Real Life Boring Blah-Blah
Aug. 15th, 2010 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kungfuwaynewhoKind of a boring week. Last night the heat finally broke, but it's been right around 100 actual temperature the last week or so, and high 90s for a few weeks before that; it just saps your will-power, it really does. Day before yesterday, I was so bored and was actually getting kind of depressed about sitting around inside the house - there's only so long you can occupy yourself making icons and reading fanfic and playing Burger Shop. But the heat index was 115 and I just could not make myself have any desire to leave the nice air conditioned house; even just walking from the car to a store or Starbucks or whatever is enough to make you sweat. Plus, my car doesn't have AC, so that's always fun to drive around in when it's this hot.
Today's in the 80s, though, so I sat outside and read a little, which was very nice. I think I might go up to Starbucks and write later; my grad school roommate and I are pulling our old TV pilot out of storage. Scriptapalooza's having a TV contest in October, and usually those things only accept spec scripts for existing shows, but they're taking pilots. It's amazing how not looking at something in three years gives you absolute objectivity; it was easy to go through and see what worked and what didn't, and what definitely didn't. We're working on the beat outline now, and should start drafting by the beginning of September.
We're also still workshopping my new script in my local writer's group; we've got about 45 pages to go, or two or three sessions. Once we're done, I'll go through all the notes and come up with a revision manifesto. One thing I've noticed with each new script is that it takes me less drafts to get to something decent. With Flesh and Blood back in the day, it really wasn't until about draft four or five that it held up as a solid movie; Fall River took three; this new script, even though it's just a first draft, is pretty okay. I mean, it has problems, but there's no plot holes or huge characterization problems. I may be...getting better as a writer? That would be exciting.
Today's in the 80s, though, so I sat outside and read a little, which was very nice. I think I might go up to Starbucks and write later; my grad school roommate and I are pulling our old TV pilot out of storage. Scriptapalooza's having a TV contest in October, and usually those things only accept spec scripts for existing shows, but they're taking pilots. It's amazing how not looking at something in three years gives you absolute objectivity; it was easy to go through and see what worked and what didn't, and what definitely didn't. We're working on the beat outline now, and should start drafting by the beginning of September.
We're also still workshopping my new script in my local writer's group; we've got about 45 pages to go, or two or three sessions. Once we're done, I'll go through all the notes and come up with a revision manifesto. One thing I've noticed with each new script is that it takes me less drafts to get to something decent. With Flesh and Blood back in the day, it really wasn't until about draft four or five that it held up as a solid movie; Fall River took three; this new script, even though it's just a first draft, is pretty okay. I mean, it has problems, but there's no plot holes or huge characterization problems. I may be...getting better as a writer? That would be exciting.
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Date: 2010-08-15 05:21 pm (UTC)There is something to be said about revisiting old projects. I feel you do improve as a writer as time goes on and you get a feel for exactly what needs to be done. Script writing is a whole different animal. It's sometimes difficult to get what you want on the page and then it doesn't always transfer well to the screen or stage.
I did see that the temperature is running about 5 degrees higher than normal leading me to think dehydration has something to do with the fatigue and listlessness I see in people. They need to drink more water to combat this. It's been fairly decent here in Connecticut;50's at night and 70's during the day. The humidity hasn't left us though.
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Date: 2010-08-15 05:28 pm (UTC)Screenwriting is all I've done for eight years, before this summer; it's just such a completely different process altogether. And it can be really tough, since you can't write what a character is feeling or thinking, making sure that you're communicating what you want from a scene. That's why I've been having such fun with the fanfic, heh. I can just go, "yay writing here's what's in everyone's heads yay!"
Yeah, tell me about dehydration. My grandpa had to go to the hospital for a day because he's a stubborn son of a bitch and insists on sitting outside in the heat; thankfully he was A-OK and came home right away and there have been no lingering problems, but it's like, George? Sit inside, turn on your air, and drink some water, or I will come over and so help me God, I'll kill you myself.
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Date: 2010-08-15 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 07:09 pm (UTC)(It didn't take me too long to figure out what your username stood for, but I still say it in my head as "oofgator." Just so you know.)