Inspiration comes in the strangest of places
I've been rather blocked in my writing lately. I've had a couple new starts to novels (and posted both of them here), but I can't seem to continue with them right now.
But last night I had that feeling again. That feeling that I haven't felt in years. Inspiration.
And it's not just one of the usual moments of inspiration where I can write a few pages and then get stuck again, it;s the kind that pops into my head at every chance it can.
Our dryer broke at home and I have to go to the laundromat to take care of drying the clothes for the time being.
So there I am, sitting in a virtually empty laundromat while this mentally retarded couple is on the other side of the place conversing. I'm a bit of a people watcher, I enjoy taking in mannerisms and personalities; and these two were really entertaining.
As I sit there I start to think that the laundromat wouldn't be such a bad setting for a play. And then the wheels started turning.
I've always said that the laundromat where we dry our clothes should have an arcade machine in it, PacMan or Galaga or Donkey Kong, whatever just something real simple. They'd make a mint. But I degress.
In the vision in my head there is a Galaga machine there. But no one really plays it. One day a new guy starts using the laundromat; he's a studly and charismatic guy who is only temporarily drying his laundry there because his dryer recently broke down. Anyway, he starts playing Galaga. He is at first pissed off that there is no option to continue, but that just makes the high score even more significant. He tries and tries but can't seem to break the high score.
Till one day when he does. Suddenly the phone starts ringing. If you've ever had to use a laundromat then you understand how awkward the ringing phone can be. No one knows if they should answer it or not and generally the people end up just staring it down until it stops ringing or someone actually picks it up.
Well this one doesn't stop ringing and eventually someone answers it.
They answer it to hear nothing but static, or maybe the little song that Galaga makes when you get a perfect score on the 'challengin stages'. Anyway, after the little song (cause I think that's what I'm going with now) one of the unused dryers starts running real loud-like; it sounds like a belt is broken and the thing is about to break down. And then it stops and a bright light beams out from it.
When the dryer is opened, white light encompasses them all and they experience the greatest joys they have ever known. They revert to childhood or something similar, who knows - I think I'll keep it a mystery anyway. Afterwards they all want to go back.
Beating the high score becomes an obsession for them. They almost fiend for it. In comparison to that one devine moment of thier lives everything else has become mundane.
That's basically all I got. I have a few characters in mind, one of which is a crazy and slightly retarded guy that everyone thinks is nutty, but friendly. It appears this guy has the original high score on the Galaga game, and (we find out later) is crazy because he wants so desperately to experience the divinity that comes from getting the high score. But he has never been able to reach that level again and stopped trying, waiting and hoping that someone else could beat the score.
I know that's all a bit scattered, but that's what I have so far.
(any ideas for a witty title?)
But last night I had that feeling again. That feeling that I haven't felt in years. Inspiration.
And it's not just one of the usual moments of inspiration where I can write a few pages and then get stuck again, it;s the kind that pops into my head at every chance it can.
Our dryer broke at home and I have to go to the laundromat to take care of drying the clothes for the time being.
So there I am, sitting in a virtually empty laundromat while this mentally retarded couple is on the other side of the place conversing. I'm a bit of a people watcher, I enjoy taking in mannerisms and personalities; and these two were really entertaining.
As I sit there I start to think that the laundromat wouldn't be such a bad setting for a play. And then the wheels started turning.
I've always said that the laundromat where we dry our clothes should have an arcade machine in it, PacMan or Galaga or Donkey Kong, whatever just something real simple. They'd make a mint. But I degress.
In the vision in my head there is a Galaga machine there. But no one really plays it. One day a new guy starts using the laundromat; he's a studly and charismatic guy who is only temporarily drying his laundry there because his dryer recently broke down. Anyway, he starts playing Galaga. He is at first pissed off that there is no option to continue, but that just makes the high score even more significant. He tries and tries but can't seem to break the high score.
Till one day when he does. Suddenly the phone starts ringing. If you've ever had to use a laundromat then you understand how awkward the ringing phone can be. No one knows if they should answer it or not and generally the people end up just staring it down until it stops ringing or someone actually picks it up.
Well this one doesn't stop ringing and eventually someone answers it.
They answer it to hear nothing but static, or maybe the little song that Galaga makes when you get a perfect score on the 'challengin stages'. Anyway, after the little song (cause I think that's what I'm going with now) one of the unused dryers starts running real loud-like; it sounds like a belt is broken and the thing is about to break down. And then it stops and a bright light beams out from it.
When the dryer is opened, white light encompasses them all and they experience the greatest joys they have ever known. They revert to childhood or something similar, who knows - I think I'll keep it a mystery anyway. Afterwards they all want to go back.
Beating the high score becomes an obsession for them. They almost fiend for it. In comparison to that one devine moment of thier lives everything else has become mundane.
That's basically all I got. I have a few characters in mind, one of which is a crazy and slightly retarded guy that everyone thinks is nutty, but friendly. It appears this guy has the original high score on the Galaga game, and (we find out later) is crazy because he wants so desperately to experience the divinity that comes from getting the high score. But he has never been able to reach that level again and stopped trying, waiting and hoping that someone else could beat the score.
I know that's all a bit scattered, but that's what I have so far.
(any ideas for a witty title?)
Labels: block, inspiration, laundry, writing
posted by donteatpoop at 11:51 PM
4 Comments:
I like this concept alot, and would have a great time directing something like this. The only thing that would piss me off about producing it would be the need for 30 washing machines. haha. EXPENSIVE! I cant think of a witty title either, but what ever the title is, it should have an O in it, and the O should be stylize to look like the front of a washing machine, with a slightly cracked door. Cute eh?
Names dont have to be witty though, just alluding.
"High Score" would work
"Insert Coin To Begin" would be fun
Fuck yeah, High Score. You and I are on the same page. That's so awesome. I named it exactly last night after I finished sorting it all out and writing the prologue. It was 3am last night and I was just about to hop into bed when it hit me.
"High Score"
So I renamed it. Which is good because the working title I had was "the laundromat of splendor". Haha.
Then I checked my blog and voila, you suggested "High Score". That solidifies it. Thank you oh great maker of the muppets and all that is good.
Hah. We are two wild and crazy guys!
At the convention, assuming we both go, we should wear matching hats one day.
I like it. The phone thing is so true.
I really thought when the door opened with all the light, that an alien was going to step out of the dryer. As if the row of dryers and the wall were suddenly the space ship, that had been siting there all along, camouflaged as past of a laundry mat.
Or something like that.
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