Chris Baty's Blog, page 240

Add Some Magic to Your Life

I've always been a library lover. Getting my first library card was a momentous occasion, although I proceeded to confuse my mother and the librarian by spending weeks selecting the most random assortment of books possible. (They eventually figured out that I would only pick books that were perfectly square. I wish I could remember my logic for that decision!)

I've moved on to books of all shapes and sizes, and the library has been a stalwart companion over the years. These days, I spend a lot of my time working with libraries through our Come Write In program. We partner with libraries all over the world to help give writers a space to find each other, and explore their imaginations, free of charge.

That's a little bit of magic, I think. A building that offers you the whole world, for free. We're going to keep working with librarians all over the world for Script Frenzy, NaNoWriMo, and now Camp NaNoWriMo, too. And we're going to keep going to libraries, too, because everyone needs a little magic in their lives sometimes. 

So celebrate National Library Week with us, and remember that you belong at your library. Stop by your local library for a little bit of magic, and maybe tell them about Come Write In while you're there.

- Sarah

Photo by Flickr user duncan

Well, this is embarassing.

So, I know that lying is wrong, but every day when I log in to my Script Frenzy account and still have no more additional pages to add to my count, I have the urge to lie. That's because on Day 10 I still only have 2 (TWO) pages. There you go; I said it. I have set myself up to be a Script Frenzy failure.

However, in an attempt to be a glass-half-full kind of person, there are still twenty-one days left. If I write about four and a half pages every day, I still have a shot at winning that pretty certificate. The trouble with that is the amount of self-discipline I will need. Or maybe not self-discipline, but concentration and willpower.[[MORE]]

You see, I created a perfect storm of my own by moving at the beginning of April and not having any solid days off. By the time I get off of work around 9 p.m. each night, I just want to eat and read Us Weekly. The one night I was dedicated enough to write my two pages, I felt an interesting sense of self-loathing rather than any kind of pride. "Two pages in and you want to call it a night!" my inner voice screamed at me.

I realize now that my writing strategy is all wrong: I lack a routine and a plan. As any good Capricorn like myself knows, those two things are necessary for success. This then must be the moment where I put the shame I feel aside and carry on writing. Yes, I am far, far behind on my goal count, but there's still a lot of time to catch up (so long as I don't let the calendar get too far ahead of me).

If any of you have come upon Week 2 with a similarly sad page count, what's your plan of action? How do you want to make a comeback? Can we do this?

- Shelby

Photo by Flickr user jimdeane

A ___________ of One's Own

Y'all, I have been working on the ending of a chapter for a month now. The same ending. For a month! Part of the reason it's dragging on for so long is that I'm falling down on the job of carving out time. Planning a wedding, trying to stay healthy, and running a household after a full day at work makes extra minutes tricky to come by. Well, at least without dinging sleep or hygiene.

But I also know what works for me in terms of my ideal creative environment, and constructing that perfect, maximally productive alchemy for "getting it done" doesn't just happen at the drop of a hat.[[MORE]]

I don't have a great writing nook at home (the cat has claimed my office chair as his, and the desk is ergonomically all wrong). I am easily distracted by any little thing around me—the thirsty plants, the pettable pet, laundry that needs folding, books that need alphabetizing… For all these reasons, I prefer to write out of the house. But I also work best when I am writing with someone else. I have a writing partner that I meet with once a week (before the danged wedding planning, it was twice), but I can't expect her to be available any time a creative moment or brilliant story solution hits.

All of which is to say, I know what works and where my constraints lie. And this means that building in additional writing time requires discipline. But knowing how I write best is the greater part of the battle, and I thought my little self-assessment might work well for other writers and revisers out there struggling to find that sweet spot, too.(A little introspection never hurts, right?)

Here's hoping it helps you:

Do you write better with someone or alone?

At home, or out of the house?

If out, where? Do you thrive on distraction (a bustling cafe) or quiet (the history room at the library)?

If at home, have you maximized the comfort and efficiency of your writing space? Or do you like to write wherever you and your laptop land?

Music—and what type? Or do you need silence?

Favorite writing clothes? A hat/sweatshirt/scarf for inspiration? (I have the misfortune of loving to write in my decades-old sweatpants and a pair of dog-head slippers, but I write best in a noisy bar or cafe… decidedly not the appropriate attire!)

What were your results? Share here and see how your preferences compare to your fellow writers'…

-Lindsey

Photo by Flickr user Hangout Lifestyle

The Exhilaration of Victory

Sheridan Jobbins is a longtime Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo participant (As an aside — have we settled on 'OLL-Star' as the title for a pan-event writer?). An accomplished screenwriter and producer, she was kind enough to offer a few words during our first week of the Frenzy. Keep an eye out for her Cameo, too!

