A Day in the Life is Literarily Speaking’s newest feature. Here we get a glimpse into our favorite author’s day-to-day life! Today’s guest is David Schaub, co-author of the adventure/mystery/comedy novel, Spirits of the Western Wild.
While much of my life revolves around writing in one form or
another, I’m not able to commit myself to it full time, just yet. My primary gig is that of an animator and
animation supervisor in the movie business, which I’ve been doing for more than
two decades now. In general it’s a
consuming lifestyle that leaves very little room for outside projects. Still, I’m driven by an insatiable desire to
create original content – both alone and with my story partner, Roger
Vizard.
A few years back, we got hung up on structural problems in a screenplay that we were working on, which lead me down a rabbit hole of endless theories and structural paradigms. It was a necessary exploration, and happy to say that I came out the other side far more educated and enlightened.
It was this experience that led to the development of STORY
COMPASS ® - an app that is with me all the time while I write now. No need to get into the details here, but the
complete backstory and tutorials are here:
The fact is, stories play an important role in every facet of
our lives - and you’ve got to write them down, or they are lost forever. And if you can structure those stories in a
way that ebbs and flows with a natural story rhythm, all the better. These days I’m outside the studio system
(working in cinematic VR), but my daily thoughts are always centric to writing
and story development.
Our latest personal project: SPIRITS OF THE WESTERN WILD is an
audio drama adaptation of a screenplay co-written with Roger Vizard. We are happy to finally get it out there on
this Virtual Book Tour… where I am writing to you in another form on this post.
As varied as my days might be, there are common threads that
make the writing process feel somewhat routine, and here is what that looks
like: The laptop is always with me – along with my external drives and power
bank, so I’m never stranded without power. I literally steal moments whenever I can to
chip away at the latest project, whatever it might be. I know, it’s not that uncommon these days…
But what I cherish most are the times to myself, where I can
write uninterrupted… and that generally boils down to the weekends. So you think I would crave the quiet
peacefulness of my home-office, right? It
turns out… no. I find it far too
isolating. Maybe I’m just conditioned
from years of chaos, but I actually need stimulation to produce.
So the computer goes into my backpack, onto the bike and down to
the local Coffee Bean. That’s where I am
now, with buzz and activity all around. For some reason, ideas seem to be spawned by
the energy level in here.
Of course, there are times when I really need the silence – and
that’s when I’m focusing on dialogue. It
sounds like a good time to go back to the peaceful quiet of home, right? Nope.
Just around the corner is the newly constructed public library
in Manhattan
Beach.
Upstairs is all glass, overlooking the expanse of the Pacific Ocean. It’s an inspired writing spot with plenty of
“quiet” activity around to help maintain the energy level. It’s here that I can focus – churning out
dialogue while the sun dips into the ocean out there.
These moments are the snapshots of the ideal writing life for
me… and would love to see it multiplied. Every day of the week would be great! But for now, there are bills to pay, so I’ll
have to steal these moments when I can.
I was recently inspired to document this journey on Instagram. I’ve posted photos of the above, writing
quotes, and development ups and downs of our latest project as we kick it down
the road in pursuit of making the film:
I thought it would be entertaining to plot the twists, turns,
and writing inspirations as we go. I’m
sure there will be lots of discoveries, insights, and takeaways on the bumpy
road ahead. Please follow and enjoy the
ride.
And happy writing to all of you!
David Schaub
About the Authors
David Schaub is a writer and Academy Award ®
nominated Animation Supervisor working in the film industry for more
than 25 years. In 2019 he produced and directed the audio adaptation of
SPIRITS OF THE WESTERN WILD. He also developed STORY COMPASS®
smartphone app for screenwriters (www.moviemethods.com) in 2017.
Schaub received Oscar nomination for animation in Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Disney), along with nominations for BAFTA Award, Saturn Award and Critic’s Choice Award, and won the Golden Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects for his team’s work on the film.
HEAD ANIMATION on Sony Picture’s SURFS UP – recognized with two Annie Awards among its ten nominations including Academy Award nomination and four Visual Effects Society (VES) award nominations.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR on AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 (2014), CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (Disney), I AM LEGEND (Warner Bros.) and LEAD ANIMATOR on STUART LITTLE 1 & 2, EVOLUTION, CAST AWAY, GODZILLA, PATCH ADAMS and more.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR – Universal’s award-winning JURASSIC WORLD EXPEDITION (2019) VR EXPERIENCE. Exploring cinematic potential of virtual reality.
