Deep Exhale

Well, I've done a couple things this week. After finishing the first draft I proof read the entire thing. I was looking for typos, but more importantly I was looking to see how the whole thing flowed as one piece. I thought it worked pretty well. It lost some momentum in the third act, but I have a few ideas of how to correct that. I even came up with a whole new scene, which I think really aids in one of the lead character's character arc. Beyond that however, I've decided I'm going to spend some time detoxing for the whole thing. I'm going to do my best not to work on or think about it for a whole week. This way I'll be able to look at it with a fresher pair of eyes. I also sent the screenplay out to five of my good screenwriting friends to get notes from them. To take my mind off of it, I have even started preliminary work on a different screenplay. It's great! Until next time, good night and good luck!

I DID IT!!!

Huzzah! The first draft is complete! This is very exciting. It's wonderful to see an idea I've had for years finally all down on paper. There is still a LOT of work to be done of course. The draft came in at a whopping 142 pages! My goal is to bring that down to 120. Also, as I went along there were new ideas I had that I wanted to incorporate earlier in the script. Finally, I think I've actually matured as a writer since I started the script, so I'll be going back and buffing this up where needed. That's all for now! Until next time, good night and good luck!

The Inspiration of Music

One of my favorite parts of movies is the music. It's wonderful ability to set the tone, mood, and tempo is fascinating! As such, I tend to do a lot of my writing while listening to some kind of music. Most of the time, I'll listen to just one song on repeat for the writing of an entire scene, which could be up to a couple hours! Haha! It really does help to put my mind in the right place, pulling me emotionally from one beat to another. I recently finished writing a very pivotal moment between two of the main characters, where they, for the first time, are able to connect. Initially unsure how to approach the scene, I went music hunting first. I came upon a beautifully piece of music from The Assassination of Jesse James score. The primary emotion I felt while listening to the piece of music was relaxation. I really liked the idea that the first thing that needs to happen for two people to really connect is they need to be comfortable and relaxed around each other. From there I thought, "how do two people come to a felling of relaxation around each other." The answer I decided upon: humor! With that in mind, I wrote the scene where both characters would first laugh about something together. After that, I felt I was able to move the scene into some more serious waters, without it feeling forced or unnatural. Thank goodness for music! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Note Carding It

Greetings! You will all be happy to hear that I'm back into the swing of things with the writing. The week off really did me well. This weeks challenge was inter-cutting/inter-writing three different dialog scenes. The three dialog scenes were all suppose to be happening at the same time, and other I could have just put one after the other in the script, I knew a lot of interesting things that could happen if I was able to cut in the middle of one to other and then back again. The tough part was knowing when to cut from one to the next. I realized the only way I personally could do it was to write all three scenes separately and then go back and "mesh" them all together. So, even though I did not technically "note card" anything, I did use the technique where you figure out separate beats before rearranging them. And it looks like it has worked really well! I'm very pleased. Also, after mixing the scenes up, I made a few revisions, which not only helped them flow together better, but just made them better scenes over all. I really enjoyed this process and will be most definitely be using it again in the future. I'm proudly over the 80 page mark, and still loving it! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Hitting the Wall

Well, it's finally happened! I have officially hit my first wall. It's not that I don't know where I'm going, because I was smart enough to type up that very detailed 14 page outline, which has really helped guide me away from THAT kind of writer's block. With that said, there is still A LOT of creative decisions to be made as I move through the script: how do certain scenes ACTUALLY play out, how would the characters REACT in this scenario, what would the characters SAY to each other here, ect.? And frankly, I am just tired. I don't think I'm tired of this world, the story, or its characters. My mind is just tired of trying to come up with brilliant ideas all the time. Haha! As such, I decided to take the last week off to just rest. Fortunately, I think it has helped! With the Lord's help, I'm feeling ready to charge back into the screenplay! So, bring it! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Revising As I Go!

So when I'm working on the first draft of anything, I really like to just plow ahead. I really don't like to stop and "nit pick" the first 10 to 20 pages, because I often find if I do that, I'll never get beyond those first 10 to 20 pages if I do. I've decided to take a slightly different approach to the writing of this for a couple reasons. One, I started the first draft with a very detailed 14 page outline that I had already made numerous revision to. Two, like a Back to the Future style screenplay, I was REALLY wanting every little detail that I establish earlier in the screenplay to pay off later. So as I am discovering new, fun, and interesting things on page 40 or 50, I may want to go back to bad 4 or 5 and set those ideas/characters/themes up. That way, when they appear later in the script they have more meaning and more of a pay off. With that in mind, I've tried to ensure that I am not hitting the audience over the head with most of these little connections, but rather subtly and casually dropping them in to make a more fulfilling and rounded experience. A couple examples of these connects are: One of the characters (Stephen) starts outs by being a "tag along, push over" who does and accepts anything his friends say or do just to be liked. So, at the start of the story there will be a couple times when he willingly eats peanuts just because Saul (one of his friends) says he likes them. Later in the script however, when actually encouraged by a different character (Zooey) to develop his own likes and dislikes, Stephen very quickly discovers he hates peanuts. Another place I established something to hopefully pay it off in a rewarding way is with the central character of Peter. His character arc is discovering that those he thought loved him (his ex-fiance back home) don't, and those he thought would never care about him (Saul and Stephen) actually do. Peter is a fantastic trumpet player and it is established that he has not played trumpet in many years in order to save his beautiful music for his ex-fiance. By the end of the story, he is playing his trumpet for Saul and Stephen, which demonstrates his change on heart. Well, that is all for now. Until next time, good night and good luck!

Writing the Girl

I don't have a whole lot to report again this week. The new challenge this time around, was writing the leading lady, Zooey! This is the scene where one of the leading characters (Stephen) meets Zooey, the woman of his dreams. To find inspiration for this scene, I decided to try something different and fun. Since the scene takes place in a loud, noisy bar, I decided to go to a bar! Haha, I'm sure I looked quite humorous, sitting there drinking water and writing on my little note pad. Ultimately though, I think I walked away with some unique beats, and definitely some good material for background characters, atmosphere, and music. I really soaked in the scene, imagining what it would be like to have a romanic conversation in a place like that. For the actual writing of her character, I'm drawing heavily from the fun and quirkiness of Zooey Deschanel. Her ability to be strong but needy and light but earnest is really perfect for the character I'm writing. Over all, it's been a slow week in the writing department, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace this week! I'm on page 50. Until next time, good night and good luck!