Random Ramblings: Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Sick: Wasn't I just getting over some strange stomach flu just last week? Now my allergies are kicking my rear. I am so congested and itchy.

Listening: Black Sheep by the Evil Exes. I love this song!

Lazing: Yesterday was such a nice day. Early in the morning we took a road trip down to Salt Lake for Stella's baby blessing. For those that don't know, in the LDS faith, fathers have the opportunity to bless their baby during church and it serves a couple of purposes. The main purpose is to give the infant a name which it will be known on the church records and then the father can give the infant a blessing. I really appreciated Andrea for going out of her way to make sure I meet Stella before the service began. I feel kinda bad that this was the first time I met my beautiful new niece. Steven (Stella's father) asked me if I would assist and I was happy to do it. It was a beautiful blessing and it was a wonderful church service. It was also nice to see some of my fellow bloggers even if I was not able to chat with them. But it was nice to be remembered. Afterwards we went to Kristy's mom house for some lunch and to relax. It was a nice and relaxing visit.

Giddy: So Steven and I were talking (about football of course) and he mentioned that he would really like to catch the Detroit Lions (his favorite team) when they play the Denver Broncos. He just doesn't have anyone to go with. Now I have been to Denver a few times and I would love to go to a cold weather game in Denver! The game is October 30th. Wheels are in motion!

Winning: I completed my 100 page ScriptFrenzy project! There were times that I didn't think I would make it but I persevered and made it! The next time I do it I will be better prepared and plot things out. It was still a learning experience and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND any wanna-be-writer to give this a whirl. You won't regret the time and hard work you put into it.

Winning Ain't Easy

Day 182

It is hard to believe that it is May 1st already. I am glad though, May is usually one of my favorite months. Spring is definitely here, lots of cool movies come out, more family activities, Black and White Days (I'll cover that in another blog), Memorial Day and a ton of other fun stuff.

It has only been May for 12 hours and already May is starting out on a good step. Last month I participated in ScriptFrenzy. It was a writing challenge where I write a 100 page script (movie, TV, musical, comic) in a month.

And yesterday I crossed the finish line at 102 pages so that means I won!

It was a lot of fun, much more fun than I thought it would be. I have never written a script before, I tried one time and found the whole thing intimidating. It was a lot more work than I thought but this time I used an online script program than made the whole thing painless. The more I worked with the program the easier and then the more fun it became.

It was a total vanity project. I wrote a Marvel comic book based on the return of my favorite character Banshee and it dealt with the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight set during the events of Dark Reign. Like I said, pure vanity.

I did learn a couple of things. I had plotted most of this comic months before and that really helped out a lot. And the times it became difficult was when I had no idea where the story was going to go. But once I figured out how to end it, it was just a fun matter of getting from Point A to Point B. Next time I do this I will make sure that I have all of it plotted out in advance. I also appreciate those writers that write with a large cast of characters. It was hard making sure that they all had some face time and there were a few times where I totally forgot them completely.

What I enjoyed the most was reading up on these characters and doing some research. All of the characters I used had some sort of history together and it was a hoot reconnecting some of them. And some of the characters I used were long forgotten people and it was a lot of fun bringing them back and making themselves useful.

I am glad that it is over. Doing this and my blog really zapped a lot of my time but I felt it was important for me to learn. I would love to be a writer and it is these exercises that help out a lot. You do learn quickly what you are capable of and what you do rather well along with what your weaknesses are.

I HIGHLY encourage anyone that has a story to say or wants to try their writing skills to do this challenge next year. You won't regret it and you will feel that you accomplished something. Also keep in mind that the next NaNoWrMo is coming up this November. Get thinking about a story and get it ready for a month of hard work, pulling your hair out and writing! Seriously folks, if you have always wanted to write, try these out. You will not regret it!

The Write Stuff: Script Frenzy

Day 142

Who is up for another writing challenge?

Last year I participated in NaNoWrMo, a novel-writing challenge where you write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Well, those crazy folks are at it again and I have been invited to do another month-long writing session. But this time I am really going to be challenged.

For the month of April, I will participating in Script Frenzy. This challenge is where you write a 100-page script in 30 days. I have never written a script before and it looks intimidating. I tried one years ago using Word and I eventually gave up because the formatting confused me. But if I want to become a writer, I need to become familiar with scripting.

But on the bright side, Script Frenzy has tons of valuable resources. They even offer some scripting software that you can try out and use. I decided to go with scripped.com because it is FREE and it is web-based. So I don't have to download or install any programs and I can connect to my script from any internet connection.

The one thing that really excites me about this challenge is you get to chose what type of script you want to pursue. You may write screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels, or any other type of script your heart desires.

So you guessed it. I am going to write a comic book! I already have one plotted out and I cannot wait to get into the swing of it. And yes, it does involve Banshee. How could I write a comic that doesn't have him in it?

Script Frenzy has all the info. They really know how to put it all in words so I am just going to rip off their site. So here is all the info you need:

WHO: You and everyone you know. No experience required.

WHAT: 100 pages of original scripted material in 30 days. (Screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, and graphic novels are all welcome.)

WHEN: April 1 - 30. Every year. Mark your calendars.

WHERE: Online and in person (if you want!). Hang out in the forums, join your fellow participants at write-ins, and make friends by adding writing buddies online.

WHY: Because you have a story to tell. Because you want a creative challenge. Because you’ll be disappointed if you missed out on the adventure. Because you need to make time for you.

HOW: Sign up. Tell everyone that you are in the Frenzy. Clear your calendar. (US participants: Get your taxes done now!) Start some wrist exercises. Have fun!

So I highly encourage anyone to challenge yourself and do some creative writing!

On an unrelated note, I would like wish a Happy Belated Birthday to fellow blogger Andrea who celebrated her birthday yesterday. And I would like wish the best and congratulations to fellow blogger Sarah who had a healthy baby boy (Riley Connor White) a week ago today.