This Machine Kills Fascists

A story could have many different outlets.

I read an essay that playwright Marsha Norman wrote, basically saying that if you can express a story to somebody and all that means in a telephone conversation, then you should just do that. Don’t write a play or screenplay. Just call somebody.

(I’m paraphrasing here.)

If the story warrants the amount of time and depth, and it must be expanded into something larger, then by all means, get to it. But not everything has to be an opus. Some of the best poems are only a few lines long, after all.

That’s why I wonder sometimes if I should just quit writing plays and screenplays and try to write folk songs.

Really.

Folk songs can brilliantly convey story and depth in the span of a few minutes. And people are more likely to give you three minutes of their time to listen to the melody of a folk song then they are to sit in a darkened room with you for two hours.

Maybe its just because this guitar I want to buy inspires me to write folk songs.

I don’t know.

But I’ll say this…I’m glad it’s Friday.

(By the way, that title was the words on Woody Gutrie's guitar...)

Daddy Wants a New Axe for Xmas

I was at the guitar store the other day and I've been debating a purchase on a new guitar (deciding between a Takamine and a Martin). I'm actually pretty sure I want to get the Takamine, actually. It just feels right and sounds great.

It's not that I don't love my Yamaha, because I actually really dig the warm sound and tone, but I want something that is also acoustic/electric and is also just slightly better...as in solid back and front and overall craftmanship.

But oddly enough, I watched that live video of Glen Hansard from their ONCE promo performance and his guitar is almost the SAME MODEL. Okay, his is older and pretty beat up--err, much loved...but the design so similar it's just plain eerie. Mine is a cutaway and I think that's the only difference in the look of it.

Here's a video of him telling the story of how he got the guitar.

FADE OUT

And so the screenplay is done. Finished as of Saturday. Clocked in at 109 pages.
The title is back to T.Y.A. I don’t know…I just can’t crack this title thing. They’re so elusive.

The script isn’t quite perfect, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed to hand it to anyone to read. (And that’s saying a lot, actually, as I hardly let anyone read raw stuff. It’s just too painful for them and me.) There are many moments that seem fresh and original, especially some of the ones based on real incidents. I can honestly say, “I’ve never seen a movie like this before…”

So now what?

I’ll let it sit for a month or two, then get back to it. Chances are good another rewrite and/or polish will be in store. And that’s okay.

Meanwhile, I move on to my next project.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Eat some turkey!

Or if you're a vegetarian...some tofurky!

I'm so there!

This ain't yo mama's biopic...


I almost forgot!

Aside from eating Turkey, the other exciting thing I'll be doing this weekend is checking out the new movie based on the many lives of Bob Dylan, I'M NOT THERE, directed by Todd Haynes.

If you liked Julie Taymor's ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, then you'll probably dig this. Of course, if you're like my mom and you hate Bob Dylan's music and find his lyrics random , you may want to pass. Because the movie unravels like a great Dylan song, rich in metaphor but short on explanation. (But hey maybe you like watching a movie in confusion thinking, "wait, there's a black kid playing Dylan...?" Or "I can't tell what time period we're suppossed to be in..."

Read about it here.

Here's the trailer.

Almost Done

My 21 day journey began earlier this month and the time has really flown by. There was something I just read in this book by Vicki King: that whatever time you give yourself to write a screenplay is the time you will take. In other words if you say you’ll write something in 21 days you can do it. If you say you’ll write something in a year, then that’s how long it will take you. Neither time schedule is better. Some stories take a long time to put down on paper. Some don’t.

Edward Albee claims that he never rewrites. He sits down and a play emerges from him, like giving birth. He works it out in his head (which in itself is really just rewriting without pen and paper) and then starts typing.

As quoted from a recent NY Times article by Jesse Green:

One day he finds himself “knocked up” with a play that had been gestating unbeknownst. Then he merely “delivers” or transcribes it, pretty much intact.
“Literally?” I wondered.

“Creativity is magic,” he said, “don’t examine it too closely.”

Personally, I find it hard to believe.

I’m not saying it’s not true. It's just hard to imagine anyone being that good. The only other person I can think of who did that was Mozart. But Albee is one of the best playwrights in America working today (The Play About the Baby, Three Tall Women, The Goat, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?...I mean, c'mon...)so honestly I don’t really care how he says he does it. I’m just glad he does it. And I like the idea that there is a certain magic behind creativity (perhaps its this magic that so baffles those who don’t practice the “arts”, like say…producers).

