Two Writers

By William Kritlow

“Writers take us everywhere we want to go. God wants these two writers to go there themselves.”
Frank is 60-years old. He's been writing Christian novels for 40 years and every minute of it he's worked to build a reputation for good, solid, God honoring work - the kind every Christian writer wants to leave behind as a legacy. He longs to hear Jesus' words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," when he breaths his last. Which he hopes will happen way down the road someplace.
He does realize, though, that after 40 years, he needs to breath some life into his work. For that reason, he takes on a writing partner, Ted, a 30-year old Christian, and writing dynamo who does exactly as Frank hopes. While Frank provides plot and lush narrative, Ted pumps the reader's experience up with quick, spot on dialogue. Both their partnership and the sales of their books flourish.
One day Ted gets a call from Castlerock Entertainment in Hollywood. They've become aware of Ted's work and offer him and Frank jobs as a script doctors. They want the two of them to punch up their dialogue and they're willing to pay big bucks to have them do it. Ted sees this as an opportunity for the two of them to make more money, and influence a greater mission field, while Frank see it as subjecting themselves to far greater, far more alluring temptations, but he primarily sees it as Satan engineering a way to destroy their ministry just when it's really beginning to make a difference. Frank decides to remain. But Ted decides to heed the siren's song and go. Their ministry dissolves. But what happens next? And does what happen prove who was right? Or was there a right? And how does God glorify Himself as the two men go forward, and continue to reveal His endless love and mercy to them even as their ministry fades. “Two Writers” shows the triumphs, joys, and frustrations experienced by those in Christian ministry - writing or otherwise. But as importantly, and perhaps even more so, it examines the sometimes difficult challenge of understanding and identifying God’s call to all those ministries in all our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Kritlow
• Release date: Oct 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452438092

William Kritlow

Indiana born, California raised, a Christian at 9, a returning prodigal at 37, I published my first books with Thomas Nelson Publishing Company when I was 50 and now have 7 novels in print, and a number of non-fiction books, some with, some without my name on them. I'm currently pioneering a Theater Arts Program for adults and children in Fountain Valley, CA. God is working faithfully in His children's lives. My passion is to explore His love and grace.

Book preview

Two Writers

a play in two acts

by William Kritlow

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 William Kritlow

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Further permissions: if you purchase a copy of this play for each cast member, you are authorized to present this play three times. Additional performances require additional permission. For that permission, or to ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or just to say, Hi. [e-mail]

Cover art by Sally Truong - visit her website - http://www.inkit-printing.com

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Table of Contents

Brief Description

Cast

Act One: Scene One

Act One: Scene Two

Act Two: Scene One

Act Two: Scene Two

Other Plays by William Kritlow

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Brief Description: Two Writers (a play in two acts)

Writers take us everywhere we want to go. God wants these two writers to go there themselves.

Frank is 60-years old. He's been writing Christian novels for 40 years and every minute of it he's worked to build a reputation for good, solid, God honoring work - the kind every Christian writer wants to leave behind as a legacy. He longs to hear Jesus' words, Well done, good and faithful servant, when he breaths his last. Which he hopes will happen way down the road someplace. He does realize that after 40 years he needs to breath a bit of life into his work, so he takes on a writing partner, Ted, a 30-year old Christian, and writing dynamo who does exactly as Frank hopes. The partnership and sales of their books flourish - Frank provides plot and lush narrative while Ted pumps things up with quick, spot on dialogue. Then one day Ted gets a call from Castlerock Productions in Hollywood. They've become aware of Ted's work and offer him a job as a script doctor. They want him to punch up their dialogue, as well. Ted sees this as an opportunity for him and Frank to make more money, influence a greater mission field, while Frank see it as subjecting themselves to far greater, more alluring temptations. But he also sees it as Satan trying to break up a Christian ministry. Frank decides to remain. But Ted decides to heed the siren's song and go. Their ministry dissolves. But what happens next? Who was right? Or was there a right? And how does God glorify Himself as the two men go forward, and continue to reveal His endless love and mercy even as their ministry fades. Two Writers shows the triumphs, joys, and frustrations experienced by those in Christian ministry - writing or otherwise. But as importantly, and perhaps even more so, it examines the sometimes difficult challenge of understanding and identifying God’s call to all those ministries in all our lives.

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Cast:

Frank - 60-years old

Ted - 30-years old

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Act One: Scene One

Set: Played on a blank stage - couple chairs, each before a flat surface with a laptop computer on it. On another between them sits a coffee pot, coffee preparations and 2 mugs. Framed copies of their book covers are on the wall. During the play they now and then act as a time line.

