Official Writer's Thread (Novel, Short Story, Poetry, Screenplay, etc.)

[Broken Parachute]

I just thought of making a thread for whatever reason. I've always wanted to write a book. I always thought I had so many great ideas but never went through with it because I figured they were too crappy.

Anyone here working on a book, or finish one, or write short stories? Post some so we can read.

[eraserhead]

hahaha i never finish anything I write, even short stories. i'm not a terribly good writer anyways.

[anamericangod]

My shitty memoirs.

[FondestMemory]

i've written my whole life. i'm currently working on a few projects. gonna do them like weekly serials. basically like tv shows, but with 10-15 page installments. just a new issue/episode each week.

there's one that'll be set up pretty much like a tv series, where it's broken into season like stories and continuing. then the others are just single stories that are told over 15-20 installments.

i still have a lot of work to do, and i really don't expect anybody that doesn't know me personally to read it, but it'd be nice to at least have done it.

[IAPAI]

*insert positive encouragement here

[BrokenMirror]

im always having story ideas, most of which i think are at least half decent. im just not disciplined enough to actually get working on them. people say im a good writer, and i suppose i am, and ive always wanted to write a book, but its an incredibly draining experience. ive got pages of story ideas ill probably never use

my current favourite idea is a story about a man who is nobody; he chooses to leave his home country forever and travel the world in search of adventure, love and the happiness he could never find at home. along the way he learns to discard all his fears and preconceptions and live for the moment. however in the spirit of living for the moment he develops a drug addiction which weakens both his body and his will, leaving just as miserable as he was when we set off on his journey. he decides that happiness is an illusion and concludes that life is pointless, thus leading him to take his own life

its a bit more fleshy than that (he falls in love about four times on the way), but thats the basic concept

[chokeychicken]

i used to have a really popular blog that i wrote things on. the most popular thing i ever wrote on there was a 3 part story, totaling about 12 word pages, about when i thought i had testicular cancer. i might post it if i remember.

[bailmeout13]

I am right there with the OP, I would love to try and write a book. I am slowly but surely attempting to do so, I kind of would like to write a children's picture book sometime too. I have a concrete idea for a children's book, just not sure how to write it yet.

[popdisaster00]

I just started writing a screen play. Wish me fuckin' luck :-).

[ACA]

Just write. Like every talent in existence, the more you practice, the better you get. If you get an idea, spend some time writing it down. Do as much as you can.. if you run into a wall, it's no big deal. Maybe you'll even overcome the wall, but if not, it's the process of running into that wall is well worth the experience.

I just wrote a short story I'm actually really proud of; I have a few ideas for a short novel (think Animal Farm length) I'd like to work on, but putting them down is difficult.. I'm going to have to take my own advice and just do it before I lose the ideas/motivation entirely.

-ACA

[Broken Parachute]

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing a Story

Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadism). No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonia).
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach) eat the last few pages.

[Broken Parachute]

Just write. Like every talent in existence, the more you practice, the better you get. If you get an idea, spend some time writing it down. Do as much as you can.. if you run into a wall, it's no big deal. Maybe you'll even overcome the wall, but if not, it's the process of running into that wall is well worth the experience.

I just wrote a short story I'm actually really proud of; I have a few ideas for a short novel (think Animal Farm length) I'd like to work on, but putting them down is difficult.. I'm going to have to take my own advice and just do it before I lose the ideas/motivation entirely.

-ACAI actually like what Chuck Palahniuk said, similar to you. Just write, and if you feel like you have nothing to write about then set an egg timer and write until the timer beeps. Once time is up, you'll be so enveloped in what you're writing that you'll want to write more.

[anamericangod]

I just started writing a screen play. Wish me fuckin' luck :-).

I've been meaning to start mine for awhile. Good luck on yours.

[popdisaster00]

I've been meaning to start mine for awhile. Good luck on yours.
I've had my title page for a week haha. I don't know where to start. I know my story, I know what needs to happen in it...I just have no idea where to start.

[anamericangod]

I've had my title page for a week haha. I don't know where to start. I know my story, I know what needs to happen in it...I just have no idea where to start.

Off the top of my head, I would suggest two things to you.

First, find a screenplay already written. That will give you a good example of how exactly you need to structure things and what goes where. It will be much easier having a frame to put your story into.

Secondly, carry a notepad and pen with you every fucking place you go. Write down every single thought you think about your story and the characters. After a while, those notes will all build up, and they will add even more depth to what you had to begin with. A screenplay should be something that's on your mind all the time, and you'd be surprised at how much you can lose if you forget to take note of it as your brain is processing it.

[WordzandDreamz]

I have about 5 screenplays half written, but I can never seem to finish. I really need to. popdisaster, what do you have going with yours?

[popdisaster00]

First, find a screenplay already written. That will give you a good example of how exactly you need to structure things and what goes where. It will be much easier having a frame to put your story into.

Done, I actually have a few!


Secondly, carry a notepad and pen with you every fucking place you go. Write down every single thought you think about your story and the characters. After a while, those notes will all build up, and they will add even more depth to what you had to begin with. A screenplay should be something that's on your mind all the time, and you'd be surprised at how much you can lose if you forget to take note of it as your brain is processing it.

Haha I've told myself to do this so many times. You are so right. I gotta get one. I always think of stuff when I'm driving or just walking around that would be PERFECT to add in somewhere, and I always forget them.

[popdisaster00]

I have about 5 screenplays half written, but I can never seem to finish. I really need to. popdisaster, what do you have going with yours?
I have 2 plot outlines for 2 different scripts, lol. Not a lot man, I haven't truly began writing either of them. I've been really busy lately (that's just a cop out though)

[anamericangod]

Haha I've told myself to do this so many times. You are so right. I gotta get one. I always think of stuff when I'm driving or just walking around that would be PERFECT to add in somewhere, and I always forget them.

Great minds think alike. Don't delay, think about all the amazing random shit you are missing out on!

[notoaststereo]

i write short stories.

i'm working on making one of my stories a screenplay.

[notoaststereo]

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing a Story
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadism). No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonia).
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach) eat the last few pages.

I read that in A Man Without A Country. Those rules helped my writing quite a bit.

[WordzandDreamz]

Hey Bob, where do you go to school?

[Bob Payne]

Hey Bob, where do you go to school?

If you're talking to me, I go to the University of the Arts in Philly.

[pilot_light_out]

i wrote my first screenplay in elementary school and my friends loved it.

[popdisaster00]

i wrote my first screenplay in elementary school and my friends loved it.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote Superbad in high school.

Makes me feel like a failure.

[popdisaster00]

Great minds think alike. Don't delay, think about all the amazing random shit you are missing out on!
I actually love reading scripts dude. Especially original copies. I read the original script for Dumb & Dumber and it is so different.

[dashboard1190]

I wrote a short story last year for my Creative Writing class.

And i'm in the process of writing a short story from Gertrude's point of view (Hamlet) set in modern times with Gertrude portrayed in a completely different way.

[Bishop]

I've had a few ideas for stories but the one I really like is basically about a college student who has pulled himself up from drug addiction but now struggles with alcohol. Basically I want him to find out about his grandfathers time of fighting in World War II through the letters and correspondence and basically for the young man's addiction and the grandfathers battles during the war to correspond with each other.

Obviously it's something I'm still fleshing out. but that's the basic idea.

[White Noise]

I've always been meaning to start writing things down and eventually writing a book. But i don't think my ideas are mature enough for anyone to really care. I'll just wait till i'm older i guess.

[Broken Parachute]

I wrote a short story last year for my Creative Writing class.

And i'm in the process of writing a short story from Gertrude's point of view (Hamlet) set in modern times with Gertrude portrayed in a completely different way.That's interesting.

[dashboard1190]

That's interesting.

I'll send it your way when i'm happy with it, if you'd like.

[Broken Parachute]

I'll send it your way when i'm happy with it, if you'd like.Yeah, definitely. I'd be interested to read it.

[Exsanguination]

I'm working on a two projects, nothing serious but I want to look into self-publishing eventually. I'm writing a collection of short stories that's supposed to tie into a bigger, longer novel I want to finish eventually.

[Blake Solomon]

i've got a good short story in my blog. Also, I think we will be setting up AbsoluteINK again soon. I'll be in charge! (Figures, give the worst writer the most power!) It's open mainly to bands, but I don't see why members wouldn't have a chance to be featured as well.


I have 3 or 4 in varying stages of completeness, it's just a great way to exercise the brain and whatnot.

[dashboard1190]

Yeah, definitely. I'd be interested to read it.

I'm having my AP English teacher read (and hopefully edit it) tomorrow, so i'll have it up in a few days.

[Neo Cassady]

I'm working on something that I hope to turn into a novel. It started out that I was going to write an exaggerated memoir of my high school/college years, and it's evolved into something a lot different. The (now completely fictional) narrator is 25, three years out of college and second-guessing his life choices (he got married right after graduation and moved to the west coast), so one night he just gets in the car and drives east. He narrates the story while he's driving, and from hotel rooms, truck stops, etc., which creates this kind of surreal, over-the-top depiction of the 4 years of his life he thinks were happier (junior/senior year in high school, and freshman/sophomore year in college). So while I'm sure he went to some crazy parties, the stories are only as reliable as he remembers them five years later. Naturally, they're somewhat exaggerated and details are fabricated.

A lot of what I'm playing with is how much he's changed between high school graduation and the present; getting married right out of college was strikingly uncharacteristic of him, and he basically abandoned his whole lifestyle. But I want to construe it in a way where it says something about how living the superficial life he lives now is just as bad as the drugs and shit he did before, and that both are just used as a means to an escape. And although he eventually 'goes home' to his hometown, it's all but unrecognizable to him, and his memories of it are so much better (which is also why the party stories are going to be ridiculous...they're exaggerated even more in his mind) than it actually is. It's the whole notion that we always want what we don't have, no matter what we do.

There's a lot more to it too, but it's hard to summarize it all without pasting 20 pages of notes here.

[popdisaster00]

Official Writer's Thread for anyone involved in writing their own novels, screenplays, poetry, short stories/films, comics, scripts in general, etc.

People in this thread should feel comfortable with talking about their ideas and not have to worry about getting insulted for having bad/lame ideas or anything like that. We can all use a little constructive criticism, but we are here to help each other!

If you want to, feel free to post a short synopsis of whatever you're writing.

Let's begin!

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

This is neat. I just hope we don't get a deadfuck situation..... however if we do, it certainly needs to be made into a film immediately as always.

[popdisaster00]

This is neat. I just hope we don't get a deadfuck situation..... however if we do, it certainly needs to be made into a film immediately as always.
I also had an idea of making an AP short film competition one day down the line. I was planning on updating my OS on my computer first though. I recently bought an HD camcorder but I believe I have the very first version of iMovie, and it won't recognize my camera.

Figured I'd make it a month long, like start the thread on the first of the month and all entries must be in by the last day of the month (we would post them on youtube or something.)

Then we'd all get a week to watch them all, and vote for them in a poll.

The winner could win something...I don't know what?

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I also had an idea of making an AP short film competition one day down the line. I was planning on updating my OS on my computer first though. I recently bought an HD camcorder but I believe I have the very first version of iMovie, and it won't recognize my camera.

Figured I'd make it a month long, like start the thread on the first of the month and all entries must be in by the last day of the month (we would post them on youtube or something.)

Then we'd all get a week to watch them all, and vote for them in a poll.

The winner could win something...I don't know what?
Hmm, that would be very cool. I'm not sure what the award could be...maybe staff might have suggestions or could....help....

I just got a Mac and a friend is giving me Final Cut. I want to get Final Draft and work with that since this year of school (also my last year of school) is my most intense year of work with screenwriting and editing. I really want to nail something solid down on paper.

[stayillogical]

Good thread concept.

[popdisaster00]

Hmm, that would be very cool. I'm not sure what the award could be...maybe staff might have suggestions or could....help....

I just got a Mac and a friend is giving me Final Cut. I want to get Final Draft and work with that since this year of school (also my last year of school) is my most intense year of work with screenwriting and editing. I really want to nail something solid down on paper.
Final Cut = editing software?

(editing is where i lack in the short film department)

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Final Cut = editing software?

(editing is where i lack in the short film department)
Haha, yeah, that's the one. It's the Mac only program that editors use now. I thought for a while I wanted to be an editor because I'm decent at it but I've always loved writing. I'm torn a bit in that it would be great to be a director, but I decided last year that I wanted to try and focus on writing.

That and editing software is so very expensive.

[apresnuledeluge]

Wonderful idea.

I've recently been inspired by lablogotheque.net. If you haven't seen any of their stuff, please check it out. If you have, maybe you'll understand better what I'm trying to explain here:

I've been writing and playing music since I was a freshman in High School. I'm now a sophomore in college, so I at least consider myself competent in the field. The idea I've really been having lately is to make a sort of short film-ish / visually based album. Less of a "live album" more of a conceptual complete work; Not just an album... with some visuals thrown in there for kicks.

[popdisaster00]

Haha, yeah, that's the one. It's the Mac only program that editors use now. I thought for a while I wanted to be an editor because I'm decent at it but I've always loved writing. I'm torn a bit in that it would be great to be a director, but I decided last year that I wanted to try and focus on writing.

That and editing software is so very expensive.
how much is final cut?

[popdisaster00]

Wonderful idea.

I've recently been inspired by lablogotheque.net. If you haven't seen any of their stuff, please check it out. If you have, maybe you'll understand better what I'm trying to explain here:

I've been writing and playing music since I was a freshman in High School. I'm now a sophomore in college, so I at least consider myself competent in the field. The idea I've really been having lately is to make a sort of short film-ish / visually based album. Less of a "live album" more of a conceptual complete work; Not just an album... with some visuals thrown in there for kicks.
Do it buddy.

I hate myself for not taking ahold of my dreams right now and pursuing them. I am in college studying SERVICE MANAGEMENT. Heading for a job in HUMAN RESOURCES. I'd drop out in a second if I knew I could get a job in the entertainment industry.

[AShannon04]

Final Cut Studio 2, which I'm guessing is the full version, is $1,299
Final Cut Express 4 is $199

[AShannon04]

Do it buddy.

I hate myself for not taking ahold of my dreams right now and pursuing them. I am in college studying SERVICE MANAGEMENT. Heading for a job in HUMAN RESOURCES. I'd drop out in a second if I knew I could get a job in the entertainment industry.

internships, my man. At least for me, it's worth it to work an unpaid internship doing bitch work for a summer if it means getting a job down the line that I really love.

[popdisaster00]

Final Cut Studio 2, which I'm guessing is the full version, is $1,299
Final Cut Express 4 is $199
what's the difference between them?

[AShannon04]

what's the difference between them?

Probably just a difference in features. Haha, I'm not a video guy, I just looked it up online when I saw your question.

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

how much is final cut?

