Year: 2012

A decent wifi connection will set you free

Maximum Z Los Angeles, Radioslot.com, Richard Walter, screenwriting, The Script Adventurer!, writing
I'm in the mid-upper left. Where are you?

I had a great conversation with Richard Walter on yesterday’s edition of The Script Adventurer!.  He was his usual entertaining, anecdote-filled self. (Missed it? Never fear – it’ll play again Sunday at 7PM PST on radioslot.com)

There were two things in particular he talked about I thought were extremely important for any screenwriter to keep in mind.

When asked what was the most important thing any writer should know, his answer was Move The Story Forward.  If you have an interesting story that really flows and holds the reader’s attention, then your script is already that much more ahead of others.

Scene A should lead into Scene B, which leads to Scene C, and so on and so on. But if Scene R can fit between B and C, and not disrupt the flow, then it shouldn’t have been Scene R in the first place, or maybe R needs a serious rewrite.

The other thing was that unless you want to be part of series television, it’s not absolutely necessary to live in Los Angeles to be a screenwriter.  In fact, he added that it may even be an advantage:  you’re not constantly surrounded by people in the industry.  I cited Nick Schenk of Minneapolis, who wrote GRAN TORINO.

A big reason for this shift in thinking is the internet.  Query letters by email. Scripts attached as a pdf.  A ton of resources and groups available online.  I’ve connected with writers around the world via Twitter, which at times seems completely mind-blowing.  I could ask for feedback on a script and get responses from just about anywhere.

With a solid script and an internet connection, there’s no stopping you.

Always room for improvement

Maximum Z editing, ideas, Radioslot.com, rewrite, Richard Walter, screenwriting, The Script Adventurer!
Some minor fixes can make all the difference

When it rains, there are more problems out on the roadways, resulting in more work for us already heavily-burdened traffic reporters. End result – I’ve worked a lot of hours this week, so not as much time to write as I’d hoped.  A couple of pages a day at best.  Positive spin – nearing the end of Act Two.

Even though I’m working off an outline, sometimes a new approach to a scene will pop in.  Will this work? Does it impact the scene better than the original? Is there conflict? Does it move the story forward?  If it involves the main character, is he the one driving the action? (important questions all).  If I can say ‘yes’ to these questions, then I give it a try.  Lately, it’s been working out.

Case in point: the current sequence.  The way I had it was good, but thought it could be better.  I wanted to expand on it a little.  Keep the tension going.  What would be the most effective way to accomplish this?  I came up with a few different scenarios, finally picking the one I thought worked best. The reshuffling of and minor rewriting of the involved scenes wasn’t as bad as I expected, and I liked the end result.

-My guest on The Script Adventurer! this coming Monday will be UCLA Screenwriting Dept Head Richard Walter.  If you have a question you’d like to ask him, email it to me and I’ll try to ask it during the show.

-Movie of the Moment – JOHN CARTER (2012). This was not the debacle I’d been led to believe; it was actually pretty good. Although I didn’t see the need for the 3-D.

For the most part, I liked it, but some of the story details were a little confusing.  I remember that from the book as well.  If I really like a movie I see in the theatre, I’d consider planning ahead to get it on DVD. I didn’t get that vibe, but I’m more likely to read the book again.

I was surprised Michael Chabon had a hand in the script. I can see that, especially after the great job he did on SPIDER-MAN 2.

Disney’s marketing department completely messed up.  You’d think they’d know better.  A sci-fi adventure story with romantic elements.  How can you not sell that?

I thought Taylor Kitsch did an okay job in the title role, but he looks too generic. A character like this needs more than just a pretty face and muscles.

Potstickers – 1, Me – 0. Again

Maximum Z Chinese food, cooking, screenwriting
a never-ending battle

**WARNING! CHEESY ANALOGY AHEAD!**

My attempts to make Chinese food could be described as aspiring, but ultimately they fall short. My first-ever batch of General Tso’s Chicken? I’m pretty sure the sauce was not supposed to have the consistency of jello.

As much as I would like to be able to whip up a killer batch of chow mein, I’m just not there yet.  But despite numerous almost-got-its, I keep trying.  I like to think someday I’ll get it right.

