《Alternate Past in Hollywood as a Writer》


 Chapter 1: Reality and LucasFilms (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 2: Son of a... (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 3: Script-writing (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 4: A Slave (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 5: Franchise (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 6: Father and Son secret (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 7: Nightmare (Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 8: Nolan...(Rewritten)

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    x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


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 Chapter 9: Opening Weekend and Time

    The next few weeks passed by in a flash, and production for the movie finally began. And fortunately or not, Mark and the other scriptwriters were brought along with the crew for filming. However, what surprised Mark more, was the fact that George Lucas and Mr. Cowl had successfully negotiated with 20th Century Fox for funding as well. The duo still needed to spend their own 150k as an assurance to 20th Century Fox that they would be completing a good movie since their own money was on the line. In exchange, Fox would invest $10 million of their own money, and would keep all box-office returns and VHS and DVD sales, as well as any merchandise.


    Somehow, despite bringing in the large investment, Lucas Films would not only be paid a separate $1 million for producing and directing the movie, as well as keeping any rights to the IP, including sequel rights and other forms of media control.


    In essence, George had managed to wring out $11 million from Fox, in exchange for all the money-making stuff from the movie, while keeping the decision-making for the movie with himself. It had to be known, at this point in time, was an incredibly large budget. By today¡¯s standards, it was almost $60 million, a budget that most directors do not even dream of having.


    Mark was absolutely stunned at this revelation, but then realised that perhaps something similar must have happened in the original world, but it must have happened behind closed doors to the normal public.


    However, none of that mattered much to him as long as the movie was being made, and would be a success. Meanwhile, he was moving around with the crew, from Death Valley national park, to the various studios, and even to other countries for certain scenes.


    ¡®Haha! George actually kept him¡­¡¯ Mark grinned as he watched an ¡®extra¡¯ which was a nameless actor whose face would likely never be remembered by the audience don a white storm-trooper mask that made it even more difficult for others to identify him.


    However, to prevent the audience from assuming there were a lot of storm troopers with this ¡®malfunction¡¯, George Lucas had decided to make him a little unique, and added a single line of red, the thickness of an eraser, going from his left eye down to the end of his mask. He also named him the ¡®Blood Angel,¡¯ giving the character a unique name and changing the role of the ¡®extra; from a nameless and dialogue less one, to one with both.


    ¡°Mark? My name is Brody. I heard you were the screenwriter who created my role? I just wanna say thank you so much for the opportunity and the role,¡± the young caucasian man profusely thanked Mark for the role while shaking his hand. All Mark could do was smile and thank the actor for taking up the role he created as well.


    Something he had learned from movies was that connections mattered a lot in Hollywood. A bad actor could become a top B-list celebrity with good connections, while one with incredible acting talents could be just forgotten on the unforgiving streets of Los Angeles, never getting a single role due to poor connections.


    The old Mark was not a fan of social interactions, and spent most of his free time at home, indulging in his fantasies through writing and reading, or watching movies. The new Mark, whose body he had taken over, was almost completely the opposite aside from his passion for writing novels and screenplays.


    Thus it created a rather odd state of confusion in his mind, whether he should just stay at home all day to write out all the novels he knew, or he should interact more with others to build his relationships¡­


    ¡®Just like that, I have given a no-name actor lines, which could completely change his entire future¡­¡¯ Mark lamented while walking towards the other screenwriters; Mr. Lucas wanted to change the story slightly, and it was finally time for them to get to work.


    ¡­


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Silvia asked, and Mark looked up at her briefly, before smiling and answering while continuing to scribble his pencil on the small notebook.


    ¡°It¡¯s a script I am writing. Still incomplete, but I have a good feeling about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s it about?¡± Silvia did not ask Mark to read the script from him, knowing he had likely not signed it up with the Writer¡¯s guild and not made his claim over it. In such a situation, asking to read it could make it incredibly easy for another scriptwriter like herself to copy the script and claim it for herself.


    ¡°A prison drama about an African American man on death row.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Silvia was silent. She did not like such subjects; serious topics like death, torture, physiological warfare, mental breakdowns and drama. Instead, like most of the scriptwriters George Lucas had hired, liked science fiction and fantasy, mainly preferring positive plots over negative ones.


    ¡°It¡¯s meant to be really sad and everything. If I do end up selling the script, and it is made into a movie, I will be sure to tell you. Perhaps even bring you along.¡± Mark winked at her before returning to his work.


    Silvia just grinned slightly before wandering off. Casual teasing like this was not uncommon in the American culture, and Silvia did not take it to heart.


