Line 'O the day - December 31, 2006

Fate works according to unknown calculations from a nonexistent machine.

Line 'O the day - December 17, 2006

Funny name: My name is Finglebottom Doobledye!


Present day note:
Finglebottom Doobledye is the coolest sum'bitch you'll ever meet. He only exists in my head though, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Line 'O the day - December 10, 2006

Work, don’t work; it’s all the same. Except the reason why you’re tired at the end of the day.


Present day note:
In contrast to my last line, this one is a bit more of a challenge to my lazy side.

Line 'O the day - December 8, 2006

You got the world on a silver platter, and you ain’t hungry.


Present day note:
My struggle with laziness is a common theme in these lines. Still a problem I wrestle with today.

Line 'O the day - November 17, 2006

My flights of fancy seem to have all wafted away.

Line 'O the day - November 15, 2006

I’m a young man on the verge of growing old. And so I war against both the current and the prospective.

The Rules of Attraction, bit players can do a lot

I'm going to get better about actually writing these blog entries. This one I had about half finished a month ago, and cleaned it up tonight so I could post it.

There are a great many reasons I love Avary's Rules of Attraction. I say Avary because for my purposes here I'm only talking about the film. The voice overs, the out of sequence opening, Sean and Lauren's split screen meeting in the hall, I could go on, but I'm here to talk about a valuable writing tool. The informative side character.

Basically we have three main characters, and so I'd like to point out three other characters that tell us, in a short time, a great deal about our leads.

First Rupert. When we meet Rupert we already know Sean ain't right in the head, but once we see Rupert we can grasp how bat shit Sean really is. He's an ex-military drug dealer who's coked out of his mind 24/7, which makes Rupert dangerous beyond anything else in the film. And what does Sean do in their first meeting? Boldly lies right to Rupert's face. There's a hint of fear in Sean, but that's him acting. He knows Rupert is crazy and Sean is willing to put his own neck on the chopping block to temp Rupert. Sean gets a kick out of it, which we see outright in their later encounter. So by showing us Rupert early on we get a lot of Sean's brazen craziness in the viewers mind without any direct exposition about him.

Lara is a much larger character than Rupert, but is still merely a tool to inform us about Lauren. She's an odd sorta mirror to Lauren, the name is even a shallower version of the more important character. Lauren is controlled, reasonable, intelligent; our first insights into Lara are that she got drunk and slept with the football team and that her understanding of percentages is less than stellar. Though she is great to look at Lara is distasteful, there's nothing to like about her. Lauren has her flaws, but she is genuine in most of her actions. Again in their early scenes together the writer doesn't really have to say much directly about Lauren. The simple juxtaposition to Lara tells us all we need to know and endears the audience to Lauren.

And last, but certainly not least is Richard (or Dick if you prefer). Dick shows up well after we're into Paul's story, but he tells us a lot about Paul that might have seemed odd. Paul is pretty reserved, but his friends are rather flamboyant. He pines for Sean even though he knows Sean is off kilter. And then Dick shows up and we see the prototype that Paul models his pursuits after. Dick is brash and outspoken and could care less what anyone else thinks. He's selfish and self destructive, and while Paul dislikes this he is very much under a spell. And the same draw fuels Paul's longing for Sean. From a writing standpoint that scene with Dick is like a plot key. It makes things fit together in a way we might not have seen before. Plus its an interesting character to throw in and then pull back out, to have a little fun.

You can just create characters to fill space, to give your main players someone to talk to, but you also need to use every last word to inform as best you can. Rupert and Dick are fun to play with, but they aren't window dressing, they're valuable tools that allow the audience to delve deeper into Sean and Paul. And from a 'putting in the work' standpoint these things may not be in a first draft. But when you're into that third draft, and your lead runs into her old high school flame, really squeeze every last ounce of value you can from that character.

Next time, two people talking.

