Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Stereotypical or Original Characters? Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies; Volume 78

It takes some writers a while to figure out what style and flavor of genre they want to write.  Doing so it's inevitable that they fill out their stories with characters. 

So how should writers who write romantic comedies approach the subject of filling out their rom-com material with characters?

Here's an initial way of thinking of character rosters and groupings in romantic comedy stories:

1. Main couple: typically, a man and woman.  (Not to say there aren't same sex pairings out there, but if you write that kind of material you really are aiming for smaller and nitche audience).  Your main couple is the driver of your rom-com story and pits the central question: Will this couples foray into the romance result in romantic satisfaction for them both.
2. Buddy/mentor characters:  When a man a female embark on a romance inevitably they are councilled or lead by others in the circle of influence.  Buddy/mentor characters help the main couple cope with dealing with the prospective romance in question.
3. Comic relief characters:  These can be buddy/mentor characters OR unique characters that exist in other ways as rom-com story unfolds.  Comic relief characters bring zest and relief to rom-com material. 
4. Romantic thwarts/Bellamies/wrong guy or gal:  These are characters that threaten the central romance in rom-com material.  Sometimes these character fuse with comic relief characters or buddy/mentor characters.  Though many rom-coms in the last lexicon of romantic comedies released over the years have used straight-laced thwarts.
5. Setting characters:  These are characters that arise out of the setting from which you've placed your story.  Workers at places that you main couple goes to, coworkers. 

The first four in this five group set I've listed aren't really ideas of my own.  A lot of that thinking/logic came from the great Billy Mernit and his great paperback, Writing the Romantic Comedy which really helped me see how romantic comedy movies and stories worked from a story construction function outline through character placement.  The term "setting character" is an E.C. Henry original designation -- to best of my knowledge as I've heard that said before.   All of this is really useful to WRITERS of rom-com material.  And though we don't have to agree on everything, I think this construct helps unify rom-comers in a way of looking at this from the prism of characters looks back at structure and story to find their proper place in it all.  

Some MAY argue that the power couple trumps all when it comes to writing romantic comedies...

A good "meet meet" is great, but that's now where the story ends!

Me, however, I disagree with the universal application of that axiom across the vast spectrum of this genre.

Over the course of many years writing, I'm finding more and more, I that I prefer a broader look at STORY when it comes to romantic comedies.  I'm more in the Judd Apatow camp when it comes to comedy material.  

So what is the Apatow camp like?  Well, if watch some of his movies and movies that fit comprably to his.  It's a BROADER approach to characters in story.  It's less of focus on the main couple.  Don't know what your feeling about The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) are.  Heck it's been nearly 20 years since that gem was released.  But it's significance in the overall rom-com umbrella should not be minimized.  That cast of characters was AWESOME!  This movie was farrr from a one-note focus on Andy and Trish. Eventually the movie turns to that, but it takes a long time to get there.  In the meantime you have a focus of Andy's coworkers at Smart Tech, and even Trish has comprable issues with her daughter, who is getting serious about being sexually active herself.  

Now throughout this post I've place images from the cast of  Dan in Real Life .  Though this movie stars Steve Carrel, who was the star of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, its supporting cast is equally if not better than that of Judd Apatow's opus -- and that show is know for its lasting impact of launching such stars as Elizabeth Banks, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill.  

Throughout its history, however, I feel confident in saying that the rom-com genre has been dominated by the prevailing thought that the leads must carry the story, and that all other characters and sub-plots needed to fall so the wayside that cliche characters were commonplace and acceptable commodities.  

Great characters in rom-com material -- gotta pin them down!

Now, even in my earlier five groupings of rom-com characters that does lend itself to stereotypes.  I, however am NOT an advocate of that style of storytelling.  I do not like character that just seem to exist in function of the lead couple in question.  

Of course every MEANINGFUL story can't just dive into the inner workings of every character that appears on screen.  But I believe the overall mix of characters: main to bit roles; should be believable entities unto themselves.  So put in the necessary effort for that feat to be achieved!  Yes, rom-coms do have core tenants of romance that is intimate.  But life is dynamic with many things in play.  Romance seldom happens in a two person vacuum with no one else involved.  

Hup, you're in a romance -- and you've been found out!

It's taken me some time to "get" my forte in writing, and the "gifts" I have to offer.  Over time I've come to appreciate BROADER stories -- even in rom-com material.  For my $$ I want lots of characters and conflicting agendas.  I don't favor stories from small minds who put all their eggs in the main couple basket. 

Of course your main couple matters in rom-com material.  My argument is that's not the end-all.  You should have more.  So bend stereotypes into real characters who could exist outside the vacuum of your main characters foray into romance.  Challenge yourself as a writer to know your supporting characters BEYOND the limits of being a product of function in the plot.  You should make every characters so interesting that they COULD BE the main subject of a story of their own.  

So, yes, I do believe in plot.  Big fan there.  But your characters matter too, and if you're a good writer you SHOULD be able to pen characters that trigger the mind and desire of the reader or viewer to want to see more of them: both in primary character function and secondary.

Dan in Real Life (2007) is one of the the best movies ever made -- and it just so happens to be a romantic comedy witha STRONG  Thanksgiving  accent.  So pop it in over the  holiday season , treasure it, and consider my writing advice.  

Till we speak again,

   

Megalopolis Joking

I used to be a BIG movie goer.  Didn't take much to get me to the theater and fork over my cash to see a movie.  Over the past 5 years, however, my time spent at the theater has greatly been reduced.  Why?  Because of the kind of films being released.  In the last month I've gone to the theater three times however.  First to see the bio picture: Reagan; then to see Francis Ford Coppolla's Megalopolis, then to the the Joaquin Phoenix, Lada Gaga helmed Joker: Foile a Deux.  This post will focus on the later two I mentioned.  Let's start be diving into Megalopolis. 

I went into Megalopolis expecting to see a movie about New York recovering after a terrorist attack set in the near future, where an architect plans a new city.  What I ended up seeing was something different.  YES, this Megalopolis is a movie about an architect trying to get his version of utopia enacted in a city.  But Francis decided to put a little distance between New York and reality.  Though this city looks and functions a lot like New York it's called New Rome -- and there is odd blending of New York and ancient Rome fashion, arcitecture, clothing and hair styles.  This strange balance never really work or is believable. 

What did work in Francis Ford Coppolla's Megalopolis was the characters.  I really like that Francis has TWO really good bad guys to root against: Audry Plaza's "Wow Platinum", and Shia LeBeouf's "Clodio Pulcher".  I also bought the emerging romance between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and Julia Cisero played by Nathalie Emmanuel.  

There was a lot in Megalopolis that didn't make a lot of sense, like for most of the movie how Cesar Catalina could stop time, which was his superpower that helped him become a great architect how?  Hmmm...  In the end Megalopolis asks the audience to buy in to too many contrivances.  The plot logic is real loose and hard to follow.  In the end Megaloplolis attempts to make a point about how America should be striving to avoid decline by striving to enter into a utopia of sorts.  But all the mishmashing of ancient Roman to modern times is a real misfire that dooms the film from making the points that I think Francis Ford Coppolla wants to make.  So in the end Megalopolis is slightly more good than bad, but really looks bad when you consider that Francis Ford Coppolla wanted to make this movie for greater than forty years.  For an idea that became a movie to exist for that long, you would expect a better plot and some of the logic issues worked out.  In that regard this movie: Megalopolis really tarnishes Francis Ford Coppolla's greater legacy as this is the man who is know for The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979), and is a FIVE TIME Oscar winner with three of wins coming in screenwriting.  But that was the 1970s, this is now.   Still, respect shown for Francis who's in his mid 80s -- and still active making movie.  Good for him!

I went into Joker: Foile A Deux expecting this to be an actor's showcase for the talents of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, and I was right!  They shine and truly are the reason to watch this dark, low budget, downer drama.  For my money Lady Gaga steals the show as a trouble young woman, Lee Quinzel, who is drawn to the notoriety that Arthur Fleck has gotten in Gotham city for killing a late night TV show host.  Lee is so drawn to the Joker that she gets herself committed to the same insane assylum that Arthur is being held at.

