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November 21, 2003Random thoughts, but better than nothing, right?
This has been quite the week. I think I’ve cranked out somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pages’ worth of screenplay in the last seven days, with another 20 or 30 pages I’ll need to write by Tuesday morning. I had some assignments for my other two classes that needed doing, too, but the screenplay is—and has been—my focus this quarter. I don’t remember ever pouring so much time into a single piece of writing, or focusing on a single piece of writing so completely to the detriment of everything else in my life.
I’ll be taking screenwriting again next quarter, with the goal of revising my first draft. At this point, I’ll get the damn thing polished and sold for no other reason than pure force of will; if I don’t do anything with it, all the sleep I didn’t get and meals I didn’t eat will have been for naught.
The good news is that my stress level will go down significantly after this screenplay is turned in. Beyond that, all I have to do is write a few more fiction critiques and a large paper for my Early Japanese Literature class—and the paper isn’t due until December 10th, which means I won’t have to rush straight from the screenplay into it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about words lately—due in no small part to the fact that I’ve had to crank out so many of them, no doubt. I’ve especially been interested in the relationships between words whose similarities (and subsequent shared roots) have never garnered my notice before.
Consider the definitions of "ideal" and "idea," for example (both taken from "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition").
Ideal: "Existing as an archetype or pattern, especially as a Platonic idea or perception."
Idea: "In the philosophy of Plato, an archetype of which a corresponding being in phenomenal reality is an imperfect replica."
It makes perfect sense when you think about it, but even so, I’d never even consciously recognized the correlation. The same goes for "candid" and "candidate"—the latter of which, interestingly enough, comes from a Latin word for the white togas worn by Romans seeking office. "Candid" and "candidate" have little in common with each other nowadays, but they both possess a shared Latin heritage of purity.
Based on the Hilton heiress scandal, should we dub all future socialites who get caught on tape in compromising positions "Parisites"?
In other news, while I can’t exactly endorse his taste in women, I’ve got no beef with former President Clinton’s taste in books. He released a list of his 21 favorite books, two of which I’ve read, and one of which is also a favorite of mine. It seems that Clinton enjoys Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s "One Hundred Years of Solitude," a novel to which I subjected my seniors last year. He also lists William Styron’s "The Confessions of Nat Turner" as a favorite. I read it, and wouldn’t list it in my top 21, but I can think of plenty worse novels. "Dune," I’m sad to report, didn’t make the list.
And everyone’s favorite kitschy lawn ornaments have undergone a significant upgrade, just in time for the holiday season. Tom Darby, the maker of "Jardinains," has released a new level pack for the "Breakout" clone that ups the total number of unique levels from 50 up to a whopping 150. I haven’t even had a chance to explore the new stuff, but I know that a "Jardinains" with three times the levels can be nothing but good.
I’m long overdue in doing it, but I’ll announce the winner of the mullet contest in a few days.
Posted by patrick at November 21, 2003 04:45 PM
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