Which is also how I approach writing a script.

Starting out, it was learn as you go. I made a lot of mistakes, but was able to learn from them and knew what not to do the next time. It also helped to get feedback and advice from more experienced writers.  Without their guidance, my progress would have slowed significantly.

So I write as often as I can.  Daily, when possible.  My writing’s improved, but I’m still learning as I go.  And the more I work at it, the better I’ll get. That’s the plan.

If only this could apply to my Chinese food. So until that magic day when it doesn’t suck, I’ll remain eternally grateful for take-out menus and home delivery.

Moving ahead 144 characters at a time

Maximum Z networking, Twitter

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Gray of justeffing.com.  Among the topics we discussed was the growing use of social media as a tool to help writers network and brand themselves.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but those words made quite an impact on me.

I’m not the most avid Twitter user.  I check it from time to time on my phone, and occasionally from my laptop. Probably because I’m writing, and want to focus on that.

Most of the people I follow are screenwriting or film-based.  A lot of them, like me, are working hard to achieve success.  It’s especially cool that they’re scattered all around the world. (Hello UK and Australia!)

I can’t help but notice that some people tweet A LOT. Sometimes about a project they’re working on, or posting a link to an article, or maybe messaging with somebody.

Like I said, I don’t tweet that often, and seeing these makes me feel like I’m missing out on something.  Not being LA-based, it’s tougher to become part of that community.  Tougher, but not impossible.

I’m going to start making a more sincere effort to change that.

I’ll follow more people.  I’ll make more comments. I’ll retweet something I like, rather than thinking about doing it later and not.

The only person who can build my brand is me, and this is the first step towards making that happen.  I’m not expecting instantaneously huge results, but you never know…

Whew!

Maximum Z Go Into The Story, Movie of the Moment, Oscars, Radioslot.com, rewrite, running, screenwriting, story, writing
And...exhale

Wow, what a jam-packed couple of days! Here’s a quick rundown:

-Whirlwind trip to New Orleans for the Half-Marathon. 13.1 miles in 1:56:06. Wooo!  Next up – coming in under 1:55 for a race in September.

-On this week’s installment of The Script Adventurer!, I interviewed Scott Myers from Go Into The Story. He had a lot of interesting stuff to say, including the most important thing a new or aspiring writer should focus on is having a strong story concept. If the idea behind your story isn’t strong, then the script won’t be either.  Also served as a reminder of what a great resource the site is for aspiring and professional writers.  Check it out if you haven’t already.

-Now that the big run is out of the way, I can devote more time to finishing the DREAMSHIP rewrite. There’s no reason I can’t wrap it up by the end of the month, and I don’t foresee much of a problem with the follow-up editing.

I also realized the Nicholl deadline is coming up, and I could actually submit to it.  Not sure which way to go on that.

-I spent part of the going-there flights muddling my way through the latest section of the LUCY outline.  Progress remains slow but steady.

-Movie of the Moment: Lots of ’em! Best Picture winner THE ARTIST (2011) was featured on the plane.  I liked it, but not sure if it should have won Best Picture over HUGO. If you’ve ever seen SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN or A STAR IS BORN, then you know how this plays out.  John Goodman was really good as the studio boss.

Also got to watch BATMAN: YEAR ONE (2012), an animated adaptation of the comic by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. Solid work on both story and voice fronts.

K watched NEW YEAR’S DAY (2011), which I had no desire to see.  When it was over, she said, “It’s trying too hard to be LOVE, ACTUALLY.”  I caught about three scenes because I was zipping through THE HUNGER GAMES, which I liked more than I expected to.  Easy to see why this is the latest YA novel headed for the big screen later this month.

Also caught the first 30 minutes of MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (2011) before the plane landed. I’ve always had a problem with biopics. It’s tough for me to separate the actor from the real-life person they’re playing.  So while it was easy to imagine Kenneth Branagh as Olivier or Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, I kept seeing them as actors playing somebody else.  Nevertheless, I liked what I saw.

-JOHN CARTER opens this weekend. I may actually go see it.