Every once in a while, I receive a message that makes me stop, stare at my phone, and wonder exactly what series of decisions led us here. Recently, I received one of those messages. It wasn’t a normal introduction. It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even the garden-variety inappropriate message that occasionally wanders into my inbox. It was an erotic short story. About me. Complete with dialogue. And pictures. But what caught my eye, by far, was that it was labeled Part 1.
Part. One.
There is something mildly terrifying about receiving an unsolicited erotic short story and discovering that the author apparently considers it the beginning of a series. Because Part 1 isn’t an accident. Part 1 suggests planning. Part 1 suggests character development. Part 1 suggests that somewhere, perhaps already sitting in a drafts folder, there may be a Part 2. Maybe even a trilogy.
I had apparently been cast in a production I didn’t know existed, for a role I hadn’t auditioned for, using dialogue I definitely hadn’t approved. And I had notes. First, my character seemed unusually cooperative considering she’d never met the other lead. Second, I don’t remember signing a release for the accompanying visual aids. And third, if you’re going to write dialogue for me, I really feel like I should get script approval. I have a reputation to maintain.
The whole thing left me wondering when exactly we stopped keeping some of our thoughts inside our own heads. I’m certainly not opposed to fantasy. Fantasy is wonderful. Our imaginations are allowed to go wherever they please. You can create an entire cinematic universe up there if you’d like. Give it a plot. Give it sequels. Add a dramatic score. Cast George Clooney. Dream big.
But perhaps before sending someone the screenplay, it’s worth checking whether they know they’ve been cast. There is also something wonderfully optimistic about assuming that a stranger is going to open an unexpected erotic novella, discover herself as one of the main characters, scroll through the accompanying photographs, reach the end of Part 1 and think:
Well, I certainly hope there’s more.
I did not. To his credit, I suppose he accomplished something most messages don’t. I remember it. Just probably not for the reason he intended. As for Part 2, I’m hoping it was canceled during preproduction.
🎬 Charlotte