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It’s that time of year again – NaNoWriMo 2010!

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I wrote my first book in 1978 and haven’t stopped writing since.

NaNoWriMo 2010 will be my 6th year at NaNo. So far I’ve had 5 years and 4 wins and this year I’m going for my fifth win (or 5 wins going on 6th if you count Script Frenzy too) .

I signed up the last week of Nov 2004, but never actually got started writing anything. Though it was the year I actually signed up, I don’t count it as my first year, since I never actually started writing anything!

I failed my “official” first year (2005) …did like 2,000 before I got bored with my plot. I was confused with the whole “contest atmosphere” too, and had not really gotting into the spirit of the whole write 50k as fast as possible thing, because I was too busy trying to write at my best instead of a my fastest, so I just fizzled out big time.

In the 2006 relaunch of the site, the 2004 archive got deleted, along with the accounts of many members who had joined in 2004. My account was one of the thousands that vanished in October of 2006. :( Luckily, because the system was wiped clean it had no memory of the deleted usernames either, thus allowing us to start new accounts with the exact same usernames. YAY! So, now my account says I signed up in 2006 instead of 2004, like it is supposed to say (many of us whose accounts now say 2006 as our join date, actually joined in 2004, btw.) However, by that time I had spent most of 2006 posting on the forums and had figured out that the contest was all about writing lots of words and hope they come out as a novel, rather than write a smooth polished publishable novel in 30 days, and so by the time November 2006 rolled around I was ready to toss my inner editor aside and try it again.

The result? I did 183,000 my second year/first win (2006) … kind of to make up for failing the first year, but than never went back to edit it. =P (and I did it long hand too!)

In 2007 I joined Script Frenzy, than life got in the way and I never wrote a word.

I reached 75,000 third year (2007), but I never finished the story, because my computer ate large sections of it the following December! ***screams*** ***pulls out hair*** Lesson learned, I now know to make copies of my draft and save it on a blog I created specifically for saving my drafts on.

In June 2008 I returned to Script Frenzy ready to write what I never got to write the year before, only to learn the contest had been moved to April and was already over! ARRGH!

In 2008, I did the unthinkable and changed my goal from 50k to 200k. YOW! But I did it and finished out the month with my biggest total ever: 238,153 words in 30 days!!!! (spaced out over 5 different books btw – none of which I totally finished, but one of which has since been nearly finished and at the time of this writing had just finished going through it’s 4th draft! YAY!)

NaNoWriMo 2009 rolled around and I did not start because I had a stroke October 19th and than got N1H1 a week later. I was determined not to let anything stop me from joining the contest though, so on day 14 of the contest I was back and attempting to write double time, in spite of the fact that my stroke had affected my ability to use my hands and legs. I dragged on very, very slowly, however, in spit of my efforts, but than suddenly in the last 5 days I just sat down and wrote steady none stop day and night and shocked myself when I made it to 114,000!

In 2010, I did the unthinkable yet again and took over as the ML for Script Frenzy in both Saco and Portland and went crazy shuffling write-ins between the 2 regions, but still ended up writing 12 plays each between 10 – 30 “theater minutes” long, meaning I wrote enough for THREE Script Frenzy contests instead of one! YAY!

Now NaNoWriMo 2010 is bearing down upon us and I’ve decided to try to beat my highest total and try for 250K or more. YIKES! It’s a dream, but not my “actual” goal. It was REALLY HARD to reach 200k before, and it had me writing night and day to do it. Don’t know if I’ll have the time I had that year, and this year I want to focus on writing slower to write a publishable novel. So this year my goal is 75k, and if I go over – great.

Need help with NaNoWriMo?
Check out these:
The 13 Step Method
The Top 5 NaNoWriMo Tools
Creating Character Profiles

Want to network with me?
http://twitter.com/EelKat
http://www.facebook.com/EelKat
http://eknano.blogspot.com
http://eelkat.wordpress.com
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/132659
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/132659

This blog is part of:

>It’s that time of year again – NaNoWriMo 2010!

> black birdfall leaves centerblack bird

I wrote my first book in 1978 and haven’t stopped writing since.

NaNoWriMo 2010 will be my 6th year at NaNo. So far I’ve had 5 years and 4 wins and this year I’m going for my fifth win (or 5 wins going on 6th if you count Script Frenzy too) .

I signed up the last week of Nov 2004, but never actually got started writing anything. Though it was the year I actually signed up, I don’t count it as my first year, since I never actually started writing anything!

I failed my “official” first year (2005) …did like 2,000 before I got bored with my plot. I was confused with the whole “contest atmosphere” too, and had not really gotting into the spirit of the whole write 50k as fast as possible thing, because I was too busy trying to write at my best instead of a my fastest, so I just fizzled out big time.

In the 2006 relaunch of the site, the 2004 archive got deleted, along with the accounts of many members who had joined in 2004. My account was one of the thousands that vanished in October of 2006. :( Luckily, because the system was wiped clean it had no memory of the deleted usernames either, thus allowing us to start new accounts with the exact same usernames. YAY! So, now my account says I signed up in 2006 instead of 2004, like it is supposed to say (many of us whose accounts now say 2006 as our join date, actually joined in 2004, btw.) However, by that time I had spent most of 2006 posting on the forums and had figured out that the contest was all about writing lots of words and hope they come out as a novel, rather than write a smooth polished publishable novel in 30 days, and so by the time November 2006 rolled around I was ready to toss my inner editor aside and try it again.

The result? I did 183,000 my second year/first win (2006) … kind of to make up for failing the first year, but than never went back to edit it. =P (and I did it long hand too!)

In 2007 I joined Script Frenzy, than life got in the way and I never wrote a word.

I reached 75,000 third year (2007), but I never finished the story, because my computer ate large sections of it the following December! ***screams*** ***pulls out hair*** Lesson learned, I now know to make copies of my draft and save it on a blog I created specifically for saving my drafts on.

In June 2008 I returned to Script Frenzy ready to write what I never got to write the year before, only to learn the contest had been moved to April and was already over! ARRGH!

In 2008, I did the unthinkable and changed my goal from 50k to 200k. YOW! But I did it and finished out the month with my biggest total ever: 238,153 words in 30 days!!!! (spaced out over 5 different books btw – none of which I totally finished, but one of which has since been nearly finished and at the time of this writing had just finished going through it’s 4th draft! YAY!)

NaNoWriMo 2009 rolled around and I did not start because I had a stroke October 19th and than got N1H1 a week later. I was determined not to let anything stop me from joining the contest though, so on day 14 of the contest I was back and attempting to write double time, in spite of the fact that my stroke had affected my ability to use my hands and legs. I dragged on very, very slowly, however, in spit of my efforts, but than suddenly in the last 5 days I just sat down and wrote steady none stop day and night and shocked myself when I made it to 114,000!

In 2010, I did the unthinkable yet again and took over as the ML for Script Frenzy in both Saco and Portland and went crazy shuffling write-ins between the 2 regions, but still ended up writing 12 plays each between 10 – 30 “theater minutes” long, meaning I wrote enough for THREE Script Frenzy contests instead of one! YAY!

Now NaNoWriMo 2010 is bearing down upon us and I’ve decided to try to beat my highest total and try for 250K or more. YIKES! It’s a dream, but not my “actual” goal. It was REALLY HARD to reach 200k before, and it had me writing night and day to do it. Don’t know if I’ll have the time I had that year, and this year I want to focus on writing slower to write a publishable novel. So this year my goal is 75k, and if I go over – great.

Need help with NaNoWriMo?
Check out these:
The 13 Step Method
The Top 5 NaNoWriMo Tools
Creating Character Profiles

Want to network with me?
http://twitter.com/EelKat
http://www.facebook.com/EelKat
http://eknano.blogspot.com
http://eelkat.wordpress.com
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/132659
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/132659

This blog is part of:

How’s Lulu going for you?

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Rather that rewrite all of this, I’m going to copy and paste it here for you:

EelKat on Squidoo

EelKat on Squidoo I have figured out how to make blank notebooks with lined pages. :) (I kept messing up the lines before – finally figured out what I was doing wrong.)

www.lulu.com
My Daily Journal Pink Clouds by Wendy C. Allen: Blank Book, Notebook, Diary, or Journal. Lined pages. Art by Wendy C Allen.

4 hours ago · Comment ·  · Share

Merry Moore
Merry Moore 
How’s Lulu going for you? Other than being a fun creative outlet, is it looking like a income generating opportunity? (I hope you don’t mind me asking. I’ve read mixed reviews about it and would like your opinion.)
3 hours ago ·  · Report
EelKat on Squidoo
EelKat on Squidoo 
I’ve talked with several authors who use LuLu and the results vary greatly. I’ve talked to authors who bring in $500 a week and others who don’t even see that much in an entire year.

Near as I can tell (from talking to several of them) the ones that are making a good steady income from it, are the ones that are sending out dozens of review copies (for free) and are always out there in their local public doing book signings at libraries and book stores and clubs on topic to their book. They also have 40 or 50 books listed for sale, use the “Global Distribution” program, have given free copies of all of their books to the local libraries, and take commission copies to all the local indie bookstores.

From what I hear, the ones that are not making any money, are selling their books solely through LuLu’s Marketplace and are not giving away free copies of their books.

7 minutes ago · 
EelKat on Squidoo
EelKat on Squidoo 
As for myself:

I’ve had my account with LuLu since 2005, but to date all I ever did with it was “private access” items. The first book that I actually put up for sale on the Marketplace was “For Fear of Little Men” on Feb 7, 2010. So it’s been only 2 weeks. So far It’s sold 2 paperbacks and 1 hardcover and 0 ebooks.

I’ve added 7 more books in the last 2 days, of course it’s too soon for sales from those because it takes a few days for them to filter down through the system.

I’ve got about 30 more books written that are waiting to be edited and formated, and so I’ll be listing those for sale over this summer and fall. They range from fiction, to non-fiction, to craft patterns to art books, plus translations of Medieval texts. So at the moment I’m focusing on getting those finished and up for sale, and once they are listed than I’ll put my marketing plan into action.

So I’ll have more details about whether LuLu turns out to be a good income bringer or not, probably in the late fall – say around October, because by than I’ll have had enough to to do some sales tracking.

Because it costs $75 per book to get “Global” (Amazon, Ingram, Barns & Nobel, etc) distribution, I don’t yet have any books listed off site and so the only way to order them is through LuLu directly, which means sales can be expected to be pretty low at the moment, because the general public doesn’t go seeking out LuLu in general.

I’ll be adding Global Distribution to each book a little at a time over the next few months, so hopefully that’ll have an impact on sales.

6 minutes ago · 
EelKat on Squidoo
EelKat on Squidoo 
I’ve got a marketing plan in place, which will include sending out press releases and review copies to places on topic with each particular book.

Like wise all of the local libraries (about 20 public/town libraries) will be getting free copies donated to their circulation department. I’m a weekly regular at each of these libraries, so I know all the librarians, and will just give them the books when I go in on my regular schedule.

The State Library does weekly book signings, author interviews, and readings, with local authors, so I’ll likely sign up for those as well. 

I will also be signing several of them up for LibraryThing’s Early Reader book review program, which means I’ll have to buy 20 or 30 copies of each book and than mail them out free to reviewers, but I’ve been a LibraryThing Reviewer myself for several years now, so I’ve gotten to see how the program works from the inside and I’ve heard a lot of first hand accounts from self published authors getting better sales as a direct result of giving away all those free copies of their books through LibraryThing.

All in all, my hope is that by this time next year, LuLu will be a regular source of income. But you can keep checking back here, because I’ll be posting updates as time goes by about it.

6 minutes ago · 

NaNovel 2008 For Fear of Little Men by Wendy C Allen
Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

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Getting Ready for Script Frenzy 2010 – Anyone else?

Getting Ready for 2010 – Anyone else?

I’m getting ready for next year. After missing 3 years in a row I’m determined to do it this year.

I know it’s only December 2009, but heck, it took me four months to figure out my NaNoWriMo plot, so why not spend four months plotting my Screnzy plot right?

Not enirely sure what I’m doing yet, but I do know this:

#1: I’m writing a stage play.
#2: It’ll most likely be horror.
#3: I will probably end up writing ten 10 min plays instead of one 100 min play.

Right now I’m thinking about doing one or more of these (all are horror):

Emmett: A scam artist traveling preacher takes shelter from a storm in a house haunted by were-cats. (Based on Civil War Slave Folk Tale)

The Artist: A prostitute is rescued from an attacker by a young artist named Jack (who does not know she’s a prostitute). Jack falls in love but gets his heart broken by the girl, than takes his art career to a whole new level when he becomes known as Jack the Ripper.

The Pearl Necklace: Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a young woman awake to find a strange string of pearls around her neck and an island that is not as deserted as it at first seemed. (Based on Scandinavian Legend).

InuGami: A faithful dog returns from the grave to avenge his mistress’s murder. (Based on Japanese Folk Tale).

The Hand: A boy lost in the forest discovers a dismembered hand which beckon him to follow it. (Not sure where it comes from, Scandinavian, I think.)

The Castle of Blood: Woman in the kingdom are mysteriously disappearing, all of them last seen in the company of the king. Three sisters set out to find out is happening. (Based on Blue Beard.) (Brother’s Grimm Story Retold).

Shiver: A retelling of “The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About Fear”. (Brother’s Grimm Story Retold).

The Tailypoe: A hunter’s worst nightmares come true when the ghost of a wild cat he killed, comes back to get revenge. (Based on Civil War Slave Folk Tale)

The Juniper Tree: When famine strikes the kingdom, families send their children to safety in another country. Oddly, one family seems to have an unending supply of fresh meat. (Based on a German Folk Tale). (Brother’s Grimm Story Retold).

My goal, as it stands right now, is to rewrite each of these, the bloodiest and most gruesome of all the classic fairy tales, as a ten minute play, each just ten pages long.

And that’s what I’ll be doing for Script Frenzy 2010. What about you? Got any plans yet?

Waiting for Emmett to come.

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Script Frenzy RE: Need a TITLE for my PLOT!!

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RE: Need a TITLE for my PLOT!!

FrostPrincess
Posted
August 24, 2009 – 17:08

Need a TITLE for my PLOT!!
Well, seeing as how I’m 13, and my plot could be about something not really age-appropriate for me, I can’t ask my family for a title, so… Can anybody help me?? Here’s the plot:

When a rendezvous turns sour, a young French/German prostitute has to escape from her “buyer”. She runs into Jack Weller, a budding British artist who is trying to imprint his art on the world, and he learns that she is trying to get away, but doesn’t know why. He decides to let her come with him and they both leave on a train. (This takes place in 1870s) They both begin to fall slowly in love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course, Maria, the girl, doesn’t tell Jack that she’s a prostitute. She lies and says that the man she is running away from is her ex-husband (Or maybe just her husband..). Of course, I might change the plot to be more like:

She’s still a prostitute, but when she runs from the man, she first runs into Jack when he’s at an artist convention at the hotel she’s at. She happens to be dressed like a maid, so he thinks nothing of it. Then after managing to stay hidden from the man, she sees an add in the newspaper for a helper to an artist. She visits the address to discover that the artist is Jack. She’s familiar to him, but he doesn’t remember where from, so she lies and says she’s never met him.

He accepts her as his “apprentice” and they head off to another convention in England. As the man chases her at the train station, she lies to Jack and says that is her crazed ex-husband that she is trying to get away from.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I like the second one the best, but I need some advice on which to choose. I also need a title, as I advertised in the title. Any help?

My first thought was this:

prostitute + British guy named Jack + 1870′s + rendezvous gone bad = Jack the Ripper

So reading your plots, I thought – what if the guy she was running from wasn’t half as bad as the guy who was helping her? What if her Jack was Jack the Ripper? What if her new lover was a charming artist by day and prostitute killer by night? He’s falling in love with her, thinking she’s a “good girl”, but than he finds out she’s a prostitute and becomes enraged and now she’s trapped with him and has to escape him too before he kills her. Or what if, it’s BECAUSE he finds out that she’s a prostitute that he than gives up his art career and becomes Jack the Ripper and that’s the reason he only targets prostitutes?

WOW! I like that – I’ve always wanted to write a Jack the Ripper story, I may write that one out myself! LOL! I write horror, so, yeah, I read your romance plot and saw it as a horror plot. =P

ANYWAYS – the title I thought of was “The Artist”. Others “Train to My Heart”, “Love on the Run”, “Night Flight”.

Did they have art conventions in the 1870′s? and if so, would it have been at a hotel? I’ve no idea. I can’t say as I’ve ever heard of such a thing before.

I like the idea of having the whole story take place on the train. The opening scene is her running on to the train as is pulling out of the station, she’s not watching where she’s going or even thinking about what she’s doing and it’s a few moments before she even realizes that in her panic she jumped on to the train. She runs down to lane to hide from the conductor collecting tickets and runs into Jack, sending him and his attache of art supplies to the floor. Realizing she’s running from the conductor he quickly makes an excuse about having lost her ticket and buys one for her and that’s how she ends up joining him on the trip. Unknown to her, while this is going on, her attacker is running after the train, leaps and grabs the caboose ladder at the last second. . . . Wow. You’ve got a plot rolling in my head now. (Jack before he became The Ripper.) I must go write it down before I forget.

