Script Frenzy 2009

I won. My script stands at 113 pages (WORD Template) and 102 pages (PDF file – verified).

Mischief Managed.

This was my third Script Frenzy but my first as a Municipal Liaison. I posted something similar to this on the Municipal Liaison’s forum yesterday. We did not have large numbers but you ARE out there and I thank you for participating. Know that I have stickers just waiting for you. You know who you are. I know who you are too – YOU are scribes, playwrights and writers. You ROCK. Although we didn’t have large numbers in the South Jersey area this time out I had the opportunity to network with some really great North Jersey people and I look forward to the chance to do it all again next year for Script Frenzy 2010.

My plan for next year includes putting out my feelers, finding and networking with a Municipal Liaison for the Philadelphia area while nurturing an interest here in Southern New Jersey via schools (any teachers out there interested in having their class participate in 2010? Just give me a call) and local media outlets.

30 Days, 100 Pages – Are you in? Think about it. It just may be time to stop watching and to start doing. This year was great but next year – the sequel – is gonna be jaw dropping.

So How Are Things with YOU?

Gentle Reader, it’s been too long. My time has been drawn to Script Frenzy recently and I have not had a chance to write a decent blog entry. That’s ok though; please take heart in knowing that progress is being made (34 pages as of right now 8:32 PM) and that other amazing and cool things have been happening – such as Geocaching.

This past weekend we (the EC-5) had a blast. We went places and saw things and learned things that we just never knew about the South Jersey area. That is just plain cool. We saw the oldest house in Atlantic County, learned about the woman who repelled the English Navy at Beasley’s Point and discovered the Clara Glen Pet Cemetery in Lynwood. There are about 3,800 animals buried there and it 2 plus acres are hidden by suburban “progress”. Very cool though – if it hasn’t been in Weird NJ yet then it should be.

Well, I’ll talk soon; right now I have to get back to writing my script.

Talk care!

This Mystery Man’s Kung-Fu is Good

Gentle Reader, submitted for your approval: http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/. If you have an interest in film and in writing for them then you owe it to yourself to visit this blog, soak in what you read there and check out his Writer’s Resources section. There is a wealth of information to be found here.

I read about his blog while checking out Ain’t It Cool News a few weeks back. Harry had posted something about a long conversation between three filmmakers (Kasdan, Lucas & Spielberg) and how “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was birthed. It is a great read, which can be found here: http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html.

I post the Mystery Man’s blog because I think that you just might find something that you read there helpful for YOUR Script Frenzy (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/). There are some nice little resources out on the net and this blog is a gold mine for anyone who wants to learn the craft of writing for the movies.

April is just 4 days away. 30 Days, 100 Pages, Are YOU in? I am and I wouldn’t mind some company.

A Poet and Didn’t Know It

GACK! That’s a horrible title for a blog. More importantly – yesterday was a blast!

“Why’s that?”

I’ll tell you all about it – you see, Gentle Reader I had the pleasure of meeting, listening to, and performing with a large community (I’d say of about 24 souls) of poets / musicians / artists right here (in the South Jersey area) at Bogart’s Books and Coffee (http://www.bogartsbookstore.com/). The talent there just blew my socks off. Which is exactly what I told them when it was my turn to perform “Script Frenzy – The Poem”. Now I have never participated in a “poetry slam” before so it was uncharted waters for yours truly. It went well, very well; in fact it was a blast. That community of artists that I mentioned at the beginning is also, apparently, quite forgiving. I am truly looking forward to next months gathering. Ms. Rita Lyman is the master of ceremonies and what a wonderful job she does. The group meets every third Sunday so if you are at Third Friday celebration know that Sunday afternoon is going to be cool too.

That’s not all. The poetry group formed a few years ago to support a 30-day poetry-writing event; POEWAR (I think); and they have been meeting ever since. Ms. Lyman as I was stepping down from the microphone mentioned that some of the group also participates in something called, “NANOWRIMO”. She pronounced it “Na No REE Mo” – I’ve always said, “Na No RYE Mo”. At the end of the day we’re both right; Potatoes – Potatoes. Still hearing it made me smile.

“No Way!” I said, “This (meaning Script Frenzy) is from the same people!” We were no longer poets or playwrights at that moment – we were writers. There are more of us here than I was aware of and that makes this particular purveyor of chicken scratch quite happy. I do believe some writers will be joining the Frenzy. So thank you to Bogart’s and thanks to Ms. Lyman.

I can’t wait for next time.

Stage VS Screen

I saw a snotty tee shirt once that read, “Film is Art, Theater is Life and TV is Furniture”. In my humble opinion, wearing something like that puts you at the head of the class when it comes to snobbery. Do not pass go – collect your more cultured than thou existence and go straight to… jail.

“Why don’t you like that? It’s witty enough and I’ve read this blog before – you have your own set of snobbish ways too, Evil Chicken!”

