Today
I have started a new challenge.
I
had written about two years ago about this idea of having a month where I wrote
one six page script every day. I could never really justify it, because there
were always other things that I needed to work on.
Also,
I wasn't sure that it would really be that beneficial. Obviously writing six
pages a day on a project that I hoped to sell would have value, but what would
I do with 31 short pieces. (It had to be on a month with 31 days, or it was
wimping out.)
I
started thinking about it again since I have been thinking about deliberate
practice. That would be a way of stretching myself, certainly. I wasn't sure if
it would be a useful way, but the idea wasn't leaving me. If there has been one
thing that has been consistent for me, it's that when I feel like I need to do
something, I need to do it. So, I'm doing this.
Right
now what I have is a page of notes. It has one column of different genres, one
column of different titles and plot points that I might work on, a short list
of things that I have never done or don't like doing that it might be good to
try, and also a short list of different monsters.
It
is October, and that might be a reason to work more with frightening subjects.
Also, I know from experience that when I am keeping it short there is less
investment, for the writer and the reader, and so it is easier to go dark or
weird or absurd. That's not just me; I have seen it with many novelists whose
short stories are twisted in a way that their long fiction never was.
The
way I see this working is that I will have an idea in mind the day before, and
while I might have the plot worked out, I will not write anything until its
day. I will then write the six pages before work so that I can have some time
to come back with fresh eyes before publishing that evening. It's not a lot of
time, but it's not that many pages either. Obviously there may be some
limitations on quality, but I want them to be entertaining.
I
am going to be putting them up on Wattpad. I used Ficwad for the long one, but
that seems more geared toward fan fiction, and while some of these will use
established characters, not all will. The link is http://www.wattpad.com/user/GinaHarris827,
but there is nothing published now. (There
is a draft of Disney Avengers.)
I
am going to try for publishing around 8:00 PM (Pacific), and then I
will link via Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.
It's
already hard. I was planning on doing Disney Avengers eventually, but that
wasn't what I thought I would do today. I started one thing that was humorous,
but I realized that it wasn't funny enough for six pages. I could add content,
but it would still be the one joke, that was maybe only good for three pages. However,
I think I can subvert it, so it may still come up.
For
the record, I am writing in Final Draft 8. Generally one written page is one
minute filmed, so if I am using pages and minutes interchangeably, that's why.
There
is a lot of writing happening this month. Be warned!
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