Script Frenzy 2009

There's just two more days of Script Frenzy fun. Fortunately, I don't need them! I've already passed the 100 page winner's line!!! Yay.



I've got 102 pages of script for a musical, an adaptation of my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel. The musical drama is called THE ALCALDE'S DAUGHTER. It still needs about 5 scenes to reach the end. (Yes, I know I can use the last 2 days of April to work on these, but I probably won't. I'll leave it for the summer, when I'm on vacation!)

And of course, it needs music. But not until I've sorted out the script and revamped the lyrics, which I drafted in the speed of SF without any real consideration to rhyme, meter, "scansion" or anything else.

The script is a glorious mess, but I'm writing about the period in Saipan when the deportees were here, 1875, and it's all thanks to the excellent history by Carlos Madrid, published by the Humanities Council. Of course, they would be quite shocked at the liberties I'm taking with history, but that's what fiction is all about!

Now, to celebrate. Not. I just really want to sleep.

348. Writing News

I received an e-mail from Mary Parker, who said that she is writing a story for Stars & Stripes on Nanowrimo/Script Frenzy here in the CNMI and in Guam.

If you've participated in Nanowrimo or SF, and want to give your feed back for her story, you can reach her at mary at theparkers dot org.

If you haven't participated, it's never too late. April is Script Frenzy month. Join now! Write 100 pages of script on your movie or stage play or manga/graphic novel or whatever! It's a blast, a mind-wrenching, soul-bruising, but nevertheless radically fun endeavor.

345. Screnzy--Are You In?

It came as something of a shock this weekend to realize that Script Frenzy starts this week--April 1 is Wednesday. Just 2 days away!

A month-long adventure of writing a script. The goal-100 pages. Script types include screenplays, stageplays, radio theatre, graphic novels (manga), comic books, and even collections of shorts for film or stage.

I've been planning since last November to adapt my NaNoWriMo novel from 2008 into a stage play (musical style). That inspiration came during November as I was writing the novel and kept thinking it would work better on stage.

The only problem, as I realized this weekend, is that I never finished the novel! I have more than a dozen scenes of varying lengths to write on the novel. I estimate that I have about 12,000 to 18,000 words more to go. And I'll never get that finished before April 1.

So do I "adapt" the unfinished novel, and come up with the ending during Frenzy? Or do I latch on to some other idea now and wing it (which is truly the style that works best during these write-it-all-in-a-month on-line events)? I could bail this year--I have enough unfinished projects already, don't need another...

Is there any one else out there who wants to write a script in a month with me? It's fun! And it's easier with someone to share the experience.

199. SCRIPT FRENZY!

The Office of Letters and Light has announced a change in the Script Frenzy event. They've changed the date from the month of June to APRIL!

That's less than 3 weeks away!

So if you're interested in writing that stage or movie script, a manga novel or cartoon, or even a radio script, now is the time to sign up and gear up. Great advice over at Script Frenzy .

I'm not sure if I can do this in April. I did join last June (I was on vacation.) and it was a lot of fun. Writing a script is difficult, though. Seemed much harder than novel writing!

111. Did I mention?

Did I mention that I "WON" ScriptFrenzy?!!

Yes!! I wrote a 20,000 word stage play during the month of June. Really, I wrote most of it (16,000 words) during the last week-from the 24th through the 29th of June.

And I am SO proud of myself. I learned a lot.

I haven't yet re-read it. I know it needs some rewriting, and just plain needs re-organizing, too. But really, it was fun to write, and I think bits of it are BRILLIANT, if I do say so myself.

Thanks to the Office of Letters and Light for hosting the event. And wow, I can't believe I did it.

107. All Hail to the Script Frenziers

In case you're interested in the zany fun and crazy ways of participants in Script Frenzy, let me share these with you.

Trailers from some of the scripts (all awards determined by the Office of Letters and Lights)

Most Hilarious


Best Use of Creepy-Child Voice-Over


Best Use of Cute Photos of Lemmings


Best Forbidden Facial Hair (?!)


And overall winner in the Most Awesome category


I have got to learn how to make You Tube videos. I mean, my script --Photo on the Fridge-- would be even more awesome for a trailer than these. Well, you can imagine, I'm sure!