American general George S. Patton was a dab hand at the epithet. I must view scriptwriting as a battle, because I find myself quoting him – a lot.  Today's quote (the one to kick off Script Frenzy) is, "Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

In order for you to experience the exhilaration of completing your first screenplay, there are a few things you'll need:[[MORE]]

Desire

Pyjamas

Actually – 'desire to tell a story' is the only thing you really need.  The more natural you are as a story teller, the faster your train will travel, but that is the only difference. Even talent isn't a prerequisite – how else do you explain Dan Brown?

I often work with .  He is a natural story teller.  This means he's fun at parties, great in meetings, and brilliant to work with.  It also means that sometimes, you can't tell if he's telling you a truth or fiction - and that is the soul of a good story:

Fiction has truth – even when truth is a fiction.

Stephan doesn't wallow around looking up facts on the internet, or researching until he's forgotten what he wanted to say (like somebody writing a blog instead of a screenplay!) He just rolls up the sleeves on his big long monkey arms, and taps away until his story is told.

This speed gives his writing a gum-chewing naturalness and energy that is delightful to read.  It also means that he is rarely so attached to an aspect of his script that he's not willing to change it. He likes to re-write.

I am not a natural. I write with a nail gun and hot glue. I study my craft, sharpen my tools, hone my wits, type like a demon – and still feel like I'm taking a long hard slog through the mangroves.

So why would a rational, intelligent, not unattractive human being do this? Because I really, really, really want to tell stories.

The first rule of Write Club is:

A Writer Writes

The second rule of Write Club?

A Writer Re-writes.

The third rule of Write Club is the second rule of Write Club… and so on until your screenplay is in a cinema near you.

Incidentally, I'm serious about that last bit.  You will be re-writing this script long after Hell has frozen over and thawed.  You will rewrite for the producers, for the director, for the actors, for the weather, for the sound guys, for the editor, for ADR and DVD commentaries and for the distributors.  In fact – the only draft you will ever write wholly for yourself – is this… the very first one.  

So savour the crisp white pixels on your computer screen like 300-dernier sheets, or 10-dernier stockings. For now – you are the God of this universe – and this is the world you are creating.

Sheridan Jobbins is a third-generation Australian film maker, who, for the past 10 years has been script-writing with writer/director Stephan Elliott. Their joint credits include an adaptation of Noel Coward's play, Easy Virtue, which was produced by Ealing Studios in Britain (starring Jessica Biel, Colin Firth and Kristen Scott-Thomas), and more recently, A Few Best Men. She currently mentors and edits other writers through the scriptwriting/development process, and lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband, Scott, and dog, Pamela.

Dear OLL

In addition to the many generous donations we receive online, we always get a few contributions mailed to the office. The best part about these is that they're often accompanied by a great letter from the donor. The other day, we got the note below from Robin, a middle schooler from Washington State who's been inspired by the YWP.

Dear OLL,

Thank you so much for creating NaNoWriMo, Script Frenzy and the YWP. If you hadn't created them I wouldn't love writing as much as I do now. I know you work very hard keeping the sites safe and awesome. Because I had a lot of fun noveling last November I felt confident enough to help out at my local middle school's Beauty and the Beast stage production (I'm helping out backstage with sets and props). Doing that has also encouraged me to write my own script.

The pictures are of my gerbils Aspen (the single gerbil in the larger photo with a whit spot on her head), Hazel (the orange gerbil drinking water) and Eclipse (the black gerbil who is trying to push Hazel out of the way for her own turn to drink water). And most importantly, the $25 donation to keep the fabulous writing going!

– Robin

Laissez les bon temps rouler

This morning my best friend sent me an email inquiring about my new job at The Office of Letters and Light, and then promptly retracted her inquiry, realizing that it must be a branch of the Ministry of Magic and discretion should be honored (though she also mentioned how jealous she was that I get to have run-ins with Harry, Ron, and Hermione). I can't think of a better segue to my introduction as this perfectly describes my excitement to be a part of OLL!

My name is Kristen and I am OLL's new Development Associate. While my primary focus will be grant writing, I'm hoping to tap into my long-lost creative side in the process. I currently attend the University of San Francisco, and am working towards a Masters in Public Affairs and Practical Politics, with a concentration in Nonprofits and Policy. As you can imagine, most of my writing these days is very dry. Nonetheless, it serves a wonderful purpose that I become more passionate about everyday.[[MORE]]

A native of New Orleans, I received my B.A. in English, Sociology, and Social Policy at Tulane University. Hey, undergrad is all about multiple-choice right? Three liberal arts majors make total sense (just don't bring it up to my parents, it's the source of endless jokes at my expense). I love anything and everything about New Orleans and will talk your ear off about the Saints, Jazz Fest, Mardi Gras, and the people and culture that make Big Easy living so enticing. No, really, ask me about it!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Metamorphosis were my only companions through a five-week stint backpacking solo through Greece and Prague in 2008, and my journal during that time is one of my most prized possessions. Snail mail is my all time favorite way to communicate, and on my husband's last two deployments to Afghanistan we took full advantage of this "out-dated" practice. There's nothing more personal than sitting down with a pen and paper to write a letter that you know will brighten someone's day. I love macaroni and cheese and Crossfit, which definitely cancel each other out. I like to think I embrace contradictions, which is why I'm ecstatic to cross over to such an awesome organization.

