Script Frenzy: Week One

It's just over a week into the month of April and that means I'm just over a week into Script Frenzy. For those of you who don't know, the goal of Script Frenzy is to write 100 pages of any type of script in one month. After my National Novel Writing Month (where the goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month) win this past November, I went into Screnzy with a good amount of confidence, which I figure would ultimately be my downfall. However, with one week under my belt I'm actually right on track more or less. So far I've written 31 pages in the last 11 days. I'm feeling good but that doesn't mean I'm not without my problems.

The first problem I've encountered is this bloody TV formatting. Having never written TV scripts before I figured the formatting would be just like that of screenplays which, having been a film student, I had plenty of experience in. I was sadly mistaken. While some of the basics are similar to screenplay format, a lot of the details are quite different. However, after three or four frustrating days, I seem to have gotten the hang of it and my mistakes are becoming fewer and farther between.

My other problem is the novel I temporarily abandoned in order to take up this challenge. My novel, which I started during NaNoWriMo, is currently only about twenty pages away from a completed first draft. I had hoped to have it finish before April but it just didn't work out that way. The problem is that I seem to be suffering from separation anxiety. That's the best way I can describe it. I've put so much into that novel the last six months, so much hard work, concentration, energy and a piece of my soul, that I can't help but keep thinking about it. I'm so attached to my characters that I want to give them the ending they deserve. I've created this world that I love so much and I just find it hard to leave it, even for a short amount of time. Occupational hazard, I guess.

The good news is, however, that the more I work on my script, the more I'm getting to know my new characters. I'm sure by the time April is over, I'll be attached to them as well.

I just realized I've yet to explain what my Screnzy project is. As I said, I'm writing a TV show, a sit-com called "Adventures in Everyday Life" to be more precise. The main characters are: Abby Davidson, a slacker and aspiring screenwriter; Taylor O'Reilly, an overly ambitious med student; Charlotte Nichols who plays guitar in an all girls 80's cover band; and Jake Stewart, a graphic artist and Abby's ex-boyfriend. So far, I've written the first episode. It's been strange to go from writing a novel to writing TV but at the same time its been fun to write jokes and play around with new characters and situations. I've had this idea kicking around for awhile so its fun to finally have a reason to do something with it.

All in all, I think Script Frenzy will be good for me. Its always good to try something new and TV is certainly brand new to me as a writer. Also, as much as I hate to admit it, maybe its good to get away from Riley Adams and friends for awhile. I'm sure by the time I come back to it after April, I'll have a new perspective and that just might be what I need to get it finished finally.

Thanks for reading! Next time: what I've learned about my Adventures in Everyday Life characters so far.