Final Cut Studio 2, which I'm guessing is the full version, is $1,299
Final Cut Express 4 is $199

internships, my man. At least for me, it's worth it to work an unpaid internship doing bitch work for a summer if it means getting a job down the line that I really love.
Listen to this man, haha. I had an internship this past summer and a couple summers ago. I'm doing another one next summer for school credit (it will actually be my final credit for my degree) and I really hope that after doing several jobs of slave labor/bitch work I may be opened into a world of possibilities. It really helps me that right now Michigan has given Hollywood those tax incentives to come here as lots of films are being shot in the metro area. Once I'm done with school though, I do want to get out of here as quickly as possible.

[apresnuledeluge]

Do it buddy.

I hate myself for not taking ahold of my dreams right now and pursuing them. I am in college studying SERVICE MANAGEMENT. Heading for a job in HUMAN RESOURCES. I'd drop out in a second if I knew I could get a job in the entertainment industry.

Haha, I'm a journalism major. The way I look at it is if I can't make music, or I can't produce music, at least with that degree I can talk about it for a living (hopefully.)


But yeah, like I said I'm so interested in the concept. I'm just such an amateur in the film field. I have all of the music written, but I have no idea where to begin with the visual aspect.

[Neo Cassady]

Good thread idea. I've been working on a novel off and on for a little while. It's still in the beginning phases, but it's something I aim to finish before I graduate college. I'll write up a synopsis/random smattering of ideas and throw it in here.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Haha, I'm a journalism major. The way I look at it is if I can't make music, or I can't produce music, at least with that degree I can talk about it for a living (hopefully.)


But yeah, like I said I'm so interested in the concept. I'm just such an amateur in the film field. I have all of the music written, but I have no idea where to begin with the visual aspect.
Well from what it sounds like, the script would have to be a lot of description and you'd certainly want to be careful not to say things like, "and then they do this," but if you know the music that well and really want to see it happen then just look up some books or take a look at previously written screenplays and follow your heart. It sounds like a neat idea.

[popdisaster00]

internships, my man. At least for me, it's worth it to work an unpaid internship doing bitch work for a summer if it means getting a job down the line that I really love.
What were your internships like and how are they related to what you want to do?

[popdisaster00]

Well from what it sounds like, the script would have to be a lot of description and you'd certainly want to be careful not to say things like, "and then they do this," but if you know the music that well and really want to see it happen then just look up some books or take a look at previously written screenplays and follow your heart. It sounds like a neat idea.
see my above question

[AShannon04]

What were your internships like and how are they related to what you want to do?

Throughout college, I had summer jobs at (in chronological order) an independent record label (unpaid), a marketing agency (paid), a major record label (unpaid), and now I have a paid internship at an advertising agency. Some of these jobs have totally sucked, but I'm still holding out the hope that it'll eventually get me to where I want to be. After all this, I'm hoping to get a job in the music business doing marketing or something along those lines.

Even if it's not your ideal position, there are plenty of ways to get involved, even if it's indirectly. You probably won't get your dream job right away, but consider stuff like production houses, editing studios, ad agencies, or even something like working at your local video equipment store. Anywhere where you can network, make contacts, and get your feet wet, is better than working for minimum wage at your local fast food joint.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

see my above question
Well my first one I was rather disinterested in after a while. I worked for a local production company called RW using Final Cut to edit this reality television series they were trying to get off the ground called Xtreme Warrior. It won a Michigan Emmy but I left that place a long time ago and I don't think the show ever continued on anyway. While I was there I would be given about 64 tapes worth of footage (each one hour) and then I would have to go through and create a log sheet for the best footage using excel spreadsheets. Then I would have to narrow that footage down to two and then one hour time slots and create a timeline on excel. Using that timeline, I would dump that specific footage into the Final Cut program and help the professional editors with whatever they wanted me to do from there. I got to do and see some really neat stuff while I was there.....I think I was just disinterested because I'm not a big reality television fan so it was hard to get into sometimes. It looks good on a resume though. I even got to go out and watch them film and help if they gave me the chance. The other one was basically being a man servant to another production company called MVP which does a lot of Audi car commercials and independent projects. I did whatever they wanted me to do (watch the equipment, check equipment in and out, run errands and, if I worked hard enough, actually get to help out in the field) and it was hard but the people were very kind. I also did a brief PA job for an independent film called The Myth of the American Sleepover that was shot here in Detroit over the summer. PA's have to do all the bitch work but, again, it looks fantastic on a resume.

[popdisaster00]

Well my first one I was rather disinterested in after a while. I worked for a local production company called RW using Final Cut to edit this reality television series they were trying to get off the ground called Xtreme Warrior. It won a Michigan Emmy but I left that place a long time ago and I don't think the show ever continued on anyway. While I was there I would be given about 64 tapes worth of footage (each one hour) and then I would have to go through and create a log sheet for the best footage using excel spreadsheets. Then I would have to narrow that footage down to two and then one hour time slots and create a timeline on excel. Using that timeline, I would dump that specific footage into the Final Cut program and help the professional editors with whatever they wanted me to do from there. I got to do and see some really neat stuff while I was there.....I think I was just disinterested because I'm not a big reality television fan so it was hard to get into sometimes. It looks good on a resume though. I even got to go out and watch them film and help if they gave me the chance. The other one was basically being a man servant to another production company called MVP which does a lot of Audi car commercials and independent projects. I did whatever they wanted me to do (watch the equipment, check equipment in and out, run errands and, if I worked hard enough, actually get to help out in the field) and it was hard but the people were very kind. I also did a brief PA job for an independent film called The Myth of the American Sleepover that was shot here in Detroit over the summer. PA's have to do all the bitch work but, again, it looks fantastic on a resume.
Wow that reality show internship seems like a lot of hard work...much respect for you right there

[popdisaster00]

Throughout college, I had summer jobs at (in chronological order) an independent record label (unpaid), a marketing agency (paid), a major record label (unpaid), and now I have a paid internship at an advertising agency. Some of these jobs have totally sucked, but I'm still holding out the hope that it'll eventually get me to where I want to be. After all this, I'm hoping to get a job in the music business doing marketing or something along those lines.

Even if it's not your ideal position, there are plenty of ways to get involved, even if it's indirectly. You probably won't get your dream job right away, but consider stuff like production houses, editing studios, ad agencies, or even something like working at your local video equipment store. Anywhere where you can network, make contacts, and get your feet wet, is better than working for minimum wage at your local fast food joint.
Haha, I know what you mean. I work at Goodwill as a cashier. Nothing about that will help me. I guess I just planned on getting this practical degree here that I can fall back on if I couldn't ever break into the entertainment industry. I just planned on writing, writing, writing, maybe making my own short films, etc, and trying to get them exposed somehow down the line. If it works, I'd be so happy. But if it didn't, I'd still have this degree that can get me a nice paying job in HR. Eh, I don't know. I should be going to school for what I really love...I know that much. Why I'm not is beyond me.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Wow that reality show internship seems like a lot of hard work...much respect for you right there
Oh. My. God. You have no idea, haha. I look back on that experience and respect what all I got to do and am happy to put it on a resume but good god...let's just say that that was my absolute worst semester of school ever. I fell waaaaay behind in school work and had to take a couple classes over because I was doing so much (I was actually working at a bookstore at the same time because the internship was unpaid and I needed some gas money badly...so I had the internship, a job, and a full time school schedule). So I would definitely say to know your limits and do the work to the absolute best of your abilities (meaning show up all the other interns the best that you can) but don't let it ever get in the way of school work...

[apresnuledeluge]

Well from what it sounds like, the script would have to be a lot of description and you'd certainly want to be careful not to say things like, "and then they do this," but if you know the music that well and really want to see it happen then just look up some books or take a look at previously written screenplays and follow your heart. It sounds like a neat idea.

Thanks for the advice, man. I really think it's going to be more of a trial and error system than anything... Which I'm cool with. I love messing around with new things.

[AShannon04]

Haha, I know what you mean. I work at Goodwill as a cashier. Nothing about that will help me. I guess I just planned on getting this practical degree here that I can fall back on if I couldn't ever break into the entertainment industry. I just planned on writing, writing, writing, maybe making my own short films, etc, and trying to get them exposed somehow down the line. If it works, I'd be so happy. But if it didn't, I'd still have this degree that can get me a nice paying job in HR. Eh, I don't know. I should be going to school for what I really love...I know that much. Why I'm not is beyond me.

I personally don't think your major matters all that much, at least in certain fields. Granted, for more "hands-on" professions, practical training might help, but people with history, creative writing, communications, english, and poli-sci degrees go on to do totally unrelated things in their career. I was a communications major, but it hasn't helped or hindered me either way. I got a great writing foundation, but I think my internships have helped me out more than anything.

As they say, "it's not what you know, it's who you know". Networking and meeting people will get your foot in the door much easier than if you were a film major or something like that.

[Mirrorsandfevers]

I wrote a book for my senior project. I'm still not even done with it, procrastination gets the best of me.
Anyway, I've been thinking of adapting my book into a screenplay.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I personally don't think your major matters all that much, at least in certain fields. Granted, for more "hands-on" professions, practical training might help, but people with history, creative writing, communications, english, and poli-sci degrees go on to do totally unrelated things in their career. I was a communications major, but it hasn't helped or hindered me either way. I got a great writing foundation, but I think my internships have helped me out more than anything.

As they say, "it's not what you know, it's who you know". Networking and meeting people will get your foot in the door much easier than if you were a film major or something like that.
Agreed with this. You may also find in the communications department (maybe not everywhere but certainly from my experience) that there's an awful lot of, shall we say, hot air. Lots of opinions and there can also be lots of negativity (unfortunately from professors...not that it's always a bad thing as you need to have your work critiqued but....."windbag" is the word that keeps coming to mind) so just keep that in mind and fight to express yourself the best you can.

[popdisaster00]

As they say, "it's not what you know, it's who you know". Networking and meeting people will get your foot in the door much easier than if you were a film major or something like that.

This is always what gives me hope. Yet, I know nobody. 2 of my friends are in film school, and they promise to help me out in any way possible if they ever get anywhere - but they'd be in the same predicament that I am in; not knowing anyone.

I should move to L.A., become a waiter at a trendy restaurant, and give my script to every actor that eats there.

Kidding.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Also, know that sometimes a film studio will look at a resume and see "film major" and then be almost immediately turned off because then they may think you think you know everything because, "I'm a film major!" I am a film major but my goal is to just finish this stupid degree and get the hell out of my school so that I can really dive into the work force with the knowledge that I am no better than anyone else. What studios will look for is your hard work and experience so what I will be doing is pretty much going to work and doing my best to not bring up the fact that "oh hey by the way, I don't know if you heard but I'm uh, yeah, I'm a film major. It's kind of a big deal."

[Mirrorsandfevers]

This is always what gives me hope. Yet, I know nobody. 2 of my friends are in film school, and they promise to help me out in any way possible if they ever get anywhere - but they'd be in the same predicament that I am in; not knowing anyone.

I should move to L.A., become a waiter at a trendy restaurant, and give my script to every actor that eats there.

Kidding.

Reminds me of Freddy Got Fingered

[AShannon04]

This is always what gives me hope. Yet, I know nobody. 2 of my friends are in film school, and they promise to help me out in any way possible if they ever get anywhere - but they'd be in the same predicament that I am in; not knowing anyone.

I should move to L.A., become a waiter at a trendy restaurant, and give my script to every actor that eats there.

Kidding.

As dumb as this is going to sound, you won't know anyone until you know someone. If you get an internship or work experience in the field you're interested in, you'll start meeting people, and the world will become a much smaller place. Through my experiences, I've met people who I never would have been able to meet otherwise, and the "6 degrees" phenomenon really works. For example, if you get a job at your local video equipment store or Best Buy in the DVD department or movie theater, you might meet local studio sales reps or equipment manufacterer sales reps. And these people know more people at their company, and so on and so on. Trust me, you'll eventually get there, haha.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Thanks for the advice, man. I really think it's going to be more of a trial and error system than anything... Which I'm cool with. I love messing around with new things.
Oh no problem man. That's what I suppose the meat and potatoes of the art world ultimately boils down to. Just...messing around with new things and voila....something neat.

[tomakebelieve]

Everyone is talking about their scripts, so I feel a little out of place since I am writing a novel (or as I call it, my project). I have 15k words, and only about a 1/5 of it is actually edited. Plus, I've been writing out of sequence. But I think this project is going better than my last one.

[Neo Cassady]

Everyone is talking about their scripts, so I feel a little out of place since I am writing a novel (or as I call it, my project). I have 15k words, and only about a 1/5 of it is actually edited. Plus, I've been writing out of sequence. But I think this project is going better than my last one.

I said something about writing a novel above, but it was ignored. I've been writing short stories and wanted to develop something longer. I really only have 20 pages or so of scattered notes, but I at least have an idea of where I want to take it. What's yours about (if you'd like to share), how long have you been working on it, do you set aside time to write, etc?

[popdisaster00]

I said something about writing a novel above, but it was ignored. I've been writing short stories and wanted to develop something longer. I really only have 20 pages or so of scattered notes, but I at least have an idea of where I want to take it. What's yours about (if you'd like to share), how long have you been working on it, do you set aside time to write, etc?
I didn't ingore it. Novels just aren't in my area of expertise. I'd feel like a jackass if I tried to write one because I don't read that many. I wouldn't want to read a movie script by someone who doesn't watch movies, haha.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Everyone is talking about their scripts, so I feel a little out of place since I am writing a novel (or as I call it, my project). I have 15k words, and only about a 1/5 of it is actually edited. Plus, I've been writing out of sequence. But I think this project is going better than my last one.

I said something about writing a novel above, but it was ignored. I've been writing short stories and wanted to develop something longer. I really only have 20 pages or so of scattered notes, but I at least have an idea of where I want to take it. What's yours about (if you'd like to share), how long have you been working on it, do you set aside time to write, etc?
Sorry about ignoring your comment. Call it film ignorance I suppose, haha. I have a friend who has been slaving over a novel the last couple years and the amount of work he does is impressive so know that I sincerely respect the amount of work you do to write. You guys should post some stuff up. I 'll likely read it and be impressed because I can't write a novel so you've already got one extra fan...

[a speedo model]

I have a novel in the works, it's abouuuut half way to 3/4's of the way done. Sadly, it's looking to be a short one, but I'm kind of excited about it. Not sure how people will react to it...

[popdisaster00]

Also, know that sometimes a film studio will look at a resume and see "film major" and then be almost immediately turned off because then they may think you think you know everything because, "I'm a film major!" I am a film major but my goal is to just finish this stupid degree and get the hell out of my school so that I can really dive into the work force with the knowledge that I am no better than anyone else. What studios will look for is your hard work and experience so what I will be doing is pretty much going to work and doing my best to not bring up the fact that "oh hey by the way, I don't know if you heard but I'm uh, yeah, I'm a film major. It's kind of a big deal."
Hmm, good food for thought.

Let's assume I was done with my script right now. I am obviously not, I've barely started, but let's assume for fun. How would I even go about getting this script noticed when I didn't go to film school and don't know anyone?

[Neo Cassady]

[Advanced warning for a huge post and a tl;dr.]

I didn't ingore it. Novels just aren't in my area of expertise. I'd feel like a jackass if I tried to write one because I don't read that many. I wouldn't want to read a movie script by someone who doesn't watch movies, haha.