Guilty as charged and why that very well may be the case, Gentle Reader, please allow me to say right off the bat I find that tee shirt exclusive, a little myopic and heavily weighted down by a boatload of pride. “Why?” It’s because story is the key. I don’t care what venue it takes. Serve the story. However it manifests itself.

That being said please allow me to share a dilemma with you; I don’t know what format I’m going to write yet for this April’s Script Frenzy – screenplay or play. Now, let me just say, I am comfortable with the screenplay format. Not that I’m a whiz by any stretch of the imagination; no. I just have a working familiarity with that process. I’ve written them before or had a hand in writing them. Now I’ve written puppet plays but I’ve always used the screenplay as my canvas (man, that sounds pompous – I’m sorry). To date I have never written a PLAY in standard format. April’s Script Frenzy may be my chance to change all that.

What to do… what to do?

This may not sound like a big deal but it could spell the difference between victory (100 pages by the end of April) and defeat. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve got to do some research; dust off my old Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller books/plays. It’s always good to look before you leap. Hey, if worse comes to worse I’ve got my tried and true Screenplay formatting to fall back on… right?

Oh well. I’ll decide sooner or later. One thing that I could stand in April is some company. I hear that “Misery” loves it! No pressure or anything but April is Script Frenzy (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/) and NOW may be YOUR time to shine.

Think about it.

Script Frenzy 2009

30 days. 100 pages. April. Are you in?

Well, you could be. I make mention of this writing exercise now because I would like you to consider joining me in writing a screenplay in the month of April. I figure now is as good a time as any to make the offer so here it is. Script Frenzy is from the same people who bring us NaNoWriMo every November, the Office of Letters and Light. Submitted for your approval, check out http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/. Poke around long enough and you’ll find the following:

Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants attempt the daring feat of writing 100 pages of scripted material in the month of April. As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or "best" scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages is victorious and awe-inspiring and will receive a handsome Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact.
Even those who fall short of the word goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt. Really, you have nothing to lose—except that nagging feeling that there's a script inside you that may never get out.

The 5 Basic Rules of Script Frenzy

1) To be crowned an official Script Frenzy winner, you must write a script (or multiple scripts) of at least 100 total pages and verify this tally on ScriptFrenzy.org.

2) You may write individually or in teams of two. Writer teams will have a 100-page total goal for their co-written script or scripts.

3) Script writing may begin no earlier than 12:00:01 AM on April 1 and must cease no later than 11:59:59 PM on April 30, local time.

4) You may write screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels, or any other type of script your heart desires.

5) You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun.

Of those 5 Basic Rules, number 5 is a must.

“But I’ve never done anything like that. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Well, you’ve got to start somewhere and worrying is bad for your health. Don’t worry; there is helpful advice on the site for whatever genre that you decide on writing. There is support & instruction, there are screenplay programs to download & use for your script too. Perhaps writing a screenplay is something that you’ve always wanted but you felt that you just didn’t have the time to do it. Well in April your time has come.

“What software, if any, would I use?”

Well that’s a good question and the answers are circular; use what is the best tool for you. I’m not a professional writer but I have played with some of their tools. I’ve used “Screenwriter 2000”, dabbled briefly with “Final Draft”, and wrote a script once with “Celtx”. These days when I want to bring out the guns for a screenplay, script or puppet-script I just fire up my Screenplay Template from Microsoft and I’m off to the races. Since I’m addicted to “WORD” anyway it makes a nice even flow. You can score a copy of that template here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?qu=screenplay&sc=4&av=TPL if you so desire. Script Frenzy has several free programs that you could use and discounts on “Final Draft” if you just have to spend money. The choice is up to you. As for yours truly, the Screenplay Template for Microsoft WORD is the weapon of choice.

“I’m still not convinced.”

That’s OK. This is something that I find particularly cathartic; writing. Perhaps you will as well. Yes, now it may seem foreign and be outside of your comfort zone but come April and YOU are writing YOUR script, telling YOUR story the exercise becomes more tangible. You walk into the month of April someone who has ideas and creative possibilities swimming in your head and you walk out of April as a writer who has just completed his/her first draft of a screenplay. You did it. Congratulations writer!

“It can’t be that easy – what’s the catch?”

This will be the third Script Frenzy that I will participate in. The only catches in this process are the internal ones that you will have to answer for yourself, writer. Consider this; you like a good story don’t you? Sure you do. Haven’t you ever found yourself screaming at the TV after watching a goofy show or after renting an expectation crushing DVD from Blockbuster, “That really STUNK! I know I could do better.” Are you sick and tired of the rehashing of tired storytelling in most Hollywood productions? Yeah? Well, do something about it! It’s time to fire back at Hollywood and April is your time to shine.

