What’s happening with the play – The Tribe
Tribe Updates
September 19, 2021
I woke up ready to put the pomodoro technique into play again. I knew I needed to finish Tribe today, just like I knew I needed to finish it a month ago. But after the first two hours of working on the second to last scene. I tossed the pomodoro plan out of the window…especially since a Lovecraft Country marathon is on HBO on TV. That doesn’t mean that I stopped writing, just that my progress was slowed dramatically from about 11-00. Thankfully I had been writing since sunrise. So the setback to Tribe wasn’t that great and to some extent, I think to a greater extent I am extremely happy for the distraction.
Now that I’ve written the scene I am still unsure of whether or not I want ot to be included and I can’t decide if I want it on the stage or to be filmed and shown on a projector. I didn’t think it fits the stage well.
The best part of my day was realising that I didn’t need to write the final scene. Yes, I somehow forgot that it was the first scene I wrote. The runner-up is the satisfaction of the potential of a 70-minute play.
For the next weeks or months Tribe will be on pause as I let it out of my system so that I can edit it as an outsider.
September 01, 2021
I’ve just added 500 words of dialogue. As it stand The Tribe contains 7449 words of dialogue which is approximately 59 minutes of dialogue. I thought it would result in less minutes. As a matter of fact I came her to log lamentation about having to pull some X thousands of words out of myself to hit 60 minutes because…well, I have exactly four scenes left to write.
Based on the prose treatment I know they are short scenes. Based on the my detailing of one of the scenes – the resolution, I also know that this scene includes no dialogue. This is part of the characters’ plan. At this integral point for which they have planned every detail, silence is important. They try to keep their grunts to a minimum. I’m guessing that this scene would be good for video – close-ups of their faces and eye, jumping between the decoy and the resolution, following the resolution in detail.
The resolution takes place away from the main setting. I think it would be useful to show it, but I also understand that the story as it is in its first draft has too many locations already and adding two more won’t make the play any easier to produce. This doesn’t mean I won’t write it exactly as it has happened and will happen in my mind’s eye.
Another issue is its theatricality, is what I think it’s called. I’ve written the resolution as a story. It works that way from a reader’s point of view, and from a screen-viewers point of view but it might not from a theatre-goer’s. Honestly, I’ve seen less than…I’m going to say twenty to stay on the safe side. I’ve seen less than twenty play in my 30 years. So my knowledge of what can’t and can, and should and shouldn’t is very narrow. But I feel as though what I won’t to be done isn’t particularly stageable and this is making me confused about how to write it so that it is.
August 24, 2021
A wrote a couple hundred words of dialogue or less during the last few days. And today I thought it would be as difficult to focus as it had been. But I saw the issue…well, issues actually. I sat down to the prose treatment, saw its errors, but didn’t know how to fix them and how taking them out would hamper the story. I came to terms with my ignorance and my powerlessness. I also removed a redundant scene. But facing my flaws, I believe, that did the trick.
I was scared as I wrote and I repeated to myself “This is a first draft”, “I will fix it later”, “Just get the story out”. And then I was too caught up and racing to write the dialogue or and holding unto the words and actions and trying to hold everything so that the scene, emotions, relationships stayed alive but also halted so that I could get it all down in black and white.
And thank God…1582 words of dialogue. And it felt good.
August 18, 2021
I’ve been away from The Tribe for a week as I prepared to submit A Family Game (AFG) to Big Shout Out 3. Now I can focus on other things this week or what is left of this week. I pushed myself to get AFG to where I wanted to be. And now I am back.
But having spent all of my focus burrowing into AFG – the story, the people, and other such I feel so removed from The Tribe that it seems foreign – the plot points. I am happy too that I finished the prose treatment before taking the break. I consulted the treatment and am now aware of where I am in the story.
Obviously, I need to reread what I have written. It would be ideal for me to read it from the beginning. But oddly I am scared that reading it will depress me. Will I reread it in its entirety? Do I have a choice?
Rereading a piece from the top is something I do often. But since I usually write poetry, it’s not usually that big of a deal even with blog posts. You read it few hundred words and then get back on track. But from reading AFG in order to edit it I have a fear about reading the 4,800 words. I am afraid that it will depress me into not finishing.
Nonetheless I will finish the play in the next eight days. That’d be one scene per day. I am not going to push it. I am just going to write.
August 10, 2021
It’s 1759 and I have not written a word.
I decided to get some extra sleep because of the past days and my physical state. I woke at 0631, checked the weather to find that the tropical system was still in our general area. The winds has passed but the rain was persisting. Instead of writing I persuaded my mother not to go to work. She has this odd obsession with acting as though our village doesn’t get locked in when it rains heavily. The last two times her vehicle was almost dragged away in the water after she checked both entrances to the village and decided to try going through the water which almost got into the engine on one occasion and which caused the vehicle to stall in the other situation.
