I’m sitting here in my little writing nook, also known as the shelf in my bedroom cupboard. I’m sipping decaf Earl Grey tea and nibbling on a stale pain au chocolat I bought at my kid’s school bake sale earlier this afternoon. Black leggings and an Elizabeth Taylor hoodie (bought from her website, check it out her estate has come out with official merch!) are today’s uniform. I’m unusually calm for someone who has—checks watch—less than 36 hours to hand in a screenplay for an international screenwriting competition and has—checks calendar—started writing today.
The assignment is the following: I have had a week to produce a 12-page script based on a specific genre, character and subject. There are thousands of contestants from across the world and we’re divided into groups, and the top scripts from each group make it to the next round and so on. Each group has a different assignment. I’ve participated in this competition a couple of times and every single time I’m assigned a genre I know nothing of or have no experience in (WHY CAN’T I HAVE COMEDY??). I’ve written fairy tales, ghost stories and science fiction screenplays in sometimes as little as 48 hours.
This time I have to write an action/adventure story. I adore movies like Air Force One and Die Hard but there’s a difference between enjoying a genre and being able to write it. I’m a huge Star Trek fan and thought last year’s science fiction assignment would be a walk in the park. Turns out you can’t recycle the concept of Star Trek out of admiration and change the characters’ names and origins. You have to come up with an original idea. I thought it would be really fun to have a Quebecois captain, but totally forgot that Next Gen’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard was French and that people outside of Canada don’t get the difference between the French and French Canadians. Huge difference! Still, lesson learned. No spoofs. Original concepts only.
ANYWAYS. It’s a great challenge that always pushes me outside of my comfort zone creatively and technically. I always look forward to this competition, then hate my life during the writing process, then return to a state of wellbeing and satisfaction once the assignment has been handed in.
Twelve pages isn’t that much, but it’s still a lot of work. I have to structure my story in a way where I have a solid beginning, middle and end, complete with great dialogue, moments of conflict and high stakes, and of course the fall and rise of my hero, who, in the span of twelve pages, must go through a myriad of emotions and personal evolution. Squeezing all that into a short screenplay takes a lot of creativity and planning. I’ve planned nothing. It’s been a hectic week complete with roof and radiator leaks. Every time I’ve had a break I’ve chosen to rewatch an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead.
I don’t know if my zen attitude is due to confidence, denial or disinterest. I’ll go with confidence. I must go with confidence. It’s the only way through. What’s for dinner tonight? A CAN OF BEANS. The clock is ticking and it’s all there is time for.
I have to go. If I can write six pages in the next two hours, I’ll reward myself with an episode of Buffy. I really want her to hook up with Angel already.
Are you a book lover? I have a special request!
For next week’s newsletter, I’m going to be writing about the infamous To Be Read pile. I’d love if you could send me a picture of your pile, aka the books you have at home but haven’t had the time to read yet but can’t seem to stop buying new books, so the pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger. With your permission I’ll include it in the newsletter. To send me a pic, just reply to this newsletter and attach your picture by next Wednesday, March 27th. It’d also be great if you could give me the title of the next book or two you’re planning on reading. Thank you so much in advance!
Merci Michelle ! Je pense que tu dois déjà avoir terminé et soumis ton scénario...Comment ça s'est passé ? Est-ce que les fuites du radiateur et du toit ont été réparées chez vous ? Celles-ci auraient pu te servir d'inspiration pour ton texte ou plutôt pour le genre littéraire. J'imagine un personnage qui doit fuir et qui descend par des conduits ou des trous dans le toit. OK, ce n'est peut-être pas assez original comme idée, mais je peux dire que des fuites par le toit, surtout APRÈS avoir été réparées ou qui surviennent quelques semaines après la construction d'une nouvelle maison peuvent inciter une personne à fuir !
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Michelle, j'aimerais bien faire des photos des piles ou des tas de livres que je n'ai jamais lus; toutefois, je n'ai tjrs pas de téléphone cellulaire. (C'est un peu honte d'avouer ça ! :) J'en aurai un bientôt.)
Effectivement, je possède des nouveaux livres qui ne sont plus si nouveaux qui n'ont jamais été lus, idem pour les nouveaux CD qui n'ont jamais été écoutées. Je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'en acheter et de faire des recherches chez des libraires et des disquaires afin de les trouver.
Je me souviens d'avoir découvert le mot japonais tsundoku à peu près au même moment où ce sujet est venu sur le tapis dans un de tes (premiers ?) newsletters. Je pratique tjrs le tsundoku ! Tiens, dire ça comme ça fait plus élégant et moins "amasseur--amasseuse"--hoarder !!
Si prenais des photos de livres qui n'ont jamais été lus, il s'agirait plutôt de tours de livres qui partent du plancher, de petits tas de livres sur des surfaces telles des étagères ou des tables et, de livres bien rangés dans une bibliothèque !
J'ai hâte de voir les photos des lecteurs et de lire leurs témoignages cette semaine.
À bientôt !