Sorry about ignoring your comment. Call it film ignorance I suppose, haha. I have a friend who has been slaving over a novel the last couple years and the amount of work he does is impressive so know that I sincerely respect the amount of work you do to write. You guys should post some stuff up. I 'll likely read it and be impressed because I can't write a novel so you've already got one extra fan...

No big deal, didn't mean to call people out on it. I kind of popped in in the middle of a conversation.

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:

It's basically going to be a fictionalized and exaggerated memoir of my high school and college, crammed into a span of two years and told through a character who's looking back at it all. He's twenty-five, married right out of college and, three years later, unsure of his decision. One night he decides to take a trip back to his hometown to clear his head and escape from his current situation for a bit. The central location of the story is a 7-Eleven that he used to go to with his friends. They discovered it when it was in the middle of cornfields and nowhere, but when he returns, he finds it in the middle of a run-down city area. From there, he reflects on his junior and senior years of high school: the memories, the events, and how life was much simpler. So it's going to have that political aspect of urban sprawl and all of that, as well as how the changes in the town reflect the changes in his life since then, but mostly it's just his memoir.

It's going to play on the idea that what we remember are our actions, because although most people are interchangeable, the events are not. It's a look back at my generation from a time we haven’t reached yet, but from a time that is looming all too near on the horizon for many people my age. It's also a reminder to live for the moment now, because some things are time-sensitive. If you try to do it later, out of time and out of place, it may come back to bite you.

A lot of what I'm playing with is how much he's changed between high school graduation and the present...he got married right out of college, something that was strikingly uncharacteristic of him, and basically abandoned that whole lifestyle. But I want to construe it in a way where it says something about how living the superficial life he lives now is just as bad as the drugs and shit he did before, and that both are used as a means to an escape.

Although he 'goes home' to his hometown, it's all but unrecognizable to him, and his memories of it are so much better than it actually is. So he figures out that nowhere is perfect, that he always wants more.

He's narrating the stories while he's driving, while he's in hotel rooms, etc. So the stories are only as reliable as he remembers them five years later. Naturally, they're somewhat exaggerated and details are fabricated.


...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:

We all made plans to move out and move on…now we find ourselves back here. Under the same city lights. Leaning against the same cracked, moldy concrete walls. Taking endless drags from the same cigarette. It could be any burnt-out highway town, but it’s home. You can spend your entire life running away from something and all of a sudden find yourself right back where you started. If you drown out the interstate, it’s nearly verbatim. Seven years. We never really left. Christ, does anyone? How can you be so sure of something so huge? It makes me wonder sometimes why things went the way they did; young naivety hurts, it destroys ‘til it kills. The pretense of commitment. It’s the kind of thing you lay awake at night thinking about. The kind of thing that makes you silently leave your bed at three in the morning for a walk. The kind of thing that turns that walk into a drive, and that drive into an escape. And if you drive the night, and if you cruise into a familiar town on fumes, and if you realize that you spent your last dollar on a Big Gulp, all the better. The last things we need are excuses.
Thoughts?

[a speedo model]

[Advanced warning for a huge post and a tl;dr.]





No big deal, didn't mean to call people out on it. I kind of popped in in the middle of a conversation.

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:



...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:


Thoughts?
I really like this passage. Love the tone and the way in which it is written. Reminded me of a book I read this summer but I forget which. I'd love to read more, man. And good luck, it's always fun, haha.

[Neo Cassady]

I really like this passage. Love the tone and the way in which it is written. Reminded me of a book I read this summer but I forget which. I'd love to read more, man. And good luck, it's always fun, haha.

Thanks, man. The biggest challenge (for me) in writing something long is that I can write short passages like that and then never feel like I have a good way to connect them. I'll post some more later on.

[a speedo model]

Thanks, man. The biggest challenge (for me) in writing something long is that I can write short passages like that and then never feel like I have a good way to connect them. I'll post some more later on.
Haha, I know what you mean. I struggle with not writing enough, I'm almost done with my actual story but I'll have to go through and flesh it out, because it'll only be like 120 pages. It feels short.

Let you me know when you do, I'd love to read more.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Hmm, good food for thought.

Let's assume I was done with my script right now. I am obviously not, I've barely started, but let's assume for fun. How would I even go about getting this script noticed when I didn't go to film school and don't know anyone?

Well, I know one really good way is actually to look around the internet at writing competitions because agents will look at those and they'll read the ones that don't win either. Also, screenplay workshops are a good idea because they'll sometimes have professional actors act out your script and, again, agents will likely be there. Signing up for the WGA eventually is a good idea and it's pretty cheap. If you want to work with Hollywood, from what I understand you pretty much have to be in Hollywood even if it's the last place in the world you want to be. If you're that good of a writer that you can convince them to let you be where you are then kudos to you, but I've heard it said that Hollywood is a relationship and in order to make the relationship work you usually need to be with them in L.A. E-mail managers and agents whose clients reflect the type of work you think your script resembles (like, don't send a stoner movie to Scorsese's manager for a broad example) but be aware that agents and managers nowadays get flooded with e-mail requests. It's usually so bad that there's no way they could read all those scripts in a day and still do their job so the e-mails will get deleted unfortunately. Pick and choose, don't be discouraged, and sometimes think about writing under a pseudonym in case a production company tries to blackball you out of ever selling yourself in Hollywood. It's a lot of hard work (and good lord am I ever terrified) and it can take years and years but it's worth it if it's what you want and it sounds like you do so....that's the most I can think of right now...


[Advanced warning for a huge post and a tl;dr.]No big deal, didn't mean to call people out on it. I kind of popped in in the middle of a conversation.

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:



...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:


Thoughts?

This sounds like something I would read. How long have you been working on it? I like the idea of him only remembering things as he remembers them when in fact they may have been very different. A professor of mine was just talking about something like that last week. Do you have a title for it yet?

[a speedo model]

The more I write, I've found, the less I think people will like my novel, haha.

[tomakebelieve]

I said something about writing a novel above, but it was ignored. I've been writing short stories and wanted to develop something longer. I really only have 20 pages or so of scattered notes, but I at least have an idea of where I want to take it. What's yours about (if you'd like to share), how long have you been working on it, do you set aside time to write, etc?

Oh man, I'm sorry I missed your post! I just did a quick skim (I.e. pretty much did fast scrolling), and I must have missed it. How many short stories have you written? I have to be honest--short stories and poetry are two forms of writing that scare me! What's your idea, anyways?

As for me, this is project number three in the last few years. Since my Junior year, I've really known that I have wanted to have a novel or something published. The first two projects were dead ends (thriller/who done it murder story and futuristic fantasy). This particular project I started this summer.

It's four (maybe five for a few different characters) different snippets of people's lives that take the same train at the same time in the morning over the course of the year. It's third person POV. I got the idea when I was on the train in Chicago, and I was listening to other people's conversations (haha I am so rude). As for writing, in August (after having the idea in my head for three months), I started trying to write for at least an hour a day. Lately, due to work, I've been kinda slacking. Oops.

[Ailite]

I absolutely love writing. Along with being a director its what I to do for a job when I'm older. I got into writing thanks to my favorite movies- Star Wars and Lord of The Rings- and wrote a fantasy trilogy that ripped off those two franchises. It was horrible, but I was 9 years old, so its fair.

I write all the time now. I'm pretty good at it, I think, and I love doing it, because its a way for me to relax and get things off my chest, make my thoughts make more sense. I've written a lot of short stories that I would love to turn into novels eventually, and a three screenplays. I'm working on a screenplay rigth now that was a short story that I'm reworking.

This will sound horrible, but I also pour my heart out into my Myspace blogs- kind of cliched, yes, but I enjoy writing them. I'll post some of my stuff in this thread in the future.

[buysoap]

I write a lot. I wrote and self published a novel, but upon review I believe it's sub-par. I wrote a couple of full screenplays as well, both for shorts and for actual films. I've written a lot of short stories, and now I mostly write scripts for comics that never get made. And then theres the music stuff, but whatever. So yeah, I like to write, haha.

[tomakebelieve]

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:



...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:


Thoughts?
I am such a blonde. I hadn't noticed you typed this up while I was responding!
Personally, I love memoir-esque books/novels/etc. Those are my favorite reads. I really enjoyed your passage--I like the tone and your style of writing. Your writing has a very mature feel to it with a sense of wisdom I only wish I could give my characters.

[pshh]

I'm at my school's photography class right now and finding this is great.

Great thread I'll post some ideas in the future. But for now on looks like this is the thread to be for me. :-) I'll try to be a regular in this thread and have it moving along.

[pshh]

Also, know that sometimes a film studio will look at a resume and see "film major" and then be almost immediately turned off because then they may think you think you know everything because, "I'm a film major!" I am a film major but my goal is to just finish this stupid degree and get the hell out of my school so that I can really dive into the work force with the knowledge that I am no better than anyone else. What studios will look for is your hard work and experience so what I will be doing is pretty much going to work and doing my best to not bring up the fact that "oh hey by the way, I don't know if you heard but I'm uh, yeah, I'm a film major. It's kind of a big deal."

Interesting to read, will film productions be more impressed if the writer is a younger age that writes something very good? Does age make a difference? Dealing with experience.

[Mirrorsandfevers]

I absolutely love writing. Along with being a director its what I to do for a job when I'm older. I got into writing thanks to my favorite movies- Star Wars and Lord of The Rings- and wrote a fantasy trilogy that ripped off those two franchises. It was horrible, but I was 9 years old, so its fair.

I write all the time now. I'm pretty good at it, I think, and I love doing it, because its a way for me to relax and get things off my chest, make my thoughts make more sense. I've written a lot of short stories that I would love to turn into novels eventually, and a three screenplays. I'm working on a screenplay rigth now that was a short story that I'm reworking.

This will sound horrible, but I also pour my heart out into my Myspace blogs- kind of cliched, yes, but I enjoy writing them. I'll post some of my stuff in this thread in the future.

How's writing a screenplay? I've always wanted to do so.

[pshh]

How's writing a screenplay? I've always wanted to do so.

Definitely time consuming and a little frustrating.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Interesting to read, will film productions be more impressed if the writer is a younger age that writes something very good? Does age make a difference? Dealing with experience.
Well, I'm not entirely sure here. Maybe someone else could elaborate a little more eloquently for you than I could, but I imagine an agency or production company, if they found a script that was just that good from a young writer, would do what they could to get you on board. This, however, also means that they would likely be on board as long as you have an agent. In most scenarios, you need an agent behind your script who is pushing it to studio exec's to have a pitch meeting with producers. It's just the name of the game I suppose. If you're very young, again I'm not entirely sure on this so throw caution to the wind, I would also be wary of choosing the right agent and making sure the studio won't take advantage of you. There was that question you brought up about experience and if they know you have none, that you're young and just starting out, they may be inclined to have you sign something or make a decision that could leave you in fairly bad shape. So I would probably just worry about having someone who knows what's best for you around at all times. Hell, that probably goes for anyone in Hollywood, haha...

[pshh]

Well, I'm not entirely sure here. Maybe someone else could elaborate a little more eloquently for you than I could, but I imagine an agency or production company, if they found a script that was just that good from a young writer, would do what they could to get you on board. This, however, also means that they would likely be on board as long as you have an agent. In most scenarios, you need an agent behind your script who is pushing it to studio exec's to have a pitch meeting with producers. It's just the name of the game I suppose. If you're very young, again I'm not entirely sure on this so throw caution to the wind, I would also be wary of choosing the right agent and making sure the studio won't take advantage of you. There was that question you brought up about experience and if they know you have none, that you're young and just starting out, they may be inclined to have you sign something or make a decision that could leave you in fairly bad shape. So I would probably just worry about having someone who knows what's best for you around at all times. Hell, that probably goes for anyone in Hollywood, haha...

Can you be your own agent? lol.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Can you be your own agent? lol.
Hey, some people have done it! They, however, have that little thing called money...something of which I don't have a whole lot of. I know there are several people in the industry who have hated agents and chose to represent themselves and they're very well off however the same can be said about the opposite end of the spectrum. So I suppose my answer for folks like you and I is.....gee I sure do wish....

[hf57]

this is a pretty cool thread. apart from writing my usual lyrics/poetry, i recently started working on a screenplay. really just working out the whole plot line and things like that, but i've already got music picked and actors who i would love to play the roles. i feel kind of crazy for going that far.

[SteveD]

I write lyrics everyday, nothing special like a screenplay or anything. I wish I could write like that. I'm very limited. I just started reading poetry to try to open my mind a little. Any suggestions?

Awesome thread btw.

[pshh]

this is a pretty cool thread. apart from writing my usual lyrics/poetry, i recently started working on a screenplay. really just working out the whole plot line and things like that, but i've already got music picked and actors who i would love to play the roles. i feel kind of crazy for going that far.

Don't worry I think directors pick ideal actors when they pick up the script.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I write lyrics everyday, nothing special like a screenplay or anything. I wish I could write like that. I'm very limited. I just started reading poetry to try to open my mind a little. Any suggestions?

Awesome thread btw.
I always enjoyed Stanley Kunitz's poetry. He's very reflective.

[SteveD]

I'm really into imagery. Any recs there?

[open mind]

i've got a couple ideas rattling around my head for stories, the first one being about a relatively good kid who gets in trouble at 16 or so, is charged as an adult and sentenced to decades of time in a really fucked up prison....and the other centering around this character who i'm going to build up to seem to be this noble, moral, and all around awesome person......only they end up becoming the sort of villian you almost have to despise at the very end.

i think i'm going to tell both stories from multiple viewpoints but i haven't figured out much else besides a very broad outline.

[richie]

I wrote a book like 3 years ago and published it this year with a small publisher here in Italy. It's not selling bad but still not as much as I'd have expected. Anyway a major publisher contacted me because they're interested in editing some parts and republishing...isn't that awesome??

[popdisaster00]

[Advanced warning for a huge post and a tl;dr.]





No big deal, didn't mean to call people out on it. I kind of popped in in the middle of a conversation.

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:



...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:


Thoughts?
I would definitely read this book if you make it. Published or not, you could even send it to me as a word document and I'd love to read it. Good luck with it, it's a great idea.

[popdisaster00]

Well, I know one really good way is actually to look around the internet at writing competitions because agents will look at those and they'll read the ones that don't win either. Also, screenplay workshops are a good idea because they'll sometimes have professional actors act out your script and, again, agents will likely be there. Signing up for the WGA eventually is a good idea and it's pretty cheap. If you want to work with Hollywood, from what I understand you pretty much have to be in Hollywood even if it's the last place in the world you want to be. If you're that good of a writer that you can convince them to let you be where you are then kudos to you, but I've heard it said that Hollywood is a relationship and in order to make the relationship work you usually need to be with them in L.A. E-mail managers and agents whose clients reflect the type of work you think your script resembles (like, don't send a stoner movie to Scorsese's manager for a broad example) but be aware that agents and managers nowadays get flooded with e-mail requests. It's usually so bad that there's no way they could read all those scripts in a day and still do their job so the e-mails will get deleted unfortunately. Pick and choose, don't be discouraged, and sometimes think about writing under a pseudonym in case a production company tries to blackball you out of ever selling yourself in Hollywood. It's a lot of hard work (and good lord am I ever terrified) and it can take years and years but it's worth it if it's what you want and it sounds like you do so....that's the most I can think of right now...