But I don’t work that way and most writers I’ve talked to don’t. So that’s reassuring.

Here are a few changes that have been made to my script since the rough draft:

Title of “TYA” to “The Honeysuckle Tour” to “Honeysuckle Road” to “Making Time”.
(and yes, I still don’t think that title “pops” and says, “hey watch me!”)

What was 126 pages is now 108 (on the light side maybe?)

Not all of the rewrites were cuts—I’ve added several scenes, between Jack and Eric, between Courtney & Eric, etc.

Added scene of Jack falling asleep at the wheel—hence he doesn’t get to drive the van anymore…

Weak opening is now stronger active image (monologue from the protagonist is now a visual image showing his compulsive behavior).

New favorite lines:

Courtney: “Whatever. It’s not sexual harassment if you’re in the theatre.”

Jack: “People say we live in a male dominated world. I have yet to find the proof.”

Jack again: “If we wanted easy, we wouldn’t be show people.”

So what’s the plan now? I have done my major rewrites and now need to finish with some minor tweaks in the third act (pps 90-120). Then I have my “closing ceremonies”. And I take a break and eat some turkey.

A month or so from now I’ll read through the script and see what glaring ugliness there might be and do my best to beautify it.

I'm looking forward to going back to writing some plays. Or rewrite some plays. Theater is my first love. Screenplays are really just a diversion. Who else but a writer would procrastinate from writing by writing in some other medium? We are crazy.

Here’s this lovely quote from Albee about theatre:

“Theater should be a tough experience like anything else, but it also has the responsibility not to be boring.”

Well said.

Race to the finish

So at this point we're almost done. What are we at? Day 19? (Actually I'm a day or two behind, I think...So it's probably Day 17 or 18).

Almost the entire script has been rewritten in some way. I’d say only about 30% of the original "random draft" is still in intact at this point, which is probably pretty high, actually. There will be more rewriting as I tweak and polish certain scenes. I’m still not completely happy with my ending (seems too “Hollywood”), but until I get some better ideas, I’m just going to leave it be. It's not that it doesn't work, it just could work a lot better--it's not very surprising or fun and thus not completely satisfactory.

Tonight and tomorrow I will continue to polish. Time to cut, cut, cut. Change dialogue into something more smooth and quick. Or just make it funny. Find the pacing of the movie and get rid of anything that slows it down (even if I like it).

Weatherman have it sooooo easy here...

Little known factoid of the day...

The rom-com Adam Sandler pic 50 First Dates, written by Pacific Northwest scribe George Wing, was originally set in the Puget Sound area. It’s seems perfect for a character who wakes up with no memory and every day is the same day for her. Because in Seattle, this could work. Every day could be grey overcast with temperaturas around 50 degrees. Or maybe there’s some sunshine. But mostly its gray overcast.

I recently thought about writing a movie about Seattle with Seattle characters, but I can’t get past the gloominess and all I’ve got are depressing stories (with Chekhovian characters).

There’s a reason Adam Sandler moved the location from Seattle to Hawaii. For one, if you had the choice of shooting on location in Hawaii or Seattle, which place would you rather go to? Second, sunshine creates laughter much easier than rain. And third, no one wants to watch 90 minutes of grey. Especially for a pick me up feel-good movie.

Anyway, my rewriting is feeling a little slumped. I’ve pushed back the deadline slightly and will finish it on Saturday. I have some major work to do on the last 30 pages and then some tweaking. And then I’m calling it quits for awhile.

Check out this insightful video of the key moments and history of the WGA.

Consistency is Key

Last night I did extra work so I could take a day off tonight. Also, I’m going to see American Buffalo at Theater Schmeater and then seeing Dog Park again (its so funny!).

The rewrites on pages 60-75 went well, so I kept working up until about page 90. I made a few additions, cut a scene, and reworked two scenes into one. The script is finding a good pace and gathers momentum nicely. It’s safe to say that I’m pleased and feeling “dandy”.

Does it have a few holes or problems still? Oh, yeah. But I'm ignoring them right now the same way I ignore that my ears are too big for my face when I look in the mirror in the morning.

I must say, though, I’m having doubts about this whole “writing a script in 21 days” thing. Part of it is that I do believe a writer needs some distance and time to pause and reflect upon his/her pages. Often it’s this time away that allows you to see where the writing could be improved. This could be a day, a week, or a month. At then end of the 21 days, I am going to take a month or two off and then sit down and reread the entire script through. Then we’ll see how it stands.

