September 14, 2024
By Kristine Joseph
I have been a writer as long as I can remember. I only recently discovered that I am a screenwriter. I returned this August from my third year attending Austin Film Festival screenwriter retreat motivated to write.
If you know me, I’ve always been inspired by music. In my younger days I would write lyrics and play guitar. This passion would lead me to perform in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, and a little bit in La Crosse. My passion centered around the lyrics and the rhythm of written form.
For example, I completed my MFA at Augsburg University in Minneapolis in creative nonfiction with a focus in publishing. In 2020 I self-published what was my senior thesis into a memoir about my life struggles with clinical depression.
I look back and music was the spine that drove my ability to write during those dark days. Music was the magnet that kept pulling me back in rescuing my soul from the spiral that would have ultimately been the end of me. I can’t begin to describe all the musicians that contributed to this, but one does stick out over all the others.
A Canadian band, Our Lady Peace, was at the center of my life story. I related the words, and the voice of the lead singer reminded me that I was not alone, there was no need to feel afraid, and that things would get better. Even when I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to believe it. It gave me hope.
Returning to civilization after being surrounded by fellow writers unplugged from technology is never a smooth part of my journey. No matter how aware I am of the transition each year, I fall flat on my face. This year was no different. I came back with a fire lit under my ass ready to write. There was just one tricky part. I needed that flame to continue on as I fell back into the rhythm of everyday life. That is easier said than actually done.
That’s when I accidentally stumbled across a band online named Princess Goes. I’m forty-three years old. I’m an old lady my step kids tell me. To put this in perspective for the youngsters of today…I existed before cell phones did. I remember life without the internet. I graduated high school in 1999. I remember what a land line was like. I played the original Oregon Trail and always died of typhoid fever. What I am trying to say is to trust me when I say that it had been a while since I heard a new band that was capable of sparking my creative flame. It was a big deal to me that his band spoke to me.
After listening to the band’s music, the words just started flying out on the page. Why? Because the main character in my screen play has a deeply empathetic soul that is completely conscious of the ridiculousness that goes along with being a middle-aged human being alive at this date in time. Most importantly, all the truths people wrestle with beneath the surface this character exposes without hesitation and embraces. So, the story continues that the lyrical music of Princess Goes soaked my creative spark with lighter fluid and the main character of my feature screenplay was born. That fire is still burning strong and…
That is how Princess Goes brought me to the Butterfly Museum.
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