Monday, February 16, 2009

Module 1, Assignment 2 Done

Well, it's kind of done.

Every assignment last year was required to be submitted in 12 pnt font, double spaced, and with correct margins. The catch cry of the lecturers was, you need to submit assignments as if you are submitting to market, this is a professional writing course after all, so be professional.

They then went on to ruin that theory by demanding I staple all my submission papers together - yeah like I staple the work I send to market...

Anyhoo, this module is about writing screenplays, (Alex, anytime you wish to offer any help, I'd be more than happy to listen), and the example script they've given me looks to be in single space. The instructions for formatting margins for other specific areas is a nightmare.

Dialogue must be 3.4cm in from the left and right so as to form a column down the middle of the page. The dialogue must be headed by the characters name, written wholly in capitals, and spaced 5.4cm from the left edge. You must do this and you must not do that...yada yada yada.

The result is a three page double spaced story I wrote last year, only fits into a three page screenplay if you single space it, even though you cut down or out, a lot of the narrative description. The story version is 411 words. The cut down script adaption comes out to 441 words - somehow. Amazing.

My problem is, I sent in the first assignment single spaced, primarily for the same reason (I think my scene description at the beginning of the script may need to be cut down). I can't send in the second assignment until I find out if that one is marked okay. I made sure to ask if single space was okay as it isn't actually mentioned in the guideline presented in the course book.

Unbelievable.

For four years I'll be doing double spaced and it's directly quoted in each course book to do so. The only module it doesn't look like I'm supposed to double space and I can't find any mention of it.

Annoying.

Anyway, that's what I had on the agenda for tonight so I can free up the rest of the week. I could begin writing or I could spend some quality time with my wife.

No contest.

Night!

3 comments:

  1. I have tinkered with a screenplay but I spent more time tinkering with the format than actually working on the story. it really frustrated me and my local colleges are no help. They used to offer a screenplay class when I went to school but no one in the writing dept. seems to know who would be in charge of it and whether they actually teach it every semester. Arg!

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  2. Formatting gives me migraines, especially since I use NeoOffice : P

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  3. I don't know what NeoOffice is but I'm guessing if it's frustrating to format a script in MS Word, then you must be having all sorts of issues.

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