Five People Got Cut
May 6, 2007So that wedding in New Orleans that stopped the big mo I had going (finishing the screenplay) actually turned out to be a good thing. I met some filmmakers (who would have thought?), in fact the groom was one of them. How could I not know my cousin was marrying a filmmaker? He just moved back to New Orleans from Hollywood.
Besides a little networking, I spent a lot of time just taking it easy and listening to people talk. The rhythm of the language in New Orleans is melodious. I love hearing it, and of course it helps with the the script since some of the scenes are set there. The word choices are unique. For instance, I’d ask people if they had any damage from the hurricane and if they had flooding they would say, “We took in three feet of wawtuh.”
I like reading small newspapers from small towns in Louisiana to get juicy dialogue. Here’s one about a stabbing in a nightclub: Five people got cut. That is not a quote from a witness, those were the writer’s words.
After getting home, my husband goes out of town and I have a whole day and night to do nothing but write. What a gift, huh? No. The power went out for about 12 hours. It was hell because it was at night and I burn the midnight oil. At the same time, it was good because I’m writing scenes about the people losing power in New Orleans after Katrina. I had a lot of time to think about a lot of things such as how fucking dark it is when all the lights are out. How boring it gets. How people gather in the streets to try to get information. How I really need a radio with batteries (Oops). How entertaining watching a house burn down can be when there ain’t shit to do without electricity. I went back three different times to watch that shit, no kidding.
Hopefully, these things that seem like bad luck will bring about an improvement in the script. I think it will. I’ve already come up with a better ending.
Posted by: KillerDollie
Do you understand now why people used to have lots and lots of children some hundred years ago? Because the was no electricity and, well…. it was boring.
I like listening to people talk too. It’s always fascinated me to listen to different dialects and accents and slang.
You better be writing, missy. One of us has. I’m watching you!
It is amazing how loud a house crackles and pops when it is burning.
By the way, there is no better ending than “FADE OUT”.
I am, I am, HB. (I love writing at gunpoint)
Kid, how about “To be continued…”
“To be continued..” can be annoying.
I mean, it is really saying “Hey, you now have to pay another $10, $20 if you want popcorn and a Coke, just to find out what happens in this story, bet you’re fucked off now huh??…”