Roger Vizard is a writer and self-taught artist. He was accepted into the animation program at Sheridan College in1987, then worked at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland, then as an animation apprentice on “WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT” at Richard Williams’ studio in London. He later became Williams’ assistant animator on “THIEF AND THE COBBLER.”
After several years working in Europe at studios like Gerhard Hahn in Germany and A-films in Denmark, he moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to work as a story board artist on the first season of Sonic the Hedgehog, then rolled back into animation again after that. He successfully made the transition to from 2D to CGI on “STUART LITTLE 2” in 2001, and since that time have worked non-stop at animation/VFX studios in Los Angeles.
Schaub received Oscar nomination for animation in Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Disney), along with nominations for BAFTA Award, Saturn Award and Critic’s Choice Award, and won the Golden Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects for his team’s work on the film.
HEAD ANIMATION on Sony Picture’s SURFS UP – recognized with two Annie Awards among its ten nominations including Academy Award nomination and four Visual Effects Society (VES) award nominations.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR on AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 (2014), CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (Disney), I AM LEGEND (Warner Bros.) and LEAD ANIMATOR on STUART LITTLE 1 & 2, EVOLUTION, CAST AWAY, GODZILLA, PATCH ADAMS and more.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR – Universal’s award-winning JURASSIC WORLD EXPEDITION (2019) VR EXPERIENCE. Exploring cinematic potential of virtual reality.
Website → https://www.dschaub2.com/
https://www.dschaub2.com/other-projectsFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/dschaub2writer
Goodreads → https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19662596.David_Schaub
Roger Vizard is a writer and self-taught artist. He was accepted into the animation program at Sheridan College in1987, then worked at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland, then as an animation apprentice on “WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT” at Richard Williams’ studio in London. He later became Williams’ assistant animator on “THIEF AND THE COBBLER.”
After several years working in Europe at studios like Gerhard Hahn in Germany and A-films in Denmark, he moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to work as a story board artist on the first season of Sonic the Hedgehog, then rolled back into animation again after that. He successfully made the transition to from 2D to CGI on “STUART LITTLE 2” in 2001, and since that time have worked non-stop at animation/VFX studios in Los Angeles.
Website → https://www.rvizard.com/
About the Book:
Title: Spirits of the Western Wild
Authors: David Schaub & Roger Vizard
Publisher: Independent
Genre: Adventure / Mystery / Comedy
Authors: David Schaub & Roger Vizard
Publisher: Independent
Genre: Adventure / Mystery / Comedy
This mystical adventure follows a young
adventure-seeker named Luther McCleron on a westward journey to learn
more about his Grandfather. A series of fateful missteps take Luther far
from his destination to a disheveled little town under the tyranny of a
crooked sheriff named Big Willie. It’s here that Luther comes
face-to-face with the legendary ghost of Monty: a curmudgeonly ghost who
refuses to believe he’s dead. Luther just wants to get back to his
quest, but Monty thwarts his plans by using Luther to take out his
vengeance on Big Willie.
Through a catastrophic string of events, Luther and Monty find
themselves hopelessly entangled in a combative partnership that
escalates to the breaking point. Only by reconciling their differences
are they able to uncover the profound connections that weave their fates
together.A mysterious book of premonitions, an ominous crow, and ancient Indian drive the mystical tone of this world; conjuring spiritual forces to help steer Luther on his journey through this western “twilight zone.”
All the loose ends resolve in a satisfying story of redemption, loyalty and ascension while exploring the mysterious nature of fate and destiny. Was all of this a coincidence? Or are we guided by ancient “spirits on the wind” that nudge and steer us along our path to assure that we arrive safely at our intended destination in the end?
5 out of 5 stars
A fantastic and Immersive adventure for everyone.
What a wonderful audio book and what a
pleasure it was to be on this journey. Not only the adventure was
captivating but also everything around it. The sounds effect and voices
really bring it all together, you almost feel like you are right there
witnessing all this first hand. The production quality is something I
have never heard before. Very well done and I highly recommend it.
cLICK BELOw TO ORDER YOUR COPY!
Amazon → https://amzn.to/2qsxtKC
Audible → https://adbl.co/2OjjleM
Thanks for featuring our audio drama here!
ReplyDeleteReviews are coming in, and we’d love to keep them coming.
** With that in mind ** we still have promo codes available (US & UK) for anyone interested in a free copy in exchange for an honest review on Audible.com
Feel free to to request a review copy via my email here: dschaub2@gmail.com
Thanks for your interest!
- David Schaub, Author