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Anniversary of sorts for me today. A year ago, I took a long walk, checked out a 400 year old cemetery, and decided maybe I should try my hand at writing. I worked on a novel for about a month, then took a break from that to try to write a screenplay. I haven't even looked at the novel since!
So, about to take another walk. I wonder if I'll get any more crazy ideas. Maybe I'll see something that will turn out to be useful for the OWC.
I wanted to post on this thread days ago, when I first saw it, but got a little busy. I think this is a cool idea for a thread, though.
Something happened to me yesterday that I know I'm going to work into a story somehow. There's an antique store in a tiny little plaza right up the street from me that I love going into and exploring every now and then. Before I went in, I noticed a place called 'Afrikaan Marketplace' right next door, advertising it sells oils, charms and candles from the culture, so my girlfriend (who's African-American) and I walked in to check it out.
Talk about the most miserable, mean person in the world. The owner wouldn't even show his face. All I could make out behind a weird curtain he hid behind was a head full of dreadlocks.
He asked what we were doing in here, and we said we just wanted to look around. (Personally, I wanted to see if he had any eye of the newt, hair of a goat-type stuff), but I was genuinely interested to see what he was selling and my girlfriend loves candles.
But he said it cost 5 dollars to look around, that this wasn't a museum. And women aren't welcome in there, that she has to wait outside. Then, he said I wasn't welcome in there, either. (I think he finally saw me on a camera somewhere and saw that I was white.)
Needless to say, on our way out, I took as much in of the place I could. I'll say this, there weren't any oils or candles in sight. And the only thing I could see were a bunch of Bob Marley posters and other posters that looked like some kind of political propaganda. None of it was in English, though, or even anything that I remotely recognized, so I don't know exactly what it said. There were a few other pictures of some kind of guerilla military black men.
We went nextdoor into the antique place and I asked the owner there about the guy nextdoor. He said the guy nextdoor won't talk to him, but he hears him on the phone all the time through a back room wall and that he talks to some kind of headquarters in Chicago. A lot of the antique guy's customers come in from over there complaining about him. I guess he doesn't let anybody in his store. Black, white, male or female. He's heard he's some kind of world-hating Muslim of some sort.
Needless to say, though, that all day at work yesterday and all night lastnight, my brain's been churning to develop some sort of story for this guy. I think I might even try making contact with him again, somehow.
My curiosity has definately been piqued for the week.
heard he's some kind of world-hating Muslim of some sort.
- Mark
You're gonna get in trouble with ---ff and the thought police!
Hmm. Secret political revolutionary organization. Headquartered in Chicago. Did the guy behind the counter look like Eric Holder? Did they mention hope? or change?
All kidding aside, definitely a front for something. Probably selling weed. If not useful as the basis of a story, definitely useful for a scene in a story. I'd go back and pay the $5 bucks, try some code words, see if you get anywhere. Tell them you are looking for political pamphlets.
Maybe he's a white guy in deep cover. Or a rastaman with social phobia. But it does sound like it would make a good short. Just call him up and start whispering crazy sh!t and see what he does.
Imagine how much inspiration you'd find if you walked everyday instead of once a year!
I do walk every day, four miles. Two before I start writing, usually taking lots of notes on my iPhone. And two more after the day's writing is done to decompress.
Zombie Playground was a twenty pound script!
E.D.
LATEST NEWS CineVita Films is producing a short based on my new feature!
I'm quite torn if I should continue writing this half-finished pilot of mine. The place I was going to offer it kind of fell out of my favour because of general nastiness so I don't have that much use for it anymore, if at all. But then again, I quite enjoyed writing what little of it I had drafted of it.
Maybe I should post it along with the series pitch to the unfinished forum and see what people think?