I'm still in the “this is brilliant!” phase of writing. And let’s face it, initially you need an ego like Zeus hurling lightning bolts to muster the courage to put words on the page. There's not time to reflect about whether or not its’ good. But when you’re rewriting, this all-powerful feeling ain’t so helpful.

To be fair, some of it could be brilliant. I’ll give myself a little credit. But, not every single word. That just doesn’t happen. And part of rewriting is discovering the difference. Experience has taught me that months down the line, it becomes easier to look back and whittle away the crap.

But I do say this about my little experiment...It’s planted my butt in the chair and had me writing at a consistent time every day and/or night. Usually my schedule is erratic. I try to put in ten to fifteen hours a week writing (notice the "try"...means I don't have to if I don't feel like...). But lately I've had a schedule and I've kept to it. Sure, my workouts have suffered. Sure, I have no social life (never really had one, anyway). Sure, my golf swing has suffered. But I find now that when I sit down to write it doesn’t take as much time for the brain to “get back into it” and get the writing flowing again.

And its making me write in this blog every day which is itself a fun exercise in shaping my thoughts into coherent words.

So lesson here is write at the same time every day. Make it an appointment you keep with yourself. Even if its just for an hour or even ten minutes. You’ll find it gets easier the more ya do it.

Who was the writer who said, “no day without a line”? I think it was Homer. (No, not the Simpson.)

Yeah, hi...Um...Did ya get the memo?

So we watched a little bit of the classic movie Office Space last night. Not only surprised to see that Gary Cole strikes a resemblance to our friend Malcolm, but also my job is feeling more and more like that movie...

If you haven't seen that movie (what, do you live in a cave?) then shame on you! Run down to the video store and rent it. Get some comedy.

But the rewriting went well last night. I must've hit my stride in pages 45-60. Some funny stuff. I think it might go downhill from there. Tonight might be rough.

Oh, check out this fun video (if you like The Daily Show, which I do...) which has the writers p.o.v. on the stike.

Stuck in the middle with you...

The rewrites of pages 30-45 went well last night.

I mean, relatively speaking to how poorly it went the night before.

But at page 30 my characters are starting to become more three-dimensional. They sound like actual real-life people talking for themselves, not just uttering dialogue I'm trying to cram through their lips. In fact, they even surprise me with some of their actions and words. That’s a good feeling. And knowing that its there in that section means it can be there in the first 30 pages, or elsewhere. Because all the pages need to have that kind of energy and freshness. But it takes a lot of hard work and time to get it there....

By the way, for those that haven't written a screenpaly before or are slightly confused on the different sections (or beats or sequences or whatever), here's an explanation of what should be happening in pages 30-45. See the first 30 pages propels the protaganist (the main hero) out of a comfort zone and sets him/her on their incredible journey. We have stasis and some intrusion and some big question that gets posed (What do you mean, ghost of my dead father king, you mean Claudius poisoned my father before he married my mother? Oh, villain, damned smiling villain!)

In my movie, my hero takes the job on the childrens theater tour and meets the leading lady. On page 30 is the beginning of Act II. There is a big event, which causes the protag to act and react and start his journey towards…whatever…In this case, its the beginning of his relationship with the leading lady. He's taking steps towards the final outcome. Taking risks he otherwise wouldn't have taken. In my script, he falls off a stage and breaks his arm, causing him to have to let others do stuff for him--this is a big deal for a stage manager who likes to be doing everything himself.

Now sometimes this big event comes earlier or later but usually its around page 30 (or within 30 minutes).

Hey kids! Here's a fun activity! Next time you're at the movies, bring your glow-in-the-dark digital watch. When that first huge event happens, check the time on your watch. What does it say? 27 minutes? 32 minutes. Wow! That's fun!

On another note, after I finish this 21 day experiment, it’s going to be pencils down for me (at least for screenplays). Most of the strike coverage (or lack of) and the misunderstandings about why the WGA is striking is really starting to piss me off.

I’m with my tribe in solidarity. Time to work on my plays instead for awhile till it all gets worked out. Hopefully soon.

The Suckage Continues...

Rewriting is not fun. I had a crappy weekend of reworking sludge into different sludge.