Joker: Foile A Deux is at its best when Lady Gaga is trying to appeal to Arthur.  Unfortunately, too much of this movie looks like this --

Where you're in Arthur's head, as he fantasizes about singing lounge numbers with Lee -- most of them while the Joker is smoking.  It really doesn't work, and weighs the movie down.  Arthur is in murder trial facing the death penalty.  So there is a lot of courtroom drama.  And that means there's not a lot of greater Joker criminal mastermind action.  I did like the ending where it sets up an inmate taking over for Arthur as the Joker when he kills him in prison, but as a whole there's just not enough greater plot to keep me engaged.  Still, more good than bad.  Just too much song and dance numbers that really don't advance a meaningful central conflict. 

So in the end...

Megalopolis suffers from a cultural mishmash of the cities of today being blended with ancient Rome, and insuficient set-up of Cesar Catlina's powers and the strange discovery that made him famous.  

Joker: Foile a Deux suffers from a lackluster central question of identity, will Arthur Fleck chose to live as his alter-ego: the Joker; or own up to the murders he committed. 

Both movies could have been better, imo.  With Megalopolis being the one with less of an excuse for being a disappointment because of how long Francis Ford Coppolla had been working on it and how he touted it as being his opus.  

 

The Age of Cinematic Contraction

The top movie in America right now is Beattlejuice Beattlejuice (directed by Tim Burton, written by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith).  This is a sequel that follows the original that came out in 1988, or 36 years ago: [2024-1988 = 36, simple math].  In summer of 2025 Danny Boyle is slated to release 28 Years Later..., which will be a continuation of the zombie resetting series he and Alex Garland started in 2002 [2025-2002 = 23 years.  Again, simple math]  Not going to mince the minor difference 28 vs. 23 years, as that's not that important.

But getting more into this, I feel we're getting less and less ORIGINAL ideas, and more bottom feeding off franchises from yesteryear.

Hollywood is contracting.  Their offerings are getting less and less original, and more and more tied to nostalgia and past IP (intellectual properties that were produced before).  

Hollywood is the maker of its own demise, as by my way of thinking, their stooge-like following of the Democrat Party has alienated many Americans and got them to openly confess that they are anti-Hollywood.  I know, I talk to many of them on-line.  

These days I feel myself less and less attached and interested in what Hollywood is doing.  After 2019 and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood... I've seen THREE MOVIES that I thought were good and worth being made.  Redeeming Love (2022), Napoleon (2023, directed by Ridley Scott) and this year's bio-pic Reagan about the rise to politics that Ronald Reagan went through.  So in FIVE YEARS following the master's release of his last movie, that's all that I've liked.  How can that be?

Those greenlighting movies are too scared to put their names behind backing new releases that aren't based on past IPs.  

We're out of the Covid era, but I think I Hollywood was doomed even before that.  Just looking at what's at the multiplex right now is synonymous with their problem.  Here's what's available to me right now to go see at the theater: Transformers One, Beattlejuice Beattlejuice, Never Let Go, Deadpool & Wolverine, Am I a Racist?, God's Not Dead: In God We Trust, Reagan (the bio pic. I mentioned earlier), Speak No Evil, Killer's Game, The Forge, and Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse [a CARTOON movie that was just out in 2023, can I hear the phrase "cash grab"]  

Transformers, Deadpool & Wolverine are all superhero franchises with established norms and rhythms.  

Never Let Go and Speak No Evil both look like uninspired, low-budget, rip-off horror to me.  

Am I Racist?  Looks like counter-programing to challenge the woke agenda.  Interesting to delve into that kind of thing, but not sure this a good idea for a movie. 

God's not Dead, and The Forge look like faith-based entertainment.  Things to go see when you're looking for inspirational messages.  Even Reagan is clearly right wing, and more faith based.  Maybe I should be more open to "faith-based" entertainment.  Maybe THAT'S where the best entertainment is these days...

Killer's Game comes across as a brainless Fast & the Furious knock-off.  Assassins, fast cars, and a loose plot.  Gotta have better plots and more believable action.  These kind of movies tend to have over-the-top action scenes that border on the ridiculous.  Serious bias by me against this style of movie.

Beattlejuice Beattlejuice: Tim Burton was GREAT in Batman (1989), but most of his other movies miss the mark in their blending of gothic look and light conflict.  Nostalgia for Beattlejuice?  I don't remember ANYONE even talking about this movie back when it came out in 1998.  My guess is people want to think it's better than it actually was, and with cinema being so far down are willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.  

So what is the answer to Hollywood's ills?

How can we get cinema up to speed and humming once again?

First and foremost, Hollywood needs to stop being stooges for the Democrat Party. 

This summer I read that Steven Spielberg was helping Joe Biden prep for debates.  Good grief, that level of pandering and support needs to stop.  Especially when you consider how bad today's Democrat Party is, Ie. their ideals.  I'm not talking people and personalities, but what they stand for and actively promote.  Abortion is a bad issue to promote yourself with.  Doing so really makes you out-of-step with everyday reality.  

I'm not one to impose my political leanings on other people.  I know what I believe and why I believe and support it.  I just think in terms of Hollywood they are WAYYY too overbearing with their liberal, political world-view.

From a creative standpoint, I think the longer we remain in this malaise the harder it is going to be to get out of it.  If Hollywood is determined to ride old franchises into the ground, then into the ground they're going to go.   

Fresh ideas and takes are needed.  Fresh ideas and takes that are not manipulated by liberal, political viewpoints. 

Gosh I remember a time when entertainment was just entertainment.  I grew up on the original Planet of the Apes, The Terminator, Aliens, A Fish Called Wanda.  What happened that kind of fun entertainment? 

Nostalgia is fine... to a point.  But you can't camp and have everything be that way.  Too many of today's movies is nostalgia dependant.

Right now I'm in a rom-com frame of mind.  For me the golden age of rom-coms was 1995-2007.  Framed by While You Were Sleeping (1995) through Dan in Real Life (2007).  That Sandra Bullock classic hit me at the right time in my life and really got me thinking about that genre.  After Dan in Real Life I noticed a decline in rom-com movies.  Since 2007 the only bright spot in the genre has come from Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer and their good work expanding raunch-coms.  Trainwreck (2015) was a really good movie, a bright spot in otherwise progressively worsening rom-com landscape after 2007.    

Thankfully, in E.C. Henry, you have a creative who isn't beholden to the like of thinking that the status quo is the way to go.  No, true creatives and entertainment pioneers continue to work and dream on.  We pursue a higher plane of entertainment and NEVER accept lesser fare. 

Of course the real danger in all of his is that that longer Hollywood makes crap movies the more people think that's all there is.  So in a way, Hollywood is the worst.  They are supposed to be raising everyone with what they put out creatively, not subtly pulling the wool over people's eyes slowly conditioning them to think their lesser forms of entertainment is the best they can hope for.

Support E.C. Henry for in him you have an artist who takes the stories God gives him and does his best to maximize their artistic excellence.  I am the antithesis to Hollywood's malaise.  I am the answer to what ills American entertainment today:

GOD-INSPIRED creativity.

 

Support artists who are trying to deliver creative and new entertainment.  Demand better.

2024 NFL Season Predictions by E.C. Henry

The player I'm looking most forward to seeing in 2024 is Houston's CJ Stroud.

The NFL regular season kicks off this Thursday when the defending, two time champions Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens.  GREAT way to kick off the season, as the football world has been enamored with Patrick Mahomes for YEARS now, while Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens has steadily built his reputation as a top-5 quarterback.  Then the next day the NFL comes back with Packers/Eagles in Philadelphia and that should be another great game.  My Seahawks start off with Denver in Seattle on Sunday.  I JUST re-upped with U-Tube TV so I'll be able to watch that game.

