Trimmed a bit out of CARLI KILLS...and a new possible title is rearing its head -- THE FOURTH MAN. Which I'm fighting because it's too oblique and murder-mystery-ish. But Carli and Zeke haven't weighed in on it, yet, so we'll see what happens then.
Anyway, part of my process is to overwrite and then trim down and mix bits of dialog together and find ways to hint to the actor what they're supposed to be feeling. I used to say it, flat out. I got to where I pulled back from that but never got rid of it, completely. I still have some in this script...but it's mainly to tell the story to whoever's reading it.
I'm not going the Shakespeare route where I write nothing but dialog and you don't find out that someone's got a knife until he pulls it in act 2. I want people to see that he's got one in the first act, which adds to the tension.
I think I've indicated pretty well, so far, that Carli's got the hots for Zeke...and he's more than interested in her. And they want to let things play out. No matter what.
I get scared when that last sentence rears its head in one of my stories. But you have to let the reality of the story make itself known, no matter how painful. It took me almost a year to accept that Bobby was going to kill himself in BC. I knew how and when and the image I wanted to end on...but first I had to grieve for him. And that took some time. And added to my sense of psychosis.
In CK, my ending is aiming for a horror-style...and I've got a feeling it's going to be hard to put over. Like the lynching in KILLING MOON. That was honest. Was required by the story. And everyone who's read it wants that taken out because of the political implications of it. And I won't.
It's like the title of HTRASG -- it's the right title for the book, and I wouldn't change it. And it's gotten me into some trouble. Hell, it's gotten friends of mine into trouble. But any other title would be...just...wrong.
I guess I just needed to remind myself that I can still be stubborn about my work when I need to be. It is what it is, even when people berate me for it. It hurts to get a negative reaction...but the fact that my work affected someone to that extent is good. It means I'm not being a wuss.
I hope.
Anyway, part of my process is to overwrite and then trim down and mix bits of dialog together and find ways to hint to the actor what they're supposed to be feeling. I used to say it, flat out. I got to where I pulled back from that but never got rid of it, completely. I still have some in this script...but it's mainly to tell the story to whoever's reading it.
I'm not going the Shakespeare route where I write nothing but dialog and you don't find out that someone's got a knife until he pulls it in act 2. I want people to see that he's got one in the first act, which adds to the tension.
I get scared when that last sentence rears its head in one of my stories. But you have to let the reality of the story make itself known, no matter how painful. It took me almost a year to accept that Bobby was going to kill himself in BC. I knew how and when and the image I wanted to end on...but first I had to grieve for him. And that took some time. And added to my sense of psychosis.
In CK, my ending is aiming for a horror-style...and I've got a feeling it's going to be hard to put over. Like the lynching in KILLING MOON. That was honest. Was required by the story. And everyone who's read it wants that taken out because of the political implications of it. And I won't.
It's like the title of HTRASG -- it's the right title for the book, and I wouldn't change it. And it's gotten me into some trouble. Hell, it's gotten friends of mine into trouble. But any other title would be...just...wrong.
I guess I just needed to remind myself that I can still be stubborn about my work when I need to be. It is what it is, even when people berate me for it. It hurts to get a negative reaction...but the fact that my work affected someone to that extent is good. It means I'm not being a wuss.
I hope.
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