Archimage's Writing

ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 15

Yes, I've still writing. I've just been very busy with other things and haven't had time to update this blog. Time to give you all an update.

This is day 15 and the halfway point of ScriptFrenzy. I've just hit 77 pages which is 70% of my 110 page goal. That's pretty good for me. Normally I tend to be a page or two ahead of schedule during ScriptFrenzy. I've been able to put out 5 or 6 pages daily without much effort.

I now have enough written as a first draft to see where the weak spots are in the context of the entire script. Yes, there are weak spots, but they got me over some difficult transitions. When writing a first draft it's important to keep writing--regardless of the quality of what you write. That's why you have second, third, or even tenth drafts. The first draft is to get the story down. It's not to have a script ready to publish or produce. The rough spots will definitely need polishing or editing out completely. Luckily, there aren't that many of them.

Overall, I'm pleased with the script. It's far from perfect or "literature", but it's the best script I've personally written. Growth and improvement are evident in it and that's something you should always strive for when writing. It's something worth celebrating and acknowledging.

Writing is a craft. The more you write the more you will improve. Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 8

It's the weekend and day 8. Total page count so far: 40.

I'm still churning out 5 pages a day. The story is falling into place nicely. It's definitely not the story I set out to write. It is, however, a more rounded and interesting one.

My characters are changing in ways I like. None of the main characters are who they seem to be or who I thought they were. My original protagonist is finally asserting himself and making some decisions. I'm not sure he'll survive as a result.

Script writing, for me, is more about seeing what is going on in my mind and editing out all the non-visual "clutter" as it hits the page. I think this sort of self-editing lets the visuals and dialogue take center stage while allowing the "clutter" to remain in my mind as supporting elements I can draw on in other scenes.

I'm going to be busy this next week so I won't be updating this blog daily. I will, however, continue to write.

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ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 5

Another day and another five pages--in about an hour.

The story is moving along. There is deception and intrigue. Things aren't what they seem and my protagonist can't tell what to believe. He's been dragged to the forefront and even if he isn't the real protagonist of the story; he's the pivotal character. I still don't think he's my protagonist. He's too passive and let's things happen to him, but he's the one the story revolves around. Its an interesting situation to be in as a writer.

Right now I'm along for the ride as an observer and chronicler. It's time to roll with the subplot I think.

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ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 4

Day 4 and another five pages written during lunch.
I'm maintaining a great pace and the writing is flowing freely. The conflict in the story has been exacerbated by an unexpected complication. My characters are behaving true to form. This is good stuff--maybe not from a quality perspective but, rather, from having something that I'm not struggling to complete or write. It's definitely a nice enjoyable change from some of the earlier NaNoWriMo and ScriptFrenzies where there were times where the writing was as painful as pulling teeth--not that I've ever actually pulled teeth.
The other thing I'm enjoying is that I'm not spending a ton of words on exposition and setup. This is definitely a tighter piece of writing where showing is ahead of telling.

Hopefully, your writing is going well. I'm still expecting to hit a wall at some point. I'll write my way through it. The purpose of this exercise isn't to create a sellable script but to write a script. You can too!

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ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 3

Day 3.

Another good writing day. I'm at 15 pages The characters have taken over the story and are off on their own with little need for my prompting, pushing, or cajoling them into doing something. The character I believed to be the protagonist has been usurped by a much more interesting character with real conflict and issues.

No one is interested in a boring character.

My plot has been replaced by one created by the situation of my characters. It is more interesting for them to work their issues out than to act in the play I was starting to write--and more important.

Real people have real problems. Characters play at having problems.

This may be the best script I've written--that is if I can keep going like this until the end of the month.

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ScriptFrenzy 2012 - Day 2

Day 2 update.
Wow I wrote six pages in a single sitting. This is a really great pace for me. I have a total of ten pages and I'm ahead of schedule. I have a complete cast of characters and the plot is developing around the theme. I'm not sure why things are flowing as well as they are. I am wondering if it's because I started with a well formed protagonist going in. I'm sure that helps but I'm not sure it can account for all of the productivity. It could be I'm setting myself up for a writing block further down the month.
No matter the reasons, I'm enjoying writing this time around. Usually, I struggle when writing to a schedule. Maybe it's the lack of stress from work and other things that normally get in the way during April and November.
I'm finding and fixing script related issues in the app as well. All in all, lots of writing and app benefits as a result.