Lotta reasons to be optimistic IF you're a Seahawk fan this year.  For starters there's fresh blood for the first time in 15 years, as Pete Carroll is OUT as the head coach, and the former defensive cordanator of the Baltimore Ravens: Mike McDonald; is in.  Now we all know OLD McDonald had a farm (e-i e-i ohhh), but OUR McDonald: Mike McDonald; has a FRESH defensive philosophy that's supposed to be cutting edge where defensive players line up in different positions.  There's also the former U.W. Husky offensive cordanator Ryan Grubb who's supposed to have an innovative offense.  

Player wise I can't wait to see how --

Texas's Byron Murphy II plays as a pro.  Byron was the first defensive player taken in the 2024 draft, and appears to be exactly what the Seahawks needed, an ELLETE defensive lineman.  I've been bemoaning the Seahawks's weakness on the defensive and offensive line for YEARS, and a least this year a real attempt was made to shore those units up.  Offensive line wise the Seahawks will have FOUR new starters for week one: left guard Laken Tomlinson, center: Connor Williams, right guard Anthony Bradford, and right tackle George Fant.  Not sold on Anthony Bradford, but the rest are all upgrades.  The Seahawks are still hoping get back Abe Lucas, but he's got a bad knee that appears chronic and potentially career shortening.  

Best moment of the 2023 season:

Jaxson Njgiba-Smith's last minute catch to beat Philadelphia on Monday Night Football

Schedule-wise I think my Seattle Seahawk have a relatively easy schedule, that should inflate the victory total higher than their talents warrant.  Looks like the Seahawks are very strong in the cornerback position.  But they remain shaky at back-up running back, starting quarterback, and their linebackers on defense are all unproven.  In the end I don't think the Seahawks have enough yet to overtake the 49ers, but they should be able to overtake the Aarron Donald-less Los Angeles Rams, and the chronically snake-bitten Arizona Cardinals franchise.  

NFC West predictions:

San Fransisco 12-5, Seattle 11-6, Los Angles Rams 9-8, Arizona Cardinals: 6-11

As for the rest of NFL.  I really like the Houston Texans, and CJ Stroud especially.  I think Buffalo is in for a rough year.  And I expect Kansas City to come back to the pack considerably.  Really hoping Jim Hardbaugh can make the Los Angeles Chargers relevant again.  Caleb Williams has looked OUTSTANDING in the pre-season, but I'm still more interested in Jaden Daniels of the Washington Commanders.

Only a couple teams come to mind who have absolutely NO HOPE for success in 2024.  The New England Patriots looks fall-of-the-map bad and made a HUGE MISTAKE drafting Drake Maye out of North Carolina.  GONE are the Belicheck days of glory and in are the in-ept times of the early 1980s when the Patriots where routinely in the NFL dog house.  Carolina also looks really, really bad; as Brice Young looks like Kyler Murray of the East Coast.  Finally the New York Giants look like a team still headed in reverse in what should be Daniel Jones last hurrah.  Minnesota doesn't have much of a chance.  Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo all look like teams that will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.  The whole NFC south looks bad to me, and should provide THE WORST football to watch week-in, week-out.  

NFC best (as E.C. Henry sees it): Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3, Detroit Lions: 13-4, San Francisco 49ers: 12-5, Green Bay Packers: 11-6, Seattle Seahawks: 11-6, Atlanta Falcons 8-9, Dallas Cowboys 9-8, L.A. Rams: 9-8, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9, New Orleans Saints: 8-9, Chicago Bears 7-10, Arizona Cardinals 6-11, New York Giants 5-12, Minnesota Vikings: 5-12, Carolina Panthers: 1-16  

AFC best (as E.C. Henry sees it): Houston Texans: 15-2, Cleveland Browns: 13-4, Los Angeles Chargers 11-6, Kansas City Chiefs 10-7, Baltimore Ravens: 10-7, Miami Dolphins: 10-7, New York Jets: 9-8, Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8, Cincinnati Bengals: 8-9, Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-9, Los Angeles Raiders: 7-10, Buffalo Bills: 7-10, Denver Broncos 5-12, Indianapolis Colts: 5-12, Tennessee Titans: 4-13, New England Patriots: 2-15.  

NFC MVP: Jalen Hurts from Philadelphia

Hugs in 2023:

I read the T.S. is drawing up plays as her encore in 2024!  Taylor Swift is EVERYWHERE.  No one can stop her!

AFC MVP: C.J. Stroud from Houston, with Taylor Swift a CLOSE 2nd 'cuz you gotta believe she's gunna get a lot of air time whenever the Chiefs are featured.  

AFC playoffs: (Wildcard round) Baltimore at Kansas City: 13-34, NY Jets at Cleveland: 21-30, Miami at Los Angeles: 44-19.

NFC playoffs: (Wildcard round) Dallas at Detroit: 16-37, Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco: 6-39, Green Bay at Atlanta: 22-20.

AFC Divisional: Miami at Houston: 41-46, Kansas City at Cleveland: 23-21.

NFC Divisional: Green Bay at Philadelphia: 27-24 OT, San Francisco at Detroit: 30-28

Championship games: Kansas City at Houston: 26-30, Green Bay at San Francisco: 20-36

2025 Super Bowl: Houston Texans vs. San Francisco 49ers: 38-29  

 Start  of the 2023 campaign looked something like this --

What will  2024  bring? 

We'll hafta wait and see...

 

 

Write Fast!

The actual typing of new pages on the new screenplay has begun! 

Don't have all the work on the outline yet, but I don't think it's wise to delay the writing of the screenplay any further, so I'm off!  

"Writing Fast" can be kind of misnomer.  Of course every screenwriter wants to complete screenplay in a timely and efficient manner, but when crafting stories for the screen there's a lot of WORK that goes into it.  

Now THIS GUY is a fast writer!

If you're just a beginner.  There's screenwriting format to learn, which slows you down.  But for the sake of argument, lets ASSUME you're familiar with screenwriting conventions.  Then, one of the natural questions which arises, is how fast you should write.  How many screenwriting pages should you crank out daily?  What's a reasonable goal?

Well, I have to be honest with you.  Writing "X" amount of pages a day is a writer's fool's errand from my way of thinking.  Why?  Because not all SCENES are the same.  There are going to be scenes that flow well.  There are going to be scenes that you know well going into a first draft writing session.  And then there are going to be "trouble spots" or areas in the story that you haven't got locked down yet.  Hence, it's totally unfair to yourself to put page quotas on yourself as to how your first draft should go.

That said, I do advice weekly and monthly goals.  For me and the new script I would like to finish a first draft of Act I of the new raunchy rom-com by the time I leave for work on Wednesday, September 4th.  And by the end September I want to have a completed first draft.  

The "fastest" script I ever wrote was So Go Back & Get Her.  The "flow" in that script was amazing.  Hats off to Carson Reeves over at Scriptshadow, and his band of followers who really helped push me on that one.  Positive momentum really matters in life--especially in one's writing life.  But let's be honest, some scripts writers tackles are challenges to themselves and some level of grace needs to be applied.  Scripts of note that took me a long time to write include: Cowboy Alien Diaries because it fused sci-fi and Western, I outlined the shit out of The Commune before I wrote much on it and also did a lot of military weaponry research before I wrote on it.  A Heart Built on the Sand was supposed to be easy, but I remember struggling through it and having a hard time engaging with the dark material of a woman's decent into finally becoming a serial murderer.  When the Motorcycle Calls was the first script I wrote with the emerging style which I later named,  Lit Expression ; so there's the advancement of the genre to consider as well -- for those so inclined.

Flow is the biggest thing that I worry about when writing a first draft.  If the flow is good, I can write all day.  If the flow is bad, writing's a grind and it feels like work and is oftentimes abrasive.  I guess what I need is a pocket Taylor Swift to make sure my productivity is always high.  Kidding.  It's just when I was writing on So Go Back & Get Her the flow imaging her as the title character just made everything feel so easy.  Not always the case. 

