31 Plays in 31 Days, #6 - "More Than Flash"

[breakinglight11]

So here's where attempting to apply the 31P31D system to support my current work plan breaks down. If I'm in the process of drafting a new project that I've already got a plan for, it provides really helpful structure to make me actually get words on the page. But if I'm in a different stage of the writing process, like outlining or editing, it's neither all that helpful nor reflective of the work that I'm actually doing toward creating good pieces.

Like right now, the Hood pilot is drafted and was read by wonderful, insightful people who gave me some great feedback. So now I've got to edit it, and in fairly short order too. But that means while I'm doing meaningful work, I don't have anything new.

Whatever. I need to be less hung up on the technicalities and just do the writing I need to do. If I post a piece that's already written to keep things consistent, who cares? And hey, I honestly wrote a new scene every day for the month of JULY in drafting Hood, so it's not like I didn't hit the productivity goal, and a month early at that.

So this piece comes directly after Day #2 - Bullseye. It's slightly cut down due to editing, but it's not one of the ones that will require real surgery. Those are going to be my next priority.

"More Than Flash"
From the Hood pilot
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~

INT. CONFERENCE CENTER HALLWAY – NIGHT

Robin finishes signing the back of a hipster kid’s neck.

ROBIN
Never signed a neck before, but if it’ll help out your tattoo artist…

As Robin takes off down the hall, Scarlet runs up to him.

SCARLET
You’re killing me, Rob.

ROBIN
Did you hear that screaming? You can’t pay for that kind of hype.

SCARLET
Your mouth just wrote a lot of checks my ass has to cash.

ROBIN
I believe in your ass. Always have.

SCARLET
You’re going to be in as much trouble as I am if one of these days I can’t deliver.

ROBIN
Like that would happen. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself.

John and Marian enter and stride his way down the hall.

ROBIN
Uh oh, buzzkill!

Scarlet hurries off, but they don’t let Robin get away.

JOHN
Hell of a show out there. Except for the part where you spilled a top-secret development plan.

ROBIN
Ooh, I knew you were going to be unfun about that.

JOHN
We agreed that we weren’t going to release anything on the Hastings until we nailed down the features—

ROBIN
And until then, they’ll be speculating in every industry mag, every board room, and every tech bro happy hour in the country. So I made the call.

JOHN
You know, technically you report to me.

ROBIN
“Technically” I report to your brother, but that ain’t happening these days either.

JOHN
If you were anyone else—

ROBIN
Good to be me, then.

MARIAN
And bad for the rest of us. Even if we can hit all your new deliverables, the production schedules are blown to hell.

Marian sifts through her notes to shove pages at him.

ROBIN
Wow, I see that MBA’s really working out.

MARIAN
Well, somebody’s got to tell the designers whose fault it is they’ve lost their weekends for the foreseeable future.

ROBIN
Didn't you get enough of tattling on me in college?

JOHN
You can’t just do whatever you feel like.

ROBIN
See, this is why everybody likes Richard better. He could think outside the box. John, this is all anybody’s going to talk about until the release. The marketing department ought to send me a gift basket.

MARIAN
We need more than just flash, Robin.

ROBIN
That’s why we make such a great team. We each handle what the other sucks at. Oh, look, more bad news.

Another high-level Monarch executive, GUY GISBORNE, approaches looking serious.

GUY
Gentleman, we have a problem.

ROBIN
Problem? Well, that sounds like your department. Call me when you need a little more flash. Scarlet, hold the elevator! Remember, I like the festive muffins!

He peels off as John and Marian glare in frustration. Guy clears his throat.

GUY
Mr. Prince? This is serious.