The virtual cabin’s getting that “lived in” look now. We’re all pretty settled into our novels/scripts/etc. My cabin mates are a talkative, active bunch and really inspire me to keep writing. It’s nice to be able to bounce ideas off of them!

Even though the environment is PERFECT for creativity, I have to admit to procrastination and writer’s block. The long Independence Day weekend really threw me out of my routine. I didn’t write a word between Thursday of last week and Tuesday of this week. I hemmed and hawed about the direction the script. As Scene Four begins, I had the chance to either kill off the mother and have the story follow the daughter’s pursuit of revenge or continue to follow the original character as she protects her daughter against raiders in the desert.

So instead of writing a word about it in either direction, I just didn’t open my document at all. HA! Such a newbie move. I should at least “keep the pen moving” as a writer friend of mine has tattooed on her arm (check out her independently published book here!) Even if I decided to take the script in the other direction, I should have been writing toward the 10,000 word goal. Ultimately, another writer friend of mine (check out his book here!) convinced me that Naomi had already won people over by “shotgunning raider rapists.” Can’t argue that I already had great momentum built up there. So Naomi lives!

By the way, I am currently at 2629 words. Only 7371 more words to go!

And now, an excerpt from this week’s writing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INT. A RAMSHACKLE BEDROOM- MORNING

TRIUMPH TRUTH’S eyes flutter open. They are no longer the eyes of a girl, but of an attractive young woman. Sleep clouds them for a moment as TRIUMPH TRUTH figures out what woke her. We see a sense of alarm come over her face as shadows run past the window filtering light into the room.

MAN
(from outside)
Run! They’re coming!

 

WOMAN
(screaming)
DWELLERS!

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH
(grabbing a machete from beneath her pillow)
Shit!

 

EXT. A MEDIUM SIZED CAMP- MORNING

TRIUMPH TRUTH
Rushes out into the morning light to see the citizens running past her hovel away from the invading DWELLERS. She runs in the opposite direction of traffic, toward the fray.

MASKED DWELLER
Jumps down from a rooftop to stand in front of TRIUMPH TRUTH.

MASKED DWELLER
(reaches out to touch TRIUMPH TRUTH’S hair)
Pretty poppet.

TRIUMPH TRUTH
(brandishing the machete)
Get back!

MASKED DWELLER
Grabs a handful of hair and tries to knock TRIUMPH TRUTH to her knees.

TRIUMPH TRUTH
Recovers before falling and uses her machete to slice at the MASKED DWELLER’S hamstrings. Her blade finds its target.

MASKED DWELLER
(screaming in pain)
Little cunty bitch!

TRIUMPH TRUTH

(raises the machete overhead for the killing stroke)
So true.

TRIUMPH TRUTH
Delivers the fatal blow.

 

MASKED DWELLER

Dies spluttering on the blood coming out of his mouth under his mask. It runs down his chin and neck as a geyser of blood shoots up from his abdomen.

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Tries to wipe away some of the radioactive blood that has gotten on her face, hands and clothes, but there’s no time. She leaps over the body of the MASKED DWELLER to attack FEATHER DWELLER who is about to scoop up a nearby CHILD.

 

CHILD

(screaming)

Mommy! Mommy!

 

FEATHER DWELLER

Laughs malevolently as he bends to scoop up the child

 

FEATHER DWELLER

I bet you’ll be tasty!

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Stabs the machete into FEATHER DWELLER’S neck and pulls with all her might to slice the thick meat of the bigger creature’s throat.

 

FEATHER DWELLER

Gurgles as blood comes spurting out of the wound finally slumping to the ground, inches from the CHILD huddled on the ground.

 

CHILD’S MOTHER

Comes rushing in to save the CHILD.

 

CHILD’S MOTHER

(sobbing)

Thank you! Thank you!

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Go now!

 

CHILD’S MOTHER

Holds THE CHILD to her breast and runs with the flow of bodies.

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Continues to push against the flow of people heading toward the center of camp.

 

EXT. CENTER OF CAMP- MORNING

 

NAOMI TRUTH

Wields two shot guns as she fights back to back with JACOB. She blows away two DWELLERS as the tried to flank her.

 

JACOB

Aims his rifle at the ridge above him, trying to get a beam on a DWELLER that is firing arrows at their position.

 

JACOB

(to NAOMI TRUTH)

There’s too many. We can’t keep this up.

 

NAOMI TRUTH

(blowing another DWELLER away)

Then today we die fighting.

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Rolls to avoid a DWELLER’S sword as it swings at her throat. When she rights herself, she is much closer to NAOMI TRUTH and JACOB.

 

NAOMI TRUTH

(to TRIUMPH TRUTH)

You should have gone to the shelter with the others!

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

(rolling her eyes)

Where’s BELTER?

 

BELTER

Rolls into the center of camp on a contraption that is part catapult, part cannon and all fierce.

 

BELTER

Right behind you, young miss.
And your mother is right!

 

NAOMI TRUTH

Uses the butt of her gun to knock a DWELLER down to his knees. She then soundly beats him with the butt until he slumps to the ground unconscious.

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

Kneels in the dirt at NAOMI TRUTH’S knee and quickly stands with the machete blade between a DWELLER’S legs, almost bisecting him in a shower of blood.

 

TRIUMPH TRUTH

When will you people realize I’m an adult now?

 

JACOB

(aiming and firing his rifle causing the last of the attack to stop)

Never. You’ll always be the baby.