15. I'm not my Characters

I have just written the first draft of the teleplay. It was a rough goal, but the page count is currently at 58. I'm not sure how this happened, but I've been obsessed with this page count since day one. I can't even believe how many scenes are squashed together, and I was thinking this was going to end up at least being 65 pages. Granted, this is a first draft and the number will change.

I'm excited. This draft along with other ideas has given me ideas on how to write some episode bios for the Bible. Once this semester is over, that will be on the top of the list for writing projects to do.

This script has challenged me in different ways. Writing the outline I was more objective, but while writing the script I found myself being more affected by the content. I didn't expect this initial episode would be so dark (and I would not intend for the entire series to be this way because I think it would quickly flat line), but there's been times where this script has sent my mind into some creepy places. I've grown to love many of the characters; I'm excited that Caden and Rebecca are shining through so much more than in the film script version. Lise has even had somewhat of an upgrade, and I think she was already a fairly polished woman.

After spending this much time with character development, I have to admit that it's amateur to think that a writer is only writing characters based off themselves or it's something deeply repressed in his or her mind. Building characters is more like working with photoshop or color correcting editing in general. I see it as though there's several ranges to play with like saturation, contrast, gamma level, etc. These levels have different names for character development, but it's those tweaks that give arbitrary words actual souls. I am not like most of the characters I write. I don't have their abilities -- I mean I can't power house through a building with acrobatics. I'll sprain my ankle (though I wish I could be an acrobat. Olympic gymnastics are on my list of people to envy). I'm not as evil, twisted, and sadistic as some of these characters. I have a weak stomach when it comes to blood; writing about it is rather fun, but actually experiencing people with arms chopped off and puddles of blood is too much for me. That's why I'm a writer, not a crime scene investigator or doctor. I'm also not as good as some of these characters. They have moral compasses that stay true even in the most intense of conflicts. In a sense, I can learn from these imaginary characters and scenarios and in turn improve myself.

A writer needs to have a large amount of range in writing various types of characters, emotions, and across genres. I can write a light hearted comedy just as well as a having-to-keep-your-light-on-at-night horror epic. I think as we progress in society we'll see more and more that writing is not necessarily a blueprint of an individual's psychosis. This error has caused a great deal of suffering for writers, why if we only turn back a century ago some of the most famous writers (especially women) were institutionalized for what they wrote on paper. Just the same, we would burn people at the stake more often for having brains than actual users of witchcraft / magic. There is a number of thoughts, emotions, and experiences to delve into for writing, but the art of fiction is to make writing ring true not necessarily be the identity of the writer's soul. Writing may come from a place of authenticity in the writer's life, but what arises out of that authenticity doesn't have to be who the person is in and of his or her self, and it doesn't mean they've been through the experience that's on the paper. I have not rode on dinosaurs, fought giants, and used telekinesis -- maybe in my dreams -- but I can paint these ideas in words. And that's what it is. An artistic representation of reality, not the exact reality of a person's mind.

14. Experience & Understanding

I have not written as much for my script this past week, which stinks. I had my students turn in their final papers before Thanksgiving so I could have them graded and back the following week. This way their papers and work won't bother me again till finals, and I can focus on my own graduate student responsibilities. Grading papers reveals secret trend patterns that creep up in student writing. It can be ghastly. But after twenty some odd papers, I have found one that makes my heart rejoice and not necessarily for the writing, but the absurdity. I want to share this with anyone who happens to read this, and if that student ever finds this post, which I wouldn't expect in a thousand years, but bless you for writing this for it has made my late morning.

For this semester, I've had my students write with a focus on primary research rather than contextualizing a bunch of boring secondary sources, because few and far between know how to do that well as an undergrad and unless you're passionate about the research there's a pretty solid reason why this redundant secondary source process is terrible. So I've forced them to write and be in the action so as to have more interesting of papers. My favorite paper so far is one from my Ukraine foreign exchange student who spent his time exploring Springfield and Ozarkian cemeteries and funerals. Imagine if you will, if you were in his shoes, over seas in a writing program for a semester and you spent your time exploring European cemeteries. I love it. It's bizarre.

