Mountain Spirit Productions

Every writer needs to tap into creative juices to keep the stories flowing. Whether you are a fiction writer, a blogger or a screenplay writer, you need ideas to fuel the fires of creativity. Some times inspiration flows naturally. Other times, I have to work it. If you are a freelance writer, then you can probably relate. Creative writing is an art form that is inspiration based. For some, the talent is natural and only takes some focus to be productive. For others, it is a skill that has to be nurtured. The first designation that needs to be made is which one fits you.

Over the past month, I have been striving to improve my blog content, keywords with links, and the frequency of posting. I am working to qualify for some content buyers as well as some companies who hire bloggers. Working at home presents a great temptation to me to do other things that are unrelated to my blogging or freelance writing work. In light of that truth, my blogging business takes discipline.

I work from home or on the road when I'm traveling. There is no official office where I check in during set hours. I am my own boss so there is no one to give me instructions or assignments. Mountain Spirit Productions is the creation of my husband and me. It is self created, self directed and most of the blogging is done by yours truly. The blogging is self motivated. Some days I am totally inspired and ready to write. Other days it takes some effort to push myself to stay on track, focused and productive. In the six years that I have been a professional freelance blogger, I have learned some ways to both motivate and stay productive. 

Watch for an upcoming post where I will be outlining all those insights. The link will be posted right here when it is published.

Every day I wake up and wonder what else I can learn today. I am writing a novel and its companion screenplay. Both are firsts for me! That is not a pun, just the simple truth. When I made the decision to take "On the Wings of Zion" to this level, the art of screenplay writing was foreign to me. I had no clue where to begin! There were many questions so I set out to find answers. I didn't even know how to set up the format. What I learned quickly is that the process is very involved and takes some skill, insight, patience and the will to use the edit button often. Put your ego away before you attempt to publish a novel or a screenplay if you are shy about getting it bruised!


The most intricate part of the entire process for me, at least, is creating the movie characters. After the inception of the story, a writer must create these personas to fill all the main players in that story. So the plot is generally created first but it can't really advance until the characters are defined and established in their roles and settings. This process takes more than creativity. It takes a complete immersion of body and soul into that character so the writer can work out all the nuances of their behavior. There are voice, tone, facial expression, language, body posture, physical attributes, and emotional tendencies to explore, define and then establish into the story.


As part of my own educational training process, I have studied and befriended some independent film makers. From observing their work and reading their material on social networks I have gained a lot of insight. I also took time to read some screenplays so I would better understand formats and styles. What I haven't done much of is to interview some screenplay writers and movie producers. That is the next step in my intentional process. The experience should yield some real gems in the art of screenplay writing or film making as a whole.

When Cephas and I first decided to create our first screenplay from the novel I'm currently writing, it seemed like a tumultuous task. It was akin to climbing a rock face cliff two thousand feet high in our bare feet without boots or climbing gear. We soon realized that we first needed to gather the equipment for the venture before we could really get down to the actual screenplay writing. Our first quest was for a writing studio. As the freelance writer, I needed some place to be still for a little while so I could gather my thoughts and commit those ideas to paper.

This winter held some unexpected adventures for sure! We found ourselves in places that we did not intend to be and for durations of time that were unexpected. It was in our plans to work in California then Arizona then travel to Utah, Colorado, New Mexico then all the way to the east coast to visit some friends and family. A friend even offered to let us stay with her in my old hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania. But alas, we had two vehicle break downs that were out of our realm for fixing. It's funny sometimes how things work out but I believe their is an ultimate wisdom that exists in the universe.

None of our plans are canceled, just slightly postponed. Our meetings with the film companies are still on when we travel back to Utah. It is our dream to get our story previewed for film production in Utah. Through connections we made in our travels we met some folks who are deeply immersed and well seasoned in the film industry. It was thrill to have the opportunity to interview Jsu Garcia whenever his film "Spiritual Warriors" was being preview screened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At that time, I was a spiritual journalist for the The Examiner. Our first contact came from Zoe Golightly who asked me to interview Jsu after attending the screening of the film. She sent us a copy of the DVD in the mail. Cephas and I thoroughly enjoyed the video. Unfortunately, a poor running vehicle and inclement weather prevented us from making the three hour trip. Destiny would have us meet at another time in Utah. From a quaint little trailer at hippy commune styled after the early seventies, we are working on the screenplay for "On the Wings of Zion."

While Jsu was usually busy at film production in Hollywood, he traveled extensively around the world with Dr. John Rogers and MSIA. In fact, Jsu and John Roger have traveled around the world together. Two years after we received the invitation to meet in Philadelphia, we met Jsu and Zoe Golightly in the small town of Helper, Utah. This is really a fascinating story that deserves its own spotlight so I'll tell it in detail at another time. The film was titled "The Wayshower". Cephas and I made it to Helper on the last day of filming where we randomly met Jsu on the street. He invited us to attend the Wayshower Wrap Party. That is where we met an entire cast of actors, directors, producers and independent film makers.

Through these meetings, we formed some online friendships which took us deeper into the people who are behind the scenes and in the spotlight of the industry. It has been a fascinating journey.

