Hi Dena... sorry about my response to your story in the OWC, but this one isn't going to be any better. I can't help but think that something is wrong or going on in your life that is affecting your writing. I was going to ignore this, but I figured it would actually be worse to do that... and, at the same time, I cannot bullshit you. Even if that's what you'd prefer, I'm afraid I just can't do that.
You have OTN dialogue on the first page. The very first words uttered are OTN. Not only that, but it doesn't really make much sense. At least, not to me.
Code FRAN
But the chemo’s killing me faster
than the cancer, Joe. I’m so weak.
JOE
Babe, you have to go, for me.
FRAN
But you’re a doctor. You said there
was a way... |
|
Joe already knows where she is going and what she is going for, so the only reason she says that is to pass information along to the viewer. Not a good opening line of dialogue. On screen, I would zone out right away.
His next line, and I would switch it off. But, let's roll with it. Why does she have to go, and why would it be for him?
Then the next line from Fran tells us that he has a different method for curing her, yet he still wants her to go because he's not sure if he's right or not... then why tell her in the first place and get her hopes up? She also calls him a doctor... there are lots of types of doctors. Being a doctor of philosophy is not going to help cure cancer... well, most likely not, anyway.
Are people meant to be like, oh, he's a doctor so of course he can do all sorts of scientific things that would ordinarily take an entire team? He would have to be a brilliant, brilliant man... yet, we're outside a ranch in cookie cutter suburbia. Maybe he watched a few youtube videos. It's what I do when I need to fix something on the car.
The way this is written, he's just a doctor of who knows what that has a way to cure his wife that he isn't sure about, so she should, for him, go and have the chemo that is killing her faster than the cancer.
There are too many issues just from the opener. This needs better delivery. Show us how brilliant he is, don't just use a throwaway comment like 'Doctor' to explain everything. It's weak and does an immediate disservice to your story. Same with her, show us how weak and dying she is. She wouldn't need to come out with it in dialogue. Certainly not like that, anyway.
Code FRAN
Alright then, your princess is off
for cocktails. Get my throne ready. |
|
She perked up quick. I take it that she's joking about the cocktails but it's difficult to tell. I don't understand what get my throne ready means. In my country, sitting on the throne can mean to sit on the toilet... which is kinda how I'm picturing this right now, which isn't right, I'm sure. The only other image I can conjure is an actual throne. But I don't suppose this matters if shot in the US as it will probably be quite a normal thing to say there.
Code EXT. SMITH HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
She walks toward the house but stops right before the front
door. Through a bay window she stares in shock at Joe, his
hands in a tight clutch around a black cat’s neck dangling,
clawing and gasping for air. |
|
So, in the time it's taken to realise that she's forgotten her keys and walked back to the house, her husband has managed to capture and is now throttling a cat to death. That's fast. He didn't even wait for her to drive away. So we now have this brilliant man who is adept at bringing things back to life, actually struggling to kill a cat with his bare hands. Preposterous.
Code FRAN
What are you doing Joe!? The
neighbor’s cat? |
|
More OTN dialogue. Do we really need to know who the cat belongs to? It's also not a natural reaction. I can understand the question, what are you doing? Personally, I'd assume the cat got in and was trying to attack him or something and he defending himself trying to get the cat out. I wouldn't assume somebody's guilt right away.
Code Joe looks up slowly. No words. A tear rolls down his cheek. |
|
No words? There are obviously no words because there isn't any dialogue.
I did read the rest, but I struggle to find anything good to say about it. The story is very basic and simply not told well enough. A man wants to cure his wife. I read somebody call this original but I'm not getting that.
Sorry that I can't be more positive... but it doesn't matter what I think as I'm just one person. This story obviously has its fans. It's impossible to please everybody. Indeed, we should be happy if we even manage to please a handful. So well done on that.