Daily First Line -- 4/30/12

Today's the last day of ScriptFrenzy.  Did you work on a script?  Did you finish it?

I did neither.  Instead, I started this blog on 4/1 and have been putting my time into it.  It's amazing what you can accomplish if you just make it a priority!

Some big news to talk about tomorrow, for Quicksies' one-month anniversary.  But for now......

Daily First Line -- 4/29/12

You know what to do.

If not, click on the About section and see what Quicksies is all about!

George Clooney

Years ago, a group of us exchanged first lines every day, and one of the guys gave us the first line that I gave you today.

Below is what I wrote from it. It demonstrates that you always know more than you think you know.

In it, I mention Darfur. At the time I wrote this, it was long before news of the genocide there became common knowledge in America. George Bush the Younger was still in office and the war in Afghanistan was still raging.

It was the news reports from Afghanistan which I visualized while writing this. When the name "Darfur" popped into my head, I remember another part of my brain thought, "What? Where's that? Is that a real country?" I even spell it wrong in the story. But I didn't edit myself. I didn't judge my writing. I just kept writing.

I have no idea how I knew the name of the country. Most likely, George Clooney mentioned it in an interview I saw. I watch a lot of George Clooney interviews.

The name and the news story didn't register in my conscious mind, but clearly, my subconscious absorbed it, where it lay in wait to be recalled for a story.

If I hadn't been writing with a timer, doing a 10-minute exercise, I know I would've stopped and researched Darfur -- found out where the country was, what was going on there, and (I hope) how to spell it. And that break would've prevented me from finishing this story, falling in love with Frankie, and wanting to put him in a screenplay someday.

So, don't psych yourself out. You know more than you think you do. You're better than you think you are. Let your stories write themselves.

Love,
Lisa

P.S. I just now gave the piece a title.  It didn't have one previously.

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Soldier On

His life had become unrecognizable. Frankie could still see and hear and process everything. His mind was exactly the same. But his body was gone. Literally and figuratively gone. His life had become a succession of assistants helping him and washing him and moving him. When the assistants weren't doing something medical or toilet-related, his family paraded one after another through his room, reading to him, talking with him, or just sitting and watching TV.

Why didn't they understand he wanted to be left alone? Why didn't they understand that it would be better to die than to live like this for the next 60 years?

He had no memory of the attack at all. The last thing he remembered is that his division had been sent into Darfour simply as a "peace-keeping" mission. They were under strict orders not to shoot and not to engage with the citizens in any way. They were simply a presence meant to instill fear in those wishing to instill fear in us, and meant to instill a sense of security in everyone else.

Apparently, they failed to do either. He remembered an elderly woman coming up and yelling at McCormick. She was screaming and crying and pointing at him and the captain. No one knew what she was saying, but everyone watched her.

Frankie watched her for a second and then began to scan the street. He thought she might be a diversion. At the moment that he called out to the captain to convey that very thought, that's when the car exploded. It had just been sitting there across the street. No one even paid any attention to it. No one was in the car. It didn't drive up. It didn't drive away. It was just part of the background picture, and since Frankie wasn't responsible for checking out the background picture, he didn't think anything of it.

He remembered the screaming, crying old lady and he remembered the percussion of the explosion. That's all he remembered.

The next thing he knew, he was in some hospital in the States, his family were all in the room, and he couldn't feel his legs.

He still hadn't been able to lift his head and look down. He didn't know if his legs were paralyzed or gone. He could see his arms because they were both in casts and were elevated with the wrists higher than the shoulders.

He knew he could talk once they took the tube out of his throat, but he didn't know when that would be. They told him he was injured and burned and they didn't want him breathing on his own yet, even though they said he would probably be able to eventually. He could move his face and make expressions. He could laugh and cry with his eyes, though his throat made no sound and his diaphragm didn't move.

So there he lay, wondering why he was laying there, hoping it was for a damn good reason. His life had become unrecognizable and with each day, he became more and more resigned to the idea that it would never be like it was, that this would be his life from now on. He hoped it was for a damn good reason, but he had a very strong suspicion that it was not. And just as soon as he could talk, he'd tell people about it.

Daily First Line -- 4/28/12

Here's another first line that someone else gave me ages ago.  Later today, I'll post what I wrote from it.

For now, let's see what you write.....

Daily First Line -- 4/27/12

I bought a book the other day I've been meaning to buy for a while:  Blake Snyder's Save The Cat: The Last Book On Screenwriting You'll Ever Need.

I forget who first recommended it, but "I need to check that out," has always been in the back of my mind.  When I found myself in a bookstore recently (thank god some still exist), I turned to my left, and it was right there at eye level. I took it as a sign and paid the extra bucks in Canadian dollars (I'm in Toronto right now) to get it.

