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Pulling All Nighters and Recharging Your Brain

By Tony LaScala · April 23, 2012

Apologies for my tardiness Odd-Jobbers,

I’ve never been much of a social person. It’s not that I don’t enjoy hanging out with friends; I just can’t afford the time (or money) it takes to “go out on the town.” I haven’t been single in 10 years, so I just don’t see the point of spending $80 on cocktails while ridiculously loud music I hate raises my blood pressure. We Odd-Jobbers are lucky to get in a few hours here or there to pound the keyboard. There’s no way I’m spending those precious moments at a dive bar in North Hollywood. 

I may have come out of the womb an old codger.

There’s a whole generation of us 30-somethings wandering the planet with college degrees and no sense of direction. I feel extremely fortunate that I discovered my life’s passion at the tender age of five. Because I discovered my obsession so early, it meant I never had time to “live my 20’s.” I might be insane, but I would much rather spend my evenings with a glass of great red wine and a pile of notes than with an overpriced club beer and a cocktail napkin with the phone number of someone I don’t remember meeting on it.

If my friends thought I had no social life before I got married, they were definitely reminded of it this month. I’ve just spent the past 21+ days rewriting a Screenplay that I foolishly believed was “production ready.” After getting several requests for my Screenplay from some production companies, I went into full-scale panic mode. I looked over all the notes I had compiled, and re-read my script.

The outlook was bleak.

Surgery was not an option; I needed a page one rewrite. Because I also work full time, it meant writing from 6:00 P.M. – 4:00 A.M. if I wanted to get 8 hours of writing in per night.

Now, on paper this writing marathon seems plausible. Until one realizes they are not 19 anymore and staying up past 11 P.M. is not only impossible for the body, but also the mind. The brain just simply shuts down at a certain hour, the very same hour that jokes performed on late night comedy shows become funny. If you watched the same show in the afternoon you would probably swear off television altogether.

After passing out on my keyboard some nights I would wake to the sound of my alarm and a scene with a bunch of insomnia induced pre-adolescent fart jokes followed by 26 pages of: vvvnjsssssflnglksnklgnlksksdkvnewklngklnskvnkdngk

lnrlkngvklsdnklvnslkgnalskadnvklsnalgknrknvknvkrnkgnrekngksnvknsklgnklrnbsfknsdnsdngnsgnkdnkmLmfekfofmdsgmkfnhkaskfm…

Thankfully, after many frustrated nights of “whisper-yelling” at my blinking cursor, I finished the Screenplay and I’m looking forward to recharging my brain and starting the next script while visions of directing my screenplay from behind the lens of a big ass camera haunt my dreams.

Recharge. Translation: Spend time with the very same people I’ve been alienating for the past few months. Without a clear head I couldn’t possibly begin another screenplay with the kind of intense focus I require of myself. Nothing clears the head more than a night of terrible bowling.

The next week or so will be spent tracking down friends and guilt tripping them into giving me a few hours of their time, after I’ve turned down all of their recent requests. I hope playing the old “I was so overwhelmed with the wedding” card still works. I may even spend $80 on overpriced cocktails and have my eardrums blown out just to cater to their requests.

In addition to time with friends I plan to spend some quality time with my wife, as the past month post marriage has been spent staring at a computer screen. Maybe we can enjoy a movie I’m NOT reviewing.

Well that’ll do for now Odd-Jobbers. I would love to spend more time rambling on, but I have bridges to un-burn. Hopefully, next time I check in I’ll be pre-planning my next manuscript or enjoying the beach from aboard my multi-billion dollar recycled hover yacht. 

 

Apologetically Yours,

Tony LaScala