Line 'O the day - October 28, 2006

Changing your diet on an empty stomach is hard to do.

Line 'O the day - October 19, 2006

Movie title: Friday Night and the Barometer’s Dropping


Present day note:
Just something I liked the sound of I guess and decided to jot it down.

Line 'O the day - October 4, 2006

The first of a dying breed. --- various


Present day note:
Every time I hear this phrase or something like it, I think about the line from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."

I'm a HST fan, by the way.

Line 'O the day - September 30, 2006

What is it called when you’re not living on the edge? And don’t say 'just living', because that is the easy way out.

Line 'O the day - September 17, 2006

I’ve been a king and I’ve been a clown, and both jobs require the same thing; willing masses.


Present day note:
Another one I'm sorta fond of.

Line 'O the day - August 28, 2006

The road less traveled might be so for a very good reason.
Or
Stupid kids in horror movies always get fucked when taking old Frost’s advice.

Line 'O the day - August 26, 2006

My life persists on two levels, hollow degradation and blissful advancement. They, in turn, supplant each other far too often.


Present day note:
This is one of my personal favorites. Provided I'm allowed to choose favorites from my own drivel.

Line 'O the day - August 20, 2006

A dime a dozen doesn’t sound right anymore, I think inflation might have changed what the dozen is actually worth.

Line 'O the day - August 14, 2006

Becoming a professional in your spare time is not an easy task.

Line 'O the day - August 13, 2006

Your position in time is like trying to go up the down escalator.

Line 'O the day - August 12, 2006

I think Jesus added a couple zeros onto his time spent in the desert.

Line 'O the day - August 6, 2006

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts. --- Jaques

Line 'O the day - July 30, 2006

Wanderlust is a disease that requires a transplant.

Handmade Tools

Okay, this is my first screen writing post. I'm not Mr. August nor Mr. Myers, but I'm a writer all the same and process matters. I've never had a specific process when I sit down to start a script. I like to mix it up, as it were. Sometimes I'll outline like crazy, sometimes I'll create big dossiers on my characters and just start the script from there, other times I just fill up a notebook with fragmented ideas and then try to fit it together like a puzzle. But they all start from a core idea, and that's where this post comes from.
The core idea here started as a title, that's it. And a question was asked, what kind of movie would that title be attached to? The answer was a crime flick, or more pointedly a lighter crime flick. No Goodfellas, no Animal Kingdom here, but rather a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. So then, change focus just a tad and Guy Ritchie comes into one's head. Now I don't want to make a Guy Ritchie knock off, I already did that seven years ago. It was a shitty script (occasionally I worry I'm a hack today, but god was I ever a hack back then). But here in my preliminary stages, while I'm building my little world in my head, perhaps something could be gained from dissecting the Ritchie/Vaughn crime film. And so I sat back, looked at them and came up with this.

Couple of notes real quick here.
I've left out Revolver. Personally I didn't think it was that bad, but it's a bit cerebral and no one has seen it, so there.
Second, these 'rules' are just me messing around. They work well for me as a tool to have in my head as I start working on my script. I may choose to use the idea of an Item (or McGuffin as Hitchcock would say), but disregard the rest.

Anyway, lets say these rules were premeditated by the filmmakers. We'll discuss them as if they were real. Sounds like a plan.
The McGuffin is always an important devise. And in these pictures it serves it's purpose, to get the ball rolling. In Snatch, Turkish has no knowledge of the diamond until everything has shaken out, but his ultimate fate is tied to it. That entire 'B' plot is known to everyone save Turkish, and he only winds up with the damn thing cause he couldn't stand the dog squeaking. It's a major theme in these movies, and in crime film in general, the lead's fate is always just beyond his control. Turkish is beholden to just about everyone he deals with. And he's playing catch up until everyone else's hand is played out. Provided he's likable, which the lead always is in these flicks, reaching for the brass ring ideally keeps the audience in their corner.
Speaking of likable characters there's always the Wild Card. Pitt's gypsy boxer is fun, but I'd rather talk about Johnny Quid. Johnny plays two roles, as far as my rules go, he's the Wild Card as well as the Missing Person. Plus the Item is in his possession for a good portion of the film. What Johnny does with himself and the painting has a lot of weight as far as what happens to a number of the other players, but that notion isn't apparent to him, nor does he care. The Wild Card, from a writing standpoint, holds the key to the climax. Johnny pulls Roman and Mickey into the Showdown, and while there tries to out his step-dad as the informant. That the Crew's storyline syncs up with Johnny's at that moment is how a climax is supposed to work. In Snatch the Wild Card was running his own game the whole time, unbeknown to everyone, but in the end it saves the Crew of Turkish and Tommy.

