Story Idea: The List (27/06/2013)

The List (Giving it a Shot)

The premise of the story is your standard romantic comedy, guy likes girl, and does everything he can to win her over. To give some background on the characters, the guy (for the sake of story telling we will call him Will) has been friends with her for many year, but he has always cared for her, but the girl (we'll call her Erica) never gave him a shot. He has tried before, but in those times she was either already in a relationship, or something similar to that situation. They basically grew up together, being very close most of the time, and like the stereotypical situation it is, they have always joked about getting together, or had plans for one another in the future, but never actually gave it a shot. Around 3 years before the bulk of the story starts, to shows Will asking Erica what was wrong with all the other men she's dated, with which she listed reasons for each one, but when the idea leaped into his head, he inquired on why they had never dated. The reason, because "You don't have your shit together."

Both have now graduated and received their degrees and are preparing to begin moving on with their lives. Erica finds out she received her dream job that would pull her across the province. With this sudden realisation that Will would be potentially losing Erica for good, he makes a proposition. Since this will be their last summer together before she moves away, and with him finishing his degree and looking to finally grow up, that they should try it out. As he knows that his life isn't ideal at the moment, with him still living at home to save up, and currently being between jobs, he sees the potential for improvement, but knows that he is getting his shit together. So he brings up the idea of her putting together a list of objectives to achieve this summer, and if he can, they will actually give it a real shot, even if it would only be for the summer.

To his surprise, Erica gladly accepts a few days later, asking for a few days to put one together. Though for Will this should be great, talking with his friends, they don't show much hope for this list turning out to be reasonable, but they all agreed even if some of the demands were too much, completing anything on the list would only aide him in improving his current circumstances.

Finally, after a few days, Erica gives him the small portion of the list. Get any job, Have a healthier diet, Quit his bad habit of drinking so much coffee, Get his car license, Come of a biking trip with her. Leaving herself time to add more things to the list over the summer. Will thinking this list isn't something he hasn't had completed in the time that he knew her, thinks this is a weak list to begin with. He was expected more along the lines of: Get a job in his field of study, Get a car, Move out of his parents and things on those levels, but with what he was given, he starts immediately.

The next part is mostly him doing his best to fulfill these objectives as they come in. After a few completed objectives, Erica asks Will if he can drive her down on his bike to the city of her new job, so he can help her pick a new place. The day goes great, and it's probably the first big climax of the story, as he really sees them having a shot at it, only for that night to be talking to their mutual friend whom is quite drunk to find out that Erica only agreed to the list out of persuasion so that the result would help improve Will's state. Upon finding this out Will gets extremely frustrated, planning on completing the list but to disregard them actually trying it out, as she obviously wasn't to keen on them giving it a shot.

Continuing on completing the list, they spent a lot of time together, going on the biking trip, to the beach, all easy things. Will inquires on how many more she plans on adding to the list on them returning from the beach, for her to respond that she will only add one more, but would hold out on it until the rest were complete.

Time passes, and to celebrate that all but the single task that she held out on were complete, she recommends they go out to dinner to celebrate. During dinner Will is frustrated on the concept that he entered this situation under false pretenses. After dinner Erica tells Will his last objective has been folded under the wine for most of the dinner, and that he can't look at it until next time they meet up. Will takes it reluctantly, knowing that even after he completes, it was still under false pretenses. The week passes showing him eagerly wanting to know what is the last thing he has to complete, but the time comes and she asks for him to meet him at the pub near his house.

Will decides to leave early to plan out how he will tell her that he doesn't think they should go through it, going through possible situation after possible situation in his head. Heading there early he sees her at a distance talking to her ex boyfriend (I guess he'd be introduced earlier in the story to better solidify the point) who then embraces her and kisses her. It lasts long enough for Will to turn around and crumples the last objective and throw it away. It then shows her pushing him off and slapping him, telling him that she has moved on, and is currently waiting on said person to come and see her. The ex gets pissed and drives off. It shows her waiting around for over half an hour waiting for Will, only to leave disappointed.