Script Frenzy, as is the case with all of the writing projects from the Office of Letters and Light, is an exercise in creativity. It’s free, by the way, and they hold non-profit organization status. You can donate if you want but it’s not required. Remember, you are writing the first draft of a script. It’s a FIRST DRAFT so you don’t need to get hung up on if your T’s are crossed or if you transitions in and out are the industry standard. Just write it. Have fun with it. Tell your story. You can do it. I know you can.

30 days. 100 pages. April. GO!

The Frenzy is Over

As I type this Script Frenzy 2008 is rapidly coming to a close. Bad Wolf and I crossed the finish line (100 pages in 30 days) in the nick of time.

It took us longer than expected due to unforeseen commitments that arose during the month of April but it is finished. The majority of the script I’m very proud of. The stuff that I’m not so fond of we'll fix next month.

Hold on a tick… It’s 11:59.

Wait for it… Wait for it…

BAM! It’s midnight. It’s May first.

Bad Wolf and I will make our fixes this month. It has been a joy and honor writing with my daughter. I’m looking forward to “Tales of the Astounding – Volume TWO”.

Rock on kid.

For further information please see: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/. Thanks once more to the Office of Letters and Light the non-profit that sponsors this as well as NaNoWriMo. It’s been way too much fun!

Script Frenzy 2008 – It’s ON Now!

Gentle Reader, Script Frenzy 2008 is underway and Bad Wolf (Chick 1.0) and yours truly are up and running. For all the gory details of what Script Frenzy is check this out: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2008/03/script-frenzy-2008.html or just click the link to the left under “Evil Chicken’s Favorite Places”.

So what are we doing? Our genre is Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Our script type is Screenplay. Our title is, “Tales of the Astounding – Volume One”. If we were pitching it we would say that it would be “Twilight Zone – the Movie” meets “Creepshow”. We are only three days into it but the process has been too much fun. We are having a blast and, I gotta be honest with ya, writing with my daughter has been an absolute joy.

For those of you out there who write you know the sensation of being in “The Zone”. That place where you are fleshing out characterization of the people in the worlds that you are seeing, listening to their voices, walking in their shoes; basically documenting all that your are told – all that you observe. Beware to any and all who knock on the writer’s door when they are in The Zone.

We are in The Zone and that is a wonderful place to be.

And Now… Haiku

There’s a Haiku game going on over at the boards of Script Frenzy. What’s Script Frenzy? Well here’s their website… www.scriptfrenzy.org. I mentioned it before on Chicken Scratch (check out the 4/14/07, blog entry).

Why Haiku? Hey – why not?

Twenty Thousand Words
There are Thirty Days in June
Time to Start Typing

That’s Quite a Deadline
I Know It Can Be Done
Coffee is Our Friend

Format? Worry Not
Not as Daunting as it Sounds
You’ll Write a Screenplay!

The Month is Looming
You May Not Have Done So Yet
But You Can Do It

So there you have it; encouragement in Haiku. Gentle reader, what do you say? Are you in or are you out? It’s a great concept and how many people do you know who write screenplays or plays in a month’s time? If you enjoy writing and having fun assembling plot lines and dialogue, then this is for you.

Yours truly, Evil Chicken, highly recommends it. Step out of your comfort zone, do some gymnastics with your word processor and become a screenwriter! You may walk out of the month of June a playwright and just how cool is that?

Very cool, gentle reader; very cool indeed.

Oh My Stars and Garters

I wasn’t a fan of the first Fantastic Four movie BUT this…

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/fantasticfourriseofthesilversurfer/trailer-medium.html

looks amazing.

In other news… Script Frenzy (www.scriptfrenzy.org) should go live at midnight… Theoretically. Hey, if you’ve ever wanted to write a script or a play JUNE is the time. Get yer outlines together and join in on the insanity.

It’ll do you good.

Script Frenzy

New from the creators of NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/), National Novel Writing Month comes a new creative challenge SCRIPT FRENZY (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/). What’s the challenge? Good question, Gentle Reader. Here are the…

5 BASIC RULES OF SCRIPT FRENZY

1. To be crowned an official Script Frenzy winner, you must write a script of at least 20,000 words and verify this word count on ScriptFrenzy.org.

2. You may write individually or in teams of two. Writer teams will have a 20,000 total word goal for their single co-written script.

3. Script writing may begin no earlier than 12:01 AM on June 1 and must cease no later than 11:59 PM on June 30, local time.

4. You may write either a screenplay or a stage play.

5. You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun.

And there you have it. Check out their teaser site for the FAQ.

So Gentle Reader who wants to write a Script or a Play? I know for a fact that there are some amazingly creative types who are reading this right now. You can do it. I kid you not. There is a pretty interesting group of writers out there too, believe it or not, right here in South Jersey. Who knows – we just may meet up one day at a Boarders, Barnes & Noble or coffee shop to discuss our progress on our latest projects. Stay tuned. I haven’t fully committed to this yet but I have signed up for updates. One way or another I guarantee it will be a boatload of fun.