The act of writing is a quest to put a hundred thousand words to a cunning order. - Douglas Adams
I would say try and finish it, but don't try too hard. I've noticed that when people try too hard, they seem to lose their creative spark. It's like it flies out the window. Maybe put it in your head that you're going to finish it "on a lark". Just for the helluvit. See how that goes. I'd be interested to hear some kind of story from you where you like:
Go to the ice-cream parlor: challenged, you pump out some crazy notes and reckless copy and learn that "whatever ice-cream" is the secret to your success.
Good luck. I'm going to see if I can whip something up for this OWC, but I don't know. Been so busy. Maybe. I have an interesting concept, but shoosh if I can manage with it.
I live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have fancy places like ice cream parlors. My stock solution for all creative problems is to go for a walk or take a shower. I don't usually take any notes, because even though my memory is absolutely horrendous about everything else, I do remember stories and lines of dialogue extremely well. It's been many a time when a solution to a really big problem has suddenly dawned on me, apparently from nowhere. It's one of the greatest feelings I can think of, even if the solution itself is not that out of the ordinary. In fact, they very rarely are.
If I do finish it, it'll definitely be "on a lark". Actually the entire project has been more or less just that. It's been more an act of procrastination from something I really should've been writing. That's why it's been written just the way I wanted, so there's a heck of a lot of editing that needs to be done to get it to proper format. Currently it features way too much prose-like flourishes and other literary fanciness that shouldn't be featured in a screenplay. But what the heck, it's a first draft. I can always cut it later.
One option I'm considering is to finish the draft in English and keep it as inappropriate as it is and then do the next draft in Finnish if it's any good. Time might be ready that I should start sending out my material to Finnish production companies. But I'm a bit nervous about writing in Finnish, because I've written everything I write in English for the past 15 years or so. I don't know if I know how to write creatively in Finnish anymore.
The act of writing is a quest to put a hundred thousand words to a cunning order. - Douglas Adams
I live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have fancy places like ice cream parlors. My stock solution for all creative problems is to go for a walk or take a shower. I don't usually take any notes, because even though my memory is absolutely horrendous about everything else, I do remember stories and lines of dialogue extremely well. It's been many a time when a solution to a really big problem has suddenly dawned on me, apparently from nowhere. It's one of the greatest feelings I can think of, even if the solution itself is not that out of the ordinary. In fact, they very rarely are.
If I do finish it, it'll definitely be "on a lark". Actually the entire project has been more or less just that. It's been more an act of procrastination from something I really should've been writing. That's why it's been written just the way I wanted, so there's a heck of a lot of editing that needs to be done to get it to proper format. Currently it features way too much prose-like flourishes and other literary fanciness that shouldn't be featured in a screenplay. But what the heck, it's a first draft. I can always cut it later.
One option I'm considering is to finish the draft in English and keep it as inappropriate as it is and then do the next draft in Finnish if it's any good. Time might be ready that I should start sending out my material to Finnish production companies. But I'm a bit nervous about writing in Finnish, because I've written everything I write in English for the past 15 years or so. I don't know if I know how to write creatively in Finnish anymore.
Henrik, I guess we have something in common...
I also live in "the middle of nowhere". No ice-cream parlors nearby unless a drive fifteen minutes into a town counts.
Is your first language Finish? I'm trying to incorporate various languages and cultures into my writing.
If I remember correctly:
She-she (shay shay)
is thank you in Mandarine.
Doh je is thank you in Cantonese.
Apparently, if one begins to "google" certain words, we come up with words that are as we would call it: "old school". Kind of like how biblical Hebrew is completely different than modern day Hebrew. And...
Like how in our English we have so called modern sayings that children know, but their parents need to do a "double take" for. (to get the understanding) Like:
"Off the dome". Yes, I must be old because I have just learned that one.
I'm trying to teach these kinds of expressions to my student and especially "flavour" the language we speak as we work together.
Within myself, I feel that language is "living". Because I feel this so very strongly, I also feel that the meaning of words is held within the intention that comes from the individual.
