I just found out yesterday that THE Blog has won Silver in Writing & Literature as well as Bronze in Arts & Culture at the Ninjamatics 2011 Weblog Awards and I have been riding a high all day. It would be an understatement to say that I was apprehensive about taking over this Blog last June. The fact is I was terrified. I don’t like to talk about myself, and I don’t like to talk about my writing, so why would I ever want to do that in a blog? I was sure I would get a few posts in and then just run out of things to talk about. But I took on the task because sometimes you just have to step out of your shell and take on something that is out of your comfort zone. I’m not sure I would recommend stepping into a year long commitment, but to each their own.
I want to stay humble about this, but I am pretty excited. I went into this nervous and assuming I would fail. But now I have received a pat on the back and been told that someone appreciates all the hard work I have put into this blog. And I want to thank Ninjamatics for that. I also want to thank Carolynne and David and everyone else at the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition for everything they have put into this blog and this competition.
Two years in a row. And I’m sure we’ll be back for three.
Now let’s get back to business. It’s February 1st. The end of the first step in the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition. The deadlines are all past, now there is nothing to do but wait. And believe me, it’s not easy. I’m sure you will all be checking in periodically, waiting for the day when the results will be announced. In the meantime, I hope you still visit the site and check in with me at THE Blog. I still have more tips to share with you.
And as you wait, fingers crossed, in anticipation, I’ll be right there with you. As I have just applied to go back to school, and now there is nothing more I can do but wait.
And wait.
Now, I’m sure you’ve all been here: you print off your script, or assignment, or application or whatever it may be and you begin to look it over and you start seeing problems. Not big problems, just little ones. You start to see words you don’t like any more, you want to go in and make some changes to the flow of the sentences. So you make the changes and print it again. And again you see these little changes. So you make changes and print it again.
And this continues till you finally say, stop! You put your foot down and declare that it’s done and that no matter what you may see, you are not going to make any more changes. Your script is finished!
Well you’re wrong. A script is never finished.
I have been working on a script for the last 6 months, it is 3 pages long and every time I think it’s done, I suddenly have a “Eureka moment” and find a way to make it better. As of right now I think the script is done, but this is the 3rd time I have felt this way and I know it will keep evolving. As I keep reading, as I keep searching for the hidden structure buried beneath a story, I discover more and more about my own story and the direction I want to take it.
And you’ll do the same thing. The next time you look at the story you just wrote, you will come at it with a different viewpoint, you’ll be in a slightly different place in your life, a different place in your journey as a writer and you will find things to change in your script. Be they small or large. And you are just going to have to make these changes until you finally decide to put your foot down and say stop!
But it won’t last long.
When you finally take your film into production, you will find that your finished script is going to change. As you add a creative team, changes will be inevitable. As you work with your actors, as you find your locations, you will discover new subtleties in your script. When words are translated to visuals, there are always changes, for good or bad, changes will occur and you will need to adapt the script to them.
But remember that no matter what, when you make changes you must stick to the heart of the story. You will find that if you stay true to your story you can change dialogue, actions, characters even whole scenes and still keep the heart of your story.
Whatever your story may be about, don’t compromise it.
So don’t be afraid of change. Don’t stamp your script as a masterpiece and move on. Because scripts continue to evolve and you need to accept that.
That’s all for this week. I have the day off today and I plan to spend it writing. Tune in next week, I’ll be talking about the heart of your story. Theme.