I’m probably not being very helpful to you, seeing how I took your plot and stuck a crazy serial killer in it. Oh well. I guess you can tell I like writing about serial killers.

Waiting for Emmett to come.

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NaNoWriMo RE: Commitment to being a “Writer”

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RE: Commitment to being a “Writer”

BrettRoxGlowing Halo
Commitment to being a “Writer”
Winner!
52,401 / 50,000
Official Participant
Joined: Nov 2, 2006
Location: Baton Rouge
Posts: 6
Posted on:
Dec 12, 2009 – 08 08
I’ve done NaNoWriMo for four years now. I’m still editing my ’08 effort with help of local critique group, hope to one day edit my ’07 attempt and still need to finish the story for ’09. Let’s not talk about ’06, okay? :D
At any rate, my challenge over the next 11 months is to write every day. At least 500 words. This is my commitment to becoming a better writer, and a way to work toward one day doing it for a living, perhaps. My 500 words a day will focus on fiction, but on rare, once-a-month-or-so occasion I have to submit a movie review for my freelance gig, I’ll count that as well. So far, so good. I’m 11 for 11, and 41-for-41 if you count all the days of nanoing in November.
Add all those words up over the course of the year (assuming 50k+ in November), and that’s about 220,000 words a year. And that’s assuming the minimum. The other day I wrote almost 1,400, so that number could be a lot bigger.
I figure this should put me well on the path to honing the craft, maybe publishing a few short stories (here’s one from earlier this year: http://www.emuse-zine.com/Jun2009/page36.html) along the way. And eventually selling a manuscript or self-publishing.
Any way I look at it, this crazy adventure looks and feels like the way to becoming a real writer. The hard part will be finding readers, I suppose!
Follow me on twitter, if you’d like (http://twitter.com/brttrx), and join me on this big, scary adventure if you like!

———-
“You’re pretty good with words, but words won’t save your life.”
NaNo ’09: Best Served Ninja (won)
NaNo ’08: Parallel Misfortune (won)
NaNo ’07: Finding Allison Wu (won)
NaNo ’06: Taijitu (won)

I’m doing a similar thing, only my goal is 1,000 words per day, 5 days per week, not including the words I’ll write during April and November (Script Frenzy ans NaNoWriMo). So that’s a minimum of 260,000, plus the aprox 20k for Screnzy and 100k for NaNo, putting my grand total for word count in 2010 at: 380,000 words by December 2010.

I tend to write about 3,000 words per sitting and usually twice per day. So reaching my goal in that respect is not a problem. The problem I have is the EVERY DAY part. I tend to only write one or two days per week. So, in the end, for me, this goal is not so much about word count as it is about getting into the “every day” habit. So I figure if I aim at writing smaller word counts each day, I should, in theory at least, end up writing more than if I continue with large word counts once or twice a week. The theory being that I’ll keep right on with the high counts, just more often.

Also, secretly I’m hoping that I’ll get into my twice a day 3k kick every single day, and thus end up writing a million words by the end of 2010, but that’s a pretty tall order, so I’m not officially committing myself to that goal. However, if if by the start of Big Scary 2011, I have succeeding in writing at least 1k each day, than next year, writing at least 3k each day WILL be my goal giving me an end total of 1,095,000. So if I don’t do it this year, I try for a million next year.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Anybody taking on a Big, Fun, Scary Blogging Project? (Plays and Script Frenzy)

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RE: Anybody taking on a Big, Fun, Scary Blogging Project?

ohmynoti
Anybody taking on a Big, Fun, Scary Blogging Project?
Winner!
51,942 / 50,000
Official Participant
Joined: Oct 17, 2006
Location: Sackville, New Brunswick
Posts: 88
Posted on:
Dec 11, 2009 – 16 34
I know I am!

I’m going to write 100 tiny plays in 2010.
Some Reasons:

-I’m a young playwright, and I need a lot of practice. (And after about 3 years working on my big pretentious magnum opus, I could use some tiny practice.)
-I’m trying to figure out how theatre can be more like music (without necessarily being “musical theatre”), so creating some song-sized theatre seems like a good place to begin.

Some Rules:

-I must post at least 1 play a week (and at least 2 most weeks, in order to meet the goal).
-Each play must be a self-contained entity. (If it is impossible for an outsider to grok, I fail.)
-The plays must be tiny. (We will use a sliding scale on this, but if one can’t be reasonably expected to read the play over breakfast, it’s a fail in the tiny department.)

Some Rights:

-I get to write plays that are not so good sometimes.
-I get to revisit characters and situations.
-I get to be as vulgar or as sentimental as I want.
-I get to make the occasional non-play post, provided a) it is about theatre, and b) it is not boring.

***
Anybody else apparently gone nuts in similar fashion?
———-

Great minds think alike! LOL!

Your goal is similar to one of mine. I posted my list on the stickied thread with lots of lists on one thread if you want to read my entire, huge long list. The list I posted doesn’t go into details though, it just lists off each thing I want to do this year. One of those things, was to “expand my playwright career”, I said I planned to write a bunch of “mini-plays” this year. But that’s all I said. I’ll expand on that now and explain what I plan to do.

I was thinking how, plays that are “too long” get boring and I don’t want to fall into the trap of writing boring plays. Than I started thinking how songs are able to tell an entire story in as little as four minutes, so why can’t a play do the same? So, I decided that I wanted to write an anthology of mini-plays this year – my goal was at least one anthology with at least ten, 10 minute plays.

Than, the more I started thinking about it, the farther I expanded my goal.

My next idea was to go one step farther and write several anthologies of 10-minute plays, each anthology being one a single theme. The themes I came up with so far are:

    Valentines Plays
    Easter Plays
    Halloween Plays
    Christmas Plays
    Princess Tales
    Brothers Grimm Retold
    Beach – Ocean – Under the Sea

I’ll think of more most likely but those are what I came up with so far.

I was than farther thinking of doing a set of 12 volumes – one for each month, and publishing those for the grade school market – for classroom plays for kids.

So, you can see I’m still working out just exactly what it is that I want to do, but my goal is basically the same as yours: to write several mini-plays through out the year.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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The Script Frenzy Plot Machine Outputs. Hilarity ensues . . .

I love playing with the Plot Machine. =P It’s so addicting. Some of the things it gives you are out right pee-your-pants funny. Here’s the ones it spit out at me tonight:

    In a world ruled by chickens, a group of Star Wars collectors, discovers the meaning of life.

    Awakened from a 1000-year sleep, a marooned alien, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    In a land of radioactive unicorns, a hyperactive poodle, finds the Planet of the Apes.

    While falling from a covered bridge, King Tut’s breakdancing mummy, shuts down power to Walt Disney World.

    En route to a llama resort, a ticklish polar bear, discovers the meaning of life.

    After saying ‘I don’t’ at the altar, a flock of radioactive parrots, must kill the president to save the country.

    After being bitten by rabid penguins, a biker with a flat tire, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    After a disastrous safari, an amorous garden gnome, opens a real estate agency on the moon.

    After a tragic cooking accident, Zorro, joins a traveling band.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, a stoned principal, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    During a summer lightning storm, a bored serial killer, finds a lucky penny.

    After seven failed marriages, a talking blanket, starts to fight back.

    At a sci-fi convention, a screaming busker, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a poor lonely french fry, ingests a pheromone that attracts weasels.

    While jogging naked, a mongoose and a white bear, invents the new Jazzercize.

    After a sex change, a near-sighted chemist, represents Earth in a Galaxy Hotties Contest.

    At a sci-fi convention, a group of aging superheroes, goes back to the beginning.

    After waking from a 100-year nap, Captain Crunch’s evil grandmother, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    After a nightmare, a hyper first-grade teacher, joins a group of undercover magicians.

    After crash-landing in the desert, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, invents the cure for a broken heart.

    Aided by a lucha libre champion, a sweaty giant, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    In an attempt to evade taxes, Zorro, rushes an elite Southern sorority.

    While dreaming about a dream, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, discovers the meaning of life.

    In a world where cats are currency, a German teenager, can be seen only by toddlers.

    Tired of endorsing golf products, King Tut’s breakdancing mummy, washes up on the shores of Zombie Island.

    Tired of a monotonous day job, a talking blanket, discovers the Meaning of Life.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a talking lobster, finds a wish-granting mold.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a plain human being, finds the missing link.

    In a world ruled by evil flying elves, a dysfunctional self-help club, must kill the president to save the country.

    Unable to find true love, a life-long bachelor, enters a love triangle with Siamese twins.

    After a sex change, Richard Simmons, begins to build a bridge over the rainbow.

    After getting voted off American Idol, a left-handed guitar player, is mistaken for Elton John and goes with it.

    Aided by a Swedish go-go dancer, an assassin who kills with CDs, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    After waiting in line for a wii, a man wearing nothing but sneakers, gets trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    Dressed like Liberace, a goat with a parka on, joins Bill Clinton’s reggae band.

    In the middle of the Autobahn, a talking lobster, discovers the meaning of life.

    In a remote jungle in Brazil, a hairstylist with a missing finger, invents a toaster that changes the world.

    After shrinking to 1/4 of normal size, the smallest Ewok, must smuggle druids across the border

    Lost in the Africa wing of the Science Museum, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    In a world where cats are currency, two blind mice, get revenge on a third grade teacher.

    While camping on the roof of the Sears Tower, a Red Hat Society infiltrator, releases Keith Richards into the water supply.

    En route to a llama resort, a teen idol, learns to see in the dark.

    On a space station filled with mimes, Captain Crunch’s evil grandmother, plans a campout in a haunted bayou.

    After crash-landing in the desert, a queen with one eyebrow, must smuggle druids across the border.

    While shopping for money, a poor lonely french fry, must smuggle druids across the border.

    In a rundown Villain’s Club, a superhero with no friends, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    Under cover of darkness, a unicycling banker, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    After getting lost underground, the oldest park ranger in the Andes, discovers the answer.

    While jogging naked, a god of the underworld, can only been seen by toddlers.

    Aided by a lucha libre champion, an Avon lady with violent mood swings, can only been seen by toddlers.

    After being bitten by rabid penguins, a left-handed guitar player, invents the cure for a broken heart.

    While picking cherries, a disgruntled Yeti, shuts down power to Walt Disney World.

    Covered in marmalade, a lonely piggy bank, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    In a world where marriage is illegal, a hunky, dimwitted pool boy, accidentally eats a year’s supply of Viagra.

    At a sci-fi convention, a band of intergalactic spice traders, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    Tired of endorsing golf products, a horde of drunk musketeers, sets out to shave a sasquatch.

    In a world where no dreams are sweet, a ballerina with a gun, discovers a shocking use for spray cheese

    At the behest of a dying relative, a toddler with a smoking problem, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    After saying “I don’t” at the altar, a disgruntled Yeti, enters a love triangle with Siamese twins.

    In a world where marriage is illegal, an Avon lady with violent mood swings, begins training for a life of pirate-hood.

    While shopping for money, a poor lonely French fry, finds a lost alien puppy.

    Awakened from a 1000-year sleep, a band of urban cannibals, tries to break into pro Sumo wrestling.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a candy cane maker, attempts to rewrite Finnish history.

    Badly burned in a meth lab explosion, a suicidal stock analyst, must stop the space-time continuum.

    During the reign of robotic turkeys, a team of Olympic cloggers, tries out for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

    After anchoring the CBS news for decades, a teen idol, hotwires an abandoned hot air balloon.

    In a world where cats are currency, a marooned alien, opens a real estate agency on the moon.

    After getting voted off American Idol, a biker with a flat tire, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    Halfway through the big to-do list, a dysfunctional self-help club, skinny dips with the Golden Girls.

    Badly burned in a meth lab explosion, a geek with a broken heart, is kept as a pet by hyper-intelligent dogs.

    After consuming a powerful laxative, a flock of radioactive parrots, starts to fight back.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a group of retired superheroes, shut down power to Walt Disney World.

    After a nightmare, a bored serial killer, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    On a lifelong quest for pixie dust, a ruthless gold digger, finds a lucky penny.

    Unable to find true love, an angry Italian chef, accidentally eats a year’s supply of Viagra.

    At the corner of Broadway and Grand, a mute heckler, leaves it all behind.

    After escaping from prison, a ticklish polar bear, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    During surgery, Richard Simmons, washes up on the shores of Zombie Island.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, joins a group of undercover magicians.

    In a town called Sandwich, a queen with one eyebrow, is mistaken for Elton John and goes with it.

    While scuba diving in a shallow puddle, a toddler with a smoking problem, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    After a harsh break-up, a talking lobster, receives the 11th commandment.

    During a summer lightning storm, a superhero with no friends, skinny dips with the Golden Girls.

    Awakened from a 1000-year sleep, a stoned principal, finds a lost alien puppy.

    After waiting in line for a Wii, a geek with a broken heart, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    After anchoring the CBS news for decades, a poetry-writing middle school teacher, leaves it all behind.

    Tired of a monotonous day job, a horde of drunk musketeers, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a traveling shoe salesman, accidentally eats a year’s supply of Viagra.

    In a world where time moves backward, a suicidal stock analyst, skinny dips with the Golden Girls.

    In a world ruled by earthworms, a narcoleptic bear, ingests a pheromone that attracts weasels.

    After reading a coworker’s email, a poor lonely french fry, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    In the middle of the Autobahn, a seriously lost Bedouin tribe, switches suitcases with a Mafia hit man.

    While scuba diving in a shallow puddle, a hamster with impulse-control problems, reinvents the wheel.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, a monarch named Walliump, starts a rumor at the North Pole.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, must kill the president to save the country.

    While planning for tomorrow, a suicidal stock analyst, leaves it all behind.

    While stealing girl scout cookies, a hamster with impulse-control problems, is mistaken for Elton John and goes with it.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, the cast of Riverdance, begins training for a life of piratehood.

    Awakened from a 1000-year sleep, a duck with a death-wish, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    After saying “I don’t” at the altar, Richard Simmons, ingests a pheromone that attracts weasels.

    En route to a llama resort, a talking lobster, must open for Bjork.

    Unable to break into adult entertainment, a man named Tabbouleh, skydives without a parachute.

    Aided by a Swedish go-go dancer, a poor, lonely french fry, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    While planning for tomorrow, a disgruntled child actor, is kept as a pet by hyper- intelligent dogs.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, an amorous garden gnome, hijacks a bus full of Tae Bo instructors.

    While painting a fence, a left-handed guitar player, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    At a sci-fi convention, two blind mice, must stop the space-time continuum.

    After opening an urgent telegram, David Hasselhoff, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    Nervous about vacationing with the in-laws, a show-tunes singing linebacker, joins a traveling band.

    In a world where people age backwards, a unicycling banker, releases Keith Richards into the water supply.

    While lost in the Bermuda Triangle, a seriously lost Bedouin tribe, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    On a snowy day in Hawaii, a horde of drunk musketeers, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    While jogging naked, an amorous garden gnome, hijacks a bus full of Tae Bo instructors.

    With only a week left to live, a bike messenger with a death wish, finds a lucky penny.

    After a tragic cooking accident, a group of Star Wars collectors, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    In the middle of the Autobahn, a traveling Bible salesman, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    While lost in a wormhole, an out-of-work lion tamer, discovers the meaning of life.

    Deep in the sewers of Paris, a disgruntled child actor, takes control of a police station.

    Halfway through a cup of coffee, a man wearing nothing but sneakers, tries out for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

    After putting eyeglasses on for the first time, a toddler with a smoking problem, hijacks a bus with one stowaway on board.

    After anchoring the CBS news for decades, an angry squirrel, accidentally eats a year’s supply of Viagra.

    After putting eyeglasses on for the first time, a monarch named Walliump, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    With only a week left to live, a slug with a snail complex, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    In a world where cats are currency, an amorous garden gnome, can only been seen by toddlers.

    Unable to break into adult entertainment, Captain Crunch’s evil grandmother, befriend’s a young runaway with a secret.

    Lost in the Africa wing of the Science Museum, a hyper first-grade teacher, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a mongoose and a white bear, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    After opening an urgent telegram, a flock of radioactive parrots, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    After seven failed marriages, a lifelong bachelor, sets out to shave a sasquatch.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, a 31-year-old masochist, plans a campout in a haunted bayou.

    Tired of endorsing golf products, Zorro, opens a real estate agency on the moon.

    After consuming a powerful laxative, Richard Simmons, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    After shrinking to the size of a pea, a cartographer from the future, must smuggle druids across the border.

    On a snowy day in Hawaii, a hunky, dimwitted pool boy, discovers the answer.

    After anchoring the CBS News for decades, a bounty hunter, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    With only a week left to live, a world-renowned yodeler, joins a traveling band.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, King Tut’s breakdancing mummy, tries to break into pro Sumo wrestling.