    ¡­


    Mark continued working on the Green Mile in his free time and working with the visual effects artists when the scriptwriters did not need him, while the crew continued filming with a fervent gusto. Except, some of the actors did not take the movie too seriously. Unlike the no-name extras, they had plenty of opportunities, and had quickly realised how ¡®childish¡¯ of a movie this was. Thankfully, a little convincing from George Lucas himself, involving the ¡®replacement¡¯ of a few actors quickly got the rest in the mood to work hard for the success of the movie.


    Unfortunately, the problems for shooting the movie did not stop there, and when filming in Tunisia, a freak rainstorm caused a lot of damage to the electronics and camera¡¯s, and they even had to redo the whole scene from the beginning, losing almost three day¡¯s worth of footage.


    Problems continued to occur with the horrible weather of Great Britain, as the dull natural light made it so that artificial lights had to be used for a lot of the scenes and placing them correctly took a lot of time.


    Meanwhile, Mark was busy learning from the visual effects experts how they were setting up scenes for after-effects, and how they were using mostly miniatures to reduce the amount of after-effects that needed to be done. It was quite the enthralling experience, and after 3 years of arduous work, the movie was finally released.


    ¡­


    As a member of the crew, Mark was invited to the premier of the movie, which was slightly surprising since not all of the large crew was invited.


    ¡®But all scriptwriters were invited. Perhaps its to make us feel more important and keep us with the company,¡¯ Mark mused as he walked in through the back entrance of the cinema hall. Of course, as a mere junior screenwriter, he would not be allowed to walk on the red-carpet for the premier of the movie. Only the actors, the director and producer, and perhaps Kraig the senior scriptwriter might be allowed in front of the cameras.


    ¡°All the better,¡± Mark muttered softly as he did not want to become a celebrity. In fact, he definitely did not like attention, that was something common between both Marks. Even the new Mark, despite having an athletic body, never tried out for any sports and only did basic exercises at home to keep fit. Most of his time was spent on studying and writing.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Silvia asked while turning back in her stunning bronze dress with an open back.


    ¡°Nothing. Just nervous about the finished product. Only the editing team has seen the Final Cut, so I wonder how it has turned out,¡± Mark replied while straightening the tuxedo he had worn to the formal gatherings in college. It was a little old, but he had kept it in really good condition since it was the only one he had with him.


    ¡°And Mr. Lucas¡­¡± Dan added.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Mark agreed, since he wanted to see if his Blood Angel had truly made it onto the big screen.


    ¡°Come on guys, we should go to our seats quickly. Who knows when it¡¯s going to start,¡± Luke, the last of the junior scriptwriters placed his hands on the shoulders of Sylvia and Mark while grinning. The four smiled and chatted while making their way to their seats, and waited until the lights went off.


    ¡­


    [A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away¡­]


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    [Star Wars IV: A New Hope]


    [The story began with Princess Leia, a leader of the Rebel Alliance, being captured by Darth Vader while on a mission to deliver the Death Star plans. As she was imprisoned aboard Vader''s Star Destroyer, she managed to hide the plans in the droid R2-D2 before it escaped to the desert planet Tatooine alongside C-3PO]


    [On Tatooine, R2-D2 and C-3PO were discovered by a young moisture farmer named Luke Skywalker. After some time, Luke learned about the hidden plans from R2-D2, who displayed a holographic message from Leia asking for help from Obi-Wan Kenobi]


    [Luke sought out Obi-Wan, who was living in seclusion. Obi-Wan; a former Jedi Knight, revealed to Luke his own connection to the Force and offered to help him rescue Leia]


    [They acquired a ship, the Millennium Falcon, from the smuggler Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca. The group traveled to the Death Star, where they infiltrated the massive space station to rescue Leia. They successfully freed her, but during their escape, they encountered various challenges, including a confrontation with Vader]


    ¡®Blood Angel made it, and his battle-cries as he charged to Princess Leia and their group did indeed bring a slight chuckle to the people here. Thankfully, George did not use one of the scenes they had shot of his death, so he is still alive. For now¡­¡¯ Mark watched in fascination as the world of Star Wars was revealed to everyone present and could feel the rising sense of tension among the people as the threat of the Death Star loomed ever-present.


    [After returning to the Rebel base, the plans were analysed, revealing a critical weakness in the Death Star. Luke joined a group of Rebel pilots for a daring assault on the station]


    [During the climactic battle, Luke relied on the Force, guided by Obi-Wan''s voice, to make a precise shot that destroyed the Death Star, marking a significant victory for the Rebellion]


    [In the end, the Rebels celebrated their triumph, and Luke was honoured as a hero alongside Han, Leia, and the rest of the team]


    [This victory reignited hope for the galaxy in the fight against the oppressive Empire]


    [The End]


    ¡®We somehow kept the IV in the title. I wonder if this is a good thing or not?¡¯ Mark scratched the stubble on his chin while in thought as the audience stood up in applause.


