On Life as a Sarcastic Fringehead

I completely enjoyed the movie Drumline that came out a few years ago. It used a college show-style marching band for the underdog/fish-out-of-water-turned-hero metaphor that we love so much. In one scene, the band was on the football field at halftime for its performance. Devin, the film's fish out of water, swaggered and bragged his way into an unplanned drumline solo, and the crowd went wild, loving it. But afterwards, the band director angrily confronts Devin and Sean (who was originally supposed to perform the solo) and asks: "What was that? What did we rehearse? Why do we rehearse?"

I could see the kids' points: Hey, it worked out. The crowd loved it. What's the problem?

But I could also see Orlando Jones' point: What's the point of rehearsing and planning if you're just gonna do whatever you decide to do while you're out there fucking up my shit?

Discipline. That was the teaching moment in that scene.

Which brings me to my next question. Why do I plan and outline these characters when, once they hit paper, they start doing their own thing? Orlando Jones: "What was that? What did we outline? Why do we have color-coded notecards?"

They are not out of control. I still know who they are and where they are trying to go. But the backstories keep changing for feasibility reasons.

Stillwater can't be around sixteen unless the cool cat place is located in a place where 16-year-olds don't need legal guardians. Did he get himself legally emancipated? If not, why hasn't the state become interested in his movements and his work status?

Parker can't be in her thirties because, originally, she came to meet Stillwater after being forced to leave her aunt and uncle's house. Why is this 30-something woman still living at home? I'd have to give her some sort of financial crisis or mental illness or other impediment/impairment and I don't want to do that.

But I may have to, now that I think about it. Without going all melodramatic this morning, don't we all own some sort of impediment or impairment? I've got several of them on this day alone. If I keep fluctuating their ages or their histories just to make the story easier to swallow, I'll end up with a very boring 27.5 pages.

Back to work. Well, back to my notes, anyway. Thanks for listening.