 You think this is picture of white river rafting? 

Hardly, this is your typical writing session with  E.C. Henry  when you're writing the 1st draft!

Thankfully with my new spec. I have a really cool female lead to inspire me.  But this time I don't have a specific celebrity attached to that rolw.  Now on the male side I do have a specific, celebrity persona in mind; but unlike the Kathy Smith/Taylor Swift connection this union isn't so fruitful on the "flow" side of this writer's writing.  

There are a myriad of reasons for writing "slow", but if your flow is reasonably going well it's probably reasonable to expect writing 5-10 new pages a day on your 1st draft.  To do this you will need to commit to 2 hours a day writing, which is not unreasonable when you're writing a 1st draft. 

One of the biggest challenges I have as a writer is remembering that your first draft is not your final draft.  It's unreasonable to expect that that first thing you crank out will be so brilliant that no further work is needed.  One of my biggest challenges as a writer is not stopping to fix every last thing.

Write fast, and fix later.

Other factors that affect your speed and mind is the degree to which you've outlined your story before you start writing screenwriting pages.  Me, I like to go back and beef up and re-clarify the outline which writing.  Probably not the wisest thing to do.  But I'm a firm believer in honing story logic.  If something in your story doesn't make sense, don't ignore it.  Fix it!  That said, logic gaps shouldn't be allowed to cripple your output. 

Write what you know.  

This is some really good advice for all the serious writers out there.  If you know a scene and feel good about -- write it!  Build on your successes then look to patch logic holes.  For every question you can't answer write it down and give yourself day/weeks to figure it out, and don't stew over it.  

Well, I want to get in some more writing before I go to AA tonight.  Can you believe it's been over two years since I drank any alcohol?  It's no longer a focus or on my mind.  Every once in a while I think a Budweiser would be nice.  But the further in sobriety I get the less the desire is.  

Right now I've only got two pages of the new, raunch-com done.  Goal by Wednesday morning is somewhere between 25-35 pages, so I better get after it!  I'm also hoping to do an NFL preview post, as this Thursday the new regular season starts...  Time flies.  We're in September already, with a U.S. presidential election set to happen in November.  Lots going on.  Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and keep up with ol' E.C. Henry.

* Look for a NEW SIDEBAR later this afternoon as I track the progress of the 1st draft of this story!  Currently at page 5, 9:00 a.m., September 2, 2024!

 

Poking Around

  I say the color of this post should be orange! 

 Good luck with that caterpillar!  But you don't get a say in this, because you, sir, are a poke!

I take a lot of walks with my mom at Warrior's State Park in Kingsport, TN.  During these walks I chart how many groups of people pass us.  Sometimes as many as six different groups of people will pass us as we walk around "duck island", which where I took much of my inspiration for the writing of Dilly of a Duckling's Dally, fyi.

 Being a "poke" isn't so bad though.  One thing about my mother is that if there's ANYTHING in nature to be seen -- she'll find it and bring it to my attention.  Typically that's flowers or mushrooms, occasionally it's a caterpillar or heron.  But she's definitely got a gift for seeing the beauty in nature.  Me, I tend to gloss over things.  Focusing more on the utterly strange group of dogs that this area of the world has.  So many ugly dogs in NE Tennessee.  Much higher concentration than say the state of Washington where I lived from 1997-2021.  

 Lotta people call ME a "poke"    But can they do this? 

 Probably not, sloth, but thanks for chiming in.

 The funny thing is that being a "poke" has it place in writing.  Much of writing is "poking" around: exploring characters and scenes.  No story I've ever written has been a straight forward endeavor with 100% efficency effort. 

 Hey, waiting for you pizza to finish is pokey, but I don't hear anybody complain about that--if the pizza's good! 

 Right now the story I'm writing is being abrassive/ellusive.  I don't know why that is, but I think this interall "poking" is a product of too many internal questions that haven't been answered.  Writing is "easy" and flows well when you know all the answers, but feels like a trip to the denstist when you don't.

 Call me a poke -- if you dare.  And I'll bite you!  Because this centipede is scary looking as fuck! 

 And so I "poke" maybe not like my mother, but in my own way.  Steadily forging ahead... 

  Lastly, eating cotton candy at the fair will not only make you be poke, but will leave it's sticky residue on your cheek!  I can't stand cotton candy, fyi.  It's just too sweet and there's nothing to it.  I like my snacks to have some substance to them.

Creating Character Biographies Worthy of Rom-Com Status; Exploring Issues In Rom-Com Movies: Volume 78

Okay, so last week I brought you an in-depth post on how I, E.C. Henry, approach writing outlines for romantic comedy material that I write. In that post I briefly touched ob character bios.  A little over a year ago I did a post on character arcs focusing on one of my favorite of all time, Rick Dalton as created by the one and only Quentin Tarantino from Once Upon a Time In Hollywood... (2019).  Still, I thought that I owed you a little bit more on that subject, and have more to say on it, because it's an important subject for enterprising writers to form their own opinions on.   

A lot of people out there think the cast of characters is the most important thing in a screenplay.  I would refute that, as I'm more of plot guy; but in romantic comedies clearly your characters and their arcs are more important than the Transformers or Fast and the Furious franchises (both of which are action/adventure). 

Clearly your leads in a romantic comedy are important.  And they can be quite varied to.  There's the more upscale romance of say Sam Baldwin and Annie Reed of Sleepless in Seattle fame, or radical clash of two different world-views say  Ben Stone and Alison Scott of Knocked Up fame.  Regardless of the "chemical equation" you choose, the character and backstories of these two lead matter a lot.  

So if you're writing a romantic comedy how to you write a character bio?  

Be fearless.  Don't let writing romantic comedy material intimidate you.

I'll be honest with you, my character bios are all over the map.  I don't have a template that I follow.  I think every story I've ever written has had a master character roster starting with the main characters going down the list to include all reference characters.  In a master roster I always include a summary blurb of the character and more often than not their age and physical look.  

But as far as writing a main character bio goes, let's begin the discussion by delving into a bio I made for one of my favorite character I ever wrote, "Kathy Smith" from So Go Back & Get Her, who was later further explored now as a teenager in Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School, after which time I completed this characters arc in So Go Back & Get Him: Overall the "Kathy Smith" character was one of easiest characters I ever embarked on writing because when I thought about her, I automatically thought about Taylor Swift and what she was like.  Not saying that I copied Taylor's character, but rather that she "inspired" that character and made her infinitely easier to write than it would have been without such a well known source of inspiration. 

If Taylor Swift ever went to Oz... It would probably look something like this!

As for the bio itself, and how it may help other writers.  Notice the subheading I had: "physical description", "job", "personality", "x-factor", "residence", and "how she saw her love interest".  A lot of stuff in the bio made into the script, while a few items changed and fell away.  Looking back on it now I'm surprised how light and lean this bio was, as Kathy Smith is the main character in the franchise.  All I can say about this is every time I wrote that character I imagined Taylor Swift, and I was just capturing whatever Taylor Swift was doing.  Now, I've never met Taylor Swift so a lot of what I imagined is just that -- my imagination -- BUT in this case focusing on a celebrity and known property really helped the creative process.

Here's a few other headings in romantic comedy character biographies that I like to use:

BACKSTORY - This is where you the author describe a character's past history.  A lot of times bio backstory doesn't make it into the script, but the greater backstory you write, the more alive and real the character will seem to you.  In terms of romantic comedies you need to know where your leads are coming from.  Are they "down" like Sam Baldwin was in Sleepless in Seattle, or are they a cunning, witty person who has the world by the tail like Ben did in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)?

FAMILY CONNECTIONS - Who is this person's mother and father?  Do they have any brothers and sisters.  Tula from My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a pushed pushed-in-the-corner soul at her family's Greek restaurant.  Sure she loved her family members, but the person deep within her need to be birthed.  Family can play a big or small role in your rom-com, but how your character relate to their family matters, even if it doesn't result in major scenes in the screenplay you write.  

