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Theatrical Tuesday - A Writer At Christmas

TuesdayI did take Christmas Day off, but the rest of my "vacation" has involved writing. There is too much on my to-do list not to. Maybe someday I'll have vacations completely free of work, but I'm sure ideas will strike me and I'll have to write them down anyway.

Before today, however, I was rather blocked up. I got maybe a scene or two looked at each day on my short film script. Normally, I can get a revision done in a couple of hours. Nope. Couldn't focus. Final Draft's method for displaying comments didn't help either. I sent them feedback because they'll either tell me about some setting I couldn't find or make use of the feedback. They're pretty good that way. Anyway, I got the revised short film done today after several days of barely getting anywhere with it. Holiday brain, as one friend said, was probably another factor.

Writers are rarely not working. Every interaction or experience is potentially research. As is every moment we're browsing on-line. We may or may not make use of it, but these are the things that become part of stories. Someone says something in a weird way like speaking nonchalantly about cancer. A dog that hates having his snow booties taken off and prefers to slip all over the house. These are character elements.

Maybe you're watching TV with the family and a bit of dialogue strikes your mind in a funny way, which gets you thinking about one of the projects you've been stuck on. Suddenly, you have the inspiration you need to finish it.

I also completed a creepy monologue for some placement hours. That involved a couple hours of research and the actual writing. Now I'm just waiting to find out where I send it to.

I've watched a lot of cheesy Christmas movies in the last few days. I keep thinking the people that write them probably make a decent amount of money on the scripts, but some of them are so awful I want to bash my head against a wall. They would be better work than copy writing, but I'm really hoping my films are different enough to get me somewhere.

When I get back to Ottawa, I want to check out some Akira Kurosawa films and maybe catch some of the things I haven't made it to yet at the theatre. I'd like to have a second watch of The Last Jedi also.

I think New Years might be filled with gaming this year. I can dress comfy and stay warm. We'll see. I don't currently have plans. Maybe I'll go to a bar nearby for a bit too. Maybe I'll visit friends. Really anything is possible.

I hope everyone is enjoying Boxing Day. I briefly thought about going out, but with all the Lego games I have, there's really no need. Also, the only thing I want is a Nintendo Switch. Instead, I made a list of goals that include getting a Switch, with the steps to work toward them. Instead of using the gift card I got on a possible copy of Lego Star Wars, I'm going to put it toward the Switch after I sell some things to make that happen. It seems like a good idea to me. It also fits into my goal of reducing the stuff I don't need.

My plan now is to take a break. Later, I want to have a look at the script for our video term project. I think it might be worthwhile to list the shooting information inside the regular script, so it's all in one place. I need to slightly tweak a couple of lines and then work on memorizing mine. I *can* leave much of the rest for the end of the week, but I probably won't. The more I have finished while not in class, the better.

Guid cheerio the nou,
R~
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