    Unable to break into adult entertainment, a masked villain with no teeth, begins to build a bridge over the rainbow.

    While wishing upon a star, a duck with a death-wish, attempts to rewrite Finnish history.

    Just after dark, an iguana juggler, learns to see in the dark.

    While scuba diving in a shallow puddle, a blind jeweler, is trapped at a dead end.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, the oldest park ranger in the Andes, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    Under cover of darkness, an over-caffeinated kangaroo, stows away on an alien pleasure cruise.

    After eating some bad cheese, a pyromaniac firefighter, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    During the eyes of the storm, a merry band of woodland ninjas, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    Halfway through a cup of coffee, a hot-headed public defender, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, a superhero with no friends, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    In a world where marriage is illegal, a geek with a broken heart, skinny dips with the Golden Girls.

    Unable to break into adult entertainment, a flock of radioactive parrots, takes control of a police station.

    In the back of a pickup truck, Richard Simmons, must smuggle druids across the border.

    At the corner of Broadway and Grand, Zorro, travels back in time to kill Hitler.

    During surgery, a Parisian fishmonger, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    At the behest of a dying relative, an obese triathlete, invents a toaster that changes the world.

    After making purple taffy, a band of urban cannibals, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    After opening an urgent telegram, a frightened rabbit, tries to build a bridge over the rainbow.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a blind jeweler, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    After consuming a powerful laxative, a fed up lab mouse, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    In a haunted space station orbiting Pluto, a ruthless gold digger, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    Deep in the sewers of Paris, David Hasselhoff, releases Keith Richards into the water supply.

    Lost in the Africa wing of the Science Museum, a stoned principal, releases Keith Richards into the water supply.

    After anchoring the CBS news for decades ,a spelling-challenged writer ,sets out to shave a sasquatch.

    In the back of a pickup truck, a traveling Bible salesman, stows away on an alien pleasure cruise.

    Battling a Red Bull addiction, a hot-headed public defender, attempts to rewrite Finnish history.

    During a parent-teacher riot, a masked villain with no teeth, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    While playing Guitar Hero, a seriously lost Bedouin tribe, finds a hope chest filled with spiders.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, a horde of drunk musketeers, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a DJ with Tourette’s, becomes possessed by Beethoven.

    While jogging naked, an obese triathlete, buys an unreliable time machine.

    While searching for a working pen, a poetry-writing middle school teacher joins a group of undercover magicians.

    After anchoring the CBS news for decades, an enormous grasshopper, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    After a nightmare, a man wearing nothing but sneakers, stows away on an alien pleasure cruise.

    While scuba diving in a shallow puddle, an Avon lady with violent mood swings, shuts down power to Walt Disney World.

    Covered in marmalade, a god of the underworld, discovers a shocking use for spray cheese.

    After falling out of love, a merry band of woodland ninjas, discovers a shocking use for spray cheese.

    After a sex change, a biker with a flat tire, can only been seen by toddlers.

    In a remote jungle in Brazil, a blackjack dealer, finds a lucky penny.

    In a rundown Villains Club, a hot-headed public defender, begins training for a life of piratehood.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a Chilean heavy metal band, is kept as a pet by hyper- intelligent dogs.

    Covered in marmalade, a tightrope walker with a fear of heights, fights a saint in a dark alley.

    Battling a Red Bull addiction, a plain human being, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    While on an African Safari, a marooned alien, finds a hope chest filled with spiders.

    After a tragic cooking accident, a ruthless gold digger, washes up on the shores of Zombie Island.

    While searching for a working pen, a band of intergalactic spice traders, finds a wish-granting mold.

    In a world ruled by children, Captain Crunch’s evil grandmother, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    During the eye of the storm, a quiet mapmaker, begins training for a life of piratehood.

    After a painful sneeze, a god of the underworld, joins Bill Clinton’s reggae band.

    Nervous about vacationing with the in-laws, a glowworm with the flu, rushes an elite Southern sorority.

    After waking from a 100-year nap, a candy cane maker, hijacks a bus with one stowaway on board.

    While looking for a lost sock, a ballerina with a gun, learns to see in the dark.

    In a world ruled by chickens, a hooker with a heart of gold, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, a bored serial killer, gets drunk with a stranger.

    After a nightmare, a flock of radioactive parrots, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    While planning for tomorrow, a lonely piggy bank, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    Under cover of darkness, an iguana juggler, begins training for a life of piratehood.

    In a post-apocalyptic Peru, a geek with a broken heart, is mistaken for John Lennon and goes with it.

    After shrinking to 1/4 of normal size, a group of Tuvan throat singers, wreaks Godzilla-style havoc.

    Unable to have children, a mongoose and a white bear, track down a renegade leprechaun

    After being bitten by rabid penguins, a kangaroo breeder, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    Just after dark, a midwestern scrapbooking club, finds a wish-granting mold.

    In a haunted space station orbiting Pluto, a feuding polka band, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    After consuming a powerful laxative, an angry Italian chef, skinny dips with the Golden Girls.

    While hanging from a ledge, a band of intergalactic spice traders, finds a lost alien puppy.

    After getting lost underground, a god of the underworld, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    While jogging naked, an undead soccer team, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    After saying “I don’t” at the alter, an obese triathlon athlete, tries to break into Sumo wrestling.

    In a secret city beneath the Potomac, a llama princess, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    While scavenging for zipper parts, a Chilean heavy metal band, takes control of a police station.

    After a disastrous safari, a queen with one eyebrow, sets out to shave sasquatch.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a band of intergalactic spice traders, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    While wishing upon a star, a sweaty giant, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    After shrinking to the size of a pea, a sun-worshiping albino, enters a love triangle with Siamese twins.

    After getting voted off American Idol, a sun-worshipping albino, is trapped at a dead end.

    After a painful sneeze, a glowworm with the flu, invents a toaster that changes the world.

    While scavenging for zipper parts, a man wearing nothing but sneakers, leaves it all behind.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, a bounty hunter, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    After making purple taffy, a bounty hunter, discovers the answer.

    While falling from a covered bridge, a failing college student, discovers a shocking use for spray cheese.

    Dressed like Liberace, a hyper first-grade teacher, is mistaken for Elton John and goes with it.

    Halfway through a cup of coffee, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, finds a wish-granting mold.

    After a heart attack, a nuclear physicist with a broken heart, finds a wish-granting mold.

    While jogging naked, the oldest park ranger in the Andes, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    While sketching an alter ego, a frightened rabbit, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    Unable to break into adult entertainment, an angry squirrel, buys an unreliable time machine.

    At the behest of a dying relative, a hairstylist with a missing finger, switches suitcases with a Mafia hitman.

    Deep in the jungle, a talking lobster, is given the 11th Commandment.

    En route to a llama resort, an out-of-work lion tamer, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    After waking from a 100-year nap, a god of the underworld, rushes an elite Southern sorority.

    While at a super bowl party, a DJ with Tourette’s, invents the cure for a broken heart.

    While hanging from a ledge, a god of the underworld, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    Aided by a Swedish go-go dancer, a dysfunctional self-help group, tries to win the Tour de France.

    After a harsh breakup, a poor lonely French fry, can only be seen by toddlers.

    In a world ruled by evil flying elves, a one-armed fencing champion, starts to fight back.

    In an attempt to evade taxes, an Avon lady with violent mood swings, switches suitcases with a Mafia hit man.

    While painting a fence, a god of the underworld, can only been seen by toddlers.

    While searching for a working pen, a unicycling banker, must smuggle druids across the border.

    In a world ruled by children, a man named Tabbouleh, gets revenge on a third grade teacher.

    After eating some bad cheese, King Tut’s breakdancing mummy, rushes an elite Southern sorority.

    During a rave, a traveling Bible salesman, must avenge the murder of an old flame.

    After saying “I don’t” at the altar, a pyromaniac, firefighter learns to see in the dark.

    After getting voted off American Idol, an iguana juggler, finds a lost alien puppy.

    While searching for a working pen, a spelling-challenged writer, discovers the answer.

    While falling from a covered bridge, a guilty judge, joins a group of undercover magicians.

    After a lifetime of pie making, an undead soccer team, receives dating advice from the afterlife.

    After being bitten by rabid penguins, a 31-year-old masochist, finds a lucky penny.

    While looking for a lost sock, a blind jeweler, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    Awakened from a 1000 year sleep, a bored serial killer, must stop the space-time continuum.

    After shrinking to the size of a pea, a superhero with no friends, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    After shrinking to the size of a pea, a marooned alien, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    Aided by a Swedish go-go dancer, a 31 year old masochist, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    In a world where cats are currency, an assassin who kills with CDs, fights a saint in a dark alley.

    In a world where no dreams are sweet, a hooker with a heart of gold, washes up on the shores of Zombie Island.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a guilty judge, finds a new use for belly buttons.

    Awakened from a 1000 year sleep, a ballerina with a gun, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    While painting a fence, Zorro, invents the new Jazzercize.

    Covered in marmalade, a sweaty giant, begins to build a bridge over the rainbow.

    At the behest of a dying relative, a fed up lab mouse, discovers the meaning of life.

    In a world ruled by evil flying elves, a blind jeweler, finds a new use for the belly button.

    In a world where people age backwards, a landlocked seagull, buys an unreliable time machine.

    In a world where cats are currency, a bike messenger with a death wish, invents a toaster that changes the world.

    After escaping from prison, a high school security guard, is kept as a pet by hyper- intelligent dogs.

    Under cover of darkness, a plain human being, reinvents the wheel.

    In a world where no dreams are sweet, a cartographer from the future, rushes an elite Southern sorority.

    Nervous about vacationing with the in-laws, the smallest Ewok, sets out to shave a sasquatch.

    In a haunted space station orbiting Pluto, a talking blanket, finds and rears abandoned adult triplets.

    Tired of endorsing golf products, a glowworm with the flu, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    In a remote jungle in Brazil, a high school security guard, finds a lucky penny.

    While on a shopping spree, a near-sighted chemist, stows away on an alien pleasure cruise.

    Fleeing from an angry mob, a spelling-challenged writer, reinvents the wheel.

    While sketching an alter ego, a band of urban cannibals, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    In a world where people age backwards, a god of the underworld, finds and rears adult triplets.

    Under cover of darkness, a geek with a broken heart, discovers a shocking use for spray cheese.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a stoned principal, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    On a space station filled with mimes, an over-caffeinated kangaroo, takes control of a police station.

    While jogging naked, a robot with ADD, buys an unreliable time machine.

    During an out of body experience, a cartographer from the future, starts to fight back.

    Awakened from a 1000-year sleep, an angry squirrel, joins Bill Clinton’s reggae band.

    Fleeing from an angry mob, an out-of-work lion tamer, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    Aided by a Swedish go-go dancer, a spelling-challenged writer, must kill the president to save the country.

    While hanging from a ledge, a talking lobster, attempts to rewrite Finnish history.

    While sketching an alter ego, a traveling shoe salesman, must stop the space-time continuum.

    In a world ruled by chickens, a falcon with a broken wing, starts to fight back.

    After a lifetime of pie-making, the cast of Riverdance, finds a lucky penny.

    After a traumatic run-in with a gopher, a fed up lab mouse, starts a rumor at the North Pole.

    While camping on the roof of the Sears Tower, a one-armed fencing champion, is trapped in an elevator with Dr. Phil.

    In a run down Villains club, a merry band of woodland ninjas, hotwires an abandoned hot air balloon.

    While painting a fence, a group of Star Wars collectors, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    While camping on the roof of Sears Tower, a bike messenger with a deathwish, switches suitcases with a Mafia hitman.

    Tired of endorsing golf products, a slug with a snail complex, gets lost in an ancient cheese maze.

    In a world where sleep must be paid for, a 31-year-old masochist discovers the meaning of life.

    Battling a Red Bull addiction, a showtunes- singing linebacker, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    After shrinking to 1/4 of normal size, a slug with a snail complex, begins to build a bridge over the rainbow.

    After crash-landing in the desert, a hyper first-grade teacher, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    While wishing upon a star, a hunky, dimwitted pool boy, stows away on an alien pleasure cruise.

    While dreaming about a dream, an obsessive copy editor, can only been seen by toddlers.

    After eating some bad cheese, an angry Italian chef, injests a phermone that attracts weasels.

    While wishing upon a star, a Midwestern scrapbooking club, stows away on an alien spaceship.

    After a nightmare, a hyper first-grade teacher, joins a group of undercover magicians.

    Halfway through a cup of coffee, an Avon lady with violent mood swings, is trapped at a dead-end.

    During a summer lightning storm, a duck with a death-wish, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    After putting on eyeglasses for the first time, a hairstylist with a missing finger, represents Earth in the Galaxy Hotties contest.

    After shrinking to the size of a pea, a biker with a flat tire, unknowingly arrives at a nudist colony.

    On the planet Zorbot, an over-caffeinated kangaroo, switches suitcases with a Mafia hit man.

    After making purple taffy, a traveling Bible salesman, washes up on the shores of Zombie Island.

    With only a week left to live, a German teenager, plans a campout in a haunted bayou.

    In a world where time moves backward, a bike messenger with a death wish fights a gang of marching band drummers.

    After saying “I don’t” at the altar, a left-handed guitar, player starts to fight back.

    During a rave, a DJ with Tourette’s, tries out for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

    Where reality and fantasy intersect, a teen idol, must kill the president to save the country.

    In a world ruled by evil flying elves, a talking blanket, starts a rumor at the North Pole.

    Battling with a Red Bull addiction, a toddler with a smoking problem takes control of a police station.

    While lost in the Bermuda Triangle, a goat with a parka, on discovers the meaning of life.

    While dreaming about a dream, an obsessive copy editor, can only been seen by toddlers.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a monarch named Walliump, receives dating advice from the afterlife.

    After saying “I don’t” at the altar, a robot with ADD, must sew up the hole in the ozone layer.

    After opening an urgent telegram, an environmentalist with a Hummer, invents the cure for a broken heart.

    On a space station filled with mimes, a failing college student, finds a lost alien puppy.

    While searching for a working pen, King Tut’s breakdancing mummy, gets lost in an ancient cheese maze.

    While lost in a department store, a plain human being, hotwires an abandoned hot air balloon.

    After crash-landing in the desert, a sentient alien sock puppet, tracks down a renegade leprechaun.

    While painting a fence, a god of the underworld, can only been seen by toddlers.

    While drowning in the Caspian Sea, a monarch named Walliump, receives the 11th commandment.

    While stealing girl scout cookies, a ill-mannered Turkish diplomat, befriends a young runaway with a secret.

    In a town called Sandwich, a god of the underworld, gets stuck at the beginning of time.

    While hanging from a ledge, a talking lobster, invents a toaster that changes the world.

    En route to a llama resort, a narcoleptic bear, hijacks a bus with one stowaway on board.

    In an attempt to evade taxes, a hunky dimwitted pool boy, must cross a ravine on a tightrope.

    In a haunted space station orbiting Pluto, a man named Tabbouleh, attempts to rewrite Finnish history.

    While lost in the middle of nowhere, a duck with a death-wish, is visited by the ghosts of the Wright Brothers.

    In the back of a pickup truck, an enormous grasshopper, ingests a pheromone that attracts weasels.

    While camping on the roof of the Sears tower, Orville Redenbacher, receives the 11th commandment.

    Badly burned in a meth lab explosion, a seriously lost Bedouin tribe, attempts to win the Tour de France.

    While scavenging for zipper parts, a superhero with no friends, discovers the answer.

    After waking from a 100-year nap, a poetry-writing middle school teacher, finds a new use for belly buttons.

    Forced to wear a grass skirt, a tone-deaf opera singer, reinvents the wheel.

    Framed for murdering the prime minister, a merry band of woodland ninjas, opens a real estate agency on the moon.

    Lost in the Africa wing of the Science Museum, a band of urban cannibals, discovers the meaning of life.

    In a world ruled by children, a stoned principal, finds the missing link.

    On a lifelong quest for pixie dust, an angry Italian chef, takes control of a police station.

    After getting lost underground, a poor lonely french fry, joins a traveling band.

    In a world ruled by chickens, a near-sighted chemist, receives the 11th commandment.

    In a rundown Villains Club, a masked villain with no teeth, discovers the meaning of life.

    Fleeing from an angry mob, an iguana juggler, finds a new use for belly buttons.

    Fleeing from an angry mob, a band of urban cannibals, shuts down power to Walt Disney World.

    While eavesdropping, a hawk with a broken wing, hotwires an abandoned hot air balloon.

    Deep in the sewers of Paris, an undead soccer team, sets out to shave a sasquatch.

    In the middle of the Autobahn, a landlocked seagull, fights a gang of marching band drummers.

    Just after dark, an assassin who kills with CDs, leaves it all behind.

    After being bitten by rabid penguins, Captain Crunch’s evil grandmother, skydives without a parachute.

    In an attempt to evade taxes, a suicidal stock analyst, teams up with David Bowie to save the world.

    After winning $1,042 on a radio show, a group of retired superheroes, finds a hope chest filled with spiders.

    While drowning in the Caspian Sea, a group of retired superheroes, fights a gang of marching band drummers.