This sounds like something I would read. How long have you been working on it? I like the idea of him only remembering things as he remembers them when in fact they may have been very different. A professor of mine was just talking about something like that last week. Do you have a title for it yet?
Thanks for all of your help. This thread is amazing so far.

[popdisaster00]

this is a pretty cool thread. apart from writing my usual lyrics/poetry, i recently started working on a screenplay. really just working out the whole plot line and things like that, but i've already got music picked and actors who i would love to play the roles. i feel kind of crazy for going that far.
I have a playlist on my itunes called "movie music" which has about 30 songs in it. I have each of them reserved for different scenes in my movie, even though the scenes haven't been written yet though, haha.

I want the very first scene in my movie (when the credits appear) to be Collapse by Mute Math.

[popdisaster00]

I wrote a book like 3 years ago and published it this year with a small publisher here in Italy. It's not selling bad but still not as much as I'd have expected. Anyway a major publisher contacted me because they're interested in editing some parts and republishing...isn't that awesome??
That's fucking sick, good luck! Is it on Amazon or anything?

[popdisaster00]

i've got a couple ideas rattling around my head for stories, the first one being about a relatively good kid who gets in trouble at 16 or so, is charged as an adult and sentenced to decades of time in a really fucked up prison.

would read/watch

[Neo Cassady]

This sounds like something I would read. How long have you been working on it? I like the idea of him only remembering things as he remembers them when in fact they may have been very different. A professor of mine was just talking about something like that last week. Do you have a title for it yet?

The thought of it had been running through my mind for almost a year--basically since the realization that graduation was closing in hit me. I've only actually been writing for it on and off since the beginning of the summer, and truthfully I'm nowhere near as far as I hoped I'd be.

The unreliable narrator came about as I was thinking back on my own high school and college, the stuff I've been through and my friends have been through, and knowing that they weren't exactly as I remember them.

As far as a title, when I originally thought of it, the 7-Eleven was a much more central theme than I think it will end up being, so the working title is Sev (which is what my friends call 7-11). I'll have to get a lot farther in before I decide a final title, though.

I am such a blonde. I hadn't noticed you typed this up while I was responding!
Personally, I love memoir-esque books/novels/etc. Those are my favorite reads. I really enjoyed your passage--I like the tone and your style of writing. Your writing has a very mature feel to it with a sense of wisdom I only wish I could give my characters.

Thanks! I definitely enjoy writing in a more conversational, person-telling-a-story voice, rather than trying to describe everything in such extreme detail that it becomes hard to suspend reality and believe that the narrator, telling the story at a later date, actually remembers all of those things.

I would definitely read this book if you make it. Published or not, you could even send it to me as a word document and I'd love to read it. Good luck with it, it's a great idea.

Thanks! I'll definitely send it along once I get farther in.

[polock]

I wrote a book like 3 years ago and published it this year with a small publisher here in Italy. It's not selling bad but still not as much as I'd have expected. Anyway a major publisher contacted me because they're interested in editing some parts and republishing...isn't that awesome??

yes that is awesome, whats the book about?

[hf57]

I have a playlist on my itunes called "movie music" which has about 30 songs in it. I have each of them reserved for different scenes in my movie, even though the scenes haven't been written yet though, haha.

I want the very first scene in my movie (when the credits appear) to be Collapse by Mute Math.

thats awesome. i just love hearing a song and then getting the feeling like wow this would go amazing with a scene like this.

[June_Bug]

I have two scripts but I have this thing where if I can remember the details of it(it being songs, stories etc.) for a certain period of time then it's worth writing. It's kind of odd for me though because I write music, not scripts. I'm coming into it better cause I can tell a mean story. Thats what music is after all, a story that you're telling, I just want to make to where people can see it.


Oh by the way OP great thread i'm glad you made it, I didn't think i'd find other people who are serious about this.

[popdisaster00]

I have two scripts but I have this thing where if I can remember the details of it(it being songs, stories etc.) for a certain period of time then it's worth writing. It's kind of odd for me though because I write music, not scripts. I'm coming into it better cause I can tell a mean story. Thats what music is after all, a story that you're telling, I just want to make to where people can see it.


Oh by the way OP great thread i'm glad you made it, I didn't think i'd find other people who are serious about this.
I would have made this a looooong time ago if I knew it'd get a response like this, haha

[popdisaster00]

thats awesome. i just love hearing a song and then getting the feeling like wow this would go amazing with a scene like this.
Ah, I do it all the time!

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I wrote a book like 3 years ago and published it this year with a small publisher here in Italy. It's not selling bad but still not as much as I'd have expected. Anyway a major publisher contacted me because they're interested in editing some parts and republishing...isn't that awesome??
You bet it is. Congratulations to you. Let us know more about it and if we can find it even now before it's republished.

Thanks for all of your help. This thread is amazing so far.
:-) You're welcome, and thank you for getting the thread going. It is pretty great so far.

I have a playlist on my itunes called "movie music" which has about 30 songs in it. I have each of them reserved for different scenes in my movie, even though the scenes haven't been written yet though, haha.

I want the very first scene in my movie (when the credits appear) to be Collapse by Mute Math.

thats awesome. i just love hearing a song and then getting the feeling like wow this would go amazing with a scene like this.
Yes to these. Whenever I hear a new song that immediately creates a scene in my mind I get excited.

[supadupa003]

[Advanced warning for a huge post and a tl;dr.]





No big deal, didn't mean to call people out on it. I kind of popped in in the middle of a conversation.

Like I said, all I have is notes at the moment, and I've written a few short stories (nothing longer than 10 pages or so), but I finally got an idea for something longer and I'm going to go with it. It's far from the most original thing ever, but it's something I have thought about a lot for the past year or so, and it would feel good to get it down on paper before the time passes. This is from my notes page, and it's probably what describes the general idea best:



...and a short passage that I thought captured the tone I'm going for:


Thoughts?


Love the idea, I'm doing somethign in a simliar vein. I've been writing a novella for a couple months now based on the obstacles and perspectives of a twenty-something. I know it's not very original, but I feel the voice and the tone of the novella itself imake up for it. I definitely look forward to reading some of your stuff.

[richie]

Hey guys thanks for the congratulations! Anyway the book is in italian so I don't think you'd understand it but you never know:D I'll post the link to iy so you can see the cover and everything.
It's basically about a boy who has been a one hit wonder with his band and then finds himself all alone after the success, the partying, the fame, the fans and the fake friends have all gone away. He doesn't know who he is anymore; he just knows he's everything he never wanted to become. So he struggles through changes and fights to get back his life the way he truly wants it to be. So he quits his shitty job, leaves his girlfriend and tries to get his life back on track.
The titles means 'I dance alone'. It's just a short novel but people seem to like it a lot so far.
Check the cover here: http://boopen.it/acquista/DettaglioOpera.aspx?Param=5840
Anyway I'm done writing another one and have already sent it over to the publisher who wants to buy the rights to this one to try and convince him to publish the new one...hopefully he'll like it. Otherwise I'll stick with this one and make the few changes (mainly grammar changes) he suggested to make.
Now I don't know about you, but the book industry in here is getting more and more fucked up...

[pshh]

Hey guys thanks for the congratulations! Anyway the book is in italian so I don't think you'd understand it but you never know:D I'll post the link to iy so you can see the cover and everything.
It's basically about a boy who has been a one hit wonder with his band and then finds himself all alone after the success, the partying, the fame, the fans and the fake friends have all gone away. He doesn't know who he is anymore; he just knows he's everything he never wanted to become. So he struggles through changes and fights to get back his life the way he truly wants it to be. So he quits his shitty job, leaves his girlfriend and tries to get his life back on track.
The titles means 'I dance alone'. It's just a short novel but people seem to like it a lot so far.
Check the cover here: http://boopen.it/acquista/DettaglioOpera.aspx?Param=5840
Anyway I'm done writing another one and have already sent it over to the publisher who wants to buy the rights to this one to try and convince him to publish the new one...hopefully he'll like it. Otherwise I'll stick with this one and make the few changes (mainly grammar changes) he suggested to make.
Now I don't know about you, but the book industry in here is getting more and more fucked up...

Awesome on the publishing, keep it up. I hope all goes well for you

[weeberteeoatser]

We had a poetry festival at my highschool a few years ago and this guy Toro performed and I remember being completely hypnotized by him. His blog is pretty much the only one I ever read that often, if anyone's interested: http://sortaricanpoet.blogspot.com/

[WordzandDreamz]

NIIICCCEEEE, someone finally made a writers thread. Sorry I'm late to the party folks, I know I was one of the ones asking for this thread.

[hf57]

anyone wanna post their songs, or even just artists they plan to use in a screenplay. i'd definitely be interested to see.

[kofiadrian]

it's about time this type of thread came up. i've been in the process of beginning of novel for some period of time, maybe like 6 months or so. apparently, this particular process is harder than previously imagined.any help would be appreciated.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I love writing. I'm not very good at it, but I love it anyway.

I'm in the middle of adding on and editing a one act play. Mostly juvenile stuff, but it's incredibly therapeutic to me, helping me get through a lot of shit that got me wicked stuck in my life. I incorporate of lot of music into the show. Life, for me, cannot be complete without background music.

As for a plot, I don't really know how to describe it other than two kids coming together and influencing each other. Questioning each other.

Like I said, it's quite far from done. Lots of fleshing out needed, but I'm very proud of it so far. It's at 22-3 pages, and I'm trying to shoot for maybe 30-5.

[WordzandDreamz]

anyone wanna post their songs, or even just artists they plan to use in a screenplay. i'd definitely be interested to see.

I really wanted to have a movie end with "Miami" by the Counting Crows, which would then go into the credits.

I also have a crucial scene in something that I am writing that features "Working My Way Back to You/ Forgive Me Girl" by the Spinners.

a couple other tracks I desperately want to use:

"Gone, Gone, Gone" by John Ralston
"Atlantic City" by Bruce Springsteen
"Grapevine Fires" by Death Cab For Cutie

[Ailite]

How's writing a screenplay? I've always wanted to do so.
Hard, but its going well because I'm literally taking a short story that I wrote and putting it into screenplay form. I've got a lot of ideas, such as what music I want to use and how to shoot it, but it can be very heard. I know for a fact that the last scene will have "It's Natural To Be Afraid" playing over it, its absolutely perfect for the story.

anyone in this thread who reads my myspace blogs I will love forever

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

anyone wanna post their songs, or even just artists they plan to use in a screenplay. i'd definitely be interested to see.

The songs I use in the play I'm writing (see last post) are mainly local. The majority of the songs come from the best band in Maine called The Cambiata. They're incredible. The only non local/obscure song I use is Joga by Bjork.

[hf57]

The songs I use in the play I'm writing (see last post) are mainly local. The majority of the songs come from the best band in Maine called The Cambiata. They're incredible. The only non local/obscure song I use is Joga by Bjork.

omg for a second there i thought you said you were using mostly the maine songs. had me scared. i'll have to check out cambiata, but bjork would be good for sure.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

LOL. :DDD

When I had originally stuck it in the scene I wanted it, I thought it just sounded pretty, so it would be in the background. But the lyrics were perfect for what was going on, so I gave it more significance.

Funny how shit works out like that. =]

[RunInTheFront]

What an awesome thread. I am going for my masters in English right now, so I am writing all the time. I've just recently started submitting papers to conferences in hopes of being able to present them, as well as submitting papers to scholarly journals in hopes of getting them published. I am currently working on a paper that provides an ecocritical analysis of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome in regards to the environments effect on the human psyche.

I also started a novel once, however I lost the notebook I was writing in a couple years ago and I was stupid enough to not start transferring my words from the notebook to my computer, so I lost everything I wrote. I haven't really had the motivation to start again since then.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

That's a major buzzkill. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened to me. But it's cool about the Ethan Frome analysis and all that good stuff. =]

Oh, and:
i'll have to check out cambiata.

If any song you listen to by them, make it this one. This song is the title. This is the climax. This song ends the play exactly how I want it to.

And it's called Roswell.

http://www.stumbleaudio.com/#cambiata/5

[pshh]

I've been thinking a lot about writing my own music to my film. I think if I'm successful at it it'll be great.

[hf57]

That's a major buzzkill. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened to me. But it's cool about the Ethan Frome analysis and all that good stuff. =]

Oh, and:


If any song you listen to by them, make it this one. This song is the title. This is the climax. This song ends the play exactly how I want it to.

And it's called Roswell.

http://www.stumbleaudio.com/#cambiata/5

that was actually an alright song. i definitely can see how some parts would fit nice into a movie.

[RunInTheFront]

That's a major buzzkill. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened to me. But it's cool about the Ethan Frome analysis and all that good stuff. =]

Yea dude, at first I was pretty pissed off at myself for losing it. I never thought I would lose it because I always had it on me and had been writing in it for about a year, but shit happens. Look at Hemingway; his wife lost most of his Paris manuscripts and he turned out to be a pretty good writer, so maybe losing it will have the same effect on me, haha.

[pshh]

A writing environment is crucial, where do you guys find that writing suits you best? I find being infront of the computer pounding my keystrokes away in to Final Draft I get side tracked into AIM and the web and stuff.

How do you guys deal with a great environment to work?

[odizzle_word]

A writing environment is crucial, where do you guys find that writing suits you best? I find being infront of the computer pounding my keystrokes away in to Final Draft I get side tracked into AIM and the web and stuff.

How do you guys deal with a great environment to work?

I'm fine just sitting in front of the computer as long as I make sure that I'm not connected to the internet. Lately I've been taking a notebook into the park and writing stuff there, then typing it up later. That's been working pretty well also.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I'm fine just sitting in front of the computer as long as I make sure that I'm not connected to the internet. Lately I've been taking a notebook into the park and writing stuff there, then typing it up later. That's been working pretty well also.
This is exactly what I was going to say. There's a park nearby here with a lake. There's a dock house on the edge of the lake where this group of older men get together and play and sing for passersby every week. It's one of the most peaceful places for me to go and what really interests me is that sometimes the songs they're singing really match the feeling I'm trying to evoke when I write. The internet distracts me but the water, the trees, the music, it's perfect for me.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I'm in high school, so class takes up a lot of time. If I have something good, I keep it in my head until a study hall. All the students are giving iBooks for 'educational purposes,' and right now is holding all of my writing on it.

As for environment outside of school, I write a lot by myself with the music on, and usually I'm surfing the internet. It's hard for me to concentrate on one thing, so if I multitask it gets my thoughts in a line. Don't ask em how that works, but it does for some strange reason.

[popdisaster00]

anyone wanna post their songs, or even just artists they plan to use in a screenplay. i'd definitely be interested to see.
I said earlier, but the opening credits will roll to Mute Math - Collapse.

Other songs I want in my movie:

Either Way by Wilco (this would play during a scene with an aerial view of my character driving his car)

The Scientist by Coldplay - although it was already used in Wicker Park..so who knows.

