Hourglass Society
Thursday, July 28, 2005
I'm brainstorming for a script for our Christmas play this year (which would mean that I've had at least some little part in writing a Christmas play for four years in a row!) Doesn't that bring back some fond memories?
Anyhow, the idea I'm working on is that Congress passes an act to outlaw the celebration of Christmas because of the amount of depression, loneliness & rejection people experience every year. A television producer with a lot of influence (and money) convinces (bribes) congressmen to include a provision that a reality TV show will allow eight people to compete to win the chance to celebrate Christmas one last time. Three winners will celebrate Christmas with a gift exchange, and one lucky winner will receive their Christmas wish.
It's meant to be a pretty far-fetched satirical comedy. I would love feedback and/or ideas that you all might have. Poke holes in the idea. Would you want to watch a play based on this premise?
Also, in the brainstorming process, I've been checking out some demo versions of some pretty great software. Some of them help you structure screenplay, stageplays, novels, etc. in the proper format, and others are useful little tools for the brainstorming and outlining process.
Power Structure - A great brainstorming and outlining tool.
Final Draft - Developed mainly for screenplays, but also helps with novels. It automatically uses the proper format that publishing houses and producers like to read. (It's a very expensive program, but could be worthwhile should you want to sell a script or manuscript.)
StoryWeaver - A lot like Power Stucture, but kind of "holds your hand" through the whole process. So far it's helped me a lot with character development. You might not like it. The nice thing is that it's cheap.
Comments:
I have a comment about the acutal post. Just make sure you dont make the "Moral" of the paly too obvious, or else it might be unbearable to sit through. I like the idea of satire on reality shows and our "dependance" on Christmas.
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