Recently in script-o-frenzy Category

The Frenzy is over, at least for this year. I crossed the 20,000-word finish line on Friday. I used a screenplay software program known as Celtx, which made formatting easy. The program also had an online word count feature that proved to be on the conservative side. It told me I had written 20,098 words. When I uploaded the text to the Script Frenzy site for validation, they gave me credit for 20,998 words. I don't know who wrote those additional 900 words, but I bet they're the best 900 of the whole batch.

Given the fact that I wrote the screenplay by the seat of my pants, the story took several unexpected turns, including a 10,000-word scene in the middle that involved four characters at a ballpark, watching a baseball game, drinking beer, and talking. That happened because I suddenly got a clue about the story I was writing and my poor characters had to work through the background and details for me. One of the characters got so bored spouting exposition that he opted to drink himself into a stupor and pass out so he wouldn't have to say the rest of his lines.

I don't know if it's allowed, but I'm thinking of taking the basic outline of the screenplay and using it as the basis of my NaNoWriMo novel in November. From there, it might be fun to adapt whatever comes out of that effort into a screenplay next year.

If one had been looking for me last night, one would have found me at a Script Frenzy write-in in the loft of Books Inc. in Mountain View. One would have seen me feverishly writing my screenplay, trying to fill in the nearly 2,000-word sinkhole that had suddenly appeared two days ago. One would have seen me squander the feverishness by stopping to eavesdrop on the author event taking place on the first floor of the bookstore. One would have also seen my drinking lukewarm coffee from a tall glass.

The author, Antonia Juhasz, was speaking to a modest-sized crowd about her book, The Bu$h Agenda. Every time she said words like Rice, Chevron, Iraq, or oil, I would pause to listen. Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed hearing her speak, but last night, I silently cursed myself for forgetting to bring my mp3 player. At the same time, I made a mental note to borrow her book from the library. (My book budget is shot through July and it's only mid-June. Whoops.)

Despite the distractions, I managed to eliminate my word count deficit. Not only that, I also succeeded in creating a small surplus. My goal for today is to reach 10,000 words.

It has been approximately 5 days and 23 hours since I last wrote here. I'm feeling a little rusty, so I thought I would jot down a couple of things I've down over the last few days. Let's see, I

> attended my first Script Frenzy write-in. That happened last Wednesday at Mission City Coffee in Santa Clara. There were half a dozen of us working away at our screenplays. A couple of tables away, a group of actors were practicing their lines for an upcoming production. Part of me wished I had printed a page or two of my script for them to perform. Seeing the lameness brought to life would have been humbling, but awesome.

> watched over four hours of How I Met Your Mother. If I had to describe the show as an A meets B, I would say it is Friends meets Two Guys and a Girl. It's one of the funniest shows on television today; right up there with The Office. Of course, I wasn't just watching it for fun. I was watching it for the sake of research. Edutainment, if you will. I was trying to see how the writers used recurring jokes, flashbacks, and narration for maximum comedic effect.

> watched part of the French Open. I must admit that I was rooting for Roger Federer to finally beat Rafael Nadal, who is invincible on the clay courts of Roland Garros. For the third year in a row, Nadal crushed Federer. It was a match and rivalry worth watching, even if it meant getting up early on Sunday to see it. (Okay, not that early. I missed the first set, which started at 6 a.m., but I did catch the rest of the match.) I read on ESPN that over the past four years, Federer has a win-loss record of 277-19. Of those 19 losses, 7 have been to Nadal. Those are just incredible statistics. Nadal is only 21 years old and still on the rise, which makes one wonders if he'll soon begin beating Federer on other surfaces.

> went on a four-mile test walk to break in my backpacking gear. In a couple of weeks, I'll be going on my first backpacking trip. I wanted to see how everything fit in the pack (sleeping bag, pad, tent, food, clothing, etc.) and see how the pack felt on my back. We went over to the Coyote Creek Trail to try it out. The trail is flat and paved, which is completely opposite of the conditions I'll be on, but it was a good first outing nonetheless. This weekend, I'll probably venture over to Henry Coe to try it out on steeper terrain. Yesterday, the pack only weighed 25 pounds, which is roughly ten pounds less than the final weight I'll be carrying. A couple of articles recommended hiking with a lighter pack the first time and increasing the weight on subsequent hikes. The good news is that everything felt fine. My shoulders felt a little sore and my legs were a little tired afterwards, but I feel fine today. I can't wait to go!

Today feels like it's going to be a zero-word day, Frenzy-wise. I'm just not feeling it. I don’t know what "it" is exactly, but it isn't being felt.

