From My Autobiography : 1986 : Age 39 (Part 1)

Sometime this year, I submit a proposal to New Life Church for a Night of Revival and Personal Ministry. No one shows an interest or gets back to me about it.

2 JANUARY
Thursday
    ■  Character Idea:
        ‘Loose-Lips Lidia’—a gossipy woman.


5 JANUARY
Sunday
I think of doing a monologue called Judas Iscariot for Easter Sunday but it never materializes.


12 JANUARY
Sunday
This day marks the beginning of my doublemindedness on The Righteous and the Wicked as I can't decide how to approach the novel or even begin writing.

This doublemindedness began to slip into my writing of The Righteous and the Wicked because I couldn’t decide on a format for the book; I couldn’t decide on whether to have a male or female protagonist; I couldn’t decide on whether to make it one book or a series; and sometimes, I couldn’t even decide on whether I really wanted to be a writer or not.


15 JANUARY
Wednesday
At Trade-Aid, my boss, Bill and my workmate, Linda, give me some anecdotes for my novel.


21 JANUARY
Tuesday
I enter Call of the Heart: The Statue in Alberta Culture's screenplay writing competition.


23 JANUARY
Thursday
I receive a word tonight [at Bible study] that God will use humour in my ministry; that He will greatly anoint the ministries I already have; and that He will use me in the gifts of discernment and the word of knowledge.

Although I did experience some of this [particularly the Word of Knowledge], most of it didn’t materialize.


28 JANUARY
Tuesday
Challenger Space Shuttle explodes, killing all six passengers


2, 4, 25 FEBRUARY
Sundays
I lead praise and worship at New Life Church.


3 FEBRUARY
Monday
The Producers Limited can’t use Crucified Rose, my science-fiction screenplay trilogy, the other two parts being Curfew and Requiem.

Now re-named, the reader may remember, as Dystopia.


18 FEBRUARY
Tuesday
I'm beginning to feel that The Righteous and the Wicked is too structured. I originally wanted it to have five books with five chapters containing five scenes.

This anal-retentive approach permeated a lot of my projects and life.

When I first started writing, I would create mock-ups of a book or screenplay cover and find pictures of actors and actresses or other people to help me visualize the finished novel or movie.


    ■  Sci-Fi Idea:
        Certain smells will make you recall things you experienced in the past. Will other kinds of smells cause you to remember things you never experienced? How would that be possible?


20 FEBRUARY
Thursday
I send the 'Prologue' and first scene of The Righteous and the Wicked to the Canadian Author's Association Blue Pencil Session for discussion on 12 March.


1 MARCH
Saturday
We move to the Ogden area.

Residence:
Ogden Road SE
Calgary, Alberta, Canada


12 MARCH
Wednesday
At the C.A.A. Blue Pencil Session, I receive great critiques for the 'Prologue' and first scene. This bolsters my confidence in being a writer.


24 MARCH
Monday
I send a new Lady Carlinea story idea, Song of the Siren, to Harlequin Books for their ‘Romantic Intrigue’ line; however, I later learn it's not what they're looking for.


SPRING
I try to start up a singing-preaching-and-teaching ministry called The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, like so many of my other projects, it went nowhere.


11 APRIL
Friday
I enter A Rose in the Garden and Till the Last Man Falls in the Alberta Scriptwriting Competition. The first gains a favorable review, the latter a scathing one as it’s considered ‘too preachy’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29 APRIL
Tuesday
I renew my interest in fashion and glamour photography.

Still dealing with my identity crisis, on business cards, I used ‘Livingstone’ as the last name for Lana and me.

Look On the Fields

 

LOOK ON THE FIELDS
Written,Composed & Arranged by Michael Woodhead
Copyright ©1974, 2024 by Michael Woodhead
(Melody also used for my EarthGirls song, 'Farewell, Noelle')

[Music only; vocals pending]

From My Autobiography : 1985 : Age 38

With our friends, Mario & Lila, Lana and I attend a Boby Curtola concert. Lana and I receive a personalized autograph.

We’ve known Mario and Lila for many years and have gone with them to numerous concerts when we were able to do so [usually Elvis impersonator shows]. Later, we would also take a trip with them to Coeur d’Alene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I create a Witnesses dramatic monologue program, but I never get to use it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 14 - 16, 21 - 23, 28 - 30 MARCH
Thursday – Saturday
I appear as 'Harry' in Theatre 80's production of Stephen Sondheim's Company. Although I think we all did rather well, the reviews aren’t that enthusiastic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from more church and Christian productions, Theatre 80 would be the last time I acted and sang with a large professional performing company even though most of the actors were [I think] volunteers. Company was one of the most difficult shows I’ve ever done, but I enjoyed myself. Friends and family who saw it couldn’t believe the choreographed dancing I had to do in it. It was great fun.
 