    ...


    ¡°Mr. Hamill, how do you feel now that you have finally appeared as the leading role in a large-budget movie?¡±


    ¡°Exciting! I appreciate the opportunities given to me by the producers, director, and crew, and the trust they have placed in me for this role. I really look forward to the future.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lucas, is it true that you expect the movie to gross more than $100 million at the box office alone?¡±


    Mark ignored the pestering flood of reporters who were peppering the cast and director with questions. This was good for the movie, since it was effectively free advertising, but Mark knew almost 3/4th of the reporters here were ¡®invited¡¯ to the premiere by 20th Century Fox through various means.


    Normally, a large-budget movie would not receive this kind of enthusiasm until it crossed some benchmarks in the box-office collection.


    Alex did not go home, since he did not have one in Los Angeles, and instead made his way to Elise¡¯s house.


    ¡°Tomorrow, we go for the movie after you are off work. I have the next three days off, so we can spend all the time we want together.¡± Mark hugged Elise while giving her a kiss on her cheek.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t have anything tomorrow either,¡± she lied through her teeth. But it did not matter, it was a non-mandatory practice session, so she would just skip it, ¡°Let¡¯s go first thing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°If you are free, then let¡¯s go in the night. You¡¯ll be too tired in the morning.¡± Mark grinned as he lifted her up from her waist, using the back of his leg to close the door behind him. It had been a long 3 years, and with Mark spending all his holidays with Elise, and often also visiting Eddie, his relationship with her had progressed considerably, and due to agreement from both of them, they still remained girlfriend and boyfriend without moving any further.


    Still, he made sure to be careful with his own suit while undressing, since he did not have any replacements.


    ¡­


    ¡°Elise, I need to go. The Box office results will be revealed soon, and I need to be at the office.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you know¡­ you look better with the beard. I think it really suits you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯ve told me that at least 6 times already. It¡¯s why I am growing it out¡­ but tell me, do you really dislike my face that much that I have to cover the lower half of it?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, of course. Who would fall in love with, and stay together with an ugly man like you~?¡± Alice snickered while Mark just smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheek before freeing his hand from under her pillow, and putting on his clothes.


    ¡­


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Butler!¡±


    ¡°Mornin¡¯ son. You look¡­ refreshed.¡±


    ¡°Haha, how can I not be when I get to see you everyday before work?¡±


    ¡°Oh you~ enough with the flattery. Go on in. The results have not been revealed yet, but they will be faxed directly to us from 20th Century Fox.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Max smiled and went inside without further delay.


    ¡®I cannot say I¡¯m not nervous despite knowing this movie would be incredibly successful. After all, this is a different world, and perhaps Star Wars might end up in the drains like so many before and after it. It all depends on the audience reactions to it.¡¯


    Time ticked by as the anxiety in the room gradually rose, making the seconds feel longer. Nobody was in their respective team rooms, and instead everyone was crowded outside Mr. Lucas¡¯ office, awaiting the release of news.


    ¡®Everyone hopes for good news¡­ but I¡¯ve learned¡­ it¡¯s best to keep your expectations as low as possible, and then go a little lower,¡¯ Mark sighed as he cooled his nerves.


    *Bang*


    The door to Mr. Lucas¡¯ room was swung open again, with Mr, Lucas¡¯ shoe hanging still in the now open air for a moment, before landing down with a heeled click, clearly audible in the pindrop silence of the room as all attention was laser-focused on the man himself.


    ¡°Thursday night box office collection is $497,000!¡±


    There was silence in the room as everyone noticed the incredibly serious expression on the curly-haired man¡¯s face.


    ¡®We only screened in like 25 theatres¡­¡¯ the thought crossed everyone¡¯s minds as the astonishing figure finally wrapped itself around their heads, simultaneously causing an evil grin to plaster itself onto Mr. Lucas.


    ¡°20th Century said that since it was in the summer release, if the premiere box office crossed 300,000 despite being only in 24 theatres, they would increase the theatres to 500 for a week, and marketing budget to $2 million! We¡¯ve done it boys! We¡¯ve done it!¡±


    Immediately, the entire room burst into applause as everyone cheered for the success of the movie they had all worked so incredibly hard on for the past 3 years. This was not a small amount of time, as generally movies took around 1 year at most to film and produce, with a few months of delay.