    While lost in the Bermuda Triangle, a talking lobster, hijacks a bus full of Tae Bo instructors.

    On the planet Zorbot, a sidekick named Hero, fights a saint in a dark alley.

    At a sci-fi convention, a stoned principal, plans a campout in a haunted bayo.

    While lost in the Bermuda Triangle, a left-handed guitar player, learns to see in the dark.

WOW! Some of those sound like script material for a Jerry Springer episode! LOL! I can just imagine people reading/watching these and chanting “JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!”

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Awkward “Can I read your novel?” requests

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BookeaterOdessa
Awkward “Can I read your novel?” requests
Winner!
50,249 / 50,000
Official Participant
Joined: Oct 27, 2009
Posts: 48
Posted on:
Dec 9, 2009 – 21 20
-A friend that has an unstable character based off of her.
-My father
- A friend of the family
I have no idea why these people are suddenly so interested in my writing. My father reading my writing weirds me out so much for some reason. Maybe because my MC’s father is conspicuous by his absence? Maybe because there’s a whole chapter about female undergarments, things my old school father would never take me shopping for, not even as a child? Also, since I’m writing some pretty messed up Lit.Fic., I don’t want everyone to think I’m mentally unstable.
Similar worries/conflicts?
———-
“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” Oscar Wilde
http://thebookeaterblog.blogspot.com

I’ve never let any one read my *smut* novels, EVER. I come from a super religious family/community and so all my friends, family, relatives are all super Christian and go into spasms if you even mention the word *sex* and not a one of any of them ever told any of their kids anything about *that dirty thing* (they can’t say the word sex for some reason). Than you got me, who writes graphic sex scenes. o_O

When I was 14 years old, my bishop got a hold of one of my earlier (and much milder) smut manuscripts, and called the state mental institute (insane asylum) to have me committed. Apparently his hysterics over the phone had them thinking I was some sort of deranged criminal and the next Sunday I arrived at church to be greeted by *men in white coats*.

I had no idea what the hell was going on, who these guys were, or why they were talking about having me locked up. An hour later though, they left the church shaking their heads and commenting that they were seriously questioning the bishops sanity. The doctor that was with them, after talking to both me and the bishop, came to the conclusion that I was just a normal kid and that our bishop needed some serious help to deal with his paranoia. (Years later, I found out I was not the only person the bishop had done something like this with, and that 2 years after that incident the church took away his title of bishop, due to question of his sanity. Uhm, I guess he ended up being sent to a psychiatrist to find out what was making him act like that, because later, we found out that he had extreme paranoid schizophrenia.) Talk about over reacting! OMG!

Of course, that was a long time ago (I’m not exactly young any more.) And back than all it took was a snap of the fingers and a phone call to the local insane asylum to lock a person up. Today. Well, today you’d be hard pressed to find a town that even had a local asylum now! LOL!

Than years later, in 2008, my mom got a hold of my NaNovel and sent a copy of it to the current bishop. Now I’m going through a de ja vue all over again. This bishop is threatening to have me excommunicated because I actually had my 2008 NaNovel published. *sheesh* I haven’t heard anything about it since the book got published though, so it seems that those above him in the church are not so keen on my excommunication as the bishop is. Okay, when I was a teenager it was one thing, but come on people, I’m older than half the current church leaders are now! And it’s been 13 years since I last went to that church. I didn’t even know who the bishop was when he called me! LOL! I think we got another paranoid bishop on our hands here. :)

I find the whole thing hilarious, the fact that these people are so very extremely old school that they make the Amish look futuristic. OMG! And it’s not like our church teaches them to act like that either, because it doesn’t. It’s just something that a lot of locals for whatever reason picked up on an obsess over. (This fear of sex and anything to do with sex and books that mention sex.) Can any one say religious nuts? How do people get like this?

In recent years, (well, I stopped going to that church 13 years ago, if you can call that recent years), I’ve started spending less time with them and more time with people not connected with our church, and I found out something – most of the non-member locals think of the church I grew up in as being a freaky cult. And, I got to say I’m starting to agree with that theory.

But yeah, once bitten twice shy, and since that incident in my teens, I’ve never let any one read my “smut” stories since.

Now, my regular stuff – the ones with no sex in them – I let people read those with no problem. I wonder, if my bishop had not had that freak out fit back when I was a teenager, if I would still avoid letting people read the smutty stuff or not? I mean, I was only 14, and it was my first time writing anything like that, and well, you got to admit, my bishop did go WAY overboard in his over reacting. (To this day, I never did figure out how he got a hold of my manuscript. That remains a mystery.) So, yeah, I guess it really did effect me pretty bad, because it was that incident that caused me to develop my later phobias of doctors and eventually resulted in my becoming Agoraphobic as an adult. A problem which I am now trying to overcome.

So, yeah, people who are strict are going to think you mentally unstable for writing something that does not fit in with their personal moral codes. However, know that even if you do run up against a super fanatic (like my former bishop) the mental health practitioners are going to think the one who complained about your book is nuts, not you. And you want to know why? Because as an author, you know that what you are writing is fiction, not real. But the person freaking out, is freaking out, because they are not able to separate the real whole from the fictional one. Doctors know that the one freaking out over the book, and not the one who wrote the book, is mentally unstable. So, you’ve nothing to worry about, because if any one does complain, they’ll be the ones that get locked up as crazy – not you. I’m sorry to say, I know this from personal experience.

But, no, you are not alone. Freaky family members and friends and relatives and friends of theirs are every where and yep, every once in a while you’ll find one that blows their top and does a major freakazoid over what you wrote. Just remember that being a control freak is a form of communism and communism is illegal in the USA. They have no legal right to stop you from writing whatever you what.

Remember: freedom of speech and freedom of press, and no one has the right to take that away from you. NO ONE – not even your parents, not even if you are a minor. You can write whatever you want and no one can legally stop you and no one can use a work of fiction against you as proof of mental instability either.

If they start getting on your case about it – “just let them rave on that men may know them mad.” (Yul Brynner) Any one who freaks out enough to freak out in front of others is only going to prove themselves less sane than you. LOL!

Think of it like this:

    YOU: But its just a book. THEM: But YOU wrote it! YOU: So? THEM: So YOU wrote that, that. . .THAT! YOU: Yeah. So? THIRD PERSON: What’s his problem? YOU: I wrote a book. He doesn’t like it. THIRD PERSON: So? YOU: He says I’m crazy and should be locked up for writing it. THIRD PERSON: He’s reacting like THAT and he thinks YOUR crazy? It’s just a dumb book. Man, that dude is nuts! YOU: Yeah, I know. Freaky isn’t it? Like, he thinks it’s real or something.

See? You the author is going to be the one sounding sane. And the relative freaking out over your book is going to come off sounding like a raving lunatic.

Ignore them. Laugh at them. Write another book and give them yet another thing to freak out about. Publish both books. Make a ton of money. Become famous. Than when they show up at your book signing you can say: “See? I told you I wasn’t crazy.”

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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Script Frenzy RE: What am I doing?

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In responce to: RE: What am I doing?

Script writing is pretty easy. FAR easier than novel writing actually, because it is straight up dialog and zero descriptions. Pretty much all you need to do is have two characters talk to each other for a while, have a third character wander in and talk to them. Have a few other characters stroll in and say a few things every now and again.

All you got to do is keep them talking. And if you can’t think of anything for them to talk about, drop a dead body on the stage. Nothing gets your characters gossiping faster than a dead body. They’ll all start speculating who the killer was and start blaming each other and having arguments in no time flat. And if the dead guy is a total stranger, than they’ll really get going, not only trying to figure out which of them killed him, but trying to figure out who he is besides! LOL!

And remember – “It was a dark and stormy night” may be cliche, but it’ll get character conversations going. They’ll sit around complaining that it’s too dark or too wet to go outside, they’ll talk about what they would be doing if it was sunny, they’ll talk about how in their childhood they loved to play outside in the rain, and they’ll be reminded of other wet stormy days to talk about too!

Writing a script is all about keeping your characters talking their fool heads off. So, yeah, unless you are one of those writers who really loves writing long descriptions (like Stephen King, JKRowlins, and Tolkien all do) script writing is by far easier than novel writing.

Another thing is, 100 pages really go by really fast, because of the format of the script. There is an empty line between every character and what they say. So, yeah, once you start writing you’ll see just how fast you go through pages.

Format is nothing to worry about. Basic format can be quickly adapted to any other format when you edit your draft, so it’s best to just write basic format in your first draft, and that’s a piece of cake.

The basic general format of a script is this:

    DAVE:
    (walks into room)

    MARSHA! What are you doing here?

    MARSHA:
    (slaps DAVE on face)

    I know about you and that hussy.

    (throws wedding ring on floor)

    We are through! I want a divorce!

    :CAMERA: Close up on DAVE’s face.

    DAVE:
    (stares speechlessly)

And that’s about it. A stage or radio script wouldn’t have the camera focus points, but TV, movie, and comic book scripts all do. Did you see the descriptions? Yeah. THAT’S what descriptions actually look like on a script.

The first thing you need to remember during Script Frenzy is this: Dialog.

Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.

and oh, look at that . . . more dialog!

Like I said, script writing is pretty easy. It’s basically: open your mouth, say something, write it down. There is no need to worry about describing what things look like, how things work, what your characters look like, or what your characters are wearing.

All you have to do, is keep your characters talking, because a script is just that: a script. (Some thing you say.)

So as long as you can keep your characters talking to each other, you’ll have no problems at all.

If you are not good at writing dialog, than you will have a tough time at script writing, because script writing it straight up, no stop dialog. Nothing but dialog. Dialog and ONLY dialog. Dialog here. Dialog there. Not a word of description in sight. Just lots and lots of dialog.

There is no prose in script writing.

There is no narration in script writing.

There are no long descriptions of scenery in script writing.

There are no mention of what characters are wearing in script writing.

There is no pretty and plentiful purple prose in script writing.

Script writing is dialog. Only dialog. Nothing but dialog. Dialog and nothing else. Period.

Script writing will do wonders at teaching you how to cut out adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and pretty much every thing else you would use when writing a novel, as you won’t be using those much if you use any at all.

But yeah, you guys have absolutely nothing to worry about. NaNo is by far much, much harder to do than Screnzy is, so if you can survive a month of NaNo you can survive a month of Screnzy.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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Script Frenzy RE: Dirty tricks

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RE: Dirty tricks

@@revallyson http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/470121

    [quote=revallyson]But I admit, I find myself asking, if you're cheating, why bother playing? There's no major prize for getting to 100 pages, and I know that I would feel like dirt if I submitted an empty pdf and claimed it was 100 pages.
    [/quote]

Did you read ALL of that person’s post? I think not. She didn’t say she was submitting a blank PDF as a way of cheating. She said that she was writing her play out longhand in a notebook and needed someone to make a blank PDF of her finished page count for her, so she could submit her longhand script. That is NOT cheating. She still wrote the script.

    [quote=revallyson]As to fonts and spacing and such, you can't really "cheat" with those. A proper script has special formatting, and if it isn't in the correct format then it shouldn't be handed in. Since the format includes font size and type, page size, margins, etc., it's almost impossible to "cheat" the counter.
    [/quote]

Yes, I agree with you there. And not all scripts are created equal either. For instance, the format for a TV Soap Opera is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the format for a stage play, and let’s not even get started on comic book scripts, because not only do they look NOTHING like any other type of script, but each company has their own format!

I write for small stage (school/college/local) and for comic books (Disney) so, my own script writing style leans heavy in those areas.

First off, a lot depends on the type of script you are writing. Not all scripts are created equal. The basic types of scripts are:

    Movie Scripts

    TV Scripts

    Radio Scripts: DJ/Talk Show, News Broadcast, or Live Show/Play

    News Report Scripts

    Animation Scripts

    Talk Show Scripts

    Musical Scripts

    Stage Play Scripts

    Advertisement Scripts

    Comic Book Scripts

Each of those is different and each is written in it’s own unique formate and style, and depending on the one you plan to write, you’ll will have to use a completely different style and format. So a person who writes movie scripts may be lost when it comes to attempting to write a comic book script or vise versa.

So, the first thing you need to figure out is: What type of script do you want to write?

To answer that, ask yourself, where do you see your script being published? Here are so things to think about before starting your script:

    Will it be a meteorologist’s report on the latest storm read on the nightly news or will it be the next episode of Pokemon?

    Are you writing hoping to be accepted by BBC for the next season of Doctor Who or are you writing a play for your local collage drama troupe?

    Do you want to write the words Oprah will say in her next show or would you rather write the next episode of Days of Our Lives?

    Are you writing a script for The Price is Right or are you going to write the next big screen movie Johnny Depp will star in?

    Is your script the next Broadway hit or a modern day remake of the Orson Wells War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast?

    Are you writing the next local cable advertisement of Jolly John’s Used Cars or the national broadcast of McDonald’s new flavor milk shake?

    Do you want to write a comic book? If so, will it be for Marvel or DC or Dark Horse or Disney? Did you know that each of the four comic book giants has their own specified script format, each extremely different from the other three and that none will look at an incorrectly formated script no matter how well written?

Before you can start asking for advice on how to write and format your script, you first have to determine, what exactly your script is going to be, and than you need to direct your questions to a script writer who writes the same type of scripts you plan to write.

For Script Frenzy, it is safe to assume that you are planing either a movie, tv show, comic book, or stage play script, as 99% of the scripts written during Screnzy are one of those.

But I was astounded, reading folks “cheats” here and noting that a lot of you are talking about adding lengthy descriptions. I have to step back and ask you guys: Uhm . . . have you ever, like, actually read a script before? You know, a REAL script, the one the directors and actors read, not that pimped up stuff English teachers have you reading in paperback, but a a REAL authentic actual script.

Yeah, I guessing for about 90% of the posters on this thread the answer is a big fat “NO”. And I’ll tell you what triggered that thought for me. The answer is one word: DIALOG.

The first thing you need to remember during Script Frenzy is this: Dialog.

Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.

and oh, look at that . . . more dialog!

If you are not good at writing dialog, than you will have a tough time at script writing, because script writing it straight up, no stop dialog. Nothing but dialog. Dialog and ONLY dialog. Dialog here. Dialog there. Not a word of description in sight. Just lots and lots of dialog.

There is no prose in script writing.

There is no narration in script writing.

There are no long descriptions of scenery in script writing.

There are no mention of what characters are wearing in script writing.

There is no pretty and plentiful purple prose in script writing.

Script writing is dialog. Only dialog. Nothing but dialog. Dialog and nothing else. Period.

Script writing will do wonders at teaching you how to cut out adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and pretty much every thing else you would use when writing a novel, as you won’t be using those much if you use any at all.

The basic general format of a script is this:

    DAVE:
    (walks into room)

    MARSHA! What are you doing here?

    MARSHA:
    (slaps DAVE on face)

    I know about you and that hussy.

    (throws wedding ring on floor)

    We are through! I want a divorce!

    :CAMERA: Close up on DAVE’s face.

    DAVE:
    (stares speechlessly)

And that’s about it. A stage or radio script wouldn’t have the camera focus points, but TV, movie, and comic book scripts all do. Did you see the descriptions? Yeah. THAT’S what descriptions actually look like on a script.

The only time in the script where you see any descriptions, is in the BEGINNING of the script BEFORE the script starts. In the section where every thing is listed.
Cast List, Setting Notes, Playwright’s Notes, etc.

The list of characters/cast will tell the basics:

    JANE is a young woman late twenties to early thirties. She is homeless and so wears a mix and match of ragged cloths she found in people’s trash. She wasn’t always homeless, she used to be an average housewife, but a massive flood took that all away. Her family died in the flood. Her house was washed away. She has nothing left and has given up on life.

    STAN is a college professor. He is ten or twelve years older than JANE. He remembers her before the flood. He loved her than and he still loves her now. He wants to find a way to show JANE life is still worth living.

That is what a typical character list looks like.

Notice the age range is given, not the exact age? This allows for a range of actors to play the part.

Notice no hair/eye/skin colors are mentioned? This allows more actors to play the part.

Notice how costume descriptions are limited and only generalized at? This allows theaters to work from what they have and helps their budget by not demanding a whole new wardrobe that can only be used in a single play.

The only type of script that DOES have detailed descriptions of character’s physical appearance and costume, is the comic book script. Radio, stage, TV, and movie scripts, do not have them.

The setting notes will tell the basics:

    This story takes place in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine.

    ACT ONE takes place outside, late evening, on the dock. LOU has just returned from a week long deep sea fishing job. STEVE and JENNY were there to meet him.

    ACT TWO takes place in the front parlor of STEVE’s home which has a window over looking the shore. It is late at night. LOU sits in a rocking chair smoking his pipe and reminiscing about his young days as a sailor. STEVE listens while standing looking out the window. Every one else has gone to bed already.

    ACT THREE takes place early morning, on the shore. STEVE and JENNY are watching as LOU sails away once again.

