Year: 2013

Because ‘Journal of the Whills’ just doesn’t cut it*

Maximum Z creativity, screenwriting, Star Wars, title, writing
How DOES it look on a marquee?
How DOES it look on a marquee?

*the original title George Lucas had for STAR WARS. Not as good, right?

After reading countless spec titles in places such as The Black List and Done Deal Pro, I’ve come to the conclusion that my script really needs to undergo a name change.

DREAMSHIP

It sort of just…sits there, when instead it should be grabbing your attention and making you think, “Cool! I’ve gotta see this!”

Examples: BACK TO THE FUTURE. CHINATOWN. DIE HARD. See what I mean? Solid. Succinct. To the point.

I may go back to the original title – THE AMAZING DREAMSHIP ADVENTURE. It feels like it does a better job of conveying what the story’s about and what kind of ride you’re in for, but I wouldn’t put it past me to try and tweak it a little more.

It was also suggested that since this is more of a family-oriented kind of story, I should go the HARRY POTTER route and include the main character’s name. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Having a good, strong title is key because it and the logline create the first impression. Do an effective job with that and you’ve got their attention. Just make sure the script/story can hold onto it.

Yay (your name here)!

Maximum Z confidence, encouragement, manager, query letter, representation , ,
My own cheering section? You shouldn't have.
My own cheering section? You shouldn’t have.

While progress moves along slowly on the outline and the podcast, I got a nice surprise in my inbox yesterday: a manager I’d queried two weeks ago asked to see the script.

Even though it may result in absolutely nothing, just the fact that this happened was enough to brighten my day. Getting this kind of news is a real confidence-booster.

Chances are your close friends and loved ones know how much time and effort you put into your writing. They can see how hard you’re working. As much as you strive to succeed, they’re rooting for you just as much.

So being able to tell them you’ve been able to move ahead in your quest, even if it’s just a little bit, is really nice. You feel good. They feel good. Smiles all around.

There may be setbacks along the way, but enjoy little victories like these. Because eventually they can become big ones.

-Super Bowl fever has gripped the city where I live (hint: it ain’t Baltimore). My team of choice is the Steelers, but I’ll make an exception and say Go Niners.

My mettle is being tested, and then some

Maximum Z goals, Joss Whedon, motivation, screenwriting, self-confidence, Spider-Man, synopsis, writing
Some days can feel like this...
We’ve all been there, Spidey.  Metaphorically speaking, of course.

A week after receiving my query letter, an agent responded, asking for a one-page synopsis.  Fortunately, I had one ready to go and sent it, trying hard to not get my hopes up.

The response came just under an hour later, including this:

“Sorry to say it doesn’t promise a unique storyline with surprises that would appeal to the young audience.”

Okay…

Not sure I would necessarily agree with most of that, but then again, I’m slightly biased.

What could have made them say this? Was my synopsis bad? Did the gist of the story not come across? Is this just another way of saying “Thanks, but not what we’re looking for?”

Hard to say.  Oh well.  Nothing else I can do about it.

So with my hopes temporarily dashed on the rocks below, onward I continue.  (Don’t worry. My hopes are pretty resilient, and should be back on their feet relatively soon.)

Probably like a lot of writers, there’s always going to be that dreaded feeling of second-guessing myself. Did I do enough? Is this right?

I could (and do) ask myself these questions, but the more time I spend worrying about them, the less productive I am.

It all comes down to doing the best I can, putting it out there and seeing what happens. Hopefully, it’ll yield positive results. If not, I’ve got no choice but to fix the problem where I can and see if that works.

They don’t call it a never-ending process for nothing, you know.

I’ve been working at this for quite a while, getting a little closer to success each time. The goal is obtainable, and I can do this. This long, drawn-out part can be pretty frustrating, but I’ve made it this far. A little longer won’t be that bad.

-Movie of the Moment: CABIN IN THE WOODS (2011)  I don’t really care for horror, but this was fun. If Joss Whedon is involved, you know it’s going to be written smart. I’d heard there was a unique twist to it, and there was (no spoilers here).

What was most impressive was how they took a lot of horror movie tropes and made them integral parts of the plot, including the all-important setting up and paying off.

Going for that streamlined look

Maximum Z antagonist, creativity, editing, outlines, podcasts, productivity, protagonist, rewrite, scenes, screenwriting, story, structure, westerns, writing ,
No, no. The car.
No, no. The car. Aw, never mind.

With most of the querying out of the way, I’m now focusing on two things: getting the podcast up and running, and fine-tuning the western outline.

There’s not much to say about the podcast, except it just hasn’t been a priority. I could have spent more time on it, but opted to get the queries out, which was very time-consuming. It’s looking more likely now to be a February launch.  Stay tuned for more details.

Regarding the outline rewrite, although I had a pretty solid outline already done, it still needs a lot of work.  Up first: tightening things up.  There are just too many scenes.

Using the existing outline, I’m now figuring out ways to move story details and plot points around so everything moves along faster.

For example: the earlier draft didn’t really introduce the villain until around page 17 (he’d been lurking around in the shadows up until then). I’ve since moved things around and now he shows up around page 4, which also includes a follow-up scene to show just what kind of a bad guy he is.

There was also the decision whether or not two scenes could be combined into one. I’ve gone back and forth on this. Scene 1 advances the story/continues to set things in motion, while Scene 2 provides some backstory about the connection between the hero and the villain. Although each has merit on their own, I’ll probably remain undecided up until the end.

Happy to say I’m still enjoying the whole thing.

-Movie of the Moment Two-fer!: THE OTHER GUYS (2010)   I don’t really care for a lot of Will Ferrell’s films, but this caught me totally off-guard. It was actually funny and had a good story. Surprisingly entertaining.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011) Another clever film from Woody Allen. Probably doesn’t hurt that I love Paris too. Kind of wish he’d write characters other than those from the upper classes.

Hi there. Nice to meet you.

Maximum Z blog, message boards, networking, screenwriting, social media, writing , ,
First impressions count, even online. So be nice.

I’ve made it a point to really work on expanding my network, especially in ways that could help me achieve my writing goals (this applies to both craft and career).

Since I don’t live in Los Angeles, I have to find alternate ways to connect with other writers and folks in the industry. And thanks to living in the digital/internet age, there are lots of helpful options.

These are the ones I belong to, mostly because they were free and matched what I was looking for. I’m aware of Tracking Board and It’s On The Grid, but as far as I know, you need to pay to subscribe to them, and that’s just not an option for me right now.

–Twitter. I like it, but don’t monitor it all that much. If somebody mentions me or sends me a DM, I try to respond in a timely manner.

–LinkedIn.  Split between screenwriting, social media and writing projects. I’ve connected with lots of writers around the world, as well as more people at agencies and management firms, but unsure whether to send them queries (if applicable). Your thoughts?

–Done Deal Pro forums.  I’ve posted loglines (got some good feedback) and am considering posting pages.  There’s a lot of helpful info in the comments of most threads, but a handful of members sometimes come across as a little full of themselves.

–Stage 32. Joined earlier this month. Still building my network. Will explore further.

–Talentville. Joined last week. Still figuring out how it works.  Something about earning Talent Dollars?

–TriggerStreet. Haven’t used this in a while since being criticized for giving honest feedback on scripts.

Something else to keep in mind – blogs. A great way to network! I contacted just about every person behind the blogs over there to the right to tell them how much I enjoyed reading them, and would they mind if I posted a link. See? Not too hard.

One of those unwritten rules about screenwriting is “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

When I started writing, I knew absolutely nobody. But in the years since then, I’ve tried to get to know a lot more people, and as a result, a lot more people know me.