And that’s three

Maximum Z action, antagonist, comedy, confidence, determination, draft, goals, pages, perseverance, persistence, protagonist, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, sequence, subplots, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My goal for this year was pretty simple: complete two rewrites and at least the first draft of the new action-comedy.

Rewrite #1: done

Rewrite #2: done

First draft: done

This first draft was the closest I’ve ever come to actually churning out a proverbial vomit draft. As has been documented here over the past several weeks, it was primarily just writing down what was in the outline with a bare minimum of going back and editing.

It ain’t pretty, but I got there. To put the most positive spin on it – it can only get better from here.

I won’t say that it’s bad, but more like this first effort is severely lacking. It needs an absolute shit-ton of work, along with adding in somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 pages. I already know a lot of what’s missing and what needs to be added, so no panic mode as of yet.

At the top of an continuously-getting-longer list: fleshing out both the protagonist and antagonist, building on the subplots, and at least a few more sequences to enhance the overall story.

The foundation is there. Now it requires some major work on revising the blueprints.

All of this is going to be challenging, but I’d much rather have an awful first draft to work with than no draft at all.

So what now? Going to let this one simmer while I conduct a bit of an experiment on a previous script. When that’s done, I’ll return to this one, red pen in hand and ready to have at it.

I was pretty certain I’d be able to get the first draft done, and my sights are now set on finishing a second (and much-improved) draft.

And I’m quite confident I can do that.

Rough week. Yet I carry on.

Maximum Z action, Austin Film Festival, career, comedy, determination, disappointment, draft, encouragement, fantasy, film festival, frustration, notes, perseverance, persistence, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If establishing a writing career involves hills and valleys, this week was a valley.

A really long valley. With snakes. And poison ivy.

Among the events worth mentioning…

Being let go from a side gig I’d enjoyed doing and a few more “Not Selected” notifications for my short film on the festival front – including Austin, which I knew was a longshot going in.

Sometimes things just don’t go the way you’d like them to, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Weeks like this can be really tough on one’s motivation. Nothing seems to go right. You feel totally helpless, and maybe a little hopeless.

There are lots of ways to get through this. You just need to figure out which one works best for you.

Some might decide this is the last straw and stop completely. Or opt to hit pause and take a little break.

Or, like yours truly, think that things will (have to?) improve and start working on helping that come to fruition. It ain’t easy, but it’s better than the alternative.

As is my standard M.O., some time was spent wallowing, and then it was back on the proverbial horse to take care of stuff that needed doing, including…

-Got some solid notes on the fantasy-comedy, with more on the way (plus a Zoom call for more in-depth notes).

-Came up with a twist on an older script that would really change things up.

-Passed the halfway point on the action-comedy spec. This “write now, edit later” approach is great.

-A few more festivals to try with the short film. Hoping in the end it gets into at least one or two. Fingers crossed.

I sincerely hope I don’t have another week like this, but there most likely will be. Probably more than once.

When that happens, I’ll muddle through to the best of my ability, then get right back into the thick of it.

Here’s hoping the number of hills in my future outweigh the number of valleys.

It’s only work if you’re not enjoying it

Maximum Z determination, encouragement, enthusiasm, excitement, Marx Brothers, perseverance, persistence, podcasts, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,

I had a great discussion on my podcast this week with an author who also works as a writing instructor. Among the many topics we covered was how a writer should look forward to actually writing, as opposed to seeing it as just another item on their to-do list.

Hopefully a majority of writers fall into the former group. I like to count myself as one of them.

It may be challenging and frustrating, but writing is somewhat of a vital component in this equation.

How often have you heard somebody say something like “I’ve got a great idea for a story. I just need to write it.” and then it stalls out or falls apart somewhere along the way?

If they’re that enthusiastic about it, why aren’t they putting that ass in a chair and doing the work?

Because that’s exactly what it is – work. And it ain’t easy. It’s how you approach it that makes a difference.

As much as I love coming up with the ideas, I’m just as excited to put all the pieces together. It always takes longer than I’d like, but that’s how it usually goes for me. Even if all I manage to write that day is one page or even just one scene, I’m glad I put in the effort.

I’ve always thought you can tell when a writer is excited about their material because you can see it reflected on the page. The writing is vibrant and descriptive; it draws you in and makes you want to keep going. But if the writing is drab, flat, and you quickly lose interest, then it’s pretty likely the writer probably wasn’t into it that much.

Who wants to read something like that? Nobody.

This isn’t to say that your writing needs to be jaw-droppingly amazing, but at least make an effort to entice the reader and hold their attention. When you read it, does it make you want to keep going or can you feel your eyes starting to droop?