The next morning shows Will on the couch with empty coffee mugs and fast food around the couch. Every time it shows Erica calling him, he just ignores it. The day passes, and after many calls ignored their mutal friend comes pounding at his door. Will opens the door, for her to push him aside and begin yelling at him. Telling him he is an idiot, and why would he flake on their big night. Will actually very unconserned with the situation, fluffs it off telling her that he knows all about how it was all bull shit, since she told him when she was drunk. The mutual friend surprised by this fact says that he is an idiot. That Erica had enjoyed their summer together so much that she wanted to really give it a shot, and Erica was falling in love with him. Will then brings up the counter point that it was wrong since he saw her back together with her ex, only to find out the contrary. Will regretting the decision he made, runs out of the house to the garbage in which he through out the note. Not being able to find it initially, he dumps the garbage all over the sidewalk and sifts through it. Their friend drives up just as he finds the note, and Will tells her he found the last one. She questions this, and he tells her it was his last objective. It begins to rain and their friend offers to drive him to her house.

During the drive Will opens the folded paper, Tell me you love me. After reading this, his heart sinks, exclaiming how much of a moron he is. They get to Erica's house, only to be told her wasn't there. Not knowing where she could be, their mutual friend offers Will to drive him back to his house, Will insists that he should walk home, even though it was raining, because he needed the time to think. He walks to the bus stop as the rain really picks up. As the bus arrives, just before he is about to step on, he notices Erica stepping out of some random guy's car. Will back ups and rushes over to Erica.

"Erica, I'm sorry! I'm an idiot for blowing my shot, and realistically I don't deserve another, but I want you to know that this guy may have his own car, his own place, is probably loaded, and has a much better jaw line than mine, but do you know what he doesn't have. He doesn't have my heart! Wait that makes no sense, obviously he wouldn't have my heart, I've never met him before. But he hasn't been through what we have been through together! We got through the highs and lows of University together. When no one would make a big deal about something in your life, I always try my best to make the littlest things amazing! He hasn't been by your side for the past 8 years, and doesn't want to stay there as long as I plan on being there! I want to see you on your bad days, just as much as your good. I would wake up every morning with my main goal to be able to bring a smile to your face. I don't care if you don't have the best table manners, or every time you lay beside me you drown me with your hair, or that my parents don't really even like you. I don't even care if you went into this dumb idea of mind with no plan on ever really giving us a real shot! Erica I love you, and I'm sure this schmuk can't say the same and mean it as much as I do!"

"Umm, Will this is my co-worker Sam, he was just giving me a ride home, and is happily married, to Jeff."

"Oh Jeff, right, I remember Jeff... Sorry Sam."

More talk is exchanged between the two of them, and the stereotypical ending kiss happens.

The last part of the story is showing Erica in her new place talking on the phone with Will, only for her to hear a knock at the door, she tells him to hold on while she checks who it is, only to open the door to him being there. She embraces him, they kiss, and... credits.

Unload (26/06/2013)

So I accidentally took a hiatus from real life to have a bunch of fun with friends. First we had a riding session, hit the clubs, went to the shooting range, casino, niagara falls. It was so much fun, I didn't really have a chance to write about it.

With the riding session, I am hoping to have enough footage to finish off the next music video we are working on. It's almost done, but I want to make it perfect. Then we hit the gay club. You guys may find this weird since I'm not gay, but I have friends who are, and really the DJs there have actual skill, and play the best music in town. Plus you can really just go there and have fun, instead of the meat markets most clubs have become.

The shooting range was amazing, shot a pistol, revolver, rifle, and 9mm. I was best with the 9mm. The rifle I was aweful with. I don't know why. I'll probably put up a video from the shooting range on the DJWilma youtube channel.

Man the casino, well I'm not lucky for myself, but for my best friend, I'm like a fucking Lepricon, might as well shit gold with how good he did with me around. Lucky for me though, I found my lucky charm. She only works on roulette though, with no one else around. I'm writing it as if she actually doesn't exist. Then we had fun around Niagara falls, site seeing, fighting, you know the usual.