I could go on about each of the rules individually, but you see what I'm aiming at. But when looked at as a whole what do they provide us? The chart isn't an outline exactly, but it is a decent tool in developing an idea. Which is where it all started. So I'm writing a new script, it's a crime flick, with some comedic elements. Already I've put myself inside a sandbox, all I need is the right tools to build what I want. Now these are just four examples in that genre, and one could assume that if you looked at other offerings in this category of film you might be able to match those pictures to these rules. And so here is where I start my brainstorming.
I'll need a lead character, lets give him a crew of confederates, and build those characters up. Right there is a few pages of introductions, familiar banter, idiosyncrasies and we start their plot rolling. Now we need our bad guys, more introductions and them throwing a Deal at the crew and getting our plot up on its legs. It could involve an Item or not, we'll see. Where's the Wild Card come in, does he start out aligned with the Crew or against them? The Outsiders get thrown into the mix, maybe thats the first act turn. Plus you get more character introductions (lets not be crass and call it filler, we need to know who these folks are). Who goes missing, are they important to the Crew or the Big Bad? How does that gum up the Deal? Somebody makes a move that screws up one or all the other players, and we're making our way into the third act. Let's go ahead and resolve the Good Outsiders plot here in the middle of the third act, sorta a false showdown. But of course something didn't go according to plan and we careen toward the actual Showdown. And the Big Bad gets beat, the Crew escape with their skin, and the Wild Card comes out ahead. Yet we need that extra cap, the Fortuitous End, something to make it all worth it for our lead. Which is why we started the damn thing to begin with.

As a writer I love new tools, something I'm sure every craftsman enjoys. Being a writer though, I can make my own tools and it costs me nothing but time. These rules are simply a tool, and if they prove useful great. If not, well I'll put them into my tool box and perhaps they'll be handy in the future. The important thing I would stress here is that creating new tools goes hand in hand with developing new ideas. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, is a great analogy to creating a story. Also you can't make an omelet without a whisk, or at least a very good omelet. And so I need to create the best whisk possible so that I can make one hell of an omelet.

Line 'O the day - July 28, 2006

It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. --- Carl Sagan


Present day note:
This is the first direct quote I wrote down. There'll be a few here and there as we progress. Some are real folks like Carl here, and some are quotes from movies (which I ascribe to the character who says the line).

Line 'O the day - July 23, 2006

Frightened men do fearful things.

Line 'O the day - July 21, 2006

Today was pretty far from a particular Lou Reed song.

A thought; and a challenge to remember

First actual post, and it's an exercise in conciseness. I've got fifteen minutes until my self imposed lights out at 12:30, and I'm gonna write about a longer, but still short amount of time. Now I've got 12 minutes.
My domestic partner and I may be separating. I say it that way for a reason, we are not gay, but have shared each others company for nearly five years now. We're best friends and have never once had a legitimate fight while living together. Never. But alas, he is nearly done with his extensive schooling, and in three short months will be seeking employment. Such endeavors may take him far, to places I may not wish to go myself, and so separation could be on the horizon.
I've been called a robot, I was called a robot today actually. And separation I am used to, we all deal with it on occasion. If we go on differing paths I will function just fine, but I am not a robot and living without that camaraderie will be a motherfucker. I've got two minutes left.
He and I are an oddity, everyone hates their roommates it seems. We thrive on each others wit and humor. There is an ebb and flow to our bond, but the water line has never dropped.
It will be sad if at some point in the future we look back at our friendship and can see a high watermark.

