What Would Kim Write?

Day Eight - Thirty Nine

2006-09-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have finished my first draft. There are some things I need to work on, but the basic structure is there!

Day Seven

2006-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

I finished my first scene on Saturday. I started writing again at about 6:10 pm, and it's now 7:00, and I've pretty much finished my second scene. The dialogue at time seems to just jump off my pen and onto the paper. Maybe it really won't be so hard to get 26 pages completed before school starts. I shouldn't let myself get daunted by that number. I can do it, I know I can.
Well, I'm going to transfer it to the computer now.
Thus ends Day Seven

Day Six

2006-08-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday, the 10th, I finished my book at work. That meant for the 35 minutes waiting for the bus, and the 20 or so on the bus, I would have nothing to read. I didn't feel especially inspired, but I picked up my notebook anyway and opened it. I started off with another monologue of what someone would think, but not necessarily say out loud, then I started writing dialogue, and writing and writing and writing. The only reason I stopped was because I need to develop a new character and since I'm introducing her I need to figure out names, personality, the works.
I've tried taking a new perspective on writing characters, but I don't know if I like it. Writers do this all the time, have a real person in mind when they write characters. The writers of Lost did it for Sun's character because while they didn't like Yoon-jin Kim's for the role of Kate, they loved her audition and created her a character. I heard John Grisham had Julia Roberts in mind for Darby Shaw when he wrote The Pelican Brief. (She ended up playing the role when it was brought to the big screen). I just don't know if I like doing it. What if the person doesn't want to do the role? What then? I think I'm not going to do that. I don't think it's as fun.
I've made a goal for myself in regards to the writing. From my estimation, the average length for full act plays are about 60-70 pages. I want to have 30-35 done before September. It'll just mean I'll have more time for edits and what-not. That means another goal is to put what I've written on paper on the computer so I know how long it is.
I got my french-english dictionary, so I can finish my other project, as long as I actually do it.
Thus ends Day Six

Day Five

2006-08-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been really bad about updating this. I did actually write some dialogue on the bus last week, but when I got home I was too tired to do anything. That seems to be the theme for the age. I'm too tired to think, write, or even read, which usually gets my creative juices flowing. I'm going to have to get used to going to bed early and getting up early. I want to be able to do this even when it's my day off.
Two nights ago, it came to me. The title of my play. This is such a big thing for me because titles are my enemies when it comes to writing. I can't ever seem to think of one.
The title has changed to "Untitled Kim Cheel Project" to "What Are You Trying to Find".
Thus ends Day Five

Day Four

2006-07-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't done dialogue or anything, just finishing up some projects and starting some new ones. At the beginning of the show, there's going to be a cacauphony of noises, and I wanted those noises to be something. So, I've been working on what noises they are, and getting the information I need for them.
My projects
Develop characters
Perdita
Jason
New Character
I think I shouldn't give myself too many to begin with, as I've found that I can make myself discouraged and depressed when I do that to myself. So, I'll keep it light, and that way I won't feel so burdened that I just can't write. So that's on my plate. I've figured out an aspect of the ending. I thought about it last night when I was hypothosizing. It's funny. I act out what I want to write, and move on from there. It's a really good tool, but sometimes awkward. I don't want Kristin to hear me and think I'm going nuts or anything, so I mostly just say what I want to say in my head, or whisper it, and imagine a response. Maybe soon, I'll just cross the line of caring and talk out loud and dash what anyone would think.
Thus ends Day Four

Day Three

2006-07-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

I wrote four pages of dialogue tonight. To date I have talked about Star Trek III, and zygotes, plus that story about the butterfly in the cocoon. And I have got the first "secret". The first part of the person that they wouldn't normally speak aloud, but affects them nonetheless.
I think my creative juices were flowing because I was painting with Joya. It wasn't "drawing" painting, just painting picture frames for her wedding. But it was that little bit of creativity that got my brain going.
I'm thinking of introducing another character, but I don't know who, why and all those other important questions.
I've got several other ideas rolling around in my head, but they need to develop a little more. It's a little blurry and fuzzy right now. It's not a bad thing...slow to develop might be nice. I don't want to rush things.
I still haven't gotten a notebook to put in my purse. I should do that tomorrow as I'm helping Joya and Danica make her invitations. Somethings might crop up in conversation that triggers something, and I want to be ready. I WILL be ready.
Maybe that's what I should do when I'm feeling really blocked or uninspired. Draw something, paint something, even cook something. I'm not the best at visual art, but it doesn't have to be spectacular. It just has to be creative enough to open the gate.
Thus ends Day Three

Day Two

2006-07-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

It took me awhile to to discern how I wanted to chronicle this. What do the days signify. I have an answer. They signify days of actually writing things down on paper. Even brainstorms. It's easier that way. And since Blogger puts the date on the entries anyway, I can see how long between days I don't write.
Today I wrote a few lines of dialogue, not a lot, but enough to bring in another character. I came up with this little bit of dialogue while on the bus home. The most infuriating thing was I had no tools to write it down as it popped into my head. I keep something beside my bed, but perhaps I should have a notebook and paper wherever I go. Let this be a lesson to me. It happened after I had finished the novel I had been reading for the past two weeks. I finished it about halfway through my route, so I had time to just sit. I started hearing bits of a conversation and young guy and girl were having. I don't know the exact gist, but it had something to do with language, and how it differs from the spoken and the written, and from different cultures. From that my mind wandered to different things that's going to happen at the beginning of my play and then dialogue popped into my head. I tried to keep it cycling around and around in my head, but it didn't work out. Live and learn.
Thus ends Day Two

Day One

2006-07-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

I started writing my play yesterday. It's a full length play about discovering oneself.
I haven't gotten really far per se, but I feel like I've really come in leaps in strides when I think about where I was just Sunday. I have the concept, the beginning, the two main characters names, and other things I really can't explain. Perdita and Jason are the main characters. I haven't developed these characters very much, but I chose their names based on meanings.
I've become very much like those writers I detested in my english classes. Well, I shouldn't say detested really, I just hated how we analyzed their writings to death. I was convinced what they wrote wasn't all that deep, and they just felt like writing. Now I know better. I double check word meanings, name meanings, just to make sure my subtle nuances are there for the willing eye to see.
I plan on using the technique I used when I was creating my character with a disability first semester last year. I think this will help me create more in-depth characters.
I want this work to be good, not just because I've written it and I want everything I do to be a good thing, but I plan on it bringing in some money when I put it up (not necessarily a profit, maybe just enough to help with the expenses I will encur), and I also plan on publishing it in a year or two.
I've created this blog solely for the purpose of recording my thoughts and feelings during this whole process. This will hopefully serve me when I write more down the road. I can see where I struggled, and work to make things better and easier. It is also for my friends to read this and to see how I'm doing, and to hopefully encourage me when I hit the inevitable block.
Thus ends Day One.