Script Frenzy is fun. Wish you were here.

And wish this darn post would show up on my blog!

106. Rushing toward the end of the frenzy

June is almost over. I am racing the clock for Script Frenzy. I'm just at 17,000 words, but need 20,000 to win.

Boni let me down by dropping out before we even really got started. She was going to be my writing partner, so we could spur each other on. So I'm going it alone, and I am too crazy to stop.

So I'm writing like mad. And the script is loose and flimsy, and stiff and uneven, and any combination of crummy words you want to use for a play.

But it's also a rush to write, to create characters, put words in their mouths and pull their puppet strings through actions and reactions.

So onward. My script is calling. And later, we can all act it out and laugh out loud at how terribly bad it is. Because we could all use some laughs, right?

P.S. Word verification was Smenita. Maybe I'll name a character after it.

93. REVVING UP for Script Frenzy--Zoom, brzhoom

ScriptFrenzy starts in just about 2 hours. READY, set....


You can find links listed under theatre on the side bar of this blog for some helpful places to start, including, of course, the link to the official FRENZY site.

To stay on track for the goal of 20,000 words by the end of June, the daily target is 677 words. I'll be rounding that up to 700, for easy comparison and to build in a little padding to cover those difficult days.

79. What Are You Afraid Of? More Gearing Up for Script Frenzy.

One of the often-repeated pieces of advice for writers is to incorporate your greatest fear into your writing. Make your main character suffer and face the demons that scare you the most.

Like this bit from Simon Wood at Murderati :

Fear makes for great storytelling. It’s a fossil fuel with an
inexhaustible supply. It drives stories. It forces the reader, the
writer and the characters to face what frightens them full on. Stories
thrive on conflict and facing your fears is the greatest conflict. No one
is fearless, so everyone can relate.The best scary writing explores our
archetypal “core” fears.

So this is a great place to start plumbing for script ideas. If you need help figuring out your fears, there's a great list of possibilities here or here .


Go check them out. It's amazing just how long the list is.

While fears help create tension, drama and conflict, there are some that might be better used for humor (not that fears are a laughing matter, but, hey-they could be!)

Anablephobia-the fear of looking up (MUST keep eyes averted at all times-uh, huh!)
Anthrophobia-the fear of flowers (What a good excuse to skip sending that Mother's Day bouquet!)


and that triumverate of evil:
Leukophobia, melanophobia and porphyrophobia--fear of colors white, black and purple respectively (you can keep looking and find fear of yellow, too)

One must not get confused by the various spellings-or you might find genophobia (fear of sex) when you REALLY wanted geniophobia (fear of chins-hahahah!)

Some of the lesser known are totally familiar in content, if not verbiage-like nostophobia. That's the fear of returning home. I think that must be a specialty for teens who are out past curfew, or the student with an F on a test, or perhaps the spouse who's had a tad too much to drink or forgot some important event, or just any of us feeling a bit guilty about something...

But my TOTALLY MOST FAVORITE of all is consecotaleophobia--just try to say that. It rolls around the mouth and sounds most foreign of all. I'm sure that knowing it will come in handy, too. It's the fear of chopsticks. :-)

77. Gearing Up for Script Frenzy

Now is the time to think about that play or script you want to write, because in June the madness begins.

A collective of writerly fanatics are signing up for the first ever ScriptFrenzy . You, too , can get in on the ground floor and join this earth shattering event. The plan--sign up, write a movie, television or stage script during the month of June, pat yourself on the back and return in cognito to your ordinary life.

Don't know anything about writing a script? Well, neither do I. But I plan on learning, and learning by doing is the best and most fun way. Besides, Script Frenzy has a list of resource links and advice columns and, did I mention, a community of writing fanatics who will answer your questions with their wisdom (or best guesses or hilarious estimates) in the forums.

You weren't going to do anything in June, anyway, were you?

And the adventure is open to writers of all ages. For the teens and younger, there is a special program where you can hang out on line with other like-minded, not-old-fogeys, writers.

I'm doing this. Let me know if you're willing to join me in this adventure. Just post a comment here.