Hi friends! Welcome to WIP Wednesday, where I share a little bit of work in progress and invite you to share an excerpt of your own work in the comments section. If you’re new, here are the rules! If you do this all the time, you can skip them.

– 500 words or less! (So blog visitors have time to read more of them.)

– Don’t worry if it’s rough! That’s the “in progress” part.

– No R-rated material! Kids read this blog. A little coarse language is fine. They’ve probably heard it before.

– No linking to finished work for sale, because that’s not really a WIP…but feel free to link to a blog or website where more of your work in progress is available.

– We don’t critique or make suggestions on other people’s work, since this is just for sharing, but encouraging words are much appreciated. It’s good luck for writers to support other writers!

This month I am working on making my book Sunrise Cabin into a made-for-TV movie script. As you may know, I’ve never written a script before. Did you know that made-for-TV movie scripts have nine acts instead of three? I think it’s to accommodate the commercial breaks.

At the suggestion of one of the producers at work, I’m starting with just making a beat sheet. I barely know what a beat sheet is, to be honest, but I think it’s a summary of every scene…like a detailed outline. When I’m done with this, I’m going to give it to the producer for feedback. It’s more efficient than writing a full draft of a script, only to find you need major changes.

Here’s what it looks so far. But please note that I’m not even to the end of the beat sheet yet, and I don’t know how many scenes will wind up being in an act.

 

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AUTUMN AT THE CABIN

LOGLINE

A budding romance between two opposites is hindered when they learn they’re both determined to buy the same mountain cabin.

MAIN CHARACTERS

PAIGE REYNOLDS – 30, a pretty, quirky first-grade teacher with high spirits and high hopes of becoming a children’s book author.

DYLAN CAIN – 30s, a decent but driven investment banker who works long hours in pursuit of his next promotion.

ACT I

  1. PAIGE puts a batch of cupcakes for her first-grade students in her oven. Her dog MAX barks, and Paige agrees: it’s time to count their blessings.
  1. From her back porch, Paige watches the sun rise over the mountains. She says aloud all the things she’s thankful for‑including the cabin she’s renting.
  1. Paige’s landlord and next-door neighbor, HARRY BURKE, 70s, comes over to tell her that he’s selling the cabin. She’s crushed. Her cupcakes burn.
  1. DYLAN wakes up in his posh and soulless downtown loft, listens to a voicemail from his boss pointing out he should’ve been in the office on Sunday, and discovers he has no coffee. Yay, Mondays.
  1. At a downtown café, Paige sits at the counter next to Dylan, who’s working on his laptop. In a casual conversation, Paige shares her opinion about why Mondays are the best days of the week.
  1. Dylan gets a call from his brother-in-law PAUL and realizes he forget to order a cake for his sister’s 40th birthday surprise party. Dylan gets in line to buy the café’s cupcakes, but Paige is about to beat him to it. Dylan tries to convince her he needs the cupcakes more, but relents when he learns that she’s bringing cupcakes for the birthday of a child who’s neglected at home. When Paige is taken aback by the price of the cupcakes, Dylan pays for them.
  1. Paige arrives at the grade school where she works, and co-worker LINDA, 50s, asks if her agent has sold Paige’s children’s stories yet. Paige hasn’t.
  1. Paige reads a children’s story she’s writing to her students, about a fairy princess and a magical cabin. Now that she’s losing the place, the story is bittersweet.
  1. Paige talks with her fellow teacher and best friend JESSICA, 30, in her classroom. They discuss Jessica’s wedding plans and her new volunteer work at the animal shelter. Paige tells Jessica about her encounter with Dylan at the café and about the cabin sale. Paige doesn’t think she could buy it, with her savings…but maybe.

 

Who knows how this project is going to go? I won’t share any more of it here on the blog, but it’a always interesting to try something new.

Please share your excerpt below, if you want to. And either way, thanks for reading, and happy writing!

 

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