I'm supposedly writing a comedy, but I've yet to write a scene that makes me laugh out loud. Actually, I haven't written a line that makes me laugh out loud. There are a couple of chucklers, but they are horribly outnumbered by a combined force of cringers and ho-hummers. I'm like Custer, except I'm making my stand at the Battle of the Little Biglaugh.

Writing is a lot like kayaking. Every original story is an unexplored river. Long before dipping a paddle in the water, experienced kayakers research the river – poring over topographical maps, choosing where to put in and take out, and scouting potential trouble spots via helicopter. Long before typing a word, experienced writers research the story – fleshing out characters, outlining the plot, and scanning for potential hurdles.

Inexperienced kayakers (and writers) do none of this. Like me, they just start off, not knowing where they're going or what lies ahead. They naively assume they'll survive whatever obstacles they encounter (be they rapids, crocodiles, or plot inconsistencies).

Fortunately, for writers, the assumption of survival is mostly true (unless one is the type of writer who considers public humiliation a fate worse than death). If writing was exactly like kayaking, we would hear many more cautionary tales of writers drowning or becoming mid-morning crocodile snacks. We would also see more writers wearing life vests when typing away at laptops in coffee shops.

Another concept writing and kayaking have in common (and this is the point of the previous three paragraphs of nonsense) is the idea of portage.

If a kayaker reaches an impassable section of a river, he or she simply portages or carries his or her kayak around the difficult spot and resumes the journey further downstream.

Writers can do something similar. If they come upon an unnavigable point in the story, they can simply portage to a different chapter or scene and return to the tricky spot later if they choose. Luckily, laptops weigh a lot less than kayaks (at least they have for the last ten years or so), so it's easy for writers to slip out of and back into a story stream whenever and wherever they want.

Sometimes, I get so caught up writing a particular scene or hung up trying to write a funny line, I forget about portage. I forget I can temporarily leave it behind and pick up the story at a different point.

Portage is what I'm going to try later today to keep this from being a zero-word day. What makes it even nicer is that my story isn't so much a river (with a defined course) as it is an ocean (with an endless coast of possibilities), which is a good thing right now, but won't be in another week or so.

If you're participating in Script Frenzy, I hope your screenplay is coming along. If you get stuck, give portage a try. It wouldn't have been much help to Custer, but it might just be a help to you.

For fun, I created a placeholder movie poster for my screenplay using one of FD's Flickr Toys. With the exception of the release date, all information on the poster is subject to change.

I got off to a strong start today with Script Frenzy, at least in terms of word count. I've written 981 words. That means I only have 19,019 to go. I'm still struggling with the actual structure of screenplays (scenes, camera direction, actions, etc.). I'm also writing the screenplay the same way I wrote my previous NaNo-novels - without the benefit of any real preparation. Nothing is outlined or planned out, so I have a feeling a large portion of Missing in Mallville's script (roughly 100% of it) won't make any sense and will remain so until it has been heavily revised.

Even so, I thought it would be fun (and humbling) to share a piece of the opening with you. It's clunky and drags at a snail's pace right now, but I keep reminding myself that it's only a draft, so it's allowed to be that way for the time being. Enjoy...

FADE IN:

EXT. NATURE'S GLORY HEADQUARTERS - AFTERNOON

An ornate sign that shows this is the headquarters of Nature's
Glory, environmental technology development corporation and
government contractor.

CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal a massive fountain with an enormous
statue of a man holding up a globe of Mother Earth in both
hands as if offering it to Heaven. His gaze, fixed on the
sphere, is one of reverence with a hint of satisfaction. He
is standing atop a gold mountain. At his feet is a dollar
sign broken in half. Gold water cascades down the mountain
like a waterfall. The water tumbles into a basin that feeds
a gold river that winds its way back towards the main
campus, which is a series of buildings disguised as a
mountain range. It is covered by a lush green pine forest
and blends into the surrounding wilderness.

CAMERA PANS UP AND ZOOMS IN on the statue's face. DISSOLVES TO:

The now familiar face of STILL GOBS, early 40s, head of
Nature's Glory. Clean cut, professional, ruthless. He wears
a pressed pinstripe suit. He is the embodiment of Corporate
America. His confidence and determination are so palpable
that they are like a steel rod running straight down his
spine.

CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL:

INT. OFFICE OF STILL GOBS

A sprawling office of steel and glass. Large glass tables
are pedestals for the company's latest prototypes and
product models. There's a noticeable lack of warmth. The
walls are made of glass. Three of them project images of a
snow-covered mountain range somewhere in Colorado. The
fourth window wall reveals the real landscape outside. One
pane is darker and holds the image of a man's head. This is
MARK "GRASSHOPPER" THOMPSON, mid-30s, GOBS' vice-president
in charge of eco-friendly war machines.

