An Excerpt

  HERB: Meanwhile, we’ll riff for ideas.

  PATRICK: You're right, we've got time.

  HERB: It's so we won’t feel like we’re wasting time.

  PATRICK: We can’t have that.

  HERB: It's so we won't get bored.

  PATRICK: We wouldn’t want that.

  HERB: All the old ideas.

  PATRICK: They’re tired like crumbled paper.

  HERB: Like plagiarism.

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  PATRICK: Like used condoms.

  HERB: Like plagiarism.

  Silence.

  PATRICK: They all can’t be taken.

  HERB: Each one has.

  Silence.

  PATRICK: Maybe remixed.

  HERB: They regurgitate.

  PATRICK: Defy tropes.

  HERB: They regurgitate.

  Silence.

  PATRICK: What ideas do you have?

  HERB: We write about elves who live on Mars with polar bears.

  PATRICK: Elves are boring.

  HERB: It’s a new take.

  PATRICK: It defies tropes.

  HERB: No one cares.

  Silence.

  PATRICK: They’ve been done like messiahs.

  HERB: Like plagiarism.

  PATRICK: Like enemies to lovers.

  HERB: Like plagiarism.

  Long silence.

  PATRICK: Write something!

  HERB: I'm trying.

  Long silence.

  PATRICK: Write anything at all!

  HERB: What do we do now?

  PATRICK: Wait for inspiration.

  HERB: Ah!

  Silence.

  PATRICK: This is hell!