    Finally, they were going to get the fruits of their success. Many of the people here would likely use this opportunity to immediately jump ship to more renowned production companies, as long as the movie was a success.


    George knew this, but he did not mind. He knew this was how the world worked, a capitalist world where money was almost equal to absolute power, the source of greed for countless, and the ultimate doom for equally as many.


    Mark on the other hand just sighed in relief. He had not chosen wrong. Until now, a slowly creeping sense of inferiority has also been forming in Mark as he compared himself internally to Eddie; who had already starred in 3 movies in side-roles, two of which even had speaking lines, and not just appearing on screen for a few seconds.


    He had spent countless nights waking up from nightmares involving him realising all this was just a dream and he was still in his old world, moping around for being a useless waste on society and his family.


    Only Eddie¡¯s support in his free time, and the assurance of Elise proved that he had indeed existed here. In the past three years, with the growing sense of inferiority looming aver him, Mark had shifted his focus. No longer did he want to just live his life to the fullest.


    ¡®No, I want to leave a mark on this world. Life is as fleeting as a simple ember in the darkness of the night. But I want to make it so that I land on extremely flammable materials, enough to leave a permanent mark in the history of the world of my existence. And now¡­ perhaps I can finally being.¡¯


    Mark¡¯s expression flickered from a growing satisfaction, to a depressing sadness, to a reminiscent melancholy, and finally settled on grim determination.


    ¡°Why so serious? Come on, Mr. Lucas is ordering, the bill¡¯s on him!¡± Luke put one arm around Mark while using the knuckled on his other one to rapidly scrip Mark¡¯s head, but making sure to do it softly. However, this sudden interruption to his thoughts caused him to lose focus and balance at the same time, causing the two to stumble over onto the floor.


    Since everyone was in high spirits and celebrating in the same crowded room, people began falling like something from a Takeshi¡¯s Castle episode, resulting in almost 80% of the people in the room now laying on the ground in confusion.


    ¡°Pfft,¡± the first voice burst out laughing, igniting a round of hysterical laughter at the comical scene, returning the atmosphere to its joyous state from before without a hitch.


    ¡­


    ¡®$3.2 million in the opening weekend. I don¡¯t know the figures from before, but from what little I can remember, it definitely took a week or two to get the ball rolling and start earning millions per day. But based on this speed, when next Friday comes along, it will already be at that height,¡¯ Mark analysed before coming to s scary conclusion, ¡®This should be from my interference, or perhaps my very existence. But that begs a question¡­ just how high will it go?¡¯


    Mark munched a hole in the thick stack of papers that he had just spent a considerably amount of his savings to sign with the Writer¡¯s guild as an official script by him. He had to hand over two copies of it to the guild, which was more than he had expected, but thankfully he had made a total of 5 copies. Thus, before heading over to Mr. Lucas, he went back to his apartment and organised two of the remaining three scripts and tied them in order.


    ¡°It¡¯s time¡­¡± he smiled as he left his house, heading straight of the LucasFilms Productions office with two thick, but neatly tied and presented scripts inside his small briefcase.

 Chapter 10: Script and Disappointment

    ¡°So¡­ I heard you have a¡­ you know¡­ script for me?¡± George said, slightly out of words in the middle of his sentence, but still bringing it back to normal by the end. Mark was used to this style of speaking. Everyone at LucasFilms knew Mr. Lucas was not really good at speaking. That was one of the main reasons why he had brought Mr. Cowl as a partner, to handle all the speaking and everything of the business other than making the movies themselves.


    ¡°Yes. I have it here with me, and I was hoping you could just give it a read in your time. It¡¯s something I have been working on for the past 3 years in my free time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it¡­ uh bout?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fantasy crime drama with elements of psychology in it. The overarching themes are death and how we react to it, the capital punishment, morality and justice, love, compassion and trust, racism and finally embracing differences.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s grounded¡­ in reality?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You see, writing Star Wars with everyone else made it a little saturated, and I did not want to confuse some of my ¡®passion project¡¯s¡¯ ideas into Star Wars, or visa versa, as both would be bad. So I decided to go with a completely different aspect, to be able to separate the two things in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, acceptable. But you should know, as I will be informing the rest of the team in the afternoon¡­ you know preparations for the second instalment of Star Wars will begin soon. I have the¡­ uh basic idea, and all of you will have to sit down and make it into a workable plot line and proper dialogue.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good. I will read through this and inform you if it has potential.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lucas.¡±


    Mark left the room after shaking the man¡¯s hand in agreement, and returned to work. However, Lucas did not appear for the rest of the day, and Mark went home without receiving instructions for beginning work on the next movie.