24 MAY
Friday
I join the Calgary Fashion Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMER
I start to dream about a new Christian art conglomerate of some sort, but I don’t exactly know yet of what it will comprise.

13 AUGUST
Tuesday
I receive another letter from the City of Calgary offering services for the Theatre of the Renaissance, now long defunct.

I’ve had so many dreams and visions go nowhere. It’s been very frustrating and demoralizing for me.

31 AUGUST
Saturday
I begin work on a novel or screenplay called Sapphira Nyx: Song of the S.I.R.E.N. without really knowing what the story is about. I see it as some sort of Modesty Blaise type of thing.

S.I.R.E.N.
    I haven’t yet worked out what the acronym means.

 

15 NOVEMBER
Friday
Remember the C.A.T.S. scandal from last year?  This year I receive a letter from Samuel French [Canada] Ltd, looking for payment for seven copies of California Suite and the royalties for that production. Somewhat humbled and embarrassed, I write back to explain the situation—we never ordered said copies, nor did we produce the play. And the police had arrested the so-called ‘treasurer’.

6 DECEMBER
Friday
I sing at the Cornerstone Coffee House in Brooks, Alberta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remember this night in particular because we played a game of indoor soccer after my performance, and I was totally exhausted after we finished.

 

10 DECEMBER
Tuesday
I receive a letter of thanks from Florra-Ida Mork for composing music to some of her poetry.

More on this later [next year]...

 

14 DECEMBER
Saturday
I finish the first draft of a TV series named Call of the Heart featuring a 14-year-old Carlinea in her first incarnation as a teenage sleuth [another rewrite of The Case of the Crimson Cat a.k.a. The Statue].

As you read in my last entry, I eventually published Call of  the Heart: The Statie in 2022.

16 DECEMBER
Monday
I submit Call of the Heart to the Alberta Culture/CFAC script competition and receive a favorable response from ‘Jim’. However, as they are in the process of moving their studio to a different location, he’s not sure whether they’ll be able to go ahead with it. I never hear back from him.

29 DECEMBER
Sunday
I begin a new journal, this time expecting to record the writing of a novel called The Righteous and the Wicked. This first draft idea is about ‘the life of a girl whose path may [or may not] have been what I might have chosen to do had I not become a Christian’.

Over the past thirty-nine years, I’ve managed to find and use the same type of 300-page 5-subject notebook for all my subsequent journals.

The Woodheads

Jesus Is the Key

 

JESUS IS THE KEY
Written, Composed & Arranged by Michael Woodhead
Copyright ©1978, 2024 by Michael Woodhead
(Melody also used for my Graffiti Pop song, 'And I Will Send You Love')

[Music only; vocals pending]

Jesus Gave His Life

 

JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE
Written, Composed & Arranged by Michael Woodhead
Copyright ©1985, 2024 by Michael Woodhead

[Music only; vocals pending]

From My Autobiography : 1984 : Age 37

I start The Adventures of Deirdre Smith series which I intend to write under the pseudonym, ‘Sheena E Chryseis’ — with titles like Doomsday’s Dawn, GodQuest, Labyrinth and  The Indian Princess.

‘Sheena E Chryseis’ - My search for an identity continued to include female nommes de plume.


16 JANUARY
Monday
I start the first draft of Paralyticum.


SPRING
I conceive of some sort of science fiction novel called Stars of Refuge—places where people who unwittingly murder someone can go to for refuge. Here they stay until the magistrate judges them; or until the magistrate dies, at which time they can go free. If, however, they leave the sanctuary before then, bounty hunters can hunt them down and capture or kill them.

The concept for Stars of Refuge was inspired by passages I read in the Old Testament books — Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua.


10 APRIL
Tuesday
I play the part of ‘Judas’ in The Witness at New Life Church.

Even though the part was written for a tenor, they chose me to do it because I was the only guy who could sing it half decently. However, some of the high notes were a definite strain on my voice since—as I noted earlier—I am a baritone.

 

 

 16 APRIL
Monday
I send out more inquiries to record companies regarding my fantasy filk, love songs, and galactic ballads once again, but I get nowhere with them.