CHARACTER INTERSECTIONS - Who are you main character's friends?  Who are they're enemies?  Who opposes them and why?  This where you list allies and enemies.  A lot of time this section of bio translates directly into scenes, OR provides fodder to bulk up existing scenes with memorable moments and conflict.  

CHARACTER ARC - How does your character grow over the course of the story?  What lesson are they trying to learn?  

My character arc is clearly wearing dresses -- 27 of 'em!

CATALYST FOR CHANGE - What affects your character and forces him or her to grow in a new direction.  This is a category where character bridges to outline and beats, as this is where your story changes in some way.  If you have catalyst for change, you've got a story problem, because even romantic comedies have internal conflict.  So identify potential places for your main leads to change.

ROMANTIC CONFLICT - Specify what's keeping two people in prospective romance from connecting?  A good rom-com has a good romantic conflict.  How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days has two leads who are more serious about advancing in their careers than they are in finding their one true love.  In the 40-Year-Old Virgin the male lead Andy needs to find his self worth.  His conflict is one of a secret he wants to keep.  Trish in The 40-Year-Old Virgin wants to find a nice guy.  At one point in the story she admits that she's been attracted to "bad boys" before and avoid nice guys to her own peril.  In Silver Linings Playbook Pat (Bradley Cooper's character) is still hung-up on his ex-wife, which makes it hard for him to see the potential with Tiffani Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence's character)

OPIATE - What makes your character the happiest?  This is a biggie for creating relatable characters.  Anne's opiate in Sleepless in Seattle is finding happy ending for troubled people, she wants Sam, who she hears on the radio to overcome the death of his wife.  As for E.C. Henry his opiate is writing romantic comedies!  Seriously, that's what make me the happiest.

HOW THIS CHARACTER SEES THEMSELVES - Are they cocky or shy?  Are they happy with status quo or wanting to change the trajectory of their life.  In Sleepless in Seattle, Sam Baldwin is confident in his career, but knows he needs to move on and find a new love interest. 

Even Jonah Baldwin knows this rom-com, lead protagonist needs some help... 

However you go about creating character bios realize that they are just supports.  This extra bit of writing is there to help the writer crack characters and determine what to do with them.  The better the writer knows his or her characters the better they should translate on the page.   If you don't put in the time to create three dimensional characters you risk writing half baked, flat characters.  Character bios help with the process of achieving what we all want to achieve with is getting compliments on how well we write characters.  

Till we speak again...

P.S. Coming soon, E.C. Henry's predictions for the 2024 NFL season

P.P.S. Concerning my latest romantic comedy, I did start the 1st draft this week to work on a key scene that really sets the stage for the rest of the story.  Still working on my own rom-com character bios for the big three in this story, and working on beefing up the outline.  I work on the story and characters at the day job, which lately has been 10 hours a day, 5 days a week.  :(  Makes me very tired and hard to write in the grueling summer heat of NE Tennessee.  

P.P.P.S.  A couple of days ago I bought tickets to see the Seahawks play the Falcons in Atlanta on October 20th.  So I'll be going to that with my brother and his eldest son, Brycen, who's 16 now and working on getting his first driver's licence!  

Writing Outlines for Romantic Comedy Spec. Scripts; Exploring Issues in Rom-Com Movies: Volume 77

"Drew, writing romantic comedy outlines is like a night at the beach!"

Since I'm hot-n-heavy on the trail of writing spec. script # 31, which just so happens to be a raunchy romantic comedy, so I thought it would be apropos to do a post on how to write an outline for a such a thing. 

Sure, there's not a lot going on in the world of romantic comedies these days.  It's nearly been a year since Sydney Sweeney's Anyone But You got a wide release, and some modest buzz.  Before that we had Jennifer Lawrence's No Hard Feelings.  Now that was definitely a raunchy romantic comedy.  But a little over a years after it's release it's like that movie never existed.  Wading back a little further Amy Schumer made some noise in the genre doing I Feel Pretty (2018) and Trainwreck (2015).  Being real one would hafta confess that this genre has been pretty low profile since Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and Katherine Heigl stopped doing rom-com material back in the early 2010s.  This led me to think the genre needed a new rom-com queen... Now I also realize it needs more great minds committed do doing such fare.  Where is the next Richard Curtis, who is famous for British accented rom-coms such as: Four Weddings and Funeral (1994), Knotting Hill (1999), Love Actually (2003), About Time (2013, which helped launch the Margot Robbie)?  Or the next John Hughes: Sixteen Candles (1984) The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985), Home Alone (1990), Career Opportunities (1991)?

Thankfully for you the next big thing in the rom-com industry is the one typing you this message.  I'm back in my element.  Back where I'm most happy, which just so happens to be penning romantic comedy material.  Done screenplays 30 to date.  And by the end of the year I should have my latest done.  Right now, however, I'm hot-n-heavy into its outline and character building.  So let's dive in and explore what goes into the process when E.C. Henry writes an outline. 

"Yay, a true champion of the rom-com cause in the house!"

Thanks, Amy!  I'll do my best.  And just so you know, I like you too! 

Now, when it come to content creation I think it's best to take a multi-pronged approach.  I don't subscribe to the belief that you compartmentalize aspects of story building.  Rather, I believe you build them all up at the same time.  First, off inspiration rule!  So when you commit to rom-com material always act on what "pops" at any given moment and record that down on a piece of paper or in a computer document.  Having an amble stable of critical mass really helps write an outline and then later the spec. script screenplay.  

The outline stage comes after you have committed yourself to writing a projects.  Even if you don't have a lot critical mass: plot points, scene ideas, good dialog; you can begin the outline stage, it will just be a little tougher.  I write ALL MY SCREENPLAYS using a basic three act structure.  I've read some of the how-to books that detail other ways of looking at story structure, but I really don't give them any credence when writing my own.  It's ACT I, ACT II, and ACT III for me.  I also like to use the ACT Breakpoints for ACT I and II, what my INCITING INCIDENT or CUTE MEET is -- in the case of romantic comedy, and a THE END declaration statement of the last impression to the audience the story ends at.  In between all this are scenes.  The are the master beats of the story, where all the action takes place.  I try to use catchy phrases to define the master beats or scenes in my outline.

So on the surface I don't have overly complicated stories.  My outlines are very legible.  I use an outline template in word perfect which proves spacing between the major delineations.  Here's where I left off in one of my past screenplays entitled Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School:

This will give you an idea of how I format and use my outlines.  Recently I've been tacking on a logline entry to them as well.  You'll notice that for the first part of the outline I had page numbers, and then they stopped, and it looks like their was a break in the sequence of events -- there was!  I think I outlined this story until I had enough critical mass to feel I could complete the screenplay.  I think when writing Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School I started page budgeting (summarizing pages the scenes were taking up) because I was worried about not falling within the exceptable range of pages for a completed, feature-length screenplay which is 90 to 120 pages.  

An outline doesn't have to be pretty.  Your notes and writers scratchpad are by reputation shabby things.  The PURPOSE of an outline is so that you can see the flow of you scene and see your story a whole -- not to win to spelling contest!  Your romantic comedy screenplay's outline is is like an areal view down on the forest, where you see the whole track from beginning to end.  If at anytime you feel led to write scenes in Final Draft (professional screenwriting software) so for it!  An outline exists to help a writer make sense of his or her story, and find out what works and what needs some work.  Moreso your outline is a place to hone your story logic.  An outline is not the actual screenplay itself, but more of a map or proof of your thoughts of how the story should go.  

I didn't write a "CUTE MEET" in the outline for Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School because it was a TEEN COMEDY, it's just in this teen comedy it had a major romantic comedy B-storyline between Kathy Smith and one of her classmates, Dustin Maddox; and in the logic of the story Kathy slowly befriends Dustin and over the course of events they trend closer to being more of a romantic, first foray into dating relationship.  