Maybe I should just stop writing, put my pencils down, be on strike like all the other WGA members.

Here's some of the cast from Reno 911. I love their advice to "go see some plays".



Yes, that strike thing is going on. And if you’re not aware, the labor unions on Broadway are striking, too. Totally seperate issues, but really its the same old story. Guess what the producers are saying about them? Yep. They’re so bratty. They’re spoiled. They’re acting like children…Those greedy bastards want to be paid fairly. Who do they think they are?

But who’s really got the big houses and paychecks?

It ain’t the writers and it ain’t the stagehands.

It’s the producers. Mainly, the corporations. I’m not big on corporations, especially having worked for a few of the big ones.

Seriously, read this:

http://murderati.typepad.com/murderati/2007/11/surrendering-am.html

And if you don’t know what residuals are or why they’re important, read John’s blog.

So what can you do?

Don't buy any DVDs. Don't download any movies or TV from iTunes or anywhere else. Make a small contribution. Because the 10 or 20 bucks you're spending on that downloaded movie is taking money out of a writer's pocket.

And really if you're taking money from one writer, you're contributing to how all writers are getting screwed. That includes me.

Please don't take money out of my pocket.

Please. Thank you.

Watching the movie in my head

Today I read through my "random draft". Out loud. Nonstop.

Other than the fact that I'm not a good enough actor to read all the parts, some of it wasn't too bad. A lot of it sucked. But not all of it.

There is a movie there.

Some parts of the movie are downright fun. Some sweet. Some of it is really boring. What was once only in my head exists now on paper. I gotta say, that's pretty cool. I'm going to enjoy that accomplishhment, at least for the day.

But I gotta say, writing this draft so fast like that...a lot of it is really honest. There's a lot of me in the main character, which usually doesn't happen. I mean, when you're writing, most of the time you're writing about yourself, but this time I'm really focusing on an aspect of myself (especially the stage manager persona I created while on tour). And although there's a lot of fictional circumstances--okay, most of it is fiction--there are somethings that did happen, albeit not exactly the way it happens in the script.

For instance, I did fall off a stage into the orchestra pit and break my arm. Not for the love of a woman, but still...

So okay, now that I see what I got. Time to rewrite. I'll go get my shovel and some scissors...

To dig through the crap and cut stuff out...

And on the 7th Day...

He rested.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And caught up on the latest news of the WGA strike at these wonderful links:

http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/


http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?WGA

And here's a wonderful video presentation of why they're striking (for all of you who are feeling pissed off that you won't be able to see any new Daily Show or Scrubs anytime soon...)

And I'm spent...!

Holy crap. I finished the draft and I’m exhausted. Last night was the final dash and its clocked in at 126 pages. The ending is rushed, but at least there is an ending.

At several points during the writing I had to fight back the negative blocks of thought, such as “Boy, this really sucks…”

Today I rest. Tomorrow I read the suckage. Then Saturday I rewrite the sucking into something wonderful.

Until then I’ll read the trades about the ongoing strike.

Oh, I found this from John August’s website. This comes from Josh’s blog and it sums up the WGA strike quite nicely.

AMPTP: Wow, Ms. Prostitute. That was some great sex we just had.
PROSTITUTE: Thanks, AMPTP John. That'll be three hundred dollars.
AMPTP: You're kidding. I'm not paying you.
PROSTITUTE: What?
AMPTP: I paid you three hundred dollars for sex last week. I consider this promotional.

For more info on the strike and the writers go to www.unitedhollywood.com.

The Blank Stare

Last night I felt like banging my head on the desk.

I just couldn’t get started. I stared at the screen, as if anticipation for the characters to tell me what it is they were suppossed to do. I read over my pages from the day before. "Talk to me!" I thought. "Keep it going..." I had my outline. I knew what needed to happen. But still, I stared and stared, the light of the screen drying out my eyeballs.

But then something happened.

I said, “Ah, screw it” and just started writing something…anything…I told myself I needed to get some pages and it didn’t matter if the pages get cut later or not. Who cares if its good? Just get it down.

So I did.

And after about five pages of crap, I started to get into it and plunged into scenes I knew I had to write (scenes I was probably avoiding).

So the lesson here is sometimes, you just have to keep going, whether you feel like it or not. Because that's what writers do. They write.

By the way...didn't I say earlier how somewhere near p. 90 the other psychological hurdle comes into play? Well, there it is...or there it went, actually.

