Monday, February 16, 2009
10 minute drama COMPLETE!
I finished writing my 10-minute drama, and if you're lucky I'll post it here shortly :).
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Okay, so I'm having trouble creating dialogue in this scene I'm writing, more so on the girl's part and I think part of the problem is I have not broken her down into the details of have him. So I'm about to do the detail exercise again with her and hopefully this will get my creative juices flowing.
Name: Rachel
Sex: F
Height/Weight: 5'6"/150 lbs.
Physical: Unfit, slightly overweight
Age: 27
Religion: Christian (inactive)
Education: Business school
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, MI
Childhood home: Holland, MI
Marital Status: Single
Favorite food: Pizza
Hobbies: Playing video games, watching movies, playing with her cats, graphic designing
Fears: Spiders, snakes, arachnids, rodents, dark places
Pet Peeves: Public humiliation, strictness
Criminal Record: parking violation, speeding ticket - nothing serious
Job: Computer software office assistant
Friends: Other co-workers, a few best friends from high school
Pets: two cats
Habits: Biting nails, restless behavior, drinking coffee
That's all I have for her, I hope that helps me shape the conversation, although it seems to be taking the scene a different way than I had originally thought . . . my biggest problem right now is figuring out WHY they are in the office together this late at work. I keep thinking its involving him giving her a promotion or semi-interviewing her for one, but I don't know if I like that enough. I'm going to try to babble out some more stuff for the beginning of the scene.
*Lights up. GUY is sitting at the desk in his office looking over some papers. A knock at his door.*
GUY: Come in.
*RACHEL peeks her head in at first, then opens the door and comes in - she has two cups of coffee in her hands.
RACHEL: Your coffee, sir.
GUY: Please, call me Guy. We're all friends here. You can just set it there by the phone.
*Rachel sets down the coffee and turns to leave.
GUY: Rachel, would you like to join me for a minute?
*She stops and turns around surprised.
RACHEL: Uhh, sure.
GUY: Please close the door behind you.
RACHEL: Oh, yes.
*She quickly shuts the door behind her and offers a quick smile.
GUY: Please, sit down, relax. Forget convention for a few minutes. It's always nice to have a bit of R&R after a long day.
RACHEL: Okay.
*She shyly sits down and offers another smile
GUY: You know what, it's my Uncle's birthday today, let's celebrate. Do you like Scotch?
*GUY opens one of his drawers and pulls out two crystal glasses and a flask. He begins to pour the scotch into the two glasses
GUY: Do you take ice?
RACHEL: Oh, no thanks.
GUY: (as he hands her a glass) I always keep this handy for special occasions. Cheers.
*Long silence as they both drink
*Note: as the conversation continues, he keeps giving her more as she finishes, but he doesn't take more for himself. Also, it is important that she has limited eye contact with him.
GUY: You know, I've been looking over some files and time cards lately, and I noticed you've been taking extra long breaks. Also, you have taken three sick days in the last month, now . . .
*Rachel begins to protest, but he holds up a hand to stop her
GUY: This isn't a matter of excuses, it's a matter of efficiency. It's the matter of how we can both best do our jobs. You're a nice girl, Rachel, a pretty girl, but I didn't ask you here so I could fire you, so relax . . . by the way, I went fishing last weekend and I have some filleting to do, you don't mind if I do that while we talk?
RACHEL: No, not at all.
*From a cooler at the side of his desk, GUY pulls out a large fish and a fillet knife. He puts down a cutting board on his desk before he begins to work at the fish.
This next section is added only because I thought of it, and didn't want to forget it, but it is not directly connected to this section:
GUY: The wonderful thing about a filet knife is it's so . . . precise. So clean. Like it knows what it wants and knows how to get it done. It, of course, doesn't think, it just does what it needs to do.
I know I'm leaving it hanging, but that's it for now, perhaps the next entry will be the entire work pieced together and up as a first draft!
Name: Rachel
Sex: F
Height/Weight: 5'6"/150 lbs.
Physical: Unfit, slightly overweight
Age: 27
Religion: Christian (inactive)
Education: Business school
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, MI
Childhood home: Holland, MI
Marital Status: Single
Favorite food: Pizza
Hobbies: Playing video games, watching movies, playing with her cats, graphic designing
Fears: Spiders, snakes, arachnids, rodents, dark places
Pet Peeves: Public humiliation, strictness
Criminal Record: parking violation, speeding ticket - nothing serious
Job: Computer software office assistant
Friends: Other co-workers, a few best friends from high school
Pets: two cats
Habits: Biting nails, restless behavior, drinking coffee
That's all I have for her, I hope that helps me shape the conversation, although it seems to be taking the scene a different way than I had originally thought . . . my biggest problem right now is figuring out WHY they are in the office together this late at work. I keep thinking its involving him giving her a promotion or semi-interviewing her for one, but I don't know if I like that enough. I'm going to try to babble out some more stuff for the beginning of the scene.