Right now though, after all that fun, I just have the happiest feelings right now.

As for the song of the post, I have to go with Trees, by K-Wash

Having the Right Mind Set (20/06/2013)

Everyone goes through depression every once in a while. Some people more than others and everyone has their own way of showing it. Similar to everyone else, so have I been depressed. When I was younger, I used to wallow away in my depression for days at a time. Just sit in bed, turn off my phone, and not leave. I remember in my last year of high school I went through some pretty bad depression, missed two weeks of school, and all I did was lay in bed all day. My parents put it to being lazy, but I wasn't someone to come out and say I'm depressed. I lived with it, and as we have learned it’s a chemical imbalance and not just someone being down. Though I don't have a special method to keep myself from getting depressed I do have a method of pulling myself out of that dark hole.

Among the dread of having to deal with depression, something that goes hand in hand with it is complete lack of motivation. Trying to run my own company, working on my music and other creative expenditures, trying to get good enough marks to keep doing my commerce degree, along with all the other things that go along with life. I don't think what I'm going through is much different then everyone reading this. We all have goals, and we all struggle with the motivation to get us through this.

Worse than that is when you actually see yourself achieve a goal, but nothing comes to it. That hits right where it hurts. You think you are making progress only to get nowhere. Every year you see eager teenagers jumping into post secondary school, thinking that they will be paving the solid foundation for the rest of their lives only to graduation with an honors degree in art history and have nothing to do with it.

With all these daily anchors bringing people down, I usually go to my brother seeking advice. He's probably the most successful young person I know. At 23 he's a college "professor" (part time, but people call him professor) and yet growing up people wrote him off. He told me that really I just have to change my mind set. Sounds easier said than done, which I completely agree.

You have to look at it from a different perspective though. I remember following this Youtuber you was asked why is he so happy. He said a simple thing; I wake up every morning and choose to be happy. To relate it to my own life, going into something expecting that everything will be the best it can be is also not healthy. Life can be shit; you just need to learn to not let it bring you down. See it as a natural occurrence, and you just need to focus on how to get out of it. You need only focus on what you live for, what drives you, whether that be the idea of being famous, having the money, or just making that love of your life happy. You hold that though dearly, and let it pull you out of anything, and keep you driving forward.

Here my first recommended track of the blog, been loving what Monstercat has been doing for quite some time now, please enjoy!

DJ Wilma's Mind (18/06/2013)

I just want to talk quickly about life. I mean I can't believe Sjow beat him. Seriously though, I see so many people jumping into post secondary school with no real outlook for the future of their life. Having friends going into Art History, because it's interesting, just to finish and have no jobs out there, or going into a program they know they can get a job in, but hate it and therefore never finish.

Personally, I went into business, believing that I could find something within it that I enjoy and can relate to my passion for music. The problem is, I found I enjoy a few of the possible career, but finding a job relevant to them is almost impossible. I have never thought of how hard the job hunting process would be with trying to find an entry level position. It actually blew my mind. Even just trying to find a job, I'd actually be a brand whore though I hate it, but you need to start somewhere.

Out of all that I learned from school, I realised the best way to make it in the industry, is to do it on your own shoulders. I need to get cracking on marketing, on OMW Productions, and life itself!

Writing a Soundtrack - Day 3

Many musicians look to different aspects of their life for inspiration. Johnny Cash took inspiration from his time he spent in jail, Adele, from a bad break up, and myself, DJ Wilma, from a deadline. Yes, nothing gives a musician inspiration and motivation like a deadline. My brother came to me, and said, I want the song done by the end of the night, as we are releasing the alpha. So with four hours sleep, I pounded through the night finishing the rough rough rough copy of the song.

Now this is where it gets interesting, because the song is more or less done, minus a few tweeks here and there, but after talking to him about the concept of the game, I came to the realisation that my song I have put so many hours into doesn't fit the idea of the game. In other words, unless I make major changes to this song, those who are selected for the alpha of this game will have to listen to it over and over again, but most likely those in the beta, will never hear it, as I plan on writing another song as the theme song for the game.

