Teeny Tiny Update

So after pysching myself out eleventy billion times, I finally started writing my screenplay. Of course, I kept forcing myself to try to be perfect, and we all know how well that goes when writing. After resigning myself to the fact that it was not going to be a masterpiece the first time out, I've actually been productive. I'm about seven scenes in and it's going pretty well.

I'm a very succinct writer, and while sometimes it's absolutely appropriate to be terse, but with creative writing, it's not always a good thing. I know I'm going to have to go back and lengthen some scenes just like I did when I wrote my novel. I can't let that discourage me from pushing forward, but honestly, it really frustrates me. I just have to remember the words of Dr. Mike Lennon, "Lower your standards."

It gets me through. I can't revise a blank page.

At some point today I'm also going to see The Social Network. Everyone is saying that it's incredible, and even though I wasn't interested at first, I want to see what the deal is. I'm sure it's not going to hurt to watch a well written screenplay up on the big screen either. I'm also reading The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall, which I've really been enjoying. Hoping to have reviews up for both the movie and the book very soon!

My Screenplay is a Zygote

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was going to try writing a screenplay. Well, so far so good. I picked up a copy of The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier, which has turned out to be indispensable. It answers every question I had and then some. Even if you aren't looking to write the next great American movie, there are lots of cool things within that can help with any kind of story.

One of the things I particularly like is the character chart which lists all of the important things characters needs to stand on their own two feet, and I think something like this can come in handy when trying to answer all of those questions you need to answer before you start writing. I wish I had something like that when I wrote my thesis, which was a fictional novel.

Trottier suggests writing a three paragraph synopsis of the plot before you type even one letter of the script. After thinking about it, I think this is a pretty good idea for anyone writing anything of length. I was skeptical but did it anyway, and let me tell you, problems emerged right away, making it easier for me to figure out what you need to fix before things get way out of hand.

Another thing I like is using index cards for each scene. While this is especially helpful for a movie script, it can definitely be helpful if you're working on something that may not follow a traditional story line. When I was writing my thesis I had an outline that was pretty detailed, but I can see the benefit of really thinking each scene out that you have in mind. Of course as you write things change, but if you have definite scenes you know will be there, I think this can be really helpful.

So far I'm at the index card stage with about fifteen. I'm sure I need more, so I continue to think about pacing, breaking up scenes with dialogue, etc. What's really cool is that now when I watch a movie, I pay more attention to the way the scenes fit together, even though I think I have been doing that subconsciously for a long time.

I haven't been frustrated at all, which is a very good thing. I'd get frustrated at least ten times on any given page when I was writing prose. That being said, I haven't really "written" anything yet, but I feel like writing a screenplay is more in tune with my strengths.

The Pianist and Working Every Day

One of my favorite Tweeple is @AdviceToWriters. Almost every day, Jon Winokur posts something that makes me have a lightbulb moment in relation to my own writing. Any writer will tell you that's a blessing, seeing as how so many of us are often left in the dark.

A few days ago, I went to Winokur's site Advice to Writers and tripped over the following post:

It doesn't matter what time of day you work, but you have to work every day because creation, like life, is always slipping away from you. You must write every day, but there's no time limit on how long you have to write.

One day you might read over what you've done and think about it. You pick up the pencil or turn on the computer, but no new words come. That's fine. Sometimes you can't go further. Correct a misspelling, reread a perplexing paragraph, and then let it go. You have re-entered the dream of the work, and that's enough to keep the story alive for another 24 hours.

The next day you might write for hours; there's no way to tell. The goal is not a number of words or hours spent writing. All you need to do is to keep your heart and mind open to the work.

WALTER MOSLEY

I've been struggling with writing ever since I graduated with my Master's Degree. Once I didn't have that gun next to my head, I started falling back into the same routine of watching television and generally being lazy. I'm helping my dad with a story idea because he's not a writer, and every week he asks me if I've made any progress. For the past few weeks, my answer has been, "No. Sorry."

That's just not good enough. I certainly need to be devoting more time to this, but I feel like it should be easier. I've already written a novel, and while it may still need tons of work, it's one more novel than I ever thought I'd write. I know the pitfalls, the traps, how easily I can put off writing while I tend to millions of other seemingly more important things. How could I have forgotten the importance of breathing with the project every day?

And today, as I was walking back from lunch, I heard a piano being played. I looked into the art gallery (I work at a college) and see this young man hammering away on the keys. As I walked away, I realized that he's in there every single day, playing like he'll never see a piano again. Mosley is right - "creation, like life, is always slipping away." Every day is our last chance to create, whether we realize it or not.