, sponsored by Nickelodeon. The event takes place in Miami on June 25 and 26. While I have a conflict with work, I'm crossing my fingers that I will be able to work it out so I can attend. So far it looks promising. Number two, On June 6, 2009 from 5 to 10 pm I'll be working at the ...

On Monday I handed in my thesis. I had a great feeling of accomplishment as I drove to Western Connecticut State University to drop it off. This past semester challenged me in many ways, now I just hope the thesis committee accepts my two spec scripts. I wrote a spec for Nickelodeon's True Jackson VP and the other was for FX's So ns of Anarchy (SOA) . I really struggled with the SOA script, but thanks to the help of my David and Leslie, my thesis advisers, and Karim I came up with a story. Next up, I plan to submit them to teleplay competitions and some network fellowships. Last night I watched the final season of the L Word. I finally can catch up on some of my favorite shows. I have to agree with my sister Dawn and say that I was somewhat disappointed by the ending. Oh, well. I also saw the film American Violet . Loved it and highly recommend it. It's going to be nice to once again hang out with my friends, see movies, and watch television on a regular basis. The wat...

Hello all, Right now I should be tackling yet another rewrite of my Sons of Anarchy (SOA) spec script. I took a look at it during my lunch and finally made it through to the end. It was grueling. I can't believe all the typos and missed words I had....hot mess. And although I know I'm in my last lap, for some reason I feel the need to pass the baton, however, no one is on the receiving end. I'm tired. Tired of reading, rewriting, reading some more, and so on and so on. Despite the fatigue I feel at the moment, I can truly say I'm amazed that I'm here. I started the Western Connecticut's Professional Writing MFA program two and a half years ago and the end is almost near. I go through periods of excitement and then moments of blah (my current momentis blah). I think I'm a little blah right now because I know writing is work. Like most things in life, in order to excel at it, one has to stay at it and not become complacent. A couple of weeks ago I stayed h...

Hello all, I should be sleeping. I have to be up in less than 6 hours, but since my weekend lock down also known as ass in chair or for the PC crowd AIC, I'm suffering from bouts of insomnia. I want to sleep by just can't. I guess that happens when you write for 8 hours at a time (with little sleep in between) after a day and a half of writer's block. Well, at least I got my first draft done. That is a major accomplishment. That's not what I really wanted to talk about. I'll save it for another blog entitled, "The Reward is in the Work." Last Thursday, I was walking home from work like I usually do at around 5.pm. and I was making my way through some folks that had just got off the city bus. I little girl caught me eyes. She was being pushed in a stroller and was crying up a storm. I know it's common to see kids crying with their parents, but there was something sadly different about this case. The little girl, who I say was either two or three was bei...

Today, I had the privilege of meeting Mira Nair, an acclaimed filmmaker, who has directed films such as Amelia, The Namesake, Mississippi Masala, The Perez Family, Monsoon Wedding and many more. The cozy lecture took place in a conference room inside the Haas Library at Western Connecticut State University. I've been thinking about the lecture all week. I had a feeling I was going to take away some great words of wisdom and advice. I did. I was asked to ask the first question to get the dialog with Mira flowing. I had no problem with that. I asked a two-part question, the first part was "How she defined success for herself?" My follow-up to that was, "Did success mean different things for female, writers, directors, and producers in Hollywood. Mira graciously smiled and jumped into her response. She said, "To me, success is privilege of doing what I want to do." As she went into detail I felt a genuine sense of sincerity, her words rang true and came from t...

Hello all, Yes, I'm back from the sunny shores of Aruba. Boy, was it nice to get away. Dawn and I had a really good time (stay tuned for pictures on my facebook page). The downfall of vacation is that it eventually comes to an end and you have to get back to life as you know it. Now that the week is almost over I'm finally feeling like myself. It's a good thing because a sista has a lot of writing to do. In less than five weeks I will have to submit my thesis for graduation from Western Connecticut State University's Professional Writing Program ( http://www.wcsu.edu/writing/mfa/ ). I can't believe the end is almost near. It's sort of nerve racking. I would have like to done writing for my spec script while I was on vacation, but I just didn't. I know I only have myself to blame. I did do some reading and some of it was related to scriptwriting so it wasn't a complete loss. Nothing ever is, at least that is what I like to think. Last night, I had an epip...

Hello all, Bon Bini (hello/welcome). Bon Bini is Papiamento , the predominant language in Aruba spoken by the locals. Papiamento and Dutch are the official languages in Aruba. Papiamento is a language that has been evolving through the centuries and absorbed many words from other languages like Dutch, English, diverse African dialects, and most importantly, from Portuguese and Spanish. Aruba's slogan is "the friendly island," and I can honestly say it is true. The locals make you feel like you're at home. It is very easy to embrace oneself into the culture which is a mix of Dutch, Spanish, Arawak Indian, and African traditions. I find the Spanish and Dutch influence to be the most prominent. Aruba is a desert island, not much grass, but plenty of cactus and palm trees. So far my vacation has been both relaxing and fun. My only shortcoming has been with my writing for Sons of Anarchy (SOA). I plan to do catch up over the last couple of days here. I've done my morni...

I'm finally taking a vacation. At times the day didn't seem like it would ever come, but it is almost here. In four days I will be on a flight to Aruba with my sister Dawn. I've been looking forward to the trip for a year now. Last year, Dawn and my mom went to Aruba. I was a tad bit jealous of them. I really wanted to go but couldn't because I was in the middle of course work for my MFA and in conference prep mode at work. While they were there, Dawn got lucky and one a free-trip for another week at the resort. Dawn took pity on my, since I couldn't join them the first time and invited me to tag a long this time. Thanks sis. I can already feel the 85 plus degree sun on my chocolate skin. In my mind I'm walking on the beautiful beaches in sandals embracing the laid-back culture where the slogan is "No problem." And even though I know the locals have problems (heck we all do), I can appreciate their attitude that they don't let their problems get th...

Life is constantly testing us. It can be our friends, our co-workers, school, work, deadlines, etc. I think most people on the planet experience a feeling of inadequacy and frustration at some time or another. I also think the current financial situation: a dire economy, lay-offs that seem never ending, banks and car companies still looking for bailouts, all the while the stock market continues to fall and our 401(k)s lose value faster than we can snap your fingers. It's a mess...a hot mess. Everything seems out of sync. With so much negativity out in the world it's hard to see the silver lining. I have a couple of friends who are seeing cuts to their benefits and salary. Their managers are telling them they should be happy they are employed. And while that may be true, can it also be said that you should be happy you have an employee who has a strong work ethic and values the contributions they make to your business or organization? Why is it that so many people only see what ...

Hello all, I can't believe it, I'm actually writing a second post this week. It's not that I think I catch up on the writing time I lost, cause I can't! I just have a few things I'd like to share about the New York Women In Communications (NYWIC) ( www.nywici.org/ ) event, 'New Year, New You.' Considering we are almost into March, I would have gone with a different title, but I get the sentiment they wanted to achieve. The event's keynote speaker was Candace Bushnell ( www.candacebushnell.com/ ), bestselling author of Sex and the City , Lipstick Jungle , and Off Fifth Avenue . Yesterday I trucked down to New York City (something I don't get to do as often as I liked to attend what I expected to be a chic networking event for women professionals of all ages. I asked my girlfriends Catherine and Matie to join me. This was my first NYWIC event. We all looked forward to the event and hanging out in the city afterwards (Last night was what I envisioned my...