(Page count is now 110 —we are WAY overwriting…I figure when I go back to rewrite I will cut about thirty to forty pages, at least.)

Tonight I finish the draft. Whoohoooo!

The Journey is the destination

Writing is a process.

This is an obvious statement when you’re in the middle of the first draft.

Par for the course (I just love golf clichés), I am overwriting and am now at page 94. But that’s okay because I’m discovering so much about my characters. Of the four main characters, all but one are taking on a life of their own. That’s not bad for now and I know I can go back and develop all the characters further. The beautiful thing is that they are starting to surprise me, and new ideas are popping up that hadn’t occurred to me and that’s going to make the script more lively (I hope).

It’s ironic that I’m essentially writing another road movie, on the heels of Tangled Up in Bob. It’s like I got a do-over on that sub-genre. Which is good, because I’ve already written up cliché situations already in that other script—so I won’t rely on the standard “car breaking down” or “pulled over by cops” etc. Instead, the story is about the actors and the show they’re doing, and the different venues they find themselves in. As well as the main love story.

I think I’m just having more fun with this one, too. And that’s always nice.

Still going...

While everyone else goes on STRIKE!

I keep working.

As of yesterday I now have 76 pages.

I’m a little ahead of myself as I'm only supposed to have 60 (actually, I just have a tendency to overwrite since all the same events are there in the rough outline, just on the wrong pages…well, that’s my story I’m sticking to it!).

Here's one of my favorite lines so far:

“I love vomit. Especially as a fashion choice.”

Okay, it’s not “You had me at hello…” but still…little remarks like that make me smile.

But considering it’s the first draft, it'll probably be cut or rewritten anyway.

I could take a break tonight, but I have another 15 pages to write…

Then it’s the home stretch.

A few ways to procrastinate

Yesterday went well (we’re at 50 pages in the rough draft). Today is the next 15 pages (pps 45-60). After today I’ll have completed half the draft! Whoohoo!

This progress is being made despite my tendency for distraction…

When you are blocked, you may find these activities of procrastination helpful:

Checking email.

Writing emails to people you haven’t heard from in months.

Reading the online news.

Reading a script that is similar to yours.

Watching the first ten minutes of a movie in the genre you’re writing (doesn’t even have to be a good movie—I watched Adam Sandler’s 50 First Dates).

Scouring through your iTunes to find songs that you think might be on the soundtrack of the movie you’re writing.

Searching on the internet for the chords & lyrics of those songs to play them on the guitar

Google-ing yourself.

Writing in your blog.

Long Day's Journey...

So last night’s opening of DOG PARK went swimmingly! Yeah!

But now that I didn’t do any pages last night I have to do some make up today…so I have twenty pages plus another fifteen…so this entry will be short so I can get back to work…

Have a good weekend!

FADE IN

Getting started is one of the most difficult tasks of writing.

It’s this huge psychological wall you have to climb over. Once you get started you can say to yourself, “well, I’m in it now…gotta keep going...”. And you’re fine, until about page 90 or so when the other psychological block hits you of…”Oh my god, I’m almost finished with this draft…then what do I do?”

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Having a great idea for a movie or play is never enough. Ask some stranger on the street if he or she has an idea for a movie and they will most undoubtedly reply, “Well, let me tell you about it…”

But they don’t sit and write it down.

And let’s face it, sitting down to write 120 pages of a movie is a big commitment. It’s not just 120 pages. It's not just an idea. It’s a story and characters. It's a world. It's usually dealing with personal issues in some kind of public way. And it’s really hard to make it good…

Last night I began my first day on the 21 day journey to write a movie. The first assignment was to write 10 pages or for 2 hours, whichever comes first.

The goal was to just get as much down as possible as quickly as possible. The idea here is not to over think it or get blocked. I cheated a little and wrote too much, which I figure is not a bad thing…I got sixteen pages (which when cut down probably will be more like 5 anyway…) I discovered a few things about the story and characters I didn’t know. There’s a ton of stuff yet that’s still a complete mystery. But then if I already knew everything about the story, what would be the point of writing it?

Tonight I’m supposed to write another 20 pages thus completing the first act (the first 30 pages) of the rough draft (which this author is calling the “random draft”).

But…

My play DOG PARK opens tonight (hence my doggy photo for today), so I may have to do two days work on Saturday to make up for my not doing any pages today. The Mamet Schmamet show isn’t until 11 pm and won’t be over till after 12:30 or so. I really don’t want to stay up till 2 am to get my work done. I’ll just do all the work on Saturday.