Filk - Folk songs with fantasy or science fiction subject matter
 

23 APRIL
Monday
I submit an article, Amateur Production: An Effective Outreach, to the City Light News.


MAY
City Light News publishes my article, Amateur Production: An Effective Outreach [re-named Easter Cantata Strong Witness by Sonshine News, which was City Light News also re-named].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28 MARCH, 7 MAY – ? SEPTEMBER
Wednesday, Monday - ?
I decide to further my theatrical talents and — with a loan and a grant — apply to take a film-and-television acting course at the John Casablancas Career College. Larry Parish is the Acting course director.

I have since learned that Larry died on 24 January 2017.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28 APRIL
Saturday
I begin another ‘first draft’ of Crucified Rose.


7 JULY
Saturday 

In an attempt to further my education in movie production, I write to and ask for information on the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association [A.M.P.I.A.]


12 JULY
Thursday
I begin yet another ‘first draft’ of Crucified Rose


24 JULY
Tuesday
I receive a response from the CBC offering to read one of my TV scripts.


27 JULY
Friday
I start still another draft of Crucified Rose.

29 – 31 JULY
Friday – Sunday
Lana and I attend another Christian Arts Conference at King’s Fold.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This turned out to be another relaxing time for us both. It felt good to be around creative Christian people.

1 AUGUST
Wednesday
I submit The Case of the Crimson Cat [a teen mystery] to Laurie Seligman at the CBC. Although he likes it, he says it’s not “regional”.


I begin yet another ‘first draft’ of Crucified Rose


7 AUGUST
Tuesday
I receive a response and information from A.M.P.I.A.

I begin to do some background research on fashion, models, photographers, stylists, etc., hoping to use it in a novel based on the fashion industry. I send letters to John Casablancas and the Falconer Academy.

The novel, CoverGirls, was the eventual book I wrote, and then published in 2020. I also used assorted re-written scenes from it in my other novel, Child of Promise.

I write two Christian stage plays — Till the Last Man Falls and A Rose in the Garden.

I published these in my Two In One book in 2022


21 AUGUST
Tuesday
I receive a letter from the City of Calgary offering services for the Theatre of the Renaissance which is, of course, now defunct.


24 AUGUST
Friday
The Case of the Crimson Cat—I change the title to The Statue and submit it to Gordon Larson at CFCN. They apparently ‘lose’ the script somewhere.

I later published this as Call of the Heart: The Statue featuring Carlinea as a teenager

SEPTEMBER
I graduate the John Casablancas film-and-television acting course as the ‘Most Consistent Student’.

I really enjoyed the time I spent in the acting course. There were some great students, and we all had fun creating different videos of scenes from scripts and assorted commercials. Even the improvisation classes proved to be a lot of fun, and I did better than I thought I would do. I still have copies of all the videos in which I appeared.

 

 

 

 

 

After graduation, several of us students decide to form a new theatrical company. We call it the Calgary Amateur Talent Society [C.A.T.S.]. However, one of the promoters for it [he was also a student] scams me into giving him my phone number to use. Before he’s eventually caught and arrested, he racks up quite a phone bill that I end up having to pay off.

More on this next year....

My months at John Casablancas also helped me develop a real interest in fashion and model photography in which I would later become involved, albeit on an amateur level.


18 SEPTEMBER
Tuesday
I audition for and eventually film scenes as ‘The Judge’ in a short docu-drama film called The 7th Step which is supposed to be used in penitentiaries.

I’ve been trying to find more information on this film, but so far my inquiries have proved fruitless


 

 

 

28 SEPTEMBER
Friday
I create the characters for a comedy screenplay I want to write called Yes, Well, We Already Have Lawrence Olivier…; however, I never write the script.


28 DECEMBER
Friday
The Alberta Culture correspondence screenwriting course I previously applied to  rejects my application.

Publicity headshots for the John Casablancas acting course

A scene with The Judge from the script

 

 

Opening splash page for my Curfew storyboards that I drew

 

 

 

 

My preliminary estimated budget for Crucified Rose, the trilogy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handbill for the 1st Con-Version convention in Calgary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Rose of Sharon

 

MY ROSE OF SHARON
Written, Composed & Arranged by Michael Woodhead
Copyright ©1972, 1976, 2024 by Michael Woodhead
(Melody also used for my Graffiti Pop song, 'Touch My Body')

[Music only; vocals pending]