These demo recordings reflect the work-in-progress nature of the show. Some are performed by Rob and Katie and their friend Amy, others by Wright State University students, and a few have yet to have performers at all. We’ll update the recordings to the newest and best versions as we have them, so check back.
In a musical, the script is generally referred to as the “book”. However, bookwriting encompasses much more than just writing dialogue. Bookwriting, at the heart, is about structure, form, theme, character development, story arc, and all of the other things that underly both the dialogue and the songs.
Category Archives: Bookwriting
RIP None of the Above
Okay, gang, here’s the deal. As you may be aware, in the development process for almost every show, cuts and changes happen. This show is no exception. Act I is running quite long (it should be about an hour, and it was 1:25 today), and while a LOT of that …
Fifth and Final Draft! (for now)
Q: Why is it that Kelly is made out to be hard to get along with (as shown in “Kelly the destroyer” and those scenes) since she is a destroyer of the bs of school and portrayed as speaking up always, that she immediately gets along with the humans at …
Fourth Draft!
KATIE: I think what we’d had in mind is that, like, the human dots were green laser pointers and the cobras were red laser pointers, and we track them all through the maze, so if that’s what you’re thinking here, yes. I’m not sure if that’s possible (and I’m …
Katie’s Writing Chair
I’m going to do a video of my habitats [someday], in response to the request to see our work spaces, but for tonight, I leave you with: my writing chair. This chair, in my bedroom, is where I usually do my bookwriting work, which is, as I’ve mentioned, about 85% …
Stepford Inspiration
Here’s a clip from the original STEPFORD WIVES (1975 … the remake is terrible.) I may have posted it before … this is one of the best scenes. The protagonist, Joanna (Katharine Ross) confronts her former best friend, Bobbi (Paula Prentiss.) Previously, Bobbi was a lanky, funny, loveable goofball. And …
Reptilian Archetypes
Another instance of the archetype for the Cobras & Hannah is the series V (The Visitors), especially the 2009 reboot (it was originally a miniseries in the 80s.) Anna, played by Morena Baccarin, is their leader. Hannah is probably a little more energetic — because she’s a stage character and …
Creepy Inspiration
I don’t know if I’ve posted this before, but this was one of the inspirations for Hannah’s general demeanor: Joan Cusack in ARLINGTON ROAD. In this minute-long clip, this is what you’re seeing: Hope Davis suspects her neighbors of being terrorists. She thinks her phone is tapped so she has …
Creepiness with a Smile
In this conversation from February 13th (Friday the 13th, oooh…), we talk about smiling villains who lure you into their web oh so cheerily…
Romance, Character Development, and More
[THIS IS LONG. I WROTE A NOVEL. SORRY….] Regarding love/crushes/friendships and so on in the show. Going off of what Katie said regarding why we didn’t write overt romantic plots — I want to reinforce the idea that it’s absolutely possible that you & your director build in something which …
Where did Whip go?
Q: I don’t know if this is a suggestion so much as a character question. At the beginning of the show, Rikki calls Whip her best friend, but once she falls to the cobras Rikki’s like “eh” and never mentions her again. Are they just like study buddies at the …
Snake People
Okay I have a suggestion: can somebody in the show say the phrase “snake people” because I think it’s hilarious. I don’t care who or when or how but please. [Katie says: Congrats, that’s now your/Rikki’s line.]
Another rewrite…
…another human falls to the cobras. But who…?
New French Scenes
Alright, gang. We’re on the verge of having a new draft of the script for you (later tonight), and we should have music for the first act as well. But, until then, here’s a new French scene breakdown of who’s in what and who’s a cobra when.
First Book Draft!
Our usual practice with bookwriting has been to make a fairly detailed structural outline, determine where the songs go, and then proceed to songwriting. Once the score is done or mostly done, we write the scenes. Usually one or the other of us does the first pass at a scene, …
Kelly Underground
Writer Kate Winter has a site that I’ve been fascinated by since I first found it — http://www.girls-underground.com. She writes: “Girls Underground is the name I chose to describe a certain archetype I’ve identified, primarily in modern stories but also originating in fairytales and even myths, which focuses on a …
Questions, Questions
Most of the time, our working process is: we get on the phone and Google Drive at the same time, and talk through the creation of a lyric while typing it out / editing it in real time (usually trying to make each other laugh.) Other times, we grab inspiration …
French Scenes
One of the first things we do when we’re constructing a show is to break the story down into “French scenes”, like this. A “French scene” is generally defined as beginning with the entrance of a character, and concluding with a character’s exit — so each French scene is a unit …
Talking Through Act II
This is us talking through Act II (while crossing the Mississippi), before we’ve started writing anything. Just telling the story to ourselves helps us refine and clarify the plot before we get down to writing.
Talking Through Act I
This is us talking through Act II (while crossing the Mississippi), before we’ve started writing anything. Just telling the story to ourselves helps us refine and clarify the plot before we get down to writing. Katie and Rob, still on their cross-country roadtrip, talk through the general flow of Act …
Point of View
Katie and Rob talk about having a point of view when writing a piece.