Two-Minute Drill

I feel like things are down to the wire.  Originally, I'd planned for the script to be 95 pages long.  But somehow, it's going to be longer.  I have a lot to do and not very much time to do it.  (Maybe I should study some Tebow film.)  I suppose it could be that if you put three long-time guy friends in a room and you want the dialog to be believable you're going to have to devote a few pages to stuff like this:

MARK

Idiot.

ELLIOT

Who?

MARK

Him, not you. Although, if you have to ask, yes, you too.

RYAN

Why are you calling me an idiot? I'm not the one who accidentally purchased non-alcoholic beer. You're the idiot.

MARK

Shut up.

RYAN

You shut up.

ELLIOT

Both of you shut up.  I'm trying to watch the game.

No, these aren't actually lines in the play, though they could be.  But get enough of that mindless banter in there, and maybe that's what's pushing the page count longer.  They all need to shut up, my characters.  They just need to stop talking so this play can be over already!  Problem is, at this point, I know what they need to say yet before it can be done. The end is so close I can almost taste it... except that it's not.  And I'm still not done.  And I have exactly 2.5 school days to work before the winter break and the kids invade my quiet head-space at home.  (Because I've frittered half of today away, one day is only a half day, and there's the awards program and all...)  Ahhh!