HERMIT REPORT

[thehefner]

You really start to notice how much you procrastinate when you cut yourself off from your usual distractions (TV, high-speed internet, IM, and other things we won't mention in polite company). As such, every single time you want to slack off or run away from a project, it's sort of like constantly trying to flip on the lights during a blackout: "Oh, right, SHIT!"

This was a good idea, and I was kind of sad to return to a house filled with four big, hyper, perpetually-starved (if you're to believe them) dogs, my mother, my grandmother, and my brother (who went on a bitter rant yesterday about how much he hates 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and THE FOUNTAIN). I need to do this hermit thing for a week or so next time.

48 hours in the wilderness later, here's my progress report:



THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES: I think I have my 75-minute version nailed, survivable and complete even without the fan-favorite (yes, all fifteen of you!) traffic court story.



SON OF THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES (working title): The new script is shaping up, and let me tell you, it's been a fucking stressful endeavor. I was telling Mom about how it would be about my family, Dad's death, etc, and she sounded very doubtful. I'm like, "... what's wrong?" "But I like the funny stuff!"

Goddammit, as if it hasn't been hard enough trying not to insecurely shoe-horn in humor and jokes, to just let the strength of the story tell itself. This is hard for me anyway, but especially so since it'll concern my father and grandmother. It's going to be a serious tightrope-walk to discuss those subjects in an interesting, meaningful, and (in the latter case) sympathetic manner. Which of course means that the risk will pay off all the more if I pull it off.

Thankfully, I was encouraged by some of you as I reread this old entry last year, which will be the basis for SON. Your comments meant even more to me now than they did eight months ago.



HARVEY DENT NOVEL: Gilda and her relationship with Harvey has to be the spine of the book, the heart and soul, and I made some serious headway fleshing her out. Plus, I think I'm starting to crush on Gilda a bit.

I wonder how readers expecting a superhero crime thriller will react to a couple lengthy tangents entirely dedicated to a study of character and relationship? I can just see DC's rejection letter: "NEEDS MOAR ACTION/TIGHTS. THIS IS TWO-FACE, NOT THE CHERRY ORCHARD."



JOHNNY GO COMIC SCRIPT: Yeah, I did jack.

Comments

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

Your posse has your back, John.
All the way down.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a posse! Aaaaaaaaand gunslinger walk!

/badass

Thankya pally!

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

Ain't no thang, G.
I practice my gunslinger walk every day, just in case somebody calls me for a final confrontation of any kind.
So far, no dice...but when it happens, forty billion flavors of ass will be soft-served like I was Baskin their Robbins.

[covenhouse-cat.livejournal.com]

Man, I know what you mean. I myself, despite having many days off last week for holidays/breaks in both classes I'm teaching and the one I'm taking (playwriting), AND my housemate was gone, so I had the computer all to myself and could stay up to unholy hours (and I did), I STILL GOT NOTHING DONE!

I blame Facebook. Whatever you do, don't get on there, man. Too many games and diversions.

Ok, I did work on two of my plays and one of my graphic novels, and I watched "Shoot Em Up", which I missed in theatres, but damned if I didn't stare at the screen for hours, doing nothing. What's wrong with me that I can't finish anything unless I have someone telling me there's a deadline on it?

The Cherry Orchard is overrated.

cheers!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I count myself lucky that I never discovered the games and shit on Facebook. LJ is bad enough, but at least here I can pretend I'm writing something!

I'm so with you on deadlines. I hate and need them.

After having performed Cherry Orchard, I'm further convinced that Chekhov is only for fans of Chekhov, and meant to be performed, not read, so the people who are already familiar with the plays can see what nuances the actors and directors give to each production. That's my theory.

[swimpenguin.livejournal.com]

Anton Chekhov's Two Face. I like, I like.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Chekhov really did need more insane lawyers and Tommy gun fights, don't you agree?

[civilbloodshed.livejournal.com]

I need to hear your brother's rant.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I haven't wanted to hear it all the way through, as it would make me unhappy (and he's so incensed that he's not up for discussion, just ranting) but I think his grievances with both is that they are both overblown pretentious bullshit "nothing" movies.

On 2001: "Oh, hey, know what this movie could use? A screenwriter! Not a whole lotta dialogue here! I think they already blew that money on white paint. Hey, I got a great idea! Let's paint more things fucking white!"

On THE FOUNTAIN: "The cheapest lame-ass derivative use of Buddhist imagery ever. It wasn't even shot well! Seriously, Phoebe and I looked at each other and we were like, 'What the fuck did we just see? What the fuck was that?! Ugh, piece of shit! Fucking hated it!"

I could ask him for greater detail, but only for you. And even then, you'll have to buy me a milkshake when I come to Chicago.

Bear in mind, Edd and Phoebe also deeply, similarly hated KISS KISS BANG BANG. Which I just do not understand. That one actually hurt.

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

I didn't know Ed was in town. We should do something.. I haven't seen him in a while.

Also.. now that you have the 75 minute version nailed, you need to get an audience, do it, and have them anonymously review it. Like a test audience.

Do the same with Son of the Hefner Monologues once it reaches that point.

You'll want to do this because you can't expect the same reaction to either that you got the first time around. Be prepared and shit.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Absolutely right, and Jon's already on top of that. He and Chenoa already dragged a friend to sit in on a reading of the revised 90-minute version, which he loved, and he'll get more people for a test audience next week for the 75-minute (which is already cutting it seriously too close for comfort, even without the added time for laughter).

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

Word. Good move on you guys' part.