Script Frenzy

[granfire]

ROFLMAO


don't you love it when things turn out different than you thought it should?!

 

[Steve]

I was just writing out a scene... and then whammo. He no longer had a job. This has been a terrific experience. At 82, I'm getting very close to the bottom, and almost ready to start building to the climax.

 

[granfire]

I was just writing out a scene... and then whammo. He no longer had a job.

You didn't see that coming!

:lol:

 

[Carol]

OMG...I am not on script frenzy but I have been toying with a story for awhile. I have about 125 pages so far and I have had many surprises.

I had one of my supporting characters to turn out to be the wrong...gender. The character I thought was male, and arranges to a work mentor for coffee. I read over what I wrote, and realize that..duh...this isn't a mentoring meeting, this is a date! (Shows you how clueless to the world of romance I am :lol And my character is so not a man (not even a gay man...lol), she's a woman....named....Gavin.

Well....Gavin makes a perfectly good last name...perhaps if I keep writing she'll tell me what her first name is. :rofl:

 

[granfire]

I think at this time in the game I am going to conceed it...


The format is not familiar (and I could not get the computer to do as I wanted to....)

But I might yet write a script.

 

[Carol]

I don't know if I will, but I'd really like to get my story finished. Eventually. LOL.

And I really need a first name for Gavin. LOL. The protagonist of the story is a talented 16 year old named Leah with a violent home life that she is trying desperately to escape. After a teacher Leah admires had urged her to "run away" to the world of academia, Leah is now trying desperately to do just that. She has found an ally in Josh, an admissions counselor for a small community college in New England who himself has fought back from a difficult past. Josh has quietly fallen for Leah based on their telephone interactions, and is hoping upon hope to meet her in person.

“I don't get it,” Josh stormed.


“What?” Gavin called from the corner of the bullpen.


“We run advertisements all over the place telling people they can go to college. We're supposed to tell people calling up working 2 jobs with three kids at home that they can do all of that and go to college. We have that special offenders program where Professor Guerion and his group go everywhere from the Merrimack Jail to Cedar Junction in an effort to and educate criminals.”

“Josh, you've known from the beginning that this is part of what we do as a community college. We work with the entire community.”

“That's not...it,” Josh interrupted, stammering.


Gavin stared at the young man. Josh had spoken with a slight catch in his voice. The inflection seemed to go deeper than his antics. Gavin softened her tone. “OK. Its not it. So, what is 'it', can you help me understand?”

Josh shifted his feet uncomfortably. “I think what we do is important. Education is important, and we offer it to some of the people that need it the most.”

“That's right,” Gavin confirmed.


“But we've got an applicant here. Look at her, she's smart. She's driven. She's accomplished. She's better off, academically, than so many of the students that we already accept. And we're dragging our feet on this one.”

Gavin bristled, but tried to hide her annoyance with Josh. “Look, if this is about the commission thing again,”

“No!” Josh retorted. “Its not about commission or not wanting to do my job. We have people coming through here that can't speak English or never graduated high school or did hard time, and we're stepping up to give them a chance at education. What do we have to do to give a girl like Leah an education? 'Sorry, you have to screw up your life first?' Mark Dudley is trying to build some kind of high school here, so the school is certainly open to the idea of younger students at Pennacook. Why not her? ”


A soft electronic beep sounded. The two were silent. Gavin's head turned instinctively to the clock. “It's Thursday,” Gavin said apologetically.

 

[granfire]

gavin does not sound like a bad first name. not even for a girl. After all, there is Robin and Terry and Lesly...

Gut finding the real name is tough. (you could look at the baby name books at the library, names and meanings. or just point at a name in the phone book)

 

[granfire]

3 more days...how is it coming?


( did try, but the way I want it to look didn't agree with the computer, and then I got hung up and I got to the first scene and the first line...'Oh hello there' Seems like script is not my thing...)


On the other hand, I opened my NaNo story, with the intend to edit a little. Spell check caught a lot, but there are still some glaring mistakes and contenuity problems, I ended up reading the whole story again....going to bed way late at 2AM....)

 

[Steve]

3 more days...how is it coming?


( did try, but the way I want it to look didn't agree with the computer, and then I got hung up and I got to the first scene and the first line...'Oh hello there' Seems like script is not my thing...)


On the other hand, I opened my NaNo story, with the intend to edit a little. Spell check caught a lot, but there are still some glaring mistakes and contenuity problems, I ended up reading the whole story again....going to bed way late at 2AM....)

90 pages down. I'm going to hunker down tonight and finish if I can after dinner. I'm just getting into Act 3, so it'll be well over 100 pages when finished.

