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10/20/2006: More Final Draftiness


Hi all -- I'm on my way out of town on an impetuous last-minute weekend trip. So I'm typing this on one of those airport terminals. At least this one has only had its keyboard slightly tampered with - the "D" is upside-down. Much better than the last one I tried, on which the "M" and "N" had been switched. You might think you don't look at the keys that much anymore, but I promise you, this is a pretty effective trick, and you should try it out on your co-workers' computers at once.

Anyway, I only have time for a tiny post, and here's a little tidbit I've been saving for just this kind of circumstance. Let's suppose that you're using Final Draft, and you're in that frustrating situation where there's a page of your script that contains nothing but the line "End of Act One," or whatever act it is. Well, if nothing else works, try this. See that little window that tells you if the line is Action or Dialogue or whatever? Select that stray line, and change its category to "General." Now it's weirdly close to the line above it. Pulling it onto the previous page. I am told that at least one writing staff used this trick often enough that the procedure got a name: "Calling in the General."

All right, it's not terribly useful. Probably not even advisable. I think the best part is the name!

Lunch: The "Nature's Grill" burrito at Poquito Mas. Surprisingly good.