Tuesday, April 21, 2009

More on Procrastination

This past week, I've been holed up at home with a tooth infection that made my face swell up like a soccer ball. It's not that I don't like birds -- I do -- but I sure hated having duck lips.

During one of my breaks from the screenplay that will never end, I was attacked by swallows. They were hanging around a hollow eave that we put a brick on ten years ago to keep birds from nesting in the roof. I could barely detect a thin layer of mud and some grass on the brick. Were they really building a nest five feet from my back door? Day after day I've watched the progress and I must say that I am impressed with the craftsmanship.

Not so impressed am I with the house of straw build by field larks in my flower bed. Any ol' cat, rat, or coyote could come grab those four eggs. Last year, a similar nest on the pea gravel of my playground started out with four eggs but only one egg was around long enough to hatch.

Okay, what does this have to do with the screenplay that will never end? Nothing. Well, probably nothing. If I weren't on pain meds I might come up with a screenwriting metaphor for the well constructed bird nest with the great location and the poorly constructed nest in a poor location. Actually, that metaphor writes itself. Can't take credit for it.

Guess I'll just enjoy watching the story unfold.

3 comments:

E.C. Henry said...

Sorry to hear about your tooth infection, Maryan. Glad you're enjoying (well sort-of) your swallows. Up here in Washington we get hummingbirds. They are like the coolest birds the good Lord EVER made. They can hover, start and stop on a dime. Amazing creatures. I love 'em.

I too am on my own "story that will never end." BUT with mine God is showing me a lot about a man I never really understood. The script I'm working on started out as quest of curiousity, "What was it about this person that was SOOO bad and unforgivable, that God had to replace him eventhough at one point in his life he was annionted." Writing a script on this person, reading this story over-and-over again, and praying has helped answer that question, AND come up with a script that is going to FLOOR some people -- though it feels like a script that will never end at times.

Anyway, I hope you finish what you started, Maryan, and that you end up with a story that your proud of.

No two stories are alike. Some script are easy to write. Others are more of a grind. But REAL WRITERS finish what they start regaurdless of the outcome. Finish, Maryan. I'm pullin' for ya!

Your biggest fan,

E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

MaryAn Batchellor said...

We get hummingbirds now and then. My 19 year old caught one with his bare hands last month just to prove he could. Naturally we let him go immediately.

Your script sounds like it has a theme similar to one of mine from years ago. I had a script where even the most loathesome characters turned out to have some redeeming qualities.

Grubber said...

Hope your infection clears up quickly.

As far as the screenplay that never ends, double your meds and see what happens :)

Best of luck!
cheers
David.