Line 'O the day - July 12, 2006

Old age and death await you, but you should not wait for them. --- paraphrasing, various.

Line 'O the day - July 4, 2006 #2

Rocking out with you cock out is a dangerous proposition.


Present day note:
What do we have here? Two lines on the same day.
This happens occasionally. And so when it does those two thoughts will get put up on the blog on the same day.

That July 4th was a day of truths, apparently.

Line 'O the day - July 4, 2006 #1

The line between waiting for the moment and sitting on your ass doesn’t exist.

Line 'O the day - June 29, 2006

If you are ever to make something of yourself, you must first make something.

Line 'O the day - May 15, 2006

Only pussies need God!
Or
Real men are atheists.


Present day note:
While I am an atheist, this line is very much meant to be funny. The average atheist is rarely boisterous about their lack of believe, and I'm sure I thought this was hilarious the night I wrote it.

An Ongoing Experiment

Well, I have all these little things that I've jotted down over the last 4+ years, but what can be done with them. Why not post them for the world to see.

So an explanation should come first.

The first post of this blog is the first Line 'O the day. Which started as a little Word file I opened one night and wrote out what amounted to a sort of mission statement. In essence, do something. That was May 7th 2006, as it plainly states. It grew from there.

The file is placed dead center of my desktop, and right before I turn my computer off to go to bed I stop to think. If I can think of something right then I'll write it down, or if I remember something from that day. Anything, a quote I read or heard, something said in conversation that stuck with me, a moment I want to immortalize. Inspiration doesn't come every night, and there are some lengthy gaps, as you'll see, but there are quite a few now. And so I devised a system for this blog.

I'm going to post all of 2006's lines between now and the end of 2010. Basically two a week. Once we roll into 2011 the Line 'O the day will be cut back to just one a week. At that rate it'll take over two years to get through what I already have, but I'll keep writing down lines as they come. So, at some point in four or five years I might really catch up. What this blog is in five years, who the hell knows, but they'll be at least one post a week until then.

If you know me and you're checking the blog, there's a slight chance a line is relevant to you. Say you met me in 2009, then anything of relevance to you won't show up for a couple years. But this whole thing is a sort of experiment, as far as my relevance to others. For me, for friends of mine, and I reckon for a few strangers.

The question has always been, do these lines reveal something about myself? To a degree of course they do, but for every line that taps into my true nature there is another line that is pure nonsense. Some are serious, some are most definitely not and others are only tiny little fragments of my personality. But they'll all be right here for anyone to peruse.


A couple quick notes regarding what's to come.

First, some of the lines are rather course. I can be pretty liberal with my F-bombs. And no subject is out of bounds.

Second, the blog may change over time. I'm a writer, and so I may be inclined to add varied content as we progress. What that might be I don't know, which is why I'm doing two of the Lines 'O the day a week for these first few months. I'll figure it out as I go I guess. I might link to or comment on other blogs, comment on news, post a haiku if I ever wrote one. Hell I might throw up a cute puppy video if the notion strikes. Regardless the lines are the core element here and will be the backbone of the endeavor.

If there are any questions send them in or post them in the comments. I'll address them as they come, probably make a post out of them.

Hopefully someone somewhere might draw some enjoyment form this.

Zeb

Line 'O the day - May 7, 2006

The desire to change has begun to severely outweigh the desire to trudge on through the shithole of a life I’ve put myself in. But as the scales tip I’m afraid I won’t be able to transfer from the light load of cowardice and fear to the hulking mass that is activity and forward progress.