A good "cute meet" can happen anywhere -- even at Smart Tech!

When writing I'm never tethered to the outline.  Rather, this support, is more a crutch.  A good outline will logically go through the story and organize your former inspiration: dialog, potentially parts in scenes, cinematic camera shots, and what the scene accomplishes.

I also outline each individual scenes or master sequences in my story.  In this outline I break it down to Master Sequence Name, Scene Essence, Goals, Beat, Pre-writing, and finally Author Notes.

"Scene Essence" is like the logline captitualization of the sequence, and in it it just summarizes what this master sequence is all about.  The "Goads" section specifies what I think this scene should accomplish.  The "goals" section is a good area to chart the development of the romance if you're writing a romantic comedy.  Most of the time I use the goals section to chart the arc of the characters as they're going through the story. 

"Beats" is a summary of individual act in a story.  "Pre-writing" is where I include aspects of inspiration that I think belong in this sequence that are screenwriting.  I use "pre-writing" to capture my imagination on page when outlining starts to become more actual screenwring: shot heading, dialog, transitions, exc. than mere outline form.  "Author Notes" is where I put songs the soundrack song that encapsulate that sequence, my thoughts on how big or small the scene will be, and any other consideration that don't belong in the beats or pre-writing section. 

Besides outlines I also write master character rosters and individual biography pages of major characters.  In my author friendly master character rosters I summarize the character in a brief paragraph detailing their function in the story, most times adding a physical description, and their role using such descriptors as: main protagonist, main antagonist, romantic rival, mentor, comic relief, supporting character, minor or bit character, and referenced character for those who are named by don't have any screentime.  

Outlines depicting story action, and the main character arcs, play-off each other.  I don't write them separately.  Characters and the story belong together and feed off each other.  There is only so much one can tame the "chaos of creation".  With this in mind EXPECT your story outlines and character bios and listings to be a little disjointed.  Realize that outline and character bios are scaffolding, not the physical building itself.  But a good outline and character bio really helps when it comes to putting pen to paper and writing your first draft of the screenplay. 

If you do not outline your chances of having a story that is lacking clarity goes up exponentially.  

Outlines and character bios have value!  So don't think you're "not writing" when you outline.  Actually when you lay these blueprint out, you are doing one the hardest aspect of writing which is to provide structure to all the inspiration that you've acquired.  

As pertains to rom-coms you can use colors or identifiers to track comedy and romance in a romantic comedy spec. script outline.  I like to use red to track key beat of romance, orange or green to track comedy beats, and the a third color tied to the overall story to track key beats.  I think it's wise to track the development of your story romances using red or "ROMANCE" identifiers.  Color coding or using the "COMEDY" in your beats also helps you see if your story has enough funny stuff in it. 

Finding and identifying possible comedic moments in the romantic comedy you're writing is a very, very big deal.  Romantic comedies are supposed to be comedic in spots as an audience follows the stories of the characters involved in possible romances evolve over the course of the story.  Comedy is much harder to write than the romance aspects of the story.  The more comedy you find when your main couple is together, the better.  Realize that conflict and completing motivations is a writer's best friend when writing romantic comedies. 

Anyone But You TRIED to have this be one of their major comedic sequences, but...

When you write your character bios and go into the idiosyncrasy that make up your character who they are, usually therin in lies the uniqueness that makes them come alive.  Sometimes the action they do that makes them memorable.  Each main character in a romantic story should have an "arc".  A character arc is the growth or change that happens in them because of their role in the story.  

A lot of times when diving deeper into who your main character are you get ideas for necessary scenes in the script.  This happens to me all the time, and is one of the main reasons I've been able to write to complete so many scripts, it's because I have rich characters that feel alive. 

Creating characters that jump of the page and basically write themselves is one of the real joys of writing.  Doesn't always happen.  Sometimes it's a grind filling your world with non-cliche characters.  Not that cliche is always bad.  But you gotta know and have a feel for when it's okay to have a cliche character and when you really can't afford to have a character like that in such a role.  

So was it the centerpiece couple in No Hard Feelings:

or the uninspired story and supporting characters that made it so forgetible?

So it all plays off each other, write the outline and your supporting character stuff at the same time.  Follow your moments of inspiration and record them.  It is always better to have more than enough material to complete a story, than to have everything under thought and developed.  So don't be hard on yourself if it takes you a while to build up the outlines for your screenplays.  A good outline helps you see the story as a whole and chart the actions of your characters as a story with romantic elements unfolds.  

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

P.S. The goal for my latest rom-com project is to give the outline for it another month, then begin a screenplay document over the Labor Day weekend.  The first scene is really coming together, so I'll probably jump the gun and write that.  But I know the rest of the story, and interlinking character connections needs more work and development.  Writing My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets The 40-Year-Old Virgin, raunchy romantic comedy hasn't happened overnight.  Like a lot of things takes putting in the time and giving the project amble dedication.  Imagining --

As one of the stars, is really helping me on this one...  (More to come)

Comedic Characters or Set-Pieces? Exploring Issues in Rom-Com Movies: Volume 76

So when you think of funny romantic comedy movies, do you think more in-terms of off-beat characters or scenes? 

I tend to favor ones that have creative scenes that use more normal people who end up performing comedy.  Take for instance, A Fish Called Wanda.  That gem came out in 1988, and has one of the funniest scenes I can remember using the two leads: John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis:

Funny SCENE, involving two straight laced characters, John Cleese's "Archie Leech" and Jamie Lee Curtis's "Wanda".  

But many romantic comedy movies implore more of a character approach to injecting humor into their story.

Probably my favorite rom-com, comic relief characters off all-time is Joey Fusco Jr. as played by Michael Rispolli in While You Were Sleeping (1995).  

A slob's version of peacocking

Now in this gem of a movie, the real focus is how Sandra Bullock's "Lucy" character will trade love interests from the unconscious guy she saved from getting run over by a train Peter as played by Peter Gallagher, and the younger brother "Jack" as played by Bill Pullman, who the Lucy character falls in love with after some memorable moments.  The following scene is a wonderful showcase of how a comic relief character can inject some humor in a given scene:

This "leaning" scene, starts out as the build-up for a first kiss scene, with Jack prepping the waters and Lucy a willing reciprocant until the comedic relief shows up and changes the trajectory of momentum, which results in the moment being thwarted.  The Joey Fusco Jr. character is clownish caricature of a man.  The son of the supervisor of the apartment complex that Lucy is living in.  But in his delusional mind, Joey Fusco Jr. is a romantic rival who wants Lucy for himself.  In every scene Joey Fusco Jr. shows up in this movie, his function is comedic relief.  Most, if not all, of what Lucy and Jack say in this movie is serious in nature.  But the supporting character, and minor complication, that Joey Fusco Jr. is supplies a couple laughs along the way.  

While You Were Sleeping is a brilliant romantic comedy.  It is both romantic and funny at the same.  No, Joey Fusco Jr. doesn't shoulder the burden of carrying all the comedy in this movie, but his presence definitely helps.

Another comic relief character in a rom-com movie comes from Fredy Bauer: John Candy's character from Splash (1983).  

Freddy Bauer after a  racketball work-out  with his brother "Allan": Tom Hanks's character.

In Splash, John Candy plays a womanizing, carefree playboy who represents a family challenge to Allan once he re-discovers "Madison" the mermaid, and their love deepens.  Comedy on screen comes pretty naturally to John Candy.  In the movie Freddy does come around to using his free spirit to help his younger brother during his time Madison on land, but most of the time his schtick is one of comic relief.

In terms of the women's side the ledger, the first "name" that comes to mind was Mellisa McCarthy in Bridesmaids (2011).  I'll go on record as saying I wasn't a fan of that movie--I thought it was very overrated--but for some people the Mellisa McCarthy character was funny.  Emily Blunt was GREAT in a supporting role as Ruthie 'pigface' Drapper, who was an imposed romantic interest for "Dan" as played by Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life (2007).

