I like gadgets. I really need to be able to update my show files whenever I need to, wherever I am. I use a MacBook Pro, a Dell laptop, an iPhone and an iPad. My goal is to be able to use any one of these tools to get to and update my show files. That means I need to store my show files online, and the best service I've found is free - and it called Dropbox (dropbox.com). Dropbox allows you to store your files online and retrieve them from any gadget that has Internet access.
Follow the instructions to install Dropbox onto your computer. It will give you an opportunity to put the Dropbox icon where you want it - I chose to put in on my desktop. Now, install Dropbox onto your second computer. Once you've done that, any file you drag onto the Dropbox icon will also appear on your second computer once you click it's Dropbox icon. Nice.
Dropbox has apps for the iPhone and iPad. Install those, and now you'll see the same files on those gadgets too.
For the iPhone and iPad, you'll need software that will allow you to make changes to the documents you've saved in Dropbox. I use "Documents To Go". It costs money, but it's worth it to me to be able to update my documents where ever I go, no matter what gadget I use.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I'm So Confused
If you're anything like me, your thoughts and ideas come at you in random, chaotic pieces and usually at inopportune times. When I'm in the process of writing a play, I think about it constantly. "I need more action there... How should that character react here?... Does this turn interfere with prior scenes?...‘Gunk' would make a great last name!" With all of these random thoughts flashing, I've found that if I don't have a way of quickly capturing and organizing these ideas, they may be lost forever. There's no worse feeling than realizing that some great idea you had in the shower - the one you knew you'd never forget - somehow went down the drain, gone forever.
I've tried a couple of different organizational systems over the years and many of them have served me well. There are great software programs designed to help writers organize their thought and I've used many of them. However, my current system is simple, easy, quick, and is automatically shared across all of my devices (Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone).
It starts with a simple Word document. I give it a title like "Master Show Ideas". On the first page, I type the following labels each on it's own line, separated by a line space, as follows:
SHOW TYPE
PLOT
CHARACTERS
SCENES
LINES
TWISTS
GAGS
RESEARCH
(Your labels may vary.)
If you look carefully, this is the same list of eight labels twice. Why? Well, keep reading my patient friend...
Now, starting with the second "SHOW TYPE" label, I put my cursor in front of the label and insert a Page Break. Now the second set of labels all appear on page 2. I continue that same way - inserting Page Breaks in front of each remaining seven labels until I have a label on each page. When I'm done with this process, I have a 9-page document. Page 1 has all of the labels, followed by pages 2 through 9 all with one label at the top of each page. Phew. These page breaks ensure that no matter what content I add to whatever page, the labels are always at the top of a new page.
Now for the fun part. Later on, after I've added tons of ideas to this document and it becomes a 20 or 30 (or more) page document, I'll want a way to quickly maneuver around from section to section. Enter Bookmarks and Hyperlinks. These two magical functions allow me to click on one of the Labels on page 1 - for example: "Gags", and I'm instantly transported to my "Gags" page which, after I've added hundreds of notes, might be located all the way down on page 27.
To make this happen, I go to page 2 and highlight "STORY TYPE". I then turn those words into a Bookmark by selecting Insert, Bookmark. This brings up a dialog box asking for a Bookmark Name. I type in "STORY TYPE" (duh, Microsoft) and click the Add button. Continue doing this with "PLOT" on page 3, "CHARACTERS" on page 4, etc. Once all of your remaining labels are Bookmarked, you're now half-way done. Press on.. it's worth it!
Next, you need to make the labels on page 1 "Hyperlinks", so that when you click on them you'll be instantly transported to the page you want. To do this, go to page 1 and highlight "SHOW TYPE". This time, you'll click Insert, Hyperlink. This will bring up the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. On the left side of the dialog box there are "Link To" icons. Click on the "Place in This Document" icon. Now you'll see list of the Bookmarks you previously created. Click on the "SHOW TYPE" bookmark, then click OK. You'll see that "SHOW TYPE" is now underlined indicating that it have been changed into a Hyperlink. Go on... I dare you.... give it a click. (You may need to hold your control button down when you click it.) Poof. You're now looking at the "SHOW TYPE" page! In this same way, continue turning each of the labels on page 1 into hyperlinks. When you're done, pat yourself on the back - great job!
Now, whenever you have an idea, bring up your nifty "Master Show Ideas" document, click the section that makes sense, and log your idea. In no time at all, you'll have all of your show ideas neatly saved and categorized. When you begin structuring your story and writing scenes, you'll wonder how you ever survived with this tool. You'll find yourself going back to it again and again.
But... what if you use more than one PC, an iPhone, and maybe even an iPad? More on this soon...
Happy writing!