STILL
(crosses arms)
Where are we with the hybrid
Abrams, Thompson?

THOMPSON
Sir, we've been able to increase
the range of the laser cannon by
40% without needing to install an
additional solar panel array. And we've
been able to increase the cruising
range by 25% by improving the efficiency
of the biodiesel engine.

STILL
Good, but for this order, don't
include the engine modifications.
We'll save that for the next
federal contract. It will make excellent
negotiating leverage. We can then
also charge them extra for refitting
this batch with the engine upgrades
when the time comes.

THOMPSON
(hesitates slightly, but
quickly recovers)
Oh, yes, Mr. Gobs. I should
mention, though, sir, we still haven't
been able to fix the thermal
management system.

STILL
Don't worry about that. We'll
address that with a patch, I mean,
in the next design round. Just get this
order produced. I have to go.

THOMPSON
(noticeably concerned)
But, sir, if we don't address it,
the soldiers will bake in there. We
can't get the crew compartment
below 105 degrees without adding an additional
air handling unit and...

STILL
(visibly annoyed)
Thompson, our soldiers are the most
elite fighters in the history of
the world. Or so I'm told. They can
handle a few extra degrees. If nothing
else, install an additional
personal cooling unit in each tank.

THOMPSON
(holds up a camouflaged water
bottle fan)
You mean one of these?

STILL
That's it. Now, I really must go. I
have to pick up my daughter from
school.

THOMPSON
(resigned)
Fine, sir, we'll start production
immediately, with the added PCUs.
Say hello to Molly for me and tell
her Jane is looking forward to
their play date tomorrow.

STILL
Yes, yes.
(beat)
Who's Jane?

THOMPSON
My daughter. Your goddaughter, sir.

STILL
I'm pulling your leg, Thompson.

THOMPSON
Oh, I-

STILL taps his desk and the connection is cut. He's
obviously finished with the conversation.

In preparation for Script Frenzy, which begins this Friday, I'm currently reading the script for Mystery Men. The film is a comedy about a group of struggling superheroes (Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, and Paul Reubens) who attempt to stop a supervillain (Geoffrey Rush) from destroying the city and killing the city's only real superhero (Greg Kinnear). It's one of the Top 5 films I forget to mention when asked to list my favorite films.

---

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Mine was pleasant. I spent Saturday and Sunday attending graduation ceremonies and spent Monday recuperating from Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday's ceremony, which took place at San Jose State's Spartan Stadium, had the highest concentration of cell phones I've ever seen. Everybody had a phone and nobody was self-conscious about using it.

Parents were calling their sons or daughters to congratulate them or tell them where they were in the stands; graduates in the School of Business were sending text messages to their friends in the School of Humanities; and everybody was taking photos with their phones, trying to capture as many moments as they could for posterity or to post on their MySpace pages.

It made me wonder how people survived graduation ceremonies before cell phones became so ubiquitous - when the only sources of amusement available to ward off boredom were toes to stare at, thoughts to retreat into, and the occasional beach ball to bounce around.

Taking a second to reflect, I don't know how I survived my own college graduation because I don't recall there even being a single beach ball. (That's what you get when you attend a tiny, Jesuit university.)

All I have to say is thank goodness for cell phones. No one should have to endure all of that sitting, listening, and toe-staring like I had to and no one will, as long as commencement ceremonies are held in places with strong reception.

In one week, Script Frenzy (SF) begins. SF is a month-long project created by the same folks who brought us NaNoWriMo a few years back. Think of it as yet another sequel (of the non-movie variety) in this long summer of sequels (ooh, that would make a good entry).

Instead of writing a 50,000-word novel in one month, SF challenges people to write a 20,000-word screenplay in one month. It sounds relatively easy by comparison (30,000 words easier), but when Elkit and Silvia first mentioned it at a blogger gathering not so long ago, I had no intention of signing up.

At the time, I felt a once-a-year workout in November was all my imagination could handle. Plus, I was in something of a creative funk (in other words, I was feeling lazy), so the idea of exercising my brain in June didn't sound appealing.

But two weeks ago, something changed. I don't know what triggered it, but the challenge of trying to write a screenplay in thirty days suddenly became alluring. Perhaps the attraction was there all along and I had been in denial. In any case, I signed up.

So far, my screenplay is called Missing in Mallville and its logline reads, "In a peaceful town, a private investigator is hired to find a missing child and stumbles upon a troubling town secret in the process." It's going to be interesting to see if I can inject any humor and excitement into that dull premise. One can only hope.

If you want to join in on the fun, you have seven days to decide before the frenzy begins.