    Instead, Lucas left work on time with the rest of the people. Since it was a Saturday night, he went straight to the bus and went over to Los Angeles to Elis¡¯s place to go and watch the movie with her. Due to her busy schedule for the first time in 3 years, he had to wait almost an entire week before he had been able to make a Sunday night movie plan. As for what he would do tonight and the next morning, it was rather simple actually, the two lovebirds would spend the time together¡­ really close together.


    ¡­


    It had only been a month since Ed Mintz created his company called CinemaScore, which had people stationed outside movie theatres, and ask movie goers about their ratings for the movie, and why they decided to watch the movie in the first place.


    Still, the novelty of the concept, of giving viewers exactly what they wanted; the views of the common movie-goers and not critics, was enough for Entertainment Weekly to give him the opportunity and publish his reviews for the movies. And surprisingly, this had greatly boosted their sales, which had made CinemaScore a permanent addition to the magazine in just over 2 weeks since the establishment of the company, even receiving a considerable amount of money to expand his operations outside Los Vegas.


    This resulted in a company who had people all over the United States of America randomly selecting theatres to interview people, and its organisation structure and process for each movie had considerably improved over the month since its conception.


    ¡°Hello, I am John Smith from CinemaScore. Would you mind filling out this survey for the movie¡­ Star Wars IV: A New Hope?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± Elise muttered before picking up two of the card, handing one to Mark while reading her own.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Mark saw the paper and felt nostalgic for a while. He recalled the first movie the Mark from the original timeline had seen. It was the first Micheal Bay Transformers, and it was the reason he had become interested in movie scripts.


    ¡®It was an opening weekend, unlike today, and I gave the maximum I could give, but Mom did not like the movie at all, and was even mad at dad for a really long time¡­ Now that I think about it¡­ it was perhaps not the best movie to take a 5-year-old to¡­ but still, many people thought like me, and despite bad reviews from critics, it had a good score with Cinemascore, and also earned a lot of money.¡¯


    Mark looked at the tabs, and since it was his own movie, gave it an A, and yes for all the questions, before handing it back to the employee from Cinemascore who appeared to be bored out of his very mind, perhaps from having done this same task too many Tims to even count.


    ¡®Strange. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be that they would interview people only during the opening weekend to get the unfiltered reactions of people unswayed by word of mouth and a lot of critics? Why are they here doing collecting information for the movie almost a week later?¡¯


    ¡°So, what did you give it?¡± Elise stretched her arms into the air after having sat in the seat without a break for so long.


    ¡°An ''A'' of course. What about you?¡± Mark questioned back with a light chuckle.


    ¡°''A'', after all, you were part of the writers of the movie!¡± Elise giggled as she sped up and turned around in front of of Mark while walking backwards, he hands behind her and a beautiful smile on her face.


    ¡°Come here you~¡± Mark reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her into an embrace even before they left the theatre.


    Thankfully, the two could hold onto their urges till they reached Elise¡¯s home. After all, neither of the two owned cars, and Mark did not even live here. Unfortunately, another set of sheets needed to be thoroughly cleaned before being usable again.


    ¡­


    While Mark was¡­ getting jiggy with Elise, George Lucas had finished reading the script he had received from one of his junior scriptwriters. In fact, he had already read it twice, and had cried both times, causing him to read it a third time.


    Now, he finally finished reading it, and had successfully stopped himself from crying.


    ¡®Damn¡­ this is amazing. No! Lucas, focus. You have to complete the trilogy for Star Wars before you can focus on making another movie. Yes, Star Wars is what you have spent almost half your life thinking about and finally you have been able to make it work. Do not get distracted,¡¯ George Lucas shook his head as he let go of the script and let it clatter onto his plastic table.


    Being a brand new company, Lucas did not spend much money on furnishing his office space, or any of the office space in the office he had rented. Everyone had foldable chairs and plastic table-tops with metal legs, including his own office.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ This is the first time I have felt like making a movie so strongly, and it just so happened to come when I was in the middle of the most important project possible. Damnit!¡±


    After a while of thinking, George Lucas finally picked up the phone to the side and rang a number.


