The Point Of It All

Because I'm an idiot who has just had nine days off work and thought he was due into today, when in actual fact I'm not due in until tomorrow...(bloody 15 minute walk, 10 minute train journey,another ten minute walk and then do it all over again for nothing... mumble grumble)... I was up earlyenough to get my arse into gear and get some work done. Proper work, not that stuff I actually get paid for, but writing.

The last week has been ace for many a reason, but one of the best is amount of writing I have managed to get done, both physically, ala actual typing at this computer, and mentally, the amount of shit i have managed to get noted down, planned, blocked out and most importantly thought about. Its been ace, and having an extra day of it has been awesome.

I am now well into the first act of The Girl At The Centre of Creation, an idea I had a few years ago. Its developed into something pretty cool, cooler than I could have imagined at the time of coming up with it. Its still basically the same story, good versus evil, but I have been doing some research into Omega Point theory and string theory and whole bunch of crazy science theories that have set my brain running wild with story possibilities. It has given this story of good versus evil and whole new canvas to play on.

Its about a 30 year old woman who works in a book store. Her husband wants a divorce, she still loves him, this divorce has come completely out of the blue. Her boss hates her, sick of her drama and she has just been in a pretty horrendous bus crash, and just like Bruce Willis in Unbreakable, hasn't got a mark on her. That's pretty much the first act there. Its coming on nicely.

One thing that has benefitted this new script is the work I have been doing with Dan Gitsham whom I shared an eventful university experience with, whom i have worked on a few shorts at said uni with and co wrote a short called Insides. We are collaborating on a short film project that was born out of few emails back and forth shunting ideas about. The current work we are doing on this project is character and backstory and its amazing how well it has opened my brain and mademe realise that I don't really know my characters very well at all until i get to know them.I know that sounds dumb, but the amount of times i think its fine to throw myself into a script knwoing them in my head and writing a substandard script that mainly falls down on character is ridiculous. So yeah, usually i go in having met my characters, shaken hands with them and then think i can write their fucking life stories. Again, i know its obvious, but you really truely need to get to know them before you can write them. I'm usually pretty bad at all the prep work that goes into a script. i get anxious and impatient, i want to tell the story and tell it NOW! But this collaborative work Dan and I have been doing has been awesome.