Wednesday, November 08, 2017

November 2017 Writing Challenge - #8 - Simultaneous Action

Okay, so perhaps this happened in your other pieces as well…

Combine language and image relationships between two scenes as they comment on each other.

The interaction and pattern are fun and enough. You don’t have to be particularly clever.  Heck, it doesn’t have to be great dialogue. Just experiment with the form. It’s all over Cyrano and I’m finding that NOBODY gets it under 40. Smart folk- but they’ve lost this sense of interplay between characters on an ironic or poetic literary level that can become a shared loop between performers and audience.

Will it work on stage today then? YES you just have to be super pointed about it and reteach the fun of wordplay and craft! OUR craft- well YOUR craft really I’m just having fun with you.

Just pick words and images to copy or contrast and actions. Do it enough times back and forth and the audience will catch on.

THEN- break the pattern to wrap it up.

Example:

FIRST POET
It was one man, they all say. (lights up on Cyrano)

CYRANO
One woman.

FIRST POET
One man who, single-handedly took them on
Forty men, slit open with sword gashes!
(making two large circular arcs of destruction)

CYRANO (painting two delicate small lips in the air)
...whose lips...

SECOND POET
Fifty! Their red blood soaking into the ground

CYRANO
Ah, I blush

RAGANEAU  
Heavens! How ferocious he must have been

CYRANO 
And when I see thee come, I faint for fear...

THIRD POET (imagining a huge man)
A fearsome giant

CYRANO (kneeling)
And fall upon the ground in gratitude.

FOURTH POET (indicating prayer)
god among men

CYRANO (bowing his head)
Who worships thee other than me? 

INSERT VILLIANS STORMING THE STAGE

VILLIANS
Say your prayers, Cyrano

************

And once more, I'm doing some noodling on the Spellbound idea instead...

*************

The wiccan supply store.

JEFFREY returns, finding DUNCAN on duty.

                          JEFFREY
You got it?

                          DUNCAN
I got it.

                          JEFFREY
Thank you so much for finding it so quickly.  You're a lifesaver.

                          DUNCAN
This mean I get a date out of it?

                          JEFFREY
Well, I was hoping to get a date out of this anyway, regardless.  We don't have to make it conditional on anything.

                          DUNCAN
So why'd you want to make him happy?

                          JEFFREY
Who?

                          DUNCAN
Your friend, who you gave the potion to.  You said you did it to make him happy.

                          JEFFREY
Well, it didn't work out as planned.

                          DUNCAN
But why'd you do it in the first place?

                          JEFFREY
I've sort of been crushing on him for a while, so -

                          DUNCAN
So why not just give it to him, instead, for yourself?

                          JEFFREY
Colossal failure of nerve?

                          DUNCAN
You handed it off to him, so he could turn around and use it on someone else instead.

                          JEFFREY
Idiot move, I know.

                          DUNCAN
Even if you were second choice, you didn't want to force it?

                          JEFFREY
No one likes to be second choice.

                          DUNCAN
No.  They don't.

                          JEFFREY
So, about that date -

                          DUNCAN
You know, I don't like being second choice either.

                          JEFFREY
You're not.  I mean, it's not as if I have any other viable options right now, so you're first choice.

                          DUNCAN
By default.  You're a real charmer.

                          JEFFREY
Duncan -

                          DUNCAN
You go sort things out with your friend.
Sort everything out with your friend.

                          JEFFREY
And then -

                          DUNCAN
You know where I work.
Just don't wait too long.
I won't.

(to be continued)



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