With hope, we can find many ways to help all of the people on the planet to communicate.
Yes, my first language is Finnish, although I have the audacity to claim that I'm practicality as fluent in English as I am in Finnish these days. Naturally it's not quite the same, but I do find that lately I've been beginning to express myself in English way more than in Finnish.
I think that there are two very logical reasons for it. One is that I'm so much of a loner that I actually use more English in my day to day life than Finnish. I listen to English podcasts and audio books. I spend time on English forums. I subscribe to English magazines and a large portion of my acquainances are international. I even record a bunch a shows in English.
The other reason is largely why I write in English. The English language is simply richer. There are about half a million words in the Finnish language while there's over two million in English. That means that there are a heck of a lot of brilliant words and expressions in English. Of course the same does hold true in reverse, as every language has its strengths and weaknesses. But it is way more common to have the perfect word in mind in English just to find that it is practically untranslatable. Although I've heard people say the exact opposite as well so it might be that English also happens to fit the way I want to express myself.
I am endlessly fascinated by language as well. It is one of my great regrets that I don't know more than Finnish and English. I do have plenty of time to rectify the situation, but after becoming so fluent in English, my brain has started to resist the notion of starting all over again with a third. I have a dreadfully bad memory, so trying to learn vocabulary is something of a horror for me. But I'm still very versed in the styles, the sounds and the practices of additional languages and I continue to be enthralled by the richness of expression each of them have to offer.
If you need any help in trying to incorporate Finnish or the Finnish culture in any of your projects, I'd be happy to render assistance.
The act of writing is a quest to put a hundred thousand words to a cunning order. - Douglas Adams
Currently my A project is a TV pilot and my B project is world-building for a steampunk series. I also tend to re-write beginnings a lot, I'm working on the fourth false-start of my pilot. I'd started it as a 2-hour pilot since it's got a huge premise and requires a lot of set-up, but I've challenged myself to cut and squeeze it into one hour to see how it turns out. So far it's going great but, like a spring being slowly gathered, I feel it might slip out of control at any moment.
While I wrestle with that I'm participating in challenges like the OWC for practice and a bit of a breather before diving back into the pilot.
My time isn't my own so I write whenever I get the chance, at work on my lunch break more often than not. I have a 16-month-old girl and my wife's due with our second child in January. 'Nuff said.
Today I spewed 6 pages for the OWC, not too shabby and it's fairly decent stuff. It's not exactly horror though, cool idea but it might be too slow. I'll think about ways to punch it up.
I think I'm finally back on track, at least for the time being. I've finished what I anticipate to be the final rewrite of Complete, within less than a week's time, and am officially free to work on whatever I want, namely my next feature, now 73 pages in. I've been working on it for over a year but I think it's finally on a road to near completion. I think it's the darkest feature I've written thus far and yet with the smallest body count, excluding my feature comedies.
I think I'm finally back on track, at least for the time being. I've finished what I anticipate to be the final rewrite of Complete, within less than a week's time, and am officially free to work on whatever I want, namely my next feature, now 73 pages in. I've been working on it for over a year but I think it's finally on a road to near completion. I think it's the darkest feature I've written thus far and yet with the smallest body count, excluding my feature comedies.
High hopes for the time being.
I'm enjoying your post, James. Darkest feature? Are you moving forward or back?
That's an interesting question to ask oneself.
I'm very interested in reading people whose work has extended through several years.
Enjoying reading this thread. New to discussion boards...new to screenwriting...and just trying to be like a sponge and soak up some of this knowledge. I am quick with ideas. I have learned if I want to write, I need to venture somewhere without wifi! As a beginner, would anyone have advice as what to write while learning: shorts or features? I enjoyed the OWC as a first shot. I wish there were more weekly challenges as I tend to do better when I have a deadline it seems. I've been wanting to write for some time, and finally I am.
At this very moment ...watching The Rite so gonna scoot...Happy Weekend to all!