Has anyone read it?  Opinions?  I'm gonna devour it this weekend.  I love that, in the introduction, he puts the philosophies of Joseph Campbell and Robet McKee up there on the pedestals where they belong.

In the meantime, on to the important stuff, like actually writing today...

Daily First Line -- 4/26/12

We're almost a month into the blog now!  Have you been doing the exercises every day?  What have you noticed about your writing?  I'd love to hear if any patterns or themes are emerging.  In case you didn't realize it, that's your 'voice' emereging.  Yay you!

And on to the business of today's writing "soup starter"........

Daily First Line -- 4/25/12

Another autobiographical one:

Daily First Line -- 4/24/12

Another short and sweet first line, because it's autobiographical:

Daily First Line -- 4/23/12: Words, words, words.

It's Shakespeare's Birthday!  In honor of the greatest writer who ever lived, today's First Line has a bit of an Elizabethan flair.  But don't let that influence your exercise.  Go with whatever pops into your head:

Daily First Line -- 4/22/12

Yesterday's first line was prompted by something, but I didn't want to reveal what, for fear of influencing what you wrote.

It was the Queen's birthday.  Queen Elizabeth II turned 86, and anything English makes me think of one thing: tea.

Well, two things, actually. Tea, or Shakespeare. As tomorrow is Shakespeare's birthday, we'll talk about him then!

For now, here's today's first line, inspired by nothing at all:

Daily First Line -- 4/21/12

Here's today's first line.  Later I'll reveal what inspired it.  I don't want to mention that now, because I don't want to influence what you write:

Daily First Lines -- 4/20/12

Today's first line:

Yet another quicksie...

Here's what I originally wrote when I received this morning's First Line from a friend.  I think this is my favorite story from the ten-minute exercises, for two reasons.

First, it's the first time I finished a story before the timer went off.  Back then, I was very focused on learning structure, and I really wanted all of my writing exercises to have a beginning, middle, and end.  It was easy for me to ramble stream-of-consciousness for ten minutes.  It wasn't easy for me to craft a story.  But when I got to the last line and realized the timer hadn't gone off, it didn't matter.  The story had a beginning, middle, and end, and I did not let myself go back and edit it.

I did, however, let myself give it a title.  That's definitely allowed.

The other thing I like about it is its structure.  I relied on repetition at the start, because once again I didn't know what to write.  But then my brain latched onto repetition as a style, and I deliberately used it throughout.  I really like the result.

Again, I never, ever, ever would've written something like this if I hadn't had a ten-minute time restriction.  I would've over-planned and over-analyzed and, eventually, given up and turned on the TV.

Don't turn on the TV.  Turn on the timer and go write for ten minutes!

.....after you read this:

Love,

Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/19/12

Today's first line is another one a friend gave me.  Later today I'll post what I wrote.

Have you got a nice little collection of quicksies started?  Any that you want to share yet?  In addition to sharing your quicksies, feel free to send me suggestions for first lines.  I haven't been writing any quicksies from the first lines I'm giving each day.  By the time I come up with the line and post it here, on Facebook, and on Twitter, I've already thought about it for too long.  My writing wouldn't be spontaneous.

If anyone sends me a first line, we'll use it AND I'll post what I write from it, exactly as it comes outta my skull.

In the meantime:

Daily First Line -- 4/18/12

In honor of my friend Jenny, here's today's first line:

Daily First Line -- 4/17/12

Today's first line comes straight from my life again:

Writing Tip from Trey Parker

Matt Stone and Trey Parker

One thing I plan to do in this blog is pass along brilliant writing tips I've gathered over the years.

There are a gazillion books and classes about writing, and most say variations on the same theme.

Occasionally, a statement rises above the din and cuts to the heart of the craft.

My favorite of those tips comes from Trey Parker.



He's one of the guys who created South Park, and he still writes every episode himself.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I worship his craftsmanship.  He's consistently brilliant.

In 2011, Comedy Central aired a behind-the-scenes peek at the show, called 6 Days To Air:  The Making of South Park. Each episode goes from concept to broadcast in just six days.

That's about 144 hours.

It takes me about 144 hours just to get my desk cleaned off enough so I can write!

In 6 Days To Air, Trey mentions the single most valuable bit of writing advice I've ever heard.

He says most people think of storytelling like this:

This happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens.....

...etc. until the end.  He says that's a big mistake.  The trick is to think of storytelling this way:

This happens, therefore this happens, therefore this happens.  But then this happens.  Therefore this happens, therefore this happens, and therefore this happens.  But then this happens, therefore this happens......

...etc. until the end.  See the difference?  The first is just a sequence of events.  It's a portrait, not a story.  The second is a cause-and-effect sequence.  That is a story.

