Midterms

Today is dedicated to reading midterms -- and it's usually a good experience. I always have them write a short script to a specific requirement (in this instance, I give them the required first scene of the story), and most do a decent job, showing they are beginning to master the format and rhetorical issues of the craft and can begin to focus on storytelling issues, which is where the emphasis in screenwriting should be. Correct format and a lean, clean writing style must become "givens." So this is a day I look forward to.

And I'm already ready for my Finale class tonight. I'm not, however, ready for music theory tomorrow, so I need to spend an hour on that today as well.

I'm excited to have drafted the silent comedy yesterday. It's very rough -- but hey, any start is better than none. You can't rewrite a blank page.