Don’t ask why she does this.
By the time I had convinced her not to go in I found myself pulled in to Mrs. Winterbourne and then I wasn’t in the mood to write. I tried getting myself on the mood by researching playwrighting and fell into Twitter. I began feeling terribly about my progress then tallied the dialogue of The Tribe. It’s not great but I feel good about it. So I will take these 22.63 minutes and add to them.
No, I won’t.
I can’t focus on properly editing A Family Game(AFG) for my first competition while writing The Tribe. They are both deal with heavy topics and I am an untrained eye who is just beginning. If these were small poems or articles I would be a little more confident but most likely it’s my fear at failing the AFG edit which is debilitated me. So for the next few days, that’s four days to be exact, I won’t be pushing to write Tribe scenes. This also means I have dropped out of the Mini 1000. But it’s worth it.
P.S.
I’ve been reading. Apparently what I have been calling plotting is actually called prose treatment. Isn’t reading the most edifying thing you have ever encountered?
August 09, 2021
Sometimes I am not as good as I ought to be to my body. So last night I suffered results of not eating enough for the past weeks, not sleeping enough, and not hydrating enough. It’s not a pleasant vision. And it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
This experience lead to me getting in extra sleep in the early hours of the morning when I usually write. I woke feeling much better except for the tummy rumbles. I got myself something to eat and by the time I sat down to write it was already noisy in the house and in my mind.
That writing session gave me 426 words of dialogue from a text of 591 words, which is obviously in no way close to 1000 words. But with all the noise in my spirit I couldn’t do more. Actually, I felt drained. Honestly, the scene wasn’t taxing. It was a calm one. Yes the characters were pushing against each other, but it was nothing big.
But it was also something big.
This play spans at least 16 years and so what this scene did was bring the audience up yo speed. Since there’s no on-screen text, this scene told the audience how the characters had or hadn’t changed snd where the children are in their lives. The scene went smoothly.
Possibly I am scared of the scene coming up. In that scene, we only see Alison, the matriarch of the family and all of the information and it is vital information is conveyed through her. I don’t quite know how to do it though. I don’t want her to monologue, parroting seems…is out of character for her. I could have her responses be detailed enough so that the eavesdropping audience gets a full or somewhat full picture. I guess… I guess I am scared.
This scene, unlike most of the others has multiple points. Whereas the scenes before were plotted for the purpose of highlighting one point and then I note that the highlight one or two other points, this upcoming scene has 10 points in the plotted version…
This seems like the worst time to write with a noisy mind and rumbling belly. Nonetheless I am going to eat lunch, and journal a little more and then write the scene.
–
The second writing session has gifted me with 562 words of dialogue. This brings the tally to 988 words of dialogue or 7.9 minutes. The kinks are still present and I still don’t have the fix. But the information is out and I will tackle another scene tomorrow untill l they are all out. Only then will I begin editing. In my experience of cleaning as I go the stories have lost fire without coming to an end because I lose my interest because I forget where the journey and people are going.
August 08, 2021
Boom!
We begin this week with a glorious 5.62 minutes of dialogue. I said I wouldn’t write during the weekend, but really why not? And then there’s the Mini 1000 challenge. I got to 1100 words. So I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
And added to all that hoopla, the outline is complete. It might be flawed and I do forsee some need for adjustments which I am not certain how to adapt them for the stage
By that I mean the resolution of the play happens away from the location of the main action. I’ve already written it and I know that having the characters relay their actions will be doubly counterproductive – firstly as it relates to their story. Who gathers in an unsecure location to relive killing a man who everyone there knows and “loves”. And secondly it subtracts from the tension of the moment for the audience. This is doable but as a writer who wants my work on the stage and who understands that many theatres aren’t equipped for multiple major changes between acts or scenes I also understand I need to fit this story into one space. I’m not sure if I will rewrite it that way or write it so that multiple spaces in the play can be treated as one space.
August 06, 2021
Yesterday I didn’t go back to sleep after waking at 0000. I intended to but helped out a family member then the house got noisy as usual and I couldn’t get to sleep until 1400 or so. I slept until 1600. Then had to do a bunch of stuff due to last minute info and got to bed at 2100. I woke at 0100 still groggy. Pounded out 500 words of which 344 were dialogue and my head began hurting so I am going back to bed…0333.
I got out of bed again at 0651 so that I could make use of my mother’s wifi. And settled down to write at 1053. It’s now 1229 and my tally for today is 1139 words of dialogue which is 9.11 minutes. Loves and lovettes, I am thrilled.
These characters are fun to write actually. They are sassy, and consider themselves equals. They are expressive, unafraid to push each other and be physical in love, and willing to listen. Obviously this is the tribe. But so far the antagonists are fun too. I dislike who they are but I am also able to tap into their reputation and use that instead of using them and luckily based on how I am writing this play I can get away with writing the antagonists this way. Well, the primary antagonist from who the most potent evil in the play comes from.
I’m realising that I had a block towards the main evil doer in my first play and this was it. If I intend to continue writing these types of plays and antagonists I need to learn more about who they are when they are not being watched and what is motivating them, what are their inner turmoil?
What I am really enjoying most about these dialogues is how easy the characters’ backstories slip in. And also I am feeling a lot less tension in writing this. I don’t know if it’s because I outlined first, or because it’s not poetry, or because it’s my second play, or because I didn’t live any trauma similar to what is happening in it, or because I have been writing a little every day… although those writings are extremely short. Let’s see if this continues.
I might take a break during the weekend. By that I mean that I might finish outlining the play over the weekend instead of writing. I have seven outlined scenes which I have yet to write. But they do not connect to the end scenes. I don’t quite know if what I have outlined is just Act I or Act I and part of II. Nonetheless I need to fill this gap before I get there and waste time.
This has been a great writing week.
August 05, 2021
Without a doubt, this type of writing sucks so much energy. I began and have been writing for two hours and fifteen minutes. I wrote some 1000 words of which 846 are dialogue meaning 6.77 minutes. This pleases me greatly. But it is draining. After each writing session I am so drained that I am forced to lie down. I can’t sit up and write. Although I am detached from the story enough to view it as an omniscient I am and also have to be invested and locked in to the mindset of the characters so that I can not only have them play to and for each other naturally but more importantly so that their points of view and differences in speech are pronounced but nit overwhelming.
I am considering attaching detailed description for the Antiguan dialect because it might be difficult to read for persons outside of the Caribbean diaspora if transcribed as spoken. I am not making that decision right now though. For the time being I am writing older Antiguan dialect as close to its modern day equal, and bringing the modern day equal closer to Standard English and American slang. This is important because there are people from three generations and there are notable differences in their pronunciations of Antiguan dialect. So I am stewing on this.
Though I have plotted the first twelve scenes in writing I have combined two scenes as one, added one that was completely unplanned but flows really well and adds to the flesh of the characters. Additionally I am seeing more of the characters. I initially planned for the tribe to be considered as one character to a large extent. In my mind they are individuals with different perspectives but the same goal and this makes them subservient to each other in a democratic way. However, in this unplanned scene one of the twin sisters shows her dominance and risk taking behaviour even more than in a previous scene and we get a glimpse of her dominance as a sort of response to being the least favoured by the sister’s guardian. This is subject to change, of course, but at this time it is making the character and their world more complex and interesting.
Having written a planned scene which held the purpose of showing (Beverley) one of the antagonist character’s pov on a minor sequential event I am now considering the need for the existence of another scene and a minor character (Teresa). The purpose of that scene was to show Alison’s view. But in her conversation with Beverley, she is very vocal. This minor character (Teresa) is already a major character in another work and if laid out together they would bolster each other and the understanding of the general theme. But the intended scene and conversation has been nullified by the scene which has already taken place with. Or maybe it hasn’t been. As I think about it more it could serve to show Alison’s loyalty i.e. that she is not putting on a show but is in full support of Beverley. A lot more thought has to be and will be put in on this.
August 04, 2021
Five and a half more minutes of dialogue has been completed. It flows. It feels like them. Well, I have not developed them fully just yet. But the characters who are the focus in this scene have certain attributes which comes through in their perspectives. I know for instance that Enid is more fearful than Sid so I knew that Sid would be the one to quickly put their plan in play even without asking. Sid is quick on her feet and more social i.e. she’s the one who usually gets the news first. Their roles are more or less set, or rather Sid’s is. She is the more dominant of the two from the outside at least. Enid is observant and has a perspective that’s useful to their scheming. I like them.
We find out a lot of information through them and they will be the most hands on characters in resolving the play’s main issue. Because of this I am wondering if I really need all of the other characters? I know I need their grandmother, the antagonist and his family of which we only see and hear from two of them. But there are three other active characters. One is, will be used to bring out the grandmother’s thoughts on the events and society. But the grandmother could do a soliloquy, though honestly I don’t want the audience as a character in the play. I want them to feel like onlookers who see themselves as separate and can therefore pull in their experiences instead of being given the play as their experience. The other two characters help to plan and carry out the main solution by distracting other characters and creating an alibi for the sisters. Based on this I’d say one actress might be able to play two supporting roles.
And as I am writing this it also clicks that I need to change the layout of one of the homes though it won’t be featured. It will cause a change in how one of the alibis works but will make it more plausible.
While discussing the plot my creative partner suggested Watchmen. The twelve comics are in my possession and I will begin reading soon.
August 03, 2021
I am tired. I’ve spent the last three hours plotting out a few scenes. Based on how I am writing this, the major inciting event which should come at the end of act one will be appearing much later to the sequential nature of the story. Of course, nothing is set in stone especially since I have only plotted the first twelve scenes. The work to introduce the main characters, the sequence of inciting events, and to set my timeline in order.
In my first play time wasn’t much of a factor so I more or less disregarded entirely. But the emotion in this play builds only if you know the preceding events. The events and the reactions to them are also being timed by the characters so it’s important that I get the order and time correctly so that the play sings.
So finally, I know how the play begins. I know how it ends. But I don’t quite know what happens in the middle. I’ve got one possible scene for it. The scene is set and written actually. That’s the scene which told me who the tribe is and the first scene I completely. And oddly I did it in one sitting with any preparation which is the complete opposite of what is happening for all the other parts.
The thing is having coiffed the end I am aware of all of the parts of this story, but I don’t quite know how to coordinate it into a work suitable for consumption and this is the reason for the plotting and mapping. And honestly it’s fun. As I plot the play the characters become meatier and they begin to enunciate their relationships and it feels good.
August 02, 2021
According to my research midazolam is an anxiolytic (sedative) which can be sprayed into the nose and sedates in higher dosages.
Would it be detectable in the blood stream, nostrils?
For how long?
What are the side effects besides retrograde amnesia?
What precautions are necessary for patient and caregiver?
Yup, chloroform and ether are out. There are a few other options but I am feeling this midazolam because it is also used on children and should therefore be much safer. However, I am not in the mood to dive into anything else medical or scientific.
To the theory of playwrighting. I perused what should be included in the three-act structure then zoned in on act one, where, when, the page count, how to intensify emotion and a few other bits and I feel quite confident that I know what act one should consist of. By the end of my reading though one writer reminded me that these are for the editing process not the writing. I agree with this. I should just write the story. So I am of a sort, stuck. I want to write but am fearful of failing the advice which the writers clearly stated are just pieces of advice.
After today’s reading I don’t think it necessary to write especially in this emotional state. Tomorrow, I will plot.
And for general anesthesia…Inhalational Gases: Sevoflurane, Desflurane, Isoflurane
Inhalation anaesthetic
And here is a story about ether which I while researching:
August 01, 2021
I haven’t added any dialogue or exposition but I have fleshed out how the resolution is accomplish. Now I know what I am building towards. I understand what I am justifying and how much of the truth can be put in and how these women relate to each other. I like it.
Now that I have detailed the kill scene, who’s where, when, doing what, I don’t know how much to include. Now I have to work backwards. Actually I have been. I got stuck on the opening scene and then as I considered the end scene that came to me and as I considered how that came to be that scene appeared as well. I am thinking that I won’t give that much of the details in the kill scene. That’ll be left for me, and a screen adaptation if there ever is one because its very detailed in terms of their actions.
Chloroform is an integral part of the plan. But I have just found out that it is way more complicated to use than it is made out to be. Because I want my girls to be knowledgeable about this to a degree. I will not be using it and most find another method for them to incapacitate Ned.
I also need to better understand the process of hanging, how it changes based on how the person is hung and by whom i.e. suicide vs homicide. Would a person who is unconscious somehow regain consciousness during the process? Would this change the effect? Can there be any evidence of full weight and quick jump vs slow fall with some then all weight? Do they foam differently? Do suicides ever change their minds last minute i.e. is there evidence after the fact and how is it perceived? What are the differences between a suicide my hanging with no assistance, with assistant, and a hanging made to look like a suicide? Would an incompetent investigation team miss these or are they blatant?
July 31, 2021
I have written my first 3.888 (488) minutes of dialogue for The Tribe. And I feel great! I teared up a little.
I know how the play will end. I know who initiates the conclusion. I know who will carry it out, where they get the tools from. I am happy. I can feel the characters. There are some unknowns. But this is the first day of writing and the second or third day of thinking about it. I am nervous and scared and happy.
I am writing.
And guess what? This play is not in verse. Look at that. Tonight will be the final meeting of the Haystacks Workshop and though I didn’t put my best foot forward because of my own emotional shortcomings and inability to deal with them I have received great insight into my writing and have been able to adjust the way I write which is evidenced in the play.
I am pleased.
Journey to Being Free 