My Wednesday RoboWriters Post

Um, hi.

Here's my Wednesday post. On Saturday. But for all intents and purposes, I will pretend it is Wednesday.

So. last Sunday, Mother's Day, RoboWriters had our first Field Trip. Everyone got their permission slips signed - or forged, Shawn - and met at the Webster Wine Bar for Second Story. This last evening of Serendipity Theater's story telling festival focused on moms. Their signature style involves personal true stories of revelation punctuated with sound effects and music - in this case, a jazz quartet. The evening gets it name from 1) the performance takes place on the second floor of the Webster Wine Bar and 2) they encourage patrons to chat between stories about their own experiences based on the story they just heard, thus, a second story.

ROBOWRITER ASSIGNMENT

We noticed the stories worked best when...

- I felt the story teller was talking to me. Had put their arm around me and was walking with me, relating this wonderful story.
- I made discoveries with them, even though they already had made the discoveries in reality.
- They painted vivid pictures and I could imagine what they were talking about as if I was there with them.

So, the assignment is to write a character telling a story. They can do this solo or as part of a scene, but if it is part of a scene, it should be the heart of the scene.

It's a style one seldom if ever sees performed in a sketch revue. In a scene, we typically avoid characters telling stories. The stories tend to be so rooted in the past and seldom move things forward in the scene. However, if the story is the scene and the teller includes the audience and their scene partners, well, you might just have something there.

Join us for RoboWriters Sundays at 6pm. Details to your right.

Now, it's raining outside and the LOST finale is about to come on. I think they're going to answer everything and not leave any loose threads for next season. Happy hump day.

- Joe

P.S. My fellow writers aren't aware of this, but we actually do have people who read this blog! Seriously. We get 30-50 hits a day. Granted, 20 of those are Chris.

RoboWriters Update!

Okay, we have two RoboWriter meetings under our belt and things are looking strong for the weekly drop-in session for sketch comedy writers. Here are the two assignments from the last two weeks....

4/26/09 - Base a character on your opposite sex parent. Either use them directly, such as Anthony did with having his mom do a press conference on behalf of the Center for Disease Control on how to handle swine flu. Or simply infuse a character with your opposite sex parent, regardless of the character's gender. I am considering making my mother the fourth or fifth man on the moon.

5/3/09 - Write a scene that takes place in a dynamic environment, such as in a house that is on fire, a boat that is sinking or a submarine that is under attack.

Our regular weekly meetings will be at The Bourgeois Pig Cafe although this Sunday it's a RoboWriters Field Trip! Yeah! We're going to the Webster Wine Bar and staying for an event called Second Story. Details are to your right.