Lazarus Has Not Risen...but He Ain't Dead Either!
Oh my gosh, I am so upset. I thought I was nearly done with my screenplay for Lazarus and when I printed it to do a read through I got all excited because last week when I checked it and it was around 85 pages. I did some revisions on my computer and it dropped down to 75 pages. I wanted to print it off to make editing it easier after my initial read through. I quickly scanned through the settings and realized that my pages had shrunk down to meek 49 pages. I am missing 25 pages worth of work.
I can't believe it! I am literally crushed right now. I just knew I was nearly done. I'm dumbfounded. I am reading the script again right now to see if in fact some pages mysteriously dropped out during the saving process or was the program giving me false hope in the print preview. It is possible I bumped one of the settings last week to make the script longer by accident, such as the skip a page between scenes function or choosing how many lines to skip between each scene, but I just can't say anything for sure right now.
I did have an issue with saving last week. My internet connection kept timing out so the script kept saying it could not save, so I never shut down the program to keep my writing active. It is possible that is where the pages mysteriously disappeared to.
Lessons Learned:
1) When using Celtx check the word count to gauge your progress. Don't get excited until you have 2000+ words if you are writing a feature screenplay.
2) When you get ready print, make sure to check the settings to make sure everything looks right. I have used this program several times before when completing my shorts for school and have never encountered any problems before.
3) Save from cloud based screenwriting sites, by copying and pasting your work in Microsoft Word, when you suspect a system issue or a slow internet connection. Though once saved, they are saved for the life of your account, sometime the problem may be locking the information initially into your cloud.
The Silver Lining:
I have a full story within the 49 pages. Some parts are bare bones but the story is there. I can see what needs to be developed and what is spot on. I think my A story could use a little more development, the B story is very strongly developed. My A story is more sci-fi thriller, while the B story is a love story.
For those of you who have never watched my video blog, Lazarus is a sci-fi thriller centering around a widowed scientist who aims to finish her husband's research to expand the human life cycle, but the results of the Lazarus project turn deadly when a young mysterious boy enters her life.
I am going back to my index cards to see what happened. You may enter a set-back of your own so remember to just keep writing when the inevitable hiccup happens to you.
#KeepWriting
-DW