I've done script reading for about five years now, and I cannot tell you how many scripts I read whose scenes do not have a causal relationship.  There are some lovely vignettes, and when taken as a whole, you know what's going on.  But it doesn't convey an emotional journey, for the characters or for the audience.

The human mind doesn't like random events.  It struggles to assign meaning (even when none exists, like bunnies in clouds or faces in the moon's topography).  It's the storyteller's job to craft a sequence of scenes into a relationship which conveys meaning.

A bunch of events becomes a story because it conveys cause and effect.  A situation has a consequence, which evokes an emotional response in someone, which in turn motivates an action, which prompts a reaction by someone else, which in turn has a consequence...... etc. until the end.

Sure, you can do something more free-form.  It's absolutely valid in the world of artistic expression.  But I'm talking specifically about storytelling.  Each scene causes the next one.  Each line of dialogue causes the next line.  Each action is a reaction to something.

For a great example of cause-and-effect storytelling, check out the episode of South Park called The List.  It's flawless.

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/16/12

It just occurred to me that I could've provided themed first lines over the weekend: something tax-related, or maybe something Titanic-related.  If the thought had occurred to me, though, I would've dismissed it.  The point is to make these first lines specific enough to trigger an image or a situation to write about, yet vague enough not to influence your writing.

What do you all think?  Are the lines helping to trigger your creativity?  Or do you stare at them and have no idea what to write?  I'll experiment with some longer, more specific first lines this week, so you can get a feel for both types.

Meanwhile, today's first line:

Daily First Line -- 4/15/12

Today's first line has an exclamation point at the end, because I'm an emphatic sort of speaker.  But as always, do what you want with it.  Make it a period, a comma, three exclamation points, run the words into another few words for a longer sentence.... it's your quicksie.  ("Quicksy?"  I still haven't figured out what the singular form of "quicksies" should be.)

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/14/12

Today's first line comes straight out of my own life.

Another quicksie

Here's the exercise I did when I got today's first line from a friend.  It's another good example of how you can write absolutely anything.

I consider myself a screenwriter first.  I love storytelling via prose, but dialogue is what I want to master.  So on this exercise, as soon as I realized I was writing an inner monologue, I decided to mix it with actual dialogue, to paint an entire picture.  I kinda like how it goes back and forth between inner dialogue and spoken dialogue.

This was another example of me having no idea what to write, so I just repeated the opening line until something came to me.  And because I lean into dialogue, I turned it into an inner monologue.  When I added a second character, I played with quotation marks and no quotation marks to differentiate the inner from the outer.

I don't recall if I typed the quotation marks or went back later and added them.  Don't burden yourself to format as you type.  You can format afterwards, as long as you don't edit the text!  I wasn't about to type character names and format it like dialogue as I typed.  After all, the point is to keep your fingers moving to WRITE, not to format.  But if you format things later...... totally fine.

Love,
Lisa

P.S.  Oh, and by the way, I wrote this LONG before the "double rainbow" video hit youtube.  I may even have written this before youtube existed.

Daily First Line -- 4/13/12

Today's First Line is another one I received ages ago when I began these 10-minute exercises.  Later today, I'll post what I wrote back then.  I think it's another good example of how you can write something far more awesome when you don't think about it than if you try to write something awesome.

For now, here ya go:

Daily First Line -- 4/12/12

So, how are your Quicksies coming along?  Do you have a regular writing schedule yet?  Are you handwriting them or using the computer?  How many of you come here to the blog to see the first line, as opposed to checking the Quicksie Facebook or Twitter pages?  Any themes evolving in your writing? Are you discovering your "voice"? What form are they taking?  Do you find yourself writing dialogue? Prose? Verse? Journal entries?

Remember, whatever turns off your inner critic is what's right for you.  The only rule is you must keep your hands moving non-stop for ten minutes. No time for thinking or analyzing!!

And now, on to today's first line:

Daily First Line -- 4/11/12

Today's first line:

Daily First Line -- 4/10/12

I'm in Toronto! I'll be here on business all month, so I'll try to resist the urge to make every First Line something Canadian-themed. But I won't resist today:

Daily First Line -- 4/9/12

Here ya go!

Daily First Line -- 4/8/12

Happy Easter!  Hope you can find 10 minutes today to write a quicksie.

Quicksie?  Quicksy?  Hmmm... I haven't given any thought to the spelling of the singular form of "quicksies".  Which do you prefer?  And by "prefer," I mean, which is funnier?

Quicksum?!?  (Nah, that sounds like an Excel function.)

You can make today's first line Easter-related or not.  I'm curious to see what you come up with.

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/7/12

Set those timers for ten minutes:

Daily First Line -- 4/6/12

Today's first line has the added bonus of being true:

Daily First Line -- 4/5/12

Today's line:

A Cool Desktop Timer

What kind of timer do you use when writing for ten minutes?