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

Copeland - I'm Safer on an Airplane

I think a good way to end the movie would be Auto Rock by Mogwai.

Brothers on a Hotel Bed by DCFC.

etc etc etc...I have a lot of songs on my "movie music" playlist, I'm sure none of them would make it into the film haha.

[popdisaster00]

A writing environment is crucial, where do you guys find that writing suits you best? I find being infront of the computer pounding my keystrokes away in to Final Draft I get side tracked into AIM and the web and stuff.

How do you guys deal with a great environment to work?
The best way for me is to make sure i am not connected to the internet and that I ONLY have Final Draft open.

Even better, just take your lap top to a quiet place of your choice where you can't even get wireless. Like other people said, a park, a beach, maybe just an empty room in your house.

And I take a notebook around with me wherever I go because you never know when an idea pops into your head. If I don't write it down ASAP, I'll forget it.

[Mirrorsandfevers]

I always wanted to blog, but I find it difficult to for some reason.

[sheisarebel]

I love, love, love this thread and I'm definitely going to be checking in from time to time!

I've basically been writing since the first time I put pen to paper. It's definitely more than a hobby for me, it's my passion. I write mainly short stories, poems, and what I call small passages. But I've also written a couple novellas that will most likely never see the light of day just because they're so personal and were written at an extremely difficult time in my life. However, I recently started working on my first novel so it's in the very early stages. I have a rough plot worked out, but I know it's going to be difficult to write since the story is told from the perspective of 6 sisters with each of their personal stories and experiences intertwining. It'll be hard transitioning from one character's mindset to the next, but I feel like that'll help me establish a great connection with each character. Wish me luck and keep up the good work guys! haha

[Neo Cassady]

I love, love, love this thread and I'm definitely going to be checking in from time to time!

I've basically been writing since the first time I put pen to paper. It's definitely more than a hobby for me, it's my passion. I write mainly short stories, poems, and what I call small passages. But I've also written a couple novellas that will most likely never see the light of day just because they're so personal and were written at an extremely difficult time in my life. However, I recently started working on my first novel so it's in the very early stages. I have a rough plot worked out, but I know it's going to be difficult to write since the story is told from the perspective of 6 sisters with each of their personal stories and experiences intertwining. It'll be hard transitioning from one character's mindset to the next, but I feel like that'll help me establish a great connection with each character. Wish me luck and keep up the good work guys! haha

You could always use a pseudonym for the novellas, change some names and so forth. As for the novel, I love when things are written from various points of view with intertwining stories (read Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction, if you haven't already, for a good idea of how something in that style has been put together), leaving you to eventually figure out each character and what they're really saying, etc. Good luck, and post some passages here if you want!

[Neo Cassady]

A writing environment is crucial, where do you guys find that writing suits you best? I find being infront of the computer pounding my keystrokes away in to Final Draft I get side tracked into AIM and the web and stuff.

How do you guys deal with a great environment to work?

If I'm on my computer, I usually close out everything and just have my word processor open, and put on some instrumental music. Alternately, I'll take a notebook to somewhere that I feel will be inspiring (a park, the student union, I've even brought scraps of paper to parties before to jot stuff down on). And because school is about 2.5 hours from home, and I go home once a month or so, I sometimes take along a voice recorder and narrate while I drive.

[tomakebelieve]

A writing environment is crucial, where do you guys find that writing suits you best? I find being infront of the computer pounding my keystrokes away in to Final Draft I get side tracked into AIM and the web and stuff.

How do you guys deal with a great environment to work?

When I want to be really serious and write, I disconnect my internet and keep my sidekick in the other room. Then I just put on some acoustic/softer music and just pound away at my keys. I usually try to do that for an hour at least three days a week. It's hard though, because you can't really force inspiration.

[SteveD]

I always wanted to blog, but I find it difficult to for some reason.

I just started doing it on my music page, it's very calming. Feels good to write down the days.

[hf57]

ideas for music i'd like to use:

tautou - brand new
inside your head - eberg
bad skin day - bell x1
what were the chances - damien jurado
warning sign - coldplay (although it was already used in The Last Kiss)
honestly - cary brothers
clean breaks - dashboard confessional
for me this is heaven - jimmy eat world
always move fast - lydia
open your eyes - snow patrol
can't go back now - the weepies

haven't decided which songs, but i know for sure i want something from william fitzsimmons, bon iver, i can make a mess like nobodys business, stacy clark and owen.

other possibilites are the blue roses by rookie of the year, i want to know your plans by say anything and provocations of starman jr. by wolftron.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

ideas for music i'd like to use:

tautou - brand new
inside your head - eberg
bad skin day - bell x1
warning sign - coldplay (although it was already used in The Last Kiss)
honestly - cary brothers
clean breaks - dashboard confessional
for me this is heaven - jimmy eat world
always move fast - lydia
open your eyes - snow patrol
can't go back now - the weepies

haven't decided which songs, but i know for sure i want something from william fitzsimmons, bon iver, i can make a mess like nobodys business, stacy clark and owen.

another two possibilites are the blue roses by rookie of the year and provocations of starman jr. by wolftron.

YES. Great avatar while I'm at it, haha. I'm enjoying his new songs so far and Goodnight was a fantastic album.

[sheisarebel]

You could always use a pseudonym for the novellas, change some names and so forth. As for the novel, I love when things are written from various points of view with intertwining stories (read Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction, if you haven't already, for a good idea of how something in that style has been put together), leaving you to eventually figure out each character and what they're really saying, etc. Good luck, and post some passages here if you want!
Interestingly enough I freuqently leave passages or poems I've written in random books under a pseudonym so I'm sure if it ever came down to it, I probably would do that.

You know I've always wanted to read that book, but for some reason I just never got around to it. I'll definitely give it a go just to see how Ellis handles writing from multiple points of view. Thanks for the rec!

[popdisaster00]

ideas for music i'd like to use:

tautou - brand new
inside your head - eberg
bad skin day - bell x1
warning sign - coldplay (although it was already used in The Last Kiss)
honestly - cary brothers
clean breaks - dashboard confessional
for me this is heaven - jimmy eat world
always move fast - lydia
open your eyes - snow patrol
can't go back now - the weepies

haven't decided which songs, but i know for sure i want something from william fitzsimmons, bon iver, i can make a mess like nobodys business, stacy clark and owen.

another two possibilites are the blue roses by rookie of the year and provocations of starman jr. by wolftron.
Almost any coldplay song works for a movie, haha.

maybe they should make an original score for a flick.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Wouldn't that be something?

[Ailite]

Whenever I write a blog, I wait about two weeks between them and find a lot of music that fits my mood during the space. I write all my ideas down in my notebook and make a playlist and then listen to it all in one to form the rest of my ideas.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Man, I've been racking my brain all day over this five page screenplay assignment I have to write and the idea for what I want to do just now hit me. Feels good to finally have the writing process kick in, especially considering this one only has to be five pages long. What was so hard was that the professor gave us CLOSAT cards to choose from and we had to create characters, locations, and specific objects out of those cards. Then he gave us a theme. I've got my idea now though and I'm happy with it. God forsaken writers block...

[Bob Payne]

Hey everybody, I'm a writer, too! Are people going to start posting work?

[June_Bug]

I'd love to post some of my work but i'd be careful of what I do post i'd hate for anyone to have their ideas stolen.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I'm scared to.

but I'll post an except from Roswell at some point tomorrow if anyone's interested.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I hereby swear not to plagiarize/steal anyone's material and while I hope others will show the same level of r-e-s-p-e-c-t, I guess we'll just have to fly by the seat of our pants and hope the material will remain yours in good faith.

[popdisaster00]

I trust all of the posters in this thread, but not the lurkers.

[pshh]

exactly.

[itsmesean0630]

After viewing Burn After Reading, I really want to write a story like that. In the dark comedy sense. I just love how they incorporate like violent stuff with comedy it's too funny.

That sounds so weird, but I do.

[open mind]

yeah, i think i'm only willing to post the vaguest descriptions of what i'm working on or display exerpts of a close to finished product.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

yeah, i think i'm only willing to post the vaguest descriptions of what i'm working on or display exerpts of a close to finished product.
Yeah, agreed. I do fear lurkers.

[Ailite]

Yeah, agreed. I do fear lurkers.
This.

[decisionpending]

Just found this freakin' sweet thread. Will comment on other's. Will post ideas.

Random comments on stuff I just saw, flicking through thread:

Fearing lurkers, like me, is a good thing. But I am not afraid of posting ideas and the such. Extensive dated and backed up system of random files will hopefully mean win if such a case arises.

Using music in film: Son et Lumiere by The Mars Volta will be in a mad epic drug scene. So many other choices.

As for my writing background and such, I am into writing short stories. I wrote a play a couple of years back, which got produced as a bare-bones work-in-process sorta thing at uni. In the space of year it changed ever so much, from a wordy in-joke laden comedy-drama to a minimalistic teen drama with some one-liners... I think it got tighter, yet worse.

Anyway, I have an idea for a novella, which when I can put into words I will post.

[Neo Cassady]

I hereby swear not to plagiarize/steal anyone's material and while I hope others will show the same level of r-e-s-p-e-c-t, I guess we'll just have to fly by the seat of our pants and hope the material will remain yours in good faith.

seconded.

[odizzle_word]

Has anyone here ever done NaNoWriMo and actually finished a story/novel? I've been trying for the past couple years but never produced a complete story in that amount of time.

[June_Bug]

Oh and if any of you that have ideas and would like to share specifics with someone and or work with some on material I would suggest PMing. Personally I would like to work with some of you on some things because I know everybody on this thead has amazing ideas from the posts made so far. So feel free.

[pshh]

I am ready to steal everyones' ideas.

jk, but i do fear lurkers

[popdisaster00]

After viewing Burn After Reading, I really want to write a story like that. In the dark comedy sense. I just love how they incorporate like violent stuff with comedy it's too funny.

That sounds so weird, but I do.
Haha, perfect example of when I watch a film and go, "damn...I wish I wrote that."

[popdisaster00]

What's the difference between a Novel and Novella?

[odizzle_word]

What's the difference between a Novel and Novella?

A story of length in between a short story and a novel. Too long to be the former, too short to be considered the latter. i.e. "The Man Who Lived Underground" by Richard Wright.

[popdisaster00]

A story of length in between a short story and a novel. Too long to be the former, too short to be considered the latter. i.e. "The Man Who Lived Underground" by Richard Wright.
thanks :-)

[pshh]

I think this is an interesting everyone in this thread will check out.

here (http://lifehacker.com/5052540/write-your-novel-at-webook)

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

OK, so this is the beginning scene of my play, Roswell. It still needs a lot of, work, fleshing out, and it might come across a little juvenile. I am 16, after all. The pacing of the music coinciding also needs a TON of work, so I took those parts out.

Enjoy nonetheless.

(The house lights are not completely dimmed, for most of the action takes place off stage. Most of the action takes place offstage, and so to make sure everything catches what’s going on, a feed will be set up, leading into a projector, and cameras will catch the characters’ every move to be projected onto the screen. Lights up on a messy bedroom. The teenager’s haven. It belongs to sixteen-year-old Hayden Matthews, who leans on his wall for support, reading a letter. Cue track 1. It is only background noise, heard at a low volume the slowly draws up, coming from a stereo next to his bed. The floor is clean, for the most part. An outfit is strewn across the floor, possibly worn the day before. The walls are strewn with memories- photographs, signed paraphernalia, a CD rack filled, and more hidden around the room. A computer is set up on a desk, facing away from the audience, who shall be referred to from this point on as The Outside World. Hayden suddenly shoots up in his bed, turning down the music. He begins to shake, holding in what appears to be a meltdown. He starts mumbling to himself whatever comes to mind – what he could have said, what he wanted to say. He gets up, begins to pace. He somehow represses this upon another thought. The feeling subsides. His gaze fixates on anyone, anything in the Outside World. It has hit him. What, we don’t know yet.)

Hayden: (to no one) I can’t wake up.

(Lights down.)

VO: I’ve been looking for you….I’ve been looking for you.

Voiceover: (Hayden) It hit me, in that moment, like a slap across the face. I couldn’t make any sense of it before. Why fate worked the way it did…. but it also made sense of what he meant. (A long beat) My name is Hayden Matthews, and…. for six months…. I lived. God damn it, I lived.

(Lights up once again. Hayden is sleeping, but no sooner wakes up, throwing off the blankets. He is in a shirt and boxers, and grabs a pair of pants on the floor to get ready for school. His routine begins. He puts on a CD. Cue track 2. He sings to himself, steadily getting louder, but then hushes again to make sure no one hears him. )

Hayden (VO): Six months ago, I was just another kid from the heart of suburbia in Maine. Nothing to me, just another kid, you know?

(Hayden walks off the stage, down the steps, and into the audience. He walks up the aisle, not regarding the Outside World at all. A boy gets from the middle of the audience, and bumps into Hayden on accident.)

Hayden: Oh, sorry!

Boy: No worries.

(The boy walks, taking a left to walk in front of the audience and lies down at the edge of the other aisle. Other planted members, two more kids, from the audience stand up, placed at the end of the rows, and move into the aisle to confront Hayden.)

Kid 1: Hey, what’s up!

Hayden: Hey. (He recognizes the two, and smiles.)

Kid 2: We’re taking the shortcut to school! You coming?

Hayden: Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I’ve got what, twenty minutes?

Kid 2: Did you do the chem. Paper for that lab we did?

Hayden: Yeah, I’ll hand it in today.

Kid 1: Cool! Don’t be late, now!

Hayden: I won’t! Don’t worry about it!

(The two kids run past him, going into the far aisle, and making their way backstage. Hayden takes a right, turning again to go down the center-stage right aisle. He stops. Somebody is lying there, in his way. The same boy he bumped into earlier. Hayden stares down at the boy, who doesn’t seem to notice him. Music fades out.)

Hayden: Ah. You again?

Boy: So it would seem.

Hayden: What are you doing?

(A long beat.)

Boy: (indifferently) Paying attention.

(Another.)

Hayden: You should probably get to class.

Boy: I don’t go to school here.

Hayden: Well, where then?

Boy: (points up) What do you think that cloud looks like?

Hayden: (Looks up, surveying the sky, about to answer him) I…(snaps out of it, looks back down at the boy.) I don’t have time for this!

Boy: Yes you do.

Hayden: I have school in twenty minutes –

Boy: Since when should that stop you?

Hayden: Since - (A beat. He falters, but doesn’t have an answer. Hayden ponders such a question.)

Boy: Nothing should stop you from what you want to do. Nothing.

Hayden: (flustered) What - I don’t know what I want!

Boy: (Not affected) Do you want to look at the clouds with me? You’re more than welcome to. (Finally regarding Hayden’s feelings) Are you upset?

Hayden: Yes!

Boy: You shouldn’t be. You’re stressed already from all the responsibilities placed upon your shoulders.

Hayden: What’s that supposed to mean?

Boy: It means school and money and power isn’t the only way to happiness.

Hayden: And just what can I do about that?