Do you see a pattern here? Like the CAST LIST the SETTING DESCRIPTION is sparse and left open to the interpretation of the director and the producer and their budget.

I’m going to quote something I posted a while back on Script Frenzy:

    I’d say it depends on the play write’s personal style as well as the style of the play in question. I think of stage direction in a play, like the choreography in a ballet. If every player knows where to be when and what to do at what moment, than you don’t have characters falling over each other and messing up the play.

    For example a one person play may not need any directions at all, simply relying fully on the actor’s personal movements as he speaks. With only one or two actors on stage, the play would be more open to actor interpretation. Two actors could guess each others movements and act accordingly.

    Whereas a full two hour production with intricate (setting, lighting, costume, etc) details, and 20 or 30 actors on stage at the same time, would need quite a bit of stage direction to prevent it from turning into utter chaos. I mean, if you have 20 actors on stage, each one “doing his own thing” when it comes to interpretation, you’d have nothing but a huge uncoordinated mess.

    So, when I’m writing a play, my personal style is: the bigger the production, the more detailed the stage directions need to be, while the smaller production can go with little or even no stage directions.

So in the end, what it boils down to is this: “Cheating” by adding descriptions and creating “unique” formates, is not going to get you any where in the business of script writing. Now if you are just writing a script for the heck of it and no one but your family and friends will ever read it, than, it doesn’t matter what you do.

HOWEVER, if you are planning on making a career of being a playwright, a comic writer, a screen writer, etc, than knowing the guidelines and following the rules now, will save you a lot of time, heart ache and unnecessary revisions later on.

In other words, it is unwise to add lots of long detailed descriptions, because you will only have to delete ALL of them, before you can get your script produced. And by deleting them, you will lose all those extra pages, meaning you’ll have to write that much more dialog for your script to bring it back up to being a full length script. Which means, by cheating and adding descriptions, you only cheated yourself out of getting your film/play made.

Remember, you want to write an actual producible script here, not a bunch of empty filler. Filler is nothing but tasteless sawdust. Sawdust gets thrown away. Don’t fill your script up with something that gets thrown away. You’ll thank yourself later.

Every unnecessary thing that you don’t add today, is one more thing you will not have to remove before you can submit your script to a director/publisher.

Remember, when is comes to script writing: less is more.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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“Rule #3: The main character can’t be clinically insane.” What the hell? Who thinks up rules for playwrights? (A Script Frenzy Rant)

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I was reading Marsha Norman’s Tips for Playwrights and was stunned by her #3 choice as a required rule for script writing. Here is what she lists as her three top choices:

Marsha Norman’s Tips for Playwrights

Rule #1: No passive central character;
Rule #2: On or about page 8, tell the audience why they are here and what is at stake, or to put it more simply, when they can go home.
Rule #3: The main character can’t be clinically insane.

Now first off, I can’t stand any one who is so holier-than-thou that they would go so far as to tell you which PAGE NUMBER you should put what on in your script. So right off the back I had a bone to pick with her with her #2 rule, but it was her #3 rule that really spun me off on a rant.

“Rule #3: The main character can’t be clinically insane.” What the hell? Can you believe the audacity of it? Who thinks up rules for playwrights?

I can’t figure out where people come up with these “rules”, I see them all the time, but this one just pissed me off, because it was so ridiculous! I mean 90% of the plays, tv shows, and movies out there have a clinically insane character in them. Of course, being “clinically insane” myself, this is an issue that gets me ranting because I hate the whole stereotype.

Okay: raise your hand if you know the following plays:

Hamlet

A Christmas Carol

Macbeth

Arsenic and Old Lace

Yeah, all feature a clinically insane main character! WOW! I guess THOSE should have flopped big time, huh?

Now what I want to know is, how does she rationalize this idiotic rule? Why can’t the main character be clinically insane? Or maybe I should take it one step farther and ask her: Do you even know what a “clinically insane” person is? Would you know one if you saw one. If you met me face to face would you think I was clinically insane? Probably not. Most people don’t. But guess what? I am.

So I take it that the woman who came up with this ridiculous “Rule #3: The main character can’t be clinically insane.” probably thinks of all “clinically insane” people as a cardboard carbon copy stereotype. Well, I got news for you, I may be crazy, but I ain’t no damned stereotype! And neither are any of my main characters, who, guess what, they are what you would term “clinically insane.”

I have Schizotipal Asperger’s Syndrome. For those who don’t know what that is, it means I have three different mental disorders: Autism, Schizophrenia, and OCD. I am technically considered to be clinically insane. I guess I wouldn’t make a very good main character according to her would I?

All of my main characters are either Schizotypal Aspies, Autistic, Schizophrenic, or OCD. I can’t write about “normal” characters, because I wouldn’t know the first thing about getting inside the head of a “normal” character. I write what I know, as does every writer. =P

Of course, one of the most famous plays ever written was Hamlet, about a guy who walked around talking to skulls, ghosts, invisible being who no one else could see, and over all spent more time in the company of dead people that living people. Interesting.

And what about A Christmas Carol? Can you honestly say that the violent, sadistic Scrooge who spends his nights hob-knobbing with ghosts and spirits is “normal”?

How about Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow? He boldly goes where no sane person could ever go and is not afraid to say as much.

Would you consider Doctor Who to be sane? Most say he’s a raving madman.

So are you saying that main characters like Captain Jack, Scrooge, and Hamlet and I don’t know, just about every other main character ever used in a play, TV show, or movie is NOT clinically insane? Or do you just not know what it is that causes a person to be classified as be clinically insane?

And are you aware that most mental health physicians would quickly classify EVERY Christian who talks (prays) to God – Jesus – Mary, to be clinically insane because they are talking to a person they can not see, never will see, and can not prove exists? So, all in all, sanity really is a question of perspective.

I have to wonder though, how did she come up with that as a rule for writing a script? Nine out of every ten Main characters from hugely successful plays, TV shows, and movies IS in fact considered to be clinically insane, in fact, it’s the plays, TV shows, and movies which feature “normal” main characters that flop.

And while I’m on this subject, let’s talk about the stereotypes shall we? Let’s look at her cloice of words here: “Rule #3: The main character can’t be clinically insane.” Does any one else have a problem with her using the term “clinically insane”?

What’s wrong with it? I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it: it’s no different than calling a black person a nigar, THAT’S what’s wrong with it! Just like no person with any sort of dignity would even think to call a black man a nigar, so to would no reputable doctor who ever think to call some one with a learning disability “clinically insane”. The term hasn’t been used medically in a good 60 years, so why do writers persist in using it?

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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Authors want publishers to buy their manuscripts off Amazon??? What the hell?

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I was just reading the blog post: How not to sell your book on Robert J. Sawyer’s Blog, in which he tells of an author who sent him this request:

A few years ago I sent you an email to see if you were interested in publishing my first novel. You were interested but I did not follow up because I was still working on it. Finally it is complete, and I will soon have it posted on Amazon.com.


If you would be interested in reviewing this work for me I would be extremely grateful. If you would be interested in publishing it, I would be even more grateful.

Well, I have to say I have never heard of that one before, and I agree with his answer and comments about it.

OMG! For starters I’m shocked that the query and the mss were separated by *YEARS* not *WEEKS*.

And secondly – I don’t even know where to begin here – I think I could go off on a hundred page rant over this. Secondly, how can any one in their right mind expect a publisher/editor/agent to actually PAY money to read your MSS?

I mean, I could see having a printer print up one single bound copy of your book, so you could doing the editing directly on the pages, before typing up the final MSS to send in, sure. Why not? An expensive way to edit your book, but whatever. But to PUBLISH it and than list it FOR SALE (on Amazon no less), and than ask a publisher to BUY the MSS and than REPRINT it?!?!?!?! What the heck?

***Here I printed up a sample of my manuscript and it’s for sale on Amazon. If you want to publish my book, please buy the manuscript off Amazon first.***

Yeah, I can just see Amazon starting a section for authors to list *unpublished manuscripts* for publishers to buy. LOL! Where do people come up with these ideas anyways?

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: RE: Planning on doing Script Frenzy but I’ve never done it. Shar

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Right now, seeing how NaNo is over, I’m putting most of my energy into planning for Screnzy. I’m very into my plot for Screnzy, to the point that I’l probably have it written in a few weeks and have to come up with another one for April! LOL!

I’m posting over there on the forums, so, you can ask questions over there, and hopefully I’ll find them.

Unfortunately, though I’ve signed up every year of Script Frenzy, I have yet to actually participate in it. The first year of the contest, a funeral took up every free minute of my entire summer. The second year, a flood swept through leaving us without a place to live and my dad in a coma. The third year, nothing got in the way, but than come June, me and some several hundred other Screnzy members got a shock when we arrived at the Screnzy site to find that Script Frenzy had changed their date from June to April and not one of us had received an email telling us of the date change, apparently some sort of an error had caused about half of the emails to not get delivered. :(

*sigh* It’s always something. Oh well. I never let that stop me from writing scripts. I write scripts any ways, and have for, I don’t know 20 or so years now. I think I wrote my first script in 1981, or there abouts, so yeah, it’s not too big a deal for me to miss Screnzy, writing wise, but socially wise, I like the whole community comrade feel you get when doing something like NaNo or Screnzy, so I was disappointed to miss it the first few years. :(

My life has changed a lot since than however. Since than I have lost my job and become a full time writer instead of a part time writer, which means, come hell or high water (again) I’ll be able to join in any ways, seeing how I’m now free to write any one of the 24 hours of the day or night and don’t have to stick to a work schedule any more.

Another change resulted from my 2008 NaNoWriMo book. I wrote and published my autobiography last year, which, has caused my bishop to threaten to excommunicate me, and resulted in my being disown by more than 200 of my 264 relatives, and has resulted in an end of all my personal friendships, except for one. So, I have A LOT more free time on my hands seeing how I no longer have any friends or family to hang out with and am no longer allowed to go to church meeting s and activities.

In other words, when I started doing NaNo and Screnzy, I had a lot on my plate and not much time to write. But today? No job. No friends. No church. No family. Yep, I has plenty of time to be a full time writer now.

I’m signing up to be the local ML, just as soon as the sign up page goes live once again (am impatiently waiting for that to happen), because Maine only has one ML and she’s like 100 miles north of me! Southern Maine (Greater Portland) is the theater capital of New England, people come from all over the world to train for stage acting here and there are like 4 dozen theaters with in 20 minutes of me. Every body and his uncle has written at least one play and thinks himself a playwright, and yet, we have no ML for Screnzy!!!! I couldn’t believe it when I found that out.

Of course, I also found out that last year was a record breaking year, when the ENTIRE state of Maine had 66 people signed up for Script Frenzy!!! Only 66??? Are you kidding me? 66 people was a record breaker?? WTH? OMG! We definitely need to get the word out about Screnzy, because we got enough locals writing plays to break the world wide membership record not just the local record. *sheesh* why don’t these people think to sign up? I mean, they are writing plays any ways right? I can only assume that they simply have no idea Screnzy exists, otherwise lots more folks would be signed up for it.

So, it is my goal to become the Greater Portland ML and than set out to getting flyers and posters out to all the theaters to get people joining in. Plus, leading the write-ins too. We’ve yet to have a single Screnzy write in here in Southern Maine! Not once in four years! OMG! That has so got to change.

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Okay, so there you have my personal story about me vs Script Frenzy. Let’s move on to the advice stuff.

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You don’t say specifically, what you need advice for, so I’ll just ramble on generally, about various bits of script writing advice and, heck, maybe some thing will be useful for you! =P I write for small stage (school/college/local) and for comic books (Disney) so, my own script writing style leans heavy in those areas.

First off, a lot depends on the type of script you are writing. Not all scripts are created equal. The basic types of scripts are:

    Movie Scripts

    TV Scripts

    Radio Scripts: DJ/Talk Show, News Broadcast, or Live Show/Play

    News Report Scripts

    Animation Scripts

    Talk Show Scripts

    Musical Scripts

    Stage Play Scripts

    Advertisement Scripts

    Comic Book Scripts

Each of those is different and each is written in it’s own unique formate and style, and depending on the one you plan to write, you’ll will have to use a completely different style and format. So a person who writes movie scripts may be lost when it comes to attempting to write a comic book script or vise versa.

So, the first thing you need to figure out is: What type of script do you want to write?

To answer that, ask yourself, where do you see your script being published? Here are so things to think about before starting your script:

    Will it be a meteorologist’s report on the latest storm read on the nightly news or will it be the next episode of Pokemon?

    Are you writing hoping to be accepted by BBC for the next season of Doctor Who or are you writing a play for your local collage drama troupe?

    Do you want to write the words Oprah will say in her next show or would you rather write the next episode of Days of Our Lives?

    Are you writing a script for The Price is Right or are you going to write the next big screen movie Johnny Depp will star in?

    Is your script the next Broadway hit or a modern day remake of the Orson Wells War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast?

    Are you writing the next local cable advertisement of Jolly John’s Used Cars or the national broadcast of McDonald’s new flavor milk shake?

    Do you want to write a comic book? If so, will it be for Marvel or DC or Dark Horse or Disney? Did you know that each of the four comic book giants has their own specified script format, each extremely different from the other three and that none will look at an incorrectly formated script no matter how well written?

Before you can start asking for advice on how to write and format your script, you first have to determine, what exactly your script is going to be, and than you need to direct your questions to a script writer who writes the same type of scripts you plan to write.

For Script Frenzy, it is safe to assume that you are planing either a movie, tv show, comic book, or stage play script, as 99% of the scripts written during Screnzy are one of those.

The first thing you need to remember during Script Frenzy is this: Dialog.

Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.

and oh, look at that . . . more dialog!

If you are not good at writing dialog, than you will have a tough time at script writing, because script writing it straight up, no stop dialog.

There is no prose in script writing.

There is no narration in script writing.

There are no long descriptions of scenery in script writing.

There is no pretty and plentiful purple prose in script writing.

Script writing is dialog. Only dialog. Nothing but dialog. Dialog and nothing else. Period.

Script writing will do wonders at teaching you how to cut out adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and pretty much every thing else you would use when writing a novel, as you won’t be using those much if you use any at all.

The basic general format of a script is this:

    DAVE:
    (walks into room)

    MARSHA! What are you doing here?

    MARSHA:
    (slaps DAVE on face)

    I know about you and that hussy.

    (throws wedding ring on floor)

    We are through! I want a divorce!

    :CAMERA: Close up on DAVE’s face.

    DAVE:
    (stares speechlessly)

And that’s about it. A stage or radio script wouldn’t have the camera focus points, but TV, movie, and comic book scripts all do. I’m going to quote something I posted a while back on Script Frenzy:

    How much stage direction is reasonable?

    [quote=]
    Hey guys!
    How much stage direction do you think is reasonable? I’m just trying to figure out what would be too much…
    Thanks![/quote]

    I’d say it depends on the play write’s personal style as well as the style of the play in question. I think of stage direction in a play, like the choreography in a ballet. If every player knows where to be when and what to do at what moment, than you don’t have characters falling over each other and messing up the play.

    For example a one person play may not need any directions at all, simply relying fully on the actor’s personal movements as he speaks. With only one or two actors on stage, the play would be more open to actor interpretation. Two actors could guess each others movements and act accordingly.

    Whereas a full two hour production with intricate (setting, lighting, costume, etc) details, and 20 or 30 actors on stage at the same time, would need quite a bit of stage direction to prevent it from turning into utter chaos. I mean, if you have 20 actors on stage, each one “doing his own thing” when it comes to interpretation, you’d have nothing but a huge uncoordinated mess.

    So, when I’m writing a play, my personal style is: the bigger the production, the more detailed the stage directions need to be, while the smaller production can go with little or even no stage directions.

Also, scripts are very fast moving and high paced. There is no stopping to look at the flowers and talk about sunsets. It’s Action, action, actions, constantly moving forward, never pausing for a moment.

And I’m going to quote something I posted a few weeks ago here on NaNoWriMo, because while it aplies to novel writing, it really, really, REALLY hits home big time with Script writing:

    If you look at a lot of the bestsellers out there, and start counting words, you will find most have seven words or less per sentence!

    OR

    Take a look at the bestsellers. Count the words per sentence. Most have seven words or less.

Notice how one long sentence became three? But both gave the same advice. The first sentence was confusing to read. It slows the reader down. The second set was easier to digest. The reader could read it faster.

==================================================

You want fast pace? Try this: Dialog, Dialog, Dialog, BAM, Narrative, Dialog, Dialog, Dialog

Uh-huh, yep, that’s right. The fastest way to pick up the pace and speed up the action is to let your characters talk and talk and talk and talk. Not one character monologing his fool head off. Get four or five characters in the scene and have them speaking one sentence at a time, back and forth.

[quote=Genuine]I swear I could write straight dialogue for hours, but here’s what my writing looks like. I have lots of dialogue, and giant paragraphs here or there. It’s the talking head syndrome. And it is not good when my characters feel like they’re talking inside a Giant White Room of Nothingness! Here’s an example

The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing.

Person1: Blah, blah, bler, fleeble

Person2: BLAH? Dooble!