I think it's best to use a timer which has a buzzer or ringer or something in-your-face which lets you know when ten minutes have elapsed.  Avoid just glancing at a clock -- it distracts you, and it's very easy to lose track of time.

When I first started doing these 10-minute exercises years ago, I found a timer online to download.  It met two of my most important criteria:  it was free and it was fun.

Appropriately, it's called Cool Timer.  I like it because when the timer goes off, the screen comes to the foreground on your monitor and flashes until you turn it off.  You have no choice but to stop typing!  Plus, you can customize the colors and sounds and size.

Eventually, I placed the timer to the right of my Word window as I typed, so I could see the seconds ticking away in my peripheral vision.  When I got more advanced in the exercises, I wanted to give my exercises a structure.  Beginning-middle-end.  When the timer hit 5 minutes I knew I needed a midpoint, and when it hit 9 minutes, I knew I had to wrap things up.

But don't give yourself that added challenge if it freaks you out.  I just happen to like restrictions -- they make me more creative.  I need envelopes to push against.  Remember, the whole point of these exercises is to relax, free your creativity, and turn off your inner critic.  Use your timer in the way which facilitates that!

Let me know what other desktop times you like out there.

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/4/12

I've been debating what time of day to post the First Line each day.  Any opinions?

Today's line:

One of my Quicksies

With yesterday's First Line, I mentioned I'd post the results of my writing exercise with that line.  Here it is. (Click on "Read More".)

When I received that First Line, my first thought was, "That's not a complete sentence.  What am I supposed to do with this? It's only two words!"  I'm quite literal when given (or giving) directions.  The directions said to provide a first line, and I was entitled to an entire sentence, damn it!

A fraction of a millisecond later, I realized there are no rules.  I had to ignore that critical voice and, even though my mind was blank, I had to write for ten minutes straight -- the timer was already running.

So I just typed those first two words over and over again until an image started to form.  Then I ran with it.

Later, I added the quotation marks to the opening dialogue, but otherwise, this is exactly what spilled out of my head.  Entirely fictitious, and something I never would've written if I had tried to write something like this.

So, if you have absolutely no inspiration, type the First Line over and over until something starts to form.  Trust your genius.

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/3/12

Years ago, my friend Lisa P. introduced me to this 10-minute writing exercise.  The exercises had been around forever in various forms, but she was the first to show me this variation, where someone else gives you the first line of your story.

It was love at first First Line.  For quite a while, we exchanged First Lines back and forth.  Then, of course, the mundanities of life took over and our exercises faded to the background.  We still write together occasionally, but not nearly often enough.

I'm hoping to get her to contribute to this blog (Lisa, are you reading this??) -- as soon as we can find time in our schedules to sit down in the same room together!

In the meantime, here's one of the First Lines she gave me.  I'm reusing it today, because later I'll post the result of my ten minutes of typing.

Today's first line isn't a full sentence.  Do what you want with it, as long as all the words appear in your first sentence.  There are no rules.  (....well, other than the rule that you write nonstop for ten minutes).

And yes, "mundanities" is not a real word. Or, rather, it wasn't a real word until now.  I just made it up.  Feel free to make up words if the perfect one to express your thought doesn't exist yet.

Ready?  Set your timer, click the Read More button, and write!

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/2/12

Now remember, the point of this exercise is not to think. Ideally, you start writing the moment you see your first line, so your brain doesn't have time to start coming up with ideas and therefore rejecting them as being not good enough.

That's why I'll always have the line hidden after the Read More break. Get your fingers and your timer ready, then look at the line and start writing!

Love,
Lisa

Daily First Line -- 4/1/12

And here we go!  The first of the First Lines I'll suggest.  You know what to do:

1.  Set your timer for 10 minutes.
2.  Click "Read More" to see the First Line.
3.  Start timer.
4.  Write nonstop until the timer dings!
5.  Pat yourself on the back for writing today.

Love,
Lisa

It's ScriptFrenzy Month!

It's April 1st!  April means one thing to writers:  Script Frenzy!

Script Frenzy welcomes writers to write 100 pages of a script in 30 days.  It can be any kind of script, from stage to TV to radio to sketches to webisodes and beyond.

Inspired by November's NaNoWriMo -- The National Novel Writing Month -- Script Frenzy appropriated the short month of April to encourage writers to write.

100 pages in 30 days equals just 3-4 pages per day!  Anyone can write 3-4 pages a day!

If you think you can't, then you're letting the critical side of your brain edit and sabotage your writing.  Turn it off, sit on down, and write!

If you need a nudge to get started, take one of my Daily First Lines and knock off a 10-minute writing exercise each day.  Then those 3-4 pages will come spilling out of your noggin.

Remember, writers write!


Love,
Lisa