Get it? Because I like Crossfit? Anyway… 

I'm looking forward to adding another layer to my journey with The Office of Letters and Light and can't wait to learn more about all of you. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! 

- Kristen 

What's Your Writing Playlist?

I have this theory that music can influence your mood, and in turn, influence your writing. Has anyone done a study on this? If not, I'd love to be a test subject.

The majority of the time I tend to stray away from listening to music while writing creative pieces. However, once in a while, I find a song that perfectly fits the mood I'm trying to convey. Most recently that song was "Breathe Me" by Sia. It's a sad, but breathtaking tune that really helped push an emotionally complex short story I was working on. I don't even know how many times that song looped through my headphones during my writing process. I just know that the song was a perfect mood-setter.

[[MORE]]

I always thought it would be great if authors could package a soundtrack to their novels or short stories. A soundtrack, in my opinion, would further contribute to the tone & mood. I guess a neat thing about scriptwriting is that you can actually insert mood-setting songs into your script. Maybe during a montage, or faded into the background of a scene. Or you could even have your character listening to something through their headphones, stereo, etc. With scriptwriting there seems to be so much more room for music. 

So what is on your writing playlist? What are songs that help you get the words flowing? Or, what songs would you would want to include in your Script Frenzy script?

- Aliza

Kicking off the 2012 Frenzy!

And we're off, folks! Script Frenzy has officially kicked off, and we here at the office think it's pretty awesome that we got to start with a weekend in order to build up a great head start. Sandra Salas, Script Frenzy Program Director, has a rousing "welcome back" for all y'all, and if you want to share your favorite motivators for the month in our forums or right here, we'd love to hear!

And now, back to our scripts, and inciting incidents galore…

The (relative) calm before the Frenzy.

Lately, I've been having some major anxiety. I keep getting that feeling that I'm forgetting something. Then I remember: April is only a few days away, and all I really have is an idea. The idea is fairly promising (I wrote about it in an earlier blog post, for those interested), and it even has some potential to become more meaningful than I first thought. But there's that lurking, rookie feeling that I'll never reach 100 pages in 30 days.

So far my process has consisted solely of imagining and then creating deep and realistic characters. Because of that, it's also the only part of my script that I've started. I have a lengthy character list that instinct is telling me to cut down, which is proving rather difficult. However, I figure I'm going to take the "only write during April" rule quite literally and leave the rest for this Sunday. This lack of general outline is yet another source of great anxiety. I'm usually a huge fan of outlines; they are my road maps.[[MORE]]

But, in starting something so new to me, it's almost more fun to play it by ear, and I'm excited to simply try. As a primarily academic and non-fiction writer, penning a screenplay is about as far from my comfort zone as it gets, and that can only mean great things for my writing skills in general, no? So rather than plan, I will hunt for the best of writing nooks in cozy coffee shops and at my newly-renovated local library that will be the stages for my productive writing process. Hopefully I'll also have a pretty little certificate at the end of the month to show for my efforts.

- Shelby

Photo by Flickr user Dr Phil

Script Tips!

With Script Frenzy just days away, I thought I'd offer an outlining technique that I use to help me set up my scripts. In Viki King's book How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, she refers to something called, "The 9-minute movie." This is a way to de-mystify the screenwriting process. She suggests getting nine 3 x 5 cards, and writing on each card what happens on page 1, 3, 10, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, & 100. Once you do that, you have your "9-minute movie". Post these cards near your computer, and voila! You're ready to get started.

Here's a quick breakdown of the common things that happen to characters on those pages:

Page 1 – Set up story, mood, tone, and place.

Page 3 – Introduce the central question your characters will explore.

Page 10 – Tell us what the story is. Tell us what the hero wants.

Page 30 – An event occurs that moves the hero into new territory.

Page 45 – We see the initial growth of your character. You'll tell us where we're headed from here on.

Page 60 – The middle of Act Two: your hero is in big trouble, he reaffirms and makes a deeper commitment to what he wants.

Page 75 – It looks like all is lost, and there might even be a scene where the character is about to give up.

Page 90 – The resolution of the problem begins.

Page 120 – The audience gets the resolution they deserve, and the audience is satisfied that you gave them the story you promised.

If you're worried about not having an outline prepared for Script Frenzy! Don't fret! It's never too late to get cracking! I'm prepping my "9-minute movie" on Saturday morning. 

Making an origami star box with my 3x5 cards,

Sandra
Script Frenzy Program Director