Writers on Strike

Well, the Writers Guild of America is now on strike. The future of several tv shows and films in production (or pre-production) is in doubt.  Take a look at their demands.  The big sticking points here are New Media Royalties and increased DVD Royalties.  Canadian folks in the know will notice that this sounds familiar: these were the same sticking points for the recent ACTRA strike.  The rhetoric on both sides certainly sounds the same.

Its interesting to note that the Screen Actors Guild is heading towards a strike regarding the same things.

Chances are the producers will not want to make a deal with WGA before they do with SAG.  They won’t want to set a precedent.  So, the WGA strike will likely go on for a while, at least until SAG hits the bricks.

Its also going to get ugly. The Producers will claim near poverty and blame it on downloading (which is a lie and a myth). The WGA and SAG will point out the lies. There will be name calling.  And eventually someone will blink, and it will be over.  But its likely to be a while before it is.

Update: There’s a great summary at http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_11_02.html, which includes this little tidbit:

The Producers have taken the hard-line position that they will not discuss an increase in DVD and new media payments…and they will not address other issues until that one’s off the table.

Since New media payments and increased DVD royalties are a major sticking point for the Writers, and the producers won’t discuss any other issues until the WGA removes those demands…this one’s likely going to take a while.

Ball of distraction

Lately, I have been having some difficulty with writing. It has not been my friend.  I have ideas.  There’s no problem with that.  The problem I’ve been having is focus.  I sit down to write, and there’s something to distract me:  There’s dishes to be done, someone to chat with on the internet, an email to read.  It seems like there’s always something to keep me from writing.  Now, I’m not blaming the distractions…its clearly my own lack of focus that keeps me from writing.

I could also blame part of the problem on the fact that the place where I write is also the place where I watch tv and play video games.  I don’t have a separate space for writing (which I’ve heard is a detriment).  Again, that’s an excuse, but I don’t think that its entirely an empty excuse.  I’ve heard many writers talk about having a space that they use specifically for writing, where that’s all that happens there.  Now, this could be a myth, but I know that when I try to write in one of the rooms that I live in, I have a difficult time concentrating, and the pull of the tv, or the PS2, or the DVDs is quite strong.

I tell myself I should be stronger than this.  That I should be able to focus enough to write wherever I might be. 

There are some things that I’ve learned myself when it comes to writing:

• I can’t be listening to music.  I’m not good at passive listening, and tend to be more likely to listen actively to the music.  So, background music is out.
• I need to shut myself away from distractions.  Its too easy for me to get distracted by the things that are right in front of me: dishes or cleaning that needs doing, or the previously mentioned tv or video games.
• I need to set aside time that’s dedicated to just writing.

Now, what would be awesome, is if I had an office in my apartment, that had a door I could close, where I could do nothing but write.  Unfortunately, my apartment is a mite small for that.  I’ve been considering trying to rearrange things to try and make some space, but I’m not good at that kind of creative furniture arrangement.  I’ve thought about trying to join the Writer’s Centre, which would allow me to have a place to write away from home, but their monthly fee of $175 is a bit steep for me.

So, I’ll have to try and find a work around.  That is…unless there’s some mysterious, rich benefactor who wants to pay for my membership at the Writer’s Centre?

If you have any suggestions…I’ll happily take them.

Quoth the raven…

Back to performing MacBeth tonight.  I don’t feel like I’m heading into a show tonight, though.  Which is a bit odd.  I’m not quite sure why that is.  It may be because I’m working during the day and going off to perform at night.  These are two very different mindsets.  I’m going to need to take the time to collect my thoughts and focus before hitting the stage tonight.

Now that MacBeth is running I can take some time to get back to writing.  I actually have three plays on the go right now, each with their own little book (I’m back to writing drafts with good old paper and pen …I know…so analog).

One of the plays involves ravens and crows.  I’m doing some research right now.  If you know any stories about ravens and/or crows, send them my way.

A foolish thought

In Macbeth, the above line is finished “to say a sorry sight”. 

But in this case the foolish thought was thinking that it would be possible for me to both rehearse for MacBeth and do Script Frenzy.  Honestly, I suspected that I was pushing the limits of what I could reasonably do, but I’ve been wanting to get some writing done for so long that I thought this kind of deadline would be good for me.  I was afraid that if I was to get a successful run at Script Frenzy that I’d be sacrificing time that I should be using to concentrate on MacBeth.

At the moment, I haven’t really sacrificed one for the other.  However, I think I’m going to have to.  I don’t think I can give Script Frenzy the kind of attention I would need to.  MacBeth needs to take priority.  I think I’ve got some ideas down for the play I was working on for SF that I can start to use when Mackers is over.  But for the moment, I really need to be focusing on MacBeth, rather than dividing my attention between the two.