In 13 Going on 30 (2004) the comic relief character is grown-up Jenna's hockey boyfriend: "Alex Carlson" as played by actor Samuel Ball.  In his role Alex Carlson is really no more than a caricature stereotype: the shallow minded, star athlete.  James Marsden played a similar caricature role as "Prince Edward" in the Amy Adams/Patrick Dempsey headlined movie Enchanted (2007).

Another of my favorite comic relief characters of all-time in the movies was Will Farrell's "Mugatu" from Zoolander (2001).  Though technically Mugatu was the master villain in the story, since he was a caricature parody of the fashion industry gone awry, I think think it's fair to also label Mugatu as being comic relief especially when he appears on screen at one point like this:

Mugutu mind control 

So when writing your romantic comedy material don't forget your over-the-top, comic relief characters.  I think it's best then you can have your leads actually act in comedic scenes together, but I've not always found that to be the case.  Many times the comedy in romantic comedies comes from the supporting characters, for more on writing humor in scripts, check this oldie out. 

Sometimes out of a bigger cast of characters, a comic relief character will emerge.  Like the outspoken "Aunt Voula" as played by Andrea Martin in --

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

It can't always be --

Capstone romantic moment.  Your leads have to EARN THE RIGHT to kiss.  And to do that your romantic comedy plot needs to have some twists and turns to it.  Your comic relief characters can help with those twist and turns that make the ultimate destination more memorable.  So I advice to always be looking for zanny character to be in the lives of the main lead in your romantic comedies, as they will add a spice of LIFE to your stories and make the journey to the first kiss so much more meaningful for your audience.

P.S. Next Sunday I'm off to Florida for a week-long vacation.  Hoping to get some work on then NEW, raunchy romantic comedy I'm working on.  Been writing notes in a journal at break time at the day job in effort to assemble enough critical mass to pull this feat off.  But in the past writing romantic comedy material has been some of the best times of my life.  Right now the goal is to transfer all acquired critical mass to a preliminary outline, character roster and bio sheets.  I'd like to leave for vacation with all the prep in typed out, more organized form.  


 

 

 

Spec Script Sequels, Continuations, and Interlinks from the Mind of E.C. Henry

Wouldn't it be great if all the stories you wrote interwove like this?

I'm up to 31 spec. scripts now, and though they don't all seamlessly lead into each other like that, over the years I have bridged "connections" from one script to the next.  Sometimes it's direct as in sequels, and continuations:

• Love Music & Monkeys is a SEQUEL to Give it Up for Chimpy
• The Rival Kings of Israel is CONTINUATION of A King for God's People; which is the biblical adaptation of Saul and David's lives, who were the first two kings in the nation of Israel's history
• The Commune II is a SEQUEL to the greater franchise world of The Commune
• The Commune III is a SEQUEL to the greater franchise world of The Commune
• So Go Back & Get Him is the SEQUEL to So Go Back & Get Her
• There will be two, full-length feature spec. scripts to provide a CONTINUATION of the greater franchise which starts with The Chosen Redeemer of Thars 

I've also thought in terms of "interlinking" the movie scripts I've penned in terms of a broader franchise:

• The Judas Project is INTERLINKED to the Give It Up for Chimpy franchise
• Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School is INTERLINKED to the greater franchise world of So Go Back and Get Her
• Night of the Otterroid is INTERLINKED to the world of The Commune.  AND could also be considered GROUPED with Preytorium, as both are creature genre stories, sci-fi, with a shared bond terms of monsters and affects.   
• The new raunchy romantic comedy I'm working on in the spring/summer/fall of 2024 will be INTERLINKED to the greater franchise of So Go Back & Get Her

Franchises created by E.C. Henry which contain multiple scripts:

Give It Up for Chimpy, screwball comedies:

1. Give It Up for Chimpy
2. Love, Music, and Monkeys

Saul and David, epic biblical adaptation:

1. A King for God's People
2. The Rival Kings of Israel

The Commune, dark sci-fi:

1. Night of Otterroid
2. The Commune
3. The Commune II
4. The Commune III

So Go Back and Get Her, raunchy romantic comedy with one teen comedy:

1.  Kathy Smith Conquers Duboose High School 
2.  New raunchy romantic comedy I'm penning in the spring/summer/fall of 2024
3.  So Go Back and Get Her
4.  So Go Back and Get Him

 

Quite the grouping, huh?  Not bad for a guy who was self-taught.  Just had some story ideas and pursued them, then over the course of time pursued them.  Usually the "interlinking" of satellite stories to a pre-existing story I've written or great franchise comes late in the writing process, as one of the things I pride myself on is originality.  I don't wanna write write rip-off scripts off what I've already done.  Some stories like Night of the Otterroid and The Judas Project have a light interlinking.  As these are stories are pretty much independent entities unto themselves. 

Excluding continuations, because that word is self explanatory, here are some definitions of the key words I've used in this post:

 Franchise : (from Miram-Webster on-line): a series of related works (such as novels of films) each of which includes the same or different character that are understood to interact in the same fictional universe with characters from the other works.

 Interlink  (from the on-line Cambridge dictionary): to cause to join or connect together, with the parts joined often having an effect on each other. 

 Sequel   (from Dictionary.com): a literary work, movie, etc., that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding work.

 Prequel  (the free on-line dictionary by Farlex): a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work in the same series.

 Epic  (from Vocabulary.com): very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale).

Now I just need to finish that new romantic comedy--whose title is already on my new, spec. script promo shirts that I bought for myself to celebrate my 55th birthday.  And of course to write the next two sequels in the Legend of Thars series.  #there'salwaysomethingtodo

To God be the glory, and may He continue to supply the  creative spark  I need!  Till we speak again, good-bye for now.

May thine own hands always be cupped and ready to receive from the Lord God Almighty!

 

 

 

5 X 5 Holy Spirit Aspirations Remembered

Shortly after I was saved, the Holy Spirit gave me a series of scriptures.  He used a Mexican laborer to impart them to me.  This man's name was Aarron Caulderon.  He had a family in Mexico and traveled up to the state of Washington for work.  Al Sholin, one of two pastors of mine at the time, was ministering to the Mexican community for a while, and that's how I came into contact with Aarron.  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit Aarron wrote down a list of scriptures for me.  Then a couple years later gave me a few more over the phone.  

We had Aarron over for dinner ONCE I think, and I didn't have a lot interactions with him.  As a Mexican laborer who worked in the fields -- picking corn--I know he did that.  A person like Aarron isn't the kind of guy you'd expect God to use.  Yet the outside package doesn't matter when it comes to spiritual usefulness.  The empowerment of the Holy Spirit does.  Anointing matters.  And so because God was using Aarron to speak to me, I treasured those scriptures, laminated them, and keep them in my bible where they still reside today. 

I recently turned 55 years.  The calendar doesn't lie.  Born June 10, 1969 confirms it all.  I wanted to have this post up a week BEFORE my birthday, but I've been busy lately and just couldn't wrap it.  This is going to be a long post, as I've got a lot of scriptures to cover that the Lord gave to me through His chosen vessel of Aarron Caulderon.  

I've read these scripture over the years, and always go into the thinking, what is the Lord trying to tell me about myself, my journey, and relationship with Him and the world through these scriptures.  I'll now list these scriptures, which you are free to read for yourself, and post my thoughts on them today, over 30 years later when I first got them.  So let's get down to it.  Here's what Lord had to say to E.C. Henry BEFORE he officially became E.C. Henry:

 

Joshua 1: 1-9: God's commission to Joshua calling him to be strong and courageous, follow God's word to have success.  Joshua is called to meditate on God's word day and night.  God to be with Joshua wherever he goes.  Wow, to be compared to Joshua in any way is an honor.  This is a call to maturity and leadership.  And a promise that once in it, God will be with me!  Praise the Lord.  What a nice way to encourage someone to higher level of faith.

