The drive is about 15 to 20 minutes and I do most of it on back roads, getting on the highway the last few miles. It's a great time to think and what I've been thinking about is this play I'm writing this month. Despite the fact that I had 11 pages at the end of last night, I knew I was also dragging my feet. There was a problem that wasn't yet solved and I didn't want to arrive at that point in the play without a solution.
What I knew was that there was going to be a foreclosure on Tina Tittle's home and I knew that the other members of the house would decide to start a circus school to help save the day. But starting the school wouldn't save the house since it was in foreclosure and needed a lot of money to save the place. That's a big gap in the plot. It was bugging me bad.
And that's the best part of having to drive somewhere on my own. I'm mostly focused on the job of driving - hey, I ain't texting! - and so the sub-conscious part of my brain is free to work on the problems. It did it's job well. I have the solution.
So the points before were:
- Foreclosure notice
- Big hole in plot
- Start circus school
- Ameerah saves the day, by accident
Now I have:
- Foreclosure notice
- Everyone decides to give Tina all the money they have, including cashing out annuities and retirement funds.
- Start circus school so they can have an income and keep paying rent.
- Ameerah saves the day, by accident
And that was a relief. It not only provided a believable solution to the foreclosure, but it also gave a better justification for starting the circus school. (Which they'll still decide to do even after Ameerah accidentally saves the day.
Today had been a tiring day and I didn't think I'd get anything written. I didn't want to go to bed with nothing added to the play. So I sat down with the hope of getting at least one page, maybe two or three. Writing, is its own disease and I ended the evening on page eighteen. Keeping ahead of the page count. But I have a feeling the page count will be higher than ninety or a hundred, simply because of the fact that there is a lot of cross dialogue which should happen faster, overlapping each other. A hundred and ten pages won't be a hundred and ten minutes. It'll probably be closer to ninety-five minutes. But we'll wait and see.
Here's some of what I got down today:
-----
BARBA
Flexilis Tergum, the man with the
rubber skin. Once pulled his neck skin up to his eyebrows.
(To James.)
Tell him we say 'hi.'
HOWARD
(Howard going to get food from the
chaffing dish on the sideboard as he listens in on the conversation.)
I remember him.
JAMES
Barba says 'hi.'
(Listening.)
Yep. Still smooth as a baby's bottom.
FEUR
We all said 'hi.'
BARBA
Oh, Fuer.
AMEERAH
Tell him Aloe will help.
FEUR
Oh, come on.
JAMES
Everyone says hello.
(Listens then speaks to room.)
Flex say 'hey' to you all.
(Listens.)
Thank you. Yep, day's started off well.
Oh, Ameerah says Aloe will help?
(Listens.)
Great. I'll tell her.
HOWARD
Mr. Tergum still working the sideshow
tent?
FEUR
Not last I heard.
JAMES
(Into phone.)
Good, good. Hey, call more often. Or
come around next time your in the area.
(Listens.)
Great to hear your voice, too. Bye.
(Ends phone call.)
BARBA
He still working for that skin lotion
company?
JAMES
Got promoted to regional sales. Seems
to like the job.
FEUR
Did he get a laugh out of the aloe?
JAMES
No, he was relieved and embarrassed he
hadn't thought of it sooner. Good call, Ameerah.
AMEERAH
Of course it was.
JAMES
Stretch marks. Who'd a thunk it.
HOWARD
Would it put hair back on my face?
FEUR
Barba?
BARBA
Don't look at me, I never want it to
come back.
AMEERAH
Sorry, Howard, you'll be smoothed skin
the rest of your days.
HOWARD
(As Feur verbally scoffs.)
Ah well. It was a thought.
(Door bell sounds. He quickly finishes
what he's eating.)
I'll get that.
(Howard exits to front door hall.
Maybelle enters with another chaffing dish. James starts to rise and
then looks at Ameerah.)
JAMES
Well?
AMEERAH
Too late.
(Maybelle sloshes the contents of the
chaffing dish.)
MAYBELLE
Sorry!
(James goes over and helps clean the
mess.)
FEUR
(To the room.)
You have to wonder if that would have
happened if Ameerah hadn't said anything. She might have spooked the
girl.
(Ameerah snorts in disgust and bends
deeper over her newspaper.)
BARBA
Play nice dear. Enjoy the jam. It's
expensive.
MAYBELLE
I'm sure I would have spilled. I'd
spill water from an unopened bottle.
FEUR
I can't taste the jam.
JAMES
(To Maybelle.)
That'd be a trick worthy of the
sideshow.
(Maybelle laughs and then loses all
ability to speak as she sees Howard enter.)
HOWARD
That was weird.
JAMES
What was weird?
MAYBELLE
(Stage whisper to James.)
Who's that?
BARBA
Who was it?
HOWARD
(Holding up an envelope.)
Some lawyer. Made me sign for this
letter.
JAMES
(Stage whisper to Maybelle.)
Howard Hund.
(To Howard.)
Who's it for?
HOWARD
For Ms Tittle. He said –
(Stunned to silence as he sees
Maybelle.)
MAYBELLE
(Nervously.)
You're Howard? The dog face boy?
HOWARD
Um, yeah.
BARBA
Oh, isn't this cute.
FEUR
Makes the Jam taste bitter.
BARBA
Hush, you can't taste.
JAMES
Howard, this is Maybelle Balkezes.
You've heard of her family.
HOWARD
(Suddenly self-conscious of his naked
face.)
Uh, huh.
MAYBELLE
I still have your posters on my bedroom
walls. Back home. My room. My room back home.
HOWARD
Sorry to disappoint you.
MAYBELLE
No. No no. I... like it. I liked you
before, too, don't get me wrong.
HOWARD
Why are you here?
JAMES
Long story. Have her tell you later.
That letter's for Tina?
HOWARD
(Realizing where he is.)
What? Yes! Yes, sir, Mr. Rutherford.
The lawyer guy was quite adamant that Ms Tittle get it A-S-A-P.
FEUR
(With his mouth full.)
Any chance his name was Jim?
BARBA
Funny.
JAMES
Fat chance.
-----
Hope you like how things are coming along. (Whoever you aren't.) :)
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