Storytelling

I want to write a script. This task is one of the many that I have come up with to accomplish my "get rich and famous" project. I have been obsessively watching films since a teenager. Going to the movies started as a something to do on the weekends or a place to go on a first date, but gradually turned into a weekly event. Thankfully, the part-time job I had allowed me to get free passes. I went so often that sometimes I was there all by myself, sitting in an almost empty theater in the early afternoon. When I had early dismissal, I would go straight from school to the multiplex. Movies quickly became my escape. Watching them forced me to concentrate on the lives of people on the screen, and not my own. To this day, I still do this. When I get overwhelmed with my relationship, or become stressed about financially keeping my head above water, I stop at the good ole Red Box on the way home from work and rent a story.

For me, the story is the best part of a movie. I am enraptured by character development, by conflict and resolution, and the ultimate conclusion of events. Unlike life, films (usually) have a clear beginning and end. I like this. I like control. I love absolutes. I hate not knowing, anticipating, wondering.... what is going to happen. When I meet Penelope Cruz or Daniel Day Lewis on the big screen, I know, right away, that I will watch and discover what happens to them. So when the credits finally roll, I have a sense of satisfaction, and fulfillment. Yes, sometimes, the protagonist is killed by a hideous serial killer and last seen with a pool of blood spilling out of his head. But at least I know he is dead! I don't turn off the dvd player and wonder, hmmm... what will happen of that man? Will he find the lover he was searching for? Will he make amends with the family he alienated himself from? Nope! He won't! That guy is dead, THE END.

I am a storyteller. Even when I talk to my best friend Becky on the phone, which I do sometimes twice a day, I tell her a myriad of simple stories. She listens intently, waiting for me to reach my conclusion before she has a reaction. Sometimes when I have an extra juicy story to tell, after I hang up with Becky, I will call Amy, and then Robyn, and then Mark, my sister, my dad, etc, etc. This will continue even at work, me entertaining my fellow servers with a great new adventure.

Currently, I am stuck in the middle of a decision. What story do I write? And in what format? I've started research on my memoir, I have a handful of shorts that could be converted into full length books, and dozens of ideas for non-fiction pieces. But recently, the script is calling my name. The thing is, when I tell a story, I see it so visually. I can almost feel the weather of each scene on my skin and hear the voices of my characters. I can see a clear beginning and an end. There is no doubt that I can control a script unlike I will ever be able to control a story about my life.

I have downloaded a screenwriting software and promise to you, my readers, that I will attempt this task. Stay tuned...