Santa Claus Convention

Santa Claus Convention

 

I'll be taking a break for a couple of weeks.

 

Next post: Thursday, January 3rd, 2013.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

 





Match Cut

MATCH CUT is a screenwriting device that uses an inanimate object as a bridge between two scenes.

For example:


EXT. STREET CORNER – DAY

Doyle approaches a mailbox.

THE SEALED LETTER
 
--is slipped into the slot.

                                                                                                                        MATCH CUT: THE SEALED LETTER

--is in the hands of Sasha.

INT. HOTEL LOBBY – NIGHT

 
Sasha begins to open the letter.


MATCH CUTS can also be used to indicate the passage of time:

 

EXT. HOUSE - DAY

Drake closes and securely locks the front door. He walks away, not looking back.

 
The house, now empty, looks new: freshly painted with clean windows.

                                                                                                                    MATCH CUT:

EXT. HOUSE – DAY- MANY YEARS LATER

 
The house is now rundown: paint-peeled with broken windows.

By the way, MATCH CUTS can be used in fiction, too:

 

 . . . Nick leaned back as he gazed out over the window-lit neighborhood from his balcony. Traffic droned below, when suddenly he heard a distant crack, crack. A sound he knew only too well.

***

 

Amber heard the crack, crack and the bullets whizzing by her as she dove behind a dumpster and out of the line of fire . . . 

 

Add the MATCH CUT to your writing toolbox. While it shouldn’t be overused, keep it in mind for those times when you need an especially intense transition.

                                                        

One

The number of people

in the universe

who are you

Thanksgiving

Happy

Thanksgiving

Door

Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I’m looking at a door. I reach forward and open it. What appears on the other side of it is often the next idea, scene, or word I need in my writing.

I believe that art and life weave together. So I also use this technique in determining the next step or direction I should take in the story of my existence. 

It’s simple. Try it if you want to. Close your eyes, picture a door, and open it. What do you see?

Apostrophe Part Two

The second definition of apostrophe is the punctuation mark that looks like a tiny little balloon blowing away in the wind.

Most people use it correctly in contractions. But some people get confused when using it in a possessive case. So here’s a quick review:

Singular noun: Make it possessive by adding an apostrophe s: the boy’s basketball.

Plural noun ending in s: Make it possessive by only adding an apostrophe: the boys’ basketball team.

Plural noun not ending in s: Make it possessive by adding an apostrophe s: the women’s soccer team.

These three rules should be strictly followed. The only exception is in proper names that end in s. This is a bit of a gray area. In most cases, follow the singular noun rule: George Lucas’s movies.

But if the proper name is an ancient historical one, then the normal practice is to just add an apostrophe: Jesus’ teachings.       

 
That’s all for now, kids. Keep writing.

Apostrophe Part One

The term apostrophe has two definitions for a writer.

The first is the lesser known literary one. It’s a device where one addresses some person or    abstraction that’s not really there. Here are some examples:

 

From Shakespeare’s King Lear: “Ingratitude! thou marble-hearted fiend!” He’s talking to Ingratitude. Apparently, he’s kind of a jerk.

 

  “Oh, Death, Be Not Proud.” It’s the title of a John Donne poem. He’s telling Death to not be so stuck up.

 

  “Hey, Time, slow down so I can get more done.” I’m talking to Time. I don’t plan on waiting around for an answer.

 

The apostrophe is a great device in writing. Add it to your toolbox when you want to add a little flair to a scene, a story, a poem, or whatever else you’re putting into words. 

 

Next week I’ll discuss the second meaning of apostrophe: that funny little mark.

Shakespeare

Many years ago, I visited Shakespeare’s home in Stratford, England. Ever since that day, I’ve been a huge Shakespeare fan. Here are four of my favorite Shakespeare quotes:

            Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.

            --Twelfth Night 2.5.149-150

            This above all: to thine own self be true.

            --Hamlet 1.3.84

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

            Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
            --Hamlet 1.5.187-188

We are such stuff

            As dreams are made on, and our little life
            Is rounded with a sleep.
            --The Tempest 4.1.173-175

Speaking of The Tempest, there was a great movie version of it made in 2010, starring Helen Mirren and Felicity Jones. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth the watch.

