Japan Style

This month I did something that, well frankly I'm still in shock that I managed to do. I completed my first script frenzy. Now with the mad dash to 100 pages behind me, I feel like it's only right to pause and take stock of what I've learned, what worked, and what failed miserably.

• Do the research: I couldn't have written a single page if I didn't take the time to stop and learn. Specifically, prior to April 1, 2012 I had never written a script. I don't believe I'd ever read a script. In retrospect I am surprised I never considered script writing before. I have always been something of a writer, and I've always enjoyed movies. So when I decided to join Script Frenzy, task number one was to learn formating. The basics of screenplay formating can be covered in a couple of hours. The finer points take more time to learn, but half of the fun is zeroing in on those finer points and working them to a shiny finish. There are several dozen sources available--some free and some not-- so if you are even thinking about it, just brush up on your Google Fu. Which brings me to...

•  Even fantasy stories require some shoe leather: What's shoe leather? It's the stuff you've got to get through to get through what you want to get through. It's different for every story. In my case, around page 40 when my main character turned out to be a hybrid creature rather than a human, I lost a few hours of writing as I looked up legends on hybrid creatures, their origins, and their powers. If I'd started earlier I may have just been able to write through that, but alas I didn't. 

•  Research is all well and good, but you still have to make it your own: That research I did on hybrid creatures only gave me a blue print. The wonderful--and scary-- part of any kind of fiction writing is that there are literally infinite possibilities, but you can't write until you chose. For my frenzy script I kept only about half of the information I discovered. Some didn't fit the world in which the story takes place. Some were too similar to things I'd already seen done. Some just didn't feel enough like my own. Anticipate that you will be tweaking where you can. Also anticipate that if it's read there is someone somewhere who will say "That's totally NOT how they really are". Don't worry about the phantom audience just yet.  

• Write it down somewhere: Not everyone uses an outline, I did about half of the time. I wrote episodes for a television series. Episode 1 I outlined half way through the writing process. Episode 2 I outlined before I typed "fade in". Episode 3 I didn't outline at all. Personally I prefer to outline, because when I find myself lost I have something to refer back to. I never forced myself to stick to the outline. I wrote until the act or scene felt like it came to a natural conclusion and then I moved on. Having an outline is also good for restructuring the story on the fly. Nobody ever mentions that you might start writing and discover that Act 3 is far too long and Act 2 far too short. Or that you might get through an entire act only to realize later that you never told your phantom audience what happened to the romantic interest after the big bad took them hostage. Or that inspiration will strike when you are nowhere near a computer, and you will never quite remember the scene the same way when you try to hammer it out later. Write it down. Even if it's something vague. Even if you hate outlining. 

• Set the story to music: When it comes to television and film, music is important. It sets the tone for what you see on screen, or plays against it and hilarity ensues. The power of music is undeniable. Take for instance leitmotifs. When you hear the Imperial March play, you know that things will ratchet up a thousand. The Empire is on the way and the Rebels are going to have to fight just to run away. You will always know the big bad is around the corner when you hear that music even when there is nothing on screen to tell you so. The music immerses the viewer into the world of the story, and you aren't just a writer, you are a viewer. I can't tell you how many times I fell back to the mix I made for my script frenzy. I listened to it in loops. I turned on songs that spoke to a certain character when I needed something to happen. I used it for pacing. I used it for background noise. If you write to music, take a minute to make a mix just for your story. 

• Keep Writing!: There are exceptions of course, but your best bet is to keep writing. First drafts are meant to be awful. They are meant to be the place where you dump all of the crazy ideas in your brain for later sifting. Every moment you spend reworking is a moment that isn't getting the story out of your head. Believe me there is nothing worse then forgetting where you were going halfway through. 

• ...but know when to take a breather: The exception to the previous lesson is: if you hit a wall and can't break through it, climb over it, or dig under it, then step back and think. Why did you chose this story? Do you know where you want to end up? Can you still end up there, or have the characters hijacked the story and taken it off the rails? Honestly, I have to thank a friend for this one. When I went to him whining about hitting another wall (my second in as many days), he told me to stop and do something else. No plotting. No researching. No listening to home made soundtrack mixes. Just do something else and come back later with fresh eyes. 

• Find help: I spent almost as much time on writing websites during Script Frenzy as I did staring at my writing software. I asked a writer who's work I admire to point me in the right direction for learning television writing. He recommended a book that I love and relied on often (and hope to continue to rely on). I've already mentioned the friend who told me to take a break--the advice that saved me from giving up 20 pages from my goal. Even chatting casually with other Frenziers or Nanowrimo writers is beneficial because we're all going through the same thing. Find help, even if it's just from a well meaning (and long suffering) friend. 

• Refuel: When you're on a writing mission things slip your mind. Your stocked fridge will go bare. Hours will fly by and before you know it you stand up and just about hit the floor from exhaustion. At least that's what happened to me the day I wrote for a six hour stretch. You can't write if you can't think, and your brain's primary fuel is glucose. Make sure you have something at hand and remember to break for a snack. Driving to the local burger joint when you are shaky and feel like you could pass out is not fun. 

• Don't Panic: Gotten far past the half way point only to hit a dead end? Totally forgot to sit down and draft your villain? Stuck on an outline? Or maybe you're like me and realized as you were writing that your entire story depended on a character doing something that the character just wouldn't do. It's disconcerting to watch your outline crumble before your eyes. But trust me: don't panic. Resist the urge to pull a page one re-write--that's what May is for. Definitely resist the urge to quit altogether. Remember that there is a reason you wanted to tell this story. When you just don't think you can write another word, take a breath, relax and don't panic. 

• Don't keep it under your hat: In the beginning I kept my script writing goal to myself. Only my mother and my closest friend knew. With nobody to hold me accountable, my page count heading in to week two was roughly 3 pages. During week two, I told anyone who would listen. I put it on my facebook. I tweeted about it. I made daily (sometimes hourly) page count updates on my twitter. That writer I asked for advice? I told him about it too. Heading in to week three, I had 30 pages written. While I'm sure nobody I told would have judged me if I had failed, me putting the information out into the world made me take the challenge more seriously. I didn't want to give up. Not because I worried about disappointing anyone, but because I wanted to make good on the goal I had set for myself. Making public updates also puts your accomplishments in black and white. One day I wrote 14 pages. The next day when the last thing I wanted to do was sit and type, I looked back at the previous day's page count and thought "If I can do a 14 page day, I'm sure I can manage 3". I only managed 2, but 2 is better than zero.

To those of you who finished, congratulations. To those of you who didn't: don't stop just because the frenzy is over. Tell your story. Challenge yourself to finish it in May. Laugh. Cry. Throw up your hands when you hit the plot wall. Promise yourself you'll win next year, but don't beat yourself up if you don't. Script frenzy was the most fun I've had writing in a long time. It's taught me how I work best. It's shown me what methods just don't jive with my style. Most of all, it's reminded me that when I try, I can accomplish something extraordinary. That lesson alone was worth the trial.