Day 7 of Script Frenzy 2011:

Just a very brief update. I've just added four pages to my screenplay, bringing the current total to 53 pages.

I've added some good stuff: the villain has stated his true intentions to his brother, and they will fight together for revenge (or justice, from their point of view).

And I've added more conflict between the main character's brother and his girlfriend...important to the subplot.

And now I'm quitting early so I can spend some time on my knitting. :)

Lois

Day 6 of Script Frenzy 2011:

I've been busy today, to be sure! Last night, I went through my outline, comparing it to the eight sequences listed in the articles I linked to yesterday. I made several changes to the outline, and then set about transcribing those changes this morning.

Then I started work on the screenplay. I had to go back and make some changes, and I think I ended up deleting a total of 2-3 pages. It could even have been more than that.

Once I finally got to a really good stopping point, I found out I'd added 14 new pages to the screenplay today (although I could have written up to 17, maybe more).

This story is getting better and better, and it's starting to make more sense. I really am having a great time.

An extra bonus is that I'm reconnecting with one of my favorite characters. :) And I may be onto something in the way of a future story starring Xander's younger brother, Zane. This would make me very, very happy! :D

You can view my Script Frenzy profile page over here. I'm thinking of adding a short excerpt soon, but not today. I've been at this for so long, my eyes are about to cross! :P

Who says hard work doesn't pay?

Lois

Day 5 of Script Frenzy 2011:

A picture I found online and edited

Today has been another very productive day. I've written several short scenes establishing my main character's return home and how it seems like a different world than the one he left fifteen years ago. I've also added a little suspense, and started on the two subplots (which tie in nicely with the Character Emotional Development Plotline).

My page count now sits at 35, not counting the cover page, and at this rate, I'll be finished long before the end of the month. I still have a monologue to write for a Twitter friend, so maybe I can actually work that in, too. ;) (Speaking of which, I think I've finally got an inkling of the subject matter, so I can start jotting down ideas!)

If you want to view my profile on the Script Frenzy Web site, you can find it here.

I'm so glad I know my character well. It makes it so much easier to write the story. The hard part is trying to keep my descriptions / action "short, active, and essential." (This last part was taken from an excellent, albeit very short, article on action vs. dialogue, by Jeffrey Alan Schechter.)

I'd planned on comparing my outline to some articles I printed out about the major sequences in a movie yesterday, but I never found the time, so I'm going to do that now. Here are the links to the articles (because these are great for any story told using the three-act structure):

What's A Sequence?
Sequences and Acts
Sequences: Two Principles
The Eight Sequences

This Web site is invaluable to anyone writing a script, or any story, really.

Oh, and here are two great questionnaires to help you with your storytelling:

Character Questionnaire
Story Questionnaire

Okay, back to work. :)

Lois

Day 4 of Script Frenzy 2011:

Sometimes I surprise myself with how much I can actually do when I put my mind to it. Yesterday, I only managed a mere two pages, but I considered it progress, considering how crappy I was feeling. This morning, I still felt pretty crappy, but I was determined to write as much of ACT I as I could with the hope of finishing it.

My script currently sits at page 23 (24 if you count the cover page, but of course, I don't), and ACT I is finished. My character is about to return home, but he'll find that home has changed...or he has...and he will feel very much like a fish out of water.

ACT I began with my character's past, and the end of this brought about changes that will drive the middle forward, as his past will come back to haunt him and endanger those he cares about. He will also struggle to find his place in the lives of his family and friends, the most important of whom will not want to have anything to do with him.

Yes, my character is in for a bumpy ride, but hopefully, all will end well for him and he'll live to see another script...er...day.

Needless to say, I feel very accomplished today. I want to rush into the next part, full speed ahead, but I'm trying very hard to keep myself in check. No need to overdo it, right? After all, I wrote about eleven pages today!

Maybe I'll work on his outline for a bit. An outline can't be tweaked too much, after all...

Lois

Day 3 of Script Frenzy 2011:

I took yesterday off from writing and outlining. It wasn't intentional, but it wasn't unexpected, either. Saturday is Jeff's only day off for a while, so I took it off, too.

Today was a different story. I worked on my outline, moving things around, adding a few details, etc.

Then I managed to write a couple more pages, so it's now at 12 pages (plus the cover page).

I left off where Xander's family are notified of "his demise," and when I resume writing tomorrow, I'll be starting at his "funeral."

Today, my eyes have been bothering me (pollen), and so has my stomach. I'm really tired and lacking in energy, so it's good I got done what I did. I should be feeling a lot better tomorrow, so I'll likely get a lot more done than I did today. :)

Lois

Day 1 of Script Frenzy 2011:

I've surpassed today's official page count goal of 3.3 pages. I wrote almost 9 pages (9 minutes' worth of film time) in my screenplay! :D

I had to do some research. I chose a different "era" for my story, which gave me a real war for the beginning. This also clarified which area of the Middle East Xander would be in, and I even found a hospital for him to wake up in after his almost-mortal wounding.

Things are moving along nicely for me. For Xander, not so much. ;)

I'm babysitting for a couple hours (or so) later on, but I'm hoping to get some work in on the outline, too.

It's been a great Day One! :D

Lois

Finally On the Right Track?

I've been trying everything to get my story lined out, but it's always been missing something.

I've tried character journaling, but as much as I love creating a journal specifically for my main character to "lend his voice to," it has only helped me come up with his backstory.

I've done a lot of research, and it gave me some ideas, but I still struggled. I learned a bit of history, refreshed my memory on what's happened in previous stories related to mine, but when it came down to it, it didn't much help me come up with an original plot...at least not much.

I tried freewriting, and though it helped me get some things straight in my head, it still didn't give me "the whole picture."

Then I tried something yesterday that changed everything. I took some index cards, laid out my summary and character chart, and got to work. I began jotting down one scene for each card, and I went through the whole summary.

I think this one technique has helped a ton! I began to see holes where I couldn't see them before. Places where I needed some conflict, some kind of explanation, or a little focus on another character. Places where there should have been...something...but instead, there was a black hole, a section of story that was empty and needed something to move the story along, or to join the previous scene with the following one.

I've tried using index cards before, but they never seemed to help. Not like they did yesterday. I found myself inserting new scenes where events or conflicts naturally seemed to fit. And the nice thing about this is that I can move things around. If I want an abduction to happen three chapters later than it has, I only need to move a few cards to make it work. If I want to effect a rescue earlier, or add details, it's all in the cards (or can be added using new cards).

I began to get more excited about this story than I've been, so far...and that's saying a lot! I always get excited about my stories when I'm working on them. Sometimes, my enthusiasm fizzles, but more often than not, it stays with me through the first draft. Still, I've never been as truly stirred up over the process of planning a story as I am with this one. Will it pass? Eventually, yes, but now that I've found this technique to be incredibly useful, I'm bound to turn to it again and again to help me along in the planning / brainstorming / outlining process of future stories.

I learned something new yesterday. I guess that's all part of being human. We learn by doing, and by trying new things. :)

Write on!

Lois