The troubles of having a team of less game designers and more programmers can create.

Even if this song never makes it onto the soundtrack of the final game, it has been a great learning experience for myself. Going from attempting EDM, to writing music for a full orchestra has been a life changing experience, and if anything, solidified the fact that I want to work with music for the rest of my life, not be an accountant, a finance broker, but work with music any way I can.

Much Luv, and if I can, I hope to release a teaser of the game with this track!

DJ Wilma

Writing a Soundtrack - Day 2

Alright time to just jump into it,
I was approached about two weeks ago to beginning composing two tracks for the game, and they were good enough, they would be kept in for the game. I originally thought this as something beyond my capabilities, but after one night, in my "studio" (bed room), the idea of a song came to me, so I grabs my headset, openned a recorder on my laptop, and began to sing.

There is was, the beginning of my song, down, in a file, great to preceed to the next step, and how gracefully I took that step. The intro of the was not too complicated, I massive build, but having never truely written my own orchestral music, this was to be an experience. I created seperate part through out the entire orchestral, I began that process will little hope in my ability, but after I played it all for the first time. The entire orchestral errupting into musical fluidity, my eyes began to water. I hit that point where, by some small luck, I may not only finish this soundtrack, but also with some success.

Though this intro took my feet from under me, having neven written anything more than some parts of a Dubstep track, or a song for one instrument, I needed to approach my brother, and have him give me a brutal honest opinion. I let the introduction play, and as he said, it made him smile. Not to the amateurness of the track, or that he found it cute that I thought this was good, no because he actually enjoyed it. I grew up with my brother being most likely my hardest critic (maybe besides myself) and always seeking his approval in what I do. When I got into University, it was irrelevant what my parents or friends thought of it, I simply wanted my brother to say he was proud, so for him to approve it, blew up my ego.

Someone patting your ego when composing a song, that to me, is the worst thing someone can do. I wrote that into first try, in one session, and never looked back. Still not totally believing in my own ability, I have written, and rewritten the chorus of the song over eight times in the past week. Scrapping an almost completed intro, and starting anew. Comparing my track to those behind some of the best musical soundtrack of my time. I find I just can't compare, and it is destroying my productivity. At this point, I have come to the conclusion, I just need to put my heart into it, and get the soundtrack done, after all, changes in the song during the Beta will most likely happen, and I can live with that.

So cheers to me getting this chorus done, and finishing this song, as I have at least four more tracks to complete before the Beta.

Much Luv,

DJ Wilma

Writing a soundtrack - Day 1

Hey guys, DJ Wilma here
I have been out of commission for quite some time due to being bed ridden for a month with some sort of bug, but that is rather irrelevent to what I will be writing about. I felt like I should start writing this blog again, to show the daily stresses, issues, ect, with writing a soundtrack, an opportunity not many musicians get, and I was given the priviledge.

My brother is a co-owner of a game developing company, Last Shot Studios, and they have requested I write an soundtrack for their game, as they know I am actively writing my own music. This is by all means a learning experience for me,  it is my first legitamate request for music, and their is a timeline involved, so I must have it complete no matter what, before the Beta is released. I will rarely talk about the game itself, except to release maybe a teaser video with my tracks attached.

Most likely my favourite part about this little venture of mine is that I have stepped away from the dance genre of music that gave me all the popularity I have. Instead, I am writing completely orchestral tracks, or that is the plan for the theme song. This is surprisingly in more of a comfort zone for myself, than things like Dubstep, as my introduction to music was in classical orchestra music, and than I transitioned into performing in Jazz. Normally a trombone player doesn't decide to start writing orchestral music, but here I am.

So wish me luck, I will do my best to keep this updated daily, but while still being in school, and on a job hunt at the same time, I may miss a day or two. But one thing I will guarentee you, when the first song is completely done, I will at least release a teaser of the song, not just to please your ears, but so you, my wonderful fans, can give me feedback.

Much Luv,

DJ Wilma