Writer's Block and Super Nintendo

Oh it's been so long since I've posted anything on my blog. For that, I humbly apologize for my inconsistency. The thing of it is is that I'm preparing for a legal battle right now between the moving company Patriot Van Lines and myself. The company is trying to exhort money from my girlfriend and I, which in turn explains why I've been off my creative game.

That is all slowly changing now...

After revising my resume/cover letter and applying for an internship, I'm ready to go back to working on the "David Fincher Mockumentary" writing project I've mentioned before on this blog. So far I have a loose Dramatis Personae and am working heavily on making it more pronounced. Once that is completed I'm going to weave a obtuse, comical story arc and refine it from there. I'll try to get both those up in the next couple of days and see what y'all think.

In the meantime, while battling writer's block, I think I'm going to go back to playing Super Nintendo games for the time being....

It makes me relax.

-Eric

I woke up on the EPIC side of bed this morning...

This morning was pretty great! Despite being woken up this morning to the sounds of my beautiful girlfriend getting ready for work and yappy animals, it was excellent right from the get go. I felt rejuvenated instead of tired and blah. A rare feeling for me.

The morning got off to an even better start when I started headbanging and grooving out to music this morning (Cudi and D'espairsRay get me to do that sometimes). Soon after working an appetite, I ate four blueberry waffles and downed them with a cold glass of Silk milk (at this point, I think I'm bi-winning).

Shortly after I worked on my full length script My Loss Lynda, saved my changes and registered my script with the WGA West (Writer's Guild of America for those not in the know). And it's noon even noon yet. Epic.

Now if I can write out some notes today for my other script The Longitudinal Aggravator, I'll truly feel like I've accomplished something today!

I'm gonna sign off for now, but before I do, let me post the first scene of my script My Loss Lynda:

My Loss Lynda

By Eric Vaughn Carter

Lost Level Productions

05/12/09-11/12/09

WHITE CARD

A weepy violin invades our senses in the B.G.

SUPERIMPOSE:

MY LOSS LYNDA over the white background with black lettering.

CUT TO:

A HAZY FAIRYTALE

A reserved redheaded girl named LYNDA ADAMS is riding in a lovely horse and carriage buggy over a beautiful—if not slightly foggy—landscape leading off to a chateau over the horizon of endless green grass and babies breath flowers. She passes a line of people who are cheering her on as she gets closer and closer to her destination. She speaks with the debonair of an old time Hollywood actress.

LYNDA(V.O.)

Oh my dear, dear heavens. The moment of absolute truth has finally come for me ladies and gentlemen. I, Lynda Adams, am about to marry the man of my dreams.

She passes by more people as they toss rice and confetti on her. She can’t help but smile and be incredibly coy about the entire situation.

LYNDA(V.O.)(Cont’D)

Wouldn’t you believe it, after numerous heartbreaks, weepy nights and sappy romance pictures to nurse myself out of my fervid personal regret, the time for true love has come. And would you believe that the term “love” has so gracefully re-acquainted itself into my vocabulary.

Her carriage stops outside of the grandiose church. She greets the driver with a curtsey and makes an exit.

LYNDA(V.O.)(Cont’D)

What a delightful feeling it is to have the notion of love consume one’s heart to its maximum capacity. You see ladies and gentlemen, the object that was able to reach in and heal me like the Hand of God was none other than Bradley Wentworth. A man of many talents and innumerable charm!

INT. CHURCH

2.

She enters the church and walks down the straight-as-an-arrow aisle towards the altar. Her groom as mentioned above is waiting for her, but is not seen due to a shadow.

LYNDA(V.O.)(Cont’D)

And to think, half of these people I so utterly despise. Mistaking me as a cuckold of a woman who would always fall for the next gentlemen to promise me sweet nothings in my ear. They were all wrong, everyone one them. All wrong. They were about to see me succeed on levels that no woman my age thought possible.

CUT TO:

REALITY

INT. LYNDA’S BEDROOM – DAY

Lynda has her eyes closed, dreaming away as the sound of a chainsaw erupts over her classical music, streaming from iTunes. She opens her eyes slowly and rolls them over to the direction that the violent sounds are coming from.

LYNDA(V.O.)(Cont’D)

Beyond my vivid imagination of how my wedding with my knight-in-shining armor was to be, the simple fact that I was in love with him and he with me was four times greater than any fantasy Walt Disney himself could create in his lifetime.

She gets up out of her chair and exits her room.

LYNDA(V.O)(Cont’D)

The thing that I had been waiting for was finally about to dawn upon me, like a ray of sunshine, caressing the rest of sweet mother nature’s tender glory.

