Category: From The Editor

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

The more I think about it, the more I really like the Hobbes & Shaw screenplay. I say this because it did was a screenplay is supposed to do — be invisible. Only the greats can write a screenplay that is conspicuous enough that the average person notices it. A screenplay, in my opinion, is simply the framework for the producer, director and actors to tell the story.

The more I write this novel, the more seriously I take structure, character and plot. Your job as a storyteller is to get out of the way. You lay out a universe with interesting characters and then smash them against each other in a way where you have increasing tension. If shit blows up and people have sex, all the better.

But the main point is that the audience cares about the characters. I cared about what was going on with the characters in Hobbes & Shaw, even though it was meant to be mindless summer fun. I thought there were some pretty big plot holes, but the overall effect was interesting and entertaining.

As I said, I liked the screenplay because I did not find myself thinking about it. Things moved along at a brisk pace. You meant interesting people with believable rationales. I did not want to walk out once, which is saying something for me.

Compare this to Booksmart. I walked out with the inciting incident occurred. Way too much screeching over things I did not want to sit through two hours worth of hero’s journey. I understand you’re supposed to give the Hero room to grow, but when all the screeching happened, I bounced. I had better things to do with my time.

But, again, I was not the audience. The audience seemed to be bi curious girls seniors in high school. Or something. Something I’m not. The thing about Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood was I really, really cared about the characters even though for much of the film they didn’t do all that much. That’s a testament to good writing, if ever there was one.

Anyway. I need to read more. And watch more movies. I need to hurry up and finish the first draft, if nothing else.

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am cruising towards having my Hero and Heroine hook up. I have a really cool way for this to happen. And, yet, I worry no one will believe it’s possible. I say this knowing that the scene I’m going to write is very possible because it happened to ME.

I have debated at length with myself as to when to have my two leads hook up. If I don’t do it right, women will be turned off. Since I want this at least _try_ to be a tentpole, I have to be careful of just that. I have already worked the plot some to tone down the male sex fantasy aspect of the introduction of the female lead.

But given that this is just a first draft, I’m going to just write it. If I don’t like it long-term, I’ll change it when I come around to the second draft. The key issue is to just keep writing.

As I have said before, you can’t edit a blank page.

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

As I’ve said repeatedly, the thing about trying to write the type of novel I’m writing is how up-in-the-air everything is. I have no idea what the mood of the nation will be whenever I try to sell it much less whenever it might be actually in bookshelves.

The story is meant to be timeless and yet timely, just like the movie Network. I want people to nod their head as they explore this fantastical world I’ve thought up. I want them to, in the back of their head, see the allegorical nature of the plot and universe.

Of course, there is a good chance this will piss MAGA people off. So much so, I continue to stress out about someone like Don Jr. telling his followers to hate read it. (Though that would be cool for the bottomline.)

But, really, I have to do the hard work. I have to flesh out the plot I have. I have to create a universe people will want to spend a few days in. It’s a lot of work. A whole lot of work.

And this novel is very autobiographical in a macro sense. I am using a lot of my personal life and personal history to tell this story. The better you know me personally, the more this will be obvious to you. I’m using a lot of my experiences in Seoul to tell this story. That is making telling this story a lot easier, believe you me.

I just have to keep writing. I just have to keep believing. I can’t get weighed down with insecurities. I do need to read more and watch more movies. I will admit that. I find myself studying popular movies to figure out what makes them a good tale and how I can improve my story from what I learn.

As I have mentioned, I found Hobbes & Shaw touched all the right bases of storytelling. And it doesn’t too much thought to see that through the use of subject, a lot of issues of the day were addressed. It was because of the complete lack of subtext that I absolutely hated Booksmart. That movie enraged me because I felt it was so eager to suck its own ideological dick that it miss the point of the whole endeavor: tell a great story.

Had Olivia Wilde leaned more into it being a homage of, say, Heathers, then I think it would have been a more popular film. And, yet, as I keep saying, I was obviously NOT the audience of that movie so I don’t really have much room to talk. But I felt it failed a story because of how ideological it was.

That’s a real risk for telling stories under Trump. Trump has made the political divide in America so taunt that it’s difficult to both tell a tentpole story AND use subtext to tell the audience what’s on your mind.

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I saw Hobbes & Shaw today and I really liked it. It dealt with a lot of modern issues using subtext. I felt it had a deeper meaning if you gave it some thought, which is why I enjoyed it so much.

My novel is meant to be sort of “The Millennium Series” meets “Network.”

That, in a sense, is the high concept notion of it. I say that because this is a novel that really is meant to be a snapshot — in an allegorical sense — of American under Trump. The plot is just an excuse to explore the allegorical world. Hopefully, of course, I won’t come off as too preachy. That would really suck and hurt the chances of the novel being any form of a success.

I’m trying to write as fast as I can. I hope to finally, finally wrap up the first draft’s first act for real by the end of the month. I’m so desperate to move out of the first act, that if I can’t do it through rewriting, I’m going to do it be reusing much of what I’ve already written.

Once I get out of the first act and can successfully stay out of it, I think things should move a lot faster. I know the ins and outs of the novel’s plot like the back of my hand on a macro level. It’s the tactical stuff that is slowing me down at this point.

But, again, the point is to just keep going. I can’t choke or get discouraged by assuming someone is going to “steal” the idea or make it moot in some way. While both of those things are very possible, I have to keep writing until it’s actually proven to have happened.

Not before.

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I find myself constantly assuming someone is going to steal a creative march on me. So much so, I feel myself just not wanting to continue with the novel. I’m that sure. I’m that absolutely sure that someone, somewhere will somehow “steal” my novel’s concept or otherwise make it moot.

And, yet, I keep going for a number of reasons. One is I’ve already invested a huge amount of time and energy into it. So why assume the worst until it actually happens? If something happens to negate my hard work, then we’ll roll with it.

But wait until it actually happens.

So, meanwhile, I’m going to keep going. I have a huge amount of work to do still. But I feel as though I’ve at least gotten out of the main part of development. I’m getting into actually writing the novel — or at least the first serious draft.

This is happening in large part to finally figuring out the basic structure of the plot and universe. The novel deals with “big ideals” in an entertaining fashion. I honestly can’t think of anything else I would rather be working on at this point.

Really, it’s a matter of not getting distracted by what “might” or “may” happen. The point is to keep writing, keep believing. Keep believing in myself that I can produce a quality product that will have mass appeal.

None of that can happen in the first place if I don’t believing myself enough to keep going.

By Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I have sent the first part of the novel — 20 scenes — to a few people and now I’m waiting for some sense from them if the conceit is as good as I believe it to be.

Last night was kind of rough. I have thrown my whole life into this novel and people simply were not giving me the turn-around on what I sent them in the way I expected.

But in a sense, I guess it is better I realize that dynamic now. If I waited until the second draft was finished it would be a real let down if people acted this way then.

Today is going to be development day for the novel. I’m going to sketch out the second part of the novel — which the story really begins — and then probably start writing again no later this tomorrow, this Sunday. I believe this novel is really strong. Really strong. But the tough part is getting someone, anyone to be willing to take a look at it in the first place.

Anyway, I just have to keep believing in myself. I have to keep going. No one will help you while you’re struggling. It’s only after you’re a success that anyone gives a shit.

idle rambling while drinking a Pepsi https://t.co/Ba0inP6k5S

— Shelton Bumgarner 🔗 (@bumgarls) July 27, 2019