Boy: Do what makes you happy. Does looking at the clouds make you happy?

Hayden: (Looks up at the ‘clouds’, the frustration draining out of his face.) …Yeah.

Boy: You could join me, then.

(A pause. The two make eye contact, Hayden looking suspecting.)

Hayden: (VO) I thought he was high. Or crazy. High seemed more feasible. But, more importantly…I thought he was right. The clouds made me happy, so I accompanied him. (He starts to sit down next to him, laying back and stretching his body out to get comfortable. (Cue track 3.) You could tell it was spring because the girls were breaking out the short shorts. You could tell when it was spring when the never-ending pickup game of ultimate Frisbee took place in the park. When the pond behind the Key Bank melted, ending the skating season for the year. The grass is a sickening deep green. When the clouds slowly tilted over the ground, forming and dissipating, not stressed by wind or other phenomena. The only reason I could tell it was spring was because I had stopped to look around and notice all of this. Break my routine. Pay attention, if you will.

Hayden: I’m Hayden, by the way. Hayden Matthews.

Boy: I’m Seth.

Hayden: Pleasure.

Seth: Nonsense, it’s all mine.


Hayden: (VO) So, that was it. I didn’t go to school that day. I just lay there with this Seth job, and took in the scenery, shot the breeze. It felt great, being able to relax. The consequences didn’t even cross my mind. As I would go on to learn, yesterday’s history, and tomorrow’s a mystery. Living in the moment was all I could seem to care about. I would be doing it more often, too.

(Seth suddenly gets up, starts to walk away.)

Hayden: Hey! Where are you going?

Seth: I don’t know. But I feel like doing something else.

Hayden: What about me?

Seth: What about you? (Stops, turns around) Don’t you have school?

Hayden: Oh, funny. I don’t want to go now.

Seth: Then do what you want to do. Who’s going to stop you?

Hayden: (Ignores the question) Are you going to come back tomorrow?

Seth: Depends.

(Walks slowly up the aisle, then turns at the far aisle, going towards stage right.)

Hayden: (cupping his hands to shout) Wait! What if I get in trouble?

Seth: (Doing the same) What have you got to lose?

(Seth sits down in one of the empty seat left by the two kids. He blends in.)

Hayden: What do I have to lose? (Thinks for a second before scoffing softly.) Depends on what I want to lose, I guess.

(Hayden takes a good look around. Cue VO.)

Hayden: (VO) The rest of the day blended together. It was beautiful out, I remember. Other bits and pieces still remain of what happened that first day, but other than my divine intervention, nothing else significant remained. (Hayden begins to wander among the different open passages, aimless in his manner, finding his way back to his room. Seth gets up again, following Hayden from a distance. Track fades out, lights up onstage.) I found myself back at my house… in my room.

(Hayden collapses on the bed.)

Hayden: (VO cont’d) I couldn’t think, therefore I wasn’t. Existence took the backseat…and I slept.

end scene

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

OK, so this is the beginning scene of my play, Roswell. It still needs a lot of, work, fleshing out, and it might come across a little juvenile. I am 16, after all. The pacing of the music coinciding also needs a TON of work, so I took those parts out.

Enjoy nonetheless.
Well hey man, first of all, one of two things:

1.) Even if you are afraid that your work might be a little juvenile due to your age, you should know above all that it's actually quite impressive to see someone of your age even admit that fact. This brings me to my second point,
2.) You should put aside those fears of yours. Sure, we've all got flaws in our writing but from what I'm seeing here so far you seem to be a very observant 16 year old and I am highly interested to see where it goes from this point on. Hell, a lot of what I read just now made me wish I'd written that when I was 16 years old. Keep up the good work man.

[pshh]

OK, so this is the beginning scene of my play, Roswell. It still needs a lot of, work, fleshing out, and it might come across a little juvenile. I am 16, after all. The pacing of the music coinciding also needs a TON of work, so I took those parts out.


coming from a fellow writer are our age, i think it's crucial for us to really get advice early, so when we're older we really have an advantage of the do's and dont's. but i think it's a very experimental period of writing at this age, really knowing the good things you do and the stuff you should polish up on.

always ask people to read your stuff and give advice, i find the more that people read my stuff, the more feedback i get, the better i'll only get in the future.

anyway. keep up good work, hopefully we can discuss stuff in the future. :-)

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Thank you both for the kind words. I feel better about it now that it's out of the way. It's the same with me for a lot of things - counting to three before jumping into a lake or something.

As for the scene itself, this is probably the most developed scene I have right now. I'd be glad to post another scene if you enjoyed it that much.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I'd love to read more.

[SteveD]

seconded.

Ditto

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

This scene follows directly after the beginning. shows Seth's development. I was going for bitter, narrow minded and arrogant, so hopefully I accomplish that.

Hear track five, which is listed in the scene, here. (http://www.myspace.com/cambiata) the song is called Shards of Pornography.

(Hayden closes his eyes. Seth sits on the steps leading up to the stage from SL. Music down, all lights down. Seth moves to his next spot before the lights come up. SL)

Seth: Yeah I know. After all this time just sitting and watching and looking and picking people apart in his mind to show their flaws to no one who bothered to listen...and you follow some kid after ninety minutes of looking at some clouds with him. I make one little move, and you're all up in a fuckin' bunch. I don't see why it's such a big deal...not like you people paid attention to me anyway.

(Lights up. Hayden awakes once again. It is now early evening. Hayden’s parents have not come home. He slowly gets up, but widens his eyes upon remembering what he’s done that day, and moves faster, pacing.)

Hayden: (VO) I couldn’t believe it. Had what happened today…actually happened? Had I really skipped school? I felt weird for some reason about it. Part of me felt bad, but another, bigger part wanted to do it all over again. And I would get my chance.

(Hayden exits his house, finding Seth sitting against the wall of the stage, facing the audience. He is busying himself with some menial interest.)

Hayden: What are you doing here?

(Seth stops, looking at Hayden before opening the other. He stretches.)

Seth: Waiting for you. God, you sleep like a log.

Hayden: Why’d you follow me?

Seth: Details.

Hayden: What?

Seth: Details. They don’t matter.

Hayden: What are you talking about?

Seth: See, that’s what makes people so upsetting. They want everything down to the T, or else its irrelevant. In reality, the actuality of the event happening is what matters. I mean, who, what, where, when, why, how – that’s just unnecessary stuff that gets people more worked up. (A beat.) But if you must know, I appreciated this morning. You’re the first person in this hellhole of a town to regard me like that.

Hayden: I didn’t exactly have much of a choice.

Seth: Oh, yes you did. You chose to stop. You chose to indulge yourself. Not me.

Hayden: True. (A beat.) Do you want to come in?

Seth: Sure.

(He gets up, follows Hayden onstage, and goes into his room with him.

Seth: Woah. I dig this place already. (Makes a beeline for his CD rack.) What do you have?
Hayden: Well, let’s see…

(Hayden pressed play on his stereo. Cue track 4.)

Seth: Shit! You listen to this? I like you already!

Hayden: Yeah, I love them. I just bought the new shit the other day, and I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop. This is off of a mix, though.

Seth: Cool. (Looks through CDs.) Oh, man. I love almost all of these exact bands.

Hayden: We’ll get along just fine then. (VO. The two pantomime.) When it came to music, Seth and I could have ruled the world. Most of our conversation revolved around the bands we loved, hated, wanted to hear – it never got old to us. (Music down.)

Hayden: (cont’d, speaking) So, you don’t go to school? (Seth shakes his head.) Why not?

Seth: I didn’t want to.

Hayden: What about your parents?

Seth: What do they matter?

Hayden: Well, wouldn’t they be mad about you not going to school?

Seth: They don’t care.

Hayden: I see. (A beat.) So what brought about this little revelation?

Seth: Well. (Pause. He speaks slowly) I daydreamed a lot in school. I mean, who didn’t? I was always looking outside whenever I was in school, and I saw the world coexist with the reality I perceived every single day. It was really surreal. And I said to myself, (points up) ‘That’s what I could be doing. That’s what I should be doing.’ You know? So I stopped going to school. Nobody noticed I had gone. I literally blended in with the walls there. I didn’t really know anyone. (Hayden’s VO breaks in: ‘That explains why I didn’t recognize him.’) And I’ve been living like this ever since. How I want to.

Seth: The way I see it, life teaches you everything you need to know. Sure, in school, you can analyze books, write papers, learn mathematical skills – education seems ideal for financial success. But life, true success, fate, emotion, nature - those should be our teachers. Of course, life itself is too subjective to really give a shit about. So everybody makes money, building up this sickening sense of materialism we pass onto each other. That wasn’t me, you know? Societal and educational benefactors are only details in the long run. For achieving the life you want to live – that’s true success to me. (A short beat.)

(Hayden takes this in...considers it.)

Hayden: (VO) This is how I came to know Seth. Free spitired, unbound from the chains of the world around him…alone.

(Hayden skips to the next track. Cue Track 5. He starts to sing to himself, but stops himself once he realizes Seth is watching him.)

Seth: Why’d you stop?

Hayden: Because…

Seth: Are you scared someone will hear you?

Hayden: (Catches Seth’s drift.) Kind of...

Seth: Start the song over. I want to hear you sing.

Hayden: I’ve never really sung in front of people before.

Seth: Pick another song. Come on.

(Hayden skips the song. Cue track. He’s nervous, but sings the part anyway.)

Lyrics: Had a girl, who I treated like the wind…

(He continues with the song, going up until, “before we began.” before Seth pauses the music. Hayden does not notice.)

Hayden: (notices he’s by himself, and stops singing. He is upset.) The hell you do that for!

Seth: (ignoring Hayden’s distress) You’re really good.

Hayden: What was that for! It’s not funny!

Seth: Nor was I intending to be funny. You did something that scared you. And a good outcome was the result.

Hayden: No way, I suck.

Seth: No you don’t. If you can’t respect your own opinion, then respect someone else’s.

(Hayden is unable to argue this. He's baffled.)

Hayden: How do you know so much?

Seth: I don’t. (Starts to exit offstage.) Life does. I’m just its relay.

(He walks offstage, the same way he came, to the very back of the audience. Hayden starts to stop him, but decides to let him go, hmphing to himself.)

end scene

This is the only other part I will probably post here, as I need to work on the rest of the play more. My ending needs a few tweaks, among other things. I'll make a thread for Roswell in its entirety on the Lyrics/Poetry board within a week or so, where people can leave comments and such before I begin work on my next draft.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

Damn kid, you're good.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Thank you. The draft should be finished much sooner than I expected, within a day or so. ^_^

I'll post a link to the thread when it's finished.

[popdisaster00]

So I was listening to Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago last night when I was trying to fall asleep and I pretty much decided it's the perfect soundtrack for my film.

Even better, the entire album inspired me to think of a handful of new scenes/ideas I can add to my script, and I finally realized how to end my film.

It was a great night.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

The same thing happened with me and the band I primarily use in Roswell.

I know exactly how you feel.

[popdisaster00]

The same thing happened with me and the band I primarily use in Roswell.

I know exactly how you feel.
:thumbup:

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I posted my most recent draft of Roswell here (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=21253761#post21253 761). Take a gander, would you kindly?

Full tracklist/links are posted there as well.

[pshh]

I think I'd use Explosions in the Sky to take up my playlist.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

My brief listen to a couple of their songs will get me to agree.

It sounds very cinematic. Cool background/voiceover music.

[Scudder104]

Hey guys, like the others before me, this was a GREAT thread idea. I've been waiting a long time for something like this.

Anyways, I don't think I'm a writer in the true sense of the word, because I just started trying it for real about a two years ago. And to the kid who's writing the play and posting scenes, hats off to ya, brother. Your talent far exceeds your age. As long as you keep posting, I'll keep reading.

Right now I'm a broadcast journalism major at UCF, although I can tell that I'm probably not going to go into television news, even though I think I'm pretty deece at it. You have to give up so much for that kind of job, and I just don't have the passion for the profession to make so many sacrifices. I'm thinking very seriously about taking some time off after I graduate in spring to get some things done I've always wanted to try, like giving music a real shot and writing a movie.

For the past year, I've been working on a pilot for a television show called EVERYBOYS. It's essentially about everything I've learned up to this point. The show mainly deals with what's it's like to actually grow up, to dip our feet in the ocean known as adulthood. Everything in the show is based on things I know about, or rather what I think I know. It follows a cast of college-aged characters as they deal with these new exercises.

The overall theme of the show is its honesty in the characters. The main characters, Eben Laskey and Matt Thompson, are the guys you went to school with. They're the versions of you from ten years ago. And that's the significance of the show's title. They're not "The OC" wannabes, or gorgeous guys getting all the girls, or secret agents fighting terrorism. They're not even "everymen" yet. They're simply... EVERYBOYS.

I've written a complete draft of the pilot episode. It clocks in at 48 pages, which is fine because I'm thinking of writing it in an hour-long format. I'd really like to see what some of you guys think of it. SkyHeldUpByStar seems to really know how to go about working on these things, and xBITCHxPLEASEx (lol at typing that) obviously has the ability to critique the writing. I'd really be interested to see what all you guys think.

And by the way, as to the fear of "lurkers", I took a Mass Comm Law course last semester, and an author obtains an instant, very basic copyright as soon as his work is made tangible (as in being printed on paper). So as long as you can prove when you wrote a piece, that protects you from having your work stolen or ripped off.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Send me the pilot. I'd love to take a look. ^_^

[Scudder104]

Send me the pilot. I'd love to take a look. ^_^

Sounds good man. I wrote it in Final Draft, so let me know if that's a problem. Do you want me to email it somewhere?

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

PM me the text, if it's not too much of a problem. =]

[Scudder104]

PM me the text, if it's not too much of a problem. =]

Alright, it is done.

[odizzle_word]

I'm revising a short story for my creative writing class and there's this one little thing that's bothering me a lot: what sound does a car make when it crashes? I feel like "boom" doesn't really have the right effect.

[Neo Cassady]

I'm revising a short story for my creative writing class and there's this one little thing that's bothering me a lot: what sound does a car make when it crashes? I feel like "boom" doesn't really have the right effect.

Depends what part of the crash you want to describe: the screech of the tires, the glass shattering, the sheet metal crumpling in on itself, the pop of the tires, so on and so forth. It's impossible to describe an entire car crash in a single word.

[odizzle_word]

Depends what part of the crash you want to describe: the screech of the tires, the glass shattering, the sheet metal crumpling in on itself, the pop of the tires, so on and so forth. It's impossible to describe an entire car crash in a single word.

In my story it's a kid playing with Hot Wheels. I just can't figure out what sound he would make when imitating the car crashing to the ground. Not really a major part of the story, but little things like that bother me.

[popdisaster00]

In my story it's a kid playing with Hot Wheels. I just can't figure out what sound he would make when imitating the car crashing to the ground. Not really a major part of the story, but little things like that bother me.
So it's a hot wheels car crash?

It would "smack" on the floor maybe, I don't know haha

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

This is going to be hard to imagine, but you know when you make an explosion, you make a specific sound, like:

Kapwhewwwww!

Or something similar?

