About writing a script...

I spent the better part of the last month trying to complete a script. I took part in the scriptfrenzy.org challenge and I fell short of 20 pages out of the 100. But hey, it got me writing so that's a good thing, we all know how many scripts I managed to write when I started my blog (hint: the same number of times the San Jose Sharks won the Stanley Cup).

Yes I know, I'm surprisingly well on the way to completing an at least 100 page "draft". Now, I put the draft in air quotes because, it is in many ways not even close to anything resembling a script. Yes, there's dialogue, yes, there are action lines. But I don't consider it anything but an inferior product. It is what many will call a Vomit Draft. Absolutely no structure, characters are cardboard cut outs at best, motivations are hard to understand, basically everything that you would consider a writing no no is in this draft.

But surprisingly, I've found a lot of creative freedom just diving into the writing process. For one, you're not worried so much about writing a huge abortion of a script, bah forget about it sucking, just get the fucking thing done so you can rework it later. There's not much room for second chances in life (like child conceiving, or jerking off, don't you ever feel guilty that the next time you're throwing one you could be potentially killing off the next Da Vinci? How's that for second chances, but I guess it won't stop you for doing what every dude's been doing ever since they discovered the sears catalogue), writing is one of those few things in life that you can always go back to improve.

So where am I right now? trying to write the next twenty pages so I can start to re-write the fucking thing. Three pages a day really isn't that bad to do and realistically, anyone can finish writing a "script" within a months time. Now this isn't taking account of the quality of the writing, no that's certainly a more difficult thing to measure. But the thing is, you won't go anywhere without trying. Out of the near 80 pages I've writing so far, I can honestly say that there's maybe about twenty pages I can use for my next draft. Everything else is really up in the air at this point.

So here's a lesson here folks and fellow nonbelievers, start writing. Jump in.

And jump some more. In fact, Jump around