Never Say ‘Never’
All it takes to achieve the impossible is determination and a positive attitude.
Here ends this week’s dose of expert advice, brought to you by the proud survivor of Script Frenzy 2010. That’s right, with four short hours to spare, I crossed the finish line and got to sleep early. 
There are still several scenes that need to be added before revisions start, but I’m taking a [short] vacation from PRODIGY to get back to a few projects that were placed on hold for April. The end result is a proud one, though, because this story has found its rightful place in Script after several failed attempts to write it as both Novel and Short Story. It really is more of a visual story anyway, and the musical elements make it a better match where aural elements can be expressed.
Confession: Screnzy was a stressful and difficult pursuit. The beautiful weather made me choose my Bantam bicycle loop over sitting inside in front of a computer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. Sunny skies just always trump rotting inside. The problem is when said decisions hinder the progress of a writer.
It did cross my mind to give up on the venture, fail to achieve a goal set as a way to keep myself out of Lazy-ville and make sure I write every day, as a writer should. Anyhoot, only crazy people attempt to write a 100-page script in 30 days! …though that makes stronger the argument to quit; a way to prove my sanity? 
Nah. I enjoy the crazy life too much! Bettina‘s influence and nagging reminded me of my desire to delve further into screenwriting. She also reminded me several times that failing Screnzy after two consecutive NaNo wins was absolutely unacceptable. Once you raise the stakes and succeed, it’s very difficult to take a step back, even temporarily.
But that’s what gives me the motivational push to continue and exceed what I’ve already achieved. Each step is a lesson. A reminder that it is possible to balance life with my source of oxygen (i.e. writing). It’s a reminder we all need when faced with the stress life delivers while attempting a career as a writer.
Next challenge: surviving Screnzy withdrawal. It’s as strong and demanding as NaNo withdrawal, but I’m sure I can channel it into Weekend Funeral and these poem tweaks.
30 Days of Chaos and Insanity
Script Frenzy has arrived! Well, come Thursday it has. I’m enthralled, as this is my very first attempt at writing an actual screenplay. To make it more chaotic, I have no idea how to format a screenplay! I feel lost and confused, wondering why I thought it’d be a good idea to participate in such a crazy event (setting aside my own crazy status, that is).
Then I remember that the past few months have reeled (no pun intended) me in to the idea of screenwriting as a possible motivator for graduate school.
I’ve always been fascinated by film and television. Visual storytelling, as many of those Quizilla-style personality tests reveal, is apparently my strongest area in writing. I tend to be a visual thinker and often can’t comprehend things until I observe them somehow.
2010′s proven a year of superiority for my skills in observation. Through obsessive engulfment in audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes features, television trivia has widened my awareness of what goes into the production of programmes. The analytical thinking best developed in my last literature class has carried into the visual world.
I don’t watch shows solely for entertainment anymore. I notice details that add to these visual stories. Details that passed overhead before. Camera angles/styles, cuts between scenes and within action. Choice in dialogue, positions of actors. Methods of exposition. They’re all more meaningful to me now that I’m educating myself in the world of screenwriting.
Careful thought and collaboration amongst many artistic fields are put into the craft of screen storytelling. The cast and crew incorporate trivial details that enrich a show through subtlety. Much of it probably only gets noticed by people like me, who relish analysing anything and everything. Including those subtleties, however, layers screen stories with realism, which in turn enables audiences to further connect with the characters.
The question is, does a sharpened awareness of behind-the-scenes crafting ruin the effects of a show? In the past, I’d probably answer “yes.” In a way, knowing the creative process makes it less believable. Answering today, I change my vote to “no.” Awareness of the process allows me to understand the genius behind such stories and appreciate the work on another level.
It goes back to the process of writing, really. On one hand, I read novels and cavil elements scattered throughout. Yet at the same time, awareness of those nuances helps me grasp what it is that truly makes me rate a book as “yay” or “nay.” Identifying what works and what doesn’t is a key factor in self-improvement. It’s really just learning from other people’s mistakes (or triumphs). ^.^
