The process

I've spent the past few weeks trying to resurrect the creative side of things in my life. It's been a while since I've been in a comedy troupe or had regular stage time. The muscles have atrophied a little bit but they're coming back.

Sometimes the process is kinda screwy.

Today I was working on an opening scene for a 1/2-hr comedy pilot script. I'm writing this one with a terrific writing partner, so we'll see how it passes the mustard after she takes a look at it.

The general premise of the scene is that two featured characters have an informal meeting, not knowing who the other is and what the actual relationship to eachother is.. At the end of the scene they'll formally meet and more will be revealed. There are a lot of cliched ways this scene could go. For example, if this was a romantic comedy we'd see two characters screaming at each other and at the end of the scene we'd find out they're in-laws-to-be. Something like that.

While that forumla seems to work well ( I've got dibs on the above scenario) and sell well, I am trying to avoid something so contrived.

This is what I worked on today. In about four hours I wrote by hand a couple of options that could work. Most of them perfect examples of already-been-done. Right around the time that option 4 was complete I stood up and looked a picture of a frog that Tiniest took in Costa Rica.

And then I figured out option 5. It seems to work.

I relayed this experience to Minto who said that it sounded like a transcript from a David Lynch movie.

I agree.

But that's the process. Sometimes you spin your wheels and the smallest detail can set you back on your path.