A Good Day
Though I'm not sure how much I really believe in fate -- I think that we make our own destinies -- part of me wonders if the complete lack of paying work I currently have is fate's way of making me pound out this new script.
So I brainstormed a lot of new second-half ideas, and thought about how to do more interesting visual things with my premise, a story idea which happily lends itself to "scenes we've never seen before", which are always very, very nice.
I continued pounding out my first act as well, and found my characters talking to me, which is also nice. Unexpectedly, I also found more dark humor creeping into the tale, which seems to serve it well. A lot of it still needs polishing and better finessing, but the tone of this script, which was elusive for a while, is starting to firm up.
By the end of the day, I had written 11 new pages, as well as reworking large chunks of the 12 previous pages. This morning I got up at 6AM, made my wife coffee and kissed her goodbye as she headed off to work, and then pounded out 2 more pages, essentially wrapping up the first act.
It still needs some work, but I'm very happy what's on the page so far, and at this point it's already a tight, intriguing 25 pages.
But I had most of the first act in my head, and now I'm heading into more uncharted territory. I know the basic plot beats of the story, but there's a lot of work to do within them, and though I have filled a lot of legal pad pages with ideas, there are a ton of choices to be still be made. In the past, I've seized on plots that seemed to work, rather than searching for the best one. This time, I'm determined to spend more time plotting, though the fact that I have a first act to build on definitely helps.
Last night, my wife asked me if I'd be disappointed if I never sold a script. She knows what a longshot it all is.
I told her that I enjoy writing, and until actual work comes in, it's either write or sit around and watch Judge Judy and The People's Court all day. She agreed that writing was better.
So now I'm headed to a coffee shop, to go through all my notes, and start organizing acts 2 and 3 on index cards, while brainstorming some more. I'm riding the wave, while it's there. I urge you all to seize the day as well, no matter what your urge is.
posted by Scott the Reader @ 8:04 AM
7 Comments:
Tell you what-- YOU come tend my kids, stock my pantry, wash my laundry, crank out the press releases and magazine stories and newspaper stories for Little League, take down my Chrsitmas decorations, clean up the kitten piss in the kitchen, and then **I'LL** go seize a day or something.
;-)
But self-indulgent whining aside, I agree. At the end of the day, it all pretty much boils down the the simple choice of "am I going to do this or am I not?"
As John Hammond said in JURASSIC PARK: "Creation is an act of sheer will."
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B
Hey, I do have household chores to do (I'm not a total lazy ass) as well as grocery shopping, but obviously being kid-free and peeing-kitten-free helps with the time thing.
And you're still my hero, dude.
Cheers to riding the wave!
Scribe
You need better heros, mate. ;-)
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heroically non-heroic B
It's definitely an interesting question and one every writer should ask themselves. I think it alludes to a deeper motivation on whether people are writing to write or writing to make money.
I'd like to think that anyone motivated purely by dreams of making it big are not going to be successful and it will be the true, passionate writer who succeeds, but I'm not sure Hollywood, or even the World, works like that.
Philosophy question aside, congrats on making progress in your writing and I hope it continues!
I'll drink to that!
- E.
11 pages?
Braggart.
:-)
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