I’m just too darn excited about the show tonight. I’ve got some friends coming and I know its going to be good and funny… And I admit it…I like to see my work done well. It feels me with pride that my work can be done well and also that these actors and the director put so much work into it. And they did. And I’m soooooo grateful for that.

So happy opening to the cast & crew of Mamet Schmamet!

BREAK A LEG!

Puttin' my hat on and gettin' to work!

Today is the Day

I'm going to put my writer hat on my head.

(Yes, Virginia, writers do exist!)

I’m ignoring the potential WGA strike by doing this, not that this matters much to me since I'm not yet a member of WGA...(sigh)...

(Yes, Virginia writers do write the movies and no, they don't get paid when you download the movie on your iPod.)

November has become National [blank] Writing Month.

It all began with the National Novel Writing Month. Then this included playwrights in the National Playwriting Month .

There’s even one for bloggers, can you believe it?

This means a bunch of workaholics are going to put some things on hold (like their lives) and write a novel/play/blog in one month. They will probably drink a lot of coffee and never sleep and their hands will cramp up typing. They may not even shower or shave. So try to avoid them in public. They may bite if you get too close.

Me. I’m charting a different path for myself.

I’m going to write a screenplay in 21 days.

Seriously.

Why?

Well, I saw this book that was titled “How to Write a Move in 21 Days” by Vicki King. It intrigued me. Can it be done? How?

So I got the book.

As a “how to” book, and especially as a book on dramatic writing, it’s not that great. And trust me, I’ve read a lot of them, for my own personal study and for analyzing whether or not they’d be helpful textbooks for a class.

But it does have a schedule breakdown. As in…Day 1 you do this, then Day 2 you do this…etc. etc. It’s the challenge aspect of this idea that really excites me. I like the idea of having assigments and working under pressure. Sometimes as writers we really need that kick in the butt.

So today I start writing the movie—in fact, Day 1 is to write the first 10 pages. And then by November 22nd I will have a draft of my movie.

Until then, I’m going to be very cranky.

Granted, I’ve already got some of the hard work done. I’ve thought about the story and the characters and have written a short outline of my story. It’s still gestating and the story needs to be rewritten, fooled with, adjusted, etc. I learned a lot writing my last screenplay about how important it is to know what your story is, who it’s about, and where it should begin and end…before you write FADE IN. The writing of the scenes and dialogue is usually pretty easy for me once I get going. Of course, the rewriting of everything afterwards is where it gets difficult.

For instance, creating a logline can go through several revisions. Here’s the original:

“As a touring group of actors perform a children’s play across the nation, they embark on a journey from isolated individuals to forming their own version of a ragtag family truly unique to the theater.”

Okay, not bad. Not great either. I mean, what’s the story? Who is it really about?

I decided it’s really a love story—because everybody loves a love story. It’s a love story of a man and a woman, but it’s also another kind of love story—my love for theatre (good and bad as it is). The latter is hard to convey, but the first is quite easy.

So let me take another stab, this time naming my lead character.

“Eric takes a job as a Stage Manager for a children’s theater tour and falls for one of the lead actresses. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know how to win her heart while they travel on the road, forging new relationships and experience the different cities and towns of America.”

Better, but not quite there. Why does he take the job? What’s her name, for crying out loud and what does she want? And “forging new relationships” just sounds cliché, like something you’d find on a job resume.

So one more try.

“Out of job and running from a disastrous long-term relationship, fledgling film director Eric swears off love forever and flees New York by signing on as Stage Manager of a children’s theater tour. But he falls for Carey, the lead actress, already engaged to a successful dentist and planning to move to L.A. to do TV and film work. Can he win her heart while the show travels through the heartland from theater to small town schools before they return to the city?”

Now, that’s a little bit better. Still not quite there yet but you start to get the idea of what kind of movie this is, who the characters are, and what might be in store.

If I were to make a movie poster slogan, it might go something like this:

“All’s fair in love and children’s theater.”

Or

“Love broke his heart, but his spirit might get mended on the road.”

Yuck. That sounds too sentimental or life-changing.

How about…

“Hell isn’t other people. It’s children’s theater.”

Actually, that last one is pretty catchy, but maybe too intellectual. I’ll keep working on it.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress!

Write on!