One piece of advice that I’ve always
struggled with is “write what you know”. Now I’m sure J.K. Rowling didn’t
“know” what it’s like to be an orphaned wizard, and J.R.R. Tolkien has never
been a hobbit, but look how it turned out for them. I’ve always thought that
there is something admirable in creating another world with just a laptop and
some Times New Roman font. And in a way, both J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien
were writing about something that they knew, if not literally then maybe
metaphorically. I would also agree that if you plan to write a textbook on the
history of World War 2, then by all means do a little research first so that
you are “writing what you know”, as opposed to spewing false statements and
your own, biased opinions.
Despite my wariness towards this
overused advice given to young writers, today I went out and wrote what I knew.
Exactly what I knew. In a very
romantic gesture, I sat in a coffee shop (albeit a Starbucks), and eavesdropped
shamelessly. Nine times out of ten, I believe I would have overheard
conversations about homework or grocery lists or which in-law was hosting
Christmas dinner this year. However, today I became Starbuck’s very own Bob
Woodland or Carl Bernstein, even if the stakes were nowhere near as high as
they were when uncovering the Watergate Scandal. So here goes scene #2, nonfiction
at its peak in the life of Carolyn Mazanec.
SCENE AT A COFFEE SHOP
INT. COFFEE SHOP -- MIDAFTERNOON
Feminine hands hold up a
book at a small round table in the corner of a coffee shop. This is CAROLYN.
Although you can’t see her face, you know she is bored. She crosses and
uncrosses her legs, then shifts the book to her right hand and takes a sip of
coffee with the other.
DAN, JAMIE, and KYLIE
enter and sit at the table in front of Carolyn. They are all wearing Hawaiian
shirts and have red nametags on. Carolyn is facing Dan, while Jamie and Kylie
sit with their back to her.
DAN
Okay,
so Jamie told me that she saw you grab a fistful of twenties from her drawer,
and she was concerned. What happened?
Dan is overweight and has
thinning gray hair. He rests his elbow on the table and holds his face with his
hand. Dan does not want to be here.
KYLIE
I
was on my computer when I saw that a few of the drawers needed refilling. Jamie
was busy, so I thought I’d help her out. I went to go get the money from her
drawer – which was unlocked — and that’s when Jamie saw me.
Kylie is wearing a black
hoodie and has matching hair that looks like it’s been dyed.
DAN
But
I don’t understand. Has it ever been a part of your job to refill the drawers?
KYLIE
No,
you’re right. I wasn’t thinking, and in hindsight I shouldn’t have tried to
help but Jamie was busy and...
DAN
The
fact that Jamie left her drawer unlocked is another issue, and I’ll deal with
that later. But do you understand how this looks?
ANGLE Jamie’s face, she
looks into her lap and doesn’t say anything. Close up we can see an upper lobe
earing and tacky pink eye shadow. SMASH CUT TO:
KYLIE
Yes,
I understand how this looks. I was just having a bad week, and the holidays
were stressful and I wasn’t’ thinking.
DAN
(frowning)
What
I don’t understand is why you would grab the twenties when you know that drawers
are only refilled with ones, fives, and tens, which are always bound together,
and you grabbed the loose twenties--
KYLIE
(interrupts)
Right;
I accidentally grabbed the twenties and was in the process of putting them back
when Jamie walked in.
Beat.
KYLIE
(CONT’D)
I
was on autopilot, I--
DAN
(interrupts)
Now
see that doesn’t make sense. When someone says they’re on autopilot, they’re
doing something that they normally do without thinking. But when has a
part-timer ever taken money from a full-timer’s drawer? It doesn’t make sense.
KYLIE
Well
sometimes when a full-timer opens their drawer, they ask if anyone needs to be
refilled.
DAN
But
Jamie wasn’t asking.
KYLIE
Right,
right. What I meant by autopilot was that I wasn’t thinking, just going through
the motions.
DAN
But
see right there, that doesn’t make sense.
KYLIE
It
was just that it’s right after the holidays and it’s been a hard week for me
and...
DAN
(interrupts)
No,
it doesn’t make sense.
The three get awkwardly
silent. Jamie looks like she’s about to say something, but then stares at Kylie
and is quiet again. Dan looks up and notices Carolyn for the first time. They
share eye contact, and for the first time we see Carolyn’s face. She’s young
and embarrassed to be caught listening in.
DAN
You, over there.
Carolyn points to herself
and Dan grunts. Carolyn takes this as confirmation that he is talking to her.
DAN
Say
you owned a shop, and one of your employees caught another employ taking a
fistful of twenties from the register. What would you do?
CAROLYN
(stutters)
I
don’t know.
DAN
Don’t
be shy.
Dan waves her to their
table and Carolyn gets up, leaving her coat at her table. She thinks about
going back for her coffee, but decides against it. Then, Carolyn pushes up her
sleeves, but they don’t stay up; it’s obvious that Carolyn feels uncomfortable.
DAN
What would you do?
Kylie stares at Carolyn
with a menacing look in her eyes. Carolyn quickly looks away.
CAROLYN
(quietly)
Well,
you can’t really prove someone’s intentions one way or the other.
DAN
(intrigued)
I
suppose that’s true.
CAROLYN
But
on the other hand it doesn’t seem like you trust her. So I guess I wouldn’t
want an employee who I don’t trust.
Carolyn stares at her
hands, afraid to look up. Jamie drums the table, and you can tell that nobody
wants to be a part of this conversation anymore.
DAN
Okay, thank you. Hope the book is good.
Dan points to her table
and Carolyn nods, taking her cue to leave.
ANGLE We watch Carolyn
pack her book into a plastic bag and grab her coat. Over her shoulder, we hear
Dan pushing back his chair.
DAN
Why
don’t you go home for now Kylie and I’ll call you once I decide what to do
about this.
Carolyn quickly pushes in
her chair and exits quickly. It screeches on the tile floor.
FADE TO
BLACK.
MOVIES
WATCHED: 1
SCREENPLAY PAGES WRITTEN: 9
NOVEL PAGES WRITTEN: 46
PAGES LEFT IN ATONEMENT: 121
PAGES LEFT IN HOW TO WRITE A SELLING
SCREENPLAY: 238
SCREENPLAY: 238
PAGES LEFT IN MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR
PECULAR CHILDREN: 314
PECULAR CHILDREN: 314
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