Person1: Dooble, dooble, dooble.

Person2: Tubbyblubby flur

Person1: Fla, fla, flah

Person1: Blah, blah, bler, fleeble

Person2: BLAH? Dooble!

Person1: Dooble, dooble, dooble.

Person2: Tubbyblubby flur

Person1: Fla, fla, flah

The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing. The sun swept radiant rays of burblebobble across the quaint scene of XYZ, and the clouds burst into fleecing.
———-
[/quote]

LOL! What a great post! It was like reading Keith Laumer’s Retief series!

Though I write short stories and novels as well, my main writing base is comics. I’m used to reading and writing comics. In other words I am used to write straight dialog, and nothing but dialog. I can write dialog for hours on end. Have characters chatting away, verbalizing everything that they are seeing, hearing, doing, and thinking.

It’s all that straight up dialog that causes comic books to be such fast paced stories.

==================================================

[quote=Banespawn]Don’t stop to descibe things. Make the descriptions part of the action.[/quote]

Yep. I say this all the time too.

You could say:

    He walked past the tree.

I’d say:

    He walked past the willow tree.

I only added one little word. That’s it. But it changed the whole picture in the readers head. Nothing big. Just little things. Of course I could also say:

    He walked past the giant, green, weeping willow tree were Billy carved his name way back in 2056.

But that is just too long and wordy, and adds details that do not move the story forward.

Keep it short, keep it simple, keep it familiar, let the reader interpret the minor details themselves, and you’ll write a book that’s easy to read and seems familar to your readers, even if it’s a fictional world lightyears from the earth.

I sit here thinking about the beautiful purple sunsets sending rays of light across the green grassy hills and listening to the sound of pretty blue feathered song birds as they sing their songs of . . . YAWN . . . .

So when is the story going to start? Or when are we going to get back to the characters? Or, you know, when are we going to do something, ANYTHING? A few phrases of flowery descriptions scattered in here and there between dialog is fine, but when you start writing page after page after page of descriptions, I start falling asleep.

There should be dialog on every page. More than 50% (maybe even 75%) of your book should be dialog.(Ask any editor or publisher what makes a bestseller a best seller and they’ll tell you it’s all about the dialog). The remaining should be largely action.

You can tell me that on your planet the trees are blue, but don’t tell me the entire biology lesson on the hows and why of the tree being blue. So it’s blue. That great! Now get on with the action. What else is the character doing besides noticing that the trees are blue? Is there someone hiding behind the blue tree? Why did the character tell me the tree was blue? Why purpose does the blue tree have in your plot? I’m not a botanist, I don’t need to know what every plant on your planet looks like and why it looks that way – all I care about is what your MC is doing.

Less prose – more action.

Less prose – more dialog.

Give me a fast read, don’t slow me down with flowery purple prose.

==================================================

But than: What about fight scenes? you ask. Well, what about them? Have you ever seen a REAL fight? A real fight only lasts a few seconds. You’d be hard pressed to find a real fight that lasted longer than 30 seconds. What you see in the movies? That’s just for effect. A real fight is never anything like what you see in the movies.

    A punch. A whack. A quick shuffle in the mud. And than it’s over.

I figure it should take the reader no more than 5 seconds to read the fight. Thus my fight scenes tend to be quick and short. Heck, you just read one of them!

What about epic battles for fantasy or military fiction? Regardless of how many people are fighting, (even if it’s a big battle) I pick out only two fighters, and focus on them. I describe the actual action between the two fighters, focusing more on the inner emotional responce of the one that is loseing, (even if they are not a MC) thus makeing the winning fighter seem much more feirce. Usually I focus more on the pain from the blow, than the actual blow itself.

Generally my fight scenes are less than three paragraphs long. I use short sentences (most less than seven words each, often only 2 words each). I use simple small words. I let it flow past the reader quickly, giving them the illusion that they are being pulled through the action at the same break neck speed in which the action takes place.

[quote=Esteleth]
They could hear the evidence of a struggle downstairs: shuffling then running footfalls, a chase, a muffled scream, the pushing around of furniture, the breaking of a vase, thuds, curses, their mother’s voice rising up in a shrill teary scream…[/quote]

Actually, this would read faster if you had done this:

    They could hear the struggle downstairs. The shuffling. The footfalls. The chase. A muffled scream. The furniture pushed aside. A vase breaking. THUD! CRASH! Some one cursed. Their mother’s voice rose up. A shrill scream . . .

Long run on sentences always slow the readers down. Every time you put a comma some where, go back and see if you can change in into a period.

Also, you are using way to many prepositions. In an action scene the fewer prepositions, the better. None is best. Prepositions slow the pace. Cut them out whenever possible.

Take this writer’s advice to heart:
[quote=havocfett]Write short. Write Choppy. Write dynamic. Don’t stay on one thing. Move quickly through the scene.[/quote]

Short and choppy wins the race when it comes to action and fast pace. Don’t be afraid of fragments. Forget your English teacher. Fragments are your friend. Slice and dice every run on sentence. Turn as many comas as possible into periods.

But remember – only do this for you fast paced action scenes. You don’t want a book of nothing but short and choppy! Your descriptions scenes should have longer sentences, that tire your reader out and make them want to stop and take a deep breath. (But not so many that you put them to sleep!)

You want to mix it up and keep things interesting. Like a roller coaster, your plot should have slow moving ups, and fast moving downs, back and forth through out the entire book.

[quote=wynnie.the.poooh]
3. If it’s a killing spree, kill people. Mention them, their side in the battle and then BLAM!
4. Use a lot of action sounds. BLAM! makes you think of a firing gun. SPLAT! makes you think of something hitting the ground. With a splat. This is actually a phenomenon (the use of words as nouns that sound like the sound they are naming).[/quote]

    BLAM! SPLAT! SOCK! PUNCH!

    Holy Rusted Drain Pipes, Batman, it’s the Penguin!

    BAM! THUD! SQUISH! BOOM!

    Great Scott, Batman! You got him!

Yep, take a cue from Batman – Single word action sentences will move your story along much faster than 10 pages of description ever could!

==================================================

And here’s something that I don’t see any one mentioning yet, but when you start preaching and lecturing and pushing a cause, it really slows down your pace a lot. The last thing any author wants to hear from their readers is: I’m Not Stupid – Don’t Talk Down To Me and Preach at Me!

In other words:

Don’t waste an entire chapter telling me why lions live in Africa and Tigers live in China. If I wanted to know that, I’d have looked for it on Wikipedia.

Don’t spend 3 pages telling me the symptoms of cancer. Tell me your MC has cancer and move on to how she deals with it. If I want to know the symptoms and details of treatment, I’ll read a medical journal.

Okay, so maybe I don’t know where Yorkshireville Town is. If I want to know, I’ll look it up on Google Earth, I don’t need you to give detailed directions. I’m not planning on a trip there, I just want to read your novel.

Remember that you are writing a story not a dictionary. You are writing a story not a medical journal. You are writing a story not a travel guide. You are writing a story. Stop explaining every thing to me and just tell the story! Don’t act like I’m a retard and stop the story to explain everything. I’m smarter than you think. I know what you mean, and if I don’t know, I know how to look it up and find out for myself. Just stick with the story and nothing but the story. Stop talking down to me like I’m a little kid who don’t know nothing!

You got a chip on your shoulder? You got a cause to promote? You got an issue to protest? You want to save my soul from hell by getting me to join your church? Write a pamphlet and hand it out on the streets – build a web site – start a blog – do something to tell people about it, but don’t take it out on me your reader! Sure, maybe I will agree with you, maybe I’ll want to support your cause too, but there is a right way and a wrong way to get supporters, and strategically lacing your novel with preaching and lectures is the WRONG way to do it! Just stick with the story and nothing but the story. Stop preaching to me like I’m the enemy!

By removing every thing from your writing that makes it sound like a dictionary, encyclopedia, or church manual, you will do wonders to speed up the pace.

Well, that should give you enough pointers to get you started in the planning stages at least. I hope some of what I said helped you out. Good luck!

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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>NaNoWriMo RE: Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?

>black birdfall leaves centerblack bird

RE: Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?


phantom000
Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?
Winner!
53,343 / 50,000
Official Participant
Joined: Oct 18, 2008
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 101
Posted on:
Dec 4, 2009 – 12 02
Well i am thoroughly burnt out on the story i did for NanoWrimo this year and there are just too many holes to fill up, and for some reason i have this desire for knights, ninjas and pirates so i’m going back to my old project i did back in ’08.
Anyone else doing the same?
———-
“If you have a little voice in your head that talks to you, don’t worry your human. If you have three or four voices that argue with each other, don’t worry your a writer!”


My 2008 is being published. Even though it already went through 4 drafts during 2009, it still requires some editing (yes, my spelling is THAT bad – I have Autism and dyslexia – you are lucky if you can make out half my words! LOL!) Anyways, it’s FINALLY nearly corrected, with only a few minor typos to fix now. I got the final galleries (proofs) in September, and am editing out the few typos that slipped through the earlier edits, but once that’s done, all I got to do is send the corrected proof back and it’ll be finished! YAY! The planned release date is February, so as long as I get the editing done before than, I’m all set.

I’d like to go back and edit my 2006 and my 2007 as well. The 2007, has some huge plot holes that need filling in, but pretty much, other than that and spelling errors, it’s nearly ready to publish.

Unfortunately my 2006 dealt with a topic that can’t be published (a 14 year old girl, gets pregnant after an affair with her grandfather) and I’ve already been told again and again and again, that unless I change the girl to 18 years old than there is no way this side of hell that any publisher will touch my book. :( :( :( :( I really liked this one, it is, in my opinion and in the opinions of my beta readers, by far the best story I’ve ever written, and really pulls the reader in emotionally to the plight of the girl and the stress she has to go through because of her situation. Changing her to an 18 year old, would completely change the story – the whole point of the story is the fact that she is so young, which results in her friends, family, church, etc, just pretty much shunning her and treating her as an outcast, and no one bothers with the grandfather at all, except to ban her from ever seeing him again, which farther stresses her, because at this point he’s the only one not shunning her. The whole story just revolves around that fact that she is so damn young, and publishers freaking out about political correctness is, well, just plain stupid. So, I’ll be self pubbing this one, once I go back and edit is for spelling and grammar errors.

I wrote two for 2009, and I’ll be editing to publish both of them as well, but, right now I’m tossing them aside to give myself some time to forget what I wrote so that I can edit them better later on.

Right now, I’m putting most of my energy into planning for Screnzy. I’m very into my plot for Screnzy, to the point that I’l probably have it written in a few weeks and have to come up with another one for April! LOL!

Incubus: Fear the Night!

http://twitter.com/EelKat
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http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/132659

NaNoWriMo RE: Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?

black birdfall leaves centerblack bird

RE: Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?


phantom000
Who’s going back to their ’08 Nano?
Winner!
53,343 / 50,000
Official Participant
Joined: Oct 18, 2008
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 101
Posted on:
Dec 4, 2009 – 12 02
Well i am thoroughly burnt out on the story i did for NanoWrimo this year and there are just too many holes to fill up, and for some reason i have this desire for knights, ninjas and pirates so i’m going back to my old project i did back in ’08.
Anyone else doing the same?
———-
“If you have a little voice in your head that talks to you, don’t worry your human. If you have three or four voices that argue with each other, don’t worry your a writer!”


My 2008 is being published. Even though it already went through 4 drafts during 2009, it still requires some editing (yes, my spelling is THAT bad – I have Autism and dyslexia – you are lucky if you can make out half my words! LOL!) Anyways, it’s FINALLY nearly corrected, with only a few minor typos to fix now. I got the final galleries (proofs) in September, and am editing out the few typos that slipped through the earlier edits, but once that’s done, all I got to do is send the corrected proof back and it’ll be finished! YAY! The planned release date is February, so as long as I get the editing done before than, I’m all set.

I’d like to go back and edit my 2006 and my 2007 as well. The 2007, has some huge plot holes that need filling in, but pretty much, other than that and spelling errors, it’s nearly ready to publish.

Unfortunately my 2006 dealt with a topic that can’t be published (a 14 year old girl, gets pregnant after an affair with her grandfather) and I’ve already been told again and again and again, that unless I change the girl to 18 years old than there is no way this side of hell that any publisher will touch my book. :( :( :( :( I really liked this one, it is, in my opinion and in the opinions of my beta readers, by far the best story I’ve ever written, and really pulls the reader in emotionally to the plight of the girl and the stress she has to go through because of her situation. Changing her to an 18 year old, would completely change the story – the whole point of the story is the fact that she is so young, which results in her friends, family, church, etc, just pretty much shunning her and treating her as an outcast, and no one bothers with the grandfather at all, except to ban her from ever seeing him again, which farther stresses her, because at this point he’s the only one not shunning her. The whole story just revolves around that fact that she is so damn young, and publishers freaking out about political correctness is, well, just plain stupid. So, I’ll be self pubbing this one, once I go back and edit is for spelling and grammar errors.

I wrote two for 2009, and I’ll be editing to publish both of them as well, but, right now I’m tossing them aside to give myself some time to forget what I wrote so that I can edit them better later on.

Right now, I’m putting most of my energy into planning for Screnzy. I’m very into my plot for Screnzy, to the point that I’l probably have it written in a few weeks and have to come up with another one for April! LOL!

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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Screnzy RE: Script Frenzy seeks writers’ advice: I want to know what questions you would like answered.

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Script Frenzy seeks writers’ advice: I want to know what questions you would like answered.

Script Frenzy

Script Frenzy Scriptwriters! Every year I try to find professionals to help answer how-to questions during the month of April (they are called Cameos on the website) and I want to know what questions you would like answered. Post your questions in the comments below!

Yesterday at 7:24pm · Comment · 

Kristin B.
Kristin B.
My question would be thusly – I always hear in commentaries of movies about how the script is continually changing. Does that ever annoy the script writer, knowing his original work was changed?
Yesterday at 7:30pm · Report
Sean Newman
Sean Newman
How can I avoid the inevitable pitfall of clichés?
Yesterday at 7:35pm · Report
Patrick Bowen
Patrick Bowen
How do I write the ultimate “gotchya plot”? A la Usual Suspects, 6th Sense, etc.
Yesterday at 7:52pm · Report
Jennifer Thrailkill Leonard
Jennifer Thrailkill Leonard
If I wanted to write a musical, is it alright to write the music and lyrics before April?
Yesterday at 7:59pm · Report
Mark Searles
Mark Searles
How do you write action sequences? You’re not supposed to have much direction in the script, but just saying “they fight” is not very descriptive (and doesn’t take up much page space!).
Yesterday at 8:46pm · Report
Christiana Griscom
Christiana Griscom
I wouldn’t mind some more in depth info on camera directions and so on. I never really bother, but I’ve been told that then it’s not a ‘real’ script and I’m just curious about it all. :D
Yesterday at 8:56pm · Report
Hannah Glenn
Hannah Glenn
How much do script writers get paid, & how long does it usually take them to write a script? How do people turn a book into a script for a movie?
Yesterday at 9:07pm · Report
EelKat Wendy C. Allen
EelKat Wendy C. Allen
I always see questions and answers geared towards movie scripts, which I don’t write. Sure the info is helpful, but it’s focusing on getting your script filmed!

I write stage plays for live theater, not big Broadway theater, but small, local grade school/high school/college theater. You know, for the young actors who are just getting started in their acting career. My scripts tend to be short for half hour to hour long school/college plays with less than 7 characters.

Screnzy for me is not one 100 page script but ten 10 page scripts. Short, quick, with minimal setting and costume, and with only a few actors.

So, I’d like to see more advise being written for those of us who focus on writing stuff for a younger age group, as well as for those of us writing for the little indie stage groups.

As for questions, I could really use some advice on how to get my play scripts actually staged. I love writing them and really have no problems in the actual writing aspect, but the whole promotion, marketing, and getting my scripts to the right people – I could really use some advice in those areas.

My biggest area in need of help/advice, is I want to go the published rout. Publish the play than let schools and indie stage groups buy it, but than, How do I get paid for the actual performances? I’m so confused in that area. Is the book price the only pay I should be getting or should I get a % of the ticket price and if so, how do I go about charging it? I could really use some advice in the whole area of getting paid for productions of my plays.

Sorry for the long post, but yeah, any advice in these areas would be really helpful. Can’t wait for April to get here. :)

about an hour ago · Delete

I always see questions and answers geared towards movie scripts, which I don’t write. Sure the info is helpful, but it’s focusing on getting your script filmed!

I write stage plays for live theater, not big Broadway theater, but small, local grade school/high school/college theater. You know, for the young actors who are just getting started in their acting career. My scripts tend to be short for half hour to hour long school/college plays with less than 7 characters.

Screnzy for me is not one 100 page script but ten 10 page scripts. Short, quick, with minimal setting and costume, and with only a few actors.

So, I’d like to see more advise being written for those of us who focus on writing stuff for a younger age group, as well as for those of us writing for the little indie stage groups.