Firsthand experience definitely brings up the level of writing. These papers are far better than the ones I received last semester, and I don't think it's because I've changed a great deal in who I am as an instructor. I think getting one's hands dirty and being challenged implements growth. Having the chance to be on film / television / and web series productions helps the craft of screenwriting. In my amateur filmmaking skills, my first thought tends to be to cut down the draft to the bare necessities, not because I don't trust the details but for two big reasons 1.) when you only keep what's necessary it takes out the watered down parts of the script 2.) the less to have to produce, than the less of a nightmare. With initial writing, I like to explode as much with ideas as possible, make a manifesto, and then give myself strict goals to take in whatever nonsense or masterpiece I created. This for me in writing is actually one of my favorite parts. At that point, I can see what's happening globally, and it's satisfying when I can make tiny, split changes that can impact the whole of the script in masterful ways. I'm not really sure I agree with micromanaging; I think that could demonize a script... what I'm saying is polishing, rather... cleansing. If I was really on my A game tonight I could give an example of what I mean, but that's not coming to me easily, so I'll leave that for another time.

Writers of any trade need to have their hands dirty. I love watching series', reading, and reflecting on the library on my mind, but personally experiencing the world of the story can make a difference (if this is achievable). There's plenty I've written that I have never experienced. I mean, mind-reading characters who go inside demons? I am proud that I can operate in a normal routine day if I had that demon-browsing gift. Experience and understanding are vital. If you understand emotions, I think the writing will thank you. I'd say 99.9% of my favorite parts of the visual medium have some correlation with the emotions that were delivered. Writers need to step away from the computer and go on adventures. We need to process through emotions and not be controlled by them either.

13. Writing Horror

There's the age old saying to write the comedy to get to the drama, and just as equally, write drama to get to the comedy. Horror is one of the few genres that rarely hits the bullseye. I don't think enough people are brave enough to write in it; also, there's not enough people who are brave and know how to write well in it. Horror isn't just about blood and guts, ghouls and ghosts, or Halloween and... Christmas.

I think we should write horror to get to the revelation. I think we have to face our darkest fears, break them down, so that we can find the hope and realize that these blood mongering villains have nothing on us. There's so much about fear and doubt that's informative, but we miss out on it. We'd rather fill up our lives with noise than face the inevitable conclusion that we are all destined to death. Without the recognition that we'll all die, I think we become complacent, selfish, and misguided. We should be living with purpose, and I do think there's more out there than just living in a flesh body whatever that context happens to be, but if we can't look at the dark pit of nothingness I think we then let it control us. I think horror is about that tension: about living and not living -- a rope that some would call faith, by no means a "religious" faith, but something I think is much deeper. It's the ladder in the pit, the light in the darkness, or the tiny bit of baking soda in the batter. I don't know what that strand is behind it all, but I think forcing a name on it might just reduce it. Faith works, except that word has been somewhat watered down by the zeitgeist and the counter zeitgeist.

I used to be petrified of scary movies. I used to think of all the classic scary things before going to bed. I think I was faced with reality at some point, and came to the conclusion that: ghouls are not as scary as humans. I think horror should be used to help reveal how we as a species are often the trauma inducers and perhaps through storytelling we'll realize what we can do to stop. I think more of life is a horror tale than a comedy or drama, but we've gotten stuck with cliches (vampires, werewolves, and zombies) to the point that we don't recognize the terrible things that are right in our faces.

Truth be told, with the pilot I'm writing that has no series title at this point, I didn't envision such a world of psychological thriller and horror. I wouldn't want the whole series to follow that direction either. I think it would tank and lose momentum if it tried to be a creep fest every episode. I would prefer that each episode conveys a different aspect of the story world in and of itself. I don't think it can flip gears drastically from say a comedy one week to a musical... that's nauseating. More like, there's a time for developing romance, suspense, and adrenaline pumping action. Sure, all three can be in one dose, but it's perfectly okay to slow down and focus on one character and the quirky world they have -- I mean, a whole episode dedicated to Mr. Jibbs could be heartfelt. I wouldn't expect each episode to be near as scary as what seems to be coming to the dinner party for the pilot. If it was an ideal world, and all my ideas came out in perfectly written words in a breath of air and all of this story from my mind was given to angels to produce, I'd say I want this story to be told in a way that's daring to be meaningful, desperately seeking for innocence in a world that's lost it, asking deep questions that leaves an audience hanging, brings back old classic stories, gets people talking about spirituality and science, and gets people to question the reality they're in. I really want the thought provoking and the heart throbbing. I wouldn't expect less. I'd like to share these characters with more people. I think it gives the characters more life. It almost seems selfish to just keep them to myself when they could inspire people. Also, it would be pretty stinking cool to see some of these characters played out. I mean, Lise? I would kill for a part like that.