Busy is as busy does

Tonight is a special night.  Tonight, I don’t have to go out anywhere after work.  That does not mean that I am kicking back to relax though.  There are things that really need doing around the house that I haven’t been able to do for the last couple of weeks.  Dishes need washing and so do clothes.  The carpet is screaming out at the universe at the injustices inflicted upon it by various forms of pet hair.  There is general cleaning that needs to be done.  There is a web site that needs to be tweaked a bit before it can go live.

All these are things that I really should have done previous to today.  But, I’ve been going from place to place like a madman the last few weeks and have fallen behind on a few essential activities (as well as a couple of obligations).

MacBeth continues to take a lot of time.  Again, I’m not complaining: I’m loving every second of it.  I haven’t had a chance to rehearse with everyone yet, but so far the cast seems to be gelling well, and I’m enjoying working with everyone so far.  It seems to be a great group of people.  I really do need to find a better way to ensure that I get some food between work and rehearsal though, as that hasn’t really worked out for me the last week or so.

Script Frenzy started today, and so far I’ve written a grand total of 0 words.  I’m going to give this thing a try, but I have to admit to myself that MacBeth (rightly) takes precedence.  And so, as much as I might want to “win” Script Frenzy, I might not be able to participate as much as I might like.  But hey!  I can give it my best shot.

Script Frenzy - I’m in

After some prodding by a few people, I’ve decided that I’m going to participate in Script Frenzy.  For those unaware, its like National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), but with scripts rather than novels.  This means that for the month of June (starting June 1, to be precise) my goal will be to complete a first draft of a play of 20,000 words in length.

Considering the fact that I am rehearsing MacBeth throughout this same period (and opening it on June 24th), I have no idea how I’m going to be able to do this.  Maybe a lot of mad typing on the subway.  Maybe a lot of lacking in sleep. 

But I’ve set the goal, and I intend to keep it.  Between work, that, and Mackers, that’s a lot of balls to juggle, but here’s hoping I can do it.

If there are any other Script Frenzy participants out there, you can find my profile here.

Canadian Mythology

Lately, I’ve been thinking about historical mythology.

For example, American History is full of mythology, that everyone seems to know, regardless of its historical accuarcy.  The story of George Washington and the cherry tree, for example.  Everyone seems to know this story.  There are other historical events that have passed into the realm of myth: The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s midnight ride, Johnny Appleseed, just to name three.

But what about Canada?  Does Canada have any mythological events? 

What are your favourite Canadian historical myths or stories?  Share your favourites by commenting here.

In the future, I’ll explore some of the stories that you mention, examining the facts and how they grew into myth, as well as their impact on the ever ellusive Canadian Identity.

Celtx

My favourite screenwriting application just got better and turned into something I’m likely to use more (since we all know how many screenplays I’ve written).

Celtx has added a Theatrical template to their application. And its pretty sweet.

And its completely free. And 100% Canadian.

Love it.

Writing: a new format (for me)

A couple of the ideas I’ve been batting around for writing projects have been giving me problems.  I’ll start to write them, and then the idea will fizzle.  I don’t think, however, that its the idea that’s the problem.  I think its more a matter of the format. I’ve been focused on writing a play.  And these ideas are bigger than the constraints of the stage can hold.

Now, a moment, here: I have a habit of producing a play in my head as I write it.  This is a bad habit.  When writing the play, I should be focusing on the story and the writing of it, rather than how it will play out on the stage or how it will be produced or directed.  But as an actor, and someone who makes theatre, this can be very difficult.  Its a very bad habit, and I’m trying to break myself of it.

But this is a digression.

For at least one of the ideas, I’ve decided to try my hand at somethign new: a comic book.

I’m doing research into how a comic book is written (script forms, and terminology), and once I have an idea, I’ll be able to at least make an attempt at writing for this form, which is something I’ve never considered doing before.  My knowledge of script terminology and formats is of stage and screen.  However, I think that I can make the jump to the comic format.

Wish me luck.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Away from one, on to another

I’m stepping away from the play I was writing.  I’ve known for a while that there are problems with it, but I was trying to fight through just to get to the end.  Re-reading what I had written so far, I have come to realize that the problems I knew of were more serious than originally thought, and I have to do some real re-working of it before I can go any further, otherwise I may damage the entire thing irreparably.  I know what the main problems are: I’ve focussed too much onthe idea and not enough on the characters.  As a result, the characters are saying a lot, but they aren’t really saying anything.  As well, one of the central characters lacks any arc at all.

Fortunately, since there’s no deadline for this piece, no harm is done by stopping and moving on to something else while I work out the problems.

The something else, is a different play, in a style I’ve always wanted to explore: the one actor play.  This is something I have always wanted to explore, thanks to the works of Daniel MacIvor.  Whereas in the past, when I have thought about writing a one-hander, I’ve always considered writing for myself, with this, I’ve decided to start differently and write for someone else.  I’m still working out the themes and the specifics of the character arc, but I’ve already got something solid.

Side note: someone remind me to buy a lottery ticket for Friday.  Yes, I know that the odds are stupidly against the chances of winning, but…hey.  What if, right?