Lee
I've tried a couple of different organizational systems over the years and many of them have served me well. There are great software programs designed to help writers organize their thought and I've used many of them. However, my current system is simple, easy, quick, and is automatically shared across all of my devices (Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone).
It starts with a simple Word document. I give it a title like "Master Show Ideas". On the first page, I type the following labels each on it's own line, separated by a line space, as follows:
SHOW TYPE
PLOT
CHARACTERS
SCENES
LINES
TWISTS
GAGS
RESEARCH
SHOW TYPE
PLOT
CHARACTERS
SCENES
LINES
TWISTS
GAGS
RESEARCH
(Your labels may vary.)
If you look carefully, this is the same list of eight labels twice. Why? Well, keep reading my patient friend...
Now, starting with the second "SHOW TYPE" label, I put my cursor in front of the label and insert a Page Break. Now the second set of labels all appear on page 2. I continue that same way - inserting Page Breaks in front of each remaining seven labels until I have a label on each page. When I'm done with this process, I have a 9-page document. Page 1 has all of the labels, followed by pages 2 through 9 all with one label at the top of each page. Phew. These page breaks ensure that no matter what content I add to whatever page, the labels are always at the top of a new page.
Now for the fun part. Later on, after I've added tons of ideas to this document and it becomes a 20 or 30 (or more) page document, I'll want a way to quickly maneuver around from section to section. Enter Bookmarks and Hyperlinks. These two magical functions allow me to click on one of the Labels on page 1 - for example: "Gags", and I'm instantly transported to my "Gags" page which, after I've added hundreds of notes, might be located all the way down on page 27.
To make this happen, I go to page 2 and highlight "STORY TYPE". I then turn those words into a Bookmark by selecting Insert, Bookmark. This brings up a dialog box asking for a Bookmark Name. I type in "STORY TYPE" (duh, Microsoft) and click the Add button. Continue doing this with "PLOT" on page 3, "CHARACTERS" on page 4, etc. Once all of your remaining labels are Bookmarked, you're now half-way done. Press on.. it's worth it!
Next, you need to make the labels on page 1 "Hyperlinks", so that when you click on them you'll be instantly transported to the page you want. To do this, go to page 1 and highlight "SHOW TYPE". This time, you'll click Insert, Hyperlink. This will bring up the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. On the left side of the dialog box there are "Link To" icons. Click on the "Place in This Document" icon. Now you'll see list of the Bookmarks you previously created. Click on the "SHOW TYPE" bookmark, then click OK. You'll see that "SHOW TYPE" is now underlined indicating that it have been changed into a Hyperlink. Go on... I dare you.... give it a click. (You may need to hold your control button down when you click it.) Poof. You're now looking at the "SHOW TYPE" page! In this same way, continue turning each of the labels on page 1 into hyperlinks. When you're done, pat yourself on the back - great job!
Now, whenever you have an idea, bring up your nifty "Master Show Ideas" document, click the section that makes sense, and log your idea. In no time at all, you'll have all of your show ideas neatly saved and categorized. When you begin structuring your story and writing scenes, you'll wonder how you ever survived with this tool. You'll find yourself going back to it again and again.
But... what if you use more than one PC, an iPhone, and maybe even an iPad? More on this soon...
Happy writing!
Lee
Monday, September 20, 2010
Are You Talking To Me??
If you're feeling brave (or a little crazy) and have decided to try writing your play backwards (scenes after auditions) you'll need something for actors to read during auditions - enter Audition Scripts. Each Audition Script consists of just enough dialogue to give you a good idea of the actor's skill/stage presence/interpretation/voice/look, etc... but not too much to make your auditions last all day. We've found that 2 characters and about 3 or 4 lines per character make a good sized Audition Script.
Your goal in creating Audition Scripts is: When auditions are done, you'll have enough information to make all of your critical actor/character choices. That means that your Audition Scripts must have enough range of emotion and character personality quirks to provide the information you need. For "Wish Upon A Star", we created 14 Audition Scripts (a few more scripts than our average show since there are so many different characters in Wish Upon A Star).
In deciding which characters to highlight in our Audition Scripts, I simply went down the list of characters starting with principals first. For "Wish", we need a strong leading female character that can make us laugh as we watch how naive she is, cry as she experiences loss, and one we will all believe as we watch her fall in love. We also need a leading male character. So, one of our Audition Scripts includes a female and male having a light and flirty conversation. Another script has our female character being interviewed by a very overworked and tired Hollywood Casting Director. This exchange shows how young and naive and enthusiastic our leading lady is.
These two scripts alone will help us cast multiple characters. We'll have just about enough information to cast our leading lady, a good amount of information to cast our leading man, and plenty of information to cast our Casting Director plus several other lessor male and female roles.