The Tempest 2010 trailer

  

May all of us find our inner bard.

Masks, Props, and Characters

The Halloween season is upon us. And one of my favorite things about it is the idea of dressing up as characters. Becoming someone we’re not. This, of course, is the root of acting.

As a screenwriter, I realize that I’m creating characters that will be played by someone else. So how do I give them life so the actor or actress can pick up on their energy?

Well, I can take a tip from Halloween: I can wear a mask or hold a prop. If my character’s a vampire, I can wear fake fangs (from the Dollar Store) to help feel the character as I write. A toy sword is great for a pirate; a hat can make me feel like I’m on a safari.

If I don’t have the exact prop I’m looking for, it’s amazing all the things a pencil can be: a sword, a gun, a cell phone, a spyglass, a magic wand, an antenna, a flute, and many more.

It works for me. Try and see if it’ll work for you. If your character seems to lack spice, take a lesson from Halloween. Try wearing an article of clothing your character might wear, putting on a mask, or just grab a prop. Can you feel your character better? If you can, then you’ve discovered yet another tool to improve your writing.       

 
Happy Halloween.

Climax

Along the writer’s trail, I come upon a vision:

Silent leaves

 

      Golden red

            The climax of a story

Harvest Moon

It was a harvest moon last week. The event reminded me of how creativity, like the moon, waxes and wanes: Sometimes it’s a bright rush of inspiration; sometimes it’s a dark regenerating stillness.

The harvest moon was originally a time when farmers, before the days of electric lights, could see well enough to stay up late and reap their crops. It symbolizes the beginning of autumn: a time of gathering, a time of plenty.

May this fall produce a bountiful harvest of creativity for us all! 

Memories

Accessing memories can be an excellent way to spice up your writing. The best ones to use are the ones that have strong emotion attached to them. For example, the passionate feeling of that first kiss, the intense fear during that car accident, or the anger at being laid off from that job into which you had put so much sweat. 

It’s not so much the joke you remember that’s important, but the memory of the laugher. Not so much the death of your pet, but the recollection of the sadness you felt.

One time I needed to create a scene that contained shock. I remembered the moment as a child when I first found out Kennedy was shot. Even though the incident I was writing about had nothing to do with that event, recalling my racing heartbeat and speechless chills helped me to put the emotion I needed into that scene.

 
Go ahead and try this technique if you want; experiment with it and see if it works for you. But the main thing is to keep writing.

Hero

When I see a salmon, it reminds me of the hero’s journey. It’s a common theme in plots from Lord of the Rings to The Hangover. One goes out; one comes back. Leaving is a breeze. But the return can be rough.
 
That’s because getting home is never easy: climbing ladders, pushing upstream, leaping over obstacles. We can only imagine the story of a salmon. But our story is one we create.

Writer's Block

Here are three types of writer’s blocks and what to do about them:

1. Paralyzed.

 
SOLUTION: Ram the block down. Force yourself to keep writing something, anything; just keep moving until you get back into the flow.

2. Lack of sizzle.

 

SOLUTION: Detour around the block. Write something else and come back to your original spot later.

 

 

3. Zoned out.

 

 

SOLUTION: Take a break for a couple of hours.

Inspiration

As I hike along the writing trail, ever upward, the wind turns my head and inspiration flashes:

I fly to the nectar of my imagination

            Each drop strengthens my resolve

                        To flame outward and touch

 

                                     A speck of fairy green

The Journey

Writing isn’t an easy slide downhill. It’s a steep climb upward, like scaling a mountain. There are moments of frustration and moments when you sigh at the view.

You slip once in a while when you remember, “Oh no, that’ll never work. I killed that guy three scenes ago.” When you reach the top, it’s a heady thrill for a couple of heartbeats.

 
Then begins the long climb downward to real world where you try and convince someone to at least read, if not buy, what you’ve written. Is it exhausting? Yeah, but it’s worth it.