Try making the noise, then typing out the letters you make with your mouth.

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I like "Kapwhewwwww!"

[odizzle_word]

haha, yeah "Kapwhewwwww!" is actually pretty good, but it reminds me more of an explosion or a malfunctioning laser gun. my friend suggested "boosh" for the sound of a car crashing into something, and while it's not as fun as "Kapwhewwwww!" I think it's more fitting. onomatopoeia ftw.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

:3

What a silly sound.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I usually don't like doing this, but if you have some free time, please take a look at my project called Roswell. It's a one act play, so it's a bit of a read, but I'd love the feedback. I'm starting my next draft, and your input is greatly encouraged.

So, even if you hate it, please post a comment.

Here's (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=565101) the link.

[pshh]

I've been thinking for my next story to outline it on my wall, I would write a basic scene on front of a notecard then a description on the back. I would have this sprawled across my room walls. Hopefully this would make a good map for my story to head in the right direction since it's visually appealing. Plus it'll give me time to move around scenes to make more sense.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

That sounds like a sick idea. Reminds me a lot of Memento with his map of clues.

[popdisaster00]

I usually don't like doing this, but if you have some free time, please take a look at my project called Roswell. It's a one act play, so it's a bit of a read, but I'd love the feedback. I'm starting my next draft, and your input is greatly encouraged.

So, even if you hate it, please post a comment.

Here's (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=565101) the link.
damn dude you write a lot, props.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Thanks. I had finished a vomit draft of this a few months back, and I've been fleshing it out on and off ever since.

[headclub]

fucking shit. i cant get this idea started..i am trying to write a short story, or maybe a novel depending on how well i can do, on this idea i had earlier...but i just can't seem to think of a way to start it out...shit

i always hate the first couple paragraphs because they are the hardest to write

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Oh, absolutely. The first couple of paragraphs pretty much set the tone for the rest of the piece of writing.

Maybe I can help you out. What's the idea you had?

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Bump because I love this thread to itty bitty pieces.

[popdisaster00]

I can't wait until I have a few days off, I'm gonna do some cramming on my screenplay. I work every single night this week though :-(

[SkyHeldUpByStar]

I've been so horribly busy lately. School is definitely kicking my ass right now. Hopefully I'll find time to post some work up in here at some point.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

My school literary magazine is about to start up for the school year on Friday, and I'm looking to write something for it. A simple, three page short story. I was thinking of incorporating the song Televators by The Mars Volta into it.

[itsmesean0630]

I'm currently working on a short story for my Creative Writing class and I'm on a huge roll right now, if I can be honest. Felt like bragging in this thread!

[Ailite]

I've been getting a lot done the last week.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

On an impulse, I started an epilogue scene to my play today, and am tenatively titling it 'SING.'

No word on how long it will be, or songs used.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Also, I'd love to read/give feedback on whatever people are writing. ^^

[headclub]

3 of my short stories in progress are here, http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=97675485

tell me what you think

[headclub]

also, just for a fyi, all of those were written in 5-20 minutes and are very rough

[a speedo model]

I'm really pissed, for my writing class I had to write a bunch of papers which I turned into short stories that were random but actually very good. I think I might have thrown them out...which sucks :-(

[HoustonCalling]

i've always wanted to write a book, i feel like it would take forever and i would be constantly editing it. but i should start. maybe the next time i take off work...

[headclub]

i've always wanted to write a book, i feel like it would take forever and i would be constantly editing it. but i should start. maybe the next time i take off work...

i have like 7 things in the works from novels to short stories to comics to screen plays. and all of which i have been working on for months. i definately get distracted or lose my attention...but its a good time killer and eventually i hope i will have something i am really proud of

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

3 of my short stories in progress are here, http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=97675485

tell me what you think

I'll give a breakdown for each one, starting with:

Salvation. God, was this ever bitter. I thought, for twenty minutes, you were able to craft a past, and present, and ironically leave out a future - there is none for the narrator. As I read it, I thought of Edward Norton in Fight Club mumbling about his sense of consumerism and insomnia. In fact, I see it as a similar tool - a voiceover creating loathing and apathy between the viewer and the character. Billiantly written for such a short span of time.

Insomnia. Another great start, though I would take out the line 'I don't even set an alarm anymore.' It seems a bit overkill and threw off the flow of the paragraph by a statement that the reader could probably make themselves. I love love LOVE this line: "I am your everyday sucker, a fish that ate her bait and got stabbed in the cheek." Great start to something that you'll hopefully finish.

Epidemic. This feels the weakest to me, though still incredibly well done for such a short span of time. I love how you start to show how the disease/plague/sickness started to make people panic, but flesh those parts out, let the feeling sink in. I would also add more on the notion that the disease was the work of Satan. Is the plague choosing its targets? Or is it in cold blood? (I hope that made sense...) Another great start.

But anyway, great great great great great stuff. I'd love to read the last two fleshed out. You're really good.

[headclub]

thanks man. i am glad to hear the criticism. i would also love to read anything you or anyone else here has

post stuff

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

If you check a few pages back, I posted a link to a play I wrote and posted on AP.

I hate plugging my stuff. bUt I said that already. God this is awkward.

EDIT:
I usually don't like doing this, but if you have some free time, please take a look at my project called Roswell. It's a one act play, so it's a bit of a read, but I'd love the feedback. I'm starting my next draft, and your input is greatly encouraged.

So, even if you hate it, please post a comment.

Here's (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=565101) the link.

[sharptooth]

i'm not new to the site, but i am new to the forums. i love the creativeness in this thread. here's an excerpt from something i'm working on - the beginning, actually.


"This cough is gonna be the death of me," he thought, as he nursed a freshly lit morning cigarette and a hangover. The side effects of too much liquor, and in turn, too many cigarettes, were catching up with him and he could feel every drag in his heavy lungs. "Damn, last night was crazy. Well, what I can remember, anyway. I was a jackass. I bet I was a jackass. I feel like I was a jackass. Yeah, I was probably a jackass."
His early-morning contemplation was violently interrupted by the urge to vomit. Wiping his mouth as he got off his knees, he wasn't sure if the gas station nachos made their second appearance from the booze or if it was the overflowing well of emotion he felt swirling back into focus. Scenes from the night before played back in his head like a movie. A hazy, R-rated movie. Scenes of best friends; smiles; gut-busting laughter. Scenes of lust; jealously; violence. It was more than overwhelming.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

This is pretty good. I would suggest making:

"Damn, last night was crazy. Well, what I can remember, anyway. I was a jackass. I bet I was a jackass. I feel like I was a jackass. Yeah, I was probably a jackass."

a thought rather than something said out loud. That's pretty much my only tip for this. This seems very well thought out, would like to read more.

[itsmesean0630]

If I were to want people to read my short story, how would I go about it? It's about 8 pages.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

I would suggest making a post like, "Hey gang! I've got this short story I wrote and I'd like people to read it! It's about...etc." and PMing it to people who would want to read it.


....Like me. :D

[itsmesean0630]

I would suggest making a post like, "Hey gang! I've got this short story I wrote and I'd like people to read it! It's about...etc." and PMing it to people who would want to read it.


....Like me. :D
PM sent. And anyone else who's interested, let me know through here.

[headclub]

PM sent. And anyone else who's interested, let me know through here.

i am interested, pm it!!!

[itsmesean0630]

i am interested, pm it!!!
PM sent.

[headclub]

i have started reading it. it is definately vivid and good. just a few edits and small grammatical errors (though that is typical, i suck at grammar myself)

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

This was good, although I had one problem with it.

After a while, it felt a lot like you're just telling what's happening, most likely affected its pacing. After the first couple of paragraphs, starting from when he fell asleep to Jenny Lewis, it feels like "This happens, and then this happens, and then..." and you don't really stop in the moment. Flesh these parts out, give them more of purpose other than to just carry the story forward. Other than that, though, I enjoyed it.

[itsmesean0630]

This was good, although I had one problem with it.

After a while, it felt a lot like you're just telling what's happening, most likely affected its pacing. After the first couple of paragraphs, starting from when he fell asleep to Jenny Lewis, it feels like "This happens, and then this happens, and then..." and you don't really stop in the moment. Flesh these parts out, give them more of purpose other than to just carry the story forward. Other than that, though, I enjoyed it.
Appreciate it. Yeah I'm gonna be handing this in for my Creative Writing Class, so I'm trying to get it as good as possible. Thank you for the comments. I will definitely work on those.

And to headclub, yeah I know. I'm gonna have to proofread again and fix those. I always mess those up.

[pshh]

I started writing a short that I plan to shoot at the end of the month. :-)

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Oh, sick. Plot?

I think the regulars of this thread should write a short together, by the way.

[sharptooth]

This is pretty good. I would suggest making:



a thought rather than something said out loud. That's pretty much my only tip for this. This seems very well thought out, would like to read more.

yeah, i don't know yet what i want to do there. i've gone back and forth on that. it should most likely be a thought, but it kind of feels like it's something that could also just be said out loud to amplify the thought.

thanks, though.

[headclub]

Oh, sick. Plot?

I think the regulars of this thread should write a short together, by the way.

i agree!!! not it on the intro!!!

[headclub]

i want to write an entire movie too..just some sort of super tedious/fun project

[pshh]

we should have a "paris, i love you" sorta deal.

it would be great, i'd have a fucking awesome time filming everyone shorts or something.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

That would be the fuckin' greatest.

[odizzle_word]

Swt brag: I was in my school's Creative Writing department handing in my declaration of minor form and I walked by Jonathan Safran Foer. We made eye contact. Then I sneezed (I'm sick).

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Damn. That must have been cool. =O

[pshh]

Swt brag: I was in my school's Creative Writing department handing in my declaration of minor form and I walked by Jonathan Safran Foer. We made eye contact. Then I sneezed (I'm sick).

That's hella sick, I met Dave Eggers at a book seminar about his book "What is the What" you guys should all check that book out it's pretty good.

Awesome guy that lives in SF he has his own creative writing building that I might check out.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

OK, so for this collaborative project I proposed earlier, I'm going to take an initiative and propose some brainstorming for an overall theme to the whole thing.

[headclub]

Choppa Four

[WordzandDreamz]

we should have a "paris, i love you" sorta deal.

it would be great, i'd have a fucking awesome time filming everyone shorts or something.

All stories that are related to music.

[pshh]

All stories that are related to music.

I was thinking something like this too, since we're on a music forum. But if this actually does happen. I would love to shoot it, I need some good material to put on my college portfolio. Of course if we did it like that style I'd credit EVERYONES' name or something haha.

Get those creative juices flowing :-)

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

OK, so music.

I should have some kind of plot by the end of today.

[xBITCHxPLEASEx]

Check it;

A guy's playing guitar on the street. People pass by and drop some money in. Another individual walks up, and notices the performer isn't singing. When learning that the guy has no lyricsto the song he writes, the second individual thinks for a little bit, quickly studying the pattern of the song before beginning to lyrics he's making up on the spot. More people drop money, some even stop to watch. After deciding to stop, the performer gets up to leave, but and the second individual says, "Wait." The two make eye contact, and the performer smiles, giving time for the other to catch up. They interact. The end.

[TheBaroness]

so, I just found this thread. Late pass.

Anywho, I've been toiling away on a novel for about 9 years now. I wrote a complete first (handwritten) and second draft, but it was crap so I've sat on it for around 6 years now while I've been preoccupied with other things (study, work, being in my 20's, etc.) I still plug away at it every now and then, I suppose I'm not really in any kind of hurry to finish it because, honestly, the more I 'live' and the more experiences I have, the better it gets. It's fucking hard though, and I'm a very tough critic. Personally, I think it's garbage and I have no talent, but I basically keep writing now simply because I enjoy it, not because I believe anything will actually come of it. I posted a few bits of it in my blog and on other parts of this site in the past, and keep a running/updated version on my facebook.

Seriously though, is there anything harder than writing a novel? My god, I've driven myself to the brink of insanity many times over the thing - plotting, prose, saying the right thing at the right time, trying to engage the reader's interest etc. Very difficult to succeed in all those areas IMO.

[Bob Payne]

I wrote the screenplay for a short film we're shooting in a couple weeks for a school production.
Here's the PDF (http://www.sendspace.com/file/ta0glk) (it's 6 pages). Enjoy, everyone! I'll post in a couple weeks when we're finished shooting.

[TheBaroness]

well, I figure I'll post some of my stuff because I'm always in need of feedback. Anyway, this is from the book I've been working on for a while now. It's about a young Englishwoman who's left her home to live in Finland. Anyway, when she's been there for about a year, a guy she's in a relationship with commits suicide. The catch is, when this happens she doesn't feel anything, and can't seem to bring herself to. The book is pretty much about her trying to come to terms with the event and make sense of her own reaction to it. Ultimately, it's a meditation on people adopting a state of numbness to cope with the ups and downs of modern life. There's also a bit of an 'anti'-love story in there.

Here's what I would call the first chapter. It's rough, and I'm struggling with it, but yeah. Also, that detached prose is intentional. I'm going to open her up as the book progresses and she allows more people into her life.

--------

I’m fixed, impotent, by the spinning incandescent beams flickering meekly off the wet pavement at my feet. They radiate from the roof of the ambulance and up into the blackness of the evening sky. The gurney jars as the paramedics guide it down the gutter and towards where we are standing. There are tears, sympathetic hugs, some fall to their knees but I stand with my arms limp at my sides. I am foreign, it seems I can no longer deny this truth. I focus on the figure zipped into the black vinyl, lying prone as the gurney is lifted into the awaiting transport. For a moment all seems quiet and serene, the kind of silence you long for in a hectic city. The cars, the sirens, the wailing of the wind is mute, the air thick with moisture. I lift my fingertips to my cheek, it is dry and cool. I am lying to myself.