The characters you choose to highlight in your Audition Scripts should include all principal characters, any stand-out characters, and enough generic characters so that you can make all of your final choices after auditions. And here's a bonus: Depending on the reaction you get from your first test-audience (the auditioning actors), you might even have some material in your Audition Scripts that is good enough to include in your actual finished script.
By the way, if you are still undecided about writing your play backwards, there is one very good reason to go ahead and dive in: Your play WILL get written. You won't have to worry about procrastination much. The pressure of all those actors waiting for their next scenes is enough to push even the most stubborn procrastinator (like your's truly) away from the TV and into the writing chair.
Your goal in creating Audition Scripts is: When auditions are done, you'll have enough information to make all of your critical actor/character choices. That means that your Audition Scripts must have enough range of emotion and character personality quirks to provide the information you need. For "Wish Upon A Star", we created 14 Audition Scripts (a few more scripts than our average show since there are so many different characters in Wish Upon A Star).
In deciding which characters to highlight in our Audition Scripts, I simply went down the list of characters starting with principals first. For "Wish", we need a strong leading female character that can make us laugh as we watch how naive she is, cry as she experiences loss, and one we will all believe as we watch her fall in love. We also need a leading male character. So, one of our Audition Scripts includes a female and male having a light and flirty conversation. Another script has our female character being interviewed by a very overworked and tired Hollywood Casting Director. This exchange shows how young and naive and enthusiastic our leading lady is.
These two scripts alone will help us cast multiple characters. We'll have just about enough information to cast our leading lady, a good amount of information to cast our leading man, and plenty of information to cast our Casting Director plus several other lessor male and female roles.
The characters you choose to highlight in your Audition Scripts should include all principal characters, any stand-out characters, and enough generic characters so that you can make all of your final choices after auditions. And here's a bonus: Depending on the reaction you get from your first test-audience (the auditioning actors), you might even have some material in your Audition Scripts that is good enough to include in your actual finished script.
By the way, if you are still undecided about writing your play backwards, there is one very good reason to go ahead and dive in: Your play WILL get written. You won't have to worry about procrastination much. The pressure of all those actors waiting for their next scenes is enough to push even the most stubborn procrastinator (like your's truly) away from the TV and into the writing chair.
If The Name Fits...
There are limits each writer must work within. Time, audience attention spans, and the physical/spatial limits of the stage all work together with other limitations to force the writer to become a problem solver.
One of the many tools sitting in the writer's problem-solving tool chest is "Character Names". The character names you choose can quickly and subtly tell your audience a lot about your characters and about your story. "Gilbert Gunk" and "Prudence Wellington" will probably conjure up two very different people in your mind, and if the characters fit the images you have of them, I've done my job.
There are a lot of different ways to name a character. Some of the best names just pop into your head when you're tossing their personality quirks around in your mind. One easy way - especially when you have a lot of characters to name in a short period of time - is by consulting the writer's best friend; the Internet. Baby Name websites are great, but you can even find better hits if you target your search right. For example, Wish Upon A Star takes place in the 1940s, so I searched for "1920 baby names", since my characters are mostly in their 20's. Make sense?
Another way is to use word association. Gilbert Gunk is a weird, grimy groundskeeper that has a habit of walking in during high society parties and disgusting guests with his mud-encrusted coveralls and dirty fingernails. Naming him "Lord Wetherby" just wouldn't do.
Another consideration is the genre of your play. If you are writing a comedy - as I currently am - you might choose to keep your character names a little more whimsical. If you are writing a drama, you might choose more realistic names.
All in all, the names you choose should make sense for your characters and your story. One final consideration - you might try saying your character names out loud to make sure they're easy for actors to pronounce, and to make sure they are names you don't mind writing and reading and hearing about for the next several months.
One of the many tools sitting in the writer's problem-solving tool chest is "Character Names". The character names you choose can quickly and subtly tell your audience a lot about your characters and about your story. "Gilbert Gunk" and "Prudence Wellington" will probably conjure up two very different people in your mind, and if the characters fit the images you have of them, I've done my job.
There are a lot of different ways to name a character. Some of the best names just pop into your head when you're tossing their personality quirks around in your mind. One easy way - especially when you have a lot of characters to name in a short period of time - is by consulting the writer's best friend; the Internet. Baby Name websites are great, but you can even find better hits if you target your search right. For example, Wish Upon A Star takes place in the 1940s, so I searched for "1920 baby names", since my characters are mostly in their 20's. Make sense?
Another way is to use word association. Gilbert Gunk is a weird, grimy groundskeeper that has a habit of walking in during high society parties and disgusting guests with his mud-encrusted coveralls and dirty fingernails. Naming him "Lord Wetherby" just wouldn't do.