Hopefully, the pace continues. At this rate I'll be done way before the end of April.

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Welcome To ScriptFrenzy 2012

Welcome!

It's another April and that means another month of ScriptFrenzy. Yes, I am once again, participating. It's a chance for me to hone my writing skills and to really stress my Auteureist app. Script writing isn't something I do a lot, so ScriptFrenzy is valuable even if I don't create a great script as a result. It's a learning exercise. I'm off to a good start this year. I have four pages, once again written in my app. That's the good news. The bad news is I've run across some glitches in the script handling of my app no one has reported. These will be fixed in the next release. No, I'm not using 3.0 of my app which is still "under construction". I have to say I wish I could. The code in the current release is passable but i've learned a lot since I originally designed and wrote it. 3.0 is something for everyone to look forward to. As to my script. I actually started this year with a solid character with fleshed out characteristics and a passable backstory. That helps. I've never done any writing (novel or script) with a feel for the main character. I usually dive in plot-first. This time around I don't have a good sense of the story and am hoping the main character will drive and direct me to where he wants to go. This year I am also more aware of the visual aspects of a script. I'm definitely doing more "showing and not telling". This will definitely help this year and in my novel writing. I've never taken any formal training in script writing. I've taken courses in novel, short story, and technical writing--but never stage or screen script writing. It just never interested me. But as a result of my app I 've focused the last few months delving and learning what I can. I always knew that script writing was probably the weakest part of my app. I'm going to try to shore up some of the weaknesses in the current version and make sure that the 3.0 version is better and more reliable. I have a decent start this month. I hope my characters make things interesting. They are interesting, in and of themselves, but I hope they just don't sit around.

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NaNoWriMo 2012 Wrap Up

Yes!  Another year done with a total of 50194 words!  And all completely written in Auteureist on the iPad. 

NaNoWriMo Week Three

Wow the last week went fast. Which is not to say the writing did. I hit the main storyline and I took more time trying to get it correct from a content standpoint. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to happen before I hit it, but the details were a bit fuzzy. My main character is still unable to talk and having the plot progress depended on his realizing what the plot was. I'm through, as is he, and we are in the home stretch.

This is an interesting novel for me. Not only due to my protagonist being unable to speak, but this is the first time I have a plot with a single thread and point of view. I usually have a subplot or two, and I usually switch points of view as I weave the threads. In this novel, I took a straightforward approach. It's harder to write in this style than I imagined. The plot has to be more important and interesting if it is the lone one. I'm not satisfied with what I've written. It doesn't feel as organic as stories with multiple subplots somehow, but it's a worthwhile endeavor and really good first draft.
It's hard to make a chair with only one leg stand up. I think I'm learning the same applies to a novel.

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NaNoWriMo Is Evil

NaNoWriMo is evil. It's also insidious. This suddenly hit me while writing the latest chapter.

NaNoWriMo is trying to get you (me) to write. And in that sense it succeeds. There is a basic problem, however. The problem is the daily target word count. I've never liked working to a word or time quota. Both of these are useful if you are not motivated. They are evil if you have motivation and are writing.

What I have realized is that during NaNoWriMo I tend to focus more on the word count than the quality of what I write. NaNoWriMo is insidious because it makes you focus on the word count and without your knowledge you end up writing things you normally wouldn't in ways that lead to bad writing. What do I mean? I've discovered that when I write to a target word count I end up writing sentences that are longer and more "wordy".

For example, instead of writing "He relaxed in the green pasture", I end up writing, "He sat down in the pasture. He relaxed in the blades of green. " Now, some may argue, the latter is more descriptive or evocative. It's still bad writing. After all he's not relaxing in a field of green razor blades--blades of grass is redundant when dealing with fields or pastures. So the focus is on quantity rather than quality. I would never write this way if I didn't have a target word count.

Yes NaNoWriMo is about producing a first draft--get the ideas and story down first. If you haven't written a novel before its a wonderful vehicle to create one. If you have, it can be a slippery slope to a suicidal sentence.

Your mileage may vary.

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