Script Frenzy: The Die is Cast

This is no joke.

The time is almost upon us.

The destined hour draws nigh.

In distant shores where clocks are set to times strange and unknown to this man, it has already begun.

The wordening is upon us. And soon my keyboard shall echo with the sound of my furious typing.

Ever so soon.

I've cleared my throat, I've thought some thoughts, I've flexed my mental muscles and, now, I'm ready to spike my page count up. I've set up a schedule, budgeted my time, tried to work myself into a routine of steady writing even in the midst of everything else I've got going on. And, now, I'm convinced that I can churn out enough dreck to fill those pages with words. I've taken care of things around here, cleaned out my backlog of some points I've been wanting to make for a while, set aside a few posts to make in the days ahead in case I run out of time and energy while I prepare to shutter the doors, at least temporarily. And, now, I'm sure that I can focus my boundless energy to the task at hand. I've settled on a script, an idea, and a plan for going forward. And, now, I'm positive that I can not only just do this thing, that I can do it the kind of justice I'll need to feel good about it in the end.

So, yes, I'm one of the few, the frantic, the 6,000 strong. I'm feeling rather amped up about this year's Frenzy. Unlike last year's NaNo, I'm not beset by personal tragedy, haunted by bad luck and the loss of close loved ones. Unlike last year's Frenzy I actually know what I'm getting into. For this April, my adrenaline is pumping and I'm chomping at the bit to begin.

The script I've settled on is the comic book one. I still don't have a good title for it - although I've got the title of the trade I hope to finish, "Freshman Fifteen" - but I've got about eighteen issues planned. Full of plots and subplots and characters. It's not exactly Watchmen but I think there's something to it. But what really won me over to this project as opposed to the others was the compartmentalized nature of it. I can work at one issue at a time, I can work on several at once, and still get closer to completion, stage by stage.

Now, a comic book is around 22 pages long. I'm going to cheat a bit by having a main story and a back-up 4 pager in each issue so that means each is only 18 pages long. The goal for the Frenzy is 100 pages. If I want to get through the entire epic I have in mind, I'll need to get about 325 pages done. Plus another @75 for the back-ups. That's a blistering 10+ page a day pace. Not entirely out of bounds but sure to be taxing.

But just to cross the finish line is about 6 issues. About the size of a typical trade paper back, too, and I've cleverly constructed my story to play out in a series of six-issue arcs. Discrete units I can work on one at a time until they're done but which only serve to set up the next. So, while I might not be able to get to it all, if I can credibly claim victory that means I'm going to have at least a good third of it done.

Right, so I've got a plan, I've got a drive, and now I've just got to wait the few short hours for the countdown to tick down and the fun to begin.

See you on the other side.