Busy!!!

I've been busy working on other projects and haven't had much time to devote to this one. However, I'm looking to get back into it this summer.

To catch you up on what's been going on check out the current and past projects pages at Angry Mo Productions.

Resurfacing

Just wanted shout out a quick post...is it possible to shout out a post? I just wanted to let the 2 people may still check this blog that I'm still working on the project. Have had lots going on. See my other Blog for a re-cap of the goings on. Hope to get some more posts up here soon.

Rough Draft of Opening

So it's been a while since my last post. I think the excuses count is in the double digits now but I won't bore you with them here. Instead I'll post a little bit of the opening.

The story takes place in the small farming town of Apple Valley. At the time the story starts it is almost fall. People move about in and out of shops running errands. A police SUV makes it’s way down the street on its way to the station. Behind the wheel is JOE WILSON, mid-30’s, confident and well liked. A few people wave as he goes by, Joe waves back.

Joe arrives at the station to start his shift. Inside we meet a few of his co-workers. Apple Valley’s a place where nothing much happens so there isn’t a need for a large police force. The SHERIFF, a large man in his 60’s, is at his desk sifting through paperwork. A few other officers, ANDY, WILL and LINDA mingle near the coffee pot. Will is at the end of his shift and getting ready to go home. He tells one his typical off color and tasteless jokes. Everyone except Joe thinks this extremely funny.

The apple harvest is in full swing and we can see workers picking apples in the orchards just outside of town. Hands pluck apples from the tree and stuff them into bags they are carrying on their shoulders. When the bags are full then get dumped into a big bin. When the bin is full it is hauled into the warehouse by forklift. One of the workers has just emptied his bag and is moving on to the next tree. As he approaches he sees something on the ground at the base of the tree. He can’t make out what it is at first. He gets closer and realizes that it is a body.

That's all you get for now. Basically this little snipet will comprise the first 10 or so pages of the finished script. It obviously still needs work and that is underway. At this point I am trying to sort out all the story points and finalize characters, etc before going back to re-write. The above excerpt of from a rough treatment written about 6 months ago.

Excuse #1....

....of many to follow I'm sure. Where does the time go?

I must confess I haven't been working on this since my last post. Therefore, I have no new information to share. I'm hoping to get back on track and have a post ready to go in the next couple of days.

Okay, I'll fess up. In all honesty I probably did have the time but just told myself I didn't. I'm having a hard time committing anything to paper. Ideas and storylines and sometimes entire scenes rattle around in my head. I just can't seem to get them on paper. The problem, I am pretty sure, is that I want it to be perfect. I have to realize the first draft is NOT going to be perfect. One of my instructors last quarter said, "The most important part of writing is re-writing." Ah...if only I could get that through my stubborn, scared, nervous head!

A Few Words On Structure

On Writing....

I've started working on the outline of the story. I have come across several "tools" that help in progressing through your story. There are probably dozen of versions of these "tools" but they all are basically the same thing. They are basically a guide as to what happens at what point in the story based on stories and folklore that have been around for thousands of years. This "theory" was actually first introduced by Aristotle in "Poetics", so it's been around a while. They can be found in numerous books on writing. The two that I have found most helpful are "How To Write A Movie In 21 Days" and "The Writer's Journey."

Some writing sites that I've looked at and other books that I've read have discounted these tools saying that they force you to turn out cookie cutter stories and don't allow you to be creative. I disagree. They are simply another tool for you to use. Personally I think that you have to know the rules first before you can break them. Once you understand how stories work then you can use your creativity and deviate from the pattern. The bottom line is this type of story structure has been around for thousands of years and most stories that we read or movies that we see follow this pattern. You have to let your story and characters dictate how closely you stick to this pattern and not force your story and characters into the pattern.

Next Post....

Some excerpts of the outline and a few plot points.

It Starts With An Idea

On Writing....

People arrive at ideas for stories in many different ways. Sometimes it starts with an event or maybe it's a great character, however you arrive at it the most important thing is a good idea or premise. I would have to say that my story idea started first with character and then once I thought through the character then I started working on situations I could put the character in and then how would the character I created react and behave in those situations.

The Story....

The story is a murder mystery set in a small town. What sets it apart are the characters. The story opens with one of the local deputies being dispatched to the scene of a murder. A murder in the small town in and of itself is a pretty big deal, but it's the connection between the victim and the cop that turns the town upside down.

The Rules...And A Request

THE RULES -

I will post...

+ General story concepts
+ Insights, breakthroughs and struggles of writing
+ Progress reports on the writing of the script
+ (more to come as the process continues)

I will NOT post...(mostly for copyright reasons)

- A complete outline of the story
- A complete treatment
- A complete screenplay

REQUEST -

If anyone has a better idea for the title of the blog I am open to any input.