Done! Off the Pipes, an audio drama, is finished at 114 pages

Monday evening, 30 November, Off the Pipes was uploaded to the NaPlWriMo site (http://www.naplwrimo.org/sites/default/files/Off-the-Pipes_0.pdf). The main character is Frank Curts, a quarterback for the American football team, the Rivermen, in the Industrial Football League. Curts had been bothering me to write his story for four years.

The NaPlWriMo seemed a fine opportunity to get the broad parameters of Curts' story in place. On 1 November 2009, I began writing his story. At that time, I only knew two things about him: 1) He felt he was the only member of the Rivermen capable of winning a championship for the team; and 2) Years earlier, the only previous opportunity to win a championship was lost when the team's kicker, stoned out of his mind on crack, missed an easy field goal as time ran out.

Thirty days and 114 pages later, the first draft of Off the Pipes was finished and uploaded. The play is written for audio and can be performed live. Irrespective of the quality of the draft, and the amount of writing still to be done on the script, a couple of valuable lessons were learned or reinforced:
1) A lot of writing can be done in a modest period of time;
2) Self-editing can be wholly, or, at least, largely, turned off; and
3) Writing for audio is a phenomenally flexible means for telling stories and developing characters.

Hoping everyone's holidays are joyous,

William

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