Once again, the universe laughed at us as we attempted to plot our course for the seasons this year. We hoped to travel to a peace gathering in Montana this summer but our trusty old blue Ford Econoline 150 decided that she was finished moving her wheels for awhile. The van broke down in Pocatello, Idaho at the Walmart adjacent to McDonald's and the Flying J gas station. We attempted to fix it but spent the fourth of July watching the fireworks behind Walmart.

Needless to say, we did not make the gathering. Instead, we bought a little Ford Escort from a friend and took it for a spin to Nevada and Utah. We returned afterwards to Pocatello to have our van towed to an outside storage yard until we can decide what to do with it. She still sits there five months later as we spend the winter hold up at a friend's house in California. Our little abode is a small trailer situated in our friend's yard. Now it is not a bad place to do some serious freelance writing tasks.

My writing "to do list" is very long indeed. So it will take more than a few months in this little travel trailer to complete but I will enjoy the challenge to see how much I can accomplish. Meanwhile, we are regrouping to make money so we can buy another vehicle. Our little Ford Escort fried its engine at the top of the mountain on the south Mount Shasta exit almost two months ago. Talk about a change in plans! We were going to travel the country this fall and winter with plenty of stops to visit friends and family in our plans. There was a motor coach waiting for us in New Mexico, too but it shall have to wait. Interesting how life deals the turns in the road. So I've learned to not get too comfortable with planning out my life. Just let it flow naturally and be open to the adventure.



As for my creative writing list, I have so many tasks that its hard to know where to go forward. I set the intention to plan my progress. You see, I have a network of fifty plus blogs which you can read about on my blog called The Midnight Writer's Blogs. Strategic planning will help me bring my blog network up to par in order to meet the new high industry standards for professional bloggers and freelance writers. With that many blogs, I had to start a focus and assignment sheet for each one. There is so much Search Engine Optimization and Domain Authority that comes into play now for freelance bloggers it will make your head spin. If you are unfamiliar, start doing your homework like I am doing. It is so much better to perform the keyword and meta tag optimization yourself to rank better in the search engines like Google and Yahoo. I am not paying for my rank or authority. I'd rather earn.

Next, I have to focus on writing longer blog posts and longer content articles. The industry is simply demanding more content. No more little snippets for me! Actually, I read the other day that five hundred words is the minimum where it used to be two hundred words per post. Some professional blogging companies require 750 words per post. That is a test of your ability to tell a story! I wondered why all the blogging companies that I've been working with changed the guidelines. I learned it is because the search engines changed the way they rank websites and blogs. We will be talking more about this subject on my blogging sites so watch for a series of discussions. In the mean time, I have tons of studying to do!

                                 One of the main tools of our business.

About two weeks ago, we arrived in Pocatello, Idaho. This is the town where a lot of our family lives, including two children, one daughter in law, one son in law, a future daughter in law and eleven grandchildren. We have a son in Boise, too so we will enjoy trips to the Idaho state line that will naturally spill over into the mountains of Oregon for some writing and brainstorming sabbaticals.  So you can understand why it is a good focal point for us. From Pocatello, we will work with family on some personal projects while we expand our spiritual and professional horizons.

Some personal business in Idaho involves helping one another out with personal finances and some home improvement plans. Along with that, there are plans to help our one daughter relocate to a more economical home for herself and two small children. Then Cephas and I will take the plunge! We are considering a small efficiency room in Idaho for when we are visiting family. Our biggest project will be the living quarters/office that we intend to rent some place in Utah. From there, we will be scouting a larger building to use for an office, living accomodations as well as a film/writing studio.

It promises to be an exciting, promising and industrious summer!  Join us in the fun as Mountain Spirit Productions becomes an actualized dream. Watch as I finish my first novel and as Cephas and I set up our first official office. There is much to do so we have put on our "fast dance" shoes!

See you in Utah when Mountain Spirit Productions opens its doors.
Cheryl Lynn Gardner and Rickey Lee Gardner
a/k/a The Midnight Writer and Cephas

Mountain Spirit Productions is planning to expand its horizons. Sometime later this summer or early fall we hope to set up a small office in Utah. This will be the birth place of our new film company. Dreams and hopes include expansion into a bigger office with filming studio. Beyond the early plans, our dreams get even bigger. It is our goal to establish a filming studio with accompanying office and rooms for film makers and actors to use during film production in Utah. This is the first step to actualizing a co-operative dream for independent film makers to join together in order to reduce the overhead costs.

Our idea to utilize and share resources, energy, and people power will make it more cost efficient for us and any one who decides to join in this endeavor to produce short or long films. We are our own writing crew. But back up, partner and other supportive writers are always welcome. It would be really awesome to set up some classes and workshops in the art of screenplay writing, script writing (if those are even different types) and even some camera workshops. Throw in some acting workshops and classes and this could blossom into a new "LA style acting Studio" film making company. 

I just thought I would put those plans out there. Meanwhile, I have a book to finish and a film screenplay to finish. Watch for updates on all our projects. There are many irons in the fire so it is a bright hopeful time for us at Mountain Spirit Productions. Watch the magic happen!

The Midnight Writer