 

12. Emotions

In much of our rational thinking, people treat emotions as though they are the ignorant sister of the mind. If there's one thing I really dislike about society today, it's that we devalue emotions while also constantly trying to shake up those around us for generally an unnecessary sake. There's too many I know of who think emotions are beneath them and also quite a handful who are consumed by their feelings. To neglect emotions is foolish, and to let them control yourself is just as bad.

I love film because I think it's still a safe place to explore emotions. I think I've learned a great deal about the people around me and the types of experiences they've had through visual storytelling. In fact, the best stories I can name have the best emotional pacing. It isn't so much about the lighting, the editing, even the writing (to be honest) it's about revenge, anger, sadness, joy, and everything in between. I think the writing, editing, and camera work are tools to help bring out emotions and thoughts. A blinking, glorious red light is nothing without the emotional heartbeat behind it. A well written murder is nothing if the characters and audience are unconnected to it. (I have no idea how you can write a well written murder and forsake the audience.) I think in a world that wants to suppress the human soul whether through legalistic actions or crazy amounts of license to the point of no longer knowing one's self, the United States in particular has the chance to show stories of freedom and really speak to those parts of the world that don't have the same tolerance, opportunities  or luxuries. Of course, in an ideal world luxury would be a human right; here in reality however, perhaps we should extend what we have in luxury to those who may be less fortunate. Storytelling in the United States is vital; it's one of the few mediums going out into the world to help display emotion and give us all the chance to have emotional awareness and the enlightenment emotions have for us all. Without creative expression, I think we've lost a big part of our souls.

With writing, any scene that does not strike an emotional beat should be removed. We don't need soulless scenes; everything needs to work together as a body and so we don't need extra legs, extra arms, or bodies without hearts or brains. In writing, it's an incredible balancing act. Stories should be where the audience with ease can pick up on the emotions of the characters even if that character is being newly introduced. We want to get inside their heads and their hearts and we should be going deeper with each step. There should be power in the depth of the movements, otherwise I dare to bargain that there are missed opportunities. The scenes need there beginning, middle, and end -- but what does that mean? It means we should see emotions being introduced, changing, and ending in a new place than when the scene began.

In rewriting, I think it's important to freeze frame each scene and ask the vital questions of: what emotion is being carried for these characters in this scene? Does this link to all the other scenes? Is this being carried out for the whole of the story? If not, then what is it's purpose? From there, either it needs to have life written into it or deleted. Action sequences need emotion. Some of the best action sequences will fall short if the emotions are not met. I love the Kill Bill films and after watching the confrontation of the Bride and O-Ren I have to say the scene is less about fancy action but more about the intense emotions that have built up inside the characters. Both are valiant. I find it difficult not to be wrapped up in them. But there's very little action at all. In fact, there's a ton of time spent on close ups of the characters faces, and even wide shots where there is little to any movement. Before this was a slice fest to get to the ultimate boss, but this scene at the end resonates deeper -- it's the true gold, not the fight with the crazy 88s (even though, that marks up a strong sense of emotion as well).

I hate senseless violence just as much as the next person. I hate senseless deaths in literature too. I think it's terrible if you've killed off a character and it's not felt. With the above Kill Bill scene, the death of O-Ren is sad. Earlier we received her origins story; she's really been built up as a strong character, and though we are fighting for the Bride all the way through -- I think there's a part of us that doesn't want her O-Ren to be finished. Yes, there's a time where the audience is on edge waiting for the hero to at last kill the beast, but when you can manipulate the audience to love the villain and wish to see more of the bad guy, you've done an expert job.

Emotions are really what you're writing and reading. Words are just there to help organize it; they bring out the subtext, rather, the real stuff that matters. As a species we have had times without writing systems, so we have to ask ourselves what was it in those orally passed down stories that mattered so dearly to our ancestors?

I think you should be able to pick any scene and describe it in one core emotion. Sure, there may be other competing emotions, but what is the strongest? What is the voice we need to hear? A good screenplay should have pieces of horror, humor, romance, tragedy, and action. The audience should be afraid, laughing, wooed, teared-up, and on an adrenaline high. It may be difficult to mix it altogether, but without one of those emotions it's like missing vegetables, fruits, grains, or meat in a diet.

I can't preach on it enough. Emotions have to be there. They separate the good scripts from the excellent scripts. Not knowing your emotional pacing lends itself to an unrendered disaster. And that's not just a truth for writing -- not knowing your emotional pace in life will lead to chaos.