The Play

DSC_1451As usual, The LastWord has applied to The SloMan to write a post to Make an Announcement.

The SloMan, slow and infirm as he is, is obliged to oblige The LastWord, mostly because he, The LastWord, has obliged The SloMan by taking over the bulk of writings that this blog is obliged to present to its readers. Few they may be, but a blog cannot exist without some obligor / obligee relationships between writers and readers.

Readers are advised to either ignore that paragraph above or take two Tylenols before attempting decipher it.

Now, some of you may know that The LastWord and The SloMan have been collaborating on a work of monumental insignificance. They have been writing A Play. Yes. It is true. The SloMan cannot tell a lie, mostly because he doesn’t know how.

It all started about a year ago, when a short story appeared out of thin air and attached itself to the two as they sat contemplating the wall facing them, ( The LastWord ) and the world within ( The SloMan ). This short story was captured and imprisoned into a pdf. The short story was not without its shortcomings. Some of the action shifted abruptly and mood transitions were not handled well or at all. It was sent to a mutual friend, who read it and made encouraging noises. The LastWord, who was the recipient of these noises, took the grunts as evidence of encouragement. The SloMan took his word for it. Thus encouraged, the two started work on The Idea.

The two writers figured that it could become a novel. So they set to work on converting that idea into a novel. What resulted was this post, How to Write a Novel. You must read that post. Not only is it actually useful, it is a genuine How To and contains many valuable tips. However, the result of this exercise was a full-length play, not a novel. So now we come to The Announcement.

The Play is complete!DSC_2855

Yes, it is done. There are some minor things that need to be worked on. We list these below, not just for your benefit, but ours. If you are a techie, may we suggest that is an early-alpha pre-release version? Which means, it is complete. Sort of. Includes many known bugs. Isn’t meant for anyone’s consumption. In the grand tradition of software developers everywhere, here is a current Defect List.

  1. Find a name for it.
  2. The sets needs to be changed often. Modify to ensure a static set.
  3. Put in additional stage directions for the settings.
  4. Add stage directions to define the action better.
  5. Review the role of one of the characters, ( do we need her at all? Can we give someone else the lines? )
  6. Check running time. It should be between 90 and 100 minutes.
  7. Intermission. Do we need one? Where does it go?
  8. Review scene cuts and while you’re doing that check on the Acts as well.
  9. Re read all the dialogues to ensure consistency with character.
  10. Identify alpha readers.
  11. Identify beta readers.
  12. Keep writing and force it to convert itself into a novel.
  13. Don’t be so lazy!!

The pictures on this post have absolutely nothing to do with the contents of the post. The SloMan, as kind as he is slow, thought that you would like to know…

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  1. A.PROMPTreply

    Well, you are full of surprises! Sounds like you’ve made great progress over there…now get on to the rest of it!

    1. Slo-Man

      🙂 Just a few “minor” defects to look after!

  2. NancyTex

    Congratulations on the birth of your play! Yay!

    1. Slo-Man

      Thank you! Yay indeed. ..

  3. umashankar

    I like the word play here. Which means The LastWord naturally qualifies to apply to write a post on announcement of a play. Will I be able to watch it for free? I guess I need too ask The SloMan here. Heck, I’ll just wait.

    1. Slo-Man

      The SloMan sez: not sure if it will be free. Mostly because it may never be produced…. 🙂 We do plan to publish it so you could read it for a nominal fee and imagine the stage.. 🙂 Thanks for reading this blog. It’s good to have you back after a long absence.

  4. Veturi Sarma

    Well, Congratulations. Anything that was completed deserves to be celebrated.