Screenplay feedback

A while back I made a blog about how I was going to write a screenplay. And for my writers craft class, for our final magnum opus, we had to write a minimum of ten pages, any format we wanted. I decided to submit part of my screenplay. It's not finished and I don't know if I ever will finish it, but I handed in the first 20 pages. Well, it's the first part and then a random scene that I needed to write because it kind of started the whole thing.

Anyways, my teacher read it and she gave it back to me with comments and it just feels so good. It just makes me think, "Stephanie, maybe you're not an idiot for wanting to do with with your life."

Brief Summary:

The screenplay follows Vivian, a workaholic mother of one. As she spends majority of her time at her office, she is shocked to learn she has the whole summer off in light of a promotion. Sam, her sixteen year old introverted daughter, is also surprised as she is used to doing things on her own. Together, the two must learn to coexist by ultimately getting to know each other. While this brings conflict and obstacles they must overcome, it also brings the pair closer than they've ever been before.

It's a dramady (dramatic comedy). And it's just fun, I think. I based Sam directly off myself. She is awesome, of course. I have the whole thing planned out, but again, have the 20 pages written in screenplay format.

There is a whole scene where Vivian and Sam start to connect through Guitar Hero. That is the scene I read to the class and it was weird, but sort of awesome.

So anyways, this wast the feedback from my teacher (the most wonderful teacher of all):

• This is perfect - your reader knew the 2 plots were coming together in this way and its neither surprised or disappointed with the way they do - it feels natural.
• I love this exactly as it is. The characters are believable and likable. By the time Vivian picks up the guitar we know she's ready for a life change and it does not seem at all forced or contrived. You have accomplished something that is not east to do. Mother, daughter and maid are in for some good times :)
• I must add that the dialogue is masterful - nothing is over or underwritten. It's like you've been doing this for a long time!

Of course a big part of this blog is for me to look back on my life, and this just makes me insanely happy so I needed to write it down. I'm taking the same class again next year, with the same teacher. I am looking forward to it.

Tonight You Belong To Me

So today I did a cover on my ukulele because ukuleles make me smile and smiling is good and this song is good because it is really cute. So you should watch and maybe it will make you smile. I like making people smile.

I also did just a ukulele cover, which is here.

Today I was at the mall like I always am and I'm eating lunch with my usual lunch companion, and I am observing these old ladies. The one has a camera and gives it to another one so she can take a picture of the group. I then hear her say, "Now I need one with you!" and she was going to take the picture, and be left out. So, being the ever helpful bystander, I go over to their table and ask if they would like me to make a picture of all of them. She was taken aback, but said yes. I took two to be sure they were both good. She kept telling me to press the silver button. It was all good fun. They all came up to me after and thanked me while I smiled with french fries in my mouth.

My teacher gave me comments on my screenplay today. That will be for another happy post. Look at me, planning ahead for happy posts!

School of Despair

On Sunday a student from my school passed away in a tragic accident. He was part of the graduating class, like myself, and I've known him since kinder garden. And... and it's just so horrible. I don't even know how to explain this properly. It's like you're a helpless mess on the sidelines. You know why there is change, and you feel the change head on, but there is no end in sight and you're just there. You're just sadly standing there realizing how life can just be over, no matter your age.

Our school is a wreck; I don't know how it's still standing. When I enter the place I feel like a wave of grief just washes over me, and when I leave I realize it doesn't go away. It soaks your clothes and sticks to your skin like some kind of infection, but you welcome it because at this point there is nothing else to feel. The tears flow effortlessly even when you think you're breathing normally. Nothing is the same.

You can't concentrate because your thoughts keep circling him. Grade two, he was my best friend. It's weird thinking back because we are obviously much different, but it's the innocents of elementary school that doesn't make you question anything. He was the 'bad-boy' and I was the wannabe tomboy that followed in his footsteps. He was the leader in our Ghost Busters club where we ran around all recess collecting bad ghosts and locking them up. He would squish little red spiders with his fingers and go ask the playground teacher for a Band-Aid. We cheated together during a school wide run to get more laps by sneaking through the school every lap. We had a playful little stone fight and got in trouble by having to sit on a wall for the whole recess, and boy was I mad. That was the first time I got put on the wall and of course I blamed him, but that didn't stop me from getting put on the wall again with him for touching an out of bounds area in our field. I let him copy my homework and waited for him during recess when he had detention because he didn't copy my homework fast enough.

He was probably a horrible influence to grade two Stephanie, but we were best friends so who cares? We had a lot of fun times, but of course we drifted and found better suited friend groups. I will forever hold these memories because he did have a big impact on my life.

