THAT is the sound of me hitting the writer’s block or, more accurately, the writer’s mire that has seen me spinning my brain in an attempt to gain creative traction. To be honest, I’m surprised I progressed as far as I have, relatively frustration-free, through the script’s tease and first two acts, 30 pages in before running into my first obstacle, a fairly tricky scene to kick off Act The Third. Of course, as a trained professional, I know just how to handle situations like these. I start off by re-reading the outline, then go back to the beginning of the script and revise everything I’ve written to date in the hope that, in so doing, I’ll be pulling off the artistic equivalent of a running start. THEN I dive right into the scene that has bedeviled me, hoping that sheer momentum will carry me through. Of course, that never works so, instead, I check my various social media accounts, surf the web, do some research on recommended reads, take the dogs out, have lunch, run errands, pick up a double-chocolate mocha, and, finally, plunk myself back down in front of my laptop. Unbeknownst to you all, however, I’ll have actually been pulling double duty, running dialogue in my head while doing the aforementioned so that, by the time I get back, I’ll have at least the first two or three dialogue exchanges ready.
The rest of the two page scene will take me most of the afternoon.
Thankfully, things go a little smoother after that and, by the time I run out of steam, I’ve hit the 36 page mark. So, all in all, not bad. And, when all is said and done, I’ll have actually shaved a half day off my pace, putting me a full four days ahead of schedule. And that translates to more time for me to re-read and agonize over what I’ve written!
Meanwhile, my pitch call scheduled for today has been rescheduled to Thursday, sandwiched between a Wednesday ramen lunch with Alex Mallari Jr. (Dark Matter’s FOUR/Ryo Ishida) and a Friday french cuisine lunch with director Bruce McDonald and former Dark Matter Co-Executive Producer Robbie David. Remind me to take pictures!
P.S.: Just so we’re clear…
I don’t think I could ever be a writer.
My favorite Don S. Davis /George Hammond line: “Plausible deniability.”
🙂
😀 xo
You know, it’s probably good that you run dialogue in your head. If you ran it by your mouth, people would think you’re on your blue tooth.
The struggle is real. I just found a writer to help me with a concept and I marvel at the skillset. How do writer/artist types do it… and yeah, I thought ( and maybe still like to think ) that the stargate was real.
With the actual UFO sightings that we’ve recently been shown by legitimate people, you just never know.
Sounds like a better plan to go do all the fun things with your mind works in the background figuring things out.
DEFINITELY Take pictures!
Just a matter of time before those creative floodgates open wide again, and you’ll be back creating something awesome.
Wait, so the stargate is *not* real?
How about the next time your run into that block you take a break and do a short one sentence synopsis for each of three movies sequel for “Dark Matter” and toss it out here ands let the die hard fans chew it over and suggest plot themes. if you see something interesting open it up for discussion before you write up solid scripts. This keeps the carnivores at bay, and you chipping away at the block .
Well, just be thankful at least there were no beyond ginormous angry seaguls in your way this time.
Ah … but why were you surprised the creative surge lasted as long as it did
before the speeding train decided to screech to one of its overly rude halts?
Seems this is always right around the time when you
run into your road blocks, no?
(Look back over your blog entries.
Like most of us on this pale blue dot, it boils down to performance anxiety under time constraints/deadlines).
It’s why I posted the goofy inspirational cookie monster message yesterday. 😀
Just breathe, relax and be sure to eat lots o’ cookies, ay. You’ll get thru it. <3
Lunch with Bruce & Robbie definitely sounds like fun and Alex is such a goof ball I bet both visits will inspire your warmest smile and ease your current stress level fer sure. xo
How’d those cookies turn out?
xo Perfect! xo Definitely most delicious batch yet since I started experimenting with making chocolate chip and cherry cookies a couple years ago.
Still haven’t gotten a handle n making a really good pizza tho. 🙁
Doing any fun baking lately?
Sounds exciting!!
Here’s one of my favorite quotes with a ton of ambiguity/misdirection from Shrek: Pinocchio:- On the contrary. I’m possibly more or less not definitely rejecting the idea that in no way with any amount of uncertainty that I undeniably do or do not know where he shouldn’t probably be, if that indeed wasn’t where he isn’t. Even if he wasn’t at where I knew he was I’m not sure who the writer was but that was gold!
Another quote I liked was from Bill Paxton. He read it from historical documents about his ancestor that served in the civil war. Turns out that his great, great grandfather illegally kept his battle sword and then later, donated it to a museum. It listed it as “accidentally acquired”.
Plausible deniability indeed.
Ramble: My father was a three war Navy MasterChief, personable and eloquent, but no nonsense and practical. He had no time for UFOs and aliens and all that guff. However, when he was elderly, after mom had passed, he told my brother and I about an old retired woman he met in Adak in the late 60s when his squadron was TAD there. She had worked at Area 51 in the 50s.
He told us what she said to him, but never elaborated, and never repeated the story. I am the only one remaining who heard this, “I signed a nondisclosure agreement, but at my age, what are they going to do to me now? I saw the bodies.”
Well. I just don’t know. Plausible deniability? Sure.
So that explains the vegan Wraith at the grocery store vamping on the kale. White kale is delish with Athosian tea. Can’t wait to see what’s next for your projects. Bring on that French cuisine, does Toronto have better French restaurants than Vancouver?
The Stargate has to be real…how else will Sam, Vala and Cam get home?
While I’m being gutsy may I ask how you would deal with a publisher who rejects your concept when they sought you out in the first place? I know your busy but it would help me to know.