All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
It has been said, of writing, that, "You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins and bleed.”
I wholeheartedly endorse this notion. With that in mind, I would like to welcome you all to the 3rd Annual Writers' Tournament.
We all know that 2020 has been... not the best. For all the things that have sucked about it, the social distancing has, apparently, been among the worst. This effect is compounded when it comes to writers who already do an isolating job. I don't want to add to that misery any further, so I am instituting the buddy system.
The buddy system works as such: writers will be randomly paired together and given the following: a list of 10 (ten) genres, objects, locations and characters, each. Each of those lists are unique to the team (with the exception of genre -- each team will get the same list of 10 genres) and each team member is expected to use one genre, object, location and character per week. These items can only be used once. If these elements are used more than once (as a primary), the script will be disqualified for that round.
This is where the Agreement comes in. All that is expected there is, each week, after the topic has been given, both teammates are expected to post simply that they have an agreement between them for which elements each writer is going to use in that round, so there is no confusion, nor risk of disqualification.
Any script that isn't completed for a specific week will result in a .1% overall point deduction for the writer. However, if a script isn't written in a given week, that writer is still required to select their elements. Of course, this could be used as a way to cheat the system, which is why I decided against allowing writers to choose their own partners. Still, that may not eliminate the problem, but it ahould help.
By the time the Tournament is done, every genre, object, location and character will be used once and only once.
Remember: this is all in good fun and meant to inspire creativity and enjoyment. I hope you are inspired and I hope you enjoy yourselves.
Each script is expected to be no more than five pages long (not including the title page).
Your final opportunity to get out of the Writers' Tournament will be July 1st at 11:59PM.
Sometime early on July 2nd, the pairs will be announced and the lists of elements will be provided to each team. It'll take a bit of time to get all that information out, but it should all be there in short order.
On Friday, July 3rd, at 12:00AM, the topic for that week will be provided. Writers can start writing at any time, so long as they agree on the elements they choose. Both partners are expected to post in the Agreement thread, simply, that they have reached an agreement. No details.
Scripts are to be submitted by 11:59PM on July 6th and each of the four following Sundays, at the same time.
Scripts will be judged on a simple 1-2-3-4-5 sliding scale.
Hmm, mulling it over. Same writer buddy for the entire tournament? And no speed rounds, huh? All a week duration. I was wrong. Was thinking one writer wrote half a script and the other finished it or vice versa.
Thanks, Blondie... for announcing details. Suspense was driving me batty. And for all your hard yakka too. I'm on the fence at the moment.
Okay, so I have a fairly good idea of what’s transpiring here, let me know if I’m way off.
Each writer, although paired, is still writing a solo project per week with no input from the other team member except to agree what genre, object, location, and character to use in their own script from the laundry list handed out at the onset to each team. Could one member just be neighborly at the onset and state; “you pick five of each and hand me the rest and we’ll go from there”, no?
I get that each topic (released weekly) as we go along would need to incorporate each a different genre, object, location and character that was previously used in the last round, but the concept of ‘TOPIC’ has me somewhat confused. Without using an example of an actual topic you’re planning to use; would you be able to give an example of what a ‘Topic’ would look like?
I ask cause most OWC's are based on using certain genre, object, location, and character sets to create a script, but with all those elements there... what's left to go on - a topic, but that's where I'm confused. Probably a simple answer I'm overthinking.
Ah, okay. I was omitting genres like Musical, Biography, Slice of life, Sport etc. Looked them up. One list quotes 20.
What s’matter you, lol. How could you even forget some of the awesome musicals that have graced the SS board over the years? We're talkin' classics such as... Johnny’s: Halloween Baby!
So there's a script competition each week, and you co-write with your partner? But we privately agree and publicly post it...what is the agreement about?
Ben, the agreement is between the two writers regarding: one genre, object, location and character per week. For example, in round 1 of the 2019 Writer's tournament it stipulated:
Genre: Fusion.
Location: Psychiatrist's Office.
Object: Bobblehead Doll.
I'm a bit stupid too in regards to whether we're co-writing, or writing alone. Awaiting clarification on this when Blondie wakes up.
I read Blondie's intro as that the only collaboration is on selecting the elements, but the writers then write their own scripts... could be wrong of course - I often am