Scripting an Outburst

     After dinner with my wife and a friend, my favorite outburst became the topic of discussion.  I do not have a bad temper per se, but an overly zealous idiom sparks to life when a simple yet annoying mistake or accident occurs.

     Here are a few examples for you to mull over.  If I was tightening a bolt on a chair and the wrench slipped causing me to bang my knuckles, then the phrase could be heard down the hall.  If I was cooking spaghetti sauce that splashed and sputtered as it reached medium heat, a scorching sound surely would be heard.  If I was washing dishes and I tilted the pan the wrong direction and got water all over myself, the word would well up within.

     Well to put it delicately, I have a semi-reflexive “Sh*t!” chambered at all times.  Whenever something fairly mundane yet negative and unexpected occurs, I let it fly.  Sometimes I’ll let an “Aw, d*mn it!” slip in there but I tend to stick with the classics.  It’s never a violent or excessively aggressive action, more like a locomotive blowing off steam after climbing a steep yet short incline. 

     Now here’s a little background.  I was in a car accident and received a brain injury that assists, unfortunately, with the rapid escalation and decline of the outbursts.  This has been happening for quite some time and has been the topic of serious and humorous discussions.  In most situations I’m fine, and aptly keep my demeanor calm and my language in check.  While I am at home, out with peers or working on a difficult task, I tend to let my words take to the skies.

     Back to the present and the dinner with my wife and a friend.  We were joking about my bad habit of dropping the “S” bomb after a simple mishap.  The idea was raised about a sketch premise called “Doin’ Sh*t With Pat”.  We laughed and laughed; so why not share?  I talked about some friends making a short video of the sketch, but first they would need a script.  So this week, I will be writing a short screenplay and posting it here.

     Check back later for an update and a copy of the script…


P.S. I posted a declaration of my goals and new determination on the Writer's Digest blog post: Why Fall is The Best Time of Year For Writers — And a Challenge.