Free Your Mind

I'm having trouble getting re-started on my script, so I felt this would be the best place to come to free my mind.

Star Wars to WD-40 to Bamboo
Star Wars
George Lucas
Steven Spielberg
Indiana Jones
John Williams
Jerry Goldsmith
Star Trek
Galaxy Quest
Tony Shalhoub
"The door was a little sticky. I'll get one of my boys up here with a can of WD-40."
Alan Rickman
Die Hard
Action
Adventure
Swords
House of Flying Daggers
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Bamboo Fight

Perfume to Superman to Coffee Mug
Perfume
Flowers
Fields
Corn
Farms
Clark Kent (Superman)
Kent Sanderson
Cigarettes
Coffee

Just so you know, these mental ... games ... are nothing more than something to get my mind moving. I figure that if I jump from topic to topic, idea to idea, I'll finally get enough of a brainstorm going to get my script in motion.

Tiny
Yellow
Walnuts
Still
Lie
Everywhere

Copius
Scattered
Dingos
Stole
Every
Yummy
Youngster

I almost
Took for granted
Diabolical schemes
Slowly hatched in secret
To kill my dog
Good lord.

Bike pumps
Are the only way
To get yourself into shape today.

Perhaps now
I can go write.

Perhaps It Was My Thinking Cap?

I went out to a nice little coffee shop down the street earlier this evening. I took my laptop and started writing a new draft of my screenplay for my advanced project. After I left, I came back to Liberty Towers and wrote for several more hours.

I followed the advice of Broadway legend George Abbott. I had no idea what to do with my characters or where to go. And so, following Mr. Abbott's advice, "Have them do something! That way we'll have something to change!" I wrote, and what I wrote, I liked ... and if I don't like it when I'm done, I'll change it.

I wouldn't have remembered Mr. Abbott's advice if I hadn't been re-reading William Goldman's book, Which Lie Did I Tell?, for the past week or so. Honestly, Goldman is probably one of the greatest writers in the film industry whose name most film students will probably never ever know. The man is a genius and a saint - yes, a saint. His advice and wisdom has already helped me considerably in my writing.

Tonight, when I hit a roadblock, I thought to myself, "Write the next scene. No matter what you feel, you need to write the next scene." And when I wrote each scene, I thought to myself, "Why do you need this scene? What do you need to accomplish with this scene?" And the scene wrote itself once it had a purpose.

By the end of my session, I had written several scenes and I'm pretty sure I like them all. There'll be changes, no doubt, but I think I finally found the proper thread with which to weave my tale.

The film will no longer be a satire, but a family drama with elements of social commentary. It still feels poignant to me, and hopefully it will read that way for those who will critique it on its way to production. Hopefully, within the next few days, I'll have a draft to take to Amos.

I'm on a double tomorrow on bar. Heaven help me.

Speaking of God, I saved the file for the screenplay under the title of the two words William Goldman put into his journal one night after being asked to do the impossible in one of his screenplays: "How God?"

It felt appropriate.

And the Long-Awaited Update to the Last Long-Awaited Update

Indeed, that may be the longest title for a single post that I have ever written.

We have found a new place to live. And that is ... Liberty Towers. Yes, it seems we are, in fact, staying right here in the building - but! we will be moving into the other tower. And seven floors up. And a bit north. To a one-bedroom. It will be cozy, but that's what we like about it. I'm kinda stoked cause it means we don't have to worry about finding an apartment anymore.

Instead, I can worry about not having written a new draft of my screenplay in ages.

OMG. I think a grey hair just popped out as I wrote that sentence. For those who haven't seen me in a few years - not that I'd imagine they ever read this blog - I think it will come as a great surprise to discover that my head has become peppered with grey hair in the few short years since I left Linthicum. While my visible aging has accelerated noticeably, I realize that it would be nice if the wisdom part of aging came a bit sooner - unless, of course, the truly wise are those who know how shitty life can be and know that working in a restaurant like mine will diminish your soul very quickly ... I know that already. I'd like to skip to the part where I become a millionaire or billionaire.

Speaking of, I bought a T-Shirt the other day that says it all:

Intriguing, Is It Not?

Well, maybe not.

You scored as A Slave To BDSM. Admit it, you like being tied up and being told you've been very naughty. You like teasing your partner and making them squirm, and not letting them be able to do anything about it. Some people think what you do is sick and disgusting, but you know it's all in good fun. A Slave To BDSM 83% Sex God 73% A Romantic 58% Virgin 20% How are you in bed created with QuizFarm.com

Humor Test

the Cutting Edge (52% dark, 65% spontaneous, 16% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | DARK Your humor's mostly innocent and off-the-cuff, but somehow there's something slightly menacing about you. Part of your humor is making people a little uncomfortable, even if the things you say aren't themselves confrontational. You probably have a very dry delivery, or are seriously over-the-top. Your type is the most likely to appreciate a good insult and/or broken bone and/or very very fat person dancing. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: David Letterman - John Belushi

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 46% on dark You scored higher than 69% on spontaneous You scored higher than 23% on vulgar

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid