An Anglo-Irish Convert in "the City"

Day 1: Review and rewrite Scene 1 of screenplay that I haven't looked at for 6 months

As a fledgling screenwriter who is learning on the fly, my 2 tasks today are to:

Set aside 1 hour, at minimum, to write and make sure that I DO IT!

Review and elaborate on Scene 1:

• Try to see a continuum in the plot action and envision the plot as a whole.
• Ask the question: "Is this scene cohesive"?
• And, "Does this scene seamlessly connect to the next"?

So, at the end of my 1 hour of labor what do I have? What is my purpose today?

At the end of the day my purpose is... to paraphrase the paisani, "to do just enough to wet my beak."

...Or in the more fully articulated version in "The Godfather," as Fanucci says to Vito in Italian:

"Young man, I hear you and your friends are stealing goods. But you don't even send a dress to my house. No respect! You know I've got three daughters. This is my neighborhood. You and your friends should show me some respect. You should let me wet my beak a little. I hear you and your friends cleared $600 each. Give me $200 each, for your own protection. And I'll forget the insult. You young punks have to learn to respect a man like me! Otherwise the cops will come to your house. And your family will be ruined.

Of course, if I'm wrong about how much you stole, I'll take a little less. And by less, I only mean -- a hundred bucks less. Now don't refuse me. Understand, paisan?

Understand, paisan?... Tell your friends I don't want a lot. Just enough to wet my beak.

Don't be afraid to tell them!"

Now, as for my fledgling effort today, all I can say at the end of it is, "Airborne!"

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 1:44 PM