At Rise: Frank, the older, sits at the laptop typing away. He talks as he types:

Frank: He looked - no - peered down the barrel of the gun - gun - more specific – can’t be. My hero doesn't know about guns. Any second - moment - it might erupt in flame. What would it feel like? Would he feel anything? Would he actually see the flame, or would the bullet - slug - no - bullet - blow his head off - uh - strike him between the eyes - split his skull - good that's good - before - (mutters a little) Would God really want him to die right now? Do you know Jesus? he asked the man with the gun. No, the man said, a smile - no, not smile, something other than smile -

Ted: (steps in. He's the younger) Frank. You're in early.

Frank: Since two. Ted, I got an idea. I'm excited. It’s – ablaze, right, ablaze - with emotion.

Ted: Ablaze is okay, but what about it being an emotional inferno, or a firestorm of emotion, or filled with volcanic passion -

Frank: What's another word for smile?

Ted: Smile. Volcanic passion might be too strong.

Frank: And don't suggest grin. He wouldn't grin.

Ted: You know, there, Frank, we already have a stack of your ideas over here. That proud bird – (taps nose) that nose of yours runs with them. Let’s focus on them. (thumbs a stack of proposals - goes to coffee pot and pours coffee into mug) We've already lost momentum on some of them.

Frank: (profile – indicates nose) Well, this proud bird is really proud of this one. It’s good. (serious) You’re two weeks behind on the coffee fund – five bucks.

Ted: Oh, it’s a good idea. That’s unique. Take the five bucks out of my next advance.

Frank: We write Christian novels. If our next one’s like our last one, there won’t be five bucks in your next advance.

Ted: Debra called last night. I haven’t seen her in nearly a month. I was missed.

Frank: I woke up to go to the head about 1:30 and – bam! – the light went on – an idea. I paced to keep the juices flowing - bad choice of words. I didn’t want to wake Jan so I came here. This idea’s a beaute. Debra – the one with the three-year old daughter - the redhead.

Ted: The kid’s bald. Bows go on with straps. Debra’s the redhead. Do you think I’d make a good father? Debra thinks so. I’m not so sure. What about beam or smirk.

Frank: Smirk maybe. (frustration) My mind's blank. I'm going senile.

Ted: Just in the head. Okay, try one of these. If he's a fisherman, 'His thin smile crept across his lips like a possessed worm.' A mechanic: 'His smile took on the heroic proportions of a smudge of grease.' If he's an Army Green Barrett: 'His smile smeared across his face like a half-eaten slug.' If she's a debutante: 'Her teeth glowed like her Cartier necklace - and her one big - enormous tooth (finger mimics tooth) flashed like a hanging diamond.' If -

Frank: He's a mugger.

Ted: (thinks) Mugger - mugger (idea) His mug smiled. (takes a sip - grimace) Yesterday's. You didn't make coffee? At 2 am you didn’t make coffee. Ideas feed on caffeine. Debra acted like nothing had happened between us – like we’d just gotten off the phone a few minutes before.

Frank: But nothing did happened between you. Debra lives in Wisconsin, right? And we're buried down here in Albuquerque. How can anything meaningful happen between people a thousand miles apart?

Ted: It did. Communication is communication – phone, Internet, or telepathy. And she hadn’t called in a month.

Frank: My idea was it’s own caffeine. And you were five bucks behind in the coffee fund so I certainly wasn’t about to make any for you. Come on, a little help here. You're the word-guy. He's a gunman. Just been asked if he knows Jesus.

Ted: The mugger asks him if he knows Jesus? A Christian mugger.

Frank: No. Our hero asks the mugger -

Ted: Our hero has a gun rammed into his ribs and he is cool enough to ask the mugger if he knows Jesus? Wouldn’t it be more likely for him to ask for a roll of Ultra-soft Charmin. It lacks verisimilitude, Franklin.

Frank: It’s verisimilitude-istic all over the place, Theodore. It's what a Christian's supposed to do. (buries head back into computer) He's scared - but comes through.

Ted: (repeats) Isn’t he supposed to flee from danger?

Frank: (head up) So our hero gets a gun poked in his ribs - screams: 'Eeek - danger!' and (waves hands in air - tongue outside of mouth) 'Ahahahah.' Runs away. Readers love guys like that. They want to jump into their arms and cry, 'Protect me - protect me.'

Ted: But a more likely scenario is – hero gets scared – runs - feels guilty - then vows to act more courageously in the future. Just like you every time