    ¡°Hey Cowl. It¡¯s me, George. I have something I want to show you¡­ Yes, it a movie script¡­ No I will not be making it, you already know I want to make a trilogy, and I will not stop until I do¡­ Yes, its really good, in fact, it is not just a script, but even has illustrations for important scenes and character designs for the characters as well!¡­ Oh? I thought you were in New York?¡­ Ah, Fox wanted to talk¡­ I see. Yes¡­ I¡¯ll fax it to Los Angeles. Aright, but make sure it gets made. I really like the script, and I don¡¯t want it to just collect dust in some forgotten corner of the Big 6¡¯s script storage. Yes¡­ bye.¡±


    Putting the phone down, George reached over to the other side and pressed a button, causing a ringing sound outside his office. Moments later, his assistant walked in after knocking and asked, ¡°Anything I can help with Mr Lucas?¡±


    ¡°Fax this over to Cowl¡¯s residency in Los Angeles. Hmm, also make two copies of it to keep here. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she nodded softly and took Mark¡¯s script with her.


    ¡°This is the best I can do for you, Mr. Whitehall. Do not disappoint my trust and leave the company too early,¡± Lucas muttered to himself. He knew someone who could make a script like this was someone who would naturally wish to make more scripts of his own, and would likely not stay as a junior scriptwriter in his company for too long.


    However, he did not intend on promoting him to senior scriptwriter since he knew this very fact. Being a senior scriptwriter would likely not change much, so it was better to just keep his cost low and prevent himself from loosing reputation of going against the norm and having two senior scriptwriters for one script, and then having the one he just promoted leave not too long after.

 Chapter 11: Birthday and Script selling

    Almost 3 weeks into its release, Star Wars had accumulated $25 million dollars in box office sales alone. Of course, a portion went to the theatre owners, which went through the Theatre Owner¡¯s Association (TOA). Thankfully, Fox was distributing the film, so the TOA only took a moderate 10% cut of the movie¡¯s box office.


    Including marketing expenses, Fox had already recovered their costs, so they decided to sink in another $2 million for further marketing to increase sales, expecting a lot more income from the investment. However, Star Wars IV: A New Hope was already at #1 on the box office charts for not just the week, but the entire month, surpassing all other films released in that time period. It also instantly gained #1 on the highest grossing movie weekend, which caused more people to want to watch it.


    A cascading effect similar to an avalanche occurred and sales shot through the roof. 20 Century Fox¡¯s current CEO; Dennis Stanfill was in a meeting room with Mr. Cowl, the representative of Lucas Films, having an enjoyable talk.


    After all, a movie that made $25 million in just 3 weeks, and its box office graph seemed to be in a steep upward trend, meaning a portion of its audience was only now getting to hear about its success, as well as the fact that it was still only in 400 theatres as Fox was actively working to increase that number meant that it would likely cross the $100 million in North America mark before its run in theatres ended.


    Near the end of their fruitful conversation about the investment for the second movie, and successful negotiation for a small 5% box office cut, Mr. Cowl brought out a thick document that was unrelated to the deal they had just signed.


    ¡°This is a script that has caught George¡¯s eyes. He said he was too busy with his next movie so he could not handle making the film, but he said it is really good. I do not know much about making movies and judging movies from scripts, but what I can say is that I got really emotional reading this, and after I finished reading it, I felt empty inside.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And pray tell what he wants to do with this script?¡± Mr. Stanfill did not react too much to this, the company had too many such scripts. In fact, many of them were really good, which was why they had bought those scripts, but never ended up making them due to various reasons, the largest being internal politics.


    ¡°He said he would like for it not to collect dust in some forgotten drawer, and asked me to present it to you. The choice is up to you, Mr. Stanfill, but I personally also like it. Just give it a read, and you will understand. Plus, the owner of the script is a person from our company. He had no¡­ experience in the film industry. I¡¯m sure you get it?¡± Mr. Cowl winked at the older man who sat across him, on the other side of the table.


    ¡°I see. I will be sure to do so. Please do thank George, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    The two shook hands and parted ways, leaving the stack of papers on the table. Me. Stanfill watched Cowl leave before picking up the thick stack of paper in his hands, reading the text on the front page, ¡®The Green Mile.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Foo, you tellin¡¯ me you wrote Star Wars!¡± Eddie exclaimed in his usual loud voice.


    ¡°I was a part of the writing team, yes.¡± Mark almost whispered back, trying to prevent his friend from making a scene at the restaurant he had reserved a table for since it was Eddie¡¯s birthday.


    ¡°Damn! And you got yourself a stunnin¡¯ girlfriend. Damn!! I shoud¡¯a made me writer!¡± Eddie ignored Mark¡¯s please to quiet down and took another gulp of his drink in exasperation.


    ¡°Edward Regan Murphy! Why are you not articulating your words fully!¡± an elder woman¡¯s voice froze Eddie on the spot.


    ¡°Ah, good morning Mrs. Murphy,¡± Mark exclaimed comically as he stood up, to greet the unexpected guest appearance that caused Eddie to become a statue.