As for questions, I could really use some advice on how to get my play scripts actually staged. I love writing them and really have no problems in the actual writing aspect, but the whole promotion, marketing, and getting my scripts to the right people – I could really use some advice in those areas.

My biggest area in need of help/advice, is I want to go the published rout. Publish the play than let schools and indie stage groups buy it, but than, How do I get paid for the actual performances? I’m so confused in that area. Is the book price the only pay I should be getting or should I get a % of the ticket price and if so, how do I go about charging it? I could really use some advice in the whole area of getting paid for productions of my plays.

Sorry for the long post, but yeah, any advice in these areas would be really helpful. Can’t wait for April to get here. :)

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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Screnzy RE: How much stage direction is reasonable?

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How much stage direction is reasonable?

Hey guys!
How much stage direction do you think is reasonable? I’m just trying to figure out what would be too much…
Thanks!

I’d say it depends on the play write’s personal style as well as the style of the play in question. I think of stage direction in a play, like the choreography in a ballet. If every player knows where to be when and what to do at what moment, than you don’t have characters falling over each other and messing up the play.

For example a one person play may not need any directions at all, simply relying fully on the actor’s personal movements as he speaks. With only one or two actors on stage, the play would be more open to actor interpretation. Two actors could guess each others movements and act accordingly.

Whereas a full two hour production with intricate (setting, lighting, costume, etc) details, and 20 or 30 actors on stage at the same time, would need quite a bit of stage direction to prevent it from turning into utter chaos. I mean, if you have 20 actors on stage, each one “doing his own thing” when it comes to interpretation, you’d have nothing but a huge uncoordinated mess.

So, when I’m writing a play, my personal style is: the bigger the production, the more detailed the stage directions need to be, while the smaller production can go with little or even no stage directions.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Limited medical training; restraining and caring for someone

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RE: Limited medical training; restraining and caring for someone



[quote=akozete]My characters are in an isolated area. The group usually includes a doctor and a couple of nurses, but they’ve gone off to do something else, and the only person left with any medical experience is the cook, who used to be sort of a field medic and occasionally fills in as an extra assistant. He’s good to have around in an emergency, but when the doctor left, it was with the assumption that the main group would be able to get back to civilization and a real doctor pretty quickly if necessary, which is no longer the case.


Unfortunately, one of their number has just snapped: they’re not sure if she’s taken something or if she’s just gone mad (she’s never been quite right in the head, but she’s always seemed harmless enough), but she’s been muttering to herself, failing to respond to most stimuli, has extremely dilated pupils, apparently tried to attack my MC, and, according to the people left to watch her (who are lying, but no one has realized it yet), had been battering herself against the door of the room the MC managed to lock her into. The rest of the characters are agreed that she needs to be restrained before she hurts someone (probably herself), but I don’t know how this would best be accomplished, and I’m not sure how my cook would be likely to go about it. The doctor did leave behind most of her medical supplies and would probably have had what she’d have needed for this kind of situation (although it’d be basic and only intended as a stopgap until they could drop the person off at a real hospital), and I don’t want the cook making any serious, dangerous mistakes. I’m also not sure if there’s anything else he should do afterwards, given that he and the rest of them will be stuck with the crazy character for at least a few days–should he just watch that she’s not obviously injuring herself, or is there some other care he should know to give her?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

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[/quote]


You and me write the same types of characters it seems. I got a doc that up and left a character with folks who’ve no idea how to handle him. He’s an extreme paranoid schizophrenic and prone to violent outbursts, due to extreme irrational phobias (such as fear that the house has come alive and is about to eat him, etc.). In my stories, the doctor is always busy off making house calls (it’s an old setting) cause he’s pretty much the only doctor in the area, so my schizoid gets left in the care of well meaning but uneducated folks quiet often.

My MC gets just like you describe your girl, only he also starts picking things up and just throwing them. Not really at any one, just throwing things around. (He can see “people/ghosts” that no one else sees, and that’s why he’s throwing things. He’s trying to get the “people/ghosts” to leave him alone. But the real people in the room with him, are not aware of this, they think he’s just gone nuts and thrown things for no reason.) He’s also Autistic, so even when he’s not having an “episode” his ability to coherently communicate with others is limited at best. Like most Autistics, he can write long lengthy descriptions of what he is feeling and on paper communicates perfectly, but his ability to speak verbally is limited at best, and like most “normal fols” that we Autistics have to deal with, no one is willing to read his written words, because they don’t have the time to. (Or course, if they don’t have time to read what the Autistic person wrote, than how would they have had the time to listen to them had they said the words instead of written them?) Most times he just sits quietly humming to himself and staring up at the ceiling – which is why the doctor sees no harm in leaving him with none medical folks, because usually he’s not hard to look after. It’s only when he starts seeing the “ghost/people” that he goes off in an uncontrollable and violent fit.

Usually, they try to hold him down, and tie him to the bed so he can’t hurt any one until they can get the doc back. If his house keeper/butler is on duty, the butler usually has the key to the manor’s medicine supply and starts just pouring stuff down his throat hoping something will knock him out for a few hours. Yep, I write classic Gothic: big manor houses owned by raving madman whom women fall madly (and illogically) in love with. LOL!

So, that’s how I handle it when my MC is having an “episode”. Don’t know if that is really helpful to you or not.

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In your case, I’m assuming that you have a modern day setting, based on what you’ve said. (Mine was 1700′s setting, so even when the doctor is there, there is very limited things that can really be done.) I would assume that some one in your group was wearing a belt, and would try to use it to strap the girl to a bed (if there is a bed) or a chair, or even just use it to tie her arms behind her back, so as to restrain her to some extent. They may try to wrap a blanket around her first, than hold it down with a belt, sort of making a make shirt straight jacket, to keep her from hitting or kicking any one.

I’m afraid I’ve never heard of valum and as for sleeping pills???? I’ve never seen a first aid kit with sleeping pills in it before. From what you are describing your girl is either Autistic or Schizophrenic, possibly even Schizotypal Asperger’s Syndrome (which I have myself, btw) which is an Autistic person who also has Schizophrenia. and no doctor in his right mind would ever recommend over the counter meds to either one. And believe me, that’s saying a lot, because I write about Autistic and Schizophrenic characters for a reason – both run deep in my family varying in cases from mild to out right off the wall outlandish to seriously dangerous to every one around them (and also Diabetes and Bi-Polar and had to care for a coma victim for a year as well. ) I write what I know. I have to deal with out breaks and episodes (including my own) on a weekly basis and we have med kits EVERY WHERE as a result – bathroom, bedroom, car, living room, etc.

(I’m just the one who always ends up taking care of every one, but boy do I feel like every one in the family thinks I’m their personal doctor some times – and I’ve never had any medical training at all!!! Believe me – it’s stressful and does not help my own symptoms any at all.)

In real life, what I do, the medical kit will have the person’s prescriptions in it. It will also have a chart in it, which say with meds are for what and how much to give when, and how to give it. Some meds are in pill form, but most are in vials and so I have to know how to remove bubbles from the vial, insert the needle, fill the needle to the right amount, and than where and how to inject the needle. The doctor is likely to have given the chart and meds to some one AND had that person give the girl a few test shots before leaving them alone with her. I know that is what doctors do, because, that IS what real doctors do.

Know that in real life, a doctor would never, never, never, NEVER leave a character like this alone with some one unless that some one had gone through a training course (which would last a week or more) taught by the doctor, and than had lived with the character AND a visiting nurse for another few weeks, so that the doctor was confidant that the person could handle be left alone with the patient if such an episode did occur. (I know this from personal experience.) This is not some thing that doctors do “just because” either – it is a federal law (in the USA), they ARE REQUIRED by the government, to have trained a relative or close personal friend in how to care for the patient, other wise the patient is NOT allowed to leave the hospital to begin with. And than that person is supposed to be with the patient AT ALL TIMES. It’s the law.

So, there should be some one in your group whom the doctor gave her meds to, and who knows how to give them to her and whom has already been giving them to her on a fairly regular basis, assuming your characters are in the current time period in the USA .

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Of course, you hit at foul play, so, the doctor could have unwittingly given the med kit to the character who may just have tossed it out the window and is now pretending they don’t know how to deal with this situation, even though in fact they do, because of some vile deviant motive, yet to be revealed. They could even be causing her to have the episode – maybe she needs certain meds through out the day and they haven’t been giving them to her on purpose? Maybe they know she has an irrational phobia that triggers these episodes – say she’s morbidly afraid of spiders and they put a spider on her hand, thus causing the episode to begin with. That sort of thing. The rest of the group would be clueless about what was going on and how to deal with it, and the one that is supposed to be helping her, could be pretending to be clueless as well.

Or, is it possible, that the situation is such that the person who knows what to do in these situations is now dead or unconscious? The doctor was confident leaving, because that person was alive and well when he left, but now that person is for whatever reason, completely unable to tell the others what to do to calm the girl down. That seems to be a very likely thing to have happened, and would thus result in the rest of the group panicking. Also, the girl would feel a deep connection of trust to the one who takes care of her, and seeing that person now dead or otherwise out of it, could very well have been the trigger to send her into her current episode. (Autistics and Schizophrenics are both prone to panic attacks triggered by separation anxiety and stress overload.)

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As for your cook. It sound like he doesn’t really know her too well, and he’s just there sort of filling in, on a just in case basis. Is that correct? That’s how I’m reading what you wrote at least. I could easily see him making a lot of mistakes, just because he is not familiar with the girl’s particular quirks and habits, phobias and fears. He could easily do something to trigger and even worse episode, with out realizing it, just by doing or saying something that frightened her. In both Autism and Schizophrenia you would be dealing with a person that has extreme paranoia and irrational fears of things that most people find ordinary – for example she may be terrified of spoons and think that any one holding a spoon is trying to kill her, and your cook may try to give her liquid meds via a spoon, causing her to become even more violent when she sees the spoon, but your group and the cook, would have no idea that the spoon was what triggered the attack – the doctor probably knew about this, but would not have thought to mention it seeing how he left assuming they would get to where they were going safely. So your group could be dealing with a potential explosive situation here that could get far worse and they would have no way of knowing what her fear triggers are.

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I would also suggest that you do a bit of Googling and look up so info about Autism, Schizophrenia, and Schizotypal Asperger’s Syndrome. Especially, look up the medical journal type sites, sites written by real doctors.

You might also want to read this site written by a patient with Schizotypal Asperger’s Syndrome: http://www.squidoo.com/Aspergers-Syndrome-and-Me to help you better understand what is going on inside the patient’s, head and see the world as they see it.

Sorry for the extra long post. Hope it helps you out some. Good luck with your story!

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: What Fish Could You, uh, Fish for in the East Coast?

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What Fish Could You, uh, Fish for in the East Coast?




[quote=Bootscooper]In the East Coat, around the tri-state area, what edible fish could you get to eat?


[/quote]


Tri-state – my homeland :) And me living right on the ocean, I’m surrounded by rifle toting lobster man, and get to see the lobster war shoot outs all the time. Fishing is our # one source of income, and it’s big business. If you are not a fishermen, you are related to one, married to one, work for one, or at least know some one who does. Maine is 73% water and has the longest coastline of any other state. Yeah. Every one around here has fish on the brain.

You didn’t say what type of fishing you plan on using so I’ll list both:

Off the coast/deep sea:

    Lobster is #1 (the #3 source of income in Maine, after Tourism and Blueberries. Potatoes and Milk are 4 and 5.) Marlin Shrimp Sea bass Atlantic Salmon Pollack Sea Urchins Halibut Flounder Eels (big ones) Skate (what we call Sting Rays) Octopus Squid Manta Rays (big ones – big, big, big ones – 8 foot wings are not uncommon) folks don’ fish for them, but once in a while one will get caught in a net. People don’t eat them, btw. Shark (lots of types, Sand, Nurse, etc, keep in mind though the Great Whites are extremely rare, so you can mention them, but it would be a fluke to see one around here) Humpback Whales, if your story is set before the anti whaling laws. Whaling was a big business around here in the 1700′s ish. and also Scallops, Clams, Mussel, Crab, and several assorted snails but technically that’s not called “fishing” it’s called “digging”. Also, we are in the “Man o War” region. Man o Wars are giant killer jelly fish, that can get 30 feet long. In warm summers they get washed in along the coast, by the gulf stream. People don’t fish for them, but fisherman do once in a while get killed by them. Areas have to be closed down if any Man o War are sighted, and wait until they head back out to sea again. This only happens once every few years though, and is not that common an event.

Inland – river/lake/pond/stream:

    Eels (small ones) Brown Trout Rainbow Trout Catfish Salmon

Sorry, afraid I don’t know many inland fish, I live right on the ocean and rarely leave town.

I’m afraid I can’t help you with any details or specifics. Ive never been fishing in my whole life! LOL! My boyfriend is a hobby fisherman and my neighbor is a lobster men (every one’s neighbor is a lobster man around here.) and these are the fish they commonly catch and or mention seeing, or have known others to catch. They are the ones I just always hear getting mentioned around town and such.

Also, Harbor Seals are every where, and commonly get caught by mistake, and have to be released. But if your story is set old enough, like before the 1950′s, fisherman used to shot every seal they saw on sight, hundreds and hundreds of them, because the seal attack the nets and traps and lines and steal the fish.

Pretty much every one eats fish, most every meal, every day of the year.

Here in town we have fishing shacks on every street corner. A fishing shack is like a dinner that is run by the wife of some local fisherman, and all they serve is fresh fish. The Clam Bake, Bailey’s, WormWoods, and Ken’s Place are the biggest ones, and attract tourists from all over the world. The Clam Bake is a giant restaurant now as a result.

Hey – why don’t you just read what they sell off their menu? Or ask them on their FaceBook page? Plus all those actual picture of what the stuff looks like cooked should give you plenty to work with. That should help you out:

http://www.clambakerestaurant.com/ or http://www.clambakerestaurant.com/dinners.shtml

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scarborough-ME/Kens-Place-Seafood-Restaurant/64297093127?v=info (2009 was their 82nd year in business)

These two are right across the street from each other (more or less) and I live right behind them on the beach. :)

and this one is right next door to Ken’s

http://bayleysseafood.com/ and is the one I personally like to eat at most often. I like their Seafood Platter, which is a little bit of everything that got brought in that morning. Usually it includes Haddock fillets, scallops, shrimp, clam strips, etc.

and they make the best Lobster Rolls in Maine. You can’t visit Maine with out trying a Lobster Roll and drinking Moxie.

and here’s one from Portland:

http://www.portlandlobstercompany.com/menu.html

and Moxie btw is this:

http://www.moxiefestival.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie

your Maine readers will think your Maine characters are weird if they are NOT drinking Moxie.

You know, you might want to head to the Maine Regional Forums and ask there. Some one might have more info for you.

And writing this list up for you . . . wow! You just gave me some great ideas to add to my story, which, happens to be set in a fishing villsge off the coast of Maine – couldn’t imaging why. ;) =P

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Who publishes?

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The question and my answer:

Who publishes?

[quote=Esmeralda_m]Do any of you go on to publish your books later? [/quote]

Always. I started writing short stories in 1978. All of them published via indie-press chapbooks. Though most never had more than 12 or 15 copies made. =P I moved on the adding novels in 2006, and started writing non-fiction stuff in 2003, but didn’t start pubbing the non-fiction stuff until 2007, which I publish both in print format and online.

[quote=Esmeralda_m] Do you self publish or go through a company? [/quote]

Both. It depends on how you look at it. Some would say I self publish, others would say I don’t. Explanation: I own a publishing house (The Twighlight Manor Press). I publish my own work through said publishing house. Therefor my work is being published via a company, but it is also self published because, I just happen to be the owner of that company. =P

I submit some of my work to the big publishing houses too (Harlequin, Scholastic, etc.) but not very often. Usually I just stick with my own publishing house.

I also am under a work-for-hire contract to write scripts for copyrighted characters (The Duck Family aka Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck) through Edgmont (Disney Comics). This means technically I work for Disney and can write Disney “fanfic” so long as I follow Disney’s really rigid super strict guidelines and send every thing I write to them.

[quote=Esmeralda_m] Has anybody considered it but not followed through? Why not?[/quote]

I always consider EVERY THING I write as publishable. My theory is there is a market for every thing and every thing that is written, can be edited to make it marketable. (Some stuff just needs more editing than other stuff.) With that thery in mind, every thing I write eventually gets published some where, some how, though in some cases it may take several years of editing to make a piece publishable.

[quote=Esmeralda_m] I’m curious what the statistics are. Who goes “further” than the 30 days of writing and does a 2nd, 3rd, and final draft? Who takes that to a publisher and says “Lookit what I got!” and either gets turned down or accepted. Who opts to Lulu their book, and who takes it to the copy machine at kinkoes. [/quote]

My stuff usually goes through 4 edits, before reaching the final draft. This process can take a few weeks for shorter works, to a year or more for longer works.

Where I send it and how it gets published depends on what it is I wrote.