2Kings 6: 10-17: Elisha the prophet of God surrounded by armies from the king of Aram, yet has the spiritual vision to know that God's spiritual forces are there.  This is a section of spiritual enabling allowing a prophet of God to see in the spirit, and using that vision to have confidence in the face of calamity.  

Isaiah 40: 21-31: First God's surpassing greatness is brought to mind: He sits above the circle of the Earth, and views Earth's inhabitants like grasshoppers.  The Lord created the stars and holds them by His power.  So despite our failings we are to wait on the Lord to gain new strength.  This is a reminder of God's greatness, and a reminder to wait for His empowering.  

Isaiah 41: 8-13: A reminder that God will strengthen me in the midst of dealing with people who are angry with me.  At some point they wont even be found anymore.  I've already been the beneficiary of this.  In the mid 2000s I had a warehouse job where I guy took a disliking to me.  He was occultic/Satanic in action and deed.  Talked with an altered voice, and was seen driving around where I lived once.  Yet, the Lord kept me safe from Mark (sorry I never got his last name).  Moving to Tennessee was relief to me, because it meant I was 2,000 miles away from that demonic person.

Daniel 4: 1-3: Nebuchadnezzar: king of the Persian Empire gives praise to God, declaring signs and wonders before he relays a dream of his to Daniel the prophet.  This a head-scratching passage.  For it shows those who hold God's people can know a little bit about him.  I guess it shows that even the highest of the high who are prone to the most heinous of things can in patches honor the Lord -- at least in part.  God used the Babylonians to punish Israel for their idolatry over a period of many years.  I guess this shows the wild, religious fluxuations of those with great power.  Later in chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar reveals his dream to Daniel, Daniel interprets it, and Nebucadnezzar is then rebuked by a heavenly messenger and given the mind of a cow for a period of time because of his great pride and failure to maintain that praise that he gave the Lord earlier.  Once you start praising and honoring the Lord, don't go back to your former forms of ignorance.  In light of who the man is here, I think this is cautionary scripture.  Humility after speaking well on behalf of the Lord. 

Habakkuk 3: 17, 18, 19: In spite of failure and lack of fruit on the tree, I will exalt in the Lord, anyway; for He is the One who leads me to triumph.  I take this scripture as a call to praise and trust in the Lord despite how my life looks. 

Jeremiah 15: 19, 20, 21: Starts as a call to return and be restored.  Then once able to stand before the Lord, the adversaries of Earth wont prevail over me.  And the Lord will redeem me from the grasp of the violent.  With God's enabling, their is triumph over the biggest and baddest on Earth.  Amen!

Ezekiel 3: 1-9: Ezekiel eats a scroll then is sent to the people of Israel.  To me this means I'm not called to be a missionary overseas but to read and know God's Word and bring His messages to my countrymen in America.  

Psalms 119 (no verses specified, just the psalm as a whole which the longest psalm in the bible with 176 verses!): This psalm is about being resolved to make your heart right so that you can be right standing with God to have Him in your life in a vibrant way.

Isaiah 55 (whole chapter): This is a call to spend time with the Lord.  In doing so good things will grow up in place that had been known as waste places before.

John 3: 1-21: This is Jesus's famous discourse with the Pharisee Nicodemus.  It's a call to trust Jesus for one's salvation, and come to the light so that your good deeds can be seen as coming from God.

Revelation 3: 11-22: Don't let anyone take your crown from you.  I have been identified to be like the church in Laodicea, and Jesus advises me not to cruise through life thinking I don't need anything.  Rather I need a fresh anointing to see I'm naked and blind.  But the Lord offers to buy from Him, gold refined by fire.  If I overcome like Jesus overcame I will get to eat with Jesus and sit down on a throne someday.  

Romans 8 (whole chapter): Having and being led by the Holy Spirit sets you free from the law, sin, and death.  This is amazing chapter that is a encouragement to live for the Spirit, and not be closed off to that and instead be living for what's carnal.  This is probably my favorite book in the bible.  :)

Ephesians 1 (whole chapter): God predestinially knows believers, and calls them to be enlightened to know Him, and realize that they have an inheritance in Him.  God's power is great and believers in the greatness of Jesus Christ.  This is a passage about assurance and trust.  I have placed my trust in Jesus, and will someday be in Heaven with Him and others.  

Jeremiah 17: 5-10: This is a call to put your trust in the Lord over the schemes of man, and to know that the Lord will test you and reward you according to the results of your deeds.  A pretty solemn warning.  Yet, if you trust in Lord for the outcome of deeds it's not so harrowing.

James 2:14-26: Faith without works is dead!  It's not enough to just claim belief--you gotta act on it.  So I'm called to act on my faith and trust to accomplish great exploits to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 5: 1-14: Reminder that books of great mystery are under the authority of Jesus to uncover and reveal.  It's not up to me to crack the codes or make things up.  Jesus is the one who knows the living and dead, and is the first One to know about end time judgements.  

Jude 1: 1-25: A stern warning to not allow sexual immorality to creep into and taint the faith I've been given.  Also not to revile angelic majesties that I don't understand.  Rather, I am to stay in the love of God waiting anxiously for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto the day that I inherit eternal life.  

Hebrews 4: 1-16: Choose to be one who enters God's rest.  Give Him the glory at due, appointed times; and don't fall into crowds of unbelief.  Also realize that now you are entering rest as appointed by the Good Sheppard, Jesus.  

2Corinthians 3: 1-18: As a believer in Jesus I am to come to the Lord without a veil.  The ministry of Jesus is greater than the ministry of Moses, and leads one to be more open with the Lord.  Allow Jesus to be your adequacy, and don't rely on past accomplishments.  No matter what you achieve in life, be humble enough to know that it is Jesus who allows you intimate access to the Holy Father.  

2Corinthians 4: 1-18: Realize that in preaching Christ, His message will be veiled to some; hardships will come.  But I am called to look beyond the hardships and realize that that God can cause light to shine through me.  

Galatians 1: 1-12: Remember and cling to the original faith you were given, and don't turn to a counterfeit gospel.  I originally came from a very free church were people spoke in tongues, and had a genuine love for the Lord.  

1Thessalonians 5: 1-28: Be sober in the faith, knowing that day of God's wrath could happen in your lifetime.  But God is faithful and will lead you through so be of good cheer through it all, and abstain from every form of evil.  

Psalms 120 (whole chapter): The Lord has redeemed you.  Though you are for peace, realize that many of the people around you are on a different wavelength are are for war!

Psalms 121 (whole chapter): Look to the Lord for help, and don't rely on help from those on Earth.  God will protect me!

Psalms 122 (whole chapter): Be on Israel's side, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.   

Deuteronomy 10: 17-21: God is be your praise.  Love all people.  The Holy Father is the One who will make my descendants numerous. 

1Samuel 3: 3-10: Sometimes it takes repeated attempts to realize that the Lord is speaking to you.  But when you sense He is, reply like Samuel was instructed, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

Proverbs 3: 1-7: Be known for kindness and truth.  Acknowledge the Lord in all things, ad do what is required of you in support of the church.

Nahum 1: 3-7: In times of trouble let the Lord be your stronghold, for He knows those who take refuge in Him.

Proverbs 11: 24-25: A call to be generous and not stingy.  I'm a saver at heart, but God wants me to be generous like my mom is.  

 

So there it is: who E.C. Henry is in the Spirit.  FYI still at this "writing thang".  Hoping to complete one new, romantic comedy by the end of the year.  Not sure when I'll start screenwriting on that, still working on its characters and developing enough scene to fill-out a feature.  Thars, my epic fantasy, continues to be a struggle.  Really fighting the spirit of perfectionism on that one.  Still, the battle remains, and I remain steadfast in my resolve to finish the 4/5 novels and three script adaptations, one of was already written see my side bar concerning that.  

This week the day job want me to work an extra day.  Recently bought a pressure washer too.  Lots of small, manageable projects to do around our house in Tennessee, so there always something to do.

Will try to post again soon.  Till then, stay well -- and thanks for reading my blog!