Be willing to put yourself through the time and effort to write a script because you’re practically compelled to get that story out no matter what it takes. You get a real thrill out of figuring stuff out on paper or pounding away at the keyboard, all as your page count slowly increases.

Embrace the enthusiasm and excitement you get from creating and writing to enable your readers to experience the same electric sensation. Your material will be that much better for it, and your readers will appreciate and enjoy it that much more.

A few words about contests

Maximum Z Austin Film Festival, Black List, career, community, contests, Nicholl Fellowship, PAGE International, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,

Social media has been quite abuzz for the past week or so with the latest announcements from some script contests of note. Many a writer is celebrating – and a few lamenting – their individual results.

To every single writer out there, regardless of how your script did – be proud and take a moment to celebrate the fact that not only did you finish a script, but you were also confident enough to put it out there and see how it fared.

If it advanced – great! If not – that’s a shame, but IT DOES NOT MEAN YOUR WRITING IS BAD. Sometimes a reader connects with a script, sometimes they don’t. It’s totally out of your control.

That’s how contests go. I’ve seen a lot of writers say that their first-time entry advanced and an almost equal number saying that a script that placed (or won) last time didn’t advance whatsoever this time.

It’s always a crapshoot.

A lot of writers pin their hopes on doing well in a big contest, seeing it a possible entryway into working in the industry. I don’t know the actual numbers, but I believe that has happened maybe a few times over the past 20ish years, and a wide range of results for everybody else.

I used to be part of that starry-eyed group. I’d send in my script, hoping for the best. Most of the time, I’d get the email of “Thanks for entering! Unfortunately,…”. Maybe I’d be lucky and advance to quarterfinals or even semifinals, with a very rare finalist every once in a while, but never the big prize of overall winner.

After yet another letdown, I vented my frustration online, to which a friend replied “Contests are a waste of time and money. How many contest-winning scripts have actually been produced? I’d rather write a script that somebody wants to make than one that wins a contest.”

That last part really stuck with me.

So much that I’ve drastically cut back on entering contests, which has also saved a significant chunk of change. Those fees really add up.

Apart from a few free entries courtesy of membership in the ISA, I didn’t enter any this year. If I do any next year, it’ll most likely be PAGE and Austin (despite my AI experience from last year). The whole Nicholl-Black List thing seems ridiculous and exclusionary, not to mention not very cost-efficient.

I’m not going to throw shade on any writer who continues to enter contests. If you like doing it, more power to you. And I make a point of offering congratulations to writers I know who advance. For writers I don’t know, I offer a ‘like’ or a thumbs-up or whatever. Even a little recognition goes a long way in helping somebody feel proud about what they’ve accomplished.

Contests are okay, but just not as much for me anymore.

Boundaries, people! Know them

Maximum Z community, experience, feedback, logline, manners, networking, professionalism, relationships, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s happened again. A writer I connected with on a networking platform sent the initial “Nice to meet you” note, followed very soon after with a pitch deck for one of their scripts.

I skimmed the first page with the intention of not going to the second page, and couldn’t get past the logline.

It needed work, so in an effort to be helpful I offered some suggestions of how it could be improved. This led to several back and forth messages, first my reactions and comments, then their latest attempt. I want to make a point of recognizing that each message ended with a variation on “Thanks so much for this. I really appreciate it!”

In the end, I like to think they finally got what I was trying to explain and figured that was that.

Nope.

Two more messages came in regarding two other projects, asking for my thoughts/feedback.

I wrote “I  helped with the logline. Anything beyond that is getting a little excessive. I suggest becoming part of a writing group and gradually getting your work involved that way. Good luck!”

The response: “Thank you”. Since then – nada.

I get it. You’re an eager just-starting-out screenwriter and you’ve connected with another writer with more experience. Why wouldn’t you want to start seeing if they think your stuff is any good? I was the same way when I started, and learned how to do it and definitely how NOT to do it.

The writer in this most recent scenario started out strong, then let their overzealousness trip themselves up.

I posted about this on social media earlier this week, and one response was along the lines of “When that happens to me, I tell them my rates for any additional work. That usually shuts them down.”

Don’t think I didn’t consider it.

One of the things the screenwriting books and lessons don’t emphasize enough is that relationships in this business are just as important as knowing the craft.

Get to know somebody. Become a peer. Present yourself as somebody worth knowing. Ask to read something of theirs. Offer to help in some capacity (if possible).

Wait until you’ve established a professional connection before asking them to read something, and definitely include “if you have time” – because sometimes they don’t.

BE NICE. AND CONSIDERATE. AND PATIENT.

There is no doubt that this will continue to happen to me and many other writers. I will continue to be as helpful as I can – to a point.

-And for your further reading enjoyment, here are some relevant posts from the archives. Enjoy.

You don’t know me, but can you help me?

At least buy me a drink first