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.