Damn this script! It just doesn’t seem to want to get done! Usually, by the time I hit the midway mark of the fourth act, I’m able to blaze through the final pages in one seating. And yet here I sit, stuck at the top of Act V, agonizing over the attack on the opening scene, the elusive linchpin exchange, and, quite frankly, all that has come before. No script is easy to write yet, admittedly, some are easier to write than others – while others are much, much harder to get through. And this one falls squarely into the latter category along with such equally challenging (read: frustrating) past scripts as This Mortal Coil and…well, off the top of my head, that’s it. In all my days writing for the Stargate franchise, THAT was the script that I assumed would be the death of me. Until this one came along. It’s always very easy to put ideas up on the board. Actually incorporating them into a script and making them work is another thing entirely. And yet, in the past, I’ve always been able to find a way. Take Ripple Effect for instance. When I wrote the outline, there was a big TBD (To Be Decided) at the point in script where our team turns on the tables on their doubles. I started writing with no firm idea on how I was going to tackle that particular problem and, as the script progressed and that scene drew closer, I grew increasingly anxious – but when the time came to write the scene, the idea came to me almost as if by magic. And that’s the way it’s been through most of my writing career. I’ll foresee problems ahead and assure myself that I’ll come up with a solution simply because I’ve always done so in the past – and, sure enough, when the time comes, a solution inevitably presents itself. Until this damn script. No 11th hour revelation. No act four twists or clever fifth act resolutions magically coming to me when I most need them. Just a scene heading, INT. DESTINY – CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM – DAY, and a blank page. And, as I sit here, NOT writing this script, I’m also NOT studying my Japanese, or reading, or generally enjoying my time off.
I could go on – and actually have but, for some reason, when I went to update my post, I lost my internet connection and had the ensuing two paragraphs in which I go on to discuss the challenges particular to this story, my frame of mind, and the trials and tribulations of the professional writer disappear on me. Twice!
So allow me to just skip ahead and wish everyone out there a Happy New Year and all the best for 2010. Have your New Year’s resolutions lined up? Would love to hear ’em. Here are mine:
Figure out how the hell I’m going to pull off this fifth act!
Work out more.
Finish this damn script!
Eat better.
Look into a second career choice. Possibilities include: perennial gaijin Japanese game show contestant, college football mascot, ostrich farmer, and angry recluse.
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