Another consideration is the genre of your play. If you are writing a comedy - as I currently am - you might choose to keep your character names a little more whimsical. If you are writing a drama, you might choose more realistic names.
All in all, the names you choose should make sense for your characters and your story. One final consideration - you might try saying your character names out loud to make sure they're easy for actors to pronounce, and to make sure they are names you don't mind writing and reading and hearing about for the next several months.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Long Days, Late Nights
Oh yeah - another thing that comes in handy is the ability to write for long stretches and stay up late at night to get writing done to make deadlines. It's now 3:29am Sunday morning and we've just completed 15 straight hours of writing. We've accomplished everything we wanted to get done this weekend: A full Character List and several Audition Scripts (14 to be exact). I now feel like I have a much better feel for the characters we need to tell the story and how they need to speak and interact with one another. A great feeling of accomplishment! I'll now have more time tomorrow to devote to plot development. More about choosing character names (and deciding on which characters to have interact with one another in your Audition Scripts) after a good night's sleep. Night!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Big Weekend
This weekend really needs to be a big writing weekend. Auditions are this coming week and we need to nail down our Character List and write the Audition Scripts. The Audition Script process is very helpful to the writer in a number of ways. First, it forces me to sit down and start writing. That's big in and of itself. Secondly, it allows me a chance to begin finding the voice of the play... How did people talk back then? What is the overriding flavor of the dialogue? Thirdly, it gives me an opportunity to start playing around with how our characters will interact with one another.
There are many other benefits to the Audition Script process, but I'll leave you with this last one: It gives me a chance to bounce all of the above variables off our very first test-audience... The auditioning actors themselves.
There are many other benefits to the Audition Script process, but I'll leave you with this last one: It gives me a chance to bounce all of the above variables off our very first test-audience... The auditioning actors themselves.
Welcome!
Welcome to Writing 4 JC! I'm Lee, and for the past 16 years, my wife, daughter and I have been very involved in writing and producing plays and musicals that glorify God by leading people to Jesus Christ. Our goal is to create shows that entertain, but more importantly, lead people to salvation. We write and produce two plays/musicals each year. The shows are performed live at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa by the Calvary Chapel Drama Ministry to audiences of more than 7,000 people each December and May. The shows are also streamed live over the internet and have consistently drawn remote audiences of over 50,000 viewers.
We're currently writing show #33... "Wish Upon A Star". It's a musical comedy set in Hollywood's golden age about a group of aspiring actors who are driven by the hope of fame and their inner need for fan adulation.
We approach the writing process a little differently than most other playwrights. You might say we write backwards. We start with a 3-page skeleton overview of the show, beginning, middle and end, along with a basic character list. At that point, we create several Auditions Scripts that are brief exchanges between the main characters we're looking for. We try to squeeze in as many emotions as we can into these small, half-page scripts. Then, we hold auditions. Once all of the roles have been cast, then and only then do we begin writing the actual script.
This approach was, at first, by necessity since we only have about three months to write, rehearse and perform each play. We wouldn't have time to write the entire script and then begin rehearsals. Although it began by necessity, we wouldn't do it any other way because we're able to write to the strengths of our actors. We always try to find the top strengths in each actor and then leverage those strengths into the character they're playing. This not only leads to a very strong, believable performance, it also ensures we have a large variety of unique characters to tell each story.
We love what we do. We call it Drama For Jesus, or "Drama 4 JC" for short. God has blessed us with an amazing ministry/hobby/escape. And He has used the gift of writing to bond our little family together.
We're currently writing show #33... "Wish Upon A Star". It's a musical comedy set in Hollywood's golden age about a group of aspiring actors who are driven by the hope of fame and their inner need for fan adulation.
We approach the writing process a little differently than most other playwrights. You might say we write backwards. We start with a 3-page skeleton overview of the show, beginning, middle and end, along with a basic character list. At that point, we create several Auditions Scripts that are brief exchanges between the main characters we're looking for. We try to squeeze in as many emotions as we can into these small, half-page scripts. Then, we hold auditions. Once all of the roles have been cast, then and only then do we begin writing the actual script.
This approach was, at first, by necessity since we only have about three months to write, rehearse and perform each play. We wouldn't have time to write the entire script and then begin rehearsals. Although it began by necessity, we wouldn't do it any other way because we're able to write to the strengths of our actors. We always try to find the top strengths in each actor and then leverage those strengths into the character they're playing. This not only leads to a very strong, believable performance, it also ensures we have a large variety of unique characters to tell each story.
We love what we do. We call it Drama For Jesus, or "Drama 4 JC" for short. God has blessed us with an amazing ministry/hobby/escape. And He has used the gift of writing to bond our little family together.
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