Writing, as has been said many times in the past, is a journey of self discovery. It's a journey that can start out with something vague, or something sort of there, a merge into something far different than you could ever imagine. Characters take on lives of their own, and you learn things about them that you sure as hell didn't know when you started writing them. Events change drastically and you realise that things you really wanted to do simply shouldn't be done if it helps the story. A lot of what you know about the characters simply doesn't end up on the page or on the screen, because there's no room for it, or it simply doesn't serve the story. I am for example the only one who knows who Frank really is, what his full name is, and what his backstory is. I'd really have liked to put it in a movie somewhere but I haven't found the room for it. I also know more about Claire from Calvin Island than the movie reveals, and some things that she doesn't even know about herself, I know what really killed Sarah's parents, and what happened to Johnny's brother and what the guy in the Hawaiian shirt has to do with anything. None of it really serves to help the story along though so it gets cut out and I just hope sometime I can fit it in somewhere. For the record, unless otherwise stated, all my stuff takes place in the same universe unless otherwise stated.
For the record, possibly my favourite character I have created, and certainly the favourite character of most people who've seen the stuff, overtaking even Frank, is Jack, the crazed groundskeeper who wants to be a pirate. It works so well, you can fit it all together. It's like having a pirate except you can be as unauthentic and rediculous as you want. His accent is really bad? It's put on, he only thinks he is a pirate. His eye patch looks like it came from a $2 shop? It does, he only thinks he is a pirate. His mannerisms are way over the top? Again he only thinks he is a pirate. He's also like Captain Ahab, who is always looking for the whale. Jack is always looking for the Giant Squid. The exception being that the whale actually exists and Ahab is hunting the sea for it, wearas the existence of the squid is pretty doubtful and Jack seems to look everywhere for it, including wandering through the forest calling out for it. Good times.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I usually find with writing is that I seem to write in large bursts. I'll suddenly have the energy, motivation and interest to write a large amount of material, before eventually burning out and not writing for quite some time. That also seems to happen if I've been reading quite a bit, it tends to fill up the well of the mind with new ideas and motivation.
Jack sounds like a cool character, and from the screenshots I've seen looks like he works well. Any plans at the moment for him to star in any spinoff movies? That's the good thing about well developed characters, you can reuse them in other projects.
Getting Dylan to reshave his head? Might be difficult. I think we was pretty happy to be rid of that haircut. Maybe if I have lots of money and can pay him for it.
Post a Comment