*Lights up. GUY is sitting at the desk in his office looking over some papers. A knock at his door.*
GUY: Come in.
*RACHEL peeks her head in at first, then opens the door and comes in - she has two cups of coffee in her hands.
RACHEL: Your coffee, sir.
GUY: Please, call me Guy. We're all friends here. You can just set it there by the phone.
*Rachel sets down the coffee and turns to leave.
GUY: Rachel, would you like to join me for a minute?
*She stops and turns around surprised.
RACHEL: Uhh, sure.
GUY: Please close the door behind you.
RACHEL: Oh, yes.
*She quickly shuts the door behind her and offers a quick smile.
GUY: Please, sit down, relax. Forget convention for a few minutes. It's always nice to have a bit of R&R after a long day.
RACHEL: Okay.
*She shyly sits down and offers another smile
GUY: You know what, it's my Uncle's birthday today, let's celebrate. Do you like Scotch?
*GUY opens one of his drawers and pulls out two crystal glasses and a flask. He begins to pour the scotch into the two glasses
GUY: Do you take ice?
RACHEL: Oh, no thanks.
GUY: (as he hands her a glass) I always keep this handy for special occasions. Cheers.
*Long silence as they both drink
*Note: as the conversation continues, he keeps giving her more as she finishes, but he doesn't take more for himself. Also, it is important that she has limited eye contact with him.
GUY: You know, I've been looking over some files and time cards lately, and I noticed you've been taking extra long breaks. Also, you have taken three sick days in the last month, now . . .
*Rachel begins to protest, but he holds up a hand to stop her
GUY: This isn't a matter of excuses, it's a matter of efficiency. It's the matter of how we can both best do our jobs. You're a nice girl, Rachel, a pretty girl, but I didn't ask you here so I could fire you, so relax . . . by the way, I went fishing last weekend and I have some filleting to do, you don't mind if I do that while we talk?
RACHEL: No, not at all.
*From a cooler at the side of his desk, GUY pulls out a large fish and a fillet knife. He puts down a cutting board on his desk before he begins to work at the fish.
This next section is added only because I thought of it, and didn't want to forget it, but it is not directly connected to this section:
GUY: The wonderful thing about a filet knife is it's so . . . precise. So clean. Like it knows what it wants and knows how to get it done. It, of course, doesn't think, it just does what it needs to do.
I know I'm leaving it hanging, but that's it for now, perhaps the next entry will be the entire work pieced together and up as a first draft!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ok, what I am about to write going to purely flow from my mind as I write and is not edited or formed up in any kind of way. Hopefully just spewing this out will help me shape it for the future. This will be a part of a drama that I may turn into a 10-minute play and is a follow-up to the last post :). I think I may also be starting mid-conversation to help me get the flow of it.
Scene: An office building. Guy's office. Night. The glass windows of his office are shuttered. Rachel (a co-worker) sits on the arm of the chair in front of his desk. Guy sits back in his chair behind the desk sipping black coffee. (Note: if this coffee were to be spilled it would strictly need to be black - he drinks it no other way.) The door to the office is closed.
GUY: Your buttons are . . . misaligned.
RACHEL: Yeah, I know, I like it like that.
*Guy coughs*
GUY: So Rachel . . . if you were going to kill someone, how would you do it?
RACHEL: Why would I even be thinking about that?
GUY: I'm sure at one time or another you've been angry enough to . . . kill someone. Or at least thought about it. So how would you do it?
RACHEL: Um, well . . . I suppose I'd do it like in the movies! Hack 'em into a bunch of pieces and bury them in the walls! Ooooo! . . . (Guy stares at her) Are you serious?!
GUY: Sure, why not. If we're just talking about it.
RACHEL: I guess . . . (long silence) . . . how about poisoning them? Like in their drink or something. Then you don't have a finger pointing at you.
GUY: Yes, yes. That's not bad. Clean. No one to blame.
RACHEL: Why do you want to talk about this anyway?
GUY: I'm curious. I find it fascinating the lengths that some people will go to kill someone . . . when it can be a relatively simple thing.