 

[granfire]

WELL?????

is it done yet?

 

[Steve]

Okay. Sorry. Here's the scoop. 109 pages in April, so I officially "won" ScriptFrenzy.

Just finished the story. 115 pages total in the first, rough draft. I'm going to go through and give it one revision and then share it. The plan is to write another screen play while my buddies read it. Then, in a month or so, I'll have another go at revising the story before I decide what to do next.

Overall, I'm really proud of the story I've told, and want to thank you, granfire, for posting about it. I wouldn't have written this screenplay without this thread. Literally. I've been writing all my life, but I've never done anything like this.

 

[granfire]

artyon:artyon:

Awesome!

You are so welcome! (I like to share things I find fun)
It is a special kind of rush when a creation of yourself comes together in that manner.

hey, who knows...we might see you as screen writer yet!
(Water for Elephants, in theaters right now was a NaNoWriMo novel a few years back!)

 

[Steve]

Didn't know that about Water for Elephants. That's pretty cool. I'll say this. I'm pretty realistic about the entire thing, but I'd be lying if I said that I haven't toyed with how cool selling a screenplay would be.

I figure, I'll write 5 or 10 more and see what happens.

 

[Lee Ch'a]

Wow. I know this is a late reply coming- But yay I found some fellow screnziers and NaNo'ers! I stumbled across those sites a few years back and have been trying to write screenplays and novels since. Always crazy during November and April though, I always have musical performances, so generally run short on time.

Anyway- yeah for writing! And way to go on finishing- I still haven't yet.
Also, that is really awesome about Water for Elephants; I had no idea. Hope to see you screnzy/NaNo punks around there in the future!

-Lee

 

[Buka]

I know you guys don't know me, but I've written and sold a couple of scripts. It's a crazy business, one that you need an "in" with. But it can be done.

You can buy a zillion books on the subject, but the only one that can really help you is this one. Honest.

http://www.amazon.com/Screenwriters-Bible-Complete-Writing-Formatting/dp/1935247026

 

[Carol]

I know you guys don't know me, but I've written and sold a couple of scripts. It's a crazy business, one that you need an "in" with. But it can be done.

You can buy a zillion books on the subject, but the only one that can really help you is this one. Honest.

http://www.amazon.com/Screenwriters-Bible-Complete-Writing-Formatting/dp/1935247026

Hey you're part of the Martial Talk family now. Interesting to hear you input.

Just curious, are you still writing? Personally I am not a serious writer but a good friend of mine has written a few books over the last several years, and is in the process of getting one of them (hopefully) published.

 

[granfire]

I know you guys don't know me, but I've written and sold a couple of scripts. It's a crazy business, one that you need an "in" with. But it can be done.

You can buy a zillion books on the subject, but the only one that can really help you is this one. Honest.

http://www.amazon.com/Screenwriters-Bible-Complete-Writing-Formatting/dp/1935247026

Does anybody know anybody anyhow?

Script ain't my thing I am afraid but hey, I gave it a shot...maybe more next year.
But hey, tips are always welcome!

 

[Buka]

Hey you're part of the Martial Talk family now. Interesting to hear you input.

Just curious, are you still writing? Personally I am not a serious writer but a good friend of mine has written a few books over the last several years, and is in the process of getting one of them (hopefully) published.

Just started a novel. (crime fiction) I don't know if I'll stay with it, I seem to be getting lazy with my free time, screenplays seem to be easier, probably because I'm used to them.

Basic rules of thumb when it comes to screenplays -

1. One page equals one minute of screen time.

2. The three act format....chase a guy up a tree, throw rocks at him, get him down.

3. Romance or romantic comedy....boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy ends up with girl.

4. (the most important) It's all about character. Nobody cares about plot (the people who buy scripts) They only care about character.

As the old joke in Hollywood goes - there's only three rules when writing a script. Unfortunately, nobody knows what the hell they are.

 

[Lee Ch'a]

Haha, Buka- great thoughts there.
I am personally more of a NaNo-er than Screnzier, but I love to try both! Been trying to write novels since age 7.. wish I still had that original, would be sure to give me a good chuckle.
Last script I attempted was to turn the new Karate Kid movie with Jackie Chan into a musical. Actually got about halfway through before the musical I was currently in took over my life. Would love to see Jackie Chan in a musical- I was ectastic to discover he could sing! What a talented guy.

I'm excited for this NaNo season, although with being at college and my intensified MA training I'm not sure how close I'll get to finishing. But maybe, as I've found some other NaNo/Screnziers, I may be encouraged to finish!