I don't know how to go back to normal. I dread school. I dread people. It hurts all the time. Everyone's hurting for different reasons, mine just happens to be cold nostalgia. Either way, a teenager is dead in this cruel world and it's going to take some time to smile again.

_________________
I was bawling the whole time I wrote this, but I needed to. I need to remember this.

Ramblings from an unhappy outsider

They walk down together. Not really in a romantic way to an outsider. Why would it be romantic? One of them was wishing it was that way. They were wishing that their hands would grasp each others and continue walking. But this is not their time nor their world. So, they keep walking and one keeps wishing while the other keeps smiling and they're both just dying. Are they dying for the same reasons? Are their thoughts thinking the same thing? You'll have to ask them yourself as I am but an outsider.

So, how do I know? It's the same story told a million times. Girls, boys, boys, girls, frogs, lions, rattlesnakes. There are too many chances in this land of vast opportunity that makes it hard to guess how everything will properly line up. So yes, the one fancies them. Now, what is the chance that they are fancied back by the same individual that stays up at night thinking about them. I'm not a mathematician, but I would say the odds are not looking very good and their eyes continue to droop from lack of sleep while person number two is well rested.

We live in a sad wold where the people living are not always sad. Always being the key word. Sadness is a mysterious force that takes you over. It effects your soul like no other. It takes you down deep into the ocean where the sea life is not beautiful and the sun cannot reach and the pressure is unbearable, but somehow you're still breathing. And if you're breathing, even if you're breathing for just that one face, you have no choice but to smile.

But who knows what tomorrow will bring. Do you know? If you do then please call me and tell me. Sometimes your mind needs to be put to rest.

For I am sad; simply sad.

Last Day on Earth

           The last day in my home. The last day with my friends and family. I've never been good with goodbyes... So I really hope this camera quality is clear. I hope the audio quality is clear too. I've heard that in space sometimes alien transmitters can get in the signal's way.

           Though it is my last day on good ol' Earth, it doesn't have to be my last day living. See, I've been planning this for years. I've built my spaceship. I've gathered supplies. I've selected a crew that I'll be able to live with for years without getting sick of them.

           It's my duty to go off and collect random objects from space to send them back to Earth for scientists to do their scientist thing. I collect, they study. It's a simple process.

           Well, it was a simple process... until everything went horribly wrong. My carefully selected crew started disappearing one by one. Murder? Space madness? Alien invasions? The remaining five crew members and I didn't have a clue. That is, until Stacy disappeared.

           I know what you're thinking, “You really picked a girl named Stacy as your crew member?” And I will reply with a yes. She is cooler than her name lets on and is a dedicated... was a dedicated member to our team. Okay, she was the worst, stop giving me that look.

           Stacy was found in the storage room. Her face stuffed with dehydrated mashed potatoes. Her hands clinging to packaged snack-cakes. Her eyes darting between our faces as she was very much alive.

           It seems as though Stacy was ditching off crew members one by one so she could have extra food. Murder is a crime in space law, but stealing food is an unforgivable offense. We had no choice but to send her off in an Earth Pod with some space junk we collected.

           Oh no... we didn't fill the Earth Pod with supplies!? Stacy was supposed to do that... yes, we'll blame her. (Just like it was so easy to blame her for the murders.)

Space transmission out.

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Another journal entry that I am using for my final project and reading in front of the class... Only because this was the teachers comment:

"Okay- you are scary talented. This piece is so edgy and funny. I'm in awe! :)"

Hehehe

Senior Shenanigans

I had one of those corny high school moments today where I thought, "This is what I'm going to miss about high school." And it was awesome.

My friends and I (yes, friends) left class today to decorate a locker. It was one of their brother's birthday. But, we didn't know which locker was her brother's. So, instead of just giving up, we decided to decorate a random persons locker.

So, here we are, a group of three giggling girls in a hallways taping birthday wrapping paper to a complete strangers locker. It was the most fun I've had in a while, especially at school.

We then ran back to the locker after school to see the persons reaction, but there was no one to be found. We shall stake them out tomorrow morning! Also, if they take the decorations well, we are going to continue to decorate their locker with random holidays! I think tomorrow we decided on Christmas... 

Good times :)

Starship

No, not the Niki Manaj song. I won't even look up if I spelled her name correctly.

I made this video a while ago and thought I might as well post it here! It's just a video of me looking cute in glasses and singing along to I Wanna Be (A Starship Ranger) from the musical Starship. You should go watch it is you haven't seen it. It's a Youtube hit. Anyways, here we are.

It was meant to be super random and I know I'm making a fool of myself. THIS IS WHAT I DO.