INT. LIVING ROOM – SAME

As she descends down the stairwell, she glances over and sees her brother ZACHARY playing an extremely violent video game. He glances her way as well and shuts off his Xbox 360.

ZACHARY

Hey Lynda. Wanna watch some TV with me?

LYNDA

What do you plan on watching? Some absurdly violent weekend picture I presume?

3.

ZACHARY

Friday the 13^th in 3-D is playing.

LYNDA

(Sighing)

Well I suppose if you really want the company.

ZACHARY

Of course. I know how much you appreciate Mr. Voorhees.

CUT TO:

THE TV SCREEN

Jason is chasing down some poor innocent victim with his usual weapon of choice. Naturally, the victims demise is photographed as violently as possible.

Lynda cringes.

LYNDA

My Lord Zachary. How could you watch such violence on a recreational level? Honestly I think I’m going to be sick.

ZACHARY

You think this it bad? This is nothing.

LYNDA

What on earth could be possibly worse than this?

ZACHARY

I don’t know. I hear that Salo movie is pretty bad. But that’s not really violent or anything.

More murders ensue onscreen.

LYNDA

Where’s dad? Does he know that you’re watching this stuff?

ZACHARY

He doesn’t care. He thinks it’ll help me man up.

LYNDA

Or become a deranged sociopath. Either way, I’ve never questioned the man as a parent. I think I came out all right.

ZACHARY

4.

Yeah, in your mind. Dad never really wanted a frilly daughter.

LYNDA

Yes but he’s learned to accept me for what I am and not the hick, mucus

projecting daughter that normally comes out of this town.

ZACHARY

He never wanted you to be a hick Lynda. He just didn’t want for you to become a complete Sally.

LYNDA

You just worry about you and I’ll worry about me. And Dad can worry about his failures as a father on his own watch. Anyway, I think I’ve soaked in enough slander and violence for one sitting. I have places to be.

Lynda gets up and brushes herself off.

ZACHARY

Aw geez, don’t tell me you’re going to do what I think it is you’re about to do.

LYNDA

Yes I’m going to do what you think I’m going to do.

ZACHARY

Aw dammit Lynda. That guy is such a toolshed!

LYNDA

(Ticked)

What?

ZACHARY

Are you pissed? Seriously?

LYNDA

He is not a toolshed! And don’t say the word pissed! But yes, what you said was very upsetting.

ZACHARY

Sorry miss Lynda. Care for a hug?

LYNDA

Not really.

ZACHARY

5.

Well I’m just saying. You’ve been hurt before and you always tell me that if you get hurt again, who knows what’ll happen.

LYNDA

Ok kid brother. I’ll take your advice on it. But remember, I’m older than you, so by default I know more than you do.

ZACHARY

Yeah, I’m sure that’s the case.

LYNDA

I’m going back to college now and preparing. Behave and ingest your violence like a good boy.

ZACHARY

I always do. Good luck!

LYNDA

(As she exits)

Won’t need it!

Introduction

Hello and welcome to The Mental Toilet,

My blog dedicated solely to the art of screenwriting as well as other random scramblings in my mind.

My name is Eric Vaughn Carter and since I was sixteen years old, living in a small town in Maine, I was inspired by a certain movie and a certain filmmaker to try my hand at screenwriting (which I will remain a secret as to what movie/who inspired me for the time being).

Since then, between finishing high school, working weekends, graduating from college and moving out to the West Coast, I have written 2 feature length scripts, five episodes of a tv show I've created and a small handful of short scripts. My goal by the end of this summer is to finish writing another feature length I've started back in Maine, as well as either finish a season of the tv show I was referring to earlier, or finish another feature length and have them read.

I'm someone who also wants/likes to write in different genres, so if anyone out there is curious to know if I have a preference, I don't.

For Feature Length Films this is my project list:

My Loss Lynda - Completed First Draft (Romantic/Dark Comedy)

The Longitudinal Aggravator - Halfway done first draft (Dark Comedy/Crime Drama)

Colossus - Conceptualized (Sci-Fi Film)

Winning Days - Conceptualized (Racing Dramedy)

For Television shows:

Fatima - Five Episodes In (Sci-Fi Epic)

Ground Zero - Three episodes in (College Dramedy)

I think what I'll start doing is to try to post on current scripts that I'm working on to get advice and feedback as to what works and what doesn't. For the moment, I'm going to try to work on The Longitudinal Aggravator for now. In terms of t.v. shows I'll try to post whole episodes of Fatima as well (cause I'm the kind of writer who likes to jumps back and forth between scripts).

Since I'm getting tired, I'll sign off for now. If anyone is as interested in screenwriting as me, hit me up for a conversation.

Till later,
-E.V.C.