    ¡°Answer me!¡± She shook Mark¡¯s hand, and so did Mr. Murphy, but both were staring daggers at Eddie.


    ¡°Yes! Sorry! I shall abide by the proper diction from this moment forward!¡± He answer with breaks between each word, thinking of a longer and winded way to say what he wanted to say.


    Hearing this, Mr. Murphy simply huffed and turned around, immediately walking out the restaurant door.


    ¡°Sorry about that Eddie. Ya know how she gets sometimes. We came here for your birthday celebrations as a surprise, but you did not end up coming home the whole day. After so much time, she got really irritated and came to have some food, only to find you goofing off with your friends. Enjoy your meal, we¡¯ll talk later.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡¯s pop!¡± Eddie smiled back, holding back the sadness he felt from seeing the grey hair on his father¡¯s sideburns. The man in question just turned around nodded before turning and following his wife.


    ¡°Right¡­ So¡­ where were we?¡±


    ¡°Eddie.¡± Mark faced Eddie with a serious expression.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡±


    ¡°Go after them. Right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Go! Tell them you are sorry, and how much you love them. Spend what is left of your birthday with them. We have enjoyed most of today together, while they were waiting for you at home. Go!¡±


    ¡°R- Right!¡± Eddie had realised this as well, but was being polite to Mark and Elise who had spent most of the day with him. Without waiting for another second, he stood back up, and ran after his parents.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Mark sighed, called for the bill, while turning to Elise, ¡°So, wanna head to your home?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sure~¡±


    ¡­


    Currently, Mark was sitting with a newspaper in hand, waiting outside the office of the script department¡¯s head of 20th Century Fox.


    The newspaper had many highlights, but the biggest one a month and a half after its release, Star Wars IV: A New Hope had crossed the $60 million mark, which was a considerable achievement for movies at the time, since most successful movies just crossed this mark near the saturation-points of their life-cycle.


    On the other hand, Star wars having taken over 1000+ theatres was seeing its daily collections in the millions!


    By all standards, it seemed the movie would cross $100 million, which was a milestone that separated B-movies from A-movies. Any movie that crossed this threshold could be considered a box-office hit, and would definitely be promoted as such.


    ¡°Mr. Gold will see you now,¡± the assistant smiled as Mark, who politely smiled back and entered the room.


    ¡°Mr. Whitehall¡­ a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, Mr. Gold, the pleasure is all mine. Also, please just call me Mark, only the government and strangers call me Mr. Whitehall, and I hope after this meeting we are no longer strangers,¡± Mark smiled back while shaking the bald man¡¯s hand in a firm grip that was not too tight, but displayed his resolve.


    ¡°Good, you can call me Henry. I hope preparations for the second Star Wars movie are coming along fine?¡±


    ¡°I have signed an NDA¡­ I am sorry Henry.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I get it. It¡¯s quite alright actually. In fact, it¡¯s better this way, malicious groups will not get valuable information from you at least. Anyway, getting straight to business, as I¡¯m sure you have your hands full with the next movie, Mr. Stanfill is interested in your script.¡±


    ¡°I understand. What is your offer?¡±


    ¡°$10,000¡±


    ¡°¡­Should I come back after signing-up with the Screenwriter¡¯s Association?¡± Mark questioned with a straight face.


    The Writer¡¯s Guild was close to a governing body, mainly involved in ensuring copyrights were not infringed, and providing services to writer¡¯s like sessions for scriptwriting for television shows, plays, or films, and providing platforms to sell and purchase scripts for producers and writers alike.


    The Screenwriter¡¯s Association was a whole different animal. Like the Writer¡¯s Guild, it had a fixed fee, but that fee was considerably larger, which was why Mark had not signed up with them yet. However, with the higher fees came more benefits. They set a minimum of $50,000 for any low-budget feature film, and an additional $50,000 for every $1 million more in the production budget after $5 million. Furthermore, they also provided agents who would take anywhere between 3% and 10% of the income of the writer in exchange for providing them opportunities to sell their scripts, and handling all negotiations.


    Mr. Henry Gold immediately closed his mouth, his lips stretching thin, and after a moment of contemplation he spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. I will offer $50,000 for the script. What do you say? Do we have a deal?¡±


    ¡°I would like to know when the production of the movie will begin?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, such things are not something we would usually share with scriptwriters,¡± Mark could clearly see the derision in Henry¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®He must think of scriptwriters as below producers and directors, perhaps even below actors. Is this the view of Hollywood as a whole, or just Henry?¡¯ Mark mused while listening to Henry¡¯s words.