***

I left home when I was twenty-five. I’m still trying to figure out why. One day a restlessness was suddenly awakened within me: a pervasive, unscratchable itching gnawing below the surface of my skin which could not be satisfied by any amount of distraction. The desperation to find a cure led me to turn my back on everything I had ever known. The comforts of my existence abandoned without so much as a moment’s consideration for what I might be doing. Almost twelve months have passed now since I first arrived in Helsinki, and as much as changed as it has remained constant. I was greeted back then by the vacant expanses of the Finnish coastline, the violent-white of the shoreline stinging my eyes as I watched the sea melt towards the horizon like an endless oil slick. A feeling of seeing for the first time, like a prisoner finally loosed from the confines of her cell. A young Englishwoman searching for something which cannot be named, but certain of finding it. Now, I find myself sitting in the waiting room of the city’s largest hospital, I think I would give half my life to again know such surety. A fundamental belief in the consistency of luck and fortune which I once thought would never abandon me. But I see now that I had only ever been deluding myself. Cloaking the truth

I sit in a hospital waiting room watching my neighbour Rosa roll the ends of her long blonde hair between her fingertips. It is a nervous habit, compensation for an absent packet of cigarettes, and one which I find truly maddening. Given the circumstances however, I will forgive her this one trespass. We are waiting, for what I don’t know. Confirmation, I suppose, of the inevitable, or maybe answers far beyond the realm of what medical staff can offer. She followed the ambulance in her car, a small, feminine Volkswagen. Raced through the streets as if risking our own lives to follow death would somehow erase the last few hours and bring our friend back. I sat mute in the front seat while Rosa frantically wiped at her streaming eyes as she slid around icy laneways, muttering inaudible prayers to an unidentified deity.
Since then, she has not paused to clean the mascara from the corners of her eyes. It is a thin, almost translucent stream which makes me think of watercolour fingerpaints I was given as a child. I am forcing myself to feel pity and not disgust. She is older than I, thirty-eight to my twenty-six, though we could be sisters were it not for her superior height, and the protracted emaciation she’s been working on for the last few months. I shift awkwardly in the grey plastic bucket seats, my trousers having grown damp with perspiration. We have since been accompanied in the waiting room by two more of Jahnne’s friends, Mika and Evie. Neighbours separated by a mere plaster wall, they were immediately privy to the sounds, the shouts of alarm when the body was discovered. The fact they were likely indulging in newly-wedded bliss when he strung the rope around his neck and stepped off the chair is no doubt weighing on their mind. Evie buries a petit face now in her hands while Mika stands above her with arms folded, his gaze fixed absent-mindedly on an unmanned mop and bucket in the corner of the hallway. She reaches blindly for his arm but they slip one another’s grip without consideration.
It is now past eleven on a weeknight, the emergency department sits still and mute, save for the odd mumbles of an intoxicated vagrant, expectantly awaiting the inevitable moment when another crisis is raced through the ambulance bay. If you spend enough time in a place like this even the most seemingly random acts in life appear to conform to some invisible, fated timetable. It has not been long enough since I left here, the memories still sit underneath my skin, tattoos yet to fade with time and wear. They are imbued in the flicker of fluorescent lights off the linoleum flooring, in the atoms of disinfectant which choke my nostrils with their collective stench. I feel my cheeks burn hot with each approaching recollection, they seep through my capillaries. I scrape my shoes against the slick floor. The soles are still wet, even after all this time, and they emit a shrill squeaking as I draw my foot slowly across the scars of wear carved into the soft plastic tiles. I am trying to conjure a feeling, some recognition of the gravity and reality of the situation. That sinking in the pit of your stomach, or even a cold shiver of sweat creeping from the base of the ribcage up to the temples. But even now my body remains calm, measured, as if at rest. I fight the urge to yawn, but tend towards failure and am forced to shield my open mouth with the palm of my hand, disguise it as being part of a gesture of grief. My restlessness has drawn Rosa’s curiosity, she searches my face with her blurring gaze for some manner of similarly damp sorrow. Quickly, I glance at Mika and Evie, who have taken pause from the fracturing of their stability to follow Rosa’s concern. I feel the heat of their collective concentration needling my forehead. I drop my head into my hands, rub at my eyes to make them appear red and irritated. I can only play it off as shock and disbelief for so long before they begin to question who I am, draw their own grotesque conclusions. The solution, however temporary, comes readily. I have learned by way of experience that a person in my position must be flexible, quick to adapt in order to ensure continued survival. I have long since abandoned an increasing percentage of myself to assume the qualities of the ‘ideal’. To listen and understand, and to become the desired piece, the one who fits.
Abruptly, I rise from my seat and stride to the nurse’s station, smacking my open palms upon the counter-top.
“I want to see him.”
The nurse diverts her eyes critically towards the floor.
“I don’t think – “
“I want to see him,” I insist once more. From the corner of my eye I catch the others talking suddenly in hushed whispers. Rosa has turned her head sharply towards the wall as if to shield herself from an imminent explosion.
“Ma’am, I am afraid I can only allow family members at this time.”
I squint at the gold-plated nametag pinned neatly to the nurse’s chest, revealing a seemingly incompatible string of consonants and multi-syllables common to names in this region. It seems an overwhelming burden on one so small, she has the shoulders and waist of a Hollywood starlet from the 1950’s, but it is a stature outstripped by confidence in competence and authority. A product of the modern school of nursing, now less a service to humanity than a raw science.
“Ma’am, if I could ask your name?”
“Katherine Montgomery.” She passes it over in her mind, sounding each letter silently. It is incomprehensible to her in its simplicity, and of seemingly little relationship to her patient. I am met with suspicious countenance.
“I am his fiancé.” The lie slips effortlessly from my lips. It raises not so much as a startle in my neighbours. I suppose they have come to think I am entitled some dramatic license, or else they will hold their tongues presently, eagerly awaiting a quiet moment to glutinously roll in the filth of morbid gossip. Only Rosa knows the truth, or at least is confident in her belief as such. She had been a constant arbiter in my relationship with Jahnne, on most days a meddler, social engineer. I sometimes wonder if I should not have been more wilful in my objections.
“Of course, ma’am. If you please follow me I will take you to him.”
We walk briskly down the end of the hall to the elevator. When the doors finally grind shut the nurse turns to me, places a small hand upon my forearm.
“I am so sorry for your loss.”
I nod slowly, stare at my shoes, “thank-ahem-thank you for your sympathies.” The words feel clumsy on my tongue, twist themselves into a stutter.
“I have a fiancé of my own, if something were to happen to him, I don’t know what I would…” she pauses abruptly, drops her head in shame. “I apologize. It’s…you must be brave.” She catches my eyes as I move to focus on the opening doors, I see that she is stifling tears. Quickly she turns her head and steps officiously into the hallway. There is a blast of heat which slams me in the face as I exit. It sears my eyeballs as if I had been sandblasted by grit. I blink several times in succession, clenching my eyelids to draw enough moisture to sooth the scratching.
We follow the corridor as it winds left and right like a narrow hedge maze dotted with the skeletal remains of scantly-stocked metal shelving units. The morgue is illuminated as if to create artificial daylight, the glow from the overhead fluorescents beam off the stainless steal tables and storage lockers like a blazing ball of sunlight at the height of noon. She offers a glib introduction to the lone remaining pathologist, sighting some unfulfilled duties back in the emergency room as an exist strategy before scampering back above ground. He is a young man, roughly my age give or take a few years, judging by his fumbling uncertainty and hours of work, almost certainly a recent graduate. His is the appearance of barely restrained terror, and that which I saw in myself not so long ago whenever I would accidentally catch a glimpse of my reflection on the surface of an examination table. Dishevelled as I was by anxiety and fatigue. If I was to do so again, here in this room I would surely not recognize the unmarked visage staring back at me. Without the least crease of care or concern.
He stares at me blankly, a vacant vessel, as I struggle to succinctly explain my request, switching haphazardly between English and broken Finnish in an attempt to elicit any manner of response.
“Jahnne Henttonen, he was brought in this evening. Brought…here…earlier.” I sweep my arm metaphorically across the room.
Following a long period of his squinting at a clipboard and shuffling a mess of paper I am led to the appropriate storage locker. He yanks strongly on the sticking handle, grimaces as he draws forth the retractable bench. It rolls out slowly, metal wheels scraping against rusted steel framework. The sound pierces me to my bones, as if my knee joints were grinding against one another. I am abandoned with the mound. A mountain range underneath a crisp white sheet. Lifeless flesh, limp as clay. I peel back the cloth to reveal a face and upper torso. It has the image of Jahnne, as well as I can remember him at least. The precise details of my recollections are already beginning to fade as I am ever engulfed by new stimuli. I scan his figure, he was never a big man, but seems now even more petite. Thin and fragile, like a porcelain doll, with perfectly sculptured lips yet to be touched of colour by the creator’s paintbrush. The pallor does not shock me, nor the cold thickness of the skin as I feather my fingertips curiously across his brow. I have spent innumerable hours in places such as this, accompanied bodies almost indistinguishable. Stood, poised above with unstartled eyes as I pressed instruments through rubbery flesh, tugged at decomposing organs, bundling them onto scales while whistling an absent-minded tune in my head. Death was introduced to us on the first morning of medical school as a grounded concept, by the completion of my training and my admittance to practice it had become more of a chore, an unwelcome interruption. I have left that life behind me, but even now my fingers itch for the cold steel of a ten-blade scalpel as I run through a silent checklist of the required procedures. I scan the ligature marks around the neck. Resist the urge to poke at them with un-gloved hands, feeling for the density of the haematoma. A small ring of shadows, like newsprint, transplanted onto the fingertips from the morning paper, that rubs off your fingers and onto the tender skin of the throat when you pull at your shirt collar. The surrounding skin still shows signs of chafed irritation, but the redness has long since evaporated from view, drained to the base of the body to well like bruises.
I peel the sheet back further, to the base of the ankles, exposing the entire torso. We had been intimate for a number of months, and I see him now just as plainly as I had then. I had been longing for a prickle of shame, embarrassment, but I am as close to him now as I am to a mannequin. The abdomen is already distended. Suddenly I am overcome by an imagined smell, a recollection of what would eventually follow if I were to continue my clinical notation. It is more vivid and pervasive than what my own eyes witness in front of me. With it brings a defined sense of time and place, my first encounter with the mechanics of biology. A part of myself I can barely recall ever having existed. Calmly, I draw the sheet back over the head of the body and slide it into the locker. The sight will stay with me, but not that the thought of this causes any discomfort. It has always been there. All I’ve ever known of him.

When I return to the emergency room I find the others missing from the waiting area. Besides an arbitrary glance down each corridor I do not commence a search for them, but rather persist in pulling at my jumper, now drenching with sweat in the small of my back. The sudden burst of heat outside the morgue has wrapped my body in an asphyxiating cocoon, the irritation growing insufferable as I dash for the nearest exit. The doors of the emergency room slide shut behind me as I press my back into the cool concrete of the adjacent wall and heave the frost into my lungs. It’s a prevailing sense of calm, as if I had just settled aching bones into bed, minutes away from a dreamless sleep.
I search for something to occupy my hands, it is at such a moment I wish I could have suspended all common-sense and embraced, along with all the other foolhardy European youth, the habit of cigarettes. Even if I did never inhale, just the sensation of striking the lighter, drawing my fingers to my face as it dangled carelessly from my lips. An action within which I could absorb myself, that would project to the world both my innate confidence and vulnerability. And they would assume my normality, so readily, so easily. I would need never worry again when I felt curious eyes drifting upon my form.
I can hear the fait rhythms of Finnish speech moving closer towards where I am standing. I lean cautiously out from the wall, as if to shield my interest, peer quietly around the corner, squinting at the darkness. There is a woman pacing in an odd triangle – up, across, and back the way she came – mobile phone pressed to her ear. Already I can deduce from the shape of the legs – long, delicate twigs, the kind which reduce even the most eloquent man to a mess of fevered babbling – that it is Rosa. She has not yet detected my presence, so I press back against the wall to avoid betraying my voyeurism. Even after a year of residing in this place, my skills with the language remain significantly limited, no doubt a consequence of everyone’s insistence at practicing their proficiency with English while in my company. Rosa is speaking slowly, meditatively, and still I can only translate a few words per sentence:
“Yes…later, please…I don’t know…Katherine is…yes…I expect…nothing.”
I press my eyes into a firm squint, as if this will somehow improve my comprehension, and sneak another glance around the corner to where she is walking. The speaking has ceased, replaced by slow nodding and wiping again at her face. It is at this point I choose to reveal myself, slipping out casually into her path and feigning surprise when it appears as if I have found her. She raises a limp hand to acknowledge my presence.
“Yes, Markus…yes, yes, I…go now. Talk…goodbye.” She tucks her phone back into her purse and wipes her face once more. “Sorry, I was just on the phone to Markus.”
The briefest mention of his name brings to my mind an image of his face. This is how I remember things nowadays, not by traceable strings of information, but snapshots of a moment in time. Facts written on the reverse of the image, as you would do a Polaroid. He is smiling, they always seem to smile, and Markus especially, however hollow it may be. A forced pose in response to the presentation of a camera. We are in a bar, Rosa and I. She brings him, at this point a strange, strongly-built man, to the far booth in which we are seated, and commences her assault. It is in this sense that I feel some sort of ownership over their relationship, because I was there its commencement, for every road hump along the way and, no doubt, for the inevitable endings. How ever many of them there may be.
“He went to see Minna, officially, to tell her…” she trails off, almost into a choke. I am wondering if I had known on the occasion of our first meeting that Markus was a police detective whether I would have felt more or less assured of Rosa’s safety, disappearing with him as she did.
“…anyway, apparently she already knew. I guess that’s a relief in a way.”
I nod, turning thoughts over silently in my mind. Minna, Jahnne’s younger sister, stands at this moment his sole next of kin. From my observations they had always been close, but she has a streak of stern reservation which always made me consciously avoid having anything much to do with her.
I furrow my brow, “so she knew, and she’s still not here?”
Rosa shrugs, “maybe it’s the baby.”
About six months ago, Minna joined the seemingly growing Northern trend of young women who, upon reaching the tender age of twenty-two, promptly decide that their life has no meaning without an offspring, and so resolve to obtain one in the most expedient means possible. For Minna, that meant IVF, and raising a child without a father. And, almost certainly forgoing any chance of a romantic relationship until the thing was finally out of the house and at University. For up to a month after the birth, I prodded Jahnne with questions. But he would not be drawn on the subject, and always withdrew into some sort of uncharacteristic silence whenever I raised anything even remotely connected to that topic. In the interests of maintaining accord, I soon misplaced my curiosities somewhere in the back of my head.
“Maybe…” I respond at last to Rosa’s hypothesis. “Well, I suppose she’ll be taking care of the funeral arrangements, then.”
“I guess.”
I turn my head from side to side, “where are Mika and Evie?”
“They left while you were… I said they didn’t need to wait.”
“Okay,” I continue to nod, unaware I am even performing the action, “are we leaving now?”
Rosa looks up, “well, yes, if everything’s…”
“It’s okay.”
“Okay.” She has now joined my nodding, we must appear to any observer now as a pair of pigeons, consumed by the concrete in order to avoid catching one another’s eye line. “I’m just going to drop you off though, then go to Markus’s.”
She waits until we are almost home to ask about the morgue, as if searching all this time for either courage or vocabulary. I fix my eyes on the wet curb, blurring in a mess of illumination as it flashes past. The raindrops sit in thin stripes on the window pane. She waits anxiously for an answer while I am fumbling to assemble an elaborate deception, or some means of communicating the truth. In my weaker moments I long to be able to express what I truly feel, but I could never hope for her to understand what even I myself do not. Any concoction risks failing her expectations, and so I give the only answer that I know, at this moment, will not be challenged.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”

[headclub]

HOLY COW!!! that was incredible. kudos times 1000. i really liked this sentence: "mere plaster wall, they were immediately privy to the sounds, the shouts of alarm when the body was discovered. The fact they were likely indulging in newly-wedded bliss when he strung the rope around his neck and stepped off the chair is no doubt weighing on their mind." i really enjoyed the feeling and bitterness of the imagery you display with this. i also really liked the whole "Since then, she has not paused to clean the mascara from the corners of her eyes. It is a thin, almost translucent stream which makes me think of watercolour fingerpaints I was given as a child"

you are incredible at description and imagery. i really enjoyed this. how many chapters is this novel of yours?