Summing-up Script Frenzy

Well, I did it. I completed my first screenplay on April 30th with 104 pages. Not only did I learn how to format a screenplay, but I learned a lot about persistence, plot, and wombats. Yes, wombats.

I did no planning whatsoever, which resulted in a wild adventure, both for me and my characters. An interesting allegory began to appear, which surprised me, because though I am a believer in Jesus, I've never attempted to put the full Truth of the Bible in a fiction story.  I guess all those books I've been reading are rubbing off on me-- Dragons in Our Midst, Binding of the Blade, The Door Within, The Restorer, etc.

The allegory was only one of the unexpected aspects that turned up. My main characters started out as quirky and comic-bookish, but as the month went on, they began to grow and mature into people with deep and painful secrets, and they revealed strong moral convictions.  All very astonishing when I don't even know what's going to happen next!

But, despite all these wonderful gems I discovered, I know this is one rough story. I may take my newly-developed characters and put them in a future novel someday, but my Script Frenzy manuscript will hide away on my laptop for now, while I turn my attention to bigger projects...

Script Frenzy!

The funny thing is, I wasn't planning on writing a script in April. I have no idea what I'm doing. I always thought it would be cool to do Script Frenzy, another of those crazy Office of Letters and Light programs (like NaNoWriMo, for example), but I didn't think I would do it THIS year. It just happened that I recently found out about a short film contest that Minnesota libraries are having, and I decided that I wanted to enter. 

The only problem was, I didn't have a script.

So, I decided to take the leap and do Script Frenzy. I'm starting with a "practice" script, a crazy, seat-of-the-pants adventure about an 18-year-old girl who is named, strangely enough, Author Gal. *cough* I'm learning how to format a screenplay, and waiting until I have more information about the contest before I start my REAL project-- "Secrets at the Library." More on this later...

A New Song

To my Grandfather, who went to be with Jesus

On this earth you no more roam

I know that you are home

Where it is always day

Where the sky is never gray

This life is not the end

I'll see you once again-

my grandpa,

my friend.

The King is there to greet you

At his table he will seat you

I know that you'll be blessed

With joyous, song-filled rest

This life is not the end

I'll see you once again-

my grandpa,

my friend.

Spring Song #2

Spring Song 2

It's fun to watch snow

melt

melt

m

    e

l

   t

down, down

into the ground

like a shrinking island

like Atlantis

like a vanishing cloud

poof

poof

plop.

The snow is no more

I can't wait to see

what spring has

in store.

more

puddles?

plop

plop

SPLAT.

Snow is wetter

on days

no better

than a haze

of clouds.

melt

melt

m

    e

l

    t

down, down

into the ground.

Tiny stranded islands

like white white sands

soon they will 

melt

melt

m

    e

l

   t

down, down

into the ground

icicles fall

and hit people

on the 

head-

like that

plink

plink

-smack-

The sun laughs at me

I jump over a snowdrift

it will

melt

melt

m

    e

l

   t

down, down

into the ground

where the gophers dig

where the worms hum

where life

stirs

stirs

stirs...

Spring Songs

The stirring of spring has urged me to write poetry about March and Spring. Here is the first of my  "Spring Songs."

Spring Song 1

March

snow marches

Fall

snow falls

Spring

snow springs

March.

March

lion marches

Blow

lion blows

Sleep

lion sleeps

March.

March

flowers come dancing in like a song,

like a robin-bird,

dancing, singing, blooming flowers

March

birds come in flocks from warm places,

coconut beaches,

winging, singing, gliding birds

March.

NaNoEdMo: March 1-31

I have finally decided to try my hand at editing. I recently signed up for National Novel Editing Month, a program inspired by NaNoWriMo, but with the goal of completing 50 hours of serious editing during the month of March. It's a big goal, and something I've never tried before. I did some editing on my novel The Shadow of Greed before I self-published it, but it was mostly to correct spelling errors and little things like that. I didn't really get my hands dirty.

But now I have a hefty rough draft waiting around--the sequel, The Shadow of Rebellion, and I know that this book will require a lot more attention... yeah. It's almost frightening to read the thing. 

That's why I put "Edit my novel" on my Big, Fun, Scary Adventures list for 2009. I know it's important to learn how to self-edit, so right now I'm reading a very helpful book titled Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print, by Renni Browne and Dave King. I plan to use the checklists at the end of each chapter as I'm going through my draft in March.

This is all very new to me, but I'm eager to learn as much as I can through this project. Self-editing is one of the "courses" that I need to take in order to become a successful, published author, and I'm ready to start learning.

More trees...

I went to a used bookstore on Saturday, and I got a new book!

Actually, it's an old book, Trees: Yearbook of Agriculture 1949. It caught my eye because I was looking for a good book to alter, and the cover with the leaves and the title seemed just perfect. It has some great illustrations in it that I can highlight on my pages, and it has maps of the US inside the covers. I'll use it for a nature or tree theme. I can't wait to get to work on it!