Progress report
In the past few weeks I have been able to work more on my script and the development of characters. I’ve come up with ideas for the next few scenes and am starting to fall into a new rhythm using this new style of writing. Luckily, I am starting to work with a new script in my drama class that is a similar style to the script I am trying to write, so I have been able to look to that script (she kills monsters, written by qui nguyen) for pointers on formatting and dialogue patterns.
I have been doing more research into writers block and how to overcome obstacles when writing, I have found great articles from other writers about how they work with writers block, so far, some tips I’ve found that are helpful to me are:
- whenever you finish a scene, make sure that you write a few lines of the next scene. This way you’ll hopefully be thinking about what to put in the next scene more and will hopefully be more eager to go back and finish the next scene.
- Write in a different font then you usually do, this can help give you new perspective
- Whenever you run into an issue, read back through the last few sentences, often any plot issues only started a few sentences prior.
I have been fortunate to not run into many new frustrations, other then my mentor will be quite busy for the next few weeks, so it might be difficult to schedule our next meeting. Other then this issue, I haven’t come across many new obstacles which is giving me more time to work on old obstacles such as writers block and grammar.
Evidence:
Scene three
(back in lians dorm room. They’re sitting awkwardly in a circle. No one is talking)
Lian: so…
Ryan: I don’t like this. I want nothing to do with it, this feels more sketchy then an actual pyramid scheme
Atheyllia: autumn. Explain her plan
Autumn (pacing nervously): I don’t know all of it, I mean. Your not going to like it
Ryan: are you involved in criminal activities?
Autumn: not yet… technically
Athyllia: Jesus Christ autumn!
Autumn: hey! I haven’t done anything wrong
Lian: (quietly) lets hear her out.
Ryan: what is wrong with you two today!
Autumn: we don’t have a heck of a lot of options right now Ryan
Ryan: what does that mean
Autumn: with one heist, we could have the unheard-of gift of financial stability straight out of collage
Athyllia: I’m listening
Lian: wait. What do you mean, heist?
Autumn: oh, yeah. Surprise everybody, that’s the plan
Ryan: that is a terrible plan!!
Autumn: well, I wasn’t the one who came up with it!
Ryan: no, but you’re complicit!
Autumn: yeah, that’s true.
Lian: autumn, when did you find out that she’s planning a heist
autumn: yesterday, she called me after we left
Ryan: and you never thought to tell us!
Autumn: no! Because I knew you’d react like this!
Ryan: you still should have told us!
Lian: I’m going to be honest with y’all. I’m kind of down to do a heist
Ryan: your crazy
Autumn: she’s done this before.
Ryan: still
Autumn: we won’t get caught
Ryan: you’re not just crazy. Your bad people
Lian: Ryan, c’mon, one bad thing, then, you could afford the PHD you’ve always wanted. Maybe even an apartment.
Ryan and athyllia, in unison: (ryan) no way! (athyllia, quietly) I’m in, lets do this
Ryan: what!
Athyllia: are we robbing a big brand store with a rich CEO?
Autumn: he’s a billionaire
Athyllie: so… we’re like robin hoods, stealing from the rich?
Autumn: if that’s what you need to tell yourself
Ryan: but robin hood gave to the poor!
Lian: we’re poor
Ryan: ok… you’ve got a point
Autumn: so you’ll hear her out
Ryna: ok! Ok. Fine. You wore me down. I’ll hear her out
Autumn: wooo!! We’re gonna be rich!
- What kinds of learning opportunities does the mentor provide to expose you to new learning?
My mentor offers me many resources from her university level script writing classes. Especially text book chapters from this course, this exposes me to new learning and new ways of practicing and expressing my learning. She also uses her own knowledge to offer up exercises that can strengthen my writing abilities.
- What kinds of learning opportunities exist to reinforce new learning?
I think that writing shorter one scene scripts could help me to use all of my new skills quickly, and it could help me be able to see the flow of a beginning, middle, climax and ending.
- What kinds of opportunities exist that might accelerate learning?
I think that asking people to act out scenes of my play could help me to accelerate my learning by helping me study the natural flow of dialogue, and then use this in my writing.
- When you get together what do you talk about?
We typically talk about new skills that I can learn, what my script is about and we often talk about films/shows/plays that use the skills I’m learning so that I can learn more about how my new skills are applied.
- What is going particularly well in your mentoring relationship right now?
I think we understand each other fairly well and have an effective mentor mentee relationship that allows us to get a lot of work done per meeting.
- What are you learning about one another?
We knew each other last year, both through in-depth and through our drama class, so I already knew a bit about her, but I think that I’m learning a lot more about the vast extent of her skills in this field. I think she is learning more about my interests and eventual life goals in a writing field.