Sweet productivity

I wrote ten pages of "By the Book" treatment today. I have my outline to follow, but I feel productive. New ideas are springing up as I write, which is always a good sign. Some scenes are disappearing as I find them superfluous and tighten the story.

I haven't followed a strict process of outline to treatment to screenplay draft on any previous work. My treatment is coming in a shade short of black. Imagine a screenplay without dialogue - that's sort of what I'm writing, although the description, the black, isn't as specific as it will be in the first draft.

My outline was eight pages plus. at roughly the halfway mark, the treatment is at nine pages plus, so it's roughly twice as long. The outline in Microsoft Word blew through 2,573 words. I'm doing the treatment in Final Draft - 3,047 words and counting.

The treatment is due March 15. Before today, I wasn't sure I'd make it.

My biggest problem so far is that I've grown annoyed with the original title. "The Book of John" is what what I've been calling it instead. For future reference, they are one and the same.

That's a good biggest problem to have.

Bonus rueful observation:

Netsurfer Digest subscribers continue to ask for their favourite e-zine four months after its unexpected demise. Here's a typical response to the news (I forward all inquiries to my relevant blog posts):

How terribly sad.  I found NSD to be one of the best things about the Net.  I don’t pay for content, but I was glad to pony up for NSD. At least I can say thank you.  THANK YOU.  You were awesome while you lasted.

Thank you (again).

It still makes me sad too, sometimes. And I still have the itch....