    ¡°However, since it is Mr. Lucas¡¯ request to actually make the movie, we are proud to tell you, Mark, that the Green Mile movie will go into production by at the latest, April 1979. Production should take anywhere between 2 months and 6 months depending on problems that might arise. Of course, these are my personal estimates, and they might be wrong, but this is what is hoped. The team in charge of analysing the market potential of this script says it¡¯s really likely to be a success. At least we will likely not be losing any money on it,¡± he said with a straight face.


    Mark clenched his fist under the table, but did not react outwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming box office share is out of the question?¡±


    ¡°¡­hehe¡­ that would be an apt guess, Mark,¡± Henry smiled like a sleazy salesman getting close to closing a deal with a client.


    ¡°Then I would like a fixed bonus if the movie grosses more than $100 million. I¡¯m sure you can do something.¡±


    Henry did not reply, and instead scratched his chin thoughtfully. What Mark was requesting was not that outlandish, at least it was not a box office share. And a bonus from milestone completion would definitely be beneficial to the company, whether it crossed the mark or not.


    ¡°Another $50,000 after crossing $100 million.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. I have not said anything, why are you being so cheap. I did not even bargain for the script price. Gimme something good, aren¡¯t we going to be friends after this?¡± Mark wiggled his eyebrows comedically, sparking a suppressed chuckle from Henry.


    ¡°Alright, how about this. Past $100 million dollars, every $50 million the movie makes, you as the scriptwriter will receive $100,000 as a bonus. But at $100 million, you will receive $50,000 as a bonus.¡±


    ¡®If the movie makes $250 million¡­ like before¡­ then that means I could be looking at almost $400,000. Yeah, this is a much better deal, and it also benefits the company as it is dependent on them earning 500 times the money they have to give me¡­ a beneficial deal for both parties.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, it was great doing business with you, Henry. But I should tell you, next time I will not be at the negotiation table, but my agent will¡­ when I eventually get one. Negotiations will not be so quick and easy,¡± Mark shrugged before shaking the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°That is okay. The contract will be ready by tomorrow, why don¡¯t you come over and sign it when you can.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I have work tomorrow, and most of the next week. It takes almost 5 hours to get here from the studio, so I can only make it on a Saturday like today. Or a Sunday, but I¡¯m sure you would not want to waste your Sunday doing work, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s quite alright! I¡¯ll be here on Saturday, and we can sign the deal then.¡±


    Mark nodded and left, his smile fading into a sombre expression as he returned to the bus stop. Originally he was going to go to Elise¡¯s place, but now he needed time to think about things. Once he got in the bus, his thoughts began to wander.


    ¡®I will have no control over the casting, or choosing of director for The Green Mile. I still don¡¯t know if it will even become a Box Office Hit or not. I¡¯m not a director, and I don¡¯t even want to be. However, the only other role that would give me control would be the producer role. However, to do that I need to have enough money to at least make one movie.¡¯


    ¡®$50,000 is nor nearly enough to do anything. Even $400,000 is too little to make a movie. If I am going to make a movie, I need money. But who do I get money from¡­ It¡¯s still 1979, and I am only 19 years old. If I want to make money off the stock market, it would either be from long-term investments, which would take many years to bear fruit, or through the various economic bubbles.¡¯


    ¡®But from what I remember, the Dotcom bubble would only occur in the 1990s, and the real-estate bubble after that. Hm¡­ I remember there being something wrong in Japan as well. It should have been in the 1980s¡­ but what was it?¡¯


    ¡®Hmm¡­ should I just throw all my money at Japan, and see how it goes? No, that does not make much sense. Should I take a loan? What do I have as collateral that is worth millions of dollars?¡¯


    Mark¡¯s thoughts wandered as the bus stopped and he got off, not realising he had still somehow ended up at Elise¡¯s rented place.


    ¡®Well, now that I am here, might as well get my mind of things.

 Announcement 2

    I have rewritten up to Chapter 5, please do check them out. And please tell me how you like them compared to the original story. This time, I am spending more time on understanding characters and their interactions with the goal-oriented yet emotionless mc. I have removed the rushed romance, and am thinking of adding it a little later. Perhaps, there will be no romance, due to the emotionlessness of the mc... but we shall see. perhaps a little character development is in order in the future.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Please rate my story as one person had rated it 0.5 resulting in the second person''s review not being able to bring it higher than 3.5, which is still low, but acceptable to me. Still, I would like to know what you guys think about my novel. The next update will be put up after I have finished 7 chapters rewriting.

 Check out the rewritten novel, It is a lot better, trust me!

    I have rewritten it, check it out


    https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/96862/alternate-past-in-hollywood-as-a-writer-rewritten


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