I taught myself bookbinding and so from the 1970′s through 1980′s my books were hand bound. Papers hand cut. Pages hand sewn, with olde fashioned needle and thread book binding stitch. The words themselves hand done in calligraphy. That’s why there were usually less than 15 copies of each book. It took about a month just to make a single copy. I was like a 15th century monk or something! LOL! =P

I went the desk top printer road in the 1990′s. Quality sucked.

Tried a local print shop once. eeh. Quality still sucked.

In 2005 I switched over to using http://www.LuLu.com for my publishing house’s printer. Quality has skyrocketed. I love it, and will likely stick with them as my printing house from now on.

As for where do I send stuff when I do send it out to an outside publisher?

Well, right off the bat, EVERYTHING I write with a Disney character, gets shipped to Edgmont and from there it’s Disney’s problem. Getting published with Disney, let me tell you – NOT EASY! Pay sucks. It’s not worth it unless you are mega super obsessed with whatever character you are writing about, which I am, so it’s not like I’m going to stop writing Duck stories any time soon. =P

My Harlequin quality stuff gets shipped off to Harlequin for consideration.

Short stories head out to various random magazines depending on genre.

My unagented attempts with Scholastic continue to fail; yeah, I know, I need an agent for Scholastic. Someday when I can afford an agent, I’ll hire one. ;)

What I am most well known for however is my trademark long running, banned, M rated series. My Twighlight Manor series, has since the 1970′s been sent to various publishers, and I get back lots of nice rejections, telling me that my unique writing style is wonderful and they’d really love me to write a different book for them, but my subject matter is just too outside of what can be published main stream, could I tone it done a bit, try to be a little bit more politically correct, use a little less gore, make my teenage rape victims over 18, make my rapists not always elderly men, and could you TRY to write a Happily Ever After ending . . . just once? Hey! I write what I know. Older men rape teenage and preteen girls. Been there. Done that. I was the teenage girl. I’ve known others. It happens. It happens a lot. These girls don’t get peach scent happily ever afters with rose colored glasses. I write about it. I write about it a lot. I write it like it is in the real world, older men, 8 year old girls and all. I’m not going to glamorize it and make it into some pretty happy romance story because that’s what people want to read. This is not romance, this is a girl traumatized for life in a world that would rather look the other way and protect the false integrity of their beloved church leaders. You know what? Life for these girls is hell, in a world that doesn’t care, why should I tone it down and make it more digestible for the reader when it isn’t digestible for the real victims? No! I won’t do it. Some one has to speak out for these girls, and I’m not changing these books just because you don’t like it.

And so, my Twighlight Manor Books, continue on published via indie press and remain to date, still not mass produced. And I am being excommunicated from my church for writing them, because well, it’s a big No-No to say anything against one of their priests. :(

Actually, I’m being excommunicated for writing my autobiography, the 433 page story behind the story of the Twighlight Manor books. My autobiography was what I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2008. It took a year to edit, went through 4 drafts, and was edited online with the help of some of my online friends. The draft had been posted on my blog, which, unknown to me, my bishop reads, and when he read what I had to say about several of the leaders in our local church building, he just flipped out, and called me into his office and DEMANDED that I not publish this book or else. Or else? He’d rather hide his head in the sand and protect the criminals in his church, than stand out in the open and protect the innocent victims????? Well, that book got published a month ago, and so I got called in again and told I was being excommunicated from the church. Oh well. Such is life. My NaNovel 2008 has become some what of a local controversy, and really, I don’t see why my bishop is going all freak out like this, but whatever.

As for this years NaNovel, yep. It’s being published. At the moment I’m planning on going through my own publishing house. (Which currently PODs books via http://www.LuLu.com btw, no more hand bound books for me! LOL!)

[quote=Esmeralda_m] I’m just kinda curious since I’m thinking of persuing more than a one month fling with my characters. I have a professional artist, willing to do the cover, and a professional editor even, but I’m intimidated by the prospect of tranforming a nanobook into a “real” novel. Can a nano even BE a real novel?

[/quote]

Every year, about 3 or 4 NaNovels get accepted through Harlequin. They even have a place to submit special NaNoWriMo submissions to them. (Check out their web site, info changes each year). If you are writing romance, Harlequin is very open to reading NaNovels.

and one word: Eragon.

Look up the Hal Spacejock series. Long running series of best sellers, every volume was writing right here on NaNoWriMo

Every year hundreds of NaNovels get published. A few through mainstream big publishers, but most through small press, indie press, and self published POD (LuLu and CreateSpace).

So, yeah, a NaNovel can be a real novel. All you got to do it edit, edit, edit, polish, polish, polish, and submit, submit, submit! EVERY THING you write, can be published, it’s all in the amount of time you are willing to put into editing it after you write it.

There are probably a lot more mainstream published NaNovels out there than we realize too, because a lot of authors, don’t tell you here on NaNoWriMo who they are and just come on here, write their draft, and never tell any one they wrote it via NaNo. Besides, when you submit it to a publisher, there is no reason to tell the publisher where your wrote the book. The publisher couldn’t care less wither you wrote it on NaNoWriMo or in an igloo on top of Mt Everest. All they want to know, is will our readers want to read it?

You will only need a cover artist if you plan to self publish. Authors have no say or control when it comes to cover art on their books, unless they are self publishing the book.

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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90,000 words and a body!!!! NaNoWriMo 2009 Update

I started writing this morning, had 87k, and just stopped to check my word count to see how much more I had to write before I reached 90k and found out I had already passed it and am at 91,001! WOW! I didn’t even know I had gotten to 90k yet and here I am 1k past it! YAY! Only 9k to go to get to 100k!

and my MC just saw a head bobbing by in the ocean – must go finish writing that scene before I forget whose head it was :)

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Hi I am… and I tend to write a lot of…

black birdfall leaves centerblack bird

I like this writing exercise. It helps you to focus on what you write and what you need to work on, as well as helps you to see what your “style is”. The entire original post is very very long, so you’ll need to click on the link to read the whole thing, as I only quoted the very start of it, so you’d know what I was responding to.

Hi I am… and I tend to write a lot of…

[quote=Kimberly Dawn]

Move at will… but I think this is on topic…

I’m not sure how to get out of the rut of these principle scenes I tend to write tons of. But I thought if I shared what I tend to write a lot of, someone else out there will have another crux and I can try to bum off of them their weakness for writing those scenes and we can help each other…

I tend to write a lot of pet scenes. This has to do with dogs, snakes, whatever pet is on hand. Don’t have a pet I make up one. Dogs are the most useful for me, but I take horses, dragons, etc.

Lots of scenes on food. Almost every book I’ve written has ….READ MORE… [/quote]

And here is my answer about my own writing:

The weather – lots of it. Wind. Fog. Rain. Thunder. Lightening. Hurricanes. Blizzards. I’m really good at lengthy (2000 words or more) descriptions of weather related things. Tonight I just wrote a 2k scene where my MC gets caught walking during a thunder storm, I spent most of the 2k describing the black clouds and lightening bolts! LOL! And even when I’m not writing long descriptions of weather, the weather is there: wind in her hair, wind in the trees, she can smell the fog, he hears the rain on the roof etc, etc, etc. Boy, I should have been a meteorologist or something. I’d be good at writing weather reports for the meteorologists to read on TV! LOL!

Aghasty men who brood about dead wives, and usually have dead wife’s coffin in his bedroom or dining room or some place else in the house so he can sit there staring at it and going all Vincent Price/Edgar Alan Poe monologuing about death and eternity and soul mates and lost love. Yep, I was raised on Vincent Price movies and Edgar Alan Poe books, one look at any thing I write will tell you that in a flash.

Monologuing. BIG TIME! My MCs are prone to sitting themselves down and than talking to themselves about the way things are, the way things should have been, and how cruel and wicked life has been to them. I can make one of my male MC’s drone on like that for 9k words without stopping to take a breath!

The ocean. It’s always there. My characters can’t get away from it. They are drawn too it. Mesmerized by it. Often I have mermen, guys who’s dead wife was a mermaid, silkies, kelpies, eels, and all sorts of other real and mythical sea creatures in my stories. I have writing hundreds of stories over the years and every single one of them was set on a beach, in a cove, on the cliffs, on a ship, under the sea, etc. Always the ocean is there. The ocean is so in your face in every thing I write, that it is almost a character itself.

Pretty much everything I write has a big gloomy stone house overlooking the ocean, owned by a broody goth guy morning a dead wife, and there are lots of dark gloomy clouds and thunder storms rolling in off the ocean. It’s like everything I write, no matter what the story is, that is the basic setting or backdrop for the story.

I did grow up on the shores of the cold, stormy North Atlantic Ocean, and being farmers weather effected our lives a lot, and Vincent Price was my fave actor and Edgar Alan Poe was my fave author, so, yeah, I guess you could say I’m one of those people who writes what I know. =P

Most of that stuff, isn’t all that bad, seeing how I write creepy goth horror, and those things all fit in with the genre well. I do have one problem that I get stuck on real bad, and it is that I write like this:

Dialog, dialog, dialog, MC sits alone and monologues to self for 30 pages, dialog, dialog, dialog, dialog, BOOM! CRASH! BANG! (weather), looooooooooooooooooooong pointless narrative about haunted house-ocean-weather, MC sits alone and monologues to self once again while hallucinating about ghost of dead wife haunting him, dialog, dialog, dialog, dialog, dialog . . .

Yeah. All that dialog is my problem. I’ll have two characters start talking, back and forth – for 100 pages. Not a word of narrative, not even any “he said/she said” tags! Just straight dialog. It’s like reading a play. The only time they stop talking about the MC is when the MC starts monologuing to himself.

It’s not that I can’t write descriptive narrative. I can. I’m wicked good at it too. My problem is shutting up my characters long enough so that I can add some narratives between all that dialogging!

And than there’s one other problem. Sex. Smut. Erotica. When I finally do get my characters to shut up, they all jump into bed together. Usually every one of them all together all at once too. Except for the gloomy MC with the dead wife. Gloomy guy + dead wife – yep necrophiliac, got a lot of that in many of my stories, LOTS of it. I had one guy who was a necrophiliac first gloomy widower later, and ended up with 70 dead wives in his attic, just so he could have sex with a different wife each night. My gloomy guys usually should be in a metal institute, but live so far off in the middle of no where (on a cliff over looking the ocean. . . . the middle of no where is always over looking the ocean no matter where it is.) that no body knows they are out there doing the weird freaky things they are doing while they mourn dead wife. If I could keep the sex scenes a little less freaky deaky, I would have a lot more mass produces books and a lot less indie press books. =P

Incubus: Fear the Night!

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NaNoWriMo RE: Writing in 2nd Person POV

Are any of you writing in 2nd person? If so, what have you found to be the biggest challenge about writing in this uncommon POV?

———-

[/quote]

Out side of a game book (aka a Choose Your Own Adventure book) second person does not go over well, with either readers or publishers. It’s hard to read, if you are just reading it for the sake of reading it. It’s extremely difficult to write well, and is considered a “lazy form” of writing when used outside of a game book. The term “lazy form” is used to describe a style of writing that is pretty easy to write, but is hard to read or understand, resulting in the reader thinking the author was “too lazy” to bother to write something better. (First person, is also considered a “lazy form” of writing as well.)

Unless you are really, really, really, really good at English Grammar, and I mean college professor good, it’s VERY hard to write second person AND come out sounding grammatically correct.

That said, when it is well written, it makes for a very fast read, and draws the reader right into the book.

Pretty much every book on these lists is written in second person. I read most of them, but, most of them came out in the 1970′s so that tells you how long ago I read them. I can’t remember if they had dialog in them or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gamebooks

I recommend you try finding a few of these books via inter-library-loan and scan through them to see how other authors handled second person.

If you are writing something which you plan to publish, I would advise against second person, because most publishers toss every second person manuscript that comes across their desk, with out reading it. Unless it’s a game book, you will have an extremely hard time finding a publisher and will have to resort to self publishing it yourself. But if publishing is not your goal or it is a game book you are writing, than go ahead and write in second person, because it can’t hurt to try.

All Hail Bela Lugosi!
Dracula!

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RE: How the hell did some of you people get to the word count you’re at? (NaNoWriMo)

how the hell did some of you people get to the word count you’re at?

My history with NaNo has been somewhat dramatic and for years I have been known as one of the site’s yearly returning over achievers. To reach 50k was never once my goal, heck, I write more than that in a normal month anyways, 50k is nothing (for me at least.) My word counts each year have soared through the roof, and by my past history I should have reached 50k several days ago. (Last year I hit 50k on day 3 – which inspired an inbox full of flaming NaNoHateMails).

My goal this year was simple: To beat my word count from last year (which was 238,135). To make things simple, I just said I’ll aim at 250k, but than I added, I’d really like to double that and go for 500k this year.

Well, that was in October. Than October 20th I had a stroke. Nothing big, but enough to slow me down and make me lose a bit of my coordination skills, which are slowly returning, but still, I’m having difficulty with some things I previously had no problems with. Than to make things just a little bit worse, due to my being in the doctor’s office on the 21st, I ended up coming down with H1N1 flue on the 23rd, and was out of sorts for the next 14 days, bed ridden from the worst flue I’ve ever had in my entire life.

Long story short – my first week at NaNoWriMo this year was cut drastically due to my health not being at it’s peak, and now instead of being in the 100k range I should be at by the end of week one, I’m ended with first week of NaNoWriMo with a miserable 30k. :( :( :(

I’m feeling much better this week, so hopefully I well get back on track. In any case, seeing how I’m so far behind, I don’t think it’s a realistic goal for me to be aiming at 250k any more. I could probably do it if I pushed myself, but I’m still not 100% over the flue yet, so pushing myself is not really an option this year. As a result I changed my goal. My new goal is to end at some point between 100k and 500k. I figure I’m still in the running to hit 100k before the end of the month, and as long as I do that, I’ll be happy, but than once I hit 100k, I plan to keep right on going, just to see how far past it I can make it before the 30th.

As for, how I do it? Well, this year, of course my health has slowed me down, but even so, I’m still getting a pretty high word count. There is however a simple answer to your question:

I am a professional writer. I don’t have a “regular” day job. Writing IS my day job. I wrote my first book in 1978 and haven’t stopped since. I write fiction, non-fiction, how to books, short stories, articles, chap books, children’s chapter books, novels, novellas, and I write an average of 7k words per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year, for the last 31 years.

I’m an “older” woman. In other words, I finished school many years before most of the other NaNoWriters were even born. Thus I have no school work to worry about either.

I am single. No husband or children under feet. I do however have 19 cats.

I do not have a TV. I can write during times when other NaNoWriters are being interrupted by their Soaps, News, Sports, whatever.

I suffer from Agoraphobia and PTSD. I’ve left the house less than a dozen times in the past 30 years.

My day goes like this:

    I get up at 7AM and start writing.

    Around noon I cook lunch, and than check the forums (which is why I’m here at this very moment.)

    From about 2PM to about 7PM I do whatever needs being done around the house/yard. If I have time I read during this time too.

    Between 7Pm – 9PM it’s time to cook and eat and read. At 9PM it’s back on the computer to write until Midnight.

    Five minutes before Midnight I update my word count that cruise the forums for a couple of hours.

    I go to bed around 3AM, sleep 4 hours and start over again the next day.

That is my schedule all year long – not just during NaNoWriMo, btw. As you can see, my days are spent pretty much doing nothing but writing all day long each and every day. I average 8 hours of writing per day. Just as others spend 8 hours a day at work, so too do I spend 8 hours a day a work, it’s just that I work at home and my job is to write.

What that all means is, I am at home 24 hours a day, and thus I am writing morning, noon, and night. And NaNoWriMo or no NaNoWriMo, I would being writing 100k to 200k this month anyways, so I might as well do it here with you guys rather than do it alone, like I do the rest of the 11 months of the year.

So, when you look at those of us who are way far ahead of the rest, think of it this way – most of us, have done NaNoWriMo many years now, and most of us are profession full time or part time writers who would have written this much anyways, even if NaNoWriMo did not exist, AND once upon a time, long ago and far a way, we were like you, trying to figure out how others found time to write. We didn’t always write like this. It took us many years of practice to learn how to make time to write.

If you have time (like 4 or 5 hours) to read a really long, really detail explanation about how I do it, you can read this: http://www.squidoo.com/The13StepMethod which I wrote specifically for NaNoWriters who ask this question to me dozens of times every single year.

Think of it as playing the piano – you don’t start out at Carnegie Hall, it takes years of practice to get there. You can’t do it over night, but if you stick with it and devote years of your life to practicing, you will eventual reach your goal and become, the writer with high word counts. Slow and steady wins the race, so, don’t worry about it. Just write what you can, when you can. If you have to, get up an hour earlier and go to bed an hour later and write while eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Oh yeah – and Moxie – seriously – lots of Moxie. I drink two cases of Moxie a week during November. The caffeine high has me writing at super hyper speeds, even when I had H1N1 and shouldn’t have been able to write a word. Forget RedBull giving you wings – Moxie gives you jets packs!

Moxie btw way, for those who never heard of it: http://www.moxiefestival.com/

All Hail Bela Lugosi!
Dracula!

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