RACHEL: I don't think killing anybody is simple.
GUY: Just - you're thinking about it the wrong way. You have to look at the situation from a distance and observe it with a clear mind. When you break it down, it really can be quite simple. Killing.
(WARNING: spoiler ahead, I'm jumping to this because this part of the dialogue popped into my head.)
*GUY moves toward the office door and locks it quietly*
GUY: What time is it?
RACHEL: 9:06 . . .
GUY: That means that the last person to clock out would have done so 6 minutes ago . . . excluding you and I, of course.
RACHEL: Well, then, I guess that means we better leave - *she stands and grabs her coat*
GUY: Wait.
*Guy moves to his office closet and pulls out a clear plastic object that looks like some body suit.*
GUY: This is a clothing protector - used sometimes by painters so they don't get paint on their clothes.
*He puts in on over his suit*
GUY: How does it look?
RACHEL: Dandy. If there's nothing else I'd like to -
GUY: (interrupting) There was something you said earlier, about hacking someone to pieces and hiding them in the walls. While that does seem a bit carried away, I do like the knife method. I have a cleaver in my drawer. Suppose I kill you with it, right now? Or maybe strangle you with your own coat?
RACHEL: (laughing uncertainly) Ok, now you're scaring me. Can you open the door so I can leave?
GUY: It would probably be best if you don't scream . . . though it might be entertaining.
*Guy opens the drawer and pulls out a butcher's cleaver*
GUY: I'll try not to make a mess.
*Lights fade to black
THE END
Well, there are some pieces of my drama! And the ending as well. Hope you found it . . . interesting :).
Scene: An office building. Guy's office. Night. The glass windows of his office are shuttered. Rachel (a co-worker) sits on the arm of the chair in front of his desk. Guy sits back in his chair behind the desk sipping black coffee. (Note: if this coffee were to be spilled it would strictly need to be black - he drinks it no other way.) The door to the office is closed.
GUY: Your buttons are . . . misaligned.
RACHEL: Yeah, I know, I like it like that.
*Guy coughs*
GUY: So Rachel . . . if you were going to kill someone, how would you do it?
RACHEL: Why would I even be thinking about that?
GUY: I'm sure at one time or another you've been angry enough to . . . kill someone. Or at least thought about it. So how would you do it?
RACHEL: Um, well . . . I suppose I'd do it like in the movies! Hack 'em into a bunch of pieces and bury them in the walls! Ooooo! . . . (Guy stares at her) Are you serious?!
GUY: Sure, why not. If we're just talking about it.
RACHEL: I guess . . . (long silence) . . . how about poisoning them? Like in their drink or something. Then you don't have a finger pointing at you.
GUY: Yes, yes. That's not bad. Clean. No one to blame.
RACHEL: Why do you want to talk about this anyway?
GUY: I'm curious. I find it fascinating the lengths that some people will go to kill someone . . . when it can be a relatively simple thing.
RACHEL: I don't think killing anybody is simple.
GUY: Just - you're thinking about it the wrong way. You have to look at the situation from a distance and observe it with a clear mind. When you break it down, it really can be quite simple. Killing.
(WARNING: spoiler ahead, I'm jumping to this because this part of the dialogue popped into my head.)
*GUY moves toward the office door and locks it quietly*
GUY: What time is it?
RACHEL: 9:06 . . .
GUY: That means that the last person to clock out would have done so 6 minutes ago . . . excluding you and I, of course.
RACHEL: Well, then, I guess that means we better leave - *she stands and grabs her coat*
GUY: Wait.
*Guy moves to his office closet and pulls out a clear plastic object that looks like some body suit.*
GUY: This is a clothing protector - used sometimes by painters so they don't get paint on their clothes.
*He puts in on over his suit*
GUY: How does it look?
RACHEL: Dandy. If there's nothing else I'd like to -
GUY: (interrupting) There was something you said earlier, about hacking someone to pieces and hiding them in the walls. While that does seem a bit carried away, I do like the knife method. I have a cleaver in my drawer. Suppose I kill you with it, right now? Or maybe strangle you with your own coat?
RACHEL: (laughing uncertainly) Ok, now you're scaring me. Can you open the door so I can leave?
GUY: It would probably be best if you don't scream . . . though it might be entertaining.
*Guy opens the drawer and pulls out a butcher's cleaver*
GUY: I'll try not to make a mess.
*Lights fade to black
THE END
Well, there are some pieces of my drama! And the ending as well. Hope you found it . . . interesting :).
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