Script Frenzy Write-In

So yesterday Skyla and I had a write-in at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
We were pretty stoked about this as it would be a write-in for the entire state. However only four people showed up- Skye, myself, and Skye's two friends. Our other ML, Crash, was nowhere to be found (Crash, where were you and your denizens of Fort Collins?)

It was cool meeting her in person though. We got everything worked out prior to being at the Museum. I commend her for organizing events as well as she's had, especially since my script frenzy email wasn't working. And even though there were only four of us, we still had a blast. Turns out you can eat in the Museum cafeteria without having to pay Museum admission, which is pretty sweet. We basically plunked ourselves down at a table by the window and wrote/typed/commiserated for three hours. Good times.

So now I'm on page 50 of "Quest for the Soul Stone." Last year I was much further along. Although last year I liked my screenplay a lot better. I've figured out the problem. I didn't like the story going into it. I mean, I liked it two weeks prior. I enjoyed writing the outline. I had everything figured out. Then the day Screnzy started I realized I HATED the movie. Ouch. You ever wonder if someone working on the film knew the film was bad? You ever wonder why they kept working on it? I'll tell you why: it's because they've spent so much time planning it, they have people depending on them to finish it and they are so gung-ho about finishing what they start that they refuse to the see the crap bubbling up before their eyes like some primordial stew and they doggedly persist even when they know they should scrap the whole thing and start over.

But I'm here to tell you friends, that is the nature of the first draft. Seriously, how many of you out there can read your first drafts and NOT say that they are a bloody mess? Even "Xia," screenplay that I love with the warmth of a thousand suns, is but a mere shadow of it's former first draft self.

Fortunately for me, being an ML means that I should set a good example, which is the reason why I haven't quit the contest entirely. And because I haven't quit, I've been searching for ways to make my screenplay work. And last night, as my friend D'awn and I watched "The Forbidden Kindgom," the answer appeared to me.

Make the movie fun.

That's right, what this story lacked was a serious sense of enjoyment. The audience should enjoy the ride, be excited by what they see, not spoken to as if they are attending a funeral dirge. The concept is exciting, the characters need to be so too.
So I am adding more elements of danger, suspense, surprise, and hopefully that will make the story more engaging.

And heart. Lots of heart.