About... Tout a L'Heure - Day 14

Tout a L'Heure - script

Day 14.  And now, I'm writing French people.

I had someone send me three pictures so I could have some inspiration for this script.  What came were an image of a woman with red hair and an ornately designed pattern on her sleeve; a woman with wings on a trapeze hanging high over a mostly empty room of wooden chairs, with one lone man watching; and an image of two women in a cafe eating a breakfast - French writing on the window next to them displaying the menu, all under the title A Toute Heure.  I looked up the meaning of the title, and it came up with "tout a l'heure" meaning in a general context "in a moment", but literally meaning "all the time" (thank you, internet).  Just trying to combine the images into a single story, and attempting to connect both the general and literal meanings of the phrase.

Today's writing location:  back to the dining room table.
Today's music: Bill Evans Trio

About... Commercial Break - Day 13

Commercial Break - script

Day 13 (the lucky one).  sitting on the sofa this time - mostly while my wife was watching LOST on netflix.  I've never watched the show other than catching moments as she's watching....

Not a lot of inspiration on this one - I'll try to do better.  Of everything in here, I think my favorite part of this one is the title.  Sure, it's a little on-the-nose, but it works for me.  Maybe the title could get a better play...

About... Find and Replace - Day 12

Find and Replace - script

Day 12.  Still writing in my dining room, late at night.  I'd really like to change that - time and place.  Today's song: One Headlight by The Wallflowers.

So I've been playing with this flowing scene form for a while - all characters occupying the stage and just easily flowing in and out of scene.  I've not actually gotten one staged, so I don't quite know yet if they work at all, but writing them is an enjoyable process.  Essentially micro-scenes, they force me to get right into the moment and don't let me linger too long - they demand to keep moving.

No forethought on this one - just started with the song and picked some starter dialogue.  Looking back, maybe the first scene ends up being the most disconnected from everything else going on, but working on that would take revision time that I don't have.

I generally try to avoid writing about writers anymore.  But in this quick-writing process, sometimes the discovery just kind of falls out.  Didn't set out for two of these three to be writers - and maybe in reality only one of them is.  Writing this really felt like scratching the surface of something a lot deeper.  I could have kept writing for hours - things kept occurring to me to add into the play, but it would have taken more time than I have allotted for it.  And, of course, tomorrow is another play.  I can imagine that trying to re-capture this story would be pretty hard, so I won't assume that I could come back to it next month.  Sorry, Khandi, Ed and Paul.  Your story just might have to stop here.

About... Gary's Family Photos - Day 11

Gary's Family Photos - script

Day 11, script 11, back on track (other than finishing after midnight)

So, yesterday, I was out having a first day of school milkshake with my family at a local restaurant where a friend was working, so we had a brief chat, and mentioned that she'd seen photos of my kids on facebook, but never actually seen them live.  We joked about how someone could just say they have a family, but not have one, just photoshop a bunch of pictures.  She laughed when I said I'd write a play about that.

No music this time.  Just me, sitting at the dining room table.  late at night.  typing away.

The submission confirmation email that I got back after I turned in this script pointed out that I'm now over a third of the way done with the 31 days.  I should feel pretty good about that - but I'm looking ahead at the calendar for the next 20 days; a lot of stuff is coming my way.  Just hoping I can keep up the pace.  Wisdom might say that I should write ahead a little bit while I can....

About... One of These Days - Play 10

One of These Days - script

Play 10, written on the morning of Day 11.  I'll be caught up by tonight.
Written sitting at the dining room table, no music this time - extra challenge: writing while the 2 year old is eating lunch.

It's another abstract little play - 3 men who may or may not be sitting on a bench all at the same time; may or may not be hearing each other, but are in counterpoint.

It's a balance - the desire to go, an attempt to divine the immediate future, the longing for the comfort of routine.  It reminds me of a time in my life, living in a rural area, having a plan to move away in a year. A fair amount of staring off into the sky, of grumbling about the todays, romanticizing both the tomorrows and the yesterdays in turn.  One of the many times where I know I didn't make as much of my time as I could have - when getting on the bus doesn't have to mean leaving, just living the today.

The reason that rewriting is important: the above paragraph, getting more of any that into the script, is what might make this play better.

About... June Leaving Mule put Galaxy in a Precarious Position - Day 09

June Leaving Mule put Galaxy in a Precarious Position - script.
*contains strong language

Day 09 - a two play day.  I got into this one.

I'm generally not a fan of writing really strong language - I usually avoid it if I can.  Often when doing a free-write (the way all of these plays are for me), I'll come across a moment where the language seems appropriate at the time, but it will rarely make it through any kind of revision - either by changing the dialogue or ultimately abandoning the play.  But without the time for much of an editing process on this project, there it is...

I am satisfied that it is within a story that has an overall understanding of the idea of grace, and the result of a failure to forgive.  After the month of August is over, this is a piece that I might try to do something with - a rewrite, or an expansion of the idea (and perhaps find another way to express the disgust that is intended by the language).

Names just kind of came to me.  I don't know if I like him being called Mule, but I couldn't think of any other name I liked for him.  Makes me pity him even more.

I'm more and more drawn to these kinds of scenarios - dealing with the past, characters who are there and not there/ versions of the way one person remembers them.  I think I'm going to lock into this style for the next couple of days...

This one was written at the dining room table - with the help of the song Give Me Strength by Over the Rhine.

About... Quixote - Play 08

Quixote script at scribd.com

Play 8.  Behind again.  Full days and so many things going on make it hard to keep up.  I'm actually intending to write another play tonight, then I'll be back on schedule.  This one wasn't hard to write (or come up with), but it amounts to just a little more than a skit.  It'd really like to do better.

I've always liked the idea of Quixote.  I've even just liked the word.  I've tried to name a band I was in Quixote - but it sounded like we might be a mariachi band.  We were not.  But still, the story of Quixote is one that is, for me, the right mix of heroic and idiotic, foolish and noble.  It has connection, for me, to the Absurdists, and to Ecclesiastes - other favorites of mine.  So when I sat down on my lounge chair with my laptop and looked for a song for inspiration, finding the Toad the Wet Sprocket song Windmills was a great fit.  Locked into having Quixote on stage - convincing someone to pick up the fight.

Not much more than that from me on this one.  Since I'm planning to write another one tonight, I'm just going to charge ahead.