November 2021 #100screenplays

Hey, how are you? I'll bet many of you have some new comedy material after spending turkey day with family for the first time in a couple of years. I know I do!

Sometimes life takes an oddball turn and we have to "PIVOT! PIVOT!" to make it through the change. That's been me since early October. My husband had been back to work a little over a month (thanks to the pandemic) and BAM, he was injured.

It's a kind of funny story, actually. Well, funny to me. I was inside, and he was outside doing yardwork when I heard a cartoon level, Wilhelm scream. Instantly on my feet, I expected to see him bleeding from some horrific power tool accident, but there was no blood. He was lying face down, ass up, in the yard. I rushed outside, worried he was having a heart attack. He turned over, moaning. It was his ankle versus a rabbit hole in the lawn. It was so badly sprained that the ER doc thought it was broken. He had to stay off it for six weeks.

It just so happened that we were also in need of a new car because my loyal little old Pontiac is getting more expensive to maintain than the car is actually worth. There was no way we were going to pay the regular bills, plus add a new car before winter weather, plus pay for senior year expenses for our youngest, plus two birthdays and three holidays...so, I needed to work temporarily.

This is the life of a screenwriter/author. Sometimes your writing is selling, sometimes you're working Halloween season in a Halloween costume warehouse to pay the bills. 

Here's my comedy binge for November:

Something's Gotta Give
Raising Arizona
St. Elmo's Fire
Shrek
Sister Act
Rush Hour
Sideways
Stepmom
Spanglish
The Sting
Sneakers

#100Screenplays 2021 reading challenge by the numbers:

Total yet-to be produced scripts: 61

Total produced scripts: 125

2021 Grand total: 186

My thoughts: 

It's been a busy month, but I still managed to read for a screenwriting contest, so my "unproduced" count includes private clients and the contest reads. Here's your friendly reminder that a comedy should make the reader laugh 2-3 times per page. Too many writers forget to write the doggone punchline! Don't believe me? Watch one of your favorite comedies and count how many times you laugh (or at least smile). In the first 5-10 minutes (5-10 pages), you should discover 10-30 funny moments and you should know what the big setup is, i.e. character vs funny problem. And I'll pass on one of the best pieces of advice a producer ever gave me: do standup comedy if you want to improve your dialogue. I did, and the next time I got feedback from a producer, he said, "Your dialogue is hilarious. I can tell you've done standup. The banter is almost musical." So there you go.

Keep writing friends,

Where to find scripts:

https://indiefilmhustle.com/free-screenplays-download/

https://www.imsdb.